On The Issues
Colorado Workers and Economy
1
This year, Colorado raised the state minimum wage to $12/per hour. However, no more than $3.02/per hour in tip income may be used to offset the minimum wage of tipped employees. Do you support or oppose action changing how tip income is treated for minimum wage purposes and why?
Oppose
Comment: I oppose government mandated minimum wage requirements. Government should no be dictating how much a company should pay its employees. When minimum wages are set companies usually cannot afford to keep staff at those levels, or keep them at those pay levels because they cannot afford any upward mobility. Tips should never be included in any pay or taxation there is no requirement for gratuity nor should there be. A tip is a gift from me to the person I am dealing with whether its a server, bartender, uber driver, bathroom attendant etc.
2
A 2018 NPR/Marist poll revealed 20 percent of all American workers are contract workers hired to work on a specific project or for a fixed period of time. Do you support or oppose action that would provide gig economy workers access in Colorado to unemployment benefits, workers compensation, etc., and why? Support
Comment: Support if they pay taxes in the state of Colorado then they should be able to access those state benefits. However this seems like a similarity to the military were once we leave we can get unemployment benefits no matter where we now call home.
3
This summer, Governor Polis signed into law a bill that prevents an employer from discriminating, retaliating, or taking adverse action against any worker who raises a concern about workplace health and safety practices or hazards related to a public health emergency. Do you support or oppose enacting similar legislation to protect whistleblowers who sound the alarm about waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, or dangers to public health and safety from employer retaliation? Support
Comment: People should not be afraid to speak out against those things especially if the public needs to know. Even more so when it comes to Government fraud waste and abuse.
Revenue/Taxes
4
The coronavirus pandemic has upended state budgets across the country, including Colorado’s. Do you support or oppose efforts to decouple state taxes from federal taxes and change how Colorado taxes corporations to responsibly raise revenue and why?Support
Comment: To an extent I support this because I believe we need to get the power away from the Federal Government and back into the hands of the states. The Federal Government will never truly know what Colorado needs. But since Congress has the sole power of taxation we would never be able to decouple from that and end up with an overtaxed society receiving very little benefits from that. The department of education is a great example of this. Our federal income taxes go to this department's budget and they decide where that money goes and it very rarely goes where it's needed.
5
The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) prohibits Colorado from raising taxes without voters’ consent. TABOR also prohibits Colorado from establishing a rainy day fund to weather tough economic times. Colorado’s spending on essential services like education and transportation has lagged behind the state’s economic and population growth. Colorado ranks 47th in the nation in per pupil spending. The state also currently lacks funds to enforce labor and other laws in any meaningful way. Do you support or oppose efforts to revise or get rid of TABOR and why? Oppose
Comment: People are already taxed enough and the current government of this state already circumvents TABOR by excessive fees to raise revenue. There are plenty of funds from revenue gathered by gambling, lottery, marijuana, and sales tax to pay for these things. It's just grossly misused always used for "administrative" cost what does that even mean.
Quality and Affordable Healthcare
6
This year, lawmakers introduced legislation to create a public health insurance option for our state. Do you support or oppose creating a public option in Colorado and why? Oppose
Comment: Oppose because government should not be in charge of people's health. We as human beings are in charge of our health for bad or good we are the boss of that. These Government ran programs are always one size fits all approaches that you cannot opt out of. Now if the program met these requirements of you picking and choosing the services you want and only paying for that, being able to adjust those services as you see fit, and being able to opt out of this and pick your own plan and company. If I don't want to participate in a Govt option I should be able to opt out of that and use United, Kaiser, and Anthem if I want and not be forced through taxation to pay for a govt plan I am not using. Then yes I could support a government option.
7
One 2018 survey of Colorado adults found that more than half (53%) reported being either “worried” or “very worried” about affording the cost of prescription drugs. Do you support or oppose policies that would make prescription drugs more affordable and why? Support
Comment: There is a lot of government regulation that is the cause the reason for drugs to be so high, and greedy pharmaceutical companies and lobbyist. We need transparency and accountability in the prescription drug market.
Keep Communities Safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic
8
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, some states and localities rushed to grant businesses immunity from civil lawsuits related to the coronavirus. Do you think businesses should be shielded from lawsuits related to COVID-19? Oppose
Comment: Depends on the lawsuit however. If you are forcing a worker to work in unsafe conditions, then they should be able to take legal action against the company. If you fire me because I contract COVID-19 then I should be able to take legal action. If as a citizen I go to your business and you aren't practicing proper procedures then I have no right to take legal action against you, because I don't have to give you my business and you the business doesn't force you to. Also I don't think CO has adopted anything like that because only the Govt currently seems to be immune to lawsuits take Bandimere Speedway for instance the government is currently taking legal action against them and it has moved pretty fast. Over 200 business owners have sued the govt 2 months ago and there has been no traction on that at all.
Voting Access and Constitutional Reform
9
Do you think Colorado should take additional action to protect low-income and voters of color access to vote? Support
Comment: No one should be denied or find it difficult to vote regardless of circumstance. Voter suppression of any kind is unconstitutional.
10
In past years, legislators have introduced legislation calling for an Article V constitutional convention to address a number of reforms. Do you support or oppose legislation calling for an Article V constitutional convention? Support
Comment: This will be the only way we could ever get the power from the Federal Government back to the States.
11
This year, lawmakers introduced legislation that would place for the first time campaign contribution limits on school board candidates. Do you support or oppose this legislation and why? Support
Comment: There should be limits on all candidates regardless on what office they seek.
