Have a Coke and a smile, representative. It’s for the kids, you know.
Rep. David Balmer, R-Centennial, wants to restore the sales-tax exemption on soda pop purchases, and his House Bill 1162 passed the House Finance Committee this past week on a party-line, 7-5 vote. It now goes to the House Appropriations Committee.
Democrats suspended the sales-tax exemption for candy and pop last year, along with roughly a dozen other exemptions in an effort to close a gaping budget shortfall. Balmer only wants to restore the exemption on soda purchases, but it would cost the state budget $12.3 million, according to a story in the Durango Herald.
Given that Gov. John Hickenlooper already has proposed a $332 million cut to K-12 education, we see no reason to pile another $12.3 million onto it.
If Republicans can prove that one of last year’s tax hikes is really hurting the economy, repealing it should be up for discussion. But no such proof was offered in committee.
Balmer says, “The families that have the least means are often the ones who get hit hardest by a regressive tax like this.” That’s true, which is why we supported this tax on non-essential food items. It is far better to tax soda pop and candy than to charge taxes on basic food items people need to get by.
Get rid of teachers or Nate Easley? They’ve never alleged that he’s broken any laws, or proven that he’s violated any code of ethics. They just don’t like how he votes. So the potential recall of Denver Public Schools board chairman Nate Easley has been a bad joke since its inception. But now we learn it’s going to cost DPS about $100,000 for the special recall election. For DPS, that’s about equal to two teachers’ salaries.
The nonsense has gone on long enough, and we would hope recall organizers drop the effort and work to oust Easley the old fashioned way — at the traditional ballot box. As an aside, we also argued earlier against the potential recall of DPS board member Andrea Merida, who’s often pitted in battle with Easley. We don’t see eye-to-eye with Merida on reform issues, but she had done nothing to deserve a recall.
Let some light shine on Denver’s budget. We were glad to see Denver Mayor Bill Vidal finally agree that the task force he set up to help find ways to fix the city’s structural budget problems should meet in public. The meetings were being held behind closed doors, Vidal said, to allow members to have freedom to discuss ideas without public scrutiny. But the new mayor needs to remember that public business is the people’s business.
And a tip of our cap to . . . Congressman Ed Perlmutter, who is renewing his Government in the Grocery meetings today at 10 a.m. at Safeway at West Colfax Avenue and Garrison Street in Lakewood. Such interaction is important to a representative democracy.
Short Takes is compiled by Denver Post editorial writers and expresses the view of the newspaper’s editorial board.
This editorial has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, the location of Ed Perlmutter’s “Government in the Grocery” meeting was incorrect. It was Saturday at the Safeway at West Colfax Avenue and Garrison Street in Lakewood.
