Are proclamations and resolutions worth the time our elected officials spend drafting, discussing and entering these statements into the public record? Should Colorado’s state and local officials be weighing in on international conflicts?
The short answer is no. But like all public policy, this is complex.
For example, Black History Month has become an essential tool to pull the contributions of Black Americans from the footnotes of our annals into mainstream recognition.
Taking a moment of our public officials’ time to recognize Black History this month is appropriate, but so is the resolution recognizing Military Appreciation Day, and the one recognizing Missing Persons Day; News Literacy Week; Persian Gulf War Service Members; Roe v. Wade Anniversary Day; Latina and Latino Veterans Day; Gold Star Families, and Designating Jan. 29 as 4-H Day, etc., etc. etc. Those are only a few of the resolutions brought forward in the General Assembly this year.
And while most pass without taking too much time, the resolution on Black History was the perfect example of how these resolutions can actually take a great deal of time. Rep. Ken DeGraaf opposed the resolution with about the harm done by recognizing a single race, going on to repeat dubious historical facts about the racism in the scientific community and who perpetuated slavery in America. The House took a short recess in the middle of DeGraaf’s statements because they were so upsetting to his colleagues. No one is to blame except DeGraaf for his comments, but the hard truth is that the resolutions take time, and while the sentiments are often noble, the effect is negligible.
Denver’s City Council spent hours receiving public testimony and considering a resolution urging Congress, specifically Colorado’s delegation, to advocate for a cease-fire in Israel.
The problem, of course, is that the resurgence of armed conflict between Hamas and Israel has deeply divided our community, and bringing a proclamation on the issue has only deepened those divisions. It was painful to watch Coloradans jeer at each other during public comments when most would likely be friends in any other setting. Bringing such a resolution for a public vote, forced city councilmembers to “take a side” on an issue far too complicated to be addressed in a three-page document.
All of this would be worth the public pain and the precious time of our elected officials if it were going to do more good than harm, but this drop in the bucket will neither convince Hamas to release the remaining hostages nor soften Israel’s stance on bombings that have killed thousands of Palestinians.
All of these resolutions and proclamations are misguided wastes of precious time that would be better spent on the business these legislative bodies can actually change. Denver City Council has a backlog of issues to address. The city’s permitting office for new housing is underwater during a housing crisis despite constant pledges to fix the system; Denver’s mayor just cut services to recreation centers, which are a key tool to addressing the youth crime in this city; our communities are divided over bike lane infrastructure; and the Broncos could leave the taxpayer constructed stadium as a wasteland in downtown Denver.
It is time for the long-standing tradition of dedicating time and effort to these types of gestures to come to an end. We are so divided on local issues and overwhelmed by local problems, that dividing us further on international issues or feel-good proclamations is counterproductive.
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Updated Feb. 16, 2024 at 9:34 a.m. An earlier version of this editorial included language from a draft proclamation instead of the final proclamation. City Council voted on a version that did not say “federal tax dollars should be used to first and foremost” help with the refugee crisis.
