Outside of medical problems, I ask: is a delayed abortion a problem? Then, it is your money and not the government's. Are they using it well? Here are some ways to find out.
I have a simple question here.
I'm not wanting to debate abortion. We all have our opinions on that.
What I ask is the following (in relation to the title of the CPR/AP article below which says, "Abortion delays have grown more common in the US since Roe v. Wade was overturned"):
Is this a bad thing?
Outside of the obvious where an abortion is needed right now, or in a few days, to save the mother's life, is it really a tragedy if people have to wait to abort a fetus?
https://www.cpr.org/2023/12/09/abortion-delays-have-grown-more-common-in-the-us-since-roe-v-wade-was-overturned/
**graph’s source: https://commonsenseinstituteco.org/co-budget-then-and-now/
It is your money and not the government's. Are they using it well?
Below is a plethora of links. Some are news and some are government documents, but they all cover various aspects of our state budget.** The budget is a vital part of our government's operations and this is your money. Make sure what is taken from you is used well.
As such, the first link you will find below is to the Joint Budget Committee's webpage. You'll find their schedule and individual legislators' links.
The second link below is to an older story, but still relevant and important. I am not sure if you've ever heard the expression "wants and needs are infinite, but resources are finite", but that is most definitely at play here. The article deals with how our state has only $23 million (with an M) for new programs but BEFORE THE SESSION EVEN STARTS lawmakers are putting forth bills that would need $2 billion (yes, with a B, that is 2000 million dollars) in new proposals.
The article mentions that some of these will likely be winnowed down or abandoned once reality sets in, but I think this is indicative of how politicians (of both parties--you'll note in the article that some of the spending is bipartisan) view your wallet. They do it with hungry eyes.
I say that last in particular too because what I'm not hearing in any articles are proposals to retire or cut current spending.
And while we're on the topic of your money, take a look at the third link below. This is a more recent story detailing how several different government agencies/departments (see the article for a list) are, according to a state audit, holding onto millions of your dollars that should have come back as TABOR refunds.
If you're worried about having too much of your own money given back, don't be. The state agencies that are holding on to too much can put in for a waiver from the Joint Budget Committee (all the more reason to be speaking up there). Anyone care to take bets on whether or not the majority Democrats will fight to not allow a waiver?
Exactly.
How can you keep tabs on our state's budget and proposals by various state agencies? I'm glad you asked because that will round out the links for this post. Links 4 and 5 below come from the state and were sent me in an email where I'd asked about expenditures on a particular bill (research for another post).
The fourth link is to the state's storehouse of budget requests by department. It's easy to get lost in the weeds, but probably the most useful (and interesting at least to me) is the 5th link down, the "executive branch budget requests".
I give an example in screenshot 1. I chose "DNR" (dept of natural resources), then "request summaries", then "FY 25 Schedule 2".
I like this particular one because it shows you (for different parts of government), how the money has been changing over years FY 21-22 actual spending up through proposed in FY 24-25. See screenshot 2 for an example where I highlight CPW for no other reason than prior to writing I was reading about wolves. The "FY 25 Schedule 10 is also interesting as it lists change requests.
Pick a bit of government that interests you and poke around some.
Lastly, the 5th link is to the Assembly's budget page. As with the state's budget requests drive, there's a ton of things here, but I think a good starting place is to scroll down a bit to see the hearing notes for when various agencies/departments came before the Assembly's committees to offer their briefs on the coming fiscal year. See screenshot 3 below.
I myself looked quite a bit into the one on personnel because this is where we're seeing lots of growth (both in terms of government workers and budget) and also because I wrote recently about the public union and its compensation (so it's on my mind).
Again, we are all creatures of finite time and resources and the state's budget is horribly complex.
Give up trying to make sense of it all (that only discourages you from trying), and instead focus on something that interests you so you can see what the government is doing with YOUR money.
**I'm not sure if you were aware, but right around now is when the Joint Budget Committee for the Assembly begins the work of looking at budget requests, money coming in, and etc. toward creating what is called the Long Bill--the state's budget for the coming year. They will continue this work even as the Assembly session begins and then debate over the budget starts in earnest about mid session.
https://leg.colorado.gov/committees/joint-budget-committee/2022-regular-session#:~:text=The%20Joint%20Budget%20Committee%20(JBC,institutions%20of%20Colorado%20state%20government.
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/colorado-lamwakers-advance-two-billion-spending-2024-session/article_70f94766-8d60-11ee-9eb9-ebf721eee57b.html
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/state-agencies-sit-on-millions-in-cash-in-violation-of-state-law/article_1c9fa4e0-9859-11ee-bda5-f71c21e8a2c7.html
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1kAtbfdVVHQy20h72qzSZZ-QKX9G3KKmI
https://leg.colorado.gov/content/budget
Related:
The graph at the top of this post comes from a Common Sense Insitute Report on the growth of government in Colorado. The graph paints quite a picture, but there is much more in the full report, both in terms of general budget knowledge and how it’s changed over the last few years.
https://commonsenseinstituteco.org/co-budget-then-and-now/