# Colorado voters, you get what you pay for - Jack Shit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 7, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132 "2018-11-07T15:03:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/21 "2018-11-07T20:26:47Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I herby incentivize you to not get cancer. But if you’re stupid enough to get cancer, you better be able to pay for it. Hey! That’s fucking EASY! Trump is WRONG! It’s not complicated at all! > > Republicans fought the ACA on every front for 7 years. They claimed that they had a much, much better plan. And NOW republicans are saying that democrats want to get rid of pre-existing condition coverage. They claim they are the hero’s that want to keep it. Liars, every fucking one of them. And of course, they haven’t a fucking clue or a plan. Surprise, surprise. Can we avoid turning this into another ACA thread and focus on reverse pitting a Republican complaining that there are insufficient tax receipts to fund his public school teaching job? “I didn’t think they would punch me in the face” says the man who voted for the We’ll Punch You In the Face party. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/22 "2018-11-07T20:30:57Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > {…} But then explain this: 44% of the electorate is Republican but 55.5% of the voters voted against Prop 73. Can’t put that all on the Pubs. Umm, yeah about that edumacation thingy . . . percents, how does them work? CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/23 "2018-11-07T20:33:54Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Can we avoid turning this into another ACA thread and focus on reverse pitting a Republican complaining that there are insufficient tax receipts to fund his public school teaching job? > > “I didn’t think they would punch me in the face” says the man who voted for the We’ll Punch You In the Face party. Your last sentence is echoed quite nicely by this cartoon from the New Yorker: > ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/24 "2018-11-07T20:34:42Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > “I didn’t think they would punch me in the face” says the man who voted for the We’ll Punch You In the Face party. Possibly unsubstantiated assumptions here. The OP might not be a man. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/25 "2018-11-07T20:41:18Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Did you vote for him or Clinton? Neither. Gary Johnson ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/26 "2018-11-07T20:43:19Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Doesn’t Colorado also have some weird-ass amendment that all tax surpluses must be returned to the taxpayers? My sister in law lives in Denver and I’ve heard her bitch about “TABOR” but I’m not really familiar with the details. But whatever it is sure sounds like a clusterfuck. [Tax Payer Bill of Rights](https://leg.colorado.gov/agencies/legislative-council-staff/tabor) ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/27 "2018-11-07T20:43:31Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > … > > Traffic is a nightmare. Whether it is “New L.A.” along the Front Range or a parking lot of I70 on the weekends. Yesterday we had TWO choices - bonds or taxes. The **mental midgets** voted it down because it would cost money. Sorry to ruin your holiday season jackholes but there is no “Traffic Santa” that builds and maintains roads for free. But of course I’ve already heard people bitch about how the guv’mint needs to do something about transportation… I believe some of these mental midgets might be remembering a certain highway improvement tax, which was voted in. For Denver residents this resulted in 10 years of construction, the likes of: Your exit has been closed for the next nine months, find a workaround. Oh, you’re used to the access lane being on the right? Okay, we’ll move it to the left. You’re used to it being on the left? Ha, we moved it back. This bridge that you drive over every day to take your kids to school, well, we’re taking it out for the next year and a half. Okay, we’re down to one lane here deal with it, it’s gonna make things all better. And guess what, it did not get better, when it was finished (if it was ever finished). Although now there is a light rail line so I guess that might qualify as an improvement, too bad they ran it through your back yard and decreased your property value forever. So probably long-time residents are thinking “Not that again. It didn’t help. Traffic is worse than ever!” And they are correct traffic is worse than ever. Insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting a different result. On the plus side, no more slavery in Colorado! ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/28 "2018-11-07T20:47:33Z")
At least Amendment A passed. Not sure why there had to be a statewide referendum on removing provisions for slavery from the State constitution, but at least that’s changed now. My wife is a public school teacher so I can relate to OPs pain of voters and elected officials fucking over teachers, thankfully here is Wisconsin we just booted out our fucktard for someone who cares about public education. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/29 "2018-11-07T20:54:18Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Umm, yeah about that edumacation thingy . . . percents, how does them work? > > CMC fnord! Math is too hard. Now, if ALL the Reps and ALL the Dems voted, he’d have an argument. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/30 "2018-11-07T21:00:39Z")
There’s a difference in supporting some of the policies Trump happens to support and being a Trump supporter, and I myself am glad to welcome **Saint Cad** to (one of) the sides with the sane people. If more Republicans were open to these more traditionally liberal ideas, rather than refusing to meet in the middle at all, we’d have a much better Democracy. Don’t get me wrong: the guy annoys me a lot, but respect where it’s due. Also, happy to have **magellan** on the side of single payer. It actually gives me hope that maybe it can be done. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/31 "2018-11-07T21:01:57Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Your last sentence is echoed quite nicely by this cartoon from the New Yorker: > > [https://twitter.com/newyorker/status/796213377848770560](https://twitter.com/newyorker/status/796213377848770560) I think I paraphrased it from some Onion article or meme. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/32 "2018-11-07T21:03:35Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Wait for it, wait for it…Gary Johnson. > > Right? > > Johnson redeemed himself by ensuring that a Democrat won the New Mexico race for US Senate. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Neither. Gary Johnson Heh. None of the above is a coward’s way out. Take a stand! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/33 "2018-11-07T21:33:34Z")
Jefferson County, Colorado voted for tax increases for education but voted against bonds for school construction. I was really pleased by this; **Saint Cad** is right that teacher salaries are way too low in Colorado and this tax increase was specifically for the purpose of raising salaries. I also feel like the county has been not prioritizing their construction projects very carefully and I am not sure I want them to borrow a bunch of money for this unless they can present a plan. Maybe they did present a plan, but I haven’t seen it and I have children in the district. All that said, I was not really surprised at the results with the Republicans preaching about the evils of education for the last 2 decades and constantly saying how greedy and wasteful the teachers and school districts are. Same with the roads. I argue with my Republican friends about this: they think the government is inept and corrupt and want all the bureaucrats fired. I argue that I like the services I get from the government. I like the roads, the schools, the divisions that protect the forests and the wild life. I like clean air and water and thus like the EPA. I think many times corporations get away with a lot at the expense of citizens and government regulation is the only thing that stands in their way, so I even like well crafted regulations. I like that the government gave me unemployment assistance when I lost my job in 2008 (even though it wasn’t much). I like that they help pay for my aging mothers housing and medical care. I think that bureaucrasts are typically well meaning people that are doing the best they can at their jobs. Having a professional government that looks out for its citizenry is one fo the things that made the west great. I wish they would do more and I consistently vote to raise my taxes but they consistently go down when the Republicans get into office. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/34 "2018-11-07T22:41:21Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Can we avoid turning this into another ACA thread and focus on reverse pitting a Republican complaining that there are insufficient tax receipts to fund his public school teaching job? > > “I didn’t think they would punch me in the face” says the man who voted for the We’ll Punch You In the Face party. > [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Your last sentence is echoed quite nicely by this cartoon from the New Yorker: > > [https://twitter.com/newyorker/status/796213377848770560](https://twitter.com/newyorker/status/796213377848770560) > [@RitterSport](#): > > I think I paraphrased it from some Onion article or meme. [Adrian Bott, 2015](https://twitter.com/cavalorn/status/654934442549620736?lang=en) > [@](#): > > ‘I never thought leopards would eat MY face,’ sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party. IMO the man richly deserves credit for this little bit of awesome: good job, Mr. Bott! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/35 "2018-11-07T23:52:29Z")
Where does Colorado’s marijuana taxes go? Ours were supposed to go to schools, and instead sit in a rainy day fund last I checked. > [@asahi](#): > > Wait for it, wait for it…Gary Johnson. > > Right? > > Johnson redeemed himself by ensuring that a Democrat won the New Mexico race for US Senate. Heinrich was the incumbent and got 53.8%. Rich still would’ve lost. Not sure how that’s evidence of a spoiler. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/36 "2018-11-08T00:22:01Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I support some of Trump policies but I am not a Trump supporter. There is a difference. And which policies would those be? That’s pretty crucial to see if you’re just touting a difference without a distinction. Anyway, I’m at a loss to see how anyone who is not a supporter of that incompetent is in favor of anything Trump does. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/37 "2018-11-08T00:45:56Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Republicans fought the ACA on every front for 7 years. And it was their idea in the first place! ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/38 "2018-11-08T02:41:29Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > And which policies would those be? That’s pretty crucial to see if you’re just touting a difference without a distinction. Anyway, I’m at a loss to see how anyone who is not a supporter of that incompetent is in favor of anything Trump does. Let’s assume it wasn’t the tax cut policy, because obviously the OP is opposed to that. What else has Trump done? Tried to ban transgender soldiers? Separated children into camps from their parents, and then lost track of the parents? Put a possible sexual predator onto the Supreme Court? Gave for-profit schools a break? Probably not that one. Getting rid of net neutrality regulations? The Muslim travel ban? So, OP – are you transphobic? Islamophobic? A fan of separating kids from their parents? Do you work for Comcast? No, you’re a teacher. Hmmm. Are you pro-emoluments? Are you happy that Trump dropped sanctions on a Chinese phone maker after the Chinese government invested $500 million in the Trump organization? Are you a fan of tariffs? Maybe you’re a fan of Kim Jong Un? Trump is. Help us out here. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/39 "2018-11-08T06:56:38Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > But the worst for me is that school-funding got voted down. Understand, people love teachers and tell me I’m awesome for being a teacher and they supported our statewide protest to get the Legislature to contribute more money to education. > Pop Quiz: How do states pay for things? Hint: Taxes > Colorado is 48th in per-pupil spending despite our great economy so yes there is money to spend. But the residents of Fucktardia don’t want to spend\*\* their\*\*, money to reduce that teacher gap, buy supplies for the schools, improve infrastructure, etc. I could try to guess why. The standard Varuca Saltesque attitude of this state of wanting everything without paying for it. The disrespect that most Americans have for teachers in that we don’t work hard enough and we should spend MORE of our personal money to educate YOUR kids while you sit back and do nothing to help. And heaven forbid you actually treat us like professionals or think we should make a living wage yet wonder why nore people don’t go into teaching. After Prop 73 failed last night I have decided I will no longer be a teacher in Colorado. I’m tired of being abused by a state government and voters that only pays lip-service for their children’s education. You liberals invariably focus on the amount of money spent on schools; and, no matter how much it is, you invariably whine that it’s not enough. You are intellectually dishonest; you totally ignore the fact that there is ZERO correlation between how much money is spent and the results. WalletHub says that Colorado has the 10th best school system in the nation. > **[States With the Best & Worst School Systems in 2025](https://wallethub.com/edu/e/states-with-the-best-schools/5335)** > > States With the Best & Worst School Systems in 2025 And we have the 13th highest SAT scores. > **[Average SAT & ACT Scores by State (Participation Adjusted) · PrepScholar](https://blog.prepscholar.com/average-sat-and-act-scores-by-stated-adjusted-for-participation-rate)** > > Participation rate has a huge impact on state average SAT / ACT scores. In any state, the top students on the SAT/ACT are most eager to take it, and so states with low participation rates mechanically have higher SAT / ACT scores. Here, we use... And yet you whine, whine, whine about how efficiently we’re spending our money. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132/40 "2018-11-08T06:59:31Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Doesn’t Colorado also have some weird-ass amendment that all tax surpluses must be returned to the taxpayers? My sister in law lives in Denver and I’ve heard her bitch about “TABOR” but I’m not really familiar with the details. But whatever it is sure sounds like a clusterfuck. As much as “democracy” is worshiped on this board, one would think that the practice of it would NOT be considered “weird-ass.” Oh well–live and learn. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-voters-you-get-what-you-pay-for-jack-shit/824132.md?page=3)