-By Warner Todd Huston
As we’ve discussed before, Colorado has several Amendments on its ballot this election season. One of them is Amendment 54. (See full text in PDF format here)
Basically, Amendment 54 is a corruption fighter. It prohibits any company that holds a no-bid government contract from donating to political campaigns. This law would stop politicians from taking kick-backs from companies that receive contracts from the state.
Naturally, the unions in Colorado oppose this Amendment. They are not happy to be told they aren’t allowed to fatten the larder of the politicians with whom they negotiate. It makes it easier for unions to get politicians to do what they want them to do when those politicians have a pocketful of union cash at hand. (this law does not, by the way, stop individual union members from donating to the political candidate of their choice.)
Here is where the Denver Chamber of Commerce comes in. As reported earlier this month, unions made a few backroom deals with ostensibly pro-business groups in order for the union promise of pulling off the ballot Amendments 53,55,56 and 57, all of which were anti-business measures. That being the case, the Denver Chamber has pledged to help the unions defeat Amendment 54.
News is, however, the agreement to lend money to the fight against Amendment 54 is not going well for Colorado Businesses for Sensible Solutions. So far, with only a week or so to go before the elections, CBSS has only raised $2.3 million of the $3 million they promised for the effort.
In any case, it is bizarre that an organization that should be fighting against the union efforts (and has in the past) is now working with them to defeat a measure that would tend to curb corruption and graft. But this is where Colorado has come, anyway.
Colorado: vote YES on Amendment 54!
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston