Did you miss me?  (Ed: well…)

I’ve been away for a couple of weeks, kicking off my 25th year doing my one-man show as Alexander Hamilton. I had the pleasure of performing for the nice folks in Greeley at the annual Chautauqua festival there, and then I flew to Idaho for a private show for an automobile dealers’ group. And in my portrayal of that remarkable founding father, I was again reminded of the many things that have changed in American politics since the 18th century, but also how many things remain the same. Though obviously the means of communication have changed, just as it was back then, candidates attempt to define themselves with voters. But ballot issues that may appear small to the voters may prove to be far more impactful on their lives than, say, the aforementioned candidates.

Before I turn to ballot measures here in Colorado, let me first draw your attention to a recent Colorado Politics story about GOP senate nominee Joe O’Dea. In a new 30-second spot, O’Dea enters the scene on the back of a galloping horse, and then does the basic “who am I?” introductory ad that most new candidates use to introduce themselves to the voters. We learn that he has a beat-up old cowboy hat and that he started off as a carpenter and worked his way up to business owner. That is all both good and admirable. But then the bulk of his message is about how he’s, well, I guess non-partisan. One person speaking in the ad claims that everyone in DC votes the party line, and that only Joe won’t. That’s false, but I see the point they are trying to make. Heck, if you take the full ad at face value, Joe appears to be saying that he plans to vote with and work with the Dems a lot. Wow, such bipartisanship, eh? Since we already have a senator who works with people across the aisle in the person of Michael Bennet, one might wonder why bother swapping them out, but I digress…

The only problem with this remarkable tone is that not long ago, another CP story reported on O’Dea’s trip to DC to meet with, and align himself with, Mitch McConnell and the GOP crowd that has given us MAGA and other horrors. O’Dea keeps talking about himself as a moderate, but you are often known by the people you hang out with, and O’Dea wants you to forget that and remember him on horseback. But you don’t get to take the King’s shilling and then claim to be independent.

But, I don’t want to talk about that…

Instead, I’d like to draw your attention to a different CP story. Here we learn the status of several efforts to get various referendums on the November ballot. These are the seemingly small issues noted above that get far less attention than they should, given that they will directly impact your lives more often and more deeply than, say, whom you vote for to be president.

As noted in the story, a remarkably large pile of money is being poured into our state regarding these proposals, and much of it appears to be dark money, the origin of which is unknown to regular folks like us. As of this week, two proposals have jumped through all the hoops to make it to the ballot, with several others still being worked.

On the ballot already are initiatives 31 and 58. The first is an effort to lower the state income tax rate and is backed by lots of Republicans with big bucks behind them. To me, this is another example of the GOP claiming that government doesn’t work, and then working very hard to make sure it can’t work well. Taxes are always evil to these folks, and they want to make government small enough to drown in a bathtub, and then to kill it. Choke off the money government needs, and it will become less able to function and then there is your proof that government is always wrong and should control as little as possible.

Sigh.

Though lots of people will think that taxes should always be lowered, those same people will also complain about the highways not being maintained, the schools not updated, law enforcement being underfunded and the various state agencies they need being too slow in their responses. The backers of 31 have raised $600,000 to convince people to vote against their own self interests, most, as noted in the story, from dark-money sources that don’t have to say who they are as they try to shape the vote.

Initiative 58 is, on the other hand, strange. If passed, it would allow “healing centers” and “facilitators” to provide what they call “magic mushrooms” to people. This measure is even more robustly funded, with $2.76 million available for advertising, mostly from a DC-based pro-marijuana group. I’ve often spoken of my libertarian streak, and at first blush I support the measure, assuming such products would be properly regulated and taxed as we do with “regular” pot here in Colorado, though I need to know more before I fully decide.

Other measures seeking ballot approval include efforts to let grocery stores sell wine (yes, I think that should be OK) and an effort to divert one-tenth of one percent of our income tax revenue to help create affordable housing, an increasingly important issue in Colorado — also a good idea.

So, lots to look forward to on the November ballot. We’ll see what happens with O’Dea’s effort to both run toward and also away from the traditional GOP, as well as what voters think about taxes and mushrooms.

It will be an interesting autumn, stay tuned!

Hal Bidlack is a retired professor of political science and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who taught more than 17 years at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.