A Few Observations After the Election

To look at the national and state wide races it appears that the people have taken a hard left turn. That will certainly be the case when the U.S. Congress and the Colorado Legislature convene. However, a closer look at what the people have said through Tuesday's vote reveals a very different picture.

Here in Colorado almost all of the statewide tax increases were rejected and most other major policy changes also went down. I see an electorate that, to borrow a phrase from one campaign, is saying "enough is enough". They don't want more government, they want less. They are weary of more government programs and rejected the amendments which are obvious attempts to increase their tax burdens.

When it comes to candidate campaigns the choices were not always that clear. A weary electorate was, far too often, willing to try anyone who promised them what the latest poll said they wanted. Many ended up supporting an obvious liberal, whose record is taxing and spending (Obama and Udall come to mind), and then that very same voter said no to amendments that would directly raise their taxes.

The people have not intentionally turned to the left, they just haven't seen many candidates clearly show the straight road ahead.

We who are Republican leaders should not veer to the left to try to get ahead of the crowd. We should lead straight forward. A lower tax burden and less government is clearly what most voted for in the amendments. Republican leaders should forthrightly stand for those very same, Republican issues.

As the election draws near many candidates are throwing charges and counter charges at each other. After a while it becomes a bit of a blur. This page is posted to clear up some issues about my campaign that may have become clouded with all of the political rhetoric we have flying around.

The first is to state one more time that I do not conduct negative campaigns. I vigorously disagree with my opponents when there is a difference of opinion (and there are numerous issues in this campaign with which I do not see eye to eye with my current opponent), but I do not personally attack my opponent, or his supporters. My goal is to tell you what I am for, rather than what is wrong about my opponent.

In addition, some rumors have been around that I have not had a bill passed since 2004! For the record, in this past session I was a prime sponsor of four bills that have now been signed into law and two resolutions that the legislature also passed. Two of the measures concerned the bark beetle epidemic in our forests, one dealt with notifying employers of the Federal E-Verify system, which helps them determine the legal status of employees. One bill concerned telemedicine delivery of medicaid mental health services, and another allows courts to use out of state sexual offender information for Colorado child custody cases. The final bill I was successful in passing this year allows retailers to fully implement prescription drug discount programs (such as the Walmart $4/month program).

I know this is a detailed list, but I want you to know that my work at the Capitol covers a wide range of issues, all of which directly affect the people in District 49, and this year I had good success in working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

Finally, some have questioned my support for the business community. In fact, this year my voting record for the legislative agenda of the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance (NCLA) was 100%. The NCLA is a joint effort of the Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley chambers of commerce. I also had a 100% rating for the Colorado Home Builders Association. Groups endorsing my reelection include the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry (the big business interests in the state), the National Association of Independent Businesses (the organization for small businesses) and the Associated Builders and Contractors. I had the third highest House vote rating for the Colorado Union of Taxpayers.

For working families to be strong I know that we need good jobs and that will only be possible if we maintain a healthy business environment here in Colorado. That is why I work hard to help craft the best legislation we can to encourage and enable businesses, big and small, to thrive in our great state.

I trust this has helped to explain some of what I have been able to accomplish for all of us this year and gives a bit clearer picture of how I hope to be able to serve Norther Colorado in future legislative sessions as well.

-Rep. Kevin Lundberg