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Many people have been complaining about all the negative political advertising that infects our television broadcasts, but I must confess that I've enjoyed many of the advertisements which attack Democratic candidates for having represented developers, out-of-state interests, pharmaceutical companies, greedy nursing-home operators and the like. The only logical inference is that Colorado Republicans now believe there is something wrong with real-estate developers, out-of-state interests, pharmaceutical companies, greedy nursing-home operators, etc. -- and that the Republicans will act against these evil special interests'' if they take office.
Along the way, of course, we often hear that a given candidate will take Colorado values to Washington'' or otherwise represent Colorado values.'' That sounds good, but what's a Colorado Value? Search as I might, I haven't been able to find a list of values which distinguish us as Coloradans, as opposed to Nebraskans or Nevadans.
In other states, they're more clear about their values. In Texas, Republican Attorney General John Cornyn is running for Phil Gramm's U.S. Senate seat. He launched a Texas Values Tour'' of the Lone Star State, and said Texas values are hard work, individual initiative, strong families, the institution of marriage, personal responsibility, integrity and openness in government.''
Between here and there, we have Brad Carson, an Oklahoma Democrat running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He is committed to the Oklahoma values of hard work, faith in God, integrity, sportsmen's rights and protection of the family.''
Up in Montana, Democrat Max Baucus wants to be re-elected to the U.S. Senate, and he says he will continue to support the Montana values of decency and hard work.''
Another State Values candidate who was specific was Republican John Ashcroft of Missouri, when he ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2000. He promised to work toward getting the federal government to observe Missouri values, which comprised accountability, responsibility, integrity, honesty, work, creativity and industry.'' Ashcroft was defeated, but he is now attorney general of the United States, where presumably he may someday apply those Missouri values to his work.
While some candidates actually list their State Values, many are rather vague, just as in Colorado. In Kansas, Democrat Dennis Moore seeks re-election to Congress, based on his record of representing Kansas values in Congress,'' but his website apparently assumes that everyone already knows Kansas values.
Jim Matheson, Utah's only Democrat in Congress, was attacked by Alan Keyes as being out of step with Utah values,'' but again, there's an assumption that we already know all about those important Utah values. Wyoming gubernatorial candidate Stephen Watt, a Republican, says he will restore the GOP strong tradition of Wyoming values to make Wyoming one of the most sought-after places to live and work.''
But he doesn't tell us what those values are, and the same has been true in Colorado. Plenty of candidates tell us that they support Colorado Values, but to date, none has bothered to specify those values. So it falls on us to determine Colorado values -- that is, what is so distinctive about our ways in Colorado that it should be carried to the national capitol?
It's hard to come up with anything. No candidate is going to say he favors sloth instead of hard work (though that's one way to interpret support of a repeal of the inheritance tax, since it would give us more idling trust-funders who might have been productive citizens if they had been spared the burden of inherited wealth). Nor is any candidate going to be anti-family or openly opposed to honesty.
In the interest of improving public discourse, though, I present three idealistic Colorado values:
· Live and let live. It's none my business, or the government's, what my neighbors do on their property or in their house as long as it's not a safety or health hazard.
· Tolerance for eccentricity. Those who do not swim in the mainstream are a vital part of Colorado.
· Take care of your own. Do business with people you know and trust. Help when a neighbor gets hit by misfortune.
As I said, these are idealistic Colorado Values. Actual Colorado Values as practiced (greed, betrayal, nosiness, etc.) are an entirely different matter.
But you've likely got your own ideas about what Colorado Values should be -- and if you send them to me, then I'll compile a list of Colorado Values we would like to have.'' Next election, we can bring out that list, and then we'll know what candidates are talking about when they say they support Colorado Values. Since they won't define those values, it falls to us.
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