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There was a time when I knew there was an ideal job for me: Lieutenant Governor of Colorado. The main part of the job is to be ready to step in if the real governor leaves office on account of death or political ambition. Since I follow the news anyway, I'd know about the governor's health or desire for a federal patronage appointment.
The last time I checked, the lieutenant governor had two other required roles, neither very demanding. One was to tout Colorado products. Since I'm a Colorado product myself, that looked easy.
The other statutory job was to chair the state commission on Indian affairs. I have no special expertise there, but Salida sits closer than Denver does to Ignacio, capital of the Southern Ute Nation, and Towaoc, capital of the Mountain Utes.
So I could do that job better without moving to the city. Plus, I could bring some consistency to Colorado's Native American policy, and simplify state water management in the process.
We keep reading that the Animas-La Plata water project boondoggle is required to fulfill an 1868 treaty obligation. By that treaty, the Utes own the western third of Colorado, and it seems logical that if we're going to observe part of the treaty, we should observe it all.
If the Nuche still had the Western Slope under that treaty, Front Range Colorado should find it simpler, when it's time to grab more water, to negotiate with one tribal government than with dozens of counties, cities, irrigation districts, conservancies, environmental lobbies and the like.
But it appears I've been setting my sights too low, for it is not just the lieutenant governor's position which offers plenty of free time while still drawing a steady paycheck.
The governors also has time on his hands. Dick Lamm used it to write books about the angry West and impending megatraumas. Roy Romer let the billionaires roam here while he chaired the Democratic National Committee in Washington. Last week we learned what our current governor, Bill Owens, is doing with his spare time -- instead of tending to Colorado, he's organized a think tank: the Center for the New American Century.
That sort of thing usually indicates that the founder has his eyes on the presidency, and it has benefits for all involved. Corporations which desire to enhance their influence can donate to the think tank, which hires researchers to produce policy papers which the candidate can use during the campaign when explaining why it's important to give tax breaks to off-shore companies but vital to get every possible nickel from working families.
According to the Center's web site, which features a
smiling picture of our governor, it's all about Taking
Colorado common sense to America. Bringing the American
experience to Colorado.
If the American experience didn't come to Colorado at Sand Creek in 1864, or at Ludlow in 1914, then I hate to think of what's involved in bringing it here.
As for taking Colorado common sense to America, that's
even scarier. Doesn't the federal government already have
enough waste without adding anything like Colorado's
Project Beanpole
? Under Owens, the state spent
millions with Qwest to link all 64 county seats with buried
fiber-optic lines; a state auditor's report issued a year
ago observed that it was a waste of money, since hardly
anybody used it.
Never mind that, though. According to the CNAC,
Colorado has been a center of success,
and one
reason is the Passage of TABOR limited the cost of
government.
Just how Owens can take credit for TABOR is a good question, because most of us have been blaming Doug Bruce for all these years. What TABOR has meant is that even if we're willing to pay higher taxes to preserve things like our universities or our libraries, it's almost impossible to do so.
CNAC also says we enjoy Colorado-specific growth
measures
which protect our state for future
generations without sacrificing jobs.
Maybe there
aren't any left to sacrifice -- have they checked our
rising unemployment rate lately?
Mostly this illustrates the folly of term limits. During Owens' first term, when he faced running for re-election here on his record, he did a pretty good job.
Now he can't run again for governor. But he is a
professional politician who has to run for something. So
he's consorting with the right-thinking intelligentsia in
Washington with his eye on building a national reputation
as America's Best Governor
-- a standing which will
have no connection to the state of the state he
governs.
It would be nice if someone were looking out for Colorado, but maybe that's expecting too much from a governor.
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