The Colorado legislature is four days away from adjourning. This session has been the most productive in the eight years I've lived out here.
Why?
Because the Dems run the place for the first time in forty years.
There's no fine point to put on it.
While under Republican control, the legislature was held hostage by the radical right, whose control over the caucus system on the GOP side gave it disproportionate control over elected GOP-dom...
The result of which was a constant morass of divisive social legislation and whacky anti- (fill in the blank; immigrants, government, environment) garbage that chewed up time and ultimately had to be vetoed by a Governor fearful for his own political life whenever it got that far...
This year we've finally had a bi-partisan solution to the budget black hole and a bunch of other good and reasonable things done.
As House Leader Romanoff puts it:
Legislative restraint makes an early adjournment possible. This year saw 353 bills introduced in the House -- roughly 100 fewer than last year, and the lowest total in a decade.
All of which is a perfect lesson for the country as a whole.
We need to move away from management by the fringe right if we're going to become effective and efficient once again.
Forget social values; this is about competence, and appropriate and capable governance...
