Sidestep the I-1033 plunge

Initiative 1033 rests on the assumption that as long as governments get an annual spending boost that matches inflation and population growth, they’ll be all set. Let’s set aside the fact that the recession has driven budgets into a deep hole and focus on that inflation metric. Government isn’t filling its shopping cart with clothing, groceries and electronics. Instead, the big ticket items are education, health care and transportation, all of which outpace the general rate of inflation.

In 1992, Colorado adopted the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which operated on the same principle as I-1033, and revenue for government services plummeted. By 2004, Coloradans were clamoring for TABOR reform. When the Republican- led Legislature didn’t comply, voters turned it over to the Democrats. That’s when the governor struck a deal with lawmakers to ease the restrictions.

But the state fell so far behind that it still ranked 47th in spending per $1,000 of income in 2007, according to the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute. Higher education and K-12 spending ranked 48th. Highway spending was also 48th. Medicaid spending was 49th.

It’s as if Colorado were relocated to the Deep South.

Shot down. During one of those “check out this footage” roundups on a local news station, I saw protesters in hazmat suits demanding that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “stop lying” and release the ingredients of the H1N1 vaccine. The leader raised the specter of all kinds of mean, nasty and horrible things that could arise from the inoculations. And that was it. No expert was interviewed to calm the fears.

It took me less than a minute to find the answer. I went to the Food and Drug Administration’s Web site. Plug the terms “H1N1 ingredients” into the search engine and up popped the recipe. It might take a little longer if you’re typing with protective mitts.

Analogy ahead! What? People don’t like being compared to panhandlers? I kid because I love.

Wednesday’s observation about the KPBX pledge drive coming to an end drew comments from some of the hard-working volunteers who contribute to the staging of the semi-annual event. A couple of them made the salient point that if people want the sales pitch to go away, they need only give year-round or in the first 30 minutes. This, of course, only works if everyone does it, which raises the question of why they don’t.

I liken the self-destruction to that witnessed at rush hour. Drivers know that if they don’t gawk at accidents, are polite to one another and calmly proceed, traffic will move more smoothly. But history tells them that if they leave the appropriate space between cars, some jerk will take cuts. If they allow one car to change lanes, another will try to shoot the gap. All of this accelerates individualism, which assures mutual destruction.

So, that’s why there are clean-up crews, longer commutes and pledge drives.

On the contrarY. I really do like the local public radio station, so why couldn’t I just say that and move on?

Perhaps this conundrum requires some in-depth, Malcolm Gladwell-like thinking that connects all of life’s dots.

Examples: Why do people wait until they object to a specific column to convey that they usually like it? Why is it that readers are more apt to write letters to the editor when they’re angry? Why is it that bosses are more likely to say “have a moment?” when you’re in trouble?

If we could collectively reach a tipping point of positive reinforcement, society as a whole would certainly benefit.

So what’s holding us back? I’d like to hear some theories.

Perhaps we can reach consensus before this newspaper begins the Christmas Fund drive.

All lines are open.