To the editor:

I have a message for our state leadership.

In the not-so-distant past when our economy was in great shape, we had enough revenue coming into the state treasury to increase spending. Now that the economy has soured we are left wondering what we are going to cut. When are we going to learn to put money away when the economy is good? When are we going to learn to limit spending? None of you would ever allow yourself to run your home or business budget the way you are allowing the state budget to be run.

I propose a constitutional amendment to cap spending. The cap would prohibit state spending from growing faster than population and inflation. Any extra money in state coffers when the economy is good would go into a rainy-day fund. Once that rainy-day fund reaches a certain level, excess revenue would go to education funding and rebates for taxpayers.

You should all personally read up on how Colorado has been running their budget for the past 10 years! Since 1992, Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) has placed a tight cap on all state expenditures, limiting increases in per capita state expenditures to the inflation rate. Second, it mandates immediate refunds of all surplus revenues. Since TABOR took effect, Colorado has refunded $3.2 billion in taxes to its citizens. In 2001, they were able to pass an initiative that increased spending for education and still issued a tax rebate. Last year, Colorado was one of only five states that did not run a budget deficit.

I support you and trust you can change our fiscal policies.

Kurtis Houk,

Lawrence