A Change of Heart

After a lot of deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that I can no longer support Bob Beauprez to be the next Governor of Colorado. Instead, I will be supporting a real centrist who will not destroy the state budget and who can unite the state behind his Colorado values. I'm talking about Bill Ritter.

But isn't Ritter a Democrat? you might be asking. Yes, he is, but this race is about the future of Colorado and it's about a candidate who will stand for something instead of only against things (Bob Beauprez). Besides, I'm not the only Republican backing Ritter, there are a lot of county commissioners and state representatives (Republicans) who are recognizing that Ritter can cross the political aisle, and he's pro-life so no problem there.

What really drove me over the edge was two things. The first of those things is Beauprez's continued vendetta against higher ed funding and his irresponsible endorsement of John Caldara's HEAT ploy (which will cost $1 million just to distribute according to Treasurer Coffman).

I voiced my concerns to John Marshall a while ago and got this response:

From: John Marshall
To: Colorado CR Voice
Date: May 16, 2006 7:45 PM
Subject: RE: Referendum C and Tuition

Sorry for the delayed response. With only a few days until the convention, things around here are getting a little crazy.

To your question:

The movement to hold Ref C to the advertised $3.7 billion would not affect college tuition. In fact, the Governor this year proposed a 10% increase to higher ed, while still keeping the budget to only a 4% increase--well below what the Ref C cap would have held it to. Even capping Ref C at $3.7 billion provides for generous increases every year, which can go towards keeping tuition low if the Legislature chooses to spend the money in that way.

Ref C proponents said that $3.7 billion would solve the crisis the state was in. There's nothing particularly radical about holding the state to that figure.

Does this answer your question?


John Marshall
Beauprez for Governor
303-996-8388 (main)

At first it sounded good to me, then I thought about it and realized that even a %10 increase is not enough to offset the rising burden on higher ed and tuition will still increase!!!

The second thing that made me change my mind was the revelations about Beauprez in the Denver Post. Beauprez is revealed not only to not have an agenda (governor needs to stand for something not just against Congressman) but it also reveals he has apparent ties to the Russian mob>!? :(

I'm proud to join the ranks of Republicans for Ritter. I am looking forward to having a truly bipartisan Governor that we can all unite behind, even if he has the wrong letter after his name (maybe he can switch down the road like Senator Campbell). From now on I will be using this site to show why Republican students should consider voting for Bill Ritter.