Cindy Romero

Ballots are hitting mailboxes—don’t forget to VOTE! 🇺🇸 ⚠️ Proposition NN is tricky. A NO vote maintains the current TABOR refund system. Use this cheat sheet as a starting point, but please do your own research. I oppose the proposed tax increases, especially in AURORA. Aurora doesn’t tax groceries, and higher taxes on dining out could further widen the gap between eating at home and eating out—putting even more pressure on our service industry. Judge recommendations coming soon once I can confirm which judges are on the Arapahoe County ballot. Do your research. Read carefully. VOTE! 🇺🇸

The other day, I put up a post agreeing that seniors should not have to pay property taxes on the homes they worked their entire lives to own. I was met with comments like: “Well, I don’t mind paying property taxes. How else would we pay for roads, police, fire departments, schools, and other essential services?” Fair question. So I decided to do some research. First, I looked at how many different taxes are imposed in Colorado. Then I narrowed it down to how many different taxes, assessments, and government-imposed fees a single Colorado household could potentially pay in ONE YEAR. The lists I posted speak for themselves. And even after compiling them, I repeatedly came across another category: “various other taxes and fees.” Let’s talk about those “fees.” Government may call something a fee instead of a tax, but either way, that money is coming out of YOUR pocket. So when someone asks, “How would we pay for roads, police, fire protection and schools if we eliminated property taxes for seniors?” my response is: 🔥LOOK AT EVERYTHING WE ALREADY PAY.🔥 Colorado families are taxed when they earn money. 💥They are taxed when they buy things. 💥They are taxed when they own property. 💥They are taxed when they buy gasoline. 💥They pay vehicle registration charges, licensing fees, utility-related charges, special-district assessments and numerous other government-imposed costs. And after paying all of that, we’re supposed to believe that reducing ONE tax on seniors who have spent decades paying into the system would somehow make it impossible to provide basic government services? I don’t accept that premise. Colorado’s own Joint Budget Committee reported that lawmakers had to close a budget gap of more than $1 BILLION in the FY 2025–26 budget, and the state faced another significant shortfall going into the following budget cycle. At some point, we have to stop asking taxpayers to give government more and start asking government what it is doing with the money it already receives. Families have to live within their means. Small businesses have to live within their means. Seniors living on fixed incomes absolutely have to live within their means. Government should be expected to do the same. Yes, government should fund essential services. Roads matter. Police and fire protection matter. Schools matter. Those are legitimate priorities. But essential services should be PRIORITIES within the budget—not an automatic justification for continually reaching deeper into taxpayers’ pockets. Before asking Coloradans for another tax, another fee or another increase, government should be able to demonstrate that the money it already collects is being spent responsibly. Coloradans are paying taxes and fees from seemingly every direction. The question shouldn't always be: “What else can we tax?” Maybe it’s time to start asking: “WHAT CAN GOVERNMENT STOP SPENDING MONEY ON?” We don't have a taxation problem. We have a spending-priority problem.