State of Colorado Archives: on Welfare & Poverty
Andrew Romanoff:
Advised group on free market solutions to poverty
Romanoff has found the motivation for a new drive -- eradicating poverty in the world's poorest, most rural areas. At the helm at his new post as a senior adviser for Lakewood, Colo.-based International Development Enterprises
(iDE), Romanoff's mission could be one valued by even the most conservative of Republican candidates. Rather than handing out assistance in the form of money and food, Romanoff and his enterprise is focused on a long-term free market solution to poverty.
Source: Colorado Politics blog on 2020 Colorado Senate race
Oct 11, 2011
Bob Beauprez:
2010: 47% of people happy to let others pay the bill
[A 2010 video] shows Beauprez in a speech to the Denver Rotary Club making comments that echo those that hurt Mitt Romney's challenge to President Barack Obama two years later: "I see something that frankly doesn't surprise me, having been on Ways and
Means Committee: 47 percent of all Americans pay no federal income tax," Beauprez said in the video. "I'm guessing that most of you in this room are not in that 47 percent--
God bless you--but what that tells me is that we've got almost half the population perfectly happy that somebody else is paying the bill, and most of that half is you all."He indicated Democrats had reasons to keep it that way. "I submit to you
that there is a political strategy to get slightly over half and have a permanent ruling majority by keeping over half of the population dependent on the largesse of government that somebody else is paying for," Beauprez said.
Source: Denver Post on 2014 Colorado gubernatorial race
Jul 2, 2014
Jared Polis:
Funded more than 14,000 units of affordable housing
We've lowered housing costs by funding more than 14,000 units of affordable housing in the last year, saving families more than $72 million annually. And we are ready to do more. Rising housing costs are pricing people out of neighborhoods they've
lived in for years. I look forward to building on the incredible work of the bi-partisan Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force, to create stronger, healthier, and more affordable communities.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Colorado legislature
Jan 13, 2022
John Hickenlooper:
One Congregation-One Family: churches mentor homeless
One Congregation-One Family: churches mentor homeless
Addressing our most serious challenges requires partnerships with our faith and non-profit communities. One Congregation-One Family is an example of a project with proven success in housing families and seniors who are homeless.
One Congregation-One Family: churches mentor homeless
We continue to work closely with religious and community partners in metro Denver to bring this successful program to Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, Fort Collins and other communities.
Source: 2013 Colorado State of the State address
Jan 10, 2013
John Hickenlooper:
Use marijuana tax revenue to address chronic homelessness
Almost two thirds of Americans now live in a state that has legalized marijuana in some form. We need to address some of the unintended consequences of legalization. There's no question that marijuana and other drugs--in combination with
mental illness or other disabling conditions--are essential contributors to chronic homelessness. Tax revenue from marijuana sales can and should be used to help those who fall through the cracks, including
hundreds of homeless vets, helping them find stable, supportive housing.We currently spend more than $40,000 per person to perpetuate lives of misery among the chronically homeless.
But for less than a third of that we could invest up front in housing, wraparound supportive services and job training. In every booming economy in the country--like ours--homelessness of all types is a growing concern.
Source: 2017 State of the State address to Colorado Legislature
Jan 12, 2017
John Hickenlooper:
More affordable housing via construction defects legislation
Coloradans are being priced out of housing they can afford. We have a housing crisis, plain and simple. Many families are stuck or held down. Too much of their income goes to rent, and homeownership is too far out of reach.Too many people and
not enough units adds up to unaffordable rents and skyrocketing home prices. I've said it before: we need more affordable housing. Part of the answer is the construction defects legislation we almost passed last year and we WILL pass this year.
Source: 2017 State of the State address to Colorado Legislature
Jan 12, 2017
Steve Barlock:
Drug testing for welfare recipients is a slippery slope
All seven candidates said Coloradans accepting public assistance should undergo random drug testing.
"If you are on the government dole, absolutely you should subscribe to random drug testing," said Stapleton.
Steve Barlock wondered about marijuana since it's legal. "It's a slippery slope," he said.
Source: Colorado Independent on 2018 Colorado gubernatorial race
Nov 14, 2017
Walker Stapleton:
Random drug testing for people on public assistance
He supports school choice, wants to de-fund so-called sanctuary cities, and believes too many medical marijuana cardholders in Colorado don't really need one and are just using them to pay fewer pot taxes. He supports randomly testing for people
on public assistance for drug use, saying, "If you are on the government dole, absolutely you should subscribe to random drug testing." His pitch to out-of-state supporters is that he will keep their Colorado vacation home property taxes low.
Source: Westword.com on 2018 Colorado gubernatorial race
Jun 23, 2018
Heidi Ganahl:
Relax state regulations to create more affordable housing
On economic opportunity in rural Colorado and addressing the rural/urban divide that exists in the state: Ganahl said she supports creating high paying jobs in the energy sector to make sure the "economy is thriving" in western Colorado. "We produce
the cleanest energy here. We have the strictest regulations. So if we want clean air, clean land, clean water, let's produce it here and get our industry back on track."She also said if elected she would relax state regulations for residential
construction, in an effort to create more affordable housing. "I can make sure that we have a reasonable approach to green energy regulations on housing," she added. "We've got to be realistic. We can go green. We can also provide affordable housing if
we reduce regulations and provide innovations and new ways of doing housing. There's a lot of exciting stuff happening around co-housing, community development, small houses, tiny houses."
Source: CPR News on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Oct 26, 2022
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023