I am pleased to submit the
following answers to the Colorado Chapter of Progressive Democrats of AmericaÕs
candidate questionnaire:
Dickey Lee Hullinghorst,
Candidate in State House
District 10
PO Box 88
Niwot, CO 80544
303-359-9236
www.dickeylee.net
GENERAL
What issue areas will your first five bills address? Provide as much
detail as possible.
It is early for me to decide
about my first 5 bills. If elected, what I introduce will depend on what other legislators
are introducing and what other areas need attention. However, generally, I would be interested in legislation
related to the following:
1)
limiting Tax Increment financing (TIF), which state law allows municipalities
to execute
using all local governmentsÕ tax increments, ensuring that special districts, counties and schools donÕt help subsidize new
private development without getting some
additional property tax dollars in return and ensuring the creation of new high- end jobs commensurate with the subsidy
given to the private business involved;
2)
incentivizing additional collaborative efforts that emphasize preventive and
self –sufficiency-oriented
programs for juvenile justice, mental health and human services;
3)
allowing for and incentivizing local governmentsÕ use of development impact
fees and
other land use regulations that help prevent sprawl and allow local governments
to make the
appropriate improvements to their infrastructure, such as roads and public transportation
and contribute to provision of new classrooms or schools for the additional growth
that occurs with new development;
4) moving Colorado in the direction of
single-payer, universal health care, which will depend
to some extent on what is being done on a federal level.
5)
providing additional support for public education – preschool through
college if there is an
opportunity to fund such legislation – perhaps with some of the ideas I
raised above.
Your Support of Progressive Issues and
Candidates: Which parts of the current Colorado Democratic Party Platform do
you support?
I fully support the Boulder County
Democratic Platform. I have not
had a chance to fully review the Colorado Democratic Party Platform, but expect
I can and will support it.
Explain why you do or do not support the planks that you
consider most important. N/A
Have you supported the issues articulated in the current
platform in previous elections, as either a candidate or a supporter or
opponent of other candidates? Yes.
TABOR/TAXATION
Do you support the platform plank advocating simplification of the tax code and
revocation of the TABOR amendment? Yes. Do
you support more progressive taxation in Colorado? Yes. How will you persuade TABOR supporters that there are better
and more just possibilities for limiting taxes? Statistics show that corporations and
the mega-rich in Colorado, just as is the case nationally, do not pay their
fair share of taxes and that the middle class and working poor generally pay
more than their fair share. TABOR currently exacerbates this situation and
prevents Colorado from adequately funding education, transportation, universal
health care and other vital human services. I would use such an argument to support more progressive
taxation in Colorado.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
Where do public education and children's issues fit into your priorities for
the state budget? They are very high in my set of
priorities. And, I would be
willing to carry legislation relating to improving public education and
childrenÕs lives as stated above. Please refer to my website www.dickeylee.net and my
policy positions on education and human services.
HEALTH CARE
What is your stand on single-payer universal health care, one in which health
care is publicly financed and privately delivered? Please elaborate. I support single-payer, universal health care that is
publicly financed and privately delivered. Please refer to my website www.dickeylee.net for my
position on universal health care.
ELECTORAL REFORM
The Colorado Democratic Party platform develops specific planks in the areas of
election reform including the requirement that the paper ballot become the
official record of voter intent, that any electronic voting machine produce a
voter-verifiable paper record, and that proprietary software programs by
vendors be eliminated. Will you support these planks? Yes. Will
you resist efforts to scrap precinct-polling places and move Colorado to a
mandatory all mail-in ballot? I believe we need to
explore additional facilitation of voting by mail that also allows for
accessible polling places on election day. Mail ballot systems, such as ones used in Oregon, vastly
improve voter turnout and participation and I am unaware that they have been
subject to hacker or voter fraud abuse.
These systems also allow for paper ballot back up.
IMMIGRATION
What measures do you propose to reduce abuses of undocumented immigrants and
detainees in Colorado? Most of these issues require
federal legislation and enforcement.
And, I support ObamaÕs pledge to rescind current executive orders
relating to undocumented immigrants and detainees that are unconstitutional. At a state
level, I believe we need to revisit state laws passed in 2006 to ensure that
they do not unnecessarily burden those who are in this county legally through difficult
documentation requirements and do not discriminate against any one residing in
this country, undocumented or not, who requires basic human needs.
LABOR
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the United States
for suppressing workers' rights to unionize and bargain collectively. Governor
Bill Ritter vetoed an attempt to change the Colorado Labor Peace Act (which
restricts these rights). How would you guarantee the right of Colorado workers
to form and join unions and bargain collectively? I support Governor RitterÕs
subsequent executive order that generally supports unionization, negotiation
and collective bargaining. I would support additional state legislation along
those lines. I strongly oppose current ballot initiatives and will work
against Òright to workÓ and
inhibiting collection of union dues.
GLOBAL WARMING
What would you do to promote new technologies and infrastructures to bring
Colorado into a new sustainable energy economy? I will
support additional incentives and subsidies that promote the development and use
of alternative, renewal energy sources in Colorado, as well as recycling and
resource recovery. I also,
strongly support the development of alternative transportation modes and
additional public transportation.
Please see my positions on energy and transportation at my website at www.dickeylee.net.