The short-term “rescue” package for the state’s fiscal condition is nearly through the General Assembly. My own senator (a DU Law grad) is aghast at the concept; he says if the State (and local governments?) gets to keep more money, it will simply SPEND IT! Imagine that! Maybe we can put another cop or two on the streets (ask Aurora, where an election to do just that is imminent). Perhaps Lakewood could keep it parks open, or its street lights on. I wonder if my elected representatives truly understand that the public sector creates jobs and its own multipliers. For a preview of the “dark side,” look at California, where many libraries, etc., closed following adoption of Prop. 13. The Taliban and the Khmer Rouge are both alive and well, in Colorado; but here they call themselves “lawmakers.” How quaint. — Gregory Iwan (Doctoral Candidate).