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41 'fix' is the equivalent of a poll tax

Published April 23, 2007 at midnight

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Talk about hedging your bets.

The folks who brought Colorado Amendment 41 have filed an initiative for the November ballot that purports to fix the many flaws in that measure . . . but the initiative is a mess, too.

The Article XXIX Coalition, a group bankrolled by former state school board member Jared Polis, is sponsoring the initiative. Polis also funded the 41 campaign.

This year's model would, among other things, impose a $50 annual tax on registered lobbyists. The ostensible purpose of the tax is to pay for the ethics commission that Amendment 41 also authorized.

That sure looks like an attempt to put a price tag on protected speech. The First Amendment guarantees citizens the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. If poll taxes are forbidden (and they are), then charging people to make their case to lawmakers should be as well.

To be sure, this initiative may just be a bluff. Its sponsors say they will pull it if the legislature passes a statute that mends the amendment before the session closes. But it's sad that Polis is investing part of his considerable wealth on a constitutional initiative that would cause further mischief.