Denver needs affordable housing; on that point, we would agree with Mayor Mike Johnston. It’s how he proposes to address the issue — socking taxpayers for an additional $100 million a year and handing his administration essentially a blank check — that jumps the rails.
Meanwhile, the city’s medical-care provider of last resort, Denver Health, is in fiscal straits. On that point, as well, we agree with Johnston and the City Council. And yet, once again, it’s the approach they have championed that is out of line — hitting up taxpayers for another $70 million a year to bail out the hospital.
Both proposals jump the gun in hounding taxpayers for more money. Seemingly little effort was made to examine the underlying causes of the problems those tax dollars would be spent on, or to be more creative in seeking solutions. And the two proposals together simply raise taxes too high…