April 13, 2011 10:09 PM UTC

"Getting Partisan" With Amy Stephens

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• by: Colorado Pols

Today, the one-seat minority Colorado House Democrats, with a few Republicans, are trying to put their own stamp on the state budget–principally attempting to reduce cuts to public education. The Pueblo Chieftain’s Patrick Malone reported this morning:

In the run-up to today’s budget debate in the House, Rep. Tom Massey met with Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday to explore options for reducing $250 million in proposed cuts to education.

Meanwhile, House Democrats crafted plans to challenge the same reduction and other elements of the state’s 2011-12 budget proposal, including the proposed closure of Fort Lyon Correctional Facility. Democrats expect to offer about three dozen amendments to the budget…

Front and center in the budget debate is education funding. Massey, R-Poncha Springs, said the impact on rural schools from the proposed cuts would be disparate, because communities with low tax bases are unable to backfill the absence of state support with local funds.

“We’ve always had some gross inequities with regard to the haves and have-nots. We don’t want to further exacerbate those,” Massey said.

Consequently, both Democrats and Republicans would like to see the cuts lessened.

Make that some Republicans, like the eminently reasonable Rep. Tom Massey. Unfortunately for Massey, his views on education apparently aren’t shared by his caucus’ leadership–despite what GOP chairman Ryan Call claims. The AP reports with much less bipartisan lovey-dovey:

Democratic House Leader Rep. Sal Pace said his party will attempt Wednesday to reduce $250 million in cuts to K-12 education and amend a bill that modifies the monthly enrollment fee on a health care program for low-income children.

Republican House Leader Rep. Amy Stephens criticized Democrats’ plans.

“If Sal wants to get partisan to make a name for them, they’re welcome to. It’s unfortunate,” she said, later adding: “If you want to have a show for a day, by all means. I mean, you waste all of our time running all that.”

Just like the Senate GOP men, and their anti-Planned Parenthood budget amendment last Friday? Oops! So what do you think makes better politics–saving education funds, or alienating women voters a la Ken Buck? We have a theory if anyone wants to hear it.

But that’s not the best part: this would be the same Rep. Amy Stephens who spiked the health care exchange bill with her ridiculous “anti-Obamacare” amendment not a week and a half ago, right? The latest word is Stephens will not kill the health care exchange with her “Tea Party”-placating amendment as originally threatened, but for Stephens to complain about “getting partisan” after that spectacle…well, it’s at least as absurd as Ryan Call claiming Republicans saved education. Not to mention–Rep. Stephens still hasn’t gotten the memo, Ryan!

There’s more story here than either the Chieftain or the AP saw fit to print, and that’s a shame.