Guest Columns

Lobbying: The process of influencing public and government policy at all levels: federal, state, and local. Lobbying involves the advocacy of an interest that is affected, actually or potentially, by the decisions of government leaders. (From thefreedictionary.com)

All politicians stand on the shoulders of other people. Politics is a team sport — but it has the cruelest reward system, because the glory goes almost exclusively to the candidate. No day-after pictures of the smiling winning team — like sailing, soccer, football — no, no the spotlight settles on one person, almost to the exclusion of those who did the most work.

Colorado’s good government brigades placed Amendment 41 on the ballot in 2006, creating an Independent Ethics Commission where complaints can be lodged against state employees and elected officials for alleged breaches of propriety. The proposal was adopted with 62 percent of the vote despite the fact that there is virtually no evidence of misbehavior in Colorado’s governance. By comparison with many of its peers, both state and local governments in Colorado have been remarkably clean over the years. But, in the hyper-partisan political environment that has taken root during the past decade, the Commission has provided an inviting venue for besmirching an opponent’s reputation.

One unattended campfire. One lightning strike. Or even darker and more sinister, one intentional terrorist or arsonist’s match strike. That is all it will take for a catastrophic wildfire to erupt in any part of our state’s four million acres of dead trees. A wildfire that will show no mercy and will not yield as it destroys lives, homes and our environment. The fear of fires in Colorado’s most precious water sheds alone should sound alarm bells to the highest reaches of state and federal government.