It’s that time again … time to exercise our greatest privilege and responsibility as citizens by voting. As has become the norm, we have Democratic, Republican, Independent, Green Party and Libertarian candidates on the ballot, along with a host of important ballot measures that will determine how we proceed on several important issues.
Unfortunately, the issue many believe to be the most important for Colorado’s future will not be decided on this year’s ballot. As everyone is aware by now, the anti-fracking measures were traded away in a last minute compromise between Congressman Jared Polis and Governor John Hickenlooper. We won’t rehash all the reasons for that trade here.
If you are interested in more information on the fate of the fracking measures, you can go back and read our 12,000-word explanation on our website (“Who killed the anti-fracking ballot measures?” Cover story, Oct. 2).
But have no doubt, this omission from the ballot makes it a very tough voting year for a great many people in Colorado. Here’s why.
Global warming is real. In as little as 25 to 30 years, if we do not radically change our ways with regards to greenhouse gas emissions, the Earth is expected to pass its global warming tipping point. In other words, we will pass a point of no return and the planet will be lost or so radically altered as to weather patterns and where food grows etc., that we won’t be able to recognize it or its geopolitical patterns.
The current shale oil and gas drilling/fracking boom that is spreading all across our country and to the rest of the world is opening up massive supplies of cheap natural gas and oil that will last for more than a hundred years, which is more than enough to drive us over the global warming cliff, not to mention contaminate our water and air while severely impacting our quality of life, our property values and our natural places. Our only hope is to restrain development of this shale resource as to create only a short, perhaps 10-year, bridge to a world powered by zero-carbon renewables. If we never drilled another well, we already have plenty for such a bridge.
Governor John Hickenlooper, Senator Mark Udall and Congressman Jared Polis are all Democrats who are willingly driving us over that cliff. Their Republican counterparts are equally enthusiastic about the oil and gas industry. Not more enthusiastic, equally enthusiastic, and that is what makes voting this year difficult.
We at Boulder Weekly have no desire to be single-issue endorsers. We believe that gay rights and women’s rights, the economy and jobs, racism and homelessness are very important issues, and in those areas we feel that Democratic candidates tend to be superior to their Republican challengers.
But at the same time, the thought of endorsing people who so rabidly support the oil and gas industry in this day and age — in some instances transparently for politically self-serving reasons — and whom if elected would be in power for as much as 20 percent of the time we have left before we hit the global warming point of no return, seems irresponsible and, frankly, repugnant.
Nothing on the global warming front will ever change if we continue to vote for subpar, pro-fossil fuel Democratic Senate and Congressional candidates simply because we fear that to do otherwise might result in Republicans taking over the House or Senate. Democrats beholden to the oil and gas industry who destroy the planet are no better than Republicans beholden to the oil and gas industry who destroy the planet.
It’s not a football game. If it requires selling out the environment and the public’s health in order to win an election, then winning is rendered meaningless because the cost is simply too high and the benefits too small.
Colorado can and must do better.
So here is the bottom line. In an effort to inform our readers, by way of our endorsements, we have devised a new tool for this most difficult of election years.
We know that for some voters, oil/gas/fracking/global warming is the litmus test for supporting a candidate. We understand this position. As important as other issues are, they won’t matter if we kill the planet. The days when Colorado Democrats can give the oil and gas industry whatever it wants in exchange for the industry keeping its money on the sidelines during election years is over.
For that reason, we will be using an asterisk (*) system this year. For instance, we will endorse Mark Udall because we don’t think it would be good for the country or foreign policy to have the Senate and House controlled by Republican majorities. But we will add an asterisk beside his name to denote that — for those of us who simply cannot, in good conscience, continue to support candidates whose energy policies are increasing global warming — another choice is highly recommended.
In addition to using an asterisk, you will notice that we have endorsed a variety of parties. For example, the Green Party is polling close to 5 percent. The party needs 10 percent of the vote statewide to achieve major party status and earn a place near the top of the ballot for subsequent elections. So with Hickenlooper and Beauprez both being unacceptable candidates, we think this would be a really important time to drop a vote for the Green Party candidate and position that party to play a more robust role in our political process in the future.
And finally, we want to encourage everyone to vote. We understand many of you were disheartened by the political maneuvering that killed the anti-fracking ballot measures. We also know that many more of you are being encouraged to throw up your hands and stay home on Election Day by all the negative advertising.
But remember, one of the primary reasons both major parties and their consultants use negative advertising is exactly because it causes people to lose interest and not vote, and that is what they want. The idea behind this anti-democracy ploy being that the fewer people who vote, the easier it is to steal an election simply by turning out the base even if it is only a small minority of registered voters.
So don’t let them win in such a manner. Don’t let the professional politicians and their hired-gun pollsters and consultants manipulate you into not voting.
Fill out that mail-in ballot or go to the polls and send them a message instead. Let them know that you expect more from your elected leaders than simply being less bad than the other side.
Good voting.
LINK TO JUDGE RETENTION SECTION
LINK TO BALLOT QUESTIONS SECTION
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
