Underhanded

Wednesday the Democrats in the Senate, in particular, Senators Romer and Tapia, pulled a fast one.

It was April Fool’s Day, but this was no joke.

They found out that a key Republican Senator, Ted Harvey, had to be out of town Tuesday through Thursday to help move his Father-in-law who has Alzheimer’s to Colorado from another state.

So on Tuesday, they changed the Senate calendar of business and moved the bill that grants in-state tuition to illegal aliens (SB09-170) up to Wednesday from Friday. They knew that with Harvey present, their normal 6-4 advantage would not help them, because one Democrat was committed to vote against the bill setting up a loss on a 5-5 tie vote.

The solution was to run the bill when Harvey was gone and pass it 5-4 which they did.

Hats off to them for the brilliant move taking advantage of an opponent’s absence. It’s underhanded and it makes everyone mad, but it’s a smart use of the circumstances and the system to achieve a goal.

Or is it?

This issue, granting in-state tuition to illegal aliens, is opposed by 80% of the people in some polls. In no poll is the opposition less than 68%. In other words, no one likes this. And now, everyone in the Senate is going to have to vote on the bill.

Senators are going to have to prove that they are either with the 80% or against them. It will be interesting to see if an 80-20 issue to real Coloradoans becomes a 40-60 issue in the Colorado Senate.

We’ll see if only 40% of the Colorado Senate agrees with 80% of the citizens of the state. Given their history of blatant disregard for the will of the people, I expect them to pass it.