MAYBE STOP ELECTING SO MANY DEMOCRATS? Economists discuss ways to ‘keep Colorado competitive.’

Colorado continues to be a national model of economic growth. The state is a leader in tech jobs and workforce education, yet it slipped nationally, from fourth to ninth in one year, in a Forbes ranking for the best places to do business. Sustaining that growth will require a look at the state’s funding sources and local policies, local economists say.

“The risks to Colorado’s economy are, frankly, not economic risks,” said JJ Ament, CEO of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. “The risk to Colorado’s economy in 2020 is politics and policy … We can’t let complacency develop of having it so good for so long that we don’t pay attention both at the Capitol in Denver and Washington.”

The Democrat-controlled state government seems determined to shut down the state’s fracking industry, which is a driver of growth, wages, and funding.