Colorado has a reputation as North America’s Switzerland, only without the sleek rail network, and our governor appears determined to correct this shortcoming. Though we are a state which, upon close inspection, seems prone to urgent care responses to public policy challenges, our powder snow, alpine geography, luxury resorts in winter and summer, and aggressively healthy lifestyle attract visitors from across the globe. The price tag is high, to be sure. Colorado’s cost of living is not for the faint of heart. Nonetheless, most residents find the jobs needed to pay their bills.

We evidence a periodic propensity for surprising, even shocking, forays into untested public policy. We were the first and remain the only state to require voter approval of tax increases. If that were all the 1992 Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) demanded, its strictures would be tolerable. Instead, a Byzantine set of spending and revenue rules have created a bizarre set of fiscal subterfuges that regularly produce unexpected consequences. Recent polls found 26% of taxpayers were satisfied with the property tax relief allegedly approved during the recent special legislative session while 25% disapproved. The remaining 49% likely don’t understand what created the problem to begin with and are in for a shock once assessments arrive early next year.

Even the 51% who proffered an opinion probably represent the partisan Democratic and Republican voter bases who reflexively support or oppose policy depending on which party controls the legislature. Even legislators sound confused about what they accomplished, staking their hopes on a commission created to conjure up the permanent restructuring of future property taxes. Everyone is in for a jolt when the single-year, 2024 “fix” provides no significant relief. It was a permutation of three-card monte where no one ever wins. Count on it, you will be paying more. Rather than capping taxes until a solution could be reached, our solons are offering the weak defense “…without us it might have been even worse.” Really?

Colorado was also the first state to approve recreational marijuana sales. Denver has even approved psychedelic mushrooms. Before Roe v. Wade, our legislature was the first to legalize abortions. And now, we are first to toss former President Donald Trump off our 2024 ballots. Every news chyron in the nation announced the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to deny Trump access to Colorado’s primary election. Not everyone was pleased. One senator suggested we be denied any further federal funds. I presume the candidate himself will soon identify Colorado as a victim of the immigrant blood poisoning that seems to worry him so much. If you didn’t find a flak jacket beneath your tree this year, there is a good chance to find some bargains during after-Christmas sales.

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When Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz swept the state in 2016, Trump accused Colorado Republicans of rigging their primary against him. Current party Chair Dave Williams must have known something when he urged his party to rig this year’s primary for Trump by declaring him the winner before a single vote was cast or counted. As amusing as all this is for a Democrat to watch, I suspect the U. S. Supreme Court, the most political in nearly a century, will overturn the Colorado decision. Yes, Donald Trump is a jerk, likely an insurrectionist, but I find myself in agreement with Jonathan Chait, editor of Atlantic magazine, who concludes, “To deny the voters the chance to elect the candidate of their choice is a Rubicon-crossing event for the judiciary. It would be seen forever by tens of millions of Americans as a negation of democracy.”

The ink barely dried on the Colorado decision before death threats started pouring into the court. Two Democratic representatives, one Jewish, the other Palestinian, recently resigned from the legislature declining to return for the second year of their freshman terms. At least in part, they attribute their decisions to the venomous atmosphere and vitriolic attacks they have received at the Capitol. Undoubtedly, it is easier in an age of instantaneous and largely anonymous internet communication to fire off threats of the vilest nature. Opinion columnists are only too aware of this, occasionally receiving blasts from elected officials right along with those from nutballs.

Sadly, democratic debate is a contact sport — ice hockey, not badminton. When I was serving in the legislature 40 years ago, I used to speak to the American Government classes at North High School each year at the invitation of Jim Schrant, who taught the course (I understand “politicians” are no longer permitted to visit Colorado classrooms which tells you something about the level of political discourse). I still recall one young woman who asked, “Politics seems so nasty. I’m not willing to expose myself to vicious lies. Why does anyone risk character assassination?” My reply was simple. “There are many ways you can serve your community. You can volunteer with a non-profit, lead a youth group, get active with your school or support your church. You can provide a valuable example for others and, in most cases, you will even receive thanks. Politics is entirely different. Politics is combat. It’s my guys against your guys. You will be attacked unfairly. If you haven’t developed a thick skin, you shouldn’t run for office. And never expect to be thanked.”

Suit up. 2024 is an election year. Only God knows where we are headed. Chances are Colorado will get there first.

Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant and a former Colorado legislator.