What’s missing from the deficit discussions, in your mind?
A serious approach to tackling it. The fiscal reform commission did a great job getting all the sacred cows in one room. You may not butcher them, but you may lose a little flank steak off everybody. That has to happen. It’s not the end of the world.
What’s the #1 thing you can do to create jobs?
Change the whole culture of the state to be more pro-business. So many people move here for quality of life. We want access to the outdoors; we want it clean and preserved. But we need stronger businesses to create wealth so we can lift more people out of poverty.
How would you make Colorado more pro-business?
What any business wants is some local predictability. It’s a level of customer service. We’re all competing with the world, not just with other states. And that demands a level of accountability, transparency and speed.
What regulation changes are needed?
We need a greater sense of urgency. I don’t mind appropriate regulation. But it shouldn’t take forever. Filling out a 30-page long form to ensure we cut every bit of risk for something that’s relatively harmless is not helping with jobs.
How, specifically, would you do this?
We need to ensure more people are covered by health care, to ensure kids get a good education and a good shot at the American dream. I’m working to expand access to capital and to find ways to cut red tape. Time is money.