by Mike Rosso
As another election season comes to an end, many Coloradans are likely breathing a sigh of relief.
I’m a registered Independent and non-TV watcher, so have been spared the nonstop robocalls and the wall-to-wall commercials that have dominated the airwaves in our “swing state.” As a media entity, we’ve also been mostly ignored by the mighty campaign marketers who put so much faith in obnoxious pop-up web advertising and electronic media.
I’ve calculated that if we saw merely half a percent of the total spending on just the Senate race in Colorado this year, this magazine could coast for the next two years. As it was, all calls from us to those who managed campaigns for national seats were ignored. We are just not a large enough “buy” to even warrant return phone calls. To my way of thinking, they have no interest in marketing to you folks, our readers, at least not in the traditional print sense. They’d rather just ply you with negativity on your TV, in your car and on your computer.
That said, I’ve already cast my ballot, so the noise level has no bearing on my choices. In a race that may determine the balance of the U.S. Senate, I voted for current Senator Mark Udall. To me this was a no-brainer. His opponent seems to have a serious problem with the truth and spent most of his past year in Congress voting to eliminate Obamacare, rather than actually legislating. As a grateful beneficiary of the Affordable Care Act, that makes is personal. I’m also concerned that if the opposition party takes control of the Senate, they will immediately begin impeachment proceedings against the president, who I believe has done remarkably well considering the level of hatred and opposition shown to him by its members and their cronies in the media echo chamber. I also think it would be disastrous for the country.
Sen. Udall has been a vocal proponent of the Browns Canyon Wilderness, a designation I support, having hiked throughout it over the years. He voted against the Keystone XL pipeline, barring a more technical review of its potential environmental hazards, rather than a rush to “get ‘er done” to once again benefit the fat cat oil barons. He also voted against the CISPA bill, which would have allowed for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies.
Longtime burro racer and serial candidate Curtis Imrie is running as a write-in candidate for the State House District 60 seat currently held by Jim Wilson. Maybe it’s time to finally give him a shot at it and show us what he can do.
On another topic up for vote, I’d like to know of any genetically modified ingredients in the food I purchase, and don’t believe for a minute that labeling it as such puts too much burden on the industry. The fact that biotechnology giant Monsanto Company is pouring millions into this vote was reason enough for me to vote yes on Proposition 105. I won’t bore you with my other choices, but I do encourage all of you to exercise your rights as citizens and vote. Although it is a midterm election, it is an important one.
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I’d like to now send a big shout out to our great advertisers. Without their support, there would be no magazine – plain and simple.
When Ed Quillen first started Colorado Central, he envisioned a 50/50 split in revenue between subscribers and advertisers. That never happened, but we are currently around 35/65 percent, which is pretty high for this industry. We are so grateful for our subscribers, without whom we wouldn’t exist, but also encourage you to support all the advertisers that help keep us going. They’ve put their faith in us and we ask you to return the favor. Next time you see one of them, let them know you saw their ad and thank them for the support. We’d really appreciate it.
