by OnSight | Oct 2016 | Elections, Tobacco Tax
Big Tobacco — not an industry known for sticking to the truth under pressure — is spending $10 million dollars to mislead voters about Amendment 72. We want to give you the tools to answer questions you might be getting from family and friends about why they should vote YES on Amendment 72.
Click on the image or links to learn more and share this important information!
Q: WHY SHOULD WE RAISE TAXES ON CIGARETTES?
If there’s one thing that the Centers for Disease Control, the Surgeon General, and Phillip Morris agree on, it’s this: raising the price of cigarettes is the best way to get people to stop smoking, and to stop kids from starting.
Based on studies of tobacco tax increases all over the country, Amendment 72 is predicted to prevent more than 34,000 kids from becoming smokers, save over 20,000 lives and save over $1.4 billion in future health care costs.
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Q: WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?
Contrary to ads being funding by tobacco companies, all of the money raised by Amendment 72 is dedicated to programs that will directly benefit those most impacted by smoking. From programs to help people quit to medical research on smoking-related diseases like lung cancer; from veterans health services to medical improvements for clinics treating underserved Coloradans, all of the money raised by the tax is accounted for and targeted where it can do the most good for those most affected by smoking.
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Q: WHAT ABOUT E-CIGARETTES AND MARIJUANA? WHY NOT TAX JUNK FOOD AND ALCOHOL?
Here’s the thing: Colorado’s “Single Subject Rule” says that a bill can only focused on one topic. The Yes on 72 coalition chose to focus on the primary problem: smoking, which kills more people in Colorado every year than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined.
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Q: WON’T THIS TAX INCREASE JUST CAUSE A RISE IN SMUGGLING AND ILLICIT CIGARETTE TRADE?
The tobacco industry has pushed scare tactics like this for decades, and numerous studies have called these predictions exaggerated. In fact, there has only been a single case of cigarette smuggling in Colorado since the tobacco tax was last raised in 2004. Cigarette tax increases are proven to work and that’s why tobacco companies fight them.
Meanwhile, Colorado is falling behind: we currently rank 38th in the nation for cigarette taxes. Passing Amendment 72 will allow us to fund smoking cessation and prevention programs at the level recommended by the CDC for the first time in decades.
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Q: WHY IS THIS BEING PUT IN THE CONSTITUTION?
To protect these funds for the programs voters intend, we need to put the cigarette tax in the Constitution where it’s safe from politics and lobbying from big tobacco. In fact, tobacco taxes have been in the Colorado Constitution since 2004, and have helped thousands of smokers to quit. Amendment 72 makes the existing (but outdated) tax more effective at deterring smoking by raising the rate. It will also provide funding to programs which help smokers quit and take care of their long term health needs. The best way to ensure those funds are protected is to put them somewhere they’re off limits to short-sighted political decisions.
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Sincerely,
The team at the Yes on 72 campaign
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by OnSight | Oct 2016 | Campaign, Tobacco Tax, video
Make no mistake: smoking is a deadly addiction that kills more Coloradans than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. For decades, tobacco companies have successfully lured kids into a lifelong addiction, even though one in three youth smokers will die prematurely because of it.
The Yes on 72 campaign is now on the air with two TV spots educating voters about the Yes on 72 campaign, and reminding voters that the opposition campaign is funded entirely by big tobacco in an effort to keep making profits at the expense of Colorado kids and the health of all Coloradans.
Raising taxes on cigarettes is a proven solution to stop kids from starting to smoke, reduce smoking among adults and to support those most harmed by smoking with their lifelong health issues.
Check out our new ads and help us spread the word!
by OnSight | Sep 2016 | Campaign, Elections, Let Colorado Vote, Press and Media, video
Ad to run on digital platforms, in TV markets across Colorado
DENVER — Today, Let Colorado Vote, the campaign dedicated to building consensus for policies to increase voter access and participation, launched its first advertisement of the election season.
“Can we play?” highlights the unfairness of Colorado’s current election systems that limit participation and choice and urges voters to make our elections better by Voting Yes on Propositions 107 & 108.
“Thanks to our committed supporters from across the state, who share our desire for elections in Colorado that are more fair and inclusive, we have raised the resources to communicate our message broadly,” said campaign chair Kent Thiry, Chairman and CEO of DaVita. “Propositions 107 and 108 are essential for strengthening our Democracy in Colorado by including the more than 1 million unaffiliated Coloradans who currently pay taxes for elections they are banned from participating in.”
Here is a link to the ad that will begin airing today online and is planned to run on broadcast networks and cable systems in Denver, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction.<
by OnSight | Sep 2016 | Campaign, Tobacco Tax
Big tobacco is at it again, spending millions to push out a campaign of deceit.
The tobacco industry has purchased nearly $7.7 million of television and radio time for commercials in Colorado to divert attention from the purpose of Amendment 72, which is to save lives, reduce smoking and stop thousands of kids from getting hooked on cigarettes.
DONATE TO HELP US FIGHT BACK
Tobacco companies are hiding behind phony fears about our state constitution to avoid addressing the real reason why they are fighting Amendment 72, which is that raising the cost of cigarettes will stop thousands of kids and adults from smoking and hurt their profits.
Amendment 72 is widely supported by Colorado voters because they know cigarettes kill. Over 100 organizations and health care leaders endorse the initiative, including the Children’s Hospital of Colorado, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association.
Remember who is behind these ads – the same industry that used to claim that cigarettes were harmless.
CONTRIBUTE TO HELP US SPREAD THE WORD TODAY
by OnSight | Sep 2016 | BIkes, Pedal the Plains
The Denver Post Community Foundation, the Office of Governor John Hickenlooper and presenting sponsor Viaero Wireless are excited to hit the road for the fifth annual Pedal The Plains Bicycle Tour beginning on September 16th. The ride will spin through southeastern Colorado along its three-day, 154-mile journey. Participants will visit scenic, historical, agricultural and educational stops in route to the three overnight host communities: Ordway, Fowler and La Junta. Off the bike, riders will enjoy locally-sourced food, beer gardens, live entertainment, contests and the community spirit of Colorado’s Eastern Plains.
“Pedal The Plains is not only a fun and challenging Bicycle Tour, but it gives folks a chance to experience our state’s storied Eastern Plains,” said Governor John Hickenlooper. “It’s an opportunity to visit and learn about a part of the state many haven’t visited.”
The ride is a celebration of Colorado cycling culture combining great rides, delicious eats and close friends. Billed as “a ride for the rest of us,” Pedal The Plains has three ride offerings suitable for a variety of skill levels: the full 3-Day Tour, a Century Ride and Family Fun Ride.
Riders will pedal away the weekend between entertainment and festivities, eat meals made with local produce, and stay in accommodations ranging from tents to hotel rooms. Participants can enjoy their time off the bicycle seat as much as on it. From performing pigs to live music, moonlight dances to historic re-enactments, beer gardens to horseshoe tournaments, Pedal The Plains has it all.
“Pedal The Plains truly has something for everyone—whether you’re an avid cyclist, a history buff, a seeker of new experiences or someone who wants to have a weekend of family fun, you’re certain to have a good time,” says Tour Director, Chandler Smith.
The Denver Post Community Foundation, which has managed the world-class cycling event Ride The Rockies through 31 successful years, is also the organizer for this unique Colorado event.
Established five years ago, Pedal The Plains dives into Colorado’s agricultural roots and the state’s frontier heritage on the Eastern Plains, and provides significant economic benefits and opportunities for host communities through lodging, restaurant and retail businesses, as well as entertainment, community meals, home stays and transportation.
Additional tour highlights include:
- Bobby’s Animal Farm
- Crowley Heritage Center
- Olney Springs All Vets All Wars Memorial
- Crowley Correctional Center
- Fowler Historical Society
- Larson’s Apishapa Ranch
- Viaero Wireless Tower Talk
- Arkansas Valley CSU Research Center
- Hirakata Farms
- Otero Junior College
- Comanche National Grasslands
- Purgatoire River Region / Historic Cattle Corral
- Bent County Fairgrounds / 4H Exhibits
- Las Animas Fish Hatchery & Rearing Unit
- Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site
- Health in Rural Colorado
- Colorado Ranchers & Cattlemen
- Powering Colorado: The Evolving Energy Industry
Proceeds from the ride will benefit The Denver Post Community Foundation in support of Colorado Future Farmers of America Foundation and Colorado 4-H. Both of which will receive a $7,000 grant. In addition, The Denver Post Community Foundation will provide a $3,000 grant to each of the three host communities to benefit a local organization of their choice. Pedal The Plains will also donate 10% of total registration fees to a charity of choice to teams of 10 or more.
Viaero Wireless, the Tour’s presenting partner since its inception, is joined in supporting the ride by founding partners Western Dairy Association, Anadarko Petroleum, Noble Energy, Suncor Energy and CoBank.
Online registration for all ride offerings is now closed. Walk-on registrations are welcome during the Tour.
