Denver, CO – This article is about the Colorado Department of Labor, which is part of the Polis Administration. We’re also going to talk about jobs and the economy and how Governor Jared Polis and his liberal cronies are trying to ruin it.
Colorado’s unemployment rate is at an all-time low. Usually, this is a good economic indicator of a strong or weak economy. For reference, Colorado’s rate is a little below the national rate.
Yes, we would like to tout this statistic and throw it in the Anti-Trumper’s faces about how Polis’ policies have created this. The Democrats will shoot back, “Thanks, Obama!”
In reality, since they changed how they calculated this unemployment rate a few years ago, it could be considered a bogus statistic. It doesn’t factor in the underemployed, people who have given up looking for work, or people whose unemployment benefits have run out. Unemployment is a statistic that woefully understates employment numbers.
Many claim it may help consumer confidence psychologically (spending is down though), but really it’s just used by politicians to promote their agenda.
There has been a mass exodus of employees from Colorado due to the new oil and gas regulations from the Democrats, known as SB19-181. This really just follows the trend of Colorado Democrats going after oil and gas while killing the industry since 2013. The oil and gas industry is one of Colorado’s largest employers, and these former employees spent money on goods and services that trickled across the Colorado economy. Now, these workers are slowly becoming an endangered species (humor, but not really funny).
It’s not just that. Proposals like the Paid Family Leave Act, other proposals, and laws that make the cost of doing business in Colorado too expensive have been permeating for the last seven years under liberal Democratic rule.
Polis has not been shy about using the Executive Branch as well to forward his agenda, like banning cars. Now he is going into labor…using the Department of Labor to go after businesses.
Specifically, there is a proposed rule concerning overtime wages and who is eligible. Currently, the federal level for a minimum exempt salary is set at $35,568. Now, we’re all for state’s rights here at the Colorado Citizens Press, but we see this as bad public policy to raise this limit as states are allowed to do. Colorado is looking to raise the minimum to $42,500, about 20% higher than the Federal Minimum.
This is significant, not just because of the increase, but because of the extra burden put on businesses to comply. First, there are the added administrative costs. Then there is the labor cost, and although people may believe they’re being underpaid, wage decisions by employers are based on what they can afford.
If employees get to be too expensive, hours are cut for both employees and hours of operation. Not to mention, businesses are free to uproot and move out of state. Decisions concerning wages by the government never seem to take into account the real-world effects. Obviously, this is because most bureaucrats and politicians don’t understand business.
We shouldn’t be surprised. The economy is touted as being good. Democrats think they need to kill, and burn it for good measure. So is Colorado these days.
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