Colorado voters by a 2-to-1 margin said “no” to a request for a $1 billion dollar tax increase for public education. They did so because they didn’t believe the tradeoff was worth it.

The uncertain promises made by supporters of the tax –smaller class sizes, full-day kindergarten and “smarter education spending” – could not trump the certainty of diminished job creation, increased costs to small businesses and further slowing the state’s attempt to recover economically from the tough recession.

One of the reasons Coloradoans even had the opportunity to vote on the matter was the result of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, passed 21 years ago, which required tax increases to be approved by voters.

TABOR, as it is known, works. It saves taxpayers money.

While I’m not promoting Kentucky becoming a referendum state, we need some kind of TABOR law here as school boards continue to raise property tax rates even in the midst of recessionary conditions while producing little academic improvement.

WFPL reports that the Jefferson County school board has raised property taxes for six consecutive years. There are always elections... in which tax-raising big-spending school-board members can be voted out of office. That remains the best way for Kentuckians to stop the increase in taxes, especially when the trade-offs of diminished job creation, the strain on small businesses and stalled recoveries are obviously not worth it.