This is in response to George Fogg’s Aug. 7 letter that criticized Colorado officials warning Maine about TABOR. I say, let’s learn from another state’s mistake. I asked a friend living in Colorado, who says TABOR has been awful for her state.

It began with an appealing premise: spending is capped and money left over at the end of any fiscal year gets returned to the taxpayers. Implemented during an economic boom, TABOR looked like a way to prime the pump. But Colorado taxpayers waited years before TABOR gave them a refund, and the average was a paltry $200. Meanwhile, the state’s economy has stagnated. Roads are in disrepair and state universities may have to go private or close.

Here’s why: state departments must base next year’s budget on what they spent last year, and cannot plan for new projects.

How will I vote on TABOR? A resounding “no.” After a decade of TABOR, Colorado voters just bailed with a 5-year moratorium, desperate to salvage their economy.

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Quick fixes are appealing, but the steady work of lawmakers is how we are going to keep Maine solvent.

An extra $200 in my bank account won’t fix a bridge or school, or make up for lack of foresight in long-term operation of this state. Slow and steady, not “magical,” as the Sun Journal put it on Aug. 11.

Let’s learn from Colorado’s debacle, or we are doomed to repeat it.

Toby Haber-Giasson, Auburn