We know what kind of state we want Colorado to be.

We want a Colorado with great job opportunities for people with all different abilities, talents, and passions.

We want schools that teach our kids skills to succeed and equally important get them excited about learning and the world around them.

We want affordable healthcare that empowers us to make decisions.

We want affordable energy so we can heat our homes and drive our cars and still have enough left over in our budgets to save for retirement and enjoy life today.

We want to be part of neighbor-to-neighbor solutions to help the less fortunate.

We want our elected officials to balance the budget, take the Constitution seriously, and for Pete’s sake, stop yelling, posturing, and playing dirty tricks.

Finally, we want to be on a better path so that our children—and our neighbors’ children—can live as well or better than we do today.

Isn’t that what you want?

This is the vision of what we want for our communities, our state, and our country. We want to rebuild the American dream founded by the courageous women and men who came before us: A land where people can live their lives, pursue happiness as they see fit, and be assured that their basic rights and liberties will be protected.

The question is, how do we get there? What policies are going to put us on a path to realize this shared vision?

That’s what policy debates are supposed to be about. Gotcha politics get in the way of needed discussions. We need to move away from that, and start with the facts. That starts here.

We need to get involved—each of us—in not just complaining about where we are headed, but doing something about it: To help those in need, ensure opportunity exists for everyone, and to make sure that we leave our state and our country in better shape for the next generation.

Working together, we can make a difference.