ALAMOSA— Marking his ninth visit to the San Luis Valley, and his second since officially taking office only seven months ago, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser gave the keynote address at the First Maestas Dinner and Fundraiser hosted by the Alamosa County Democratic Party on July 27. Weiser’s speech focused on the three main points of the rule of law, water and how people treat one another.

“Our nation was built on a constitutional framework that in some sense framed the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence said, ‘all men are created equal.’ That is something that wasn’t always honored in our nation’s early years, but I do take Lincoln’s view of the founders that they knew that injustice and inequality were wrong, and they were committed to pointing to a more perfect union,” Weiser began.

He pointed out that the fight for equality and justice has not been an easy road. Weiser used the examples of Billy Adams’ fight against the KKK, Maestas vs. George H. Shone which the inaugural dinner was in celebration of, Brown vs. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He then illustrated the point with a more recent example. “We have to continue to fight for equality and equal treatment of all. One of those fights that I was able to fight was on behalf of a fair census that counts everyone. And we won,” he said to loud applause. “We cannot let anyone be intimidated. Democracy is a team sport and we need to make sure that everyone is counted…”

Since assuming the office, Weiser has used his position to expand health care accessibility. Expanding his main point about the rule of law, the attorney general correctly stated that the Affordable Care Act (also known as “ObamaCare”) is the law of the land. According to Weiser, it was passed by Congress and has been upheld by the Supreme Court.

Even so, the current United States Department of Justice is taking a “lawless position,” stated Weiser. That is, they are still trying to strike down the entire law based on provisions within the entire law that may be unconstitutional. Weiser, the former dean of the University of Colorado School of Law, said that a basic component of the rule of law is that if a provision within a law is unconstitutional you strike out that part, but are still expected to maintain the bulk of the whole law. This continued fight is once again expected to reach the Supreme Court, where Weiser stated most Democratic Attorney Generals, and two Republican Attorney Generals who in his view are risking their careers for an “intellectually honest position” will battle it out against the United States Department of Justice and most Republican Attorney Generals. “The rule of law cannot be and should not be allowed to be a partisan issue. It’s the foundation...and I will fight for it as your attorney general,” he said.

Moving on to his second point, and one of the lifelines of the San Luis Valley, Weiser shared his position on water issues. “More than anything, water is Colorado,” said Weiser. “Colorado has a very unique culture. A culture of ‘we’re all in this together’. A culture of collaborative problem solving. That culture I believe is forged in the need to manage our water.”

Weiser stated that he believed that within the water community there is not an intense debate on whether or not climate change is real. He shared that in his view those involved in water issues automatically accepted it as fact. “We have less natural snow pack then 20 years ago, putting this year’s amazing snowfall aside, which means we have important work to do together.”

With depleting aquifers, Weiser acknowledged the struggles facing the San Luis Valley agricultural community. He said his office was committed to helping solve the issues and helping to find ways to manage the water resources. He pointed to Crowley County as an 

example of what happens after water rights are sold and shipped out, with the number one industry there now being prisons, rather than a once vibrant agricultural community.

“There’s ways to do things in Colorado and solve this problem and there’s ways we don’t. We don’t solve this issue by taking water from a community that has depleted aquifers, and depends on it for its agricultural economy, and move it to Douglas County,” he said to thunderous applause. “I will be fighting with you for the future of this Valley. Colorado needs a vibrant San Luis Valley. This community is historic, it’s inspiring and it’s a model of people working together to solve problems.” 

In his final point, Weiser shared some insight in how people treat one another, and areas in which this might be illustrated.  Weiser first brought up the opioid epidemic that is said to be plaguing much of the United States. He shared that during his campaign for attorney general he had visited Sheriff Robert Jackson and the county jail. While there he learned that 90 percent of inmates were addicted to opioids and were at risk of withdrawal issues and overdose once they leave custody. “One of the most important things, or the most important thing, I will do as attorney general, is successfully sue opioid manufacturers, distributors and others who caused this crisis,” he said.

Weiser committed the money that would be won from the suit to go towards helping the people, and communities hardest hit by the crisis, and towards drug treatment and rehabilitation which would all be included here in the San Luis Valley. He said it had destroyed people’s lives, communities and people’s ability to work. He therefore will work to hold those responsible accountable and create opportunity to help people rebuild their lives.

“We also need to reform our criminal justice system,” said Weiser. He pointed to the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program which is in a pilot trial in Alamosa and Monte Vista as an example of how to do this. “We shouldn’t have people in jail just because we can’t think of anything else to do. We also shouldn’t have people in jail just because they can’t afford bail. Pre-trial you haven’t been convicted of anything. What we need to do is move to a system based on risk. It would determine if someone is a risk to hurt someone or the community. If not, we would get them out of jail as soon as possible,” he said. Weiser shared that he will push in the 2020 Colorado Legislative Session to reform the Colorado Criminal Justice System.

Weiser then spoke about consumer protection. He informed the audience that he had made new changes in the attorney general’s office to protect students from being taken advantage of by student loan servicers. His office will also be cracking down on those businesses who lie, cheat and take advantage of consumers, and they will be held accountable, Weiser said.

Closing his remarks Weiser stated, “We have to be in this work together. We have to be asking ‘what part can I play in my democracy to help protect people?’ To help work towards a more perfect union. To help us be the best San Luis Valley we can be working together. In scripture it says, ‘you don’t have the job of repairing the world, but you’re not free to desist from doing your part.’ I thank all of you for doing your part, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.”