Here we go again. Our lawmakers in Denver are pining for our TABOR refunds. Every year they get frothed up, hoping to snag more and more of our money. Those TABOR refunds are the forbidden fruit. The more you tell them they can’t have it, the more they desire it.

This year, they say it’s for education. They lined up a bunch of students and teachers at the state capitol for a photo op to show us how wonderful and compassionate their intentions are.

While the money is for education on the surface, it doesn’t take a very deep dive to expose it as a lie. This is another cash grab by disingenuous politicians.

What you really need to know is one statistic.

In 2000, education made up 40% of the state general fund. Today, it’s down to 27%, according to Brighton Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer.

In other words, education is underfunded, but it’s not because our representatives in Denver don’t have enough of our money to dole out. It’s because they’re certain we will gladly hand over more money for something important like education, so they’re free to spend the money they have on big political pork pies.

Let’s put it this way.

A family member with a drug addiction will ask you for money to pay their rent or food for their children. The reality, though, is that by solving those needs, you free up more of their money for drugs. That, or you’re replacing money already spent on drugs.

Our Colorado legislators are like our drug addicted children. They’ve already spent their allocated money on other things when education should have been on top of the list.

It’s disingenuous budgeting. They know we won’t give them our money for funding priorities to serve their political party or its donors. What they do instead is spend the money they already have on those priorities and come beg us for money for education – which we all care about.

“We’ve all seen firsthand that Colorado’s public schools are chronically underfunded,” Kevin Vick, president of the Colorado Education Association said.

I don’t personally know anyone who would disagree with that.

Vick, though, attributed the shortfall to an “outdated” revenue cap established under TABOR in 1992 that limits how much revenue the state can retain and invest.

Kirkmeyer responded strongly.

“This is just another example of misplaced priorities at the Capitol,” she said in a statement.

Democrats keep asking taxpayers to give up more of their TABOR refunds in the name of education, but the truth is that the state already has the money. It’s not a lack of resources — it’s a lack of political will, she said.

“Instead of taking more from working families, we should demand that the government put schools back where they belong — at the top of the priority list,” she said.

So here we are. Our drug addicted children in the Colorado legislature are knocking on the door again asking for the tiny amount of money we still have.

Pass their measure or not, that’s your choice, but understand where the money is really going. It’s allowing spending on party and donor priorities, not education. We’re just giving our blessing to their dubious lifestyle by giving more money for the things they already had the money for, but misused it.

It’s a political shell game and we’re the dupe.