"When you look at our core functions of government, is tourism funding one of them? Probably not." - Sen. Moe Keller, D-Wheat Ridge

Probably not?

Like many lawmakers, Keller is conflicted about state funding to promote tourism. On one level, the program is obviously a frill - far less essential than schools, prisons, health care and a host of other services. But on the other hand, lawmakers have been told umpteen times that for every dollar the state spends in promoting itself, it will get as many as $13 in return.

As a result, they naturally wonder what course to take when confronting a possible $600 million budget shortfall: Should they continue spending $20 million to entice tourists here or eliminate the program as part of desperately needed cuts?

It is useless, I have learned, to expect politicians to oppose tax-funded travel promotions just because the tourism industry is perfectly capable of promoting itself (and of course does). Nor do elected officials care that many Coloradans resent their taxes being spent on travel ads - and proved it in a 1993 statewide vote killing a tourism tax.

No, lawmakers argue that tourism is different from other businesses. Even if it weren't, they add, other states spend more promoting travel than Colorado does, forcing us to follow suit.

Yet even if politicians won't oppose tourism funding on principle, why do they placidly accept dubious claims regarding its effectiveness? State-funded ads must inspire some tourism, of course, but official estimates are tainted by the fact that most of the data has been generated by Longwoods International, an outright cheerleader for state subsidies.

Back in 2001, this newspaper noted that the president of Longwoods even "applauded the Colorado legislature for flouting voter wishes . . . and appropriating millions for a new Colorado Tourism Office to promote the state as a travel destination." If you go online at longwoods-intl.com, you'll see how the company, by its own proud admission, has worked hand in glove with state officials to justify bigger advertising budgets.

In 1997-'98, for example, Longwoods says it "was commissioned to carry out visitor and economic impact research to demonstrate the importance of tourism and provide ammunition in the industry's efforts to convince the state legislature of the need for permanent funding for tourism marketing." Again in 2002, "Longwoods was hired to measure the return on investment of the campaign, which information would be used to help secure future funding." And so on.

Nevertheless, we're supposed to believe that Longwoods conducts objective market research on Colorado's behalf. Why?

Last Friday, Gov. Bill Ritter released a budget-balancing plan that would still spend $10.4 million on travel promotion. Yet just half of that money would fund all of the charter-school construction that the governor meanwhile plans to suspend.

Tourism may not be a "core function" of government, but it's being treated better than some functions that are.

Keep repeating

Speaking of breathlessly hyped research meant to influence state policy, nothing beats a study by the Boulder nonprofit American Solar Energy Society and Washington-based Management Information Services that was released last week. It claims that the renewable-energy and efficiency industry accounts for 91,000 jobs in this state.

As I noted in October when the study's preliminary findings were mentioned by the governor, 90,000 jobs nearly equal the total for all of the major health-care occupations in Colorado - or, if you prefer another comparison, it's twice the total of waiters and waitresses in this state.

In short, it's an inflated, meaningless number compiled by including all sorts of jobs - in insulation, window replacement and so on - that existed long before the New Energy Economy was so much as a gleam in any governor's eye.

Not that the study's authors care. Their goal is to get that 91,000 figure repeated often enough so that it takes on a life of its own. Bogus or not, it will still serve its purpose.

Vincent Carroll is editor of the editorial pages. Reach him at carrollv@RockyMountainNews.com.