By HEIDI GANAHL | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
When Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of disaster in Colorado because of a surge in Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), known commonly as bird flu, it ignited both a mix of public concern and political debate.
The move is, in the legal term prima facie “on appearance”, aimed at mitigating the spread of the virus, but critics argue that it may also serve as a calculated political strategy. The timing is suspect. Jared Polis would like to be president if Joe Biden drops out of the race.
Bird flu is a highly infectious disease that affects both wild and domestic birds. Colorado reported its first cases in wild birds in March 2022, followed by detections in domestic poultry in April. Since then, the virus has been identified in 17 counties across the state. Colorado has 64 counties, so this is more than a quarter of the state’s counties, if you are keeping score at home.
The outbreak has affected Colorado’s poultry industry, but even though agriculture is one of our state’s leading economic drivers — for outsiders, it is more than annual skiing revenue by about ten-fold — Gov. Polis has never demonstrated much of a desire to support the industry. Does anyone remember his “Meat Out” proclamation?
But, I digress. The outbreak has impacted the poultry industry, like a commercial broiler breeder facility in Montrose County which saw 58,000 birds affected. A table-egg layer facility in Weld County had to depopulate 1.4 million birds, along with more than seven million eggs. In September, another outbreak in Weld County impacted 1.1 million birds.
These incidents prompted Governor Polis to allocate $1 million earlier this year for disease mitigation and recovery efforts, with some of these funds still available.
This week close to 1.8 million chickens will have to be “culled, or selectively slaughtered” due to the outbreak. Samples from the egg producer in Weld County tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment told CBS News earlier this month that about 70 dairy farm workers from two farms were being monitored for bird flu symptoms after being exposed to the virus. Yes, we have a strong dairy industry in Colorado, too. I know. I’ve been to one, the facility operated by Chris and Mary Kraft in Fort Morgan.
While Governor Polis’s declaration addresses a legitimate public health crisis — and the agriculture community thanks him for it — it has also sparked suspicions of political opportunism. To be more clear, now our governor cares about the agriculture industry in rural areas of the state he has largely ignored or over-regulated.
By framing the bird flu crisis as an immediate and pressing emergency, Polis may be setting the stage for measures that could influence voter turnout and behavior, and for putting him smack in the middle of the race to replace Biden as the Democrat Presidential candidate. His allocation of $1 million for disease mitigation, also serves to highlight the governor’s aggressive stance, potentially boosting his political capital.
Furthermore, the declaration’s timing — so close to the election — raises questions about its necessity and urgency. Could the situation have been managed without such drastic measures? Are there alternative motives behind this declaration that go beyond public health concerns?
And is Jared Polis someone we Coloradans want as President? He often touts himself as a freedom loving, live and let live kind of leader, a Libertarian at heart. He’s anything but. Polis is the most destructive governor in Colorado’s history when it comes to personal and economic freedom. He is a Big Government governor who has expanded the size of government and the cost of government, while trampling on constitutional rights.
This public relations charade has been mostly debunked here in Colorado, where we’ve seen that his so-called Libertarian promises don’t align with his big-government actions. Unfortunately, outside Colorado, with the help of folks like Art Laffer, Dana Perino on Fox, and John Stossel, his smooth-talking skills have managed to keep this fake image alive. They all don’t live under King Jared’s rule.
Looking closely at his fiscal policies, it’s clear that government spending and intervention have shot up significantly. Colorado’s total operating budget has surged by 45% over the last five budget cycles under Polis’s administration, which is far from a Libertarian approach that usually pushes for smaller government and lower spending. Plus, the number of state government employees has grown dramatically during this time, showing an even bigger government footprint.
What have the citizens gained from the increase in taxes and the expansion of the state government? More job-killing and costly regulations, worse public services, rise in crime and homelessness, dilapidated highways and roads, higher inflation, higher housing and energy costs, more illegal immigrants, a fentanyl crisis and less opportunity for hard working Coloradans to make ends meet.
Polis’s drive for dismantling the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), stands in stark contrast to his claimed support for fiscal conservatism. For those not residing in Colorado, TABOR is a citizen-led initiative to reign in government spending and return dollars to the people which the government doesn’t need to effectively operate. Now, that’s a Libertarian idea. A more truthful analysis of the Polis Plan would be: “Spend all you can and return as little to the peasants as possible.”
Polis’s political career has been marked by significant personal financial contributions to his campaigns, raising ethical questions about the influence of money in his politics. He has spent tens of millions on his congressional races and gubernatorial campaigns, funding a network of dark money groups that have shaped Colorado’s political landscape for decades. While these actions may not be illegal, they certainly challenge the ethical standards expected of public officials.
Polis’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has also drawn criticism. Colorado had the highest nursing home coronavirus death rate in the nation at the end of 2020, school children experienced incredible learning loss, and churches were shut down. But this governor allowed pot shops and strip clubs to stay open under his direction. Again, churches and schools were CLOSED, while pot shops and strip clubs were OPEN.
Polis’s tenure has been marred by various scandals, including allegations of kickbacks involving friends and former staff, controversial clemency decisions, and questionable donations for top jobs in his office.
Jon Caldera, a “real” Colorado Libertarian leader, often reminds us that Polis is a guy who outlaws selling dogs in pet stores, dictates what container you can use to bring your food home from the restaurant, taxes your Uber ride, wants to outlaw your gas kitchen stove and water heater, crushes the oil and gas, ranching and agriculture industries, signs on to California’s nutty emission standards, raises taxes by billions without voter approval by calling them “fees,” places appointees that want to force private employers to keep databases on how their employees commute and punish them if they drive a car, raised gas taxes, and allows local government workers to unionize – this is not a guy who wants to leave you alone.
Back to the birds.
Let’s keep an eye on this Polis declared state of emergency in case it’s more of an emergency of the Democrat Party and their desire to replace a failing, ill President with a slick con man from Colorado who wants a return to the Washington swamp.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.