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Rep. Gonzalez: Without TABOR, we would have higher taxes, little to no tax refunds, and unlimited government spending
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Approved, Commentary, completecolorado.com

Rep. Gonzalez: Without TABOR, we would have higher taxes, little to no tax refunds, and unlimited government spending

By Rep. Ryan Gonzalez | Commentary, Complete Colorado In 1992, Colorado voters passed the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, the nation’s strongest tax limitation law to this day. For those who are unfamiliar what TABOR really does, this amendment to the Colorado Constitution allows government spending to reasonably increase using a formula of population growth plus inflation. Excess revenue, known as the “TABOR surplus,” must be refunded to taxpayers. If state government wants to keep the surplus, or raise taxes, voters must approve. That is exactly why progressives abhor TABOR. But the truth is, a little north of 60% of Colorado voters approve of TABOR. Many progressives have made their disdain for TABOR be known, having tried time and time again to chip away at TABOR’s...
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Krannawitter: It’s time to abandon the old political paradigm of ‘left’ and ‘right’
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Approved, Commentary, Thomas Krannawitter

Krannawitter: It’s time to abandon the old political paradigm of ‘left’ and ‘right’

By Dr. Thomas Krannawitter | Thomas Krannawitter Those of us in the United States who love freedom because we care about human flourishing face the daunting challenge of political and cultural reform. Doing that work well will require clarity in both thought and speech. One adjustment that can help us think better and speak more clearly is to abandon the old political paradigm of “left” and “right”—which has always been nebulous and ill-defined—and replace it with an “up” and “down” model, the top of which represents good citizenship and government protection of natural liberty and private property, while tyranny and total government control over slavish subjects are at the bottom. READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT DR. THOMAS KRANNAWITTER'S SUBSTACK Editor’s note: Opinions expres...
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Joondeph: Will Jan. 20 be another Independence Day, restoring freedom and liberty?
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Approved, Commentary, Rasmussen Reports

Joondeph: Will Jan. 20 be another Independence Day, restoring freedom and liberty?

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, Rasmussen Reports Independence Day, celebrated on July 4 of every year, is a national holiday commemorating the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, which established the United States of America, gaining freedom from British subjugation and tyranny. A song of the same name was named Country Music Song of the Year in the mid-1990s, performed by Martina McBride, celebrating an abused woman’s freedom from a brutal husband. Will January 20 be yet another Independence Day for freedom-seeking Americans against an abusive and tyrannical federal government? READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT RASMUSSEN REPORTS Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of t...
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Browning: Colorado egg law and bird flu has people ‘scrambling’ to find eggs
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Browning: Colorado egg law and bird flu has people ‘scrambling’ to find eggs

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice During the last few weeks, there have been a couple of notable changes you may have noticed at your local grocer. The old saying that warns us not to keep all of our “eggs in one basket”, has now become, “I can’t find or afford eggs in my basket.” People are divided as to what has caused this “poaching” of their wallets, if they can find eggs on the shelf. No matter the cause, it has many people "fried.” Some people believe that the new Colorado law, which mandates that only cage-free eggs will be sold in Colorado, is to blame for the nearly-empty egg shelves and high cost of eggs, if you can find them.  The “egg-ception” to the law is that egg-producing operations with 3.000 or fewer hens are not required to ...
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Bzdek: If our leaders don’t obey federal laws, why should we?
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Approved, Commentary, gazette.com

Bzdek: If our leaders don’t obey federal laws, why should we?

By Vince Bzdek | Commentary, The Gazette When deciding on new year’s resolutions this year, my first thought was to follow my governor’s example, my state’s example, the Denver mayor’s example, and even our new vice president, and resolve to ignore federal laws this year. I got pretty excited about this idea when I started to contemplate all the money I might save if I ignored federal tax law and simply refused to pay federal income tax this year. I mean if the governor and mayor say they don’t have to follow federal immigration law when it comes to deporting folks who aren’t eligible for asylum or did not follow procedures for living here legally, then why do I have to follow federal laws concerning taxes? Or if my state can simply vote to ignore federal law when it comes to the ...
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Davidson: The legacy of Jan. 6 should be massive reform of the FBI and DOJ
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Approved, Commentary, National, The Federalist

Davidson: The legacy of Jan. 6 should be massive reform of the FBI and DOJ

By John Daniel Davidson | Commentary, The Federalist Monday marked the four-year anniversary of Jan. 6, 2021, when tens of thousands of peaceful Trump supporters demonstrated outside the U.S. Capitol and a small number of them clashed with police before entering the Capitol itself. For Democrats and the left, Jan. 6 is the events that vindicates their hatred of Donald Trump and his supporters. They would have us believe it was among the darkest days in our nation’s history, when democracy itself hung in the balance and violent insurrectionists nearly prevented the peaceful transfer of power. Many of them actually believe and still repeat, as Sen. Amy Klobuchar did on Monday, that pro-Trump rioters killed police officers on Jan. 6. Above all, they insist that President Trump was...
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Caldara: Progressive press needs a dose of ideological diversity
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Approved, Commentary, completecolorado.com

Caldara: Progressive press needs a dose of ideological diversity

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado I am told over and over that the greatest quality reporters can have is curiosity. Then why aren’t journalists even slightly curious about why they lost their credibility from their customers? In 1976, 72% of Americans had a “great deal of trust and confidence in the mass media” to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly” according to that year’s Gallup survey. By 2024 that number plummeted to 31%. Congrats honored members of the press. You’re trusted less than Congress. READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT COMPLETE COLORADO 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 c...
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Gaines: You, too, can file a campaign finance complaint against someone
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Gaines: You, too, can file a campaign finance complaint against someone

By Cory Gaines | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice You may not have known this before, but you have the ability to accuse someone in this state of a campaign finance law violation.  You don’t have to be a witness at a trial.  In fact, once you make the accusation, you are essentially out of the process.  You will get notifications from the secretary of state’s office about the progress of the complaint, but you don’t do anything other than swear out a complaint.   You also don’t have to have an intimate knowledge of campaign finance law.  I’m not urging you to make wild, uneducated accusations here, but you don’t need to be a lawyer or an expert.  Many of the rules around campaign finance are pretty straightforward, thus finding violations d...
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Letter: Reflections on America and the once thriving rural family farm economy
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Letter: Reflections on America and the once thriving rural family farm economy

I have a small farm of 24 acres. Although only a fraction is cultivated, the rest is open grazing, and it keeps me plenty busy.  I grow squash, rabbits, plum, hackberry, rose hips, mint, sage, potatoes, firewood, furniture wood, and hay, using horse and rabbit manure (and wood ash) for fertilizer.  Each year finds me working to surpass the productivity of the prior year.  Each day finds me occupied in scores of chores.  I feel fit and capable (knock on wood) although I'm in my 70's.  And I've time to reflect on the problems of the day which find their way, somehow, into the media as well as those problems which seem obvious to me that don't ever get mentioned. I notice the nationwide birth rate has dropped to significantly below "replacement," with about 40% ...
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Cleveland: Efforts to sentence Trump in sham NY criminal case confirm Democrats’ crazy lawfare
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Approved, Commentary, The Federalist

Cleveland: Efforts to sentence Trump in sham NY criminal case confirm Democrats’ crazy lawfare

By Margot Cleveland | Commentary, The Federalist The state court judge presiding over the New York criminal case against Donald Trump ordered sentencing of the president-elect to proceed on January 10, 2025. By setting sentencing a mere 10 days before his inauguration, and by signaling his intent to sentence the soon-to-be president to an unconditional discharge, the judge has unwittingly conceded the indictment of Trump on 34-felony counts was pure lawfare. On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan entered an 18-page order denying Trump’s motion to vacate the jury verdict and to dismiss the criminal charges Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought against him with the help of several Biden-connected lawyers. Quoting the words President Biden used in pardoning Hunter for any crimes his so...
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