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Cole: I support the SAVE Act—but we need to fix the documentation trap
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Cole: I support the SAVE Act—but we need to fix the documentation trap

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Living in Colorado for nearly four years, I’ve grown to love its sweeping landscapes and spirited community. But the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, passed by the House in 2024 and under Senate review in 2025, alongside the REAL ID Act’s looming May 7, 2025, deadline, has exposed a personal struggle that highlights a broader issue.  The SAVE Act demands photo ID and proof of U.S. citizenship—like a REAL ID, passport, or birth certificate—to vote in federal elections. I support its aim to ensure election integrity, but as a twice-divorced woman without my marriage certificates, I’m trapped. My Tennessee driver’s license, despite proving my name change in 2014, isn’t REAL ID-compliant, and even without the...
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Ganahl: From Superior Elementary to sex camps — Colorado parental rights under attack
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Ganahl: From Superior Elementary to sex camps — Colorado parental rights under attack

By Heidi Ganahl | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In 2018, as a mom of four with three of my children in first and third grade at Superior Elementary, I was shocked to learn that our young students were being exposed to confusing gender identity discussions without parental knowledge.  This was done through a program called Queer Endeavor at CU Boulder, which trained thousands of teachers in the metro area to integrate “queering the curriculum” around “problematic parents.” As a statewide elected University of Colorado Regent at the time, I felt a responsibility to speak out, warning that this was the start of a dangerous trend.  I was called a fearmonger and mocked.  But today, that warning has become a chilling reality. Colorado schools and universiti...
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Gimelshteyn: The unraveling medical crisis that Colorado parents must pay attention to
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Gimelshteyn: The unraveling medical crisis that Colorado parents must pay attention to

By Lori Gimelshteyn | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Just a few years ago, parents were assured that “gender-affirming care” was lifesaving, compassionate, and backed by science. Affirmation, puberty blockers, hormones, and ultimately surgery were sold as the only path forward for a child questioning whether they were “born in the wrong body.”  But the cracks in this narrative are widening—and behind them lies a deeply troubling truth: children have been swept into a medical experiment that ignores mental health, underlying trauma, and long-term consequences. Families across Colorado have shared heartbreaking stories of what happened when they trusted this system.  Many parents believed they were doing the right thing—only to realize that the affirmative model...
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Garbo: How Democrats weaponized–and betrayed American citizens while defending criminal illegal immigrants
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Garbo: How Democrats weaponized–and betrayed American citizens while defending criminal illegal immigrants

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Democrats have made their priorities unmistakably clear: American citizens come last. The people they swore to represent – the very citizens who pay their salaries and trust them to uphold the Constitution – are now treated as political enemies, stripped of basic rights, and left to rot in the name of partisan gain.  Meanwhile, violent foreign nationals, like MS-13 gang members, are given more care, sympathy, and legal protection than the American people ever receive.  This isn’t just hypocrisy. This is betrayal. Look at how January 6th defendants – the “J6ers” – have been treated. Many of these individuals are nonviolent, first-time offenders who exercised poor judgment on one day. They are American citizens, en...
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Cole: Denver’s dangerous dance with low cash bail and ICE detainer policies puts public safety at risk
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Cole: Denver’s dangerous dance with low cash bail and ICE detainer policies puts public safety at risk

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Denver prides itself on progressive values and compassion for its diverse communities. But recent events have exposed a troubling reality: the city’s criminal justice policies—specifically low cash bail for serious felony offenses and short notification windows for ICE detainers—are creating a revolving door for dangerous criminals, putting our neighborhoods at risk.  The case of Bayron Turcios-Murillo, a confirmed Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang member, is a stark example of how these policies fail to protect the public while allowing violent offenders to slip through the cracks. On April 17, 2025, Bayron Turcios-Murillo was arrested in Denver for felony drug charges, allegedly possessing nearly 1,000 fentanyl pills and powde...
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Cole: Bureaucracy is crushing the people SSDI was meant to help
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Cole: Bureaucracy is crushing the people SSDI was meant to help

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice When my mom applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in the ‘90s, it was a grueling multi-year ordeal that left her feeling invisible. She was sick, unable to work, and the wait for help stretched across years, each one heavier than the last.  Now, a loved one who applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in August 2024 is still waiting for an initial decision, caught in the same slow grind. The SSDI system, meant to be a lifeline, feels like a treadmill you can’t step off—exhausting, endless, and indifferent to the people it’s supposed to lift up. The numbers paint a stark picture.  On average, it takes about 7.5 months—roughly 225 days—to get a decision on an initial SSDI application, accord...
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El Paso Commissioner Applegate: America’s space advantage depends on keeping command in Colorado
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El Paso Commissioner Applegate: America’s space advantage depends on keeping command in Colorado

By El Paso Commissioner Cory Applegate | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As El Paso County’s Commissioner for District 4, I am committed to advancing our community’s interests, security, and prosperity. Among our top priorities is ensuring that U.S. Space Command remains headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs. This is not just a local issue—it’s a matter of national security and global leadership in space. Peterson Space Force Base, located right here in our district, has long been at the forefront of military space operations. Its proximity to critical defense assets like Schriever Space Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, and the Air Force Academy creates an unparalleled synergy. The integrated infrastructure and expertise in th...
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Polis Vetoes Open Records Bill—But Conservatives Say It’s Too Little, Too Late
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Polis Vetoes Open Records Bill—But Conservatives Say It’s Too Little, Too Late

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board Governor Jared Polis vetoed a controversial bill last Thursday that would have made it more difficult—and more expensive—for Coloradans to access public records. But transparency advocates across the political spectrum say his sudden concern about responsive governance contradicts years of actions that have consistently chipped away at public accountability. Senate Bill 25-077, sponsored by Sen. Cathy Kipp (D–Fort Collins), would have: Extended response deadlines for open records requests from three to five days, and up to ten under “extenuating circumstances” Allowed government agencies to bundle multiple requests from the same person to increase feesEliminated the first free hour of research time for follow-up requests Created diffe...
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Joondeph: Democrats are dying on the most unpopular hills in politics
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Joondeph: Democrats are dying on the most unpopular hills in politics

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker The phrase “the hill you choose to die on” is an expression meaning a belief, opinion, or position that one is fiercely committed to defending, even when it is impractical or contrary to one’s long-term goals. It suggests a willingness to fight or resist to the point of losing, rather than pivoting, conceding, or compromising. In the political world, most players lack conviction or principles. They are swayed by the political winds, the latest opinion polls, or the size of the most recent campaign contributions they receive. Their positions are primarily situational, influenced by their proximity to the next reelection bid or which Sunday morning talk show has invited them as guests. Democrats, finding themselves in the minor...
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Treta: Denver’s broken permitting system is driving up housing costs—and it’s time to fix it
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Treta: Denver’s broken permitting system is driving up housing costs—and it’s time to fix it

By Robert Treta | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I’ve been designing and building homes in Denver for 28 years. I pulled my first permit in 1997—for a small room addition on a house. It took one day. One. That kind of efficiency used to be the norm. Permitting was straightforward, business-friendly, and a basic example of how local government should work. But over the past two decades, I’ve watched the city’s permit approval process become increasingly bloated, inefficient, and damaging—not just to builders like me, but to every Denverite who rents or buys a home. This problem isn’t new. Denver’s permit delays became a real issue as far back as 2007, when the wait time for a standard permit grew to four months. Now, in 2024, the average wait time is 385 days. That’s more t...
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