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SB26-147: A Great Idea Almost Certain to Be Vetoed
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

SB26-147: A Great Idea Almost Certain to Be Vetoed

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project     SB26-147: a great idea almost certain to be vetoed The CPR article linked first below was my first introduction to the bill SB26-147, which is linked second below. The focus of the article is on how the legislature is pushing back on Governor Polis’ micromanaging by requiring his staff to register and hold to the same rules as any other lobbyist would. Quoting from the article with link intact: “Currently, lobbyists are required to register a stance on any bills they’re trying to influence with the Secretary of State’s Office, which makes that information publicly available. Legislative liaisons doing the same type of work for state agencies or the governor’s office directly don’t have those dis...
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These are the times that try men’s souls
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

These are the times that try men’s souls

By Mark Salley | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Do all Democrats hate the country? Surely not. Do all Democrats hate Donald J. Trump? Of course not. But many — perhaps most — do! This hate has got to stop! What has Trump-hate led to? During the first administration, the hatred led to frivolous attempts to impeach him in 2019. Frivolous because the evidence being used to justify an impeachment was MANUFACTURED by leftist Democrats who hate Trump and wanted him to fail. This Trump-hate continues to lead numerous renegade judges to create needless injunctions to Trump-backed measures that would greatly benefit our country and our culture. As of April 21, lawfaremedia.org states there are 316 active cases challenging Trump administration actions…including the ridiculo...
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Colorado’s War On Natural Gas Could Cost Coloradans Dearly
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s War On Natural Gas Could Cost Coloradans Dearly

By Elizabeth Caven | Commentary, The Denver Gazette In a state where winter isn’t optional, you’d think reliable heat wouldn’t be either. Yet, Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission seems increasingly comfortable with discarding the very energy source that keeps the majority of households in the state warm: natural gas. Residents are not thinking about long-term regulatory frameworks when they go to turn up the heat in January. They are asking much simpler questions: Will their homes stay warm, and can they afford it? This is what makes Colorados current energy trajectory so puzzling and, increasingly, troubling. Natural gas continues to be the backbone of the states energy sphere even as lawmakers at the Capitol seem determined to ignore that fact. A recent report published ...
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The Confidence Weapon: Climb Again
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Devotional, Top Stories

The Confidence Weapon: Climb Again

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again…’~ John 3:7 ~ The last few weeks, we watched Jack and Jill go up the hill… and come tumbling down. It was a picture of humility and trust. A reminder that sometimes the first step toward God is the fall that wakes us up. But Jesus doesn’t just leave us at the bottom of the hill. He looks at us—like children—and says, “Now… begin again.” Because the goal is not just to fall and feel sorry…The goal is to become something new. That’s where a different childhood rhyme helps us see what Jesus is teaching: “The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.Down came the rain and washed the spider out.Out came the sun and dried up all the rain…And the itsy bitsy spider clim...
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Bipartisan Majority Opposes Animal Testing Yet Federal Funding Persists
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Washington Examiner, Approved, Commentary, National

Bipartisan Majority Opposes Animal Testing Yet Federal Funding Persists

By Meghan Miller | Commentary, Washington Examiner After years of court hearings, investigations, open rescues, and protests, the notorious beagle breeding and research facility Ridglan Farms has finally agreed to release 1,500 dogs to rescue organizations. This is certainly a win for animals, but the era of animal testing is far from over, particularly because the federal government enables it. While the Left and Right don’t align on much these days, over 85% of Republicans and Democrats do agree animal testing should be phased out. Notable voices across the political spectrum, including Lara Trump, Tomi Lahren, Dave Portnoy, Jennifer Welch, and groups such as Democracy Now! have spoken out against Ridglan, unequivocally demonstrating both that the public...
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Common Sense, Conservatism, Parties and Other Meaningless Words
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Common Sense, Conservatism, Parties and Other Meaningless Words

By Russ Minary | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” —Inigo Montoya, “The Princess Bride” People use words like common sense or conservatism. Here’s the problem: either words have precise meanings in certain contexts, or they mean precisely nothing. In this article, I’ll put some definitions around a few words – to create some objective truth for a dialogue among reasonable people. Good people can disagree, but so can bad people. First, common sense is a false premise. People often say, “Well, that’s just common sense!” But they can’t precisely define the term they just used. Thus, they provide no truth for what they suggest is truth which makes no sense. If common sense did exist, the majority of p...
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Colorado Senate Bill 135 Trades TABOR Refunds for Limited School Funding
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado Senate Bill 135 Trades TABOR Refunds for Limited School Funding

By Nash Herman | Commentary, Complete Colorado Colorado state senators recently engaged in more debate over Senate Bill 135, ultimately passing the measure and sending it over the House for consideration.     The bill sends a ballot measure to voters this November, exchanging billions of dollars in Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) refunds for a relatively small increase in education funding.  The Senate debate was enlightening in showing which amendments the bill sponsors supported and more importantly, those they did not.  For the kids (but not too much) One might think that the logical mechanism of a bill titled “State Public K-12 Education Funding” would be to increase revenues and direct the new money to C...
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Beyond the “kill switch”: How modern vehicles are already tracking drivers
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Beyond the “kill switch”: How modern vehicles are already tracking drivers

By Maria Orms | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Many people are talking about the “car surveillance” provision in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which directs regulators to develop technology that can monitor driver impairment—such as passively detecting blood alcohol levels. This has led to claims about a government “kill switch.” But what’s less widely discussed is that forms of remote connectivity and control have already been built into vehicles for over a decade. Since the 2010s, automakers have steadily integrated cellular connectivity—first 3G, then 4G LTE, and now 5G—into modern vehicles. Systems like OnStar and similar platforms allow cars to communicate with external networks. These connections enable features like emergency assistance, navigation up...
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The golden rule of government: Who controls the funding shapes Colorado education policy
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Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

The golden rule of government: Who controls the funding shapes Colorado education policy

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado We have all heard the Golden Rule, based on Matthew 7:12, which commands that we treat others the way we would like to be treated. But have you heard of the Golden Rule of Money? This rule says that “He who has the gold makes the rules.” It is a truth based on ownership of resources, which we should be very familiar with here in Colorado. The part-time homeschool enrichment public funding conversations happening under the golden dome in Denver are an incredibly clear example of this golden rule. The Joint Budget Committee (JBC) has asked for a bill* to be drafted that addresses Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) operating programs outside their member districts, defines “instructional time,” and clarif...
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Where money meets power: Inside the rise of the environmental industry
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GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Where money meets power: Inside the rise of the environmental industry

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com I follow the ups and downs of the environmental industry almost like a part-time hobby, for several reasons. For one, many environmental groups pretend to be local, grassroots activists, when in fact many are nationally organized and funded as part of a larger network. But also, their growth, influence, finances, and occasional declines offer fascinating insights into Americans’ interest in the environment, and their perceptions of groups who presume to speak for them. I use the term “environmental industry” to illustrate the unparalleled growth of these organizations, both in money and power – often the primary objectives. U.S. environmental organizations reported to the IRS assets of well over $200 billion by 2022 (most recent available...
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