Rocky Mountain Voice

Commentary

From Grief to Grace: How Steve Witkoff Found Strength After Tragedy
New York Post, Approved, Commentary, National

From Grief to Grace: How Steve Witkoff Found Strength After Tragedy

By: Alex Witkoff | Commentary, The New York Post My father, Steve Witkoff, has always been a man of compassion. His life has been built on a simple creed: When people suffer, you do not look away — you step forward and help. He did not come from privilege. His father was a coat manufacturer, and at 29, with no financial safety net, he took the leap to start his own business. Hard work was his inheritance; perseverance his language. Even as he built a career from nothing, he never allowed success to eclipse his humanity or his devotion to family. Between 2009 and 2011, our family faced the greatest trial imaginable: My older brother, Andrew, was battling addiction — a disease that consumed his spirit but never his light. My parents surrounded him with constant care, but ...
Power first, children last: The true legacy of Randi Weingarten’s teachers union
TownHall.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Power first, children last: The true legacy of Randi Weingarten’s teachers union

By Natalya Murakhver | Commentary, Townhall When America looks back at the COVID era, history will not be kind to Randi Weingarten and the American Federation of Teachers. At a time when our nation’s children needed leadership, compassion, and courage, Weingarten delivered none of it. Instead, she manipulated the crisis of school closures to expand her own political influence, sacrificing the futures of millions of kids and betraying the trust of parents across this country. Let’s be clear: school closures were not primarily about health or science. They were about power. From the very beginning, teachers’ unions lobbied aggressively to keep schools closed far longer than necessary. They pressured public health officials and the CDC to rewrite guidelines in ways that served union int...
Results speak for themselves: The D51 school board has earned re-election
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Results speak for themselves: The D51 school board has earned re-election

By Kent Zook | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I am writing to express my support for Andrea Haitz (District C), Will Jones (District D), and Angela Lema (District E), who are seeking re-election to the District 51 School Board. I voted for them because we needed a huge change, and their work since taking office has exceeded my expectations. They’ve made significant improvements that deserve to continue. I am writing to express my support and praise for the current school board. I voted for the current school board because we needed a huge change. Their work has exceeded my expectations. They’ve made significant improvements. The teachers union has been in control of District 51 for the last forty years, and during that time we’ve had some of the lowest test scores in th...
Colorado’s “wildlife threat” plan could threaten agriculture instead
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s “wildlife threat” plan could threaten agriculture instead

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I smell a Rosmarino I had a couple readers bring a recent US Forest Service (USFS) draft assessment about the Comanche National Grasslands (SE Colorado) to my attention. I didn’t have time to get to it, but I was happy to see that Rachel Gabel of the FencePost did. The reality is that she did a better job than I could have hoped to. Her lengthy rundown on the issue is linked below and is well worth reading. This is particularly the case if you are worried about efforts at conservation and species restoration spilling over into (or being used intentionally for) a way to stop other uses of public lands. I’ll leave it to you to get the details, but from what I read, this assessment smacks of the kinds of rewilding/co...
It’s YOUR Money – Not The Government’s
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

It’s YOUR Money – Not The Government’s

By Russ Minary | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice "Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other." – Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan was a Democrat with conservative values, unlike many in his party. So he switched parties and became a Republican, serving two terms as California governor (1967–1975). He went on to national office, serving two terms as president (1981–1989). Reagan is often credited with our nation’s swing toward conservatism and is generally remembered favorably. He had a great sense of humor, which he used to move his agenda forward with Democrats, Republicans, and most Americans. During the Reagan administration, however, our national debt grew threefold—from $971 billion to $2.97 tril...
Colorado’s Local Control Eroded by State’s Energy and Housing Overreach
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Local Control Eroded by State’s Energy and Housing Overreach

By: The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Denver Gazette What’s the common thread between Gov. Jared Polis’ roadmap to green energy and his agenda for affordable housing?  That is, aside from the fact each will backfire on the state’s economy in one or more ways.  The answer is that both steamroll local laws that are more in tune with the needs of their communities — in pursuit of pipe dreams.  One aims to eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions — when in fact Colorado has virtually no impact on global climate in the first place. The other seeks to create more affordable housing on a wing and a prayer, oblivious to how the housing market really works. A Gazette report last week on Polis’ mad dash to 100% renewable power generation and “net zero” carbon ...
West Slope’s Conscience v. Denver’s Memory
GregWalcher.com, Commentary, State, Top Stories

West Slope’s Conscience v. Denver’s Memory

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com Washington Evening Star humorist Philander Chase Johnson created a great character named Senator Sorghum. A 1902 piece called “A Delicate Distinction” had one character saying, “That friend of yours seems to have a clear conscience.” Senator Sorghum answered, “No, not a clear conscience; merely a bad memory.” A convenient memory is common in politics. And current negotiations regarding the Colorado River District’s attempt to purchase the Shoshone water rights from Excel Energy provide a perfect example. Water providers up and down the Front Range, and especially Denver Water, seem to be conveniently forgetting the agreement made more than a decade ago – to support the purchase, and even help finance it. No water rights question i...
Two former board presidents urge a course correction for Cherry Creek schools
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Two former board presidents urge a course correction for Cherry Creek schools

By Jennifer Churchfield and Aagje Barber | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As former presidents of the Cherry Creek School Board, we have always believed that the success of our schools begins with a laser focus on students, academic excellence, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Today, we write with deep concern — and urgency — about the direction of the district and the need for a course correction. That’s why we are endorsing Amanda Thayer and Tatyana Sturm for the Cherry Creek School Board. The Board of Education has taken its eye off the classroom. As a result, fewer than half of Cherry Creek students are proficient at grade level in core subjects — a staggering statistic for a district once considered a statewide leader in academic performance. This is unac...
A ‘Trail of Broken Lives’ Tells the Real Story of Colorado’s Legalized Marijuana
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

A ‘Trail of Broken Lives’ Tells the Real Story of Colorado’s Legalized Marijuana

By: Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Denver Gazette Society once vilified marijuana. Later generations of hipsters laughed off the stigma.  Now, mounting evidence has brought things full circle — vindicating the psychoactive drug’s original critics after all.  Today’s high-potency pot — legalized for recreational use in Colorado in 2012 and in over two dozen other states since then — is leaving a trail of destruction. Whether it’s marijuana’s devastating impact on the mental health of our youth, or on the safety of our highways, it’s drawing overdue scrutiny that is justified by hard data. Pot’s toll in traffic fatalities in particular is back in the news. A new study by Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, looked at driver autopsy results from car crashe...
La Jara land deal raises questions about public access and state priorities
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

La Jara land deal raises questions about public access and state priorities

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Selling La Jara to conservation groups and the Feds, including a swap with CPW? I had a reader send me a heads up on the State Land Board’s (SLB) La Jara land deal. The reader had heard about it in a CPW meeting because CPW could be involved in the land swap. I wanted to push this out quick so you have a chance to sign up and speak (or email) prior to the October 15th State Land Board meeting. As such, I can’t go into huge amounts of depth or summarize. I can give you the information that’s publicly out there so you can look and decide for yourself. As a quick overview, the SLB is charged with management and leasing of the state’s publicly-owned lands with the mission of getting as much revenue from them as the...

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