Rocky Mountain Voice

Commentary

How Did Compact Negotiators Split the Colorado River’s Flow in 1922?
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

How Did Compact Negotiators Split the Colorado River’s Flow in 1922?

By Steve Harris | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice For my third installment in our discussion of the 100-year anniversary of the Colorado River Compact in 1922, I’ll describe how the states negotiated their respective share of the annual flow of the Colorado River. Though I was not in attendance in 1922, the minutes of the negotiations are very thorough. A few definitions before we start: “WY” is short for the federal water year from October 1st to September 30th. Colorado water years are November to October. AF is acre-feet or 325,851 gallons or 43,560 cubic feet. MAF is million acre-feet. Actual Colorado River flows in 1922: At the first Colorado River Compact Commission (CRCC) meeting on January 30, 1922, data on the flow of the Colorado River at various l...
When the prosecutor is also the judge: Colorado’s due process problem under Griswold’s watch
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

When the prosecutor is also the judge: Colorado’s due process problem under Griswold’s watch

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I wouldn’t blame someone for thinking the fix is in at a Colorado Administrative Law hearing (especially in the SOS’s Office). If you break one of our state regulatory agencies’ copious rules, the process for our state’s administrative hearings bears little resemblance to a real trial. I recently did some looking into the state’s administrative hearings process, and was disappointed in what I found.The idea of this being a hearing in front of an independent, nominally-impartial, and disinterested judge is decidedly NOT what the process looks like.This goes, as you might imagine for an office run by Jena Griswold, double for the Secretary of State’s Office.More in the op ed below.https://completecolorado.com/2025/09/22/p...
Pam Bondi Turns the Tables on Senate Democrats in Fiery Judiciary Hearing
TownHall.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Pam Bondi Turns the Tables on Senate Democrats in Fiery Judiciary Hearing

By Matt Vespa | Commentary, Townhall Attorney General Pam Bondi came out swinging today during her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Democrats' plan was clear from the start: to distract and divert from their government shutdown, lawlessness in cities, rogue judges, and the death and destruction Joe Biden's open border policies unleashed. Pam Bondi was having none of it and continuously brought the conversation back to what Democrats tried to avoid. It’s one of those things: Democrats need to shift the focus on who’s to blame to mask their incompetence. She came prepared, bringing a gun to the Democrats’ knife fight. When liberal media reporters admit that she was cooking Democrats, you know it’s bad. Before we get to her taking these clowns to the cleaners, let’s ...
Is Rep. Marshall’s narrow 2024 win now at risk in Douglas County?
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Is Rep. Marshall’s narrow 2024 win now at risk in Douglas County?

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Rep. Bob Marshall (D-HD43) represents one of Colorado’s most politically mixed suburban districts, covering parts of Highlands Ranch and Littleton. The area is built around families, good schools, and a long-standing belief in local control and fiscal restraint. Marshall often calls himself a centrist Democrat and a retired Marine who puts people before politics. But his voting record at the Capitol tells a different story.  Marshall once appealed to a wide mix of voters. Whether that still holds is an open question, especially given how much the mood in Douglas County has changed. Prices have climbed. Crime feels closer. And faith in state leaders is wearing thin. Out of Douglas County’s 323,000 regist...
Why Ditching the Flat Tax Would Be Colorado’s Biggest Mistake
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Why Ditching the Flat Tax Would Be Colorado’s Biggest Mistake

By Jake Fogleman | Commentary, Complete Colorado The battle over Colorado’s future tax system has officially begun, and the stakes for families, businesses, and the state’s economy couldn’t be higher. Backed by a coalition of advocacy groups that consistently push for higher taxes as the solution to Colorado’s challenges, the Bell Policy Center submitted proposed language for the 2026 ballot that would overturn nearly four decades of sensible tax policy by abandoning Colorado’s flat-rate income tax and adopting a graduated tax system. Under their proposals, Colorado taxpayers would be forced to confront a new five-bracket tax system with marginal rates up to 9.5 percent, among the highest in the country. The proponents claim it’s about fairness, equity, and making t...
Colorado: Where Criminals Come to Stay and Play
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado: Where Criminals Come to Stay and Play

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The FBI recently released detailed data on more than 14 million criminal offenses from calendar year 2024, reported to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program by participating law enforcement agencies. More than 16,000 state, county, city, university, college, and tribal agencies, covering around 95.6% of the population of the United States, submitted data to the UCR Program through the National Incident-Based Reporting System and the Summary Reporting System. By overlaying Census Bureau population estimates on the FBI data for individual states and territories, a curious party (like yours truly) can see how many violent or property crimes occur per 100,000 people—and thus see how crime rates vary between states. Because th...
From border hawks to benefit brokers: How Democrats flipped on illegal immigration
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

From border hawks to benefit brokers: How Democrats flipped on illegal immigration

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Let's waltz through the decades with Chuck Schumer, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, comparing their former stern warnings with their current soft-shoe routines. Buckle up, because this flip-flop parade will be an inconvenient sashay through their past statements. Back in 1996, Senator Chuck Schumer was the sheriff of congressional fiscal responsibility, wielding his gavel like a six-shooter. “People say, why can't you stop illegal immigrants from coming here? The number one answer we give our constituents is when they come here, they can get jobs, get benefits against the law because of fraud,” he declared during a U.S. House session. Fast forward to 2025. Last week, Schumer and his caucus sh...
Worried about what your child is reading at school? You’re not alone
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Worried about what your child is reading at school? You’re not alone

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Substack Worried about your school requiring books that might conflict with your values? I am signed on to the Independence Institute’s newsletter. One installment last week had the following blurb written by Pam Benigno of their education policy center, quoted here at length and with links left intact:“Last week, I spoke at a women’s club about how Colorado’s Social Studies Academic Standards have been hijacked by those trying to shape young children’s hearts and minds by exposing young children to literature intended to “disrupt” their understanding of gender identity. Bringing some good news, I explained how Mahmoud v. Taylor, a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, requires elementary schools to provide n...
Report: ABC Inflates Medicaid “Crisis” to Support Democrat Spending Push
The Daily Signal, Approved, Commentary, National

Report: ABC Inflates Medicaid “Crisis” to Support Democrat Spending Push

By Jay Greene | Commentary, The Daily Signal The federal government is shut down, at least in part, because Democrats are attempting to reverse Medicaid spending cuts that were enacted earlier this year as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill. Democrats are refusing to support a continuing resolution that would keep funding the government unless it restores those cuts.  ABC News is determined to help the Democrats make their case for reversing Medicaid cuts even at the expense of whatever journalistic credibility they have remaining. To wit, “Good Morning America” aired a story by senior White House correspondent, Selina Wang, about “looming Medicaid cuts threatening ...