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One third fixed two thirds punt: Colorado’s special session shrugs off hard cuts
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ScottKJames.com, Approved, Commentary, State

One third fixed two thirds punt: Colorado’s special session shrugs off hard cuts

By Scott K. James | Commentary, Scott K. James Dems filled about $253M of a $783M gap by ending tax breaks, then handed the real cuts to Polis and the reserves. One-third fixed. Two-thirds punted. The Denver Post reports that the Special Session Show wrapped after Democrats plugged about $253 million of a $783 million shortfall by ending tax breaks and other revenue moves. Roughly $530 million still yawns open. That hot potato now rolls to Gov. Jared Polis, who is expected to mix mid-year cuts with a deep dip into reserves. Eleven bills head to his desk. The biggest moneymaker, HB25B-1004, auctions tax credits for a one-time cash hit this year while sacrificing future revenue. The Post also notes the partisan script. Democrats...
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Senator Sullivan’s “just another form” gun law remark goes unchecked by media as sheriffs warn of crippling costs
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Senator Sullivan’s “just another form” gun law remark goes unchecked by media as sheriffs warn of crippling costs

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Senator Sullivan's dismissive rhetoric goes unchecked by the liberal media Let me start with a quote from Post "reporter" Nick Coltrain's article linked at bottom. "SB-3 does prohibit the sale of many semiautomatic weapons -- unless the purchaser has completed a firearm education course. The bill was heavily amended while it made its way through the legislature and Sullivan now describes it as a 'permit-to-purchase' law. People who follow the law haven’t lost access to anything in recent years -- and won’t under this law, Sullivan said. But laws need to change as society changes, he said. Sullivan likened the new gun laws to the shift toward widespread adoption of seatbelts in cars a few generations ago. It didn’t ha...
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A political refugee in Colorado: The painful choice to leave my homeland
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

A political refugee in Colorado: The painful choice to leave my homeland

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice After months of prayer, deliberation, and heartbreak, my wife and I have made the decision to leave Colorado. We’ve accepted an offer on our home in Castle Rock. For the first time in my life, I am saying goodbye to the state of my birth - the mountains where I learned to hike, the skyline I memorized as a child, the people and culture I have served, fought for, and loved.  This was not an easy decision. This is pain. This is grief. This is exile. But I am not moving for a job. I’m not moving for a change of scenery. I am leaving because Colorado has made it abundantly clear that I no longer have a voice in the government of my own state.  I am a political refugee. My family is being forced out, not by a singular...
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Vote-By-Mail Endangers Public Confidence in Elections
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National, Approved, Commentary, The Federalist

Vote-By-Mail Endangers Public Confidence in Elections

By John and Andy Schlafly | Commentary, The Federalist Sandwiched between Trump’s high-powered meetings with foreign leaders, Trump took the time to prioritize ending fraud-prone mail-in voting. Slightly more than half of our country – 28 states – permit mail-in voting without any documented reason or excuse. Earlier this month, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Judge James Ho began his decision in favor of a voter ID law in Texas by declaring, “Mail-in ballots are not secure.” The vast majority of the world agrees and has banned the permissive mail-in voting that is allowed here. Our postal service was never intended to conduct elections. That is not its mission. The delivery standards of our postal service have been declining, such that postmarks are no longer consiste...
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Littleton proves citizen power still matters in Polis’ Colorado
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, Local

Littleton proves citizen power still matters in Polis’ Colorado

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Littleton voters get a say because they wouldn't have it any other way. The City of Littleton tried to stuff a Polis-inspired density mandate down the throats of their residents late last year. Residents did exactly what they should have: they went to the city council meeting in numbers and told them their thoughts on the measure. The city council wisely decided to postpone the measure pending a group of residents putting gathering signatures and putting it up on the November ballot. There is more detail in the Complete article linked at bottom, but the part I want to focus on here is the Littleton voters and what their actions mean for you (and not just with regard to density). Pay attention to what your lo...
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Denver’s $950 million bond: Taxpayers deserve full accountability before another blank check
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Westword, Approved, Commentary, Local

Denver’s $950 million bond: Taxpayers deserve full accountability before another blank check

By Erik Clarke | Commentary, Westword "Denver residents want to support good projects that improve our daily life and solve real problems. Taxpayers also want to know that their money is being managed responsibly." In 2017, Denver voters approved the $937 million Elevate Denver Bond Program to improve civic infrastructure across the city. Eight years later, while some projects have made meaningful progress, many remain delayed, over budget or not yet started. Now, the city is preparing to ask voters to approve another nearly billion dollars through the proposed Vibrant Denver package. Before we’re asked to vote this November, we deserve more than summaries and categories. We deserve transparency. We deserve details. As of today, there is no public cost breakdown ...
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Grieving Texas father: My daughter died at Camp Mystic because I taught her to obey authority
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Houston Chronicle, Approved, Commentary, National

Grieving Texas father: My daughter died at Camp Mystic because I taught her to obey authority

By Matthew Childress | Commentary, Houston Chronicle On July 4, 2025, my 18-year-old daughter Chloe Madeline Childress was killed. Not in a car or hunting accident, but because she listened to me as her father. I taught her respect for others. I taught her right from wrong. I taught her to obey orders and to listen to those in authority. My daughter was one of two counselors that needlessly passed away at Camp Mystic during the early morning hours of July 4, along with 25 young campers. She died because she followed directions. The instruction from camp leadership was to “stay in your cabin.” She did what I taught her to do, obey orders, while the camp managed to evacuate others all around Bubble Inn. The largest mass casualty in summer camp history did not happen by chance. It wa...
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Shots for Freedom: Colorado gun owners rally to push back against new restrictions
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Shots for Freedom: Colorado gun owners rally to push back against new restrictions

By Huey Laugesen | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice At a time when Colorado is at the forefront of the national war over the Second Amendment, it’s not enough to be indignant. We must be active.That’s why the Colorado State Shooting Association (CSSA) is proud to host the Shots for Freedom Range Weekend and Banquet, taking place in Colorado Springs September 20–21 at Magnum Shooting Center South. It’s more than just a celebration of firearm culture. It's a strategic stand for freedom.The weekend kicks off with a two-day range event, featuring leading firearm industry vendors from across the country. From machine gun and other firearm rentals, to top-tier manufactures, events for kids, and premium gun raffles, it’ll be an unforgettable time for Second Amendment supporters of every ...
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Polis says Colorado isn’t a sanctuary state but the laws say otherwise
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The Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Polis says Colorado isn’t a sanctuary state but the laws say otherwise

By The Gazette editorial board | Commentary, The Gazette Gov. Jared Polis has distinguished himself in business and politics, yet he arguably missed his true calling — doing stand-up at a comedy club. He’d leave his audience in stitches. Case in point: His thigh-slapper the other day — about Colorado not being a sanctuary state. He had us rolling on the floor. We were laughing through our tears, of course, given the toll illegal immigration has taken here. But there’s no denying the governor is a hoot. He is in fact such a natural-born comic, his familiar, “Sanctuary? What sanctuary?” routine is uproarious even when delivered secondhand by his communications staff. “Colorado is not a sanctuary state,” Polis’ office deadpanned in a news release Thursday for our news affiliate Co...
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Riding the rails showed my sons the nation’s character
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The Free Press, Approved, Commentary, National

Riding the rails showed my sons the nation’s character

By Christopher F. Rufo | Commentary, The Free Press On a train from Seattle to Los Angeles, they learned what the road cannot teach: intimacy with strangers, the weight of history, and the beauty of time slowed down. “Pop! Pop! Pop!” A sunburned man named Jeff jabbed a finger in the air, imitating the gunshots of the Oakland gangster who had once peppered the door of his tow truck with bullets. Years ago, Jeff had worked as a contractor for the Oakland Police Department, where he towed cars from crime scenes in the most dangerous parts of town. I watched my two oldest sons, a teenager and a kindergartner, hang on his every word as the waitress served us lunch. Characters like Jeff were not uncommon on the Coast Starlight, the train my sons and I took earlier this summer, w...
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