Rocky Mountain Voice

Rocky Mountain Voice

How the Income Tax Betrayed the Founding and Broke the Constitution’s Promise of Liberty
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

How the Income Tax Betrayed the Founding and Broke the Constitution’s Promise of Liberty

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The American Founding was a deliberate rejection of concentrated power. The Founders built the United States around one core principle: government must be strong enough to secure liberty, but restrained enough to never become a master. An income tax, as it exists today, directly violates that design. It creates a federal government with a permanent claim on the labor of the citizen.  It funds unlimited expansion. It invites political favoritism. It weaponizes enforcement. It breaks the relationship between the people and the state that the Constitution was written to protect. Start with the historical fact that taxation was the spark of revolution.  The colonies did not revolt because they dislike...
Secure the High Ground: Truth Is Your Terrain
Rocky Mountain Voice, Devotional, Top Stories

Secure the High Ground: Truth Is Your Terrain

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Elevating Life Church “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” ~ Ephesians 6:14 ~ Truth is not optional equipment. It’s foundational positioning. Before Scripture tells us what to do, it tells us where to stand. During the Gulf War, I was stationed at Büchel Air Base in Germany. We weren’t on the front lines—but we were deeply involved, flying missions into the combat zone, delivering critical loads, and returning home. What stayed with me then—and still does now—was the contrast in terrain. Germany was lush, stable, and predictable. You could see the horizon clearly. You knew where you were. Operations ran smoothly. The ground beneath you felt secure. The comb...
Protests over ICE center in Hudson reveal liberal hypocrisy
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Protests over ICE center in Hudson reveal liberal hypocrisy

By RMV Editorial Board Hundreds gathered outside a dormant prison in tiny Hudson this week. They braved freezing cold to protest plans for a new ICE detention center. Signs demanded justice. CBS Colorado captured the scene. https://youtu.be/D0iUjF-7B5s?si=MRLq2wBXKyFbYqqP One organizer told reporters the facility would not protect or serve communities. A resident feared people packed like sardines in a can. Another warned expansion drives families into shadows and erodes trust. The last census puts Hudson at 1,651 people. Someone at the protest warned that a 1,200-bed detention center would somehow double the town overnight.  That only works if detention beds are treated as permanent neighbors, or if the facility somehow brings in far more p...
Why Congress keeps pressing NIH over bat research funding tied to CSU
Rocky Mountain Voice, National, Top Stories

Why Congress keeps pressing NIH over bat research funding tied to CSU

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice The scrutiny hasn’t faded because the funding didn’t stop at a single lab. NIH records show CSU’s bat research support extending into overseas field work in Bangladesh, where a separate NIH award to EcoHealth Alliance also played a role—a convergence that has kept lawmakers focused on how these projects are monitored and connected. Congress is demanding more transparency from the NIH over bat research grants tied to Colorado State University, asking, “How many millions of tax dollars is NIH giving to live bat research and why?” In a Jan. 12, 2026 letter to NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Paul Gosar called on the agency to cancel remaining funding tied to CSU bat research and to produce a full accounting of ...
Merit Academy: Undeniable Change, A Model For Our Next Victory
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Merit Academy: Undeniable Change, A Model For Our Next Victory

By Eric Gil | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The success of Merit Academy in Woodland Park is no secret. When your school is ranked #5 of all K-12 Colorado Public Schools, it is hard to hide. This article is a look into the origin story of Merit Academy, led by Headmaster Gwynne Pekron. A reminder that we still hold the power to shape our children’s futures and that even when faced with centralized control, a path to real change exists. As a former charter school student and public school teacher, Merit’s story of ascension inspires me to look for ways to ensure our future.   Increased attention toward public education from concerned parents is one of the many lasting outcomes of the 2020 pandemic and the subsequent shifts in education. In Woodland Park, this ...
A new session, same defiance: How Colorado’s immigration policy put ideology over enforcement
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

A new session, same defiance: How Colorado’s immigration policy put ideology over enforcement

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers are walking into the 2026 session with the budget already tight. They’re also bracing for more legal fights with Washington. New bills tied to ICE enforcement are moving early, including one that would expand the state’s ability to sue over immigration-related rights claims. That push comes as Colorado is already in federal court over immigration laws passed last session. In Senate Appropriations on April 11, Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer zeroed in on SB25-276's price tag, asking whether its costs would come out of the legislature's roughly $7.5 million set-aside for new mandates and litigation risks. The answer was a quick "Yes"—no hesitation, no alternative funding source offered. Democrats introduced Senate Bill...
Homelessness Isn’t Just About Rent: Denver’s Spending Tells a Bigger Story
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Homelessness Isn’t Just About Rent: Denver’s Spending Tells a Bigger Story

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Denver once bought a motel to help move people off the street. Two years later, it made headlines for trying to sell that same property for ten dollars.  Denver’s homelessness debate almost always circles back to housing. Rents are high. Wages trail behind. Even when Denver adds housing, the gap doesn’t seem to close. From there, the “it’s housing” argument almost writes itself. But recent data suggest the drivers run deeper than housing alone. A January 2026 analysis from the Common Sense Institute looked at homelessness trends across the country and found that while housing affordability matters, it is not the strongest factor tied to homelessness — especially when it comes to people living on the...
From Misunderstanding to Malice. Why Conservatives Finally Speak Plainly
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

From Misunderstanding to Malice. Why Conservatives Finally Speak Plainly

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice For decades, many conservatives believed silence was a virtue. They assumed that if they spoke carefully, clearly, and charitably, they would be understood. When their views were mischaracterized as racist, cruel, or hateful, they often withdrew. Not because they agreed with the accusation, but because they did not want to be mistaken for something they were not. That assumption was wrong. The problem was never widespread misunderstanding by good people. The problem was intentional distortion by bad actors. Language was not being misheard. It was being weaponized. Moral accusations were not mistakes. They were tactics. Once you understand that distinction, everything changes. If your opponent is honestly...
SB26-005: Colorado Bill Opens State Suits for ICE-Related Rights Violations—Even Against Private Actors
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

SB26-005: Colorado Bill Opens State Suits for ICE-Related Rights Violations—Even Against Private Actors

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers have introduced Senate Bill 26-005—legislation that would allow lawsuits in state court when an individual claims their rights under federal law have been violated as a result of civil immigration law enforcement. This bill creates a new state-level cause of action tied specifically to immigration enforcement activity. Its reach is broad. The text applies to “any person whether or not under color of law,” language pulled directly from the bill as introduced. The prime sponsors of the bill are Sen. Mike Weissman, Sen. Julie Gonzales, Rep. Javier Mabrey, and Rep. Yara Zokaie. It has been sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee—which Weissman chairs. That matters. He will be able to control how f...

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