Rocky Mountain Voice

State

PERSPECTIVE: Colorado has fallen behind in economic growth
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

PERSPECTIVE: Colorado has fallen behind in economic growth

By Loren Furman The 2024 state legislative session is underway, which means that over the coming weeks and months, we’ll hear from our elected lawmakers about the proposals they have to move our state forward. While we have different ideas of what policies are best for the state, we want Colorado to be successful. At the Colorado Chamber, our focus is on improving the state’s economic climate. We want Colorado to be the preferred place where business leaders choose to invest and innovate. We want to be a leading state, setting a national example for job creation and economic growth. Unfortunately, in recent years, we have set an example for other states — but not in a good way. READ FULL ARTICLE ON DENVERGAZETTE.COM
COLUMN: Jared Polis has been all talk on tax cuts | Jimmy Sengenberger
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

COLUMN: Jared Polis has been all talk on tax cuts | Jimmy Sengenberger

By Jimmy Sengenberger Gov. Jared Polis has long pledged fealty to lower income taxes, a position he reiterated in his recent State of the State address. “I know some Democrats in the past have been skeptical of reducing our income tax rate,” Polis said, “but cutting the income tax rate is the most effective way to further our economic growth.” While his comments were met with consternation from fellow Democrats, they were nothing new for Polis. In 2021, he garnered headlines for declaring at a conservative conference that Colorado’s income tax “should be zero.” READ FULL ARTICLE ON DENVERGAZETTE.COM
Griswold wants a law banning certain Republicans from running for office
Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, State

Griswold wants a law banning certain Republicans from running for office

SOURCE: COLORADO PEAK POLITICS When Secretary of State Jena Griswold claims to be all about protecting Democracy and free and fair elections, what she means is, controlling who is even allowed to run for office. For example, the only requirements to be governor in Colorado are U.S. citizenship, state residency for at least two years, and the person must be at least 30 years old. Yet Griswold wants to create more qualifications and has Republicans in her crosshairs. First it was Donald Trump, now it’s his supporters. Griswold announced this week she plans to crack down on so-called fake elector schemes, which may or may not be a real thing. READ FULL ARTICLE ON COLORADOPEAKPOLITICS.COM
Colorado House Republicans pick Ty Winter as assistant leader
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local, Southern Colorado, State

Colorado House Republicans pick Ty Winter as assistant leader

By Marissa Ventrelli, Colorado Politics House Republicans on Friday picked Rep. Ty Winter of Trinidad as the new assistant minority leader. His election was uncontested. The caucus picked Winter to replace Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs, who was promoted to serve as the House minority leader earlier this week. Pugliese was elected via secret ballot after days of chaos within the House GOP following the decision by Rep. Mike Lynch to resign from the position. READ FULL ARTICLE ON COLORADOPOLITICS.COM
Secretary of State Griswold faces backlash for regulation push
Approved, State, thelobby-co.com

Secretary of State Griswold faces backlash for regulation push

SOURCE: THELOBBY-CO.COM Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has recently announced a series of proposed bills for the upcoming legislative session, claiming that her top priority is to protect Colorado voters. Griswold's main target this session appears to be AI, as she expressed her intention to hold accountable anyone attempting to defraud Coloradans or the American people. While the goal of preventing fraud is commendable, the proposed bill requiring disclaimers for AI content featuring Colorado candidates or officials raises concerns about the potential infringement on free speech and the stifling of political discourse. Supporters of the bill argue that it is necessary to combat the use of AI in creating deep fakes and spreading misinformation. They claim that requi...
EDITORIAL: Gov. Polis should stop ‘DEI’
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

EDITORIAL: Gov. Polis should stop ‘DEI’

By GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD The May 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, now in prison, had a wide-ranging impact on society. It rekindled a needed national conversation on racial justice — Floyd was Black; his killer, White — but also was exploited by opportunists who hijacked peaceful rallies and turned them into violent riots. Colorado experienced its share of both. Among other repercussions was a complete misfire that had nothing to do with honoring Floyd’s memory or learning from his tragic death. It was the sudden rise of a new dogma summed up in the catchphrase, “diversity, equity and inclusion.” Also known by its acronym, “DEI,” the verbiage has caught on so quickly across our state and the rest of the country that just about everyone has heard of it...
Polis Promise made; promise denied. Property taxes to spike 25%
Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, State

Polis Promise made; promise denied. Property taxes to spike 25%

SOURCE: COLORADO PEAK POLITICS The bill is coming due for living in a state controlled by a tax-and-spend political party and homeowners will be paying the brunt of it this year when property taxes are projected to spike an average of 25%. PeakNation™ will recall Gov. Polis and his Democrat buddies in the state legislature promised us property tax relief last year, but instead gave us a tax hike ballot measure that failed miserably. Because it was a tax hike, not a tax break. Then Polis called a special session of his cronies to hold a special session and he promised to seriously cut property taxes that time, but it was just a drop in the bucket. Again his word meant nothing. Promises made, promises denied. You know the old saying, fool us once, shame on you, fool us...
New GOP leader Pugliese says the fight is on to make Colo safer and more affordable
Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, State

New GOP leader Pugliese says the fight is on to make Colo safer and more affordable

SOURCE: Colorado Peak Politics State Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs was elected Thursday by State House Republicans to lead their caucus and serve as minority leader. Her top task — growing the caucus and bring some balance to the policies passed by controlling Democrats who keep trying to tilt this state to the bizarre far left. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0I...
Move to Classify Colorado Nuclear as ‘Clean Energy’ Killed
Approved, i2i.org, State

Move to Classify Colorado Nuclear as ‘Clean Energy’ Killed

SOURCE: INDEPENDENCE INSTITUTE On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, Independence Institute’s Energy and Environmental Policy Analyst Jake Fogleman testified on SB24-039 in the Colorado Senate Transportation & Energy Committee. The bill would have amended the state’s statutory definitions of “clean energy” and “clean energy resources” to include nuclear energy. The committee ultimately voted not to pass the bill at the end of the hearing. Senators Faith Winter (D.), Kevin Priola (D.), Lisa Cutter (D.), and Tony Exum (D.) voted against the bill, while Senators Nick Hinrichsen (D.), Byron Pelton (R.), and Cleave Simpson (R.) voted in favor of it. READ FULL TESTIMONY ON I2I.ORG
GUEST COLUMN: We don’t need more government control of business
Approved, gazette.com, State

GUEST COLUMN: We don’t need more government control of business

By Paul Prentice | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE In a misguided effort to protect consumers, the Biden administration has embarked on a well-intentioned but ill-advised crusade against what it deems to be “hidden” and “junk” fees. This initiative, while ostensibly aimed at promoting transparency and fairness, overlooks the nuanced economic landscape in which small and medium-sized businesses operate, particularly in states like Colorado. President Joe Biden kicked off this campaign during his 2023 State of the Union address, where he called out industries for allegedly deceiving consumers. Touting his desire to crack down on “junk fees,” he attacked airlines, hotels, cable companies, and concert venues for billing consumers extraneous back-end costs, employing the catchy tagline that airlines ...