Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Tag: Commentary

Devotional: Suit up for the battle of your mind with Justification
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Devotional: Suit up for the battle of your mind with Justification

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice After serving more than two decades in the U.S. military, I’ve learned that the fiercest battles aren’t fought with swords or shields, they’re fought in the mind. Every day, we wrestle with doubt, anxiety, guilt and the rackety voices of culture telling us who we are (or should be). The enemy, who isn’t flesh and blood, knows that if he can get us to question our standing before God, he can shake our confidence, weaken our faith and make us ineffective in every area: intellectually, physically, morally and spiritually. That’s why the Helmet of Salvation, a crucial part of our spiritual armor, isn’t just a theological concept, it’s the bedrock of thinking and living. The Bible’s familiar warrior, the Apostle Paul, says plainly: ...
Read More
Duffy: Colorado could use a DOGE of its own
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, gazette.com

Duffy: Colorado could use a DOGE of its own

By Sean Duffy | Commentary, The Gazette What did you accomplish this week? This basic question from Elon Musk to the federal workforce — a question routinely asked and answered in the private sector — set off waves of sputtering outrage as the effort to reduce a bloated, unaccountable government rolls on. Disruption always strikes hair-raising fear in the complacent. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.
Read More
Sengenberger: CU regent & pot purveyor Wanda James — under scrutiny
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, gazette.com

Sengenberger: CU regent & pot purveyor Wanda James — under scrutiny

By Jimmy Sengenberger | Commentary, The Gazette Did CU Regent and marijuana retailer Wanda James break Board of Regents policies and state law to advance her own business interests — at the expense of the institution she’s sworn to serve? That’s the question at the heart of a legal memorandum to the board’s leadership. It regards James’ crusade to terminate a public health education program mandated by the Legislature and funded with $4 million in marijuana tax revenue. In 2021, lawmakers directed CU’s School of Public Health to research high-potency THC and educate the public about its impact on the developing brain and mental health. CU’s researchers systematically reviewed over 60,000 scientific articles showing how today’s high-potency marijuana can affect youth under 25 and p...
Read More
Soper: A year late and a billion dollars short
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Soper: A year late and a billion dollars short

By Rep. Matt Soper | Western Slope Statesman Beyond the usual political theatrics making headlines, Colorado's budget crisis has dominated discussions since last fall. Unlike the federal government, the state cannot increase borrowing or mint additional currency. This leaves budget cuts and reduced spending as the only viable options to prevent Colorado from running an overdrawn budget of almost one billion dollars in the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The budgetary climate under the Golden Dome has taken on a slightly more conservative tone this session—something I welcome as a lifelong Republican. It seems the majority parties in both chambers, along with the Governor, are donning their fiscal conservative caps to help balance the checkbook. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WESTERN SLOPE STAT...
Read More
Devotional: The six panels of the Helmet of Salvation
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Devotional: The six panels of the Helmet of Salvation

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice What truly defines our humanity? Is it our intelligence, our emotions or perhaps our knack for brewing the perfect cup of coffee? While many creatures display intelligence, experience deep feelings and even utilize tools — just think of a beaver constructing a dam or a squirrel cracking a nut — there's something unique that sets us apart. It's our ability to seek meaning, make moral choices, and pursue right, equable relationships and justice (purpose). Unlike animals that rely on instinct, we possess the gift of self-reflection, wisdom and the power to shape our reality through our decisions, provided we choose to channel that power for good. Yet, despite having this gift, we often make a mess of things. Poor decisions, unclea...
Read More
O’Reilly: Special districts bank on your ignorance, residents need to push for transparency 
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

O’Reilly: Special districts bank on your ignorance, residents need to push for transparency 

By Chuck O’Reilly | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Meet Colorado’s special districts. Your wallet knows them better than you. Your tax dollars feed special districts most can’t even name. They siphon cash quietly until they are exposed.  Wherever you live in Colorado, you will be in some type of special district for water, fire protection, sanitation, open spaces, metro districts and schools.  Many Colorado voters are uninformed or unaware of how the various special districts, in which they reside, function. They don’t grasp their rights related to those districts or how the property taxes they pay get regulated, assessed or used by those districts.   New property owners are not informed about assessments or the board member election process for their districts. For mos...
Read More
Garbo: In public education’s betrayal of America, Department of Education abolishment is long overdue
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Garbo: In public education’s betrayal of America, Department of Education abolishment is long overdue

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Public education was the single most destructive force of my life. It was not just a failed system; it was a weapon - an insidious mechanism that fostered and cultivated powerful lies about my self-image and self-worth that took decades to unlearn. The environment was not one of discovery, inspiration, or growth, but a bleak landscape of conformity and mediocrity, where creativity was stifled, curiosity was punished, and true excellence was treated as a threat rather than a goal. The opportunity cost of this system is beyond measure. How can one quantify the years lost to self-doubt, the potential unfulfilled, the talents unexplored, and the opportunities that vanished because the very institution tasked with equipping me ...
Read More
Boll: Colorado’s battle to protect kids and conscience in Healthcare. First, do no harm
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Boll: Colorado’s battle to protect kids and conscience in Healthcare. First, do no harm

By Laureen Boll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice If you’re at all interested in ensuring that the future of Colorado’s healthcare system is enshrined in the tenets of the Hippocratic Oath — including practicing with integrity and competence — and that parental authority is respected in the realm of health care for children, then you’ll want to pay attention to several bills that will be in front of the Colorado legislature this week.  Colorado has positioned itself as a leader in protecting access to gender-affirming care (President Trump’s Executive Order refers to this ‘care’ as chemical and surgical mutilation) and abortion: Gender-Affirming Care: Since 2023, Colorado requires private health insurance plans to cover gender-affirming services as essential health be...
Read More
Walcher: Paying for what ought to be free
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Walcher: Paying for what ought to be free

By Greg Walcher | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice If I offered you a thousand dollars not to steal my car, would you be any less likely to steal it? What if I offered you a million? If you’re like most people, you would answer that you weren’t planning to steal it anyway. You’re not a thief so the discussion is pointless. Although if I were serious, you might take the money anyway. That isn’t much different than some of the revelations of government grants we are learning about through recent DOGE discoveries, controversial though they are. I’m just looking at grants related to natural resources and the environment, but can’t help wondering why the government has been paying so much to so many organizations and companies – to do what they were doing anyway. For example, sho...
Read More
Gaines: The newest use for AI? Summarizing bills so they can be understood
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Gaines: The newest use for AI? Summarizing bills so they can be understood

By Cory Gaines | Guest Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project In last year's legislative session there were 705 bills introduced, with 525 passed.  I’ve not seen anything official, but the rumors I have heard have it that there are currently 200 bills in the queue for the 75th Legislature this year, with a prediction that the total number of bills could hit 600 to 700 by May. What spurred my looking at bill numbers this year was an email forwarded from a friend.  It was a marketing email by Colorado Capitol Watch (CCW), a group that bills itself as the “the premier” bill and legislator tracking site for Colorado.  The email offered a novel service:  using AI to make summaries of legislation.   Members of CCW are entitled to use their AI tool to h...
Read More