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Pond: Transparency matters in the Dolores River National Conservation Area controversy
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Pond: Transparency matters in the Dolores River National Conservation Area controversy

By Sean M Pond | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In recent proceedings, Mesa County Commissioner Cody Davis made a bold claim before Colorado's County Commissioners, asserting that there is unified support for a proposed National Conservation Area (NCA) along the Dolores River. However, this statement fundamentally misrepresents the complex reality facing local communities and stakeholders. The communities of Gateway, Nucla, Naturita, Bedrock, Paradox and surrounding areas stand in stark opposition to the proposed NCA. Their voices — the voices of those who live, work and deeply understand the local landscape — have been conspicuously absent from the decision-making process. Critical questions demand answers: How can commissioners claim widespread support when they have ...
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Garbo: Hunter Biden’s pardon is the apex of corruption
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Garbo: Hunter Biden’s pardon is the apex of corruption

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Columnist, Rocky Mountain Voice President Joe Biden’s sweeping pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, covering all crimes committed or potentially committed between 2014 and 2024, represents not only a historic abuse of power but a grave affront to the principles of justice and democracy. It encapsulates years of suspicion and mounting evidence of corruption at the highest levels, justifying the worst fears of conservatives and others whose voices were silenced or dismissed by a complicit media. This pardon cannot be viewed in isolation; it is part of a larger web of criminality, collusion and a concerted effort to suppress dissent, manipulate public opinion and shield the Biden family from accountability. The implications are dire, and the actions taken by Presid...
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Schumann: Understanding special districts. Where your tax dollars meet local decisions and why you should care
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Schumann: Understanding special districts. Where your tax dollars meet local decisions and why you should care

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Coloradans, on average, will pay $540,680 in taxes over their lifetime.  Many politicians promise to limit taxes once elected. President Trump believes there is a way the U.S. can abolish federal taxes. Let's say the second Trump Administration does fix the $36 trillion national debt crisis, growing by $268 million each hour, and cuts federal taxes. There will still be state and local taxes to pay. Many local leaders elected through special district elections will set county and city tax rates. They make decisions on how to spend taxpayer dollars, having a huge impact on residents' lives. In Colorado, there are more than 3,000 special districts.  Special district elections in Colorado have low voter turnout. But...
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Russel: If Republicans can deliver on populist platform, they can expand on majorities
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Russel: If Republicans can deliver on populist platform, they can expand on majorities

By Robert Russel | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Having won an impressive yet precarious electoral majority in the 2024 election, MAGA Republicans are faced with a conundrum -- whether to follow several previous Republican majorities down the path of tired old policies that voters repeatedly reject, or embrace specific issues on which they campaigned to deliver what the voters asked.  In 2023, the new House majority outfought and outmaneuvered Biden into accepting a budget deal with $1.5 trillion in spending cuts while avoiding further drastic cuts to an underfunded military or cuts to social security. They had gotten major concessions, and given Biden nothing that the Democrats did not already have. In the bargain, they even got Biden blamed for the confrontation, a...
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Boddie: Independent expenditure committees effect election outcomes
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Boddie: Independent expenditure committees effect election outcomes

By CS Boddie | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice One of the reasons candidates lost in the 2024 election may be that independent expenditure committees (IECs), with millions to spend, negatively affected the races. Was it mainly Democrat-leaning IECs at work or did Republican-leaning IECs play too? Pertinent facts are available from TRACER, a  ‘campaign financial disclosure website’ to which political candidates and ‘issue committees’ reported for the office of the secretary of state.  Note that the home page shows a big disparity in ‘contributions and loans filed in 2024’ by political parties, with Democrats receiving about $6.8 million in loans and contributions while Republicans received $1.8 million. Just one IEC existed to support Republicans: New Day Col...
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Devotional: If you want to live in amity, navigate your emotions with love
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Devotional: If you want to live in amity, navigate your emotions with love

By Drake Hunter | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The word “amity” might sound like something out of an old-fashioned novel or the name of a charming little town, but it’s far more than that — it’s a transformative treasure we’ve lost in the shuffle of our fast-paced, fragmented lives. So, what exactly is amity, and why is it important? Simply put, it is the pursuit of friendly relationships and mutual understanding. It’s not just about holding hands and singing songs; it's about the deep, intentional pursuit of harmony, friendship, goodwill, and affection that creates lasting fulfillment and joy. But here’s the twist: amity is more than just being nice and staying in line with the norm regarding friendships and understanding — it’s a spiritual calling that can transform our l...
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Gaines: Yes, oppose anti-2A legislation, but don’t forget to support state and local pro-gun orgs
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Gaines: Yes, oppose anti-2A legislation, but don’t forget to support state and local pro-gun orgs

By Cory Gaines | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The recent election results for Proposition KK (the state excise tax on guns and ammunition) were disappointing, but not altogether a surprise.  By this point, Colorado gun owners and those that support the 2nd Amendment are becoming accustomed to annual encroachments on that right, the one new detail here being that it's now clear that the liberal districts along the Front Range, Interstate 70 and in the Southwest corner of the state are following the lead of those they sent to the state capitol. What can you do if you are one of those gun owners or 2A supporters?  What can you do if you're concerned about fundamental Constitutional rights? Over the last two or three years, it's become increasingl...
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Rahn: The value of AP African-American studies is in the truth, not CRT
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Rahn: The value of AP African-American studies is in the truth, not CRT

By Priscilla Rahn | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice What is education for? Education is about searching for the truth, analyzing and differentiating good ideas from bad. Imagine a classroom where students are inspired to be creative, independent, taught self-determination and invested in the power of capitalism.  As a conservative, Republican and descendant of enslaved Africans, I believe in personal responsibility, freedom and the promise of America’s founding ideals. These traits are foundational to American greatness. Advanced Placement (AP) African-American Studies teaches students these ideals through historical analysis. This course is not CRT, which has become weaponized to define the human experience as solely and completely about our race, rather, it is a valu...
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Krannawitter: Thankful for the lessons of failure learned by early Americans
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Approved, Commentary, Thomas Krannawitter

Krannawitter: Thankful for the lessons of failure learned by early Americans

By Dr. Thomas L. Krannawitter | Commentary, Thomas Krannawitter Substack The first Pilgrim colonists who arrived in North America in November of 1620 failed in grand ways. Later generations — especially the Founding generation — learned valuable lessons from those failures. We should be thankful the Founders learned from the failures of the Pilgrims and other early colonists. Those same failures also offer important lessons for us, today, if we are willing to learn. READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT THOMAS KRANNAWITTER SUBSTACK 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 opinion...
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Mamet: Decline and fall of America? Not yet. Trump may have averted a destructive revolution
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Approved, Commentary, The Wall Street Journal

Mamet: Decline and fall of America? Not yet. Trump may have averted a destructive revolution

By David Mamet | Commentary, Wall Street Journal For the past four years Israel has been the leader of the free world. The Jewish state has been the West’s sole protection against Islamist terror, fighting while reviled by the people and countries it was protecting. Its position was similar to that of Donald Trump — demonized, persecuted, targeted for violence. Now that Israel and the U.S. will again be allies, we can hope Iran will be returned to the Iranian people, Gaza will become a wealthy city-state, and there will be that biblical peace in which each may sit under his fig tree and be unafraid. READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of...
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