Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Tag: Economic growth

Progressive tax push could cripple Colorado’s economy
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State

Progressive tax push could cripple Colorado’s economy

By Robert G. Natelson | Commentary, Complete Colorado At a time when most states are cutting income taxes, some influential Colorado leftists want to jack up the state’s top income tax rate to one of the highest in the nation. They are hawking a “graduated” (or “progressive”) tax—that is, one that discriminates based on income. They promote this scheme with their usual demagogy, including the fraudulent claim that higher taxes will harm only “the rich.” In truth, it will harm almost everyone but the rich. Much of the Left’s demagogy is harmless, and some of it is even amusing. But this irresponsible scheme is positively dangerous. As explained below, it’s a revolver in a game of Russian Roulette aimed against the livelihood of Colorado families. A revolver with every chamber loade...
Read More
Douglas County Secures Land for Massive Zebulon Sports Hub
No Comments
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Douglas County Secures Land for Massive Zebulon Sports Hub

By: Noah Festenstein | The Denver Gazette Douglas County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a crucial land exchange deal to build a massive sports complex on land previously bought by developers of Colorado’s largest master-planned community. The county partnered with Sterling Ranch to create plans for a 500-acre sports complex in northwest Douglas County called Zebulon. The land transfer impacts 46.5 acres of land planned to be the project’s first phase and will include a sports facility with hockey rinks, gyms, baseball and soccer fields. “The amendment provides Douglas County with an additional 34.2 acres of land in a configuration that is intended to facilitate development of a sports complex,” county staff said Tuesday in a presentation to commissioners. The ...
Read More
Why Ditching the Flat Tax Would Be Colorado’s Biggest Mistake
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Why Ditching the Flat Tax Would Be Colorado’s Biggest Mistake

By Jake Fogleman | Commentary, Complete Colorado The battle over Colorado’s future tax system has officially begun, and the stakes for families, businesses, and the state’s economy couldn’t be higher. Backed by a coalition of advocacy groups that consistently push for higher taxes as the solution to Colorado’s challenges, the Bell Policy Center submitted proposed language for the 2026 ballot that would overturn nearly four decades of sensible tax policy by abandoning Colorado’s flat-rate income tax and adopting a graduated tax system. Under their proposals, Colorado taxpayers would be forced to confront a new five-bracket tax system with marginal rates up to 9.5 percent, among the highest in the country. The proponents claim it’s about fairness, equity, and making t...
Read More
Greeley voters demand a say on $1.1B entertainment district
No Comments
Fox31, Approved, Local

Greeley voters demand a say on $1.1B entertainment district

By Heather Willard | FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — In April, Greeley City Council voted 5-2 in favor of building a new entertainment district, bringing an arena for the Colorado Eagles, a waterpark, apartments and retail space to the area, but now there are concerns about how the project was advanced. The project has two main portions: Catalyst, the city-owned project and entertainment district, will cost about $832 million, which will go toward three ice rinks, a hotel and a water park, among other costs; and Cascadia, the private residential and commercial area owned by The Water Valley Company. A Greeley City Council meeting held Sept. 2 had a lengthy public comment period, mainly focused on the Catalyst Greeley West project, that lasted for nearly an hour. Many who...
Read More
O’Donnell: Colorado isn’t creating jobs—it’s creating unemployment
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

O’Donnell: Colorado isn’t creating jobs—it’s creating unemployment

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice  January 2023 was a changeover month of sorts in the United States because it marked a division between the taxpayer subsidized COVID economy and the less subsidized post-COVID economy. According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, the United States added 3,149,000 jobs between January 2023 and June 2025, a 2.0 percent increase for the nation as a whole.  Employment growth so far this century has averaged just under one percent a year, so the 2.0 percent figure is roughly on track (although preliminary July BLS data are less positive and subject to revision). At the same time, unemployment increased by 1,268,000, a 22.1 percent rise. This is a less positive aspect of the economy that few seem ...
Read More
Media Panics as Trump Era Policies Fuel Stronger Than Expected Growth
No Comments
National, Approved, The Federalist

Media Panics as Trump Era Policies Fuel Stronger Than Expected Growth

By Brianna Lyman | The Federalist For all the media’s breathless warnings and dire forecasts, the numbers show the economy isn’t collapsing under Trump’s tariffs. Better than expected,” CNBC’s Rick Santelli announced Wednesday morning as fresh data revealed the economy grew at a three percent rate in the second quarter. Data from the Commerce Department shows the U.S. economy expanded at an annual rate of three percent from April through June, surpassing economists’ forecast of approximately two percent growth. Inflation also continues to cool, with the annual rate of inflation at 2.1 percent in the second quarter, compared to 3.7 percent in the first. As CNBC’s Jeff Cox reported, the growth is “powered by a turnaround in the trade balance and renewed consumer strength.” And as...
Read More
Tristan: How Trump’s second term is making history—promises made, promises kept
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Tristan: How Trump’s second term is making history—promises made, promises kept

By George Tristan | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice It’s often said that elections have consequences; I submit this assertion expresses an undeniable truth that nearly all would attest to, regardless of one’s political persuasion. That said, how should the first six months of President Trump’s administration be objectively characterized?  Many tout it has been an unprecedented success; while others decry it has been an abysmal failure. Wherever you may sit on this continuum of opinion, what cannot be argued is whether Trump’s accomplishments, since January 20, 2025, have lived up to his 2024 campaign promises. The American electorate returned Trump back to Washington D.C., largely due to how he led over the course of his first term as the 45th POTUS. Had Trump not live...
Read More
Franz: Climate hawks are facing extinction—realism is taking flight
No Comments
Real Clear Energy, Approved, National

Franz: Climate hawks are facing extinction—realism is taking flight

By Danielle Franz | Real Clear Energy Once perched atop the climate movement’s moral high ground, the self-anointed “climate hawks” are now watching their influence dwindle, and nowhere is that retreat more visible than in California. Long the epicenter of progressive climate ambition, the Golden State is now backpedaling. Democrats who once championed aggressive environmental mandates are hitting pause, reworking regulations, and distancing themselves from policies that have driven up energy and housing costs. A post-2024 reality check has swept the party: climate may still poll well in theory, but not when it collides with affordability. This shift isn’t isolated. It’s emblematic of the climate hawks’ broader failure — a movement that moralized, catastrophized, and sacrificed w...
Read More
Ortiz: Powell must act—BBB unlocked the door, now unleash Main Street
No Comments
Breitbart, Approved, National

Ortiz: Powell must act—BBB unlocked the door, now unleash Main Street

By Alfredo Ortiz | Commentary, Breitbart American small businesses scored a major victory with this month’s passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, which locked in lower taxes and restored key tax breaks. However, the nation’s job creators are still operating with one hand tied behind their backs due to the ongoing high-interest rate environment. The Federal Reserve is working at cross purposes with policymakers trying to unleash growth. At its July meeting next week, the Fed has the opportunity to change course and align monetary policy with fiscal policy to support small business dynamism. It should move swiftly to meaningfully cut interest rates and begin restoring affordable access to credit for America’s small business backbone. Rather than being data-dependent, Fed C...
Read More