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It’s YOUR Money – Not The Government’s
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

It’s YOUR Money – Not The Government’s

By Russ Minary | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice "Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other." – Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan was a Democrat with conservative values, unlike many in his party. So he switched parties and became a Republican, serving two terms as California governor (1967–1975). He went on to national office, serving two terms as president (1981–1989). Reagan is often credited with our nation’s swing toward conservatism and is generally remembered favorably. He had a great sense of humor, which he used to move his agenda forward with Democrats, Republicans, and most Americans. During the Reagan administration, however, our national debt grew threefold—from $971 billion to $2.97 tril...
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Denver’s Cost of Comfort: $130k Needed Just to Get By
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Denver’s Cost of Comfort: $130k Needed Just to Get By

By Brooke Williams | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Two Colorado cities are among the most expensive big cities in the U.S. to live comfortably in, a recent study found. Finance website GOBankingRates analyzed the country’s 50 largest cities to determine how much it would cost to live in each comfortably based on data points like home values, incomes and cost of living.4 Colorado towns listed among best small cities in US: Report The study calculated the income for necessities and applied the 50/30/20 budget rule, doubling the cost of necessities for a lifestyle that can include saving and discretionary spending. The Mile High City ranked as the No. 12 most expensive large city to live comfortably in. Meanwhile down south, Colorado Springs ranked at No. 20 12. Denver To...
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State budget director warns Colorado could face 50–50 chance of recession in 2026
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

State budget director warns Colorado could face 50–50 chance of recession in 2026

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Mark Ferrandino, the executive director of the Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting, says the state has a 50-50 chance of going into a recession in 2026. Ferrandino says changes in tariffs, immigration policy and federal spending have created uncertainty for businesses and consumers. Colorado's effective tariff rate, he says, has increased from 3% in 2024 to 21%. Greg Sobetski, Colorado's chief economist, told lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) the full impact of higher tariffs has yet to hit.  "A lot of these impacts are being born at this point by firms because they can't pass that kind of price shock onto consumers," Sobetski said during the JBC meeting.  Sobetski says the state's economy is growing, but there are ...
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Has AI Begun Transforming Employment in the Colorado Legal Services Industry?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Has AI Begun Transforming Employment in the Colorado Legal Services Industry?

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The two biggest ongoing threats to democracy in Colorado are the less-than-competent Secretary of State, Jena Griswold, and Colorado’s Supreme Court. You will recall that last year both blocked the inclusion of Donald Trump’s name on the November 2024 presidential ballot in Colorado only to have the nation’s Supreme Court definitively overrule both. I didn’t notice anyone getting into trouble or apologizing for those blatant attacks on democracy but it managed to get me thinking (no mean feat) about the legal profession in general and whether it was changing in Colorado in the face of artificial intelligence (AI). Admittedly, I’m personally not a big fan of AI because, just like history, it is crafted by the victors / the ...
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Minimum wage hikes sound compassionate but close the door on opportunity
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Rasmussen Reports, Approved, Commentary, National

Minimum wage hikes sound compassionate but close the door on opportunity

By Brian Joondeph | Commentary, Rasmussen Reports A new Rasmussen Reports survey reveals that 40% of Americans now believe the minimum wage should be at least $15 an hour, up from 36% a year ago. That’s a strong sentiment. After all, who doesn’t want working Americans to earn more? But compassion and sound economics are two very different things. In fact, the optimal minimum wage from an economic perspective is zero. This isn't an insult to workers but a recognition that government cannot create prosperity by decree, despite campaign promises. When wages are set by law instead of supply and demand, the first casualties are often those who need an entry point, such as teenagers, part-time workers, and adults looking for a second job to supplement their income. Contrary to...
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Rising car costs take toll on Colorado families
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Rising car costs take toll on Colorado families

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — For many, the monthly car bill is a fact of life, but for one Denver metro city, it’s a bit more of a financial weight than it is in most. Wallethub took a look at the median auto-loan balance of over 2,500 U.S. cities, noting that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s latest report on household indebtedness showed auto-loan balances increased by $13 billion in the second quarter of 2025. The organization used TransUnion data as of March 2025 to divide the median car-loan debt by residents’ income in each of the cities. The median income in each city was based on 2023 earnings of individuals over 15 years old who worked full-time, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The top cities where resident...
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Colorado Residents Say Government is Dysfunctional and Cost of Living is Crushing
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Colorado Residents Say Government is Dysfunctional and Cost of Living is Crushing

By Libby Smith | CBS Colorado Colorado Health Foundation launched the Pulse Poll in 2020 as a way to hear from adults all across Colorado on the issues that are impacting them the most. The latest poll was taken between April 19 and May 18, 2025. A bipartisan team of researchers talked with 2,333 Coloradans from across the entire state. One of the key findings in this year's poll is that concern over government jumped to the top of the list. Respondents feel like government is not going to address or ease their other problems. which includes rising prices. "This year cost definitely dominates the conversation. The top four issues that Coloradans identified as most serious are all related to cost. 90-percent nearly of Coloradans said that the cost of living is an extremely serious ...
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Inflation relief hands Trump a talking point on tariffs and the economy
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The Western Journal, Approved, National

Inflation relief hands Trump a talking point on tariffs and the economy

By Randy DeSoto | The Western Journal President Donald Trump took a shot at Goldman Sachs’ CEO and its economists Tuesday while touting July’s inflation number, which came in cooler than expected. Goldman Sachs was among the many investment firms that predicted in April that Trump’s tariff policy would be inflationary, tank the stock market, and likely cause a recession. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the consumer price index rose 2.7 percent in July compared to the same month last year and rose 0.2 percent from June. That compares to a 2.8 percent increase predicted by Wall Street, according to CNBC. Trump responded to the report, posting on Truth Social, “Trillions of Dollars are being taken in on Tariffs, which has been incredib...
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Interest rates stay put: President Trump says Powell is costing the country trillions
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THE HILL, Approved, National

Interest rates stay put: President Trump says Powell is costing the country trillions

By Alex Gangitano | The Hill President Trump on Thursday blasted Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, lodging insults at the head of the central bank for opting again to not lower interest rates. “Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell has done it again!!! He is TOO LATE, and actually, TOO ANGRY, TOO STUPID, & TOO POLITICAL, to have the job of Fed Chair,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “He is costing our Country TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS, in addition to one of the most incompetent, or corrupt, renovations of a building(s) in the history of construction! Put another way, ‘Too Late’ is a TOTAL LOSER, and our Country is paying the price!” the president added. The nation’s central bank on Wednesday kept short-term interest rates at a level of 4.25 p...
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Post editorial board: Trump’s tariffs are doing what critics said they couldn’t
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New York Post, Approved, National

Post editorial board: Trump’s tariffs are doing what critics said they couldn’t

By Post Editorial Board | New York Post For all the “sky-is-falling” cries over President Donald Trump’s tariffs, it looks like his strategy may be working — just as his Aug. 1 deadline nears. In the past week, the Trump folks struck deals with Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines — and may be on the verge of a deal with Europe: On Friday, the prez cited a 50-50 chance of reaching an agreement with the European Union. These developments — on top of previous deals with Vietnam, the United Kingdom and a framework on rare-earth exports and tech restrictions with China — go a long way toward standing up Trump’s vision for the international economy, with better terms for America. And at least so far, no catastrophic fallout. Heck, the nation looks poised to benefit enormously on sev...
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