Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: small business

Progressive tax proposal targets Colorado employers while 3.5% already pay most corporate taxes
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Progressive tax proposal targets Colorado employers while 3.5% already pay most corporate taxes

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project The progressive tax scheme and Colorado Business Your 2026 ballot may have a proposal on it to change Colorado’s current flat tax to graduated (aka progressive) income tax rate. That means when you earn more, you pay a higher percentage of tax.The actual ballot proposal is linked first below. I am not aware of it hitting the Secretary of State’s tracker page yet, but I know it’s on the legislature’s and that is what the link is for.This would, quoting the press release pushed by the groups supporting this measure (linked second below), “... lower taxes for 98 percent of Coloradans, while raising taxes on individuals and corporations making more than $500,000 a year.”At a later point, that same press release says the fol...
Colorado’s new law shields renters from fees, businesses say protections should be next
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado’s new law shields renters from fees, businesses say protections should be next

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun The Colorado legislature banned CAM fees — charges for common area maintenance — in residential leases starting Jan. 1. Without warning, Le’Toya Garland’s landlord tripled the common area maintenance fees she owed on her hip-hop dance studio in Aurora. In June 2024, the $300 to $500 a month she had paid throughout her lease jumped to $1,693. And while she managed to scrape together the funds to cover her new monthly tab — including the $2,900 she already owed in monthly rent — she couldn’t afford what came next: a $9,000 bill for back-charges she’d never been told she had to pay. “It just showed up in our account,” said Garland, who co-owns the School of Breaking. “It was the first time ever that we’ve gotten a bill like that, and it wa...
Beau Jo’s Pizza steps up to aid Evergreen High after shooting
Fox31, Approved, Local

Beau Jo’s Pizza steps up to aid Evergreen High after shooting

By: Nate Belt | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Days after a shooting rocked Evergreen High School, the community is coming together to rally around the victims and students at the school. Beau Jo’s is already a popular spot for pizza, but guests over the last few days have shown up for a good cause as well, raising money for Jeffco Public Schools. Victim injured in Evergreen High School shooting identified Beau Jo’s employee Nataly Gutierrez loves Evergreen. “It’s a small mountain community, we’re all in this together,” said Gutierrez. An Evergreen High School graduate, she was devastated to hear the news of the shooting this week. “I live down in Golden and I came up here for a safer community, and it’s really sad that had to happen up here,” said Gutierrez. Not everyone ...
Minimum wage hikes sound compassionate but close the door on opportunity
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...
Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission hearings show how small business voices are shut out
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission hearings show how small business voices are shut out

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project, Substack Government regulations differentially harm small businesses AND private businesses I wrote a newsletter (see the first link below if you want the context) a bit back about testifying in front of the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) about how unelected boards are not how our state should run. I did end up testifying* and I wanted to share the testimony of a gentleman who preceded me because what he said struck me as important. The gentleman's name is Jeff Kendall and he is the CEO of Bruin Waste, a private, family-run business on the Western Slope which picks up trash and operates some landfills. His testimony starts in the recording of the hearing (linked second below) at the 1:03:55 mark. I won't...
Colorado Officials Target Christian Bakery With Heavy-Handed Zoning Rules
Local, Approved, The Federalist

Colorado Officials Target Christian Bakery With Heavy-Handed Zoning Rules

By Helen Raleigh | The Federalist A cherished French bakery in Jefferson County, Colorado, is facing potential closure because of the county’s harsh enforcement of exclusionary zoning regulations. This situation underscores how overly restrictive regulations create unnecessary hurdles that stifle entrepreneurship, especially when the local economy is struggling. Lookout Mountain, Colorado, is celebrated for its breathtaking views, luxurious homes, and as the final resting place of Buffalo Bill. Just 12 miles from downtown Denver, it has become a must-visit destination for hikers, mountain bikers, and tourists from all over the globe. This charming mountain community has long grappled with one significant drawback: the lack of a quality café. For many years, residents and visitors ...
Now or Never: Colorado businesses punished for renting to conservatives
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Now or Never: Colorado businesses punished for renting to conservatives

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I was recently invited to speak at an event organized by a small grassroots Republican group in Jefferson County. The event, called Now or Never, brought together four speakers to talk about school safety, election integrity, and Colorado’s political future. Details are available at hdr.nucleuspages.com/events/now-or-never. The group rented space at a local brewery on a slow Tuesday night. They lined up a food truck and a musician. We are intentionally not naming the brewery. But once word spread that conservatives would be gathering, the brewery became the target of an online mob. A Reddit post titled “[Local Brewery] hosting a MAGA party” blew up with comments calling for boycotts: “Never going there again.”“Hit them with one...
Colorado’s path to ruin: How bad policy created crisis and dependency
Substack, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s path to ruin: How bad policy created crisis and dependency

By Christopher Richardson | Commentary, Substack Colorado stands at a crossroads. For too long, state policy has ignored the basic truths of economics and public safety, and we are now paying the price. The upcoming general session must be more than another exercise in partisan talking points—it must be an honest debate about how we got here, and how we can get back on track. The warning signs are everywhere. Overregulation and endless legal risks have driven businesses out of Colorado. Entrepreneurs hesitate to expand, while larger firms look to friendlier states. The result? Job growth has shifted almost entirely to government payrolls, leaving fewer private-sector opportunities and stagnant wages for working families. At the same time, rising crime has made Colorado less at...
Gingrich: Democrats abandon centrism for big government socialism
Gingrich360.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Gingrich: Democrats abandon centrism for big government socialism

By Newt Gingrich | Commentary, Substack The big government socialist wing has become the dominant force in what used to be a much more centrist Democratic Party. This week Sen. Elizabeth Warren aggressively endorsed Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York and attacked former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Eric Adams. It’s clear where the energy and drive in the Democratic Party is. Of course, Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral Democratic primary was heralded by an astounding number of Democrats comfortable voting for explicit socialist Senator Bernie Sanders in his 2016 presidential campaign. Running against establishment favorite Hillary Clinton, the Vermont socialist received 43 percent of the vote. When 12 million Americans were willing to turn the White House over to an avow...
Denver Is Losing Everything That Gave It Character
Westword, Approved, Commentary, Local

Denver Is Losing Everything That Gave It Character

By Westwood Readers | Commentary, Westword After almost thirty years, the Hornet has taken off from the corner of First and Broadway. For decades, the Hornet has amused patrons and passersby alike with the messages on the sign outside the restaurant at 76 Broadway. But the sign that went up last week was not so amusing: "Thanks Denver! Come & Say Bye." The Hornet flew off after last call on August 9; the building it had called home for almost thirty years was sold this spring, and the restaurant itself had been put up for sale. But instead, the owners opted to close, putting this message on social media: "While many things have changed and become more complicated over the years at 1st & Broadway, we would prefer to celebrate all of the amazing times that you shared wi...

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