Let’s face it, it is a grouchy time of year. We are, thankfully, almost done with February, the dark and cold month we must endure before seeing the first few fleeting glimpses of Spring. And with a presidential campaign in full swing, a dysfunctional Congress in Washington, and stocks cratering due to Coronavirus fears, it’s easy to be feeling down and out. Heck, a recent column of mine made one Bernie supporter so angry he called me a “fascist accommodationist,” whatever that is. I blame February.

Next Tuesday (in March!), Colorado will be part of the phenomenon known as “Super Tuesday,” which may go a long way toward deciding whom the Democratic Party will nominate to take on President Trump this November. Will Sen. Bernie Sanders open a lead that cannot be overcome? Or will Colorado and the other Super Tuesday states put a brake on the rush to nominate the gentleman from Vermont? Or put another way, will the Democratic Party repeat the mistakes of 1972 or will they not (there, that should get a few Bernie Bros mad enough to call me some other names)?

But I’m guessing that you likely have had quite enough arguing about the Democratic primary at this point and are ready to move on. Me too, though I won’t be surprised if a Bloomberg pop-up ad appears on your screen before I finish this sentence.

Happily, two recent stories on the Colorado Politics page can help us see that here in Colorado, our politics seems to run far more smoothly than in D.C., and we should revel in that. First the bad part: the United States Senate, under the tight control of the Republicans and Mitch McConnell, has become nothing more than a roadblock for, well, everything except far-right judicial nominations. Recently 70 former U.S. senators, from both parties, signed a letter decrying the current state of senatorial affairs, arguing that the current Senate has abdicated its legislative and oversight responsibilities, amid other shortcomings. Six former Colorado senators were among those who signed, including both Dems and GOPers. McConnell, you will recall from earlier essays, is currently sitting on over 300 bipartisan bills passed by the House. You’ve heard the old joke, Republicans run for office on the assertion that the government doesn’t work, and once elected, go about proving that to be true.

Which makes the contrast to how we do things in Colorado even more dramatic and impressive. Recently, at a reception hosted by Colorado Politics, I heard Colorado House Speaker K.C. Becker note that over 95% of the bills passed in that body had bipartisan support. Many of the bills were relatively small and dealt with technical changes, but that proves the point even more that here in Colorado, where our politics can be as energetic as anywhere, when it comes to doing the people’s business, cooperation is the norm, rather than the exception.

Which brings me to another Colorado Politics story that demonstrates cooperation among legislators, even those in the oft-hyper-partisan Colorado Springs area. It seems quite a few folks from both sides of the aisle got together to take care of some important issues that, frankly, don’t impact too many people. And it is in these smaller and more specialized areas of legislation that, happily, we see a great deal of cooperation. This type of work won’t generate too many headlines around the state, but it is the core of what responsible legislators should be doing.

In this case, a bipartisan group got together to right some wrongs. First up was the daily pay for Colorado National Guard members. These folks, who are true citizen-soldiers, show up at our disasters and often deploy to far off lands, and they make $20 per day. Do the math on a typical duty day, and they are making less than $2 per hour. Senate Bill 91 will boost that to $88 per day, which is far more fair and reasonable, and is sponsored by a Dem and a Republican, working together.

Another bipartisan bill will look at ways to improve the five community living centers for vets in Colorado, and I admit my own self-interest in supporting this effort, as I might end up living in one of these facilities someday.

So, what’s the point of all this? I’ve oft climbed atop my rickety soapbox of idealism in past columns and have decried what is happening nationally. And I will do so again, likely very soon. That said, I am a life-long believer that governance, at all levels, is generally a force for good, run by good people. One need look no further than Colorado to see the truth of that assertion. So, as we roll our collective eyes at the shenanigans in D.C., let us also be proud of our state legislature. We won’t always agree, but about 95% of the time, they do work across the aisle.

Hal Bidlack is a retired professor of political science and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who taught more than 17 years at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.