Are there any islands of civility in Colorado’s boiling, rancorous political sea?

It’s been a bad year to find the good.  

The case of Rep. Ruby Dickson from Denver’s southern suburbs is instructive.  It was tempting for cynics, me included, to chortle at the young lawmaker who sprinted to the Capitol exits after less than a year in office.  

Was this a liberal snowflake who melted in the heat of the rough-and-tumble life of a 21st century politician? Did she think she was signing up for a book club?

Shelve the snide. 

Ruby Dickson happens to be Jewish. 

And the acid rain that fell on the Capitol from menacing anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas protests – including in the House chamber – was unnerving for many lawmakers in both parties. And will continue to be when the next session convenes. 

The poster child for this of course is Rep. Elizabeth Epps (D-Hamas) who heckled her own colleagues from the House gallery during last month’s special session, choosing solidarity with anti-Israel protestors. But Epps has no monopoly in shooting poisoned-tipped rhetoric at those who do not share her exotic political views. 

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At a recent policy breakfast sponsored by Colorado Politics, leaders from both parties pointed to a legislative process increasingly marinated in social media, with members seeking “clicks” rather than substance. The more sensational, vitriolic post the better. 

But the problems are deeper than social media performance art. 

The real challenge isn’t clamoring for clicks. It’s corrosive contempt.   

Too many view legislating as a blood sport, a fight of all against all, with those on the other side (even in one’s own political party) labeled not wrong but evil. This is, at its core, an immaturity and insecurity more at home in a prison yard than inside state capitols. 

The question now will be what legislators do about this environment. A good start might be to look at the mess Colorado sits in and consider the substance of some reform ideas, rather than sneer at the source of the proposals.

That was the message that emerged from the annual Common Sense Institute luncheon held this week at Empower Field. 

The group, one of the fastest growing think tanks in America, published its Free Enterprise Report that clocks in at more than 100 pages. It’s a policy geek’s dream, and it’s a rigorous, in-depth checkup for Colorado. 

Like any good checkup, CSI’s report shows concerning warning signs, but it also offers a pile of policy prescriptions to get the patient back on the path to good health. 

CSI accurately, and in deep detail, shows how Colorado stands at a policy crossroads, as it competes with other states for economic growth and job gains.  

“Colorado’s cost of business and cost of living have become increasingly expensive, communities face serious quality of life issues, K-12 student outcomes remain disappointing despite improved funding…,” the report summarizes.

Deck the Halls with boughs of problems.

But this isn’t another social media pie fight. It points to a better way to turn Colorado around “if leaders embrace a legislative process that includes rigorous cost-benefit analysis.”

That means the liberal effort to stick it to job-creators, and manufacturers – who provide family-sustaining jobs to working families struggling to pay their bills, and their taxes, may have layers of negative consequences that outstrip your talking points.   

CSI wisely recognized individuals choosing a more substantive path, including Democratic Sen. Rachel Zenzinger who has developed a reputation for sometimes embracing pro-jobs solutions and reaching across the acid river that separates the two parties.

Secondly, the suggested solutions are practical, not unachievable aspirations. 

Help small business create jobs and stop layering on costs that kill jobs. Get serious about reducing crime, homelessness and substance abuse. Look to substantive solutions to improve education, particularly in urban settings, and move beyond the simplistic belief that a flood of cash will put out the fires of mediocrity burning in school districts across the state. 

The CSI report shows that facts matter, and it offers realistic, common-sense ideas that can speak to open-minded Democrats – without watering down free-market principles. 

To borrow from a speech by former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson, those who travel the road of serious, substantive legislating are not bothered by heavy traffic. 

Putting down the javelins and doing the hard work to find answers for Colorado’s many problems isn’t a sin. It could be Colorado’s salvation. 

Sean Duffy, a former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Bill Owens, is a communications and media relations strategist and ghostwriter based in the Denver area.