Author: John Cooke
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POINT | Errant policies abet Colorado crime wave
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John Cooke Colorado is in the grip of two concurrent epidemics: COVID-19 – and crime. Both are taking their toll in terms of irrevocable financial loss and lives severely disrupted or even cut short, but only one – the crime epidemic – is largely self-inflicted. Also read: COUNTERPOINT | ‘Tough on crime’ isn’t smart on crime…
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‘Indeed, they are coming to take your guns’
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John Cooke It’s easy to forget just how quickly the rhetoric has shifted on the Second Amendment in just the last few years. For decades, we heard the same tired line from Democrats that “nobody is coming to take your guns.” Many – including myself – didn’t buy into the assertion at the time, and…
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THE PODIUM | Don’t expect Prop CC to make your commute any easier
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John Cooke “Misleading” is how the No on CC Coalition describes a new ad from the Yes on CC campaign, specifically taking issue with this line (among others), “It [Prop CC] helps fix unsafe bridges and helps repair roads in poor condition.” I’d use language a bit more colorful, but then this column wouldn’t be…
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THE PODIUM | Transparency absent in push for ‘zero-emission vehicle’ standards
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It’s been almost three months since Colorado’s governor signed an executive order directing state air quality regulators to begin the rulemaking process to adopt California’s “Low Emission Vehicle” (LEV) auto emissions standards. But surprise! The governor’s regulators at the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) are changing direction and instead moving to adopt the far more…
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There were many good reasons to reject ‘red flag’ legislation
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In the closing days of the 2018 session of the General Assembly, the so-called “red flag” bill was rushed through the state House of Representatives in only five days from introduction to passage. House Democrats and the progressive media were united and vocal in their support, but in the end, only two of 47 Republicans…
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THE PODIUM: Transportation fix hits partisan speed bump
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On the opening day of the current legislative session, Senate Republicans introduced a $3.5 billion state transportation plan. If approved by voters in November, Senate Bill 18-001 will take aim at the state’s $9 billion backlog in road and highway improvements – and do it without raising state taxes. Weeks later, Democrats have yet to…
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THE PODIUM: It’s time to make transportation a priority for our tax dollars
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In the 20-year period since 1997 spanning three governorships – those of Bill Owens, Bill Ritter and John Hickenlooper – one governor stands out as proposing starvation budgets for Colorado’s state highways and roadways. That governor is John Hickenlooper. We are talking about each governor’s priorities for spending taxpayer dollars through the General Fund budget,…
