Author: Mark Hillman

Mark Hillman Like a demolition team swinging a sledgehammer, legislators intent on purging Native American mascots from Colorado schools smashed their opposition with little consideration of the wreckage they were creating. So certain of the righteousness of their cause, they denied even mere consideration to the communities upon which they imposed their will. Two of…

Mark Hillman Republicans must confront the “elephant in the room” – former President Trump’s persistent claims that the 2020 election was stolen.  Many Republicans believe him.  Most Americans do not. Trump recently said Republicans “will not be voting in ’22 or ’24” unless the “Election Fraud of 2020” is “solved.”  Democrats laughed and cheered!  They…

Mark Hillman Elections are about addition. In Colorado, neither Republicans nor Democrats can win an election purely by turning out their own base. To win, each party must add to its own turnout by persuading voters who are unaffiliated, members of “minor” parties or disaffected members of the rival major party. Consider the share of…

Mark Hillman Horses on our farm didn’t get the memo about COVID-19, so in the past year we’ve traveled with them through blue and red states where an inescapable pattern distinguishes rural communities from suburban or urban ones. Near large cities, people reacted to the pandemic with purposeful social distancing and meticulous wearing of masks.…

Mark Hillman Sticks in the mud.  Overly cautious.  Obstacles to progress. That’s how I’ve tended to view political moderates – especially those in my own party.  As a 30-something state legislator (1999-2005) deeply committed to individual liberty, limited government and personal responsibility, I often grew frustrated with moderate Republicans who always seemed to move too…

Mark Hillman Even politicians with the largest social media following don’t run campaign ads touting their tweets and posts as a qualification for holding office. And for good reason. Last July, Pew Research found that 55% of all social media users were “worn out” by political posts and discussions. These numbers grew markedly worse over…

Mark Hillman Once known as The Queen City of the Plains or the Gateway to the Rockies, Denver is rapidly descending into a cesspool of violence and filth. Fifteen years ago, if I met a friend for dinner in LoDo or went to a game at Pepsi Center, I would walk back along the 16th…

Mark Hillman Tailgating on the highway presents an obvious danger: drivers in a reckless hurry, traveling too fast, following the car ahead too closely. When someone taps the brakes, a chain reaction ensues, and the resulting collision is far worse than if everyone had been driving cautiously and responsibly. Also read: COUNTERPOINT | TABOR is what…

Mark Hillman Our government officials have confronted many difficult choices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with an initial prediction of 33,000 Colorado deaths if no preventive measures were taken, they responded with restrictions that few could have imagined as recently as Super Bowl Sunday. Whether those decisions were right or wrong, the reasons…

Mark Hillman Other than war, nothing better illustrates the unique responsibility weighing upon our president or governor than does the current health emergency. Senators and representatives can always point fingers at someone else, but the buck stops with the leader of the executive branch in times of crisis. Rightly concerned that the Wuhan coronavirus could…