It is easy to take electricity and natural gas, and the vastly complex systems responsible for their generation, transmission and distribution, for granted — until the power and/or gas are out. The recent letter from Gov. Jared Polis to the Public Utilities Commission, emphasizing the import… Continue Reading
David Clement: "It’s not the time first that the General Assembly has tried to pass a plastic bag ban as similar efforts have failed in the past." Continue Reading
Simon Lomax: "To be sure: We need specialists in politics and public policy. But when the champions of a single issue pursue their own interests to the exclusion of everything else, specialization becomes the enemy of good public policy. What seems like a solution to one problem actually makes another problem or set of problems much, much worse." Continue Reading
Bree Maestas: "My dad opened our current store in 1970, and my husband and I had hoped to pass it along to our daughters. A bill currently working its way through the General Assembly, House Bill 1102, would keep us from doing that, and effectively kill our multi-generational business." Continue Reading
Sick people are already going through a lot. Colorado’s health care system is forcing us into impossible choices. What happens when your health system refuses to contract with any insurance providers on the market, and you lose access to your doctors in the middle of a pandemic? Continue Reading
Rob Moulton: "Frequent changes at both the state and local levels increase the difficulty of understanding pandemic-related requirements from week to week, much less implementing them with the kind of fidelity mandated by the issuing entities." Continue Reading
For the past three years, Feb. 19 has been a day of sad remembrance for the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON). On Feb. 19, 2018, 110 schoolgirls were kidnapped by Nigeria’s deadliest terrorist group, Boko Haram, from their school in Yobe State, Northeastern Nigeria. In March 2018, al… Continue Reading
Katharine Knarreborg: "Good Business Colorado members believe business success cannot be measured by bottom-line profit alone. True success means our planet, communities, and bottom lines are all thriving. These values inspire our following recommendations." Continue Reading
Dan Sanders: "Biofuels are scarcely mentioned as a solution in the [Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap], which begs the question: Why not? The lack of attention given to ethanol as a solution to achieving net-zero emissions is disappointing. We can and should do better." Continue Reading
Truly transformational changes in education are rare. As a sector, we often move slowly, methodically, and incrementally. But every so often, those willing and prepared to blaze new trails get lucky. In these unusual and too often fleeting instances, dreams can become reality — especially wh… Continue Reading
Recently, Michael Van Norstrand, president of the Independent Bankers of Colorado (IBC), wrote an op-ed for Colorado Politics: “'Public banks' would pose risks, play politics.” The commentary made numerous incorrect assumptions and assertions. Continue Reading
We’ve been through a lot over the past year: a pandemic, a recession, racial violence, political uncertainty, and wildfires, drought, and disease made worse by climate change. The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over, but the end is in sight. It’s time for us to think about what the future holds. Continue Reading
Dusti Gurule and Tamara Boynton: "The fact is, people across religious traditions and beliefs seek abortion and provide abortion care. It is a matter of free will to determine one’s own path and divine right to honor your own conscience." Continue Reading
Alan Gottlieb: "Whether to conduct state testing in Colorado this spring has become the latest issue over which two polarized sides are preparing to engage in pitched battle." Continue Reading
I had the opportunity to partake in one of my favorite hometown activities this week: supporting local high school student athletes. Well, sort of. The few parents who were selected to actually attend the event thoughtfully videoed the events live for the rest of us to watch — thank you, parents. Continue Reading
Should every voice matter in public education? No, according to the liberal school boards in 37 of Colorado's larger public school districts. Continue Reading
Michael Van Norstrand: "Simply stated, state-owned banks would operate in direct competition with thousands of private, for-profit, taxpaying banks that already serve our communities." Continue Reading
Dan Haley: "In many cases there is no realistic transition away from oil and natural gas because there is no replacement product. If we obstruct local production, it means importing oil and natural gas from countries with poor labor and environmental standards, punting our environmental impacts to far corners of the planet and jeopardizing our global climate goals." Continue Reading
I like to grow things. I want to try a variety of things as time goes by, but right now I split my time fairly evenly between growing food and xeric plants that attract pollinators and birds. I like to think of myself as pretty experienced with plants. I have grown garlic for years but on… Continue Reading
Eric Washburn: "What Gov. Polis understood is that finalizing the wolf restoration plan in December of 2023 would mean restoring wolves to Colorado in 2024 at the earliest, a clear violation of the letter and spirit of the ballot measure." Continue Reading
Pius Kamau: "We may forget our past, but it keeps revisiting our present." Continue Reading
Tony Milo: "Despite the challenges and upheaval of the last 10 months, there is good news on the horizon and I remain hopeful for a strong economic recovery and positive movement on some of the most pressing issues facing our state." Continue Reading
Coloradans are acutely more aware of the widening economic disparities in the wake of COVID-19, as lines grow in food pantries and more people flee to homeless shelters for refuge. Indeed, a recent survey showed that up to 29 percent of Coloradans faced food insecurity during the fall of 202… Continue Reading
Gary Skiba: "Bonnie Petersen’s Jan. 4 op-ed ("Wolf initiative will come back to bite us") is filled with the same tired innuendo and misinformation that characterized the opposition to Initiative 114 during the recent election." Continue Reading
Bonnie Petersen: "Proposition 114, requiring the reintroduction of gray wolves on designated lands in Colorado WEST of the continental divide, passed by a narrow 2% margin in November. It is not hard for urban voters to support such a measure when it doesn’t impact them." Continue Reading
Thomas Davidson: "I have been a member of the Summit County Early Childhood Council — Early Childhood Options — since 2000. Working in broad partnership with county and town governments, the school district, ski resorts, local businesses, and families, Early Childhood Options has served as the lynchpin for community wide engagement that has resulted in significantly increased public investment in early childhood programs." Continue Reading
Dan Schaller: "We have a wide variety of students in Colorado who are motivated and engaged by different types of experiences and who learn in very different ways. To expect that a single form of education instruction could satisfy the needs of all of our children is devastatingly wrong." Continue Reading
During a Special Legislative Session convened by Gov. Polis, Colorado legislators approved Senate Bill 20B-002. The bill signed by the governor on Dec. 7 transfers $54 million to the Housing Development Grant Fund to provide rental assistance and residential mortgage assistance to those that… Continue Reading
Paula Noonan, a consistent anti-school choice/anti-charter voice in Colorado, weighed in with several interesting statements in a recent column ("NOONAN | Charter schools, ed reform overrated," Dec. 10). First, she said that charter school advocates have created a “versus” mentality when it … Continue Reading
Corey Edwards: "We’re living through a deeply disruptive time in which the way we take classes, search for a job, carry out that job, and advance in a professional career seem to change by the day, sometimes by the hour." Continue Reading
Hannah Hopkins: "Immediate action is needed not only to save jobs, lives, and livelihoods in our community but also to maintain economic opportunity for women in the workforce." Continue Reading
Fabio Cordeiro: "As a driver for both Uber and Postmates, I’m one of the over 50 million Americans who chose the freedom of independent work over the constraints of a cubicle. As that number continues to grow, our antiquated laws need to adapt to the new, modern workforce by providing us the benefits and protections we need while allowing us to keep the flexibility and independence we want." Continue Reading
Ray Beck and Jarrod Ogden: "A recent preliminary decision by Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) to arbitrarily accelerate retirement dates for power plants across the state potentially is a serious blow to our community." Continue Reading
This week, Colorado lawmakers returned to Denver for a special session aimed at deciding how to address the damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic in a tumultuous year. One topic of debate is K-12 education, which has been shaken to its core by both the virus itself and by the harsh restric… Continue Reading
Nearly all Americans have concerns with America’s current forms of voting. For decades, liberals have claimed that voters are disenfranchised. The ACLU has a website dedicated to voting problems in the 2020 election. The ACLU claims politicians are trying “to manipulate political outcomes.” Sounds like conservatives concerned with the presidential election. I’m not sure, however, Twitter is putting disclaimers on ACLU’s content. Continue Reading
Colorado voters have just successfully voted by mail in greater numbers than ever. More than 3 million Coloradans cast their ballots from the comfort and convenience of their homes, and by using a secure dropbox or by dropping their ballot in the mail; voters were also able to cast their ballots in person at Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs). Everything went smoothly, and the county clerks and the secretary of state are to be commended for a seamless election. Continue Reading
We live in a truly strange and unsettling time in America. Never before have I seen ordinary, hard-working Americans so on edge, so angry, so spoiling for a fight — about anything or with anyone, even people they recently considered personal friends. Continue Reading
Denver is now the only major American city to have AAA bond ratings with all three rating agencies. In 2019, when Moody’s assigned its AAA rating to the City and County of Denver’s General Obligation bonds, it cited Denver’s strong credit characteristics, including its vibrant economy and la… Continue Reading
Patrick Neville: "Voting 'yes' on Amendment B will stop homeowners getting the tax cut they’re already scheduled to receive under Gallagher; that’s why I’m urging you to vote 'no.'" Continue Reading
Love and Compassion. That is what motivated the supporters of Proposition 115 to bring the late-term abortion issue to the people of Colorado. We want to protect women and save babies. The reality is that most women pursue abortion because of relationship problems and financial or career … Continue Reading
Those of us who have been around awhile know that state Rep. Barbara McLachlan of Durango has long been a champion for education. I’ve been a tremendous fan for many years, dating back to when she was one of the best and most beloved teachers in our local school system. Continue Reading
In a time of increased partisanship and highly competitive elections, Colorado is illustrating its dedication to achieve bipartisan results for children. Business leaders and politicians from both sides of the aisle agree that Proposition EE will help with the state’s economic recovery and c… Continue Reading
Troy Hill: "Progressive climate change battle plan: First was oil drilling, second was power generation and coal, and now they are targeting trucking." Continue Reading
Ken Summers: "A campaign pledge by Joe Biden to ban new oil and gas development on federal lands and a Department of Interior plan to grant leasing opportunities in Alaska’s wildlife refuge have reignited the debate about the role of energy development on public lands." Continue Reading
Bruce Brown: "Cripple Creek, Central City and Black Hawk are the only three towns in Colorado where the economy relies on gaming and the tourism it brings." Continue Reading
Hugh McKean: "Effective cost-benefit analysis helps both the environment and the economy." Continue Reading
As the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett gets underway, Colorado’s U.S. senators are at odds over the process. But they should not let political differences obscure this fact: Judge Barrett is eminently qualified. Continue Reading
These days there is no shortage of political spin, campaign rhetoric and breaking news. In fact, the election season combined with the pandemic and economic chaos has transformed 2020 into an unprecedented year of turmoil and challenge. This is especially true for small businesses. Continue Reading
Mara Sheldon: "After more than two decades on and off the campaign trail, there are many lessons I learned along the way about voter behavior and what matters most while campaigning and running for office." Continue Reading
There are very few times in recent memory when Democrats and Republicans have come together on an important issue. It is even rarer for many pro-life and many pro-choice voters to agree on anything at all. Continue Reading
