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Retired FBI execs to Congress: Invasion at border ‘perilous’ for America
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Approved, denvergazette.com, National

Retired FBI execs to Congress: Invasion at border ‘perilous’ for America

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor, Washington Examiner Ten retired FBI directors and experts in counter intelligence sent a letter to congressional leaders warning that President Joe Biden’s border policies have facilitated a “soft invasion” into the U.S. of military-age men coming from terror-linked regions, China and Russia. They argue a terrorist attack is likely imminent but preventable. “The threat we call out today is new and unfamiliar. In its modern history the U.S. has never suffered an invasion of the homeland, and, yet, one is unfolding now. Military age men from across the globe, many from countries or regions not friendly to the United States, are landing in waves on our soil by the thousands – not by splashing ashore from a ship or parachuting from ...
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EDITORIAL: Gov. Polis should stop ‘DEI’
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

EDITORIAL: Gov. Polis should stop ‘DEI’

By GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD The May 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, now in prison, had a wide-ranging impact on society. It rekindled a needed national conversation on racial justice — Floyd was Black; his killer, White — but also was exploited by opportunists who hijacked peaceful rallies and turned them into violent riots. Colorado experienced its share of both. Among other repercussions was a complete misfire that had nothing to do with honoring Floyd’s memory or learning from his tragic death. It was the sudden rise of a new dogma summed up in the catchphrase, “diversity, equity and inclusion.” Also known by its acronym, “DEI,” the verbiage has caught on so quickly across our state and the rest of the country that just about everyone has heard of it...
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Natelson: Myth busting distinctions between ‘democracy’ and ‘republic’
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Approved, completecolorado.com

Natelson: Myth busting distinctions between ‘democracy’ and ‘republic’

By Rob Natelson | SOURCE: COMPLETE COLORADO PAGE TWO In 2011, a group of politicians and special interests sued in federal court to void Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). The case was Kerr v. Hickenlooper. The plaintiffs’ primary argument was that TABOR violated the U.S. Constitution’s Guarantee Clause (Article IV, Section 4), which says in part, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” The plaintiffs contended that to be a “republic,” a state must make taxing and spending decisions through elected representatives only. They based this on a misreading of James Madison’s Federalist No. 10 essay—while ignoring everything else Madison and other Founders said about republican and democratic governance. The plainti...
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Polis Promise made; promise denied. Property taxes to spike 25%
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Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, State

Polis Promise made; promise denied. Property taxes to spike 25%

SOURCE: COLORADO PEAK POLITICS The bill is coming due for living in a state controlled by a tax-and-spend political party and homeowners will be paying the brunt of it this year when property taxes are projected to spike an average of 25%. PeakNation™ will recall Gov. Polis and his Democrat buddies in the state legislature promised us property tax relief last year, but instead gave us a tax hike ballot measure that failed miserably. Because it was a tax hike, not a tax break. Then Polis called a special session of his cronies to hold a special session and he promised to seriously cut property taxes that time, but it was just a drop in the bucket. Again his word meant nothing. Promises made, promises denied. You know the old saying, fool us once, shame on you, fool us...
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New GOP leader Pugliese says the fight is on to make Colo safer and more affordable
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Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, State

New GOP leader Pugliese says the fight is on to make Colo safer and more affordable

SOURCE: Colorado Peak Politics State Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs was elected Thursday by State House Republicans to lead their caucus and serve as minority leader. Her top task — growing the caucus and bring some balance to the policies passed by controlling Democrats who keep trying to tilt this state to the bizarre far left. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0I...
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Move to Classify Colorado Nuclear as ‘Clean Energy’ Killed
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Approved, i2i.org, State

Move to Classify Colorado Nuclear as ‘Clean Energy’ Killed

SOURCE: INDEPENDENCE INSTITUTE On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, Independence Institute’s Energy and Environmental Policy Analyst Jake Fogleman testified on SB24-039 in the Colorado Senate Transportation & Energy Committee. The bill would have amended the state’s statutory definitions of “clean energy” and “clean energy resources” to include nuclear energy. The committee ultimately voted not to pass the bill at the end of the hearing. Senators Faith Winter (D.), Kevin Priola (D.), Lisa Cutter (D.), and Tony Exum (D.) voted against the bill, while Senators Nick Hinrichsen (D.), Byron Pelton (R.), and Cleave Simpson (R.) voted in favor of it. READ FULL TESTIMONY ON I2I.ORG
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GUEST COLUMN: We don’t need more government control of business
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Approved, gazette.com, State

GUEST COLUMN: We don’t need more government control of business

By Paul Prentice | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE In a misguided effort to protect consumers, the Biden administration has embarked on a well-intentioned but ill-advised crusade against what it deems to be “hidden” and “junk” fees. This initiative, while ostensibly aimed at promoting transparency and fairness, overlooks the nuanced economic landscape in which small and medium-sized businesses operate, particularly in states like Colorado. President Joe Biden kicked off this campaign during his 2023 State of the Union address, where he called out industries for allegedly deceiving consumers. Touting his desire to crack down on “junk fees,” he attacked airlines, hotels, cable companies, and concert venues for billing consumers extraneous back-end costs, employing the catchy tagline that airlines ...
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How Colorado became the focal point of 14th Amendment efforts to disqualify Trump from the ballot
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, National, State

How Colorado became the focal point of 14th Amendment efforts to disqualify Trump from the ballot

By Jenny Deam | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS The extraordinary Colorado election case now headed for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide if former President Donald Trump is disqualified from the ballot had its humble beginnings three years ago in the Maryland basement office of a self-proclaimed legal nerd. It was around New Year’s Day 2021. Constitutional scholar and University of Maryland law school professor Mark Graber was putting the finishing touches on a chapter delving into the then mostly forgotten Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Just the kind of thing Graber, a historian at heart, loved. The rarely used section had been crafted more than 150 years ago to disqualify former Confederate leaders from holding office because they had engaged in an insurrection. It read...
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A bill to designate nuclear energy as clean energy dies in committee
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

A bill to designate nuclear energy as clean energy dies in committee

By Marissa Ventrelli  | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS A Senate bill that would have defined nuclear energy as clean energy died along party lines in committee Thursday. Introduced by Sen. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, SB24-039 would have included nuclear energy in the statutory definition of clean energy sources, thus rendering it eligible for clean energy project funding. During discussion, opponents said such a designation would have a negative impact on the environment, while proponents listed the benefits of using nuclear energy. After length discussion, the Senate Committee of Transportation and Energy voted 4-3 to kill the measure. “It is our responsibility to lay the groundwork for the development of reliable and renewable energy for future generations to ...
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Democracies, Republics, and TABOR
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Approved, i2i.org, State

Democracies, Republics, and TABOR

By Rob Natelson, Independence Institute In 2011, a group of politicians and special interests sued in federal court to void Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). The case was Kerr v. Hickenlooper. The plaintiffs’ primary argument was that TABOR violated the U.S. Constitution’s Guarantee Clause (Article IV, Section 4), which says in part, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” The plaintiffs contended that to be a “republic,” a state must make taxing and spending decisions through elected representatives only. They based this on a misreading of James Madison’s Federalist No. 10 essay—while ignoring everything else Madison and other Founders said about republican and democratic governance. The plaintiffs pointed o...
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