Views

Did you know that since 2019, Colorado's General Assembly has passed over $2.1 billion in new taxes and fees? And if you're wondering how the General Assembly bypassed Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) to increase taxes without Coloradoans approving the increase, the answer is lawmakers labeled the increases as "fees" instead of "taxes."

I recently became aware of an article published April 11th, 2022 in The Maverick Observer, in which Woodland Park school board president, David Rusterholtz was quoted in regard to multiple topics.

If you've ever looked at Colorado's school finance formula, you probably came away with a headache.

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted our lives, and for numerous people it has also affected their careers. Work life changed dramatically for many in the spring of 2020, whether it was adjusting to working remotely, losing their jobs, choosing to retire early or finally getting a chance to start a business.

In 2021, Colorado lawmakers passed several laws that made it harder for law-abiding citizens to own or carry a gun. For example, last June, lawmakers successfully passed Senate Bill 21-256, allowing local governments to enact any gun law or regulation it wants, as long as the rules are not less restrictive than current Colorado law.

Early in its history, Manitou Springs was a haven for those who sought alternative medical treatments for a variety of ailments. Sanitoriums, bottled mineral waters, and the fresh air and scenic mountains offered respite from pain and other sufferings. In Colorado Springs, a focus on health has remained throughout the years as the city is an annual leader of healthy communities around the country.

In 1995, Martin Ponting, a 50-year-old father of three, was convicted of raping two girls. Then, in 2017, Ponting was moved to a women-only prison as he legally identified as "Jessica Winfield," a woman. Following this transfer, Winfield was accused of sexually assaulting several female inmates.

In his book, "How to Be an Antiracist," antiracist activist and Boston University professor Ibram X. Kendi states, "The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.”

When then-unvaccinated Colorado governor Jared Polis became ill with the coronavirus in December 2020, much of the media and public focused on the governor as his unvaccinated husband was briefly hospitalized after experiencing worsening symptoms. Sympathy, well-wishes, and even praise rained down on the governor and his family.

Politics was never meant to be a source of entertainment, though sadly it has become one over the years. Even more unfortunately, the two-sided nature of our current political model naturally makes it more adversarial. (I could go on about the duopoly, but this is not the time nor place.) Binary thinking leads to “us vs. them” worldviews.