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Sloan: What are the next steps for Iran?
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Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

Sloan: What are the next steps for Iran?

By Kelly Sloan | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The headline in last Friday’s Wall Street Journal was more poignant than probably the editors realized at deadline: “U.S. Sway Slips As Israel Looks To Strike Iran.” That rather understated assessment serves as a metaphor, not only for the Biden administration’s policy in the region, but it’s foreign policy in general.  The hulking monster in the background of all the strife in the Middle East is Iran, upon which any discussions of pressing strategic concern land. They land most squarely on the topic of Iran having nuclear weapons. Were Iran to get the bomb, the whole landscape of strategic relationships changes, and not only in the Middle East. Obviously, a nuclear-armed Iran is an existential threat to Israel, and it would also...
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Hillman: Poor roadway conditions make for undriveable Colorado
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Commentary, gazette.com, State

Hillman: Poor roadway conditions make for undriveable Colorado

By Mark Hillman | The Gazette Colorado highways are among the worst in the nation. That’s hardly news to anyone who travels across our state. Only two states report a larger share of interstate highways in poorer condition than Colorado. Less-traveled highways in our state are even worse. In 2021, the Democrat-controlled Legislature passed a $5.4 billion package of new “fees” — including a yearly increase in fuel taxes and that irritating 29-cent charge Coloradans pay on every Amazon order — supposedly to boost the transportation budget. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the const...
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Support Amendment 80: Constitutional right to school choice
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Support Amendment 80: Constitutional right to school choice

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution establishing the right to school choice for children in kindergarten through 12th grade, and, in connection therewith, declaring that school choice includes neighborhood, charter, and private schools; home schooling; open enrollment options; and future innovations in education? How it reached the ballot: Citizen signature petition, designated agents Michael Fields and Suzanne Taheri. Background: This measure would enshrine school choice as a "right" in the Colorado Constitution. The measure would add the following language to Section 18: "The people of the state of Colorado hereby find and declare that all children have the right to equal opportunity to ac...
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Oppose Amendment K: Modify constitutional election deadlines
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Oppose Amendment K: Modify constitutional election deadlines

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning the modification of certain deadlines in connection with specified elections? How it reached the ballot: Senate Continuing Resolution 24-002, supported by a 61-1 vote of the House and 34-0 vote of the Democrat-controlled Senate. Background: This bipartisan measure simply seeks to provide an extra week of time for the secretary of state to meet election deadlines. The bill summary cites the deadline for military and overseas ballots as reasoning for the additional time. The measure would shorten an initiative petitioner's time by a week, and shorten a referendum petitioner's time to file following a session by a week. It amends the timeline for t...
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Support Amendment I: Constitutional bail exception [of] first-degree murder
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Support Amendment I: Constitutional bail exception [of] first-degree murder

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning creating an exception to the right to bail for cases of murder in the first-degree when proof is evident or presumption is great? How it reached the ballot: House Continuing Resolution 24-1002, supported by a 59-5 vote of the House and 35-0 vote of the Senate. Not only did the bipartisan measure carry unanimous support in the Senate, but it also was sponsored by almost every member. The measure was opposed in the House by the most extreme, far-left Democrats. Background: The authors of the measure seek to prevent those charged with first-degree murder from being eligible for bail "if proof is evident or presumption is great." When bail is grante...
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Support Amendment H: Judicial discipline procedures and confidentiality
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Support Amendment H: Judicial discipline procedures and confidentiality

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning judicial discipline, and, in connection therewith, establishing an independent judicial discipline adjudicative board, setting standards for judicial review of a discipline case, and clarifying when discipline proceedings become public? How it reached the ballot: House Continuing Resolution 23-1001, supported by a 60-3 vote of the House and 35-0 vote of the Senate. An overwhelming bipartisan majority of both legislative chambers sponsored the measure. Three Republicans in the House opposed the measure. Background: The measure amends Section 23 of the Colorado Constitution, pertaining to judicial discipline. Under existing law, proceedings of the...
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Support Amendment G: Modification to property tax exemption for disabled veterans
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Support Amendment G: Modification to property tax exemption for disabled veterans

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning the expansion of eligibility for the property tax exemption for veterans with a disability to include a veteran who does not have a service-connected disability rated as a one hundred percent permanent disability but does have individual unemployability status? How it reached the ballot: House Continuing Resolution 23-1002, supported by a 62-0 vote of the House and 34-0 vote of the Senate. An overwhelming bipartisan majority of the House and Senate additionally sponsored the measure, in a General Assembly that couldn't agree on eating a ham sandwich for lunch. Background: The Colorado Constitution grants a property tax exemption to veterans with...
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Caldara: Central planners disregard Coloradans’ true mobility needs
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Commentary, completecolorado.com, State

Caldara: Central planners disregard Coloradans’ true mobility needs

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Tired of all the traffic? Tough. The central planners in charge command it only get worse at an exponential rate. The reason our roads suck is money that could fix and expand them goes to transit which relatively no one uses. U.S. Census data shows only 4% of Denver’s commuting population uses transit. Remember that number — 4%. Yet, in the Denver metro area, almost all “transportation” dollars go to transit. The Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) failed FasTracks scam spent more than $7 billion at a time when all the highway needs statewide were around $9 billion. We could have fulfilled nearly all of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) wish list for the entire state with what we spent on one choo-choo...
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Browning: Prop. 127 is ballot box biology gone wild and Mesa County wisely stood against it
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Browning: Prop. 127 is ballot box biology gone wild and Mesa County wisely stood against it

By Lindy Browning | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Prop 127, a ballot initiative brought through the efforts of an extreme animal rights activist group, Cats aren’t Trophies (CATs) is a slap in the face to wildlife experts at Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). It’s also exploitation through deception for voters who love wildlife. Western Colorado voters know that wildlife management is critical to healthy ecosystems and healthy and diverse wildlife populations. Once again, Western Colorado is leading the way.  On Tuesday, Sept. 24, Mesa County commissioners stood for all 900 species of wildlife in Colorado, stood for livestock growers and took a stand in supporting the experts and biologists at CPW. They passed a resolution opposing the ballot measure. Hitting the nail r...
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Krannawitter: Business owners are not guilty
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Commentary, Local

Krannawitter: Business owners are not guilty

By Thomas L. Krannawitter, Ph.D. | Commentary, tkrannawitter.substack.com The title of this piece is not a verdict in a criminal trial. It is a reminder to business owners experiencing feelings of guilt—those who think they need to “give back,” as if they stole something or committed some wrong simply by running a successful business: You’re not guilty. This may seem obvious to some business owners, yet for far too many, it is not. Every time a successful entrepreneur, investor, business owner, or CEO expresses a desire to donate to a charitable cause in order to “give back,” he is, knowingly or not, implying that he has taken something that does not rightfully belong to him. In a society that values freedom—including free markets for businesses—this mistake might be trivial ...
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