Our popular class, The Citizen's Guide to Civic Involvement, is scheduled for next month. Be sure to sign up. Details are below. Policy Analyst Nash Herman updates readers on TABOR refunds. Pam Benigno, Director of the Education Policy Center, shares information about the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program. Dave Kopel, Research Director of the Second Amendment Project, writes about his latest U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief.
I spoke to the Broomfield Taxpayer Matters group on Saturday. The robust crowd listened as I talked about boards and commissions and how they can stop complaining and get involved. Often getting on a local board or commission leads to even greater involvement including perhaps running for office.
Jefferson County Commissioner Tracy Kraft-Tharp then followed me with a presentation on what it means to run for elected office.
We want you to see yourself as the solution to the overreach of government. That may mean running for office or volunteering for a local board or commission.
The full Civic Guide to Civic Involvement class will be held by Zoom on October 29 at 6 P.M.
Colorado Legislative Council Staff’s (LCS) newly published Economic Revenue Forecast, September 2024, confirmed our predictions that bills passed during the 2024 regular legislative session will critically undermine TABOR surpluses and refunds.
Prior to this year’s regular session, the LCS forecasted TABOR surpluses of $1.78 billion, $1.79 billion, and $2.01 billion in fiscal years 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26, respectively.
The most recent forecast now suggests the refunds will be closer to $1.37 billion, $365.2 million, and $747.3 million across the same years.
What does that mean for Coloradans? Over the next three fiscal years, approximately $3.1 billion that would have been returned to taxpayers will now go to special interests.
Independence Institute first highlighted the legislature’s machinations to undermine TABOR in a July issue brief titled “How New 2024 Tax Expenditures Undermine TABOR.” We will be publishing a longer analysis soon.
Stay informed about Colorado’s fiscal policy updates at our fiscal policy page.
Did you know 46% of the voters in Colorado are unaffiliated? Have you ever wondered why? Hear from the experts at Independence Institute talk about the issues important to Colorado and how to bring some sanity to this increasingly leftist state.
Devil's Advocate with Jon Caldara is a current events show not to be missed. Each week it features lively - and sometimes heated - debates between elected officials, journalists, activists, concerned citizens, subject-matter experts, and hard-pressing host Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute. Jon is not afraid to express his "free-market" views, and his guests are not afraid to take on those opinions. It all makes for an informative, lively public affairs program.
PowerGab focuses on unique energy issues facing Colorado. Hosted by Amy Cook, Independence Institute's Energy and Environmental Policy Center Director, and Jake Fogleman, Director of Policy. PowerGab tackles the complexities of energy policy and solutions for a broad audience to educate and illuminate all while having a few laughs along the way.
This podcast includes several series of commentaries about the Constitution. Each series will cover a different aspect of the document. This series thumbnails the lives of 14 American Founders and their specific contributions to the Constitution. It covers both well-known Founders, such as James Madison, and those who are lesser known, but who exercised an out-sized influence.
On Sunday, Nancy Rumfelt, a school board member in Loveland, Colorado, held a town hall to discuss the fight to protect female sports. I was a panelist, as was Jennifer Sey and David Illingworth. My contribution to the conversation was sharing evidence that I have seen since 2019 of how Colorado policymakers and the public school system have bought into Queer Theory.
Queer Theory sees the binary system of sex, gender, and sexuality as oppressive. Queer Theory advocates want to disrupt what is considered normal. Sports are organized based on a binary system, so from a Queer Theorist’s perspective, the system must change—and it doesn’t matter who is harmed along the way. It’s a revolution.
The Colorado Department of Education hosts optional teaching materials on its website for teachers to use to meet academic social studies standards. One of the books recommended to read to first graders is Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution. According to Amazon’s description, the illustrated book introduces children to the story of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, the two transgender women of color who helped kickstart the Stonewall Riots and dedicated their lives to fighting for LGBTQ+ equality. It introduces children to issues surrounding gender identity and diversity, accompanied by a reading guide and teaching materials to further the conversation.
For more information, read my op-ed about age-inappropriate social studies materials and watch my interview with Jon Caldara on Devil’s Advocate.
On a happier note, The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to improving the lives of the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative.
The Daniels Scholarship Program makes college possible for motivated Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming students. Scholarships cover a full ride at partner schools or up to $100,000, depending on the student’s college choice. Daniels Scholars can attend any college nationwide and receive more than just financial support—they also gain leadership skills, personal support, and a brand-new MacBook.
The deadline to apply for the Daniels Scholarship Program is October 18, 2024, at 4:00 PM MT. The application typically takes students less than one hour to complete.
Kent Thiry is investing his considerable wealth into changing the way Coloradans vote this fall. You'll decide if you want to have a jungle primary followed by rank choice voting. This would upend the way we do party primaries.
Energy blackouts in Colorado are happening more frequently, but why? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss the deeper reasons why Colorado's energy reliability isn't just a question of power.
Yesterday, Independence Institute's Director of Research David Kopel submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a petition for a writ of certiorari challenging Maryland’s ban on common semiautomatics, such as AR rifles. A petition for a writ of certiorari is a request to the Supreme Court to review a case that was decided by a lower courts. The Supreme Court usually only grants a writ of certiorari if the case has national significance, could harmonize conflicting decisions, or has major precedential value.
Nine other amicus briefs in support of the cert. petition were filed, by many excellent attorneys. However, our brief, alone, addresses the facts about ARs and similar guns, such as how fast they shoot and how powerful their bullets are. Many pro-2A lawyers think they ought to be able to win cases against gun bans just by pointing out the Supreme Court’s statement in Heller (2008) that the 2A protects “arms in common use” by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes. Although Kopel agrees with them about interpreting Heller, the plaintiffs keep losing in part because they refuse to rebut the government defendants painting ARs as super-dangerous compared to other guns.
Our brief is only one that addresses the facts of guns. The fact is, unless judges understand that ARs etc. are normal guns, then the pro-2A side has little chance of winning.
The brief was on behalf of Independence Institute. Joining us on the brief were:
The International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA). This group comprises over 6,000 law enforcement professional instructors. Their presence is especially important given the topic of the brief. ILEETA’s first amicus brief was written by Kopel in January 2008 for District of Columbia v. Heller. Justice Breyer cited our brief thrice. Then in McDonald v. Chicago, we were cited once by Justice Alito, and twice by Justice Stevens. Since then, ILEETA has participated in 26 more amicus briefs, of which David Kopel wrote 8.
A great group of law professors, starting with one of the most eminent names in modern constitutional thought: Randy Barnett (Georgetown), Royce Barondes (Missouri, emeritus), Robert Cottrol (George Washington), Lee Francis (Widener, Harrisburg), Don Kilmer (Lincoln), George Mocsary (Wyoming), Joe Muha (Akron), Joseph Olson (Hamline-Mitchell, emeritus), Michael O’Shea (Oklahoma City), David Raney (Hillsdale, history prof.), Glenn Reynolds (Tennessee).
Some of these professors were writing 2A scholarship in the olden days of the early 1990s and before—such as Barnett, Cottrol, Olson, and Reynolds. We have come a long way since then.
We will keep you apprised of developments in this case.
