I am a HUGE original Star Trek fan. Only the original Captain Kirk could say, “Screw the prime directive. Set phasers to kill. And find me one of those green women.” Kirk is the perfect antidote to today’s snowflake wokeness.
I, like most of America, was heartbroken when President Trump passed on William Shatner to head his new Space Command. Likely something about the Shat being Canadian, not American (Trump could have just invaded Canada to get the job done. Some general probably stopped him).
Anyway, private Enterprise (heh) is doing what the bureaucratic United Federation of Planets couldn’t do. Get the real Kirk into real space. In the new space race between private competitors, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is going where no 90-year-old man has gone before. They’re giving Bill Shatner a ride to space. The twelve-year-old inside of me is cheering! Star Trek and (mostly) free markets meet!
2021 INDEPENDENCE INSTITUTE VOTER GUIDES
2021 statewide election day is just around the corner (November 2), and mail-in ballots have already begun to land in Coloradans’ mailboxes. While there are only 3 statewide ballot measures, the often confusing language can make it difficult to understand what they are really about. Not to fear. We have put together a voter guide, including our recommendations, to help you sort through them and make an informed vote. You can access it HERE, and we will be uploading a printable version in the coming days as well.
If the statewide ballot is short, the same can’t be said for what our friends in Denver face—a whopping 13 measures to vote on! If you Denverites aren’t prepared to quit your jobs and dedicate yourselves full-time to getting up to speed on all of these, we’re here to help you too. Check out our 2021 Denver Voter Guide by clicking HERE.
On a related note, be sure and check out Complete Colorado’s more in-depth 2021 election coverage, available HERE.
Complete has taken a look at the issues being decided in Jefferson, Weld, Eagle and Summit counties, a closer look at Littleton, as well as the jam-packed Denver ballot, among other election issues, with more on the way. Be sure and check in often. Also, don’t miss George Brauchler’s scathing takedown of Attorney General Phil Weiser’s highly politicized, and according to George, misleading report on the Aurora Police Department.
Also, check out Dan Caplis as he makes the case that Senator Michael Bennet is just Bernie Sanders without the mittens.
And of course, my own columns are always available HERE.
OPENING ON 18TH DISTRICT JUDICIAL PERFORMANCE COMMISSION
I want to give you a heads up about an exciting opportunity for the right person. There is an upcoming vacancy within the 18th Judicial District Judicial Performance Commission, which includes Arapahoe County.
Commissioners evaluate the county and district judges within the judicial district during two different cycles: retention and interim. The vacancy must be filled by someone who is not an attorney. More information can be found on the Judicial Performance Commission website.
This is an important role, helping ensure we have the best judges possible. If you are interested and eligible, please fill out the online application. It’s a lengthy dropdown menu, but is sorted alphabetically, so scroll down to select “Eighteenth Judicial District Performance Commission.”
To find out all the ways you can get involved in local government, contact Kathleen Chandler at kathleen@i2i.org.
SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE BRIEFINGS UNDERWAY
The Education Policy Center is in the midst of hosting its valuable five school board candidate policy briefings. This is our ninth election cycle to provide candidates with a 90-minute presentation about pertinent, Colorado specific, K-12 policy issues, from our perspective.
All Colorado school board candidates were invited, so we are not just preaching to the choir. So far, 90 candidates from all over the state plan to join us to hear Pam Benigno, Director of the Education Policy Center, discuss numerous topics, such as charter schools, teacher tenure, literacy, collective bargaining, and critical race theory.
And I must add, Pam loves it when she is challenged by those who disagree with our take on the issues!
CONSTITUTIONAL STUDIES
Rob Natelson, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence, presented both a lecture on the Constitution and a class called “How to Read the Constitution” at Grand Lake Constitution Week on September 13th and 14th. He is in the midst of a lecture tour of Montana cities, speaking about the Constitution’s amendment process and is available for additional speaking engagements in Colorado as well.
