Well, the hangovers have all cleared and the red carpet has been rolled away from all the recent festivities around our coveted “Californian of the Year” awards. I haven’t seen Colorado party so much since the Broncos won the Super Bowl. (And yes, the Broncos used to go to Super Bowls. TVs were black-and-white then, but it happened).

However, the spirit of the “Californian of the Year” awards isn’t slowing down. In fact, it’s building as December 7 approaches. You see, Colorado Gives Day gives us another chance to once again honor our five nominees.

Our goal is to raise $80,000 this Colorado Gives Day! We have set five giving milestones. As we achieve each one, we will deliver the corresponding “Californian of the Year” nominee with a fitting Christmas present.

• When we raise $15,000, we will give DPS school board member and alleged underage sexual harasser, Tay Anderson, a one-year subscription to Seventeen magazine! And to help him avoid future embarrassments, we bought him the self-help book, How to Flirt with Women: The Art of Flirting Without Being Creepy That Turns Her On. No seriously, it’s a real book.

• Should we reach our $30,000 goal, RiNo squish bag and political roly-poly Senator Kevin Priola gets his very own Squishmallow Hug Toy he can cuddle as wanders the halls of the Capitol searching for courage or any semblance of ideological consistency. Also, we will provide him with a pre-filled voter registration change to make his flip to Democrat official!

• And because defecating on Denver shouldn’t be such a strain, if we reach $45,000, Mayor Michael Hancock gets a Squatty Potty! He can share it with all of Denver’s finest so they may more comfortably relieve themselves on our sidewalks.

• At the $60,000 level, the governor who gave us Meat Out Day, Jared Polis, gets a festive meat-free feast of artificial turkey loaf, “ham flavored vegan product,” and a bean curd BBQ rib roast. Yum! No fighting over who gets the wishbone at the Polis family Christmas dinner.

• And finally, should we reach our goal of $80,000 the 2021 “Californian of the Year” winner herself, the Princess of Progressiveness, the Sexy, Sultry, Seductress of Socialism, Senator Faith Winter will get her own Coming out Communist Christmas Pack (CCCP, of course 😉). As the public acknowledges her bravery in coming out of the Commie Closest, we’re here to support her transition with a Communist Manifesto, soft Commie pajamas, a hammer and sickle fur hat, and a Mix CD of “Communism’s Greatest Hits.”

Help us trigger the liberal left by supporting the Independence Institute. The more we raise, the more gifts we can send out to our favorite people.

For more details and to stay updated on our progress, visit our Colorado Gives Day website.

And you can schedule your donation TODAY by clicking HERE.

Complete Colorado’s Joshua Sharf looks at the impact of the state GOP at long last endorsing the ‘non-partisan’ municipal races while Randal O’Toole says that Governor Polis’ greenhouse gas reduction plan is just more of what has never worked.

Jake Fogleman explains how the nuclear energy option would truly be a ‘just transition’ for Pueblo.

And of course, you can catch my column on how the legislature is stealing our citizen’s initiative.

Independence Institute TV

Head over to IITV on YouTube to check out some of my recent Devil’s Advocate interviews and make sure to subscribe!

I sat down with Brad Lips to talk about the amazing work Atlas Network is doing to connect freedom-minded think tanks the world over.

Dr. Dygert and I discussed getting a lot more for a lot less when seeing a doctor. He offers patients unlimited visits for less than $80 a month.

Constitutional Law Center

As you may know, Rob Natelson, our Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence, is a weekly columnist for The Epoch Times newspaper. The Epoch Times is an international paper, published in over 20 languages and in over 30 countries.

The paper will shortly be publishing a special issue called “American Promise.” It’s about the traditions and values that made our country great. The issue will include articles on about a dozen topics, with Rob’s being the first two. They are “The Values in the Declaration of Independence” and “The Values in the Constitution.” The special edition will be in print, but the essays first appeared on The Epoch Times website last week.

Second Amendment Project

On November 3, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, to decide whether law-abiding, fingerprinted adults can be denied concealed carry permits simply because they do not have an unusual need for self-defense. Besides filing an amicus brief last July, Dave Kopel was all over the case in the weeks leading up to the oral argument. That included seven articles for The Volokh Conspiracy, the world’s leading blog of law professors, which happens to be read by Supreme Court Justices and their clerks. Plus another article for The Federalist. And a National Constitution Center podcast debate with former federal appellate Judge Michael Luttig.

Finally, the third edition of his law school textbook, Firearms Law and the Second Amendment, has just been published. It costs $298, but since it is about 2,000 pages long, the cost per page really is quite reasonable. This is one Christmas present where you don’t have to worry about supply chain problems.

Think Freedom!

-Jon