HB17-1116 is legislative atonement for driving Coloradans into energy poverty
Put down the crayon and back away from the budget. That is Denver Post columnist Megan Schrader’s parental advice to the Independence Institute in a nutshell. It would take too long to deconstruct all that is wrong with Ms. Schrader’s editorial on our proposed ballot title “Fix Our Damn Roads,” but as head of our energy […]
Caldara’s Newsletter 03-17-17
You might be reading this on your smartphone while stuck in traffic. How is that possible? The short answer is because the state refuses to prioritize transportation in the budget. Medicaid expansion, crony handouts to Hollywood film makers and Tesla owners, and building bike paths get funded instead. Still, Colorado’s governor and state legislature show […]
Caldara’s Newsletter 03-03-17
When you’ve been rejected by as many women as I have, you’d think being rejected by the US Supreme Court wouldn’t hurt. We asked the high court to restore our First Amendment right to free speech, which was taken from us by McCain-Feingold. The Wall Street Journal explained the merits of our case well here. By […]
Why date rapists hate TABOR
by Jon Caldara The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights does NOT limit tax and spending. In fact, TABOR allows Colorado governments, all 3,700 of them, to rake in and keep unlimited amounts of money and heap unlimited amounts of debt upon your children. It requires you merely be asked first. That’s it. Ask first. You won’t […]
Caldara’s Newsletter 02-24-17
As I write this, we are anxiously awaiting word from the US Supreme Court on whether or not they will hear our challenge of McCain-Fiengold disclosure laws. Our question is: Do we lose our First Amendment right of free speech just because an election is within 90 days. Should the calendar trump free speech? (See, […]
Caldara’s Newsletter 02-17-17
We have the best investors in the world! Of course, our operation runs on money. But we’re the Independence Institute, so we also run on political incorrectness, inappropriate jokes, and workday drinking. Get this: Different supporters came in today, at different times, to give me three different bottles of scotch whiskey! I’m sure that happens […]
The symbolic problem with Donald Trump’s pen
by Jon Caldara President Barack Obama used his “pen and telephone” to get around Congress. President Donald Trump’s pen is so powerful it causes street protests every time he signs an executive order with it. So, what is this pen? Per a CNN story, the Trump White House, like every previous administration since the 1970s, […]
Caldara’s Newsletter 01-25-17 “Love Trumps Hate”
It’s sinful how much I’ve been enjoying the Left’s meltdown as Trump takes office. I can’t help hearing their campaign mantra, “Love Trumps Hate,” in my head when they throw their tantrums. While they’re breaking windows and throwing F-bombs, all I can hear is, “Love Trumps Hate.” When Madonna says she wants to blow up […]
All the taxes you cannot see
by Jon Caldara Seeing is believing. So, it’s no wonder many in government prefer to work in the dark. It’s not just that they don’t want us to know what they’re fully doing. They don’t want us to know what we’re fully paying. The reason for this emotional manipulation is clear. If the cost of […]
Denver’s Road Home hits a dead end
Poop. There’s a basic tenet in public policy. What you tax, you get less of. What you subsidize, you get more of…
Caldara’s Newsletter 12-20-16 “Tis the Season to be Politically Incorrect”
“Happy Holidays,” is what Communists say. We say “Merry Christmas,” but feel free to agree or disagree on our weekly, super-scientific poll at IndependenceInstitute.org. Because my kids don’t get enough days off from public school, despite what seems like 20 “teacher service days,” they of course have an extra-long winter break. But unlike public schools, […]
Caldara’s Newsletter 12-13-16 “Oh poop, Denver ended homelessness”
Great news! Denver ended homelessness! So, who’s been pooping on our property? In 2005, then-mayor John Hickenlooper launched “Denver’s Road Home,” a ten year plan to end homelessness in Denver. So who’s been leaving trash, bottles, syringes, vomit, and feces on our Freedom Embassy and all over our neighborhood? Amazing how a 12-fold increase in […]
