Author: The Gazette Editorial Board
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EDITORIAL: Another back-door tax hike on Coloradans?
Ruling Democrats at Colorado’s legislature have a reflexive urge to raise taxes. Think of it as a collective case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Problem is, they can’t act on their urge without voters’ permission — thanks to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in our state constitution. Asking voters to raise taxes is of course risky; they’re…
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EDITORIAL: Uncuff Denver’s cops on immigration
Leave it to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to insist that the city’s sanctuary policies — which restrict local cooperation with federal immigration authorities — actually make the city safer. As The Denver Gazette reported, Colorado’s capital city has signed onto an amicus brief in two federal cases, joining some 140 Democratic cities, counties and elected…
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EDITORIAL: Don’t lower standards for schoolteachers
Not only are most of Colorado’s public schoolteachers committed to the highest standards of conduct in the classroom, but almost all of them also are undoubtedly law-abiding when off duty. For the relative handful who have “made mistakes” earlier in their lives, current state law requires them to disclose any misdemeanor convictions except for traffic…
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EDITORIAL: A ray of hope for more highway funding?
Motorists weary of Colorado’s crumbling and congested highways might appreciate at least a glimmer of hope that our starry-eyed legislature someday will come back down to earth and give our beleaguered transportation grid the funding it needs. That glimmer may have arrived last week when a state Senate committee passed an obscure resolution urging more…
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EDITORIAL: Reining in Colorado’s runaway legislature
Colorado lawmakers are cranking out bills at a record pace. The irony? They’re being increasingly productive in the wrong way — and setting up real problems for the state. According to a new report from the nonpartisan Common Sense Institute, legislative output has surged 56% since 2012, largely within the past five years. While most…
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EDITORIAL: Aquila, Golka’s contributions go beyond Colorado’s Catholics
Days ahead of Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, Colorado’s Catholic community is witnessing a momentous transition that echoes up and down the Front Range. The church’s first American pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, has appointed Colorado Springs Bishop James Golka to succeed the retiring Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver. The departure of Aquila,…
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EDITORIAL: Denver’s ‘Vision Zero’ jumps the curb
Whatever the intended “vision” of Denver’s vaunted “Vision Zero” agenda for reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries, the policy hasn’t worked. It may even be contributing to the problem. That’s the most telling takeaway from an eye-opening, in-depth news report last week in The Denver Gazette. As The Gazette’s report noted, Denver streets and intersections have…
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EDITORIAL: Denver police should fight crime, not feds
As federal immigration operations stir debate nationwide, Denver’s police chief has declared his officers would intervene if they witnessed “excessive force” by federal agents. “If we see a federal officer who we believe is using excessive force, then I think our expectation is to intervene in that situation,” Chief Ron Thomas told The Denver Gazette…
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EDITORIAL: Another pointless mandate — another blow to Colorado business
High school chemistry might have inspired you to prank mom by asking her for some “dihydrogen monoxide” at dinner. Of course, you were deflated when she brought you a glass of water without even arching an eyebrow; she had taken chemistry in high school, too. And that’s the most the authors of House Bill 26-1121…
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EDITORIAL: Bring down the hammer on Colorado’s child traffickers
Just as Colorado’s legislature is poised for a new crackdown on child trafficking, a report released this week concludes the repugnant crime “remains near historic levels for the state.” “The ranking is among the highest in the nation for both the number and rate of trafficking offenses and with minors making up the majority of…