Author: The Gazette Editorial Board
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EDITORIAL: Politicians pump up their pay on the public’s tab
Tone deafness continues to emanate from the Gold Dome with the pay raise Colorado’s state-level legislators gave themselves — automatically — last week. Elected officials celebrated Cinco de Mayo with Gov. Jared Polis’ signing of House Bill 1333, the Legislative Appropriation Bill for Fiscal Year 2026-27. Deep in the bill, not referenced directly nor mentioned…
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EDITORIAL: May Aurora’s new council avoid Denver’s drama
As next-door neighbors, Colorado’s first- and third-largest cities have a lot in common. Their municipal governments, however, are a study in contrasts. Denver City Hall is a forum for drama. Too much rhetoric; too little focus on local government’s essential duties — stuff taxpayers actually care about, like patching potholes and policing streets. Maybe that’s…
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EDITORIAL: A double standard on public safety
Colorado’s legislature appears on the verge of embracing a new motto: “Special security, legal and privacy protections for we — and none for thee.” Lawmakers are advancing House Bill 26-1422, a 60-page bill to provide new taxpayer-funded protections for elected officials, judges and staff that won’t be afforded to everyday Coloradans. How ironic, considering the…
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EDITORIAL: Bad press — and a bad brand — for Colorado
A headline from this week’s national news says it all: “Entrepreneurs flocked to Colorado. Now, red tape is driving some away.” The article’s opening lines make you wince: “A vocal band of Colorado software engineers and venture capitalists are increasingly grumbling that their tech haven in the Rocky Mountains is devolving into the place of…
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EDITORIAL: Big Labor’s power grab is a slam-dunk veto
The word at the Capitol is that this year’s attempt to deny workers a vote on paying union dues is dead on arrival when it reaches the desk of Gov. Jared Polis. Same as last year. Let’s hope so. It would be great news not only for Colorado’s economy and its ebbing ability to attract…
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EDITORIAL: Another ballot attack on oil and gas
Since the passage of Senate Bill 19-181 in 2019, Colorado has been turning the screws on oil and gas development with the nation’s strictest industry regulations. Apparently for some, that isn’t enough. The activist environmental group Conservation Colorado, often a proxy for the Polis administration on climate issues, wants to overhaul the system with four…
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EDITORIAL: Politicians prioritized teens over THC — for a change
Clear thinking has prevailed at the Gold Dome with the demise of proposed legislation that would have enabled the sale of high-potency THC beverages wherever alcohol is legally available — bars, liquor stores, restaurants and even grocery and convenience stores. As it turned out, the bill’s sponsors couldn’t line up enough votes and withdrew the…
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EDITORIAL: Teachers, schools do better without a union contract
Last week, the teachers union in the Douglas County School District — Colorado’s third-largest — asked the district’s board to restore collective bargaining. A previous board ended it in 2012. The union pointed to Douglas County’s starting educator salary, calling it the lowest in the Denver metro area despite a hefty, 61,000-student enrollment. Perhaps the…
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EDITORIAL: Breaking ranks for the better at Colorado’s Capitol
It was encouraging to see a key lawmaker among ruling Democrats at the Capitol buck his own party’s standard-bearer last week. The kudos goes to state Sen. Dylan Roberts, the Frisco Democrat who chairs the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Roberts not only proved pivotal in voting against two of Gov. Jared Polis’ nominees…
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EDITORIAL: Lawmakers would unleash a suing spree
Leave it to one of the state Senate’s co-apologists in chief for the criminal element, Democratic Sen. Mike Weissman of Aurora, to defend the honor of the Southern Poverty Law Center. That’s the Montgomery, Ala.-based activist group that made national headlines last week when it was indicted by a federal grand jury on 11 counts…