CO Dems call foul on Biz fees, ignore their own. CO's Judiciary back at it: cover ups, swampy behavior. You know, the usual. Interesting arguments against Thiry's ballot measures. Worth a read.
Oh would that our legislators were as worried about the ever-increasing fees the put on us in addition to (or instead of?) the fees businesses are charging.
After all, if you don't like the fees a business charges, you can always shop elsewhere.
The article at the very bottom (at the end of my open email below) details a bill that, among other things, prevents businesses from charging "junk" fees.
I hate fees too, but you know what I really hate? I really hate it when poliicians go after businesses about fees while completely ignoring those that they themselves impose on us.
Got fussy enough to send an email to the sponsor, the governor, and the Democrat leadership of both houses of the Assembly.
That email is below. The addresses are there in case you ever wondered who was running both houses of the Assembly (Fenberg, Rodriguez, McCluskie, Duran and, of course, the micromanager Polis).
Governorpolis@state.co.us
Naquetta.Ricks.house@coleg.gov
Julie.Mccluskie.house@coleg.gov
stephen.fenberg.senate@coleg.gov
monica.duran.house@coleg.gov
robert.rodriguez.senate@coleg.gov
Would that you all were as concerned about the fees you impose on Coloradans as you are about junk fees.
Hello to all,
My name is Cory Gaines. I'm a lifelong resident of Colorado.
I'm writing today after having read the article (linked below for reference) about HB24-1151, "Disclose Mandatory Fees in Advertisements".
I won't waste my time nor yours. I just wanted to write in to highlight to you all that, while your concern over "junk fees" from businesses is admirable, I do not see nor hear much in the way of concern from any of you or your party about the government fees you're putting on Coloradans.
In the past 4 years of Democrat control, we've seen a ballooning of the government, and, along with it, a ballooning of the number and sizes of fees on everyday Coloradans. By watching current bills this Assembly session I can see we've got a healthy crop growing for next year too.
The unfortunate thing, and the part of this you do not seem to recognize is that, while business fees might be unfair or irksome, consumers have a choice: if I don't like the fees I'm assessed by a business, I can shop elsewhere. No such choice exists for the citizens of this state for the Democrat-imposed fees.
I have read more than once about you and your party's "laser focus" on affordability. I would think it would be easier to take you seriously in your desire to do so if you'd chip away at the burden your fees have put on the backs of Coloradans PRIOR to worrying about what businesses were doing.
Thank you for your time,
C
https://tsscolorado.com/wide-spectrum-of-businesses-likely-to-be-impacted-by-proposed-colorado-junk-fees-ban/
Our state's judiciary seems to have a longer list of problems than the guests on the Jerry Springer show.
I guess the judges are at least better at covering up their problems than are the folks throwing the chairs.
The discussion between Caldara and former Colorado Supreme Court Judge Maes linked first below and the article by the bulldog judicial reporter Migoya** linked second below both delve into some of the former (now bleeding into current) issues in the state's judicial branch.
My goodness, but the hits just keep coming don't they?
I'll leave it to you to read up and watch both. They are both highly recommended reading/watching.
Something did stick out about the Caldara/Maes discussion that I think bears special mention. I have read in the past (in other op eds by other people) about how we ought to perhaps consider changes to our judicial appointment process here in Colorado.
The current way we do things is discussed along with the host's (and guest's) dislike of how things are going now. If you're not familiar, that alone is worth the price of admission.
The more I hear and read about the abuses of the judicial process (along with the judicial discipline process), the more I read about the attitude of the judges in this state thinking they somehow are special enough that rules don't apply to them, the more I read about how they seem to feel that no one should even be allowed a look in at what they're doing, the more I think I agree with the notion that major (I repeat MAJOR) reform is needed.
Radical surgery, "radical" meaning that we take it out at the root.
In the meantime, I am holding to my rule and recommending you do the same: DO NOT (regardless of the Blue Book's recommendations) vote to retain any judge above the trial court level.
Let's send a message and start getting the percentages of "Do Not Retain" votes higher with the hope of one day voting one of them out.
**Honestly, this gentleman doesn't get half the praise he's due for his dogged following of the judiciary in this state.
Felt uneasy about changes to the electoral system pushed lately (such as ranked choice voting)? Not quite sure why or how to articulate it?
I've posted a bit here and there on ranked choice voting, but I wanted to share an article with you that's on a related topic.
Wealthy people like Kent Thiry have long been using and wanting to use Colorado as their hobbyhorse/lab for their proposed changes to our electoral system. Whether this change is self interest or a magnanimous desire to benefit all us plebes, that's debatable.
I certainly can't read his mind and won't speculate.
I find myself uneasy at proposals like his and ranked choice voting, however, because I feel like I sometimes do while playing chess against someone much better: I'm not sure where we're headed, but I have the feeling it'll be painful for me at the end. That is, I'll be the loser here even if I can't see how yet.
I think, therefore, that I try to find lots of resources and counterarguments to ingest so as to have something to weigh against the relentless propagandizing about how these proposed changes make things more fair and centrist.
Not saying I agree with everything in the Westword article linked below (and I doubt highly that I agree about much in general with the folks against Thiry who are quoted in therein), but I do say that the article below is worth a look.
Reading widely is always a good idea and it never hurts to have more thoughts to toss around and weigh in your mind, whether you ultimately accept them or no.
Presented in that spirit.
https://www.westword.com/news/kent-thiry-pushes-for-election-reform-with-unite-america-19673980