Complete Colorado
In a recent episode of Independence Institute’s* public affairs TV show, Devil’s Advocate, host Jon Caldara sits down with Corey Gaines from the Colorado Accountability Project about outside organizations funding staff to work inside the Colorado legislature. The two also touch on progressive press bias, and the unchecked power of of unelected regulators.
The show highlights a left-of-center nonprofit affiliated with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science funding “science fellows” to work with Colorado’s legislative council staff. According to Gaines, the issue is not so much the fellows themselves, but the precedent: Colorado’s supposedly nonpartisan legislative staff should be publicly funded, not supplied by private foundations with their own values and priorities.
Gaines has previously written on the topic for Complete Colorado.
The conversation then turns to a lack of scrutiny of progressive groups by much of Colorado’s news media, especially when sympathetic advocates make serious allegations about government abuse or public policy failures. The two argue that ideological diversity in newsrooms is lacking, and that reporters often become defensive when asked about bias.
Caldara and Gaines also look at the rise of unelected boards, commissions and fee-based enterprises. They point to agencies such as the PUC and regulatory commissions as examples of appointed bodies exercising major influence over public policy with no direct accountability to voters.
You can see the entire episode here, or watch it below.
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I know this will shock you, but the system is rigged.
Maybe not in the conspiracy-theory, tinfoil-hat way. In the simple, obvious, right-in-front-of-your-face way: politicians get to play by rules you don’t.
And every now and then they get so brazen about it, you have to stop and admire the hustle.
We Coloradans have been painfully clear for decades: We want our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). We want government spending limits. And, yes, we want our refunds when government takes too much.
How many times do we have to say no?
1998, Referendum B. No.
2011, Proposition 103. No.
2013, Amendment 66. No.
2019, Proposition CC. No.
2023, Proposition HH. No.
And none of these elections were even close.
At this point, voters aren’t whispering. We’re screaming: live within your means.
But like shrill children demanding mommy buy them something, politicians don’t stop asking. Like the kid, they know they can wear you down. Because if they get a “yes” just once, it’s game over. TABOR refunds disappear forever.
And I mean forever.
TABOR originally said they could keep excess revenue for four years and only if we voters approved it. Then the Colorado Supreme Court later clarified “four years” actually means… forever. I guess because “four” and “forever” sound kinda the same.
Good to know words still have meaning and our political elite keep fighting to “protect democracy”
Now comes Senate Bill 135. And you’ll never guess what it does. It ends your TABOR refunds, forever.
But don’t worry. This time it’s “for the kids.” Cue the violins. Quite literally what you’ll read on the ballot says the money will go to education. There is no mention of a penny going anywhere else.
The ballot language the legislators who want your money wrote practically tucks you in at night:
“Shall state investment in K-12 public education increase… increase teacher pay… improve retention… lower class sizes… increase access to career and technical courses, without raising taxes.”
It’s beautiful. Inspiring. Almost makes you want to cry.
It’s also nonsense. Because buried in the fine print of the bill is the part they hope you never notice.
The legislature’s own analysis says this lets the state keep about $1.3 billion extra starting in year one alone.
Want to guess how much goes to education? About $200 million. That’s a mere 15%!
The other 85%? That’s a blank check for the legislature to spend however it wants. You’d never know that from the ballot language they wrote for themselves.
And here’s where it gets fun.
When politicians refer something to the ballot, they get to write the ballot language you read on Election Day. That is, they get to lie through their teeth.
When we lowly citizens propose something, a group of three unelected people called the Title Board writes what voters read at the voting booth. Again, one set of rules for them, a different set for us.
So I tried an experiment. I took SB-135 and submitted it, word for word, as a citizen’s initiative.
Here’s how the Title Board translated it:
“Shall there be a change… allowing the state to keep and spend… and requiring the state to use a portion… for education… and allowing the state to use the rest of the money for any purpose determined by the legislature?”
Same policy. Totally different honesty level.
So if you vote yes and kiss away your TABOR refunds, education will get a “portion” of it (15%) and the legislature will get “the rest of the money for any purpose.” Their words, not mine.
One version sounds like a gift to schoolchildren. The other sounds like what it actually is — a cash grab.
And then the legislature had the nerve to call this cash grab “without raising taxes.” There’s no such wording in the Title Board’s language.
Which is impressive. If I take more of your money but claim I didn’t, jail time is in my future. When our political elite does it, they’re only encouraged to lie even more next time.
So, go ahead. Vote yes this fall if you like the idea of kissing your TABOR refunds goodbye, forever.
Just know full well it’s not for the kids. It’s for our lawmakers to cover their rear ends after increasing Medicaid enrollment 200% and over-spending the state into a fiscal hole.
Jon Caldara is president of Independence Institute, a free market think in Denver.
There’s a new amendment floating around that would change the Colorado constitution for one’s right to a healthy environment. But what impact would this have on the state and would it ultimately help or hurt? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more.
Show Notes:
Proposed Right to a Healthy Environment Amendment
Southwest Power Pool
SPP issues Resource Advisory
Because the grid could use a backup plan.
Yes, we’re giving away a Predator Generator.
No, this is not a drill.
Yes, it’s because reliability apparently isn’t fashionable anymore.
Starting with the first show of 2026, drop a funny, clever, or pithy comment in the show’s comment section.
That’s it. No forms. No fine print to initial. No ESG questionnaire.
At the end of the session, we’ll select our top 3–5 favorite comments.
Then you vote on the winner.
Democracy still works here. Mostly.
Winner announced on the last show in May 2026.
One comment.
One generator.
Because when the grid wobbles, satire won’t keep your lights on — but a Predator Generator will.
Given the media coverage, there’s no reason you’d know this, but there’s a whole bunch of Colorado that is not on the Front Range. No, really. Wade Haerle of Club 20 even says people live and work on the Western Slope even though Colorado’s government decides. Eh, we don’t believe it.
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