Here comes that special Tuesday in November, all too many of which the past few decades have been “the single most important election in our lifetime.” But given the power grabs from COVID-19, insurrections around the country and over-the-cliff trend toward progressive communism, the “experts” might finally be correct. So, what’s a voter to do? […]
The Gallagher Amendment to the Colorado Constitution doesn’t prevent taxes from increasing. Limitations imposed under the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) do. Gallagher instead transfers the property tax burden from homeowners to nonresidential taxpayers. When Gallagher first passed, for a value at which a homeowner paid $1 in tax, a nonresidential taxpayer paid $1.38. Today, […]
There’s an argument to be made for the precept that government is best which governs least. There’s an existential role for governments to defend citizens from enemies foreign and domestic. There are times, too, when government is better suited to provide services in a collective fashion — paving streets and putting out fires, to name […]
Eight-seven years. Many would say that’s a pretty good run. Frankly, I could argue it both ways. My dad’s last three years were difficult ones of steady decline to his passing. But I also thought if he could just get past this COVID mess, he’d have a month or two of health and clarity to […]
According to several reports, President Donald Trump ordered the Department of the Treasury to stop withholding payroll taxes for the balance of the year from federal employee checks beginning mid-September and running through the end of 2020. Perhaps the scariest aspect of this order is its 100 percent application to military enlisted members. Officers can […]
The Federal Reserve Beige Book serves up an assessment of the economy based on information gathered from assorted sources outside the Fed. It would have been nice to see some kind of upside surprise in the latest edition, released Sept. 2. Alas, that was not the case. However, there was some modest optimism when looking […]
Socialism continues to influence conversations and proposed policies and procedures despite the historical fact socialism has failed everywhere its’ tried. Although advocates lack data to support their conclusions, the idea continues to be posited that socialism offers a more caring and moral system than capitalism. America was founded on the premise each of us is […]
I learned two things over the course of a week-long road trip with my father to the Pacific Northwest. First, a good portion of nearly every highway between here and there is under construction. Second, trophy salmon fishing is hard. Both experiences renewed my respect for business owners and managers given the challenges they face […]
Lies, damned lies and statistics. We’ve all heard the phrase. Because it’s what we’re being governed by today in one form or another. And the abuse of statistics rears its ugly head under the guise of such words as “study,” “model” or “mostly peaceful.” How are statistics abused? Let’s take these one by one. How […]
Innovation is the act of bringing new and improved goods, services, technologies and methods — that is, new ideas — to the marketplace. Innovation is vital to economic growth and improved quality of life. That’s certainly the case for health care, from pharmaceuticals to medical devices to the variety of ways for delivering services. Unfortunately, […]