We want to invite all readers cordially to our third annual event, Wine and Cheese. Our Policy Centers will fill everyone in on the happenings under the gold dome this legislative session accompanied by a fine selection of wine and cheese. Space is limited, so RSVP using this link.
Jake invites readers to an eye-opening and slightly scary energy event in this week's newsletter.
Pam also gave her 6th K-12 Policy Roundtable presentation to education majors at Colorado Christian University.
Colorado law finally recognizes nuclear energy as a “clean” resource. What does that mean, and what comes next?
Will Colorado see the same data center boom and the accompanying growth in electricity demand that other states are warning about?
And what does the future hold for the state’s decarbonization targets and our electricity bills?
For answers to these questions and more, please join us this week for our end-of-session energy wrap-up event! It will be hosted on-site at the Independence Institute in Denver and broadcast live via Zoom on Thursday, May 8, from 3:00 – 4:30 pm Mountain Time.
I’ll be featured on a panel moderated by our very own Amy Cooke and featuring a great line-up, including:
State Senator Larry Liston, prime sponsor of HB25-1040
Ella Rose, Colorado Nuclear Alliance
Dave Thielen, Liberal and Loving It Substack author
You can register to attend the event and learn more about it HERE.
I recently delivered my sixth K-12 Policy Roundtable presentation of the semester to education majors at Colorado Christian University (CCU). This program, in partnership with the university’s Undergraduate Education Department, helps students understand how public policy affects their future teaching careers. During each presentation, students discuss arguments for and against controversial policies related to their coursework.
Last week, in a class about language acquisition, we discussed House Bill 1312 related to transgender rights. (Today, the bill passed on third reading in the Colorado Senate.) The students listened to legislative testimony of a Latina woman who expressed concerns about the bill’s speech requirements from the perspective of Spanish speakers. She noted that Spanish is not a gender-neutral language like English. Additionally, she emphasized that language and traditional values are central to their culture. Students also listened to two transgender educators and one transgender student for a different perspective.
Since its introduction, HB 25-1312 has been heavily amended, yet there are provisions in the bill that are once again a display of the state infringing on parental rights and school district and charter school local control. The K-12 Policy Roundtable helps to equip future teachers with knowledge about public policy that will, in the long run, serve them well when they are faced with these issues in the classroom.
Did you know 49.2% of the voters in Colorado are unaffiliated? Have you ever wondered why? Hear from the experts at Independence Institute talk about the issues important to Colorado and how to bring some sanity to this increasingly leftist state.
Devil's Advocate with Jon Caldara is a current events show not to be missed. Each week it features lively - and sometimes heated - debates between elected officials, journalists, activists, concerned citizens, subject-matter experts, and hard-pressing host Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute. Jon is not afraid to express his "free-market" views, and his guests are not afraid to take on those opinions. It all makes for an informative, lively public affairs program.
PowerGab focuses on unique energy issues facing Colorado. Hosted by Amy Cooke, Independence Institute's Energy and Environmental Policy Center Director, and Jake Fogleman, Director of Policy. PowerGab tackles the complexities of energy policy and solutions for a broad audience to educate and illuminate all while having a few laughs along the way.
Mandy and Deb Show is your go-to source for sharp wit, candid conversations, and unfiltered takes on the latest issues shaping Colorado and beyond. Hosted by seasoned radio host Mandy Connell and policy pro Deb Flora, the show blends humor, insight, and a healthy dose of common sense as the duo tackles politics, culture, and everything in between.
Twisted View is a raw, unfiltered roundtable where men say what they mean and mean what they say. Hosted by Leland Conway, Ben Allbright, Marc Mager, and Willie B, this testosterone-fueled series brings a male perspective to the madness of modern Colorado. From rising crime to failed homelessness policies and environmental overreach, Twisted View exposes the real consequences of local legislation—no apologies, no political correctness. If you're tired of sanitized commentary, this is your show.
This podcast includes several series of commentaries about the Constitution. Each series will cover a different aspect of the document. This series thumbnails the lives of 14 American Founders and their specific contributions to the Constitution. It covers both well-known Founders, such as James Madison, and those who are lesser known, but who exercised an out-sized influence.
In places like Ghana and Kenya, most families cook on an open wood burning fire that pollutes not only their families air, but the planets. How would their lives and the planet's health change if they only had a propane stove? Anne Hyre of the Bettering Human Lives Foundation tells us.
Can renewable energy resources experience full grid blackouts? Spain relies heavily on renewable energy and just experienced a countrywide blackout. PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke interview Kenny Stein of the Institute of Energy Research and Mitch Rolling of Always On Energy Research to find out what happened and if there is a way to prevent it.
Mandy & Deb Show hosts Mandy Connell and Deborah Flora talk about the chaos of politics, current events and coaching philosophies, and then with founder and owner of The Chocolate Therapist, Julie Nygard.
Living in Denver has changed for many of its residents. Crime, homelessness, pollution... are these results of local legislation? Twisted View hosts Leland Conway, Ben Allbright, Marc Mager, and Willie B kick off the first episode of Twisted View.
Upcoming Events
May 8, 2025 3:00 – 4:00 PM MT Independence Institute 727 East 16th Avenue Denver, CO 80203 --or-- Via Zoom
