With just a few days left in 2024, it’s time to reflect on the battles we’ve faced and prepare for the challenges ahead. Defending TABOR, protecting school choice, and standing strong in legal cases to uphold the Second Amendment remain critical priorities. And as new challenges emerge, Independence Institute must be ready to fight for personal and economic freedom.
We can’t do it without your support. Please make a donation before midnight on 12/31/2024 to ensure we have the resources to continue these vital fights. Together, we can make Colorado a place where people and businesses thrive.
Watch the video below, where President Jon Caldara shares our plan to restore sanity to our state. Your generosity fuels this mission—thank you for standing with us!
This week’s newsletter brings plenty of variety! Nash Herman shares his latest insights from attending the Joint Budget Committee meetings. Pam Benigno makes a passionate case for teaching students cursive, while David Kopel spreads holiday cheer with a festive article featuring performances of favorite Christmas songs. Rob also provides an update on his Montana project.
If you missed it, last week’s Devil’s Advocate with Kyle Clark of 9News is creating quite a buzz—whether you’re a fan or a critic, it’s a must-watch. The fiery and explosive interview has everyone talking (yes, Jon even asks Kyle, “How do you feel being a terrible person?”). Don’t miss out!
The Joint Budget Committee is still busily meeting with Legislative Council Staff Analysts and heads of Departments to decide how and where to make around $1 billion in budget cuts for next year. We are continuing to monitor these meetings.
Podcasts *Available on all major platforms* Did you know 46% 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.
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.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from the Education Policy Center!
If you have children or grandchildren, consider giving them a wonderful gift: the art of cursive writing. Many, if not most, public schools no longer teach cursive writing, so it is up to others to teach it. Our SchoolChoiceforKids.org website offers educational enrichment activities, including cursive writing. You can find free downloadable worksheets on our site here.
Twenty-four states have passed laws requiring students to be taught cursive. Colorado is not on the list, but California passed the requirement in 2023, so there may be hope since we seem to follow California’s lead.
How can students be considered literate if they can’t read their grandmother’s letters or historical documents? Schools that offer a classical education program are more likely to teach cursive. You can find Colorado classical public and private schools at SchoolChoiceforKids.org.
As you teach your children cursive this holiday, embrace the joy of writing together!
Kyle Clark of 9 News is arguably the most influential political commentator in Colorado. Is he a journalist? Is he an opinion-maker? And with such a powerful microphone, does he see bias in the legacy media?
Colorado celebrates electric vehicle sales as first in the nation, but what does that mean, and are EVs having an effect on the climate? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke dive into the report and find out what is actually going on.
As we have reported before, Independence Institute has assembled a coalition of media and First Amendment groups on the right and the left to promote government transparency in the wake of the passage of SB24-157 last Legislative Session, which exempts the Colorado Legislature from many of the essential provisions of the Colorado Open Meetings law. The first step in our fight to reinstate transparency and open government will come on December 30, 2024, just days before the 2025 legislative session begins. The Executive Committee of the Legislative Council, a joint leadership committee, is scheduled to take public testimony concerning the impact of SB24-157. A true cynic would conclude that this meeting has been scheduled to discourage public comments. We are determined that this meeting is broadly announced and that the Legislature will finally get the feedback that they claim they need. Remote testimony is permitted. You can sign up to testify here. First, at the bottom of the page, select "Remotely via Zoom," then select "By Hearing Item," and then the only one currently listed, "Executive Committee of the Legislative Council Discussion and Public Testimony on Colorado Open Meetings Law." If you need help signing up to testify, please email Vanessa, our Communications Manager.
We encourage as many of you who are interested in this critical subject to give testimony. We will certainly be present. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact our general counsel, Shayne Madsen. -Shayne Madsen, General Council, Director of Political Law Center
Merry Christmas Eve! Please remember that the Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Dec. 25, so keep the Christmas spirit active into the New Year. Here is a link to an article I wrote a few years ago about the spectacular annual Christmas Pageant of the years when I attended Denver’s Graland Country Day School, in 1965-75. This is “a story about how a school of mixed religions celebrated Christmas. It's an example of how religious majorities and minorities can thrive together.” For every Pageant song described in the article, there is a link to a video of an excellent modern performance. May all of your twelve days of Christmas include happiness and gratitude about our wonderful nation and the Judeo-Christian civilization on which it is founded. -David Kopel, Research Director, Director of Second Amendment Project
As you may know, I, our Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence, have written many articles and studies on “America’s Worst Court.” That’s the label I---and now other analysts in imitation---affix to the Montana Supreme Court. Its far-left ultra-activism makes even Colorado’s liberal jurists look conservative. The Montana justices' nutty behavior has been going on for decades. It has triggered several reversals by the U.S. Supreme Court---including in a school choice case in which II played a prominent role. But now the abuses of the Montana justices are also getting national media attention. For example, on December 20, the Wall Street Journal highlighted their ruling that a group of sixteen children have a constitutional “right” to force the state to take more action against alleged climate change, in part because the children "feared" that glaciers were receding. This decision came on the heels of another ridiculous case in which the Montana jurists struck down a state law that protected minors from surgical mutilation. Most Montana lawmakers are determined to end this embarrassment. In October, they hired me on a two-month contract to help craft reform bills to curb the court’s overreach. The contract ended on December 21. Among the bills I worked on were measures to increase voter awareness, such as establishing a formal evaluation system for judges, free from lawyer control. I also helped draft a measure for a new tribunal to handle suits involving business, land use, and constitutional disputes—all areas where the Montana justices’ record has been abysmal. I also crafted new grounds for impeachment so the legislature could remove abusive and incompetent judges. I also helped write a bill to end the sordid practice of government agencies using taxpayer funds to lobby against taxpayers. All these bills will be introduced when the legislative session starts in January. -Rob Natelson, Senior Fellow, Constitutional Studies
Upcoming Events
NEXT CLASS Tuesday, January 14, 2025 6:30pm – 8:30pm Online class (Zoom link and password will be supplied after registration)
NEXT CLASS Wednesday, February 12, 2025 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Continuing Legal Education Seminar co-sponsored with the Federalist Society. Lunch will be provided. Please feel free to contact Shayne Madsen for more information.
