Though most of us celebrate “No Kings Day” on July 4, the Trump-deranged got a head start last weekend with rallies around the state.

Attendees bravely fought oppression by blocking traffic for people with jobs. Rally-goers demanded freedom from tyranny, many right after voting to ban all but beige house paint at their HOA meetings.

After pausing briefly to DoorDash something gluten-free, they returned to the barricades to secure democracy in Colorado for one more day.

They risked everything, except mild discomfort, to call the guy who won both the popular vote and the electoral vote a tyrant.

Yes, I’m having fun at their expense. And yes, they have a point. When you build a country on principles instead of a person, it’s fair to get twitchy when the “person” starts talking like a “regime.”

But all the screaming about President Donald Trump being a “threat to democracy” leaves me with a question:

While we’re obsessing over Trump stealing our democracy, are we distracted from noticing Colorado’s power elite doing the same?

Colorado’s own kings

What’s the old magician’s skill? Distract them with one hand, lift the wallet with the other. Does Colorado’s elite fight Trump’s desire to be king with one hand, while working to become king with the other?

Take speech.

Many at these rallies are convinced Trump is shredding free speech. Yet just after the protests, the Supreme Court slapped down Colorado’s law banning certain conversations between therapists and their clients. It was an 8–1 decision. Even the Court’s liberals weren’t buying it.

Our own state also passed a law against “misgendering.” Strip away the buzzwords and you get the same thing: government deciding what you’re allowed to say. That’s not edgy. That’s old-school authoritarian.

Then there’s transparency.

Colorado’s lawmakers exempted themselves from our open meetings law to rule from smokey back rooms — I mean, likely pot smoke, since Denver recently banned Swisher Sweet Cigars.

Tyranny doesn’t kick down the front door. It quietly pulls the blinds.

Still not enough?

Let’s talk about dismantling elections.

Colorado lawmakers just introduced Senate Bill 150, which guts the elected board of the Regional Transportation District, Denver-metro’s transit government. RTD controls $2 billion of your money and serves more than 3 million people. Right now, it’s governed by 15 elected members.

SB-150 cuts that to five, a cut of two-thirds.

Then it adds four appointed seats. Not elected. Appointed.

Let’s review: shrink representation, destroy elected government, install loyalists to tax billions from millions of citizens and spend it as only loyalists can.

This is a ploy only Donald Trump could love.

Colorado legislators can practice his voice: “You’re too stupid to vote for the RTD Board. Really, you’re a very stupid person. Fortunately, I am very, very smart. Some say the smartest official ever. I’ve heard many people say that. So, of course I know who should be on the whatever board.”

Somewhere in a history book there’s a line about taxation without representation. It didn’t end well for the people doing the taxing.

Rise of the independents

If Donald Trump proposed SB-150, every one of those “No Kings” protesters would be chaining themselves to the Capitol doors.

This isn’t left versus right. It’s about whether voters get to choose who governs them.

Because once you accept you’re too stupid to elect a transit board, it’s a short trip to being too stupid to elect anything else.

Like most unaffiliated voters, I believe the state is spinning out of control. You can hate Donald Trump and still think Colorado is over-taxed and over-regulated. You can support a woman’s right to choose and still believe Colorado government is going too far.

That’s why my friend Erin Brantley and I are launching Independent Majority Colorado, our attempt to create a home for those of us who are politically homeless.

Most Coloradans aren’t Tina-Peters Republicans or government-knows-best socialists. We’re just regular folk who want to be left alone.

We want government out of our businesses and out of our bedrooms. And we’d like it to stop quietly rigging the system while everyone’s busy yelling about Washington.

Our first fight is stopping this very un–“No Kings” Senate Bill 150. Go to IndependentMajority.CO if you want to join your voice with ours.

Because if you’re going to chant about kings, you might want to notice the ones being crowned right here at home.

Jon Caldara is president of Independence Institute, a free market think tank in Denver.