Bowling Alone

Putnam’s ‘social capital’ key to connecting across Colorado’s political divide

Ari Armstrong May 6, 2025

Put your phone down and talk with people, including people with different backgrounds and ideas.

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Veto-worthy bills put Polis in a progressive-pleasing bind

By Jon Caldara

There are only three jobs worth having in Colorado. The first is fortunately mine.

Any person who can make a living by indulging his passion is beyond blessed. I somehow have provided for my family by fighting for personal and economic freedom in Colorado. Running Independence Institute, Colorado’s machine to promote liberty principles over party, politicians and special interests, is a dream come true.

The next coolest job in Colorado is quarterback for the Denver Broncos, which, by the way, I would be totally awesome at.

The only other job I’d want here would be governor, the most influential and powerful gig for changing policy and shaping the state’s future.

And to be Jared Polis, a near billionaire to boot, would be a rip. I mean, if you can self-fund your elections, you’re not beholden to moneyed special interests owning you. He’s also term limited. He can do what he pleases without regard to it harming any reelection.

So why do I feel sorry for him?

Hostage to the loony left

Though he can’t run for governor again, he’s eyeing the U.S. Senate or even the presidency. So, still a politician. And the curse of every politician is the same as that of every middle-school girl. All you care about is what other people think of you.

For nearly seven years now, Jared has been held hostage to the growing socialist-loony fringe of his party. He wants to be the pro-business libertarian he claims to be, but everyone inside Colorado knows he governs anti-liberty progressive.

And now people around the country are learning his spin was just that. Even Reason magazine, who fell for the con years ago, calling him the “libertarian governor,” is retracting the title (a la Steve Harvey announcing the wrong winner of Miss America).

Coming out of another stranger-than-strange, more-left-than-left, liberty-hating, economy-strangling legislative session, our poor governor is faced with political no-win decisions. Should he sign even more economy-killing, liberty-squeezing bills, or veto them?

To his credit, he bravely just vetoed bills to limit governmental transparency and to create a social media nanny state, angering many. Will more vetoes come?

Veto-worthy bills

Senate Bill 5 will force non-union workers to pay union dues (which almost all goes into political campaigning) and will drive private businesses to leave for friendlier territory. We’ll join California, New York and Illinois, watching the moving trucks roll to low-tax, worker-protected states like Texas, Tennessee and Florida.

If he signs it, he strangles the state economy and finishes what’s left of being “pro-business.” And the unions will work against him in his next primary.

Handicapped people, the elderly, those without cars and every one of us who have had a few too many rely on Uber and Lyft. If he signs the bill forcing them to outfit cars with recording systems and overly bureaucratic personnel requirements, they said they’d leave the state.

This would delight the taxi cartel and government transit, in other words, the left’s core team. So, it’s mobility, technology and free enterprise versus his beloved planner-state. He must choose.

I really feel sorry for Polis over House Bill 1312, one of the most anti-liberty, anti-child and anti-free speech acts of petulance we’ve ever seen. Veto this bill that punishes “misgendering or deadnaming” and erodes parental rights, and he angers the most-vicious and retribution-crazed wing of his cancel-culture left.

No more Polis Process

The Polis Process has been to take bills that destroy liberty and economic prosperity and get the legislature to water them down before they get to his desk. For example, he’s never wanted to sign a so-called assault weapons bill. No “libertarian” could. So, he gets those civil-rights haters to morph their bills into other god-awful anti-gun bills.

Thus, we have tiptoed our way to a gun-hating Colorado: local control to ban guns, waiting periods, weakening concealed carry rights, increased age limits, more red flag laws and, this year, the nation’s most onerous permitting scheme.

But look, Mom — no assault weapons ban!

This year signaled the last time this “Polis Process” will really be effective. The legislature just doesn’t care what he thinks anymore. He’ll be gone soon. They no longer mind putting him in no-win positions.

Frankly, I’m glad. The Polis Process has resulted in a death by a thousand cuts for our freedoms and our economy while Jared tries to please all the middle school girls.

Sorry, Jared. Time to see what’s more important to you, Colorado or your socialist friends.

Veto-worthy bills put Polis in a progressive-pleasing bind

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Bowling Alone

Putnam’s ‘social capital’ key to connecting across Colorado’s political divide

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Veto-worthy bills put Polis in a progressive-pleasing bind

Hostage to the loony left

Veto-worthy bills

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