
‘Land-use socialism’ on the local ballot in Littleton
There is no ‘right’ of some homeowners to forcibly restrict how their neighbors use their property.

There is no ‘right’ of some homeowners to forcibly restrict how their neighbors use their property.

When ‘local control’ becomes a pretext to run roughshod over people’s rights, the state rightly intervenes.

In a state where 98% of the land that can be developed is yet to be developed, we all wonder why home prices are out of control.

In their complaint the adjacent landowners say Boulder County is betraying the trust of residents by pursuing an industrialized facility that is incompatible with the conservation easement county taxpayers purchased.

The cost of a site plan and building permit, along with the cost of having an engineer certify the foundation and the shipping container can “run into the thousands of dollars,” says local businessman Hunter Hamilton.

“Adults living alone now account for nearly 30 percent of American households.” AARP report Making Room, Housing for a Changing America.

“This is the first bite at a pretty doggone big elephant and I think it will have to continue into January.” Colorado Springs City Councilman Andres Pico

Encroachments on Meadowlake Airport being processed while zoning protection request by airport manager is delayed.

El Paso County land use officials claim authority to force Mountain View Electric Association to move powerlines.
COLORADO SPRINGS – The dispute over a planned low-income housing development in southwest Colorado Springs took a leap into federal Fair Housing Act territory when the owners and developers of
Colorado Springs — Kathleen Krager, Engineering Division Manager for Colorado Springs says that a limited-access highway on the east side of Colorado Springs is “not needed.” In the proposed revision

Acrimony at the Colorado Springs City Council over secrecy involving Banning Lewis Ranch bubbles over when Councilman Bill Murray calls for a vote to end secret negotiations with developers.
Another week, another column about Colorado’s ruling class treating democracy like a state trooper treats the speed limit. It’s for other people.
I swear, I want to write about literally anything else — aliens, sports, lab-grown meat, Bigfoot opening a vape shop in Pueblo.
But Colorado’s legislature has never been more abusive to the citizenry, or hypocritical.
To save time, I won’t rehash the endless “No Kings,” “Trump is destroying democracy,” “our sacred duty is protecting democracy, so be happy you have us” self-promotion constantly ejaculated by Colorado’s ruling class.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s pretend every word of it is true. Let’s assume President Donald Trump wakes every morning and convenes a joint special-forces meeting to steal democracy in Colorado.
If democracy is truly hanging by a thread, then surely Colorado’s Democrat majority is heroically defending it. I mean, they say that’s their job one, next to banning ketchup packets (Senate Bill 146, seriously).
Which leaves me confused.
Because from my tiny little “just-a-citizen” brain perspective, they seem to spend an awful lot of time removing voters’ power, hiding meetings, dodging taxpayer consent and nullifying ballot initiatives.
Maybe I’m missing the advanced theory of democracy taught only in elite government seminars and overpriced Aspen retreats.
Take Senate Bill 150. It strips away two-thirds of RTD’s publicly elected board seats and replaces them with appointees.
Silly me. I thought democracy involved electing people.
But apparently true democracy is when insiders choose insiders to protect the public from the dangerous unpredictability of… the public.
Then there’s House Bill 1326, which exempts the all-powerful Public Utilities Commission from open meetings laws.
Again, I’m sure there’s a sophisticated democracy-enhancing explanation for this.
Perhaps democracy works best when the public cannot actually watch government decisions being made. Sort of a “trust us you peasants” model of self-government.
House Bill 1418 puts a “fee” on games young people play online.
Now, if it walks like a tax, quacks like a tax and drains your wallet like a tax, a normal person might call it a tax. But by labeling it a “fee,” lawmakers can dodge asking voters for permission.
Which is convenient. Because asking permission from citizens can really slow down democracy.
Even more amazing, this fee appears large enough that under existing law it should require voter approval anyway. Yet lawmakers are still trying to skip the vote.
Apparently democracy is strongest when elections are treated as optional.
Then there’s Senate Bill 135, which takes your TABOR refunds. At least this one goes to the ballot. But the ballot language will say the money goes to education.
In reality, only a small fraction actually does.
Maybe I’m old fashioned, but using misleading ballot language to convince voters to surrender their money feels less like defending democracy and more like a used car salesman turning back the odometer on a lemon.
Now comes the cherry on top, House Bill 1430, filed in the final chaotic moments of the session. Its purpose is beautifully simple: invalidate a citizen initiative that might appear on the ballot this fall. Kill what voters might vote for before they vote on it.
I always believed democracy meant if voters approve something at the ballot box, government respects the outcome. Isn’t that what the anger against Trump and Tina Peters is all about?
Here’s the backstory: Colorado used to dedicate sales tax revenue from automobile parts and accessories to roads. Which honestly seems reasonable, given roads are where cars generally go (Man, if I could still get away with a drunk driving joke, this would be a perfect spot).
But the legislature ended that sensible funding stream. We don’t really do road funding anymore. I don’t need to convince you of that. Instead, we currently do incentives for front-end alignment shops.
Now there’s a potential citizen initiative that might restore that road-funding mechanism. Maybe it makes the ballot. Maybe voters approve it. Maybe they don’t.
That’s how democracy is supposed to work.
But HB-1430 essentially says, “That’s cute. Your vote still won’t matter.”
If voters approve returning the road funding, with 1430 lawmakers will reduce road funding by the exact same amount.
Thankfully, Colorado is governed by people who understand democracy far better than voters do.
Thank God Colorado’s one-party rulers are here to save democracy from the voters.
Jon Caldara is president of Independence Institute, a free market think tank in Denver.

Colorado’s legislative session has just ended. State lawmakers try to kneecap a law that allows Coloradans a right to natural gas. Does it work? What does having natural gas afford citizens? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this and more.
Show Notes:
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-002
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB26-1326
https://i2i.org/colorados-puc-sunset-bill-lost-its-worst-provisions/
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-182
https://leg.colorado.gov/initiatives/right-to-natural-gas-177
https://sarahmontalbano.substack.com/p/colorado-springs-utilities-coal-plant
Because the grid could use a backup plan.
Yes, we’re giving away a Predator Generator.
No, this is not a drill.
Yes, it’s because reliability apparently isn’t fashionable anymore.
Starting with the first show of 2026, drop a funny, clever, or pithy comment in the show’s comment section.
That’s it. No forms. No fine print to initial. No ESG questionnaire.
At the end of the session, we’ll select our top 3–5 favorite comments.
Then you vote on the winner.
Democracy still works here. Mostly.
Winner announced on the last show in May 2026.
One comment.
One generator.
Because when the grid wobbles, satire won’t keep your lights on — but a Predator Generator will.

In this conversation, political scientist Lindsey Cormack discusses why America’s civic knowledge crisis may be deeper than most people realize. From students not understanding basic government concepts like federalism, primaries, or even the three branches of government, to broader concerns about self-governance, voter participation, and the growing disconnect between citizens and civic responsibility, the discussion explores what happens when people stop understanding how their own system works. The interview also dives into ranked choice voting, approval voting, local government involvement, the “American experiment,” and why raising informed, engaged citizens may no longer be something schools can handle alone.