Author: Mark Hillman
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THE PODIUM | State would bungle health care, too
Mark Hillman It’s not hard to understand why people are frustrated with health care. Electricians, plumbers and mechanics can send us a simple bill with a price for their work, but doctors and hospitals send us bills with sticker-shock prices that they know will be marked down later. Our health insurance isn’t really “insurance” but…
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America needs more level heads and fewer opportunists
Five Americans lost their lives in the riot at the U.S. Capitol. What makes that tragedy even worse is that it was so unnecessary. We didn’t arrive at this volatile moment, when loud voices on both sides show contempt for each other, because of the failings of a single political party. We are here because…
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GUEST COLUMN: Prop 113’s election scheme is bad for Colorado
Proposition 113 on this year’s ballot is a rare example of Colorado citizens rising up to say “STOP!” when the state Legislature allows partisan rancor to cloud common sense. Last year, legislators passed a bill which would award Colorado’s crucial nine votes in the Electoral College — which determines who will be president — to…
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POINT/COUNTERPOINT: Does Colorado have a TABOR problem or a spending problem?
Point: Mark Hillman Tailgating on the highway presents an obvious danger: drivers in a reckless hurry, traveling too fast, following the car ahead too closely. When someone taps the brakes, a chain reaction ensues, and the resulting collision is far worse than if everyone had been driving cautiously and responsibly. Fiscal tailgating at the state…
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POINT | Let’s ask voters to save for a rainy day
Mark Hillman Tailgating on the highway presents an obvious danger: drivers in a reckless hurry, traveling too fast, following the car ahead too closely. When someone taps the brakes, a chain reaction ensues, and the resulting collision is far worse than if everyone had been driving cautiously and responsibly. Also read: COUNTERPOINT | TABOR is what…
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GUEST COLUMN: MLK’s words illustrate his faith, patriotism, desire for unity
Because he was taken from us just before my first birthday, what I know about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. comes from his speeches and writing. His words provide a stark contrast to so many activists and politicians in today’s polarized political climate. Despite his attempts to speak from a love of God, love…
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GUEST COLUMN: GOP facing tough choices in Colorado
Colorado’s 2018 midterm election was an across-the-board smackdown to Republicans. Democrats won every statewide office for the first time in 80 years and gained their largest legislative majority since 1958. In several local elections, voters rejected Republicans and chose Democrats who were either unqualified or outside the mainstream. Shellshocked Republicans are asking, “Want went wrong?”…
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MARK HILLMAN: Hold government accountable — and call off the culture wars
Colorado’s Western spirit long has embodied a live-and-let-live creed that respects personal freedom and preserves the citizens’ control over government, both firmly rooted in the Colorado Constitution’s Bill of Rights. Those principles exist in constant tension as the governing majority seeks to impose its will on particular minorities, whether identified by race, geography, class, gender,…
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GUEST OPINION: Capitol critics could benefit from real-world perspective
Ideas inspire both philosophers and legislators, but the two jobs differ considerably thereafter. That distinction is critical to understanding the current dust-up between the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara and several Republican lawmakers. A thoughtful, assertive voice for liberty, Caldara is a friend and an ally. He and the Institute advocate for personal freedom and limited…
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Medicaid expansion strains state budget
The newest dubious justification for weakening Colorado’s limits on government spending is “our aging population.” The spending lobby seeks to frighten senior citizens by telling them that the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) in our state constitution hampers the ability to fund key programs. Parents are told that public schools are in a squeeze because…