Author: Paul Lundeen
-
Paul Lundeen: What will the pandemic teach us?
There are few things like a life-threatening crisis to clarify your perspective. The pandemic, the choices politicians made on our behalf, and the consequences of that combination give us a chance at near 20/20 vision. We just need to put on our pandemic glasses and see if we are willing to learn. None of the…
-
POINT/COUNTERPOINT: What’s government’s role in ensuring vaccinations?
Point: Paul Lundeen It makes sense that the tiniest thing — a needle stick in the leg of a newborn — raises one of the biggest questions in our free society. What is the appropriate role of government over our lives? We are once again engaged in that debate under the Gold Dome in Denver.…
-
GUEST COLUMN: A boost for Colorado’s tourism industry
There is no question that the economy of Colorado Springs and El Paso County are strongly tied to two things: the U.S. military and tourism. The economic impact of the military is obvious, with El Paso County being home to the U.S. Air Force Academy, Fort Carson, and the new U.S. Space Command. But nearly…
-
GUEST COLUMN: No more kicking the can down the (potholed) road
For years — decades even — Coloradans have called upon the General Assembly to prioritize Colorado’s outdated transportation infrastructure. Our elected officials have for so long kicked this proverbial can down the (potholed) road that the Colorado Department of Transportation now has a backlog of anywhere from $7 billion to $9 billion in projects. To…
-
GUEST COLUMN: Parents deserve choice in sex education
As school choice week wrapped up, a controversial education bill passed out of a House committee. The bill is called the Comprehensive Human Sexuality Education Act (HB19-1032). Legislators and our constituents are lining up predictably on either side of the bill, mostly along party lines. There are differences of opinion about what curriculum should be…
-
GUEST COLUMN: A four-lane strategy in the I-25 Gap project is still a possibility
Politics is sometimes called the art of the possible. Twice in recent months, the I-25 Gap Project has been the beneficiary of that potential. With considerable public pressure, substantial growth in the state budget forecast, and a tweak to public policy, the Colorado Department of Transportation found it possible to take two innovative steps. Now…
-
POINT/COUNTERPOINT: Would Governor John Hickenlooper make a good president?
Paul Rosenthal What’s helping Americans get through the dark times of the Trump-Pence administration is the hope that we will have a new president in three years and four months. Fortunately, there’s a bevy of highly qualified Democrats who may run, like our own Gov. John Hickenlooper and Sens. Kamala Harris and Al Franken. Over…
-
GUEST COLUMN: Make roads and bridges a priority
The Colorado Springs Gazette recently reported that Colorado is unlikely to receive new significant transportation funding from Washington. (“Insights: Trump’s deal on transportation is a ‘no deal’ for Colorado,” May 28.) The story concluded that federal policy is pushing Colorado toward more toll roads – but I am here to say that another alternative exists.…
-
GUEST COLUMN: Local legislators work to bring balance to school testing
Students, parents, teachers, and school administrators are fed up with the senseless overtesting driven by past bad decisions by Colorado legislators and education policymakers. We have introduced a bill in the Colorado House of Representatives (to be heard today) that will fix what is wrong with education testing and standards. Our approach is based on…
-
GUEST COLUMNIST: The CEA roadblock to accelerating Colorado education
Around Colorado, Olivia, Lucas and the high school Class of ’32 are being born into a world with a chaotic future. Communities worldwide are accelerating their children onto an educational freeway. If we leave our schools on surface streets or get lost on an endless frontage road, these fast-tracked competitors will leave young Coloradans behind.…