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Commentary

Thies: DOGE cost-cutters should audit these Education Department programs next
Commentary, The Federalist

Thies: DOGE cost-cutters should audit these Education Department programs next

By Breccan F. Thies | The Federalist , Commentary The U.S. Department of Education is one of the most hated agencies in the government, consistently catching the ire of conservatives and education advocates who want it abolished for its wasteful spending and deep state control over education policies. Last week, President Donald Trump said he would like to see the Department of Education “closed immediately,” calling it a “con job.” He noted that America spends more money per student than almost every other country while delivering poor academic outcomes. Auditors from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have already slashed hundreds of millions in waste. Secretary-designate Linda McMahon, who had her Senate confirm...
Kirk: Elbridge Colby is the right man to carry out Trump’s America First mandate
Commentary, National, The Federalist

Kirk: Elbridge Colby is the right man to carry out Trump’s America First mandate

By Charlie Kirk | The Federalist, Commentary President Trump was elected with a mandate — a mandate to rethink the core assumptions of Washington, D.C., that have led this country to disaster after disaster. A mandate to put America first instead of last. To fulfill his mandate, the president needs to be able to make the appointments of his choosing without being sabotaged by the members of his own party that he carried to victory in November. Yet right now, a fight has broken out over the nomination of Elbridge Colby to be undersecretary of defense for policy, the top strategy official at the Pentagon. Make no mistake: This is a make-or-break moment for whether Donald Trump’s America First foreign policy will succeed — or even happen. Colby is being attacked precisely because hi...
Hunter: I’ve got the ‘bug’ only the Denver Fly Fishing Show can cure
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Hunter: I’ve got the ‘bug’ only the Denver Fly Fishing Show can cure

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The screaming and whirling of the drag as I set the hook into what I hoped would be a whopper rainbow was unforgettable. The trout surfaced and then nearly pulled me in the river, waders and all, and that was enough. I was "hooked", you could say. OK, maybe it wasn't a "whopper" and maybe it didn't exactly go down like that. Maybe the trout was the size of the fish Deion Sanders catches in that commercial with Nick Saban. It felt like a whopper to this novice, and I had "the bug" you could say for fly fishing. That's why I'm like a kid in a candy store this week. The 23rd annual Denver Fly Fishing Show is making its return to the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center from Friday-Sunday, Feb. 21-23. The Fly Fishing ...
Garbo: Lead the fight for America by reclaiming our republic from the enemies within
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Garbo: Lead the fight for America by reclaiming our republic from the enemies within

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice To be a citizen of the United States is to inherit one of the greatest political experiments in human history — one built upon the foundation of unalienable rights, limited government and a system designed to safeguard liberty against the natural tendency of power to corrupt. The Founding Fathers envisioned a constitutional republic where the people — not monarchs, aristocrats, or unchecked rulers — held sovereignty over their own destinies. The Declaration of Independence establishes the core philosophy that birthed this nation: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of...
Fleetwood: Mitch McConnell has worn out his welcome in politics
Commentary, National, The Federalist

Fleetwood: Mitch McConnell has worn out his welcome in politics

By Shawn Fleetwood | The Federalist, Commentary Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., may be nearing the end of his political career, but that doesn’t mean he’s done stabbing Republican voters in the back. During the past few days, the former Senate GOP leader has voted against several of President Donald Trump’s high-profile cabinet picks. On Wednesday, McConnell was the lone Republican to side with Senate Democrats in opposing Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation as director of National Intelligence. (Gabbard has notably criticized America’s failed foreign interventionism — a starkly different position than McConnell’s unhinged obsession with engulfing the U.S. in overseas forever wars). READ THE FULL STORY AT THE FEDERALIST Editor’s note: Opinions express...
Ganahl: Parents speak up about rash of alleged sex crimes by staff in Jefferson County schools
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Ganahl: Parents speak up about rash of alleged sex crimes by staff in Jefferson County schools

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice A letter sent by parent-led organization Jeffco Kids First (JKF) to the superintendent of Jefferson County schools and its board of education on Feb. 7, urges them to acknowledge shocking and dangerous issues in the district. Lindsday Datko, leader of JKF, asks that the district publicly implement immediate triage operations to address risks, and ensure accountability and adherence to sound processes, policies and laws. It ends with a call for a public update on these matters.  There is a board meeting Thursday, Feb. 13, at 5 p.m. at the Ed Center in Golden. Here is the link to participate virtually or live: https://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/about/board-of-education/board-meetings.  Some examples referenced in the c...
Walcher: Let’s use what we already have
Commentary, Greg Walcher

Walcher: Let’s use what we already have

By Greg Walcher | Guest Commentary, GregWalcher.com In planning the nation’s 1976 bicentennial celebration, Congress made one of its dumbest-ever boondoggle decisions. Recognizing the near death of railroad passenger service since the 1950’s, Congress decided to spend millions turning the aging and crumbling Union Station into the National Visitor Center. But they missed the obvious red flag – the millions of visitors to the nation’s capital during 1976 would not be coming by train. The ugly-carpeted National Visitor Center sat mostly empty that year, after which the old depot was boarded up, its roof caving in by 1981. Still ignoring reality, Congress spent millions more on several studies of what to do with the building. Each study concluded that the highest and best use would be a...
Rufo: How to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education
City Journal, Commentary

Rufo: How to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education

By Christopher F. Rufo | Commentary, City Journal There is a tingle of fear in any corporation whenever the words “restructuring,” “merger,” “acquisition,” or “hostile takeover” spread through the office. Employees work on their resumes, whisper about projected layoffs, and assess their options. We’re seeing the same phenomenon unfold right now in our nation’s capital. Since taking over last month, President Trump has promised to blitz through federal departments to roll back waste, cut ideological programs, and return fiscal sanity to American governance. While Republican presidents have long promised to “reduce the size of government,” they have usually failed to do so—the bureaucracy always wins. This time might be different. The second Trump administration has been surprising...
Garbo: The Party of spite (Democrats) betrayed their own promise on ‘No Tax on Tips’
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Garbo: The Party of spite (Democrats) betrayed their own promise on ‘No Tax on Tips’

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In a stunning display of hypocrisy, the Democratic Party once again proved that their loyalty lies not with the American people but with their own desperate grip on power. Kamala Harris campaigned on the promise of “No Tax on Tips,” a policy first proposed by President Donald Trump, yet when given the opportunity to support it, nearly every Democrat in Congress voted against it. Why? Because Republicans brought it forward. That’s it. No rational argument, no policy dispute — just petty, reflexive opposition rooted in pure political spite. This is not an isolated incident; it is a defining characteristic of today’s Democratic Party. They do not govern; they obstruct, steal, and lie. They will champion a cause when they b...
Brauchler: Probation for child rape in Colorado? Yes, really
Commentary, gazette.com

Brauchler: Probation for child rape in Colorado? Yes, really

By George Brauchler | Commentary, The Gazette In Colorado, a man who rapes a child — as long as it is just once — can get probation. As in, walk right out of the courtroom after conviction. But it is much worse than that. If that same man goes on to rape nine other children, as long as he only rapes them each once, that child rapist is also eligible for probation. That statement remains true even if the child rapist is a teacher, member of clergy, sports coach or any other person in a position of trust in relation to those children. That outcome should never happen again. Colorado’s offender-friendly Legislature has shown no interest in providing the promise of prison for child rapists. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary ...