What makes a grassroots protest authentically "grassroots"? When is a political rally a genuine expression of citizen concern and not a thinly-veiled front for evil out-of-state interests?
COLORADO'S FRONTPAGE
Face the State
Content Index: Independence Institute
Follow this topic by RSS1/29: States' rights to the test
Do states' rights mean anything in the 21st century? We're about to find out.
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Will Colorado say 'no' to ObamaCare?
Independence Institute president Jon Caldara has proposed an initiative that would assert states' rights in exempting Colorado from a new federal health care regime. Will it pass muster with voters, and would Washington listen?
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Who determines what makes for "rational" school funding?
An interview with Independence Institute policy analyst Ben DeGrow regarding a lawsuit alleging Colorado's school funding system is "irrational." In a recent op-ed, DeGrow says such questions are best handled by elected representatives, not the courts.
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Huttner: Conservative protesters are lemmings
July 29, 2009A tale of two think tanks - and the state budget
Colorado's Long-Term Fiscal Stability Commission held its first hearings Wednesday and Thursday. Both the liberal Bell Policy Center and libertarian Independence Institute gave presentations on the future course of the state budget, and Face The State brings you the highlights.
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Slideshow: 7th annual 'Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' bash
A Face the State Staff Report
June 22, 2009
Face The State was on the scene for the Independence Insitute's annual Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Party, held Saturday at the Kiowa Creek Sporting Club. If you missed this year's event - we were on site shooting everything and everyone (with a camera.)
Lakewood couple tells of eminent domain struggle in new video
June 17, 2009
After years of fighting with the Regional Transportation District of Denver to prevent the loss of their home and business to eminent domain, Lakewood property owners Kim Snyder and Galen Foster have settled and plan to relocate. The couple recently sat down with Independence Institute President Jon Caldara to film a final video in the series: "The Human Cost of FasTracks."
Tancredo sets sights on drug legalization
A Face the State Staff Report
June 16, 2009
Former Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo's 2008 presidential bid was an admitted opportunity to speak against current immigration policy. And while immigration reform remains in Tancredo's sights, his new policy stomping ground may come as a surprise: marijuana legalization.
Meet the MEP who opposed Britain's bailout plan
June 15, 2009In an impassioned speech before members of the European Parliament in March, British politician Daniel Hannan called out Labour's Gordon Brown as "the devalued prime minister of a devalued government." Hannan will visit Colorado June 26 as a guest of the Independence Institute to tout his new book and give Americans a sense of the state of European politics.
Q: How many local elections will be held this year? A: Nobody knows
A Face the State Staff Report
June 11, 2009Many of Colorado's over 3,200 local governments, from cities to water districts, will place a host of issues before voters this November. Residents of the state's nearly 2,000 special districts face an especially difficult time learning what will appear on their local ballot, and they may not even be aware these governments exist. Complicating matters, the state office overseeing local government issues is unaware of elections in advance, and officials only learn of elections after the polls have closed and votes are tallied.
Guns, liquor, cigars and Joe the Plumber
May 28, 2009
Colorado's most irreverent nonprofit fundraiser, the Independence Institute's annual Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms event, is just around the corner. In addition to the usual shooting, boozing and smoking, this year's event features Sam Wurzelbacher, better known as "Joe the Plumber."
CU trims $29 million in spending...but can't provide list of actual cuts
A Face the State Staff Report
May 23, 2009The University of Colorado Board of Regents voted to raise tuition this week without considering a local think tank's call to cut all six-figure salaries by 5 percent, a proposal that would have saved the university more than $4 million. In addition, the Regents supported $29 million in cuts, but weren't able to provide a list of actual cuts as of press time.
FTS on the air: Rocky Mtn. Alliance of Bloggers
Face the State staff writer Kate Melvin appeared on the Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio show Tuesday night to discuss ongoing budget struggles at the University of Colorado and the call for salary cuts from the Independence Institute, spurred by a FTS investigation into high salaries at CU.
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Free People, Free Markets: The one night stand
April 7, 2009As part of its continuing mission to educate the public on the importance of limited government and free market policy, the Independence Institute is offering a condensed, one night version of its economics class, Free People, Free Markets.
Segment 3 - State supreme court upholds tax increase without public vote
The Colorado Supreme Court issued a ruling Monday upholding certain provisions of the 2007 School Finance Act which allow the state to collect increased property tax revenues without a public vote. FTS takes a look at the decision, with reaction from the plaintiff's attorney, Richard Westfall, Independence Institute president Jon Caldara, and Nina Lopez of the Colorado Children's Campaign.
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Colorado Supreme Court upholds controversial tax increase
A Face the State Staff Report
March 17, 2009
The Colorado Supreme Court, widely regarded as one of the most liberal in the country, has upheld a property tax increase that raised $118 million in its first year and was previously ruled unconstitutional by a Denver district court judge.
Segment 1 - The week's news: Salary caps for higher ed? 'Mandatory' volunteerism?
FTS managing editor Brad Jones and staff writer Kate Melvin review the week in Colorado news, including: should CU cap executive pay in an effort to save money? A state program aims to lure back college drop-outs, and Boulder considers requirements forcing students to volunteer.
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Independence Institute calls for CU salary caps
March 13, 2009Following a Face the State investigation into the six-figure salaries of CU administrators, Jessica Corry of the Independence Institute's Campus Accountability Project is calling on CU to implement voluntary pay cuts for top officials.
Colorado experts respond to Obama education plan
A Face the State Staff Report
March 11, 2009President Barack Obama outlined his plans for education reform Tuesday by embracing stricter standards, merit pay for teachers and charter schools. While Colorado’s conservative education leaders were glad to see Obama embrace ideas that have long been espoused by the center-right, they still welcomed his plan with skeptical optimism.
Slideshow: Protesters to Obama: 'No More Pork!'
A Face the State Staff Report
February 17, 2009
While President Barack Obama was signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, hundreds of Coloradans rallied blocks away at the state Capitol in opposition to the legislation.
Beware of the 'vampires' at the Independence Institute
February 2, 2009
Through a recent open records request, Face the State obtained dozens of e-mails sent and received by tenured CU law professor Melissa Hart. While this proved to be a story in and of itself, one e-mail from a prominent Denver attorney stood out, referencing Hart's opposition as "social vampires" who "will seek to rise from the grave."
This email was sent by James Lyons, a partner at the Denver law firm Rothgerber, Johnson & Lyons.
Senate committee contemplates online school budgets
A Face the State Staff Report
January 29, 2009
Members of the Senate Education Committee are currently considering a bill that proponents say would lend transparency and accountability to Colorado's school districts.
Coming soon to the Internet: Colorado's checkbook
A Face the State Staff Report
January 9, 2009Before Gov. Bill Ritter delivered his State of the State speech Thursday morning, Face The State reported he was going to throw his support behind a Republican plan to put the state's checkbook online. Hours later, it's clear he plans to bring Democrats on board with the idea first proposed by two Republican lawmakers.
FTS on the Air: The state's checkbook, online
As first reported by Face The State this morning, Gov. Bill Ritter is expected to announce this morning an initiative to place the state's checkbook online, in effect adopting a legislative effort championed by Sen. Mike Kopp and Rep. Don Marostica. But will Ritter's plan for transparency be as strong as they had proposed? FTS staff writer Rachel Boxer breaks the news on 1310 KFKA's Amy Oliver show.
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Independence Institute takes to YouTube airwaves to tell teachers about possible refund
December 5, 2008Did you know that if you’re a teacher at a public school in Colorado, you may be eligible for a political refund?
Independence Institute Founder's Night brings packed house to DCPA
A Face the State Staff Report
November 14, 2008
Nearly 500 lovers of liberty and free market thinkers got together Thursday night to celebrate the Independence Institutes's annual Founders Night, with national commentator and author Michelle Malkin headlining the event.
FTS Weekend Edition, 10/25
On this week's Face The State Weekend Edition: The week that was in Colorado news, with a focus on judicial retention elections and local government. The Independence Institute's Linda Gorman disagrees with CU's new push toward standardized testing, and Paul Jacob comes out against Referendum O. The Associated Press can't count, and Colorado's 4th CD is home to one of America's most hotly contested U.S. House races.
Play audio - 39:18 minutes
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Jon Caldara's socks now available on eBay
October 22, 2008
With his Amendment 49 campaign operating on a shoestring, Jon Caldara is hoping to turn a pair of socks into a stack of cash.
But these are no ordinary socks. Up for bid on eBay are the authentic sock puppet stars of Caldara’s recent video advertisement explaining how Amendment 49 works.
With just one vote, you too can help a starving lobbyist
October 8, 2008
Lobbyists have banded together to voice their collective opposition to a ballot initiative seeking to eliminate the government's ability to use public payroll systems to transfer money directly to special interest groups. Well, maybe the site is satirical, but it's still dead on.
A good week for Amendment 49
September 30, 2008Jon Caldara is used to being the underdog. It's where he's at his best.
And while his Amendment 49 has suffered from a lack of financial support in a crowded ballot year, Caldara has managed to gain incredible support from Colorado's always finicky media establishment. With ballots shipped out in a matter of days, the timing couldn't be better.