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Colorado News Miner 84

Tax-funded religious schools sue, Buck, Boebert, tent bars, farming, HOAs, Dark Tobin, socialist sports, capitalist journalists, and more.

Tax-Funded Schools: Complete Colorado published my column, "Religious lawsuits over pre-K showcase tax-funding conflict." I review the lawsuits by various religious preschools that wish to receive tax subsidies but do not wish to follow Colorado's anti-discrimination rules for students and teachers. I draw up a basic libertarian argument against the notion that the exclusion of the religious schools violates their rights to freedom of speech and of religion. However, as I point out, as long as we finance schools through tax funding, there is no way to resolve tensions. I do point out, "subsidizing families directly, rather than subsidizing schools, would avoid much of the conflict specifically pertaining to freedom of speech and of religion."

Fascism: Fueled by conspiracy mongering and religious fervor, parts of the right are marching into fascism.

Buck: Good analysis from Ken Buck: "The GOP's charge against Biden is that he personally benefited from his son's deplorable business exploits around the globe. Without doubt, Hunter Biden's shady business deals undermined America's image and our anti-corruption goals, and his conduct was thoroughly reprehensible. What's missing, despite years of investigation, is the smoking gun that connects Joe Biden to his ne'er-do-well son's corruption." Buck also discusses "the 2016 firing of Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin" and finds no "there" there in terms of alleged misdeeds by Biden. Buck is wrong about the Trump impeachment, but he's right about the current situation. Meanwhile . . .

Boebert: She misspoke about her wild behavior at a public venue, saying she wasn't vaping when video clearly shows she was. She later admitted to it and apologized. She also got a little "friendly" with her male companion. Elisabeth Epps has a critical take on some of the backlash. But Boebert obviously is a hypocrite on the topic of public behavior, as with her condemnations of drag shows. Again, Republicans are fools if they don't replace Boebert in the primary.

Denver's Third-World Vibe: Brian Maass: "'We're hearing there was an open bar, sales of alcohol, things like that' [in tents!], said Denver Police Patrol Division Chief Aaron Sanchez as he surveyed the scene at 23rd Street and Champa Street. 'We have officers looking into that.' . . . Additionally, he said there had been complaints about the couches and tents being rented out for prostitution that were also being investigated."

Denver Schools: Kyle Clark: "Denver Public Schools has again overruled a school's expulsion request for a student charged with attempted murder. The school board has said if the attempted murder happens off school grounds, the student can return to class."

Jeffco Schools: Jimmy Sengenberger thinks Jeffco's "district accountability committee" has it out for charter schools.

Immigration: Deep Singh Badhesha is often wrong. But sometimes he's impressively right, as when he says: "Denver is not full. Colorado is not full. America is not full. Everyone who lives here should be able to stay. Everyone who moves here should be welcomed."

Farming: Kelly Maher discovers the worst pest for farmers. This reminds me of a story my grandma told: Once a woman pulled up to my grandma's apricot tree and just started picking away! It's easy to be oblivious to how much work farming is until you try it.

HOAs: Jesse Paul wrote about a man who bought a house in an HOA, then racked up $8,649.55 in HOA fees. "Last year, the HOA filed for foreclosure. The house sold at auction for just $76,000. A few months later, the investor who bought the home sold it again for $520,000," Paul writes. Mike Rosen suggests that Paul is biased and argues that the foreclosure was fair and that people agree to be bound by HOA rules. I have often defended HOAs, but in this case I think HOAs have a moral duty, and should have a legal duty, to sell a home for market value and give the residual value to the person suffering foreclosure. It's insane to let some random person reap a huge windfall.

Dark Tobin: Tobin Stone, a YIMBYist and "New Liberal" who popularized the "Dark Brandon" meme, did an interview with Ernest Luning.

Socialist Sports: With self-proclaimed socialists in the legislature, we can expect a constant stream of this sort of thing (here from Epps): "Highly recommend . . . Dave Zirin's talk on Sports in a Socialist Society. So thought-provoking. I left feeling less guilt about loving sports, but also encouraged for the future we can build, and how athletic competition will fit in." Footballers of the world unite?

Capitalist Journalists: Corey Hutchins has an interesting comment about Craig Silverman's podcast episode with the Sun's Larry Ryckman: "Silverman gets Colorado Sun founder and editor Larry Ryckman to take a stand. 'I'm a capitalist,' Ryckman says on the show. 'There's nothing wrong with making money.' (Context is about for-profit newsrooms and how the Sun is transitioning into a nonprofit.)"

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