Mark Hillman

Reporters who cover the State Capitol recently learned that the House Republicans’ media office keeps a list of which media outlets are considered “unfriendly.”  To some in media, this was newsworthy.

To anyone on the center-right, this is entirely unremarkable.  It is remarkable that any astute reporter could be truly surprised.

Republicans still hold to the quaint notion that a reporter’s job is to lay out facts and responsibly present arguments by both sides.  Increasingly, however, reporters seem uninterested in the work of examining both sides, especially if doing so puts Democrats in a bad light. (more…)

Horses on our farm didn’t get the memo about COVID-19 so in the past year we’ve traveled with them through blue and red states where an inescapable pattern distinguishes rural communities from suburban or urban ones.

Near large cities, people reacted to the pandemic with purposeful social distancing and meticulous wearing of masks.  But in rural towns, evidence of a pandemic was typically two-fold: food-service and store clerks wore masks as directed by employers and advisory mask signs were both ubiquitously posted and frequently ignored.

This isn’t to argue that either approach is better but rather that people and communities can be trusted to adapt to our own unique situations.

This spring, rural Coloradans are increasingly fed up with the onslaught of top-down directives that impose Denver-Boulder “solutions” on every community.  These mandates disregard Coloradans’ competency to govern ourselves.  Even though some have been derailed, the Legislature’s relentless drumbeat of paternalism is creating a swelling tide of resentment.

The assault on agriculture by lawmakers and activists with no stake in our business is especially infuriating. (more…)

In memory of Rush Limbaugh, I wanted to share a few memories.  In May 1993, a few “dittoheads” from my church headed to Fort Collins for Dan’s Bake Sale, an impromptu gathering of Rush Limbaugh fans who converged on Fort Collins to help Dan Kay raise $29.95 to buy a subscription to Rush’s newsletter.

We didn’t know what we were in for until we reached northbound I-25 in Denver for what should have been a 45-minute drive to Old Town Square.  We realized something was different about this day when the drive slowed to more than two hours because the freeway was flooded with fans of Rush from across the country.

The Coloradoan newspaper estimated attendance at 20,000 – about the number who attended CSU football games at old Hughes Stadium.  Believe me, Rams traffic never backed up I-25 like we experienced on this day.  Attendance was surely several times greater.

Like the Tea Party Rally in Washington 30 years later, conservatives gathered, conversed and celebrated, picked up their trash, and generally “practiced what we preached.”  Those were literally the good ol’ days! (more…)

Originally published in The Denver Post:

Colorado’s courts have long lacked the transparency demanded of other branches of government.  Deadlines require the state legislature to act on bills in a timely manner and allow citizens to easily monitor their progress.

But the court system operates behind a veil.  Lawyers can access certain information as a case moves toward trial, but once a case is heard by a judge – especially a civil, or non-criminal, case – the parties involved have no way to know when to expect a verdict.  The public is completely in the dark.

Media watchdogs who would decry lack of accountability by legislators, city councilors or county commissioners seem to accept without question that courts issue opinions whenever they get around to it.  News reports about judges failing to produce timely decisions simply do not exist.

A particularly egregious case recently came to a head in Denver District Court where Judge Ross Buchanan issued a ruling nearly three years after trial.  Worse still, Buchanan’s ruling smacks of vindictiveness against a defendant who had the temerity to complain about this unconscionable delay. (more…)

Even politicians with the largest social media following don’t run campaign ads touting their tweets and posts as a qualification for holding office.  And for good reason.

Last July, Pew Research found that 55% of all social media users were “worn out” by political posts and discussions.  These numbers grew markedly worse over the past four years, but applied to both parties: 63% of Republicans, 49% of Democrats.  Only 15% actually liked seeing a proliferation of political posts.

Mind you, this was a survey of social media users who, by definition, choose to be more politically engaged than the average person.  Yet, even most of these “political junkies” were weary of social media skirmishes.

Some politicians in both parties seem more pre-occupied with building their social media profile than doing the job for which they were elected.  Still others can’t resist using their electoral “fame” as an occasional platform for snarking at the opposition.

Sooner or later, it comes back to bite them. (more…)

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 members of both parties, aided by their respective media cheerleaders and other attack dogs, have rewarded rhetorical bomb-throwers and cultivated distrust at the expense of what we once called “good government.”  Neither party should be proud of its own poor judgment (to be polite) during the past four years.  The problem is that too many “leaders” believe the ends justify the means.

The January 6 tragedy – like the 2017 Congressional baseball shooting – is a reminder that this careless rhetoric, always escalating the stakes, isn’t merely a game.

Consider: (more…)

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