Response to Polis’ 2023 State of the State

Anyone who lives outside of Denver or Boulder is well aware of Gov. Jared Polis' propensity to say one thing and do another.

We remember how he campaigned last year: “I'll save Coloradans more money” and, “I'll make Colorado one of the top 10 safest states,” all while — under his reign as governor — Colorado became exponentially less affordable and much more violent.

While Polis claims “Colorado falls in the middle of the pack on crime rates,” we are

No. 1 in the nation for car theft, bank robberies, and No. 2 for increase in fentanyl overdose deaths — all while Polis has been in office.

Now that he's been sworn in for a second term, is the governor on a new track to be, well, honest with the people who reelected him? No. Recently, a Polis' spokesman vehemently denied the accusation (which I made) that Colorado is a sanctuary state. In reality, Polis signed a 2019 law that made Colorado a sanctuary state. Not only is that what we are; it's what he made us. A well-researched deep-dive into the issue makes the case that Polis really is a liar.

Let's turn to his State of the State address. Last year, Polis sang off key. This year, he impersonated Yoda. Neither distracted from the reality of his speech: heavy on the ideas, short on actually getting anything done. He said, “leading the Colorado way… means showing up.”

Rural Colorado is well aware that Polis does not, in fact, show up. And when he does, he only notifies the handful of Democrats in town, ignoring even the elected county commissioners.

Polis said Colorado “protected a woman's right to choose,” but what he really did was sign a law to allow abortion until the day of birth and to even allow a child who survives abortion to be killed by other means in the hospital. That's not “protection.”

He claimed to “save people money” in healthcare, but new numbers show Colorado's health insurance premiums are the second highest in the nation. He also proposed forcing non-profit hospitals to pay into housing and food in the communities they're located in — as if it's the government's business to tell nonprofits what to do with their money.

Polis said housing should be more affordable and that we should “come together” and “legalize more housing choices.” He talked about the “Front Range Rail District,” “free bus fares,” and the public transit system. He claimed to give property tax relief, while failing to mention that, during his administration, property taxes will rise to historic levels in this year's assessment. He mentioned electric cars and “clean energy tax credits” — without acknowledging the unworkability of his plans for people who live long distances from major cities. He wants to “end our reliance on fossil fuels,” even though the oil and gas industry has been a major driver of Colorado's

economy.

Also notable is what the governor did not mention: the agricultural industry and rural Colorado. While he said he would “take on our greatest challenges,” he couldn't even acknowledge them. As new State Senators Byron and Rod Pelton wrote, this “may be the first time in history that the governor of Colorado did not mention (or at least allude to) the importance of our agricultural industry. … ne can only assume that this was no accident, but a direct insult made at the rural communities of Colorado.”

Indeed, this is not the first time Polis has insulted and forgotten rural Colorado. By his appointees who condemn 4-H for kids and his husband who calls cattle ranchers “whiners,” and by his silence when all this occurs, Polis confirms that he has no concern or care for the rural way of life.

Polis said, “We are the living heritage of this state and together we are the architects of its future.” On that, we can agree. But since the elite future Polis has in mind for Colorado excludes so many average Coloradans, hard-working families, and good people, we have to take it upon ourselves to do the slow, good work of keeping our local governments and our school boards in conservative hands; of building a culture and a community that values the right to life and our Second Amendment; of teaching the next generation that there are some fights so worth having that they're also worth never giving up on. That's how we build a better future.