Pat Dono

@JonCaldara Yep & here is people voting with their feet! x.com/heidiganahl/st…

We the people of Colorado no longer control our own state constitution. I found this out the hard way. #copolitics #coleg #cogov In Colorado, a government for, by, and of the people is a fib. We lowly citizens no longer have much of a say in altering our own state constitution. Even though that seems to violate the whole meaning of our constitution in the first place. Like the US Constitution, Colorado’s constitution contains a Bill of Rights making clear we are the ones who empower the state government, not the other way around. Check out the first two of these rights: First — All political power is vested in and derived from the people; all government, of right, originates from the people… Second — The people of this state have the sole and exclusive right of governing themselves, as a free, sovereign and independent state; and to alter and abolish their constitution… Did you catch that? We the people have the sole and exclusive right to alter our constitution. It used to be true, too. We used to alter our constitution through the initiative and referendum process. Without that process, we would not have limits on governmental power. Laws reining in the legislature could never pass a vote by those same politicians. They’d never vote for open meetings laws, term limits, the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, ethics laws, and so much more. Recently, when the legislature arrogantly exempted themselves from open meetings laws, it started a chain reaction I’ve never witnessed in all my decades in politics. Independence Institute, which I run, helped bring together nearly 50 highly diverse organizations that are usually at each other’s throats. We all shared a common concern: government in Colorado is turning opaque. Open records are getting harder to access, open meetings are closing. The “people’s” work is being hidden from the people. And when I say organizations from all over the political spectrum worked together, I’m not exaggerating: Independence Institute, the ACLU, Heidi Ganahl’s conservative Rocky Mountain Voice, the progressive Colorado Times Recorder, Colorado Public Radio, League of Women Voters, Colorado Press Association, Colorado Broadcasters Association, Common Cause, Colorado Black Women for Action, and many, many more. ‘ Over a year-and-a-half of work we crafted a constitutional reform based on what many other states already have, called “Right to Know.” It’s simple: a fundamental right for the people to access public records and government deliberations, with reasonable exceptions. But you won’t see this proposed amendment on your fall ballot. The normally sober state Title Board voted 2–1 to block it. The appointees of Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Attorney General Phil Weiser voted against you being able to vote on governmental transparency. Were they ordered to do so? I’ll let others speculate. Their argument was that your “right to know” the affairs of government isn’t a single subject, and only “single subjects” may go to the ballot. Legislators’ bills must also have a single subject. The difference is they get to decide for themselves whether a bill qualifies. By contrast, we “the people” must get permission from an unelected board. A set of rules for them; a different set for us. The powerful Title Board said our amendment was too broad. I countered that the state constitution is supposed to contain broad amendments. That didn’t matter. Our team pointed to existing rights guaranteed by Colorado’s constitution, like freedom of speech, religion and the right to keep and bear arms. I asked if we were bringing one of those rights as a citizen initiative today, would it pass “single subject” muster as they now interpret it? They essentially said no. By their interpretation, such basic rights as freedom of speech or religion might be too broad and vague to be considered a single subject. We considered appealing the Title Board’s bizarre decision to the Colorado Supreme Court, but on the advice of lawyers from across the political spectrum, we decided not to. The high court has shown little interest in expanding the public’s right to know what’s going on in their judicial branch. So now, hiding behind the “single subject” rule, altering our constitution to include fundamental rights — like speech, religion, or even a right to know the affairs of government — can be denied to the very people who are supposed to be the government. Some things you can’t make up.

@JonCaldara Brilliant post but serfs of CO must be enlightened. If you have written an article I can share with non X friends pls post

The legislature is about to hurt my disabled son. #copolitics #coleg #cogov My son, Chance, has Down syndrome and a few years ago would have been labeled “retarded.” Then “developmentally delayed.” Now the hypersensitive prefer “intellectually disabled.” Whatever the term is this week, the reality hasn’t changed. This 21-year-old man cannot consistently count to five, can’t read and can’t write his own name. He needs constant supervision for choking risks. He still needs help toileting. And that’s just the start. Medicaid was designed for people like him, our most vulnerable. And I am grateful for it. In between passing laws barring misgendering and expanding tax credits to buy electric bicycles, the state legislature plans to cut in half the Medicaid support Chance, and people like him, receive. This is the funding he requires to live. So yeah, this one’s personal. Blowing up Medicaid Not many years ago, the following sentence would be unimaginable. Medicaid spending is now a larger percentage of our state budget than education spending. So, if Medicaid is the top priority, why are they cutting Chance’s life support by 50%? Because, since 2009 Colorado’s population grew about 20%. Medicaid enrollment grew 200%. That’s not a demographic shift. That’s a policy choice. Either that or every single person who has moved to Colorado is severely handicapped. What else could explain the explosion of Medicaid enrollment? Or maybe, just maybe, the state has been encouraging people who are not handicapped to enroll into Medicaid. Maybe they’ve been encouraging able-people to swell the ranks, which (and who could have predicted this) means less for the truly needy. During COVID the federal government put our great-grandchildren-to-be into debt and printed money out of nowhere to shower it on to the states. Colorado had an orgy of free money. Now, it was clear from the get-go this temporary emergency money from D.C. wasn’t permanent; it was, how to put it, temporary. Responsible states used it for short-term purposes like emergency services, unemployment payments, etc. Other less responsible states (I’m looking at you, Colorado) used the windfall to get healthy people addicted to wealth-transfer entitlement programs, guaranteeing a painful hangover when the Feds stopped the benevolence. A more cynical person (obviously not me) might think they knew exactly what would happen if they grew Medicaid enrollment to obscene levels. When the temporary gusher of free money stopped, it would cause massive budget shortfalls. Exploiting the handicapped What gets people to say yes to new taxes? Seeing our most vulnerable hurt because the rich don’t pay their share, TABOR is mean, or Trump sucks (I wonder if they’re planning any tax elections this year? Nah.). In other words, use people like my son as a political prop to raise taxes. These legislators exploit the severely handicapped as human shields to hide their inability to set budget priorities. Their “Cover All Coloradans” program to give illegal immigrants Medicaid benefits wasn’t supposed to cost much. Just $14.7 million taken from folks like Chance. It’s now pushing $105 million. That’s a 611% miss. Funny thing happens when you give away other people’s money. They come over borders to take it. Blame Joe Biden for opening the floodgates to tens of millions of illegal immigrants. Blame our legislators for tempting them to relocate here for the free goodies. But just don’t be surprised by the oldest political ploy on the books — “the most vulnerable will hurt if we don’t raise taxes!” In other words, our leaders’ decisions are hateful, not accidental. They knew this would happen. They planned on it. I’ll find ways to keep Chance living with me, fed and clothed after these easily avoidable cuts are made. But other families will not have the means to keep their loved one at home. With half the money needed to hire caretakers, therapies, food, transportation, rent and supplies, families will be forced to forfeit their own children to an institution or group home. Basically, these cuts will force parents to give their vulnerable adult children to the state. My son will lose half the help he needs to live. But don’t worry. The state will still find plenty of money for people who never needed it in the first place.

@thehealthb0t @grok what states are using Mena vaccines in their livestock?

Several states have confirmed they will be using mRNA vaccines on their livestock. Food that has been genetically edited can now be marketed as non-GMO.

@DanielDora89706 @ChrisGTONews @TaviCosta another fake telegram channel using your name

@ChrisGTONews Seen it before—dot-coms, SPACs, even WeWork. Big promises, easy capital → most collapsed once reality hit. A few like Tesla made it, but they’re rare. You should stay glued to Otavio’s Telegram channel. Search for AZURIATA on Telegram. I’ve been benefiting 👍

Not good.

@RepKeithSelf But Abbott won the GOP primary….

MASSIVE VICTORY: Proposition 10 to ban Sharia in Texas passed by an overwhelming landslide (95%)! We sent a message that cannot be ignored. Texans stand for America, not Sharia.

@destiny_matrix Where is someone born on the 13th?

PEOPLE BORN ON: 1, 5, 7, 10, 14, 19, 23, 28: Love comes quickly for you. Marriage often happens young typically between 22–26 and once you commit, you’re loyal for the long haul. 2, 4, 6, 11, 15, 20, 24, 29: You usually marry a bit later, around 27–32. The wait pays off, bringing balance, security, and emotional calm. 3, 8, 12, 16, 21, 25, 30: Commitment tends to be postponed. Most settle down between 30–35, often after focusing on growth, challenges, or career goals. 9, 14, 17, 18, 22, 26, 27, 31: Your romantic path is unpredictable. Some marry early, others much later but many meet their true match in their late twenties.

@MickOKeeffe @grok what date is this interview is from?

Did you know? Two Irish children had their lives ruined at the hands of asylum seekers in 2025. You probably heard about one, the City-West incident. But another incident happened in Athlone and it didn't receive anywhere near enough attention. Why? Because at the time of the incident, the state was trying to open a migrant camp of 1,000 men in the same community. They covered it up and tried to force more dangerous foreign strangers on the people of Athlone. Ireland is no longer the Land of Saints and Scholars. Ireland is now a country where our children are prey for 3rd world savages. Social media age verification won't do thing to change that.

@LukeGromen Enjoyed your talk with @natbrunell a few wk ago. In that discussion you brought up AI as one of main reasons recent college grad unemployis at ATH.HB1 is a HUGE component of this.Your opinion pls & how 📉USD affect white collar unemploy & HB1 programs

1/ I’m recording a 5-10 min YouTube video to be released later this week; pls drop some questions below & I’ll touch on as many as I can on a best efforts basis. Thx! (Also, pls feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel.)

@Thisisdublin0 @BrianGarrigan @grok who is this?

Ireland belongs to the Irish 🇮🇪 Christ is King 🤴 A Boy is a Boy 👦 A Girl is a Girl 👧 Woke is a Sickness 😷 🇮🇪💚🇮🇪💚🇮🇪

@Matt_Bracken48 @Michael_Yon @grok what podcast is being referred to In this post?

Listen to @Michael_Yon 's geopolitical podcast below, then put this map I just made into your memory for future reference.

@JasonWrich is a regenerative rancher who truly cares for his cows & customers. I just cannot recommend his meat enough. Plus he is a GREAT human to boot! 🏆

@JasonWrich Just made med rare filets from your ranch . All I did was salt them for 45 min as the meat came to room temp. After cooking I added NOTHING: No butter, no mushrooms, no garlic no other seasoning.... the flavor of the 🥩 was OUTSTANDING.!!freaking delicious💯thanks

@thehealthb0t @grok what article is joe Rogan talking about ?

The Overlooked Miracle Drug for Cancer? Why Big Pharma Fears Fenbendazole "Fenbendazole has at least 12 proven anti-cancer mechanisms in vitro and in vivo," wrote cancer researcher Dr. William Makis

@DeTahmineh Excellent post👊🏻

The Western liberal media is ignoring the Iranian uprising because explaining it would force an admission it is desperate to avoid: the Iranian people are rebelling against Islam itself, and that fact shatters the moral framework through which these institutions understand the world. Ideally, to cover an uprising is not just to show crowds and slogans. It requires answering a basic question: why are people risking death? In Iran, the answer is simple and unavoidable. The people are rising up because the Islamic Republic of Iran has spent decades suffocating every aspect of life—speech, work, family, art, women, and economic survival—under a clerical system that treats liberty as a crime. There is no way to tell that story without confronting the nature of the regime. Western media refuses to do so because it has fundamentally misunderstood Islam. Or worse, it has chosen not to understand it. Islam, in Western progressive discourse, has been racialized. It is treated not as a belief system or a political ideology, but as a stand-in for race or ethnicity. Criticizing Islam is framed as an attack on “brown people,” Arabs, or “the Middle East,” as if Islam were a skin color rather than a doctrine. This confusion is rooted in historical illiteracy. Western liberal media routinely collapses entire civilizations into a single stereotype: “all Middle Easterners are Arabs,” “all Arabs are Muslim,” and “all Muslims are a monolithic, oppressed identity group by white European colonizers.” Iranians disappear entirely in this framework. Their language, history, and culture—Persian, not Arab; ancient, not colonial; distinct, not interchangeable—are erased. By treating Islam as a racial identity rather than an ideology, Western media strips millions of people of their ability to reject it. Iranian protesters become unintelligible. Their rebellion cannot be processed without breaking the rule that Islam must not be criticized. So instead of listening to Iranians, the media speaks over them—or ignores them entirely. There is another reason the Iranian uprising is so threatening to Western media is economic issues. As you know, Iran is not only a religious dictatorship. It is a centrally controlled, state-dominated economy where markets are strangled, private enterprise is criminalized or co-opted, and economic survival depends on proximity to political power. Decades of price controls, subsidies, nationalization, and bureaucratic micromanagement have obliterated the middle class and entrenched corruption as the only functional system. The result is not equality or justice. It is poverty, stagnation, and dependence on government’s dark void of empty promises. Covering Iran honestly would require acknowledging that these policies are harmful. They have been tried. They have failed. Catastrophically. This is deeply inconvenient for Western media institutions that routinely promote expansive state control, centralized economic planning, and technocratic governance as morally enlightened alternatives to liberal capitalism. Iran demonstrates where such systems lead when insulated from accountability and enforced by ideology. It shows that when the state controls livelihoods, non-conformity becomes existentially dangerous. That lesson cannot be acknowledged without undermining the moral authority of those who advocate similar ideas in softer language. Western liberal media prefers not to hear this. Acknowledging it would require abandoning the lazy moral categories that dominate modern discourse: oppressor and oppressed, colonizer and colonized, white and non-white. Iranian protesters do not fit. They show that authoritarianism is not a Western invention imposed from outside, but something many societies are actively trying to escape. That is what terrifies Western liberal media. And that is why the Iranian people are being ignored. So the silence continues.

Why DO the Irish have to be punished? Listen to this video & Think!⚔️⚔️🇮🇪Never EVER give up Ireland⚔️⚔️

I long for days where comedy was funny, poignant & didn’t always preach at me … sigh

To make you laugh

@joshuamcclure @BillAckman @joshuamcclure you are 💯 correct & I had the same thought yesterday !

@BillAckman It would be the ultimate in Simulation Enfertainment Theory for Iran to go full secular capitalism the same year New York goes theocratic communist.

At this rate, Iran is going to be free soon.

“Warmth of collectivism”? Similar verbiage was used to pass “social Security” , “Patriot act”…. The name always gives it away. “Warmth” of collectivism 😆🤮

Ayn was simply brilliant. If you haven’t read #atlasshrugged do so; it will change your forever