Le Sellers, a U.S. Army vet with experience in technical writing and investing, will challenge Naquetta Ricks for a seat in Colorado’s House of Representatives this November, as Ricks seeks a second term in office.
Both candidates for District 40, which includes south and east Aurora, identified criminal justice as a focus for the upcoming legislative session, but while Ricks advocated for alternatives to prison and traditional policing in schools in her campaign materials, Sellers warned about rising crime and signaled his support for so-called “truth in sentencing” laws and funding police.
“Crime is at record levels in Colorado. Police are demoralized, underpaid and handcuffed in how they respond to crime and criminals,” his website reads. “Judges should have the latitude to serve justice, but criminals should know they will pay the price for their evil choices and actions. It’s the legislature’s job to set the parameters so we can all feel safe!”
Ricks wrote about divesting from private prisons, promoting restorative justice and expunging all marijuana offenses to help former drug defendants. She also said she was wary of law enforcement in schools resulting in the incarceration of children.
“The presence of police in schools should be for safety and security, not the expectation of contact with children to issue tickets and / or citations,” Ricks’ website says. “Our children need mental health professionals, parent-staffed campus liaisons, and social workers that are equipped to handle and treat behavior issues instead of criminalizing students.”
Ricks, a small business owner herself, also said she was committed to making sure the state supports minority- and woman-owned businesses, saying the federal government too often favors large corporations.
On the subject of the economy, Sellers said he wants to see the state step up domestic energy production and lift regulations on businesses.
“Colorado is dealing with record inflation, higher than the national average,” Sellers’ website reads. “Higher taxes (disguised as fees) also make life more expensive. While much of this is the fault of national policies, Colorado can do better.”
Sellers also talked about education, alleging that schools are no longer focused on teaching foundational skills like reading and math but instead have “a hidden agenda, the sexualization of the youngest in society.” He said he wants to promote transparency around the curriculum taught in schools
Ricks said she wants to raise more money for schools and promote programs that help graduates gain employment.
“Our children need to be prepared for the high paying jobs of today and the emerging industries of tomorrow,” her campaign website says. “I will advocate for more entrepreneurial programs and apprenticeship programs in our schools.”
Colorado’s general election is scheduled to take place Nov. 8.
Meet Naquetta Ricks
Naquetta Ricks
Democrat Naquetta Ricks has served in Colorado’s General Assembly since 2021, representing House District 40, which includes south and east Aurora. After immigrating from Liberia as a child, Ricks graduated from Aurora Central High School and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from MSU Denver and the University of Colorado respectively. She has owned her own small business since 2004, is the president and co-founder of the African Chamber of Commerce Colorado and has lived in Aurora for more than 30 years. She defeated Republican Richard Allen Bassett with 59.2% of the vote in 2020.
Naquetta Ricks Q&A
Should the state end partisan elections to the offices of state treasurer, secretary and attorney general, making them administrative positions nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state senate?
No, these are important positions that the residents of Colorado should select. It’s important that people get a say in who is leading these important roles.
Colorado recently enacted far-reaching reforms affecting police agencies across the state. Mandating truly independent review of police-related deaths and injuries wasn’t among the new requirements created by Senate Bill 20-217. Should every police agency be required to create some type of independent oversight mechanism?
Yes, it is important that the public trust the findings of investigations, and it is hard to trust the findings if you are investigating yourself there is a natural bias when that happens.
Despite many lauded changes in Obamacare, the cost of health care in Colorado and across the nation has continued to climb steadily, outpacing almost every other nation. What can the Legislature do to not just halt regular increases, but push down health care costs?
We can lower the cost of health care by utilizing more telemedicine, pushing down prices of prescription drugs and improving preventive care access to Coloradans.
Many argue that the generally poor condition of Colorado roads and underfunded schools is due in large part because of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which prevents legislators from raising taxes and caps tax revenues, returning “excesses” to residents. Why is this true, and what’s the solution, or why is this untrue, and how can Colorado better fund roads and schools?
This is true because TABOR restricts the state from growth economically. When we have a year of growth the legislature cannot use that money to invest in critical programs such as education and infrastructure, we have to return the money.
It was great that we were able to support Colorado families this year with checks of over $700, but imagine if we were able to invest that money back into programs like education, mental health, affordable housing and transportation infrastructure.
Some local city lawmakers were elected on a platform that they would lobby the state to repeal SB20-217, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity bill. Has this legislation positively or negatively impacted policing in Colorado? Would you propose any changes?
I was in favor of that bill. Before we are able to fully assess the effectiveness of the bill, we must allow it sometime to be in effect before determining how well it has worked.
I am very much in favor of the accountability measure it has put in place.
Would you vote for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons? Why?
I believe in smart and safe gun ownership. The second amendment is the law but we need to also protect people as well. There must be protections to ensure that the public is safe and that those who own guns are responsible and accountable.
Having legalized and regulated recreational marijuana, should Colorado pursue legalization of recreational psilocybin, also known as hallucinogenic mushrooms?
This is a topic I need to explore further. The City of Denver has legalized psilocybin and I need to learn what the impact is and get insight from medical experts.
Would you support legislation imposing restrictions on abortions, or should Colorado stay the course in preventing the government from making those decisions for women and their health care providers?
Women deserve freedom of choice when it comes to their bodies. I support a woman’s right to choose how she handles her body and make her own health care decisions.
If you could unilaterally write and impose any law you wanted, what would it be?
I would do a bill for free community college and technical schools.
If you could unilaterally sunset any existing Colorado law, which would it be?
I would sunset TABOR.
Should the state seek to prevent growth in communities that cannot prove sustainable water sources?
We need to look at a sustainable water plan for the entire state and ensure that growth is smart and sustainable given our finite resources.
Colorado cannot pave its way out of highway and road congestion and the air-quality problems it creates. Should the state make a concerted effort to reduce overburdened roads and highways some other way? How?
I believe we should invest in our infrastructure and look forward to seeing how we can through the recent passage of the federal infrastructure bill and encourage biking, carpooling and work from home opportunities.
Do you trust the election process in Colorado? And will you accept the outcome of this election as announced?
Colorado has one of the most secure elections in the nation and I will accept the outcomes of this election.
Do you believe the 2020 Presidential Election was absent of widespread fraud and fairly won by Joe Biden?
Yes.
No, these are important positions that the residents of Colorado should select. It’s important that people get a say in who is leading these important roles.
Colorado recently enacted far-reaching reforms affecting police agencies across the state. Mandating truly independent review of police-related deaths and injuries wasn’t among the new requirements created by Senate Bill 20-217. Should every police agency be required to create some type of independent oversight mechanism?
Yes, it is important that the public trust the findings of investigations, and it is hard to trust the findings if you are investigating yourself there is a natural bias when that happens.
Despite many lauded changes in Obamacare, the cost of health care in Colorado and across the nation has continued to climb steadily, outpacing almost every other nation. What can the Legislature do to not just halt regular increases, but push down health care costs?
We can lower the cost of health care by utilizing more telemedicine, pushing down prices of prescription drugs and improving preventive care access to Coloradans.
Many argue that the generally poor condition of Colorado roads and underfunded schools is due in large part because of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which prevents legislators from raising taxes and caps tax revenues, returning “excesses” to residents. Why is this true, and what’s the solution, or why is this untrue, and how can Colorado better fund roads and schools?
This is true because TABOR restricts the state from growth economically. When we have a year of growth the legislature cannot use that money to invest in critical programs such as education and infrastructure, we have to return the money.
It was great that we were able to support Colorado families this year with checks of over $700, but imagine if we were able to invest that money back into programs like education, mental health, affordable housing and transportation infrastructure.
Some local city lawmakers were elected on a platform that they would lobby the state to repeal SB20-217, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity bill. Has this legislation positively or negatively impacted policing in Colorado? Would you propose any changes?
I was in favor of that bill. Before we are able to fully assess the effectiveness of the bill, we must allow it sometime to be in effect before determining how well it has worked.
I am very much in favor of the accountability measure it has put in place.
Would you vote for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons? Why?
I believe in smart and safe gun ownership. The second amendment is the law but we need to also protect people as well. There must be protections to ensure that the public is safe and that those who own guns are responsible and accountable.
Having legalized and regulated recreational marijuana, should Colorado pursue legalization of recreational psilocybin, also known as hallucinogenic mushrooms?
This is a topic I need to explore further. The City of Denver has legalized psilocybin and I need to learn what the impact is and get insight from medical experts.
Would you support legislation imposing restrictions on abortions, or should Colorado stay the course in preventing the government from making those decisions for women and their health care providers?
Women deserve freedom of choice when it comes to their bodies. I support a woman’s right to choose how she handles her body and make her own health care decisions.
If you could unilaterally write and impose any law you wanted, what would it be?
I would do a bill for free community college and technical schools.
If you could unilaterally sunset any existing Colorado law, which would it be?
I would sunset TABOR.
Should the state seek to prevent growth in communities that cannot prove sustainable water sources?
We need to look at a sustainable water plan for the entire state and ensure that growth is smart and sustainable given our finite resources.
Colorado cannot pave its way out of highway and road congestion and the air-quality problems it creates. Should the state make a concerted effort to reduce overburdened roads and highways some other way? How?
I believe we should invest in our infrastructure and look forward to seeing how we can through the recent passage of the federal infrastructure bill and encourage biking, carpooling and work from home opportunities.
Do you trust the election process in Colorado? And will you accept the outcome of this election as announced?
Colorado has one of the most secure elections in the nation and I will accept the outcomes of this election.
Do you believe the 2020 Presidential Election was absent of widespread fraud and fairly won by Joe Biden?
Yes.
Get to know Naquetta Ricks
What’s the most Colorado thing you’ve done recently?
I recently walked the beautiful trails of the Cherry Creek Reservoir.
What is the last concert you attended?
I attended an event where Kofi Togo performed.
What restaurant do you frequent most?
I am a regular patron of a great local Brazilian restaurant called Aroma do Brazil in Aurora.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
My superpower would be the ability to regenerate and continuously evolve.
What was the last book you read?
I do a daily meditation where I find comfort and strength reading the Scriptures.
What is your least favorite household chore?
All of it.
If you had to pick one television show to watch forever, what would it be?
It would be Family Feud because it is great entertainment.
Did you have any New Year’s resolutions? What were they?
Yes, my New Year’s resolution was to lose my COVID weight.
What were you most excited to do after pandemic restrictions eased?
After the pandemic, I was excited to get on an airplane to travel.
What fun fact about you would most surprise people who know you?
I had a pet monkey growing up.
I recently walked the beautiful trails of the Cherry Creek Reservoir.
What is the last concert you attended?
I attended an event where Kofi Togo performed.
What restaurant do you frequent most?
I am a regular patron of a great local Brazilian restaurant called Aroma do Brazil in Aurora.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
My superpower would be the ability to regenerate and continuously evolve.
What was the last book you read?
I do a daily meditation where I find comfort and strength reading the Scriptures.
What is your least favorite household chore?
All of it.
If you had to pick one television show to watch forever, what would it be?
It would be Family Feud because it is great entertainment.
Did you have any New Year’s resolutions? What were they?
Yes, my New Year’s resolution was to lose my COVID weight.
What were you most excited to do after pandemic restrictions eased?
After the pandemic, I was excited to get on an airplane to travel.
What fun fact about you would most surprise people who know you?
I had a pet monkey growing up.
Meet Lee Sellers
Le Sellers
Republican challenger Le Sellers is a 22-year U.S. Army veteran with a background in technical writing and investment. He received his master’s degree in business administration from California State University Sacramento and a bachelor’s degree in business and administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus. He is running to represent House District 40, which includes south and east Aurora. Sellers and his wife, Jacquie, have seven children and 39 grandchildren.
Should the state end partisan elections to the offices of state treasurer, secretary and attorney general, making them administrative positions nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state senate?
No. Irrespective of the label “non-partisan”, people who seek those offices are members of or lean toward the positions of one or another of the political parties in our country. It may not be popular to say, but political parties serve a useful purpose: they help identify what the candidates feel is important, and what those candidates are likely to work toward imposing by means of the system they’re seeking to become part of.
Those labels may be somewhat arbitrary, but they are useful to us as voters.
Colorado recently enacted far-reaching reforms affecting police agencies across the state. Mandating truly independent review of police-related deaths and injuries wasn’t among the new requirements created by Senate Bill 20-217. Should every police agency be required to create some type of independent oversight mechanism?
People and groups of people tend to make their bosses happy. Police departments’ hiring “independent” agencies to “review” the department may be able to be truly independent, but even if they are, the people who feel victimized by the police will not be content with what they perceive as part of the system that wronged them.
A better plan would be to have a state agency perform the review, an agency appointed by an entity as close to non-partisan as possible.
Despite many lauded changes in Obamacare, the cost of health care in Colorado and across the nation has continued to climb steadily, outpacing almost every other nation. What can the Legislature do to not just halt regular increases, but push down health care costs?
Given that the so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a federal law, the state of Colorado cannot do much to change its devastating impact on health care. However, there are options that few have even heard of, and Colorado could promote them. Some doctors offer monthly concierge services for a minimum fee for an individual or for a family ($99 or $189/mo when I checked last). Several hospitals and surgery centers offer cancer and other treatments for a fraction (typically about ¼) of the price charged by “mainstream” hospitals.
The simple expedient of permitting and encouraging doctors and other providers to advertise their prices would allow competition to work its magic. No one I know has the first foggy clue as to how much the family doctor charges for an office visit, much less what the clinic a half-mile down the street charges. Price comparisons are impossible in the climate we have, so the cost is a non-factor in how we purchase medical care.
Many argue that the generally poor condition of Colorado roads and underfunded schools is due in large part because of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which prevents legislators from raising taxes and caps tax revenues, returning “excesses” to residents. Why is this true, and what’s the solution, or why is this untrue, and how can Colorado better fund roads and schools?
It is not true at all; the question is based on a false premise. The state budget exceeds what the entire federal budget was under Lyndon Johnson. There’s plenty of money already but much of it is wasted by funding hundreds of commissions and agencies whose value is far below that of the good, if any, they deliver.
Schools, particularly, are an example of funding going into the wrong rooms: there are more administrators in some school districts than there are teachers; those administrators are paid more than the teachers. That’s a travesty. Classroom funding is important. Offices of Diversity and Equity have little value when our children cannot read, write, nor do arithmetic.
Some local city lawmakers were elected on a platform that they would lobby the state to repeal SB20-217, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity bill. Has this legislation positively or negatively impacted policing in Colorado? Would you propose any changes?
We all want to protect civil rights, of the accused especially. That does not mean we need to handcuff the police as they perform the difficult and dangerous job of protecting the law-abiding citizen. They must make, in fractions of a second, decisions that can and will affect the alleged criminal and themselves, as well as bystanders. Stripping so-called limited immunity protections from law enforcement officers has resulted in the loss of hundreds of officers in cities and towns across the state. We are less protected because of SB20-217 and its effects.
That said, yes, we need to assure that police officers will be held accountable for any evil deed they may do. The fact is, the police should enjoy the same protections that civilians enjoy: innocent until proven guilty. Balancing these two fundamental sets of rights is not easy, but it is not impossible. We must have laws that protect all parties involved in these lamentable cases, but officers are now treated as guilty until proven innocent, and possibly even beyond that.
Would you vote for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons? Why?
I worry that the proverbial baby will be thrown out with the bathwater. No one wants people killed, whether by people using guns or any other means. There are myriad reasons for people to own self-loading rifles, whatever color the furniture or what shape the muzzle has. Among those reasons is self-defense. Making this specific type (assuming the name really defined anything) of weapon harder to obtain, or impossible to keep and bear, will hurt the poor most of all. They are those who can least afford the higher prices for other, presumably not banned, weapons while needing them the most: they live in areas where criminals are most likely to prey on them.
No, I would not, could not, “vote for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons.” The term itself is an affront to logic, individual freedom and personal responsibility. It’s a meaningless label chosen for its emotional appeal, and has nothing at all to do with safety, lethality or function.
Even so, guns are not the problem. People with evil intent are the problem. We have too many repeat offenders on the streets. We have too many courts who are not punishing criminals, sometimes because the law does not let them. We have prosecutors who “plea down” gun charges to get a conviction on another charge, or even simply to clear the calendar. Put criminals in jail, and the misleading category of “gun crime” will fade.
In any case, banning “assault-style weapons” has almost nothing to do with safety. It’s just the first step to an all-out ban on every weapon for people who hunt, shoot for sport, target shoot, or keep one for self defense.
Depriving law-abiding citizens of their constitutional rights, disarming the innocent, will not make anyone safer. It’s been tried repeatedly, and it’s failed repeatedly. After all, whatever means he used to kill his little brother, Cain did not use a gun.
Having legalized and regulated recreational marijuana, should Colorado pursue legalization of recreational psilocybin, also known as hallucinogenic mushrooms?
I could vote for such a statute — providing any harm done to innocent bystanders while the user is under the effect of these drugs is prosecuted fully and completely. If the person is in a bedroom quietly enjoying those effects, we assume it’s a responsible adult partaking. But when that adult puts other people in danger or causes harm to others, it’s no longer a personal choice: it’s a crime.
Would you support legislation imposing restrictions on abortions, or should Colorado stay the course in preventing the government from making those decisions for women and their health care providers?
No one wants to hurt women, but the current law does hurt babies, babies who could live outside their hostile mother’s wombs. It is difficult to see any justification for an abortion moments before the birth of a fully formed baby. The mother had months, nine months, to decide on this. Nine months is more than long enough. What is the decent amount of time that should pass before the state steps in and says, “time’s up!”? There is such a point, but whatever it is, rational people will agree that nine months is beyond a reasonable limit.
If you could unilaterally write and impose any law you wanted, what would it be?
NO RESPONSE
If you could unilaterally sunset any existing Colorado law, which would it be?
We have too many laws, and too many of them are not good laws; many don’t even address contemporary problems.
I’d sunset all of them over a period of eight years. Each one would be considered for re-enactment as it was repealed by the calendar. If a law is important enough and good enough to be in force, re-enacting them would be a simple task.
Should the state seek to prevent growth in communities that cannot prove sustainable water sources?
No. Each municipality or community can deal with the issue on its own. As people and other entities contemplate moving into a location, the question of water to support the increased need should be part of those deliberations, and the cost to provide it should play an important role. Getting the state involved in this is just one more layer of bureaucracy that ends up costing more than it could provide in terms of service to the citizens.
Colorado cannot pave its way out of highway and road congestion and the air-quality problems it creates. Should the state make a concerted effort to reduce overburdened roads and highways some other way? How?
The question assumes an answer, and only one seems acceptable. That’s not the American way, and it is not the Colorado way. Let’s look at the issue from a variety of points of view, and examine some of the alternatives tried elsewhere. I’ve lived in France, Italy and Switzerland; I’ve visited Britain, Germany, Austria and Spain. None of them had a “car culture”. Nonetheless, their roads are just as congested as ours are, in spite of trolleys, buses, trams and a dozen other “public” systems in place.
The problem stems largely from commuters all trying to get to roughly the same area from a hundred different places and at the roughly same time. What if companies addressed the concern? We’d have several dozen alternatives, none of them costing a single taxpayer dollar. Each company would constantly re-evaluate its own program and make changes as needed. Again, not a single dollar of tax money spent.
We might choose to incentivize non-traditional work schedules. We could do any of an untold number of things unimaginable right now.
Not every problem requires more tax money to solve it. This just might be one of those problems.
Do you trust the election process in Colorado? And will you accept the outcome of this election as announced?
If we have an adequate number of impartial or at least balanced panels of election judges at each precinct and there are elementary guidelines all of them adhere to, the process is reasonably trustworthy.
I see no reason to mistrust our current system as it stands. Absent gross anomalies, I would accept the determination of the voters.
Do you believe the 2020 Presidential Election was absent of widespread fraud and fairly won by Joe Biden?
There remain unanswered questions. However, it does not matter: the only federal vote that counts was in the House Chamber, and Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., won that election.
No. Irrespective of the label “non-partisan”, people who seek those offices are members of or lean toward the positions of one or another of the political parties in our country. It may not be popular to say, but political parties serve a useful purpose: they help identify what the candidates feel is important, and what those candidates are likely to work toward imposing by means of the system they’re seeking to become part of.
Those labels may be somewhat arbitrary, but they are useful to us as voters.
Colorado recently enacted far-reaching reforms affecting police agencies across the state. Mandating truly independent review of police-related deaths and injuries wasn’t among the new requirements created by Senate Bill 20-217. Should every police agency be required to create some type of independent oversight mechanism?
People and groups of people tend to make their bosses happy. Police departments’ hiring “independent” agencies to “review” the department may be able to be truly independent, but even if they are, the people who feel victimized by the police will not be content with what they perceive as part of the system that wronged them.
A better plan would be to have a state agency perform the review, an agency appointed by an entity as close to non-partisan as possible.
Despite many lauded changes in Obamacare, the cost of health care in Colorado and across the nation has continued to climb steadily, outpacing almost every other nation. What can the Legislature do to not just halt regular increases, but push down health care costs?
Given that the so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a federal law, the state of Colorado cannot do much to change its devastating impact on health care. However, there are options that few have even heard of, and Colorado could promote them. Some doctors offer monthly concierge services for a minimum fee for an individual or for a family ($99 or $189/mo when I checked last). Several hospitals and surgery centers offer cancer and other treatments for a fraction (typically about ¼) of the price charged by “mainstream” hospitals.
The simple expedient of permitting and encouraging doctors and other providers to advertise their prices would allow competition to work its magic. No one I know has the first foggy clue as to how much the family doctor charges for an office visit, much less what the clinic a half-mile down the street charges. Price comparisons are impossible in the climate we have, so the cost is a non-factor in how we purchase medical care.
Many argue that the generally poor condition of Colorado roads and underfunded schools is due in large part because of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which prevents legislators from raising taxes and caps tax revenues, returning “excesses” to residents. Why is this true, and what’s the solution, or why is this untrue, and how can Colorado better fund roads and schools?
It is not true at all; the question is based on a false premise. The state budget exceeds what the entire federal budget was under Lyndon Johnson. There’s plenty of money already but much of it is wasted by funding hundreds of commissions and agencies whose value is far below that of the good, if any, they deliver.
Schools, particularly, are an example of funding going into the wrong rooms: there are more administrators in some school districts than there are teachers; those administrators are paid more than the teachers. That’s a travesty. Classroom funding is important. Offices of Diversity and Equity have little value when our children cannot read, write, nor do arithmetic.
Some local city lawmakers were elected on a platform that they would lobby the state to repeal SB20-217, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity bill. Has this legislation positively or negatively impacted policing in Colorado? Would you propose any changes?
We all want to protect civil rights, of the accused especially. That does not mean we need to handcuff the police as they perform the difficult and dangerous job of protecting the law-abiding citizen. They must make, in fractions of a second, decisions that can and will affect the alleged criminal and themselves, as well as bystanders. Stripping so-called limited immunity protections from law enforcement officers has resulted in the loss of hundreds of officers in cities and towns across the state. We are less protected because of SB20-217 and its effects.
That said, yes, we need to assure that police officers will be held accountable for any evil deed they may do. The fact is, the police should enjoy the same protections that civilians enjoy: innocent until proven guilty. Balancing these two fundamental sets of rights is not easy, but it is not impossible. We must have laws that protect all parties involved in these lamentable cases, but officers are now treated as guilty until proven innocent, and possibly even beyond that.
Would you vote for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons? Why?
I worry that the proverbial baby will be thrown out with the bathwater. No one wants people killed, whether by people using guns or any other means. There are myriad reasons for people to own self-loading rifles, whatever color the furniture or what shape the muzzle has. Among those reasons is self-defense. Making this specific type (assuming the name really defined anything) of weapon harder to obtain, or impossible to keep and bear, will hurt the poor most of all. They are those who can least afford the higher prices for other, presumably not banned, weapons while needing them the most: they live in areas where criminals are most likely to prey on them.
No, I would not, could not, “vote for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons.” The term itself is an affront to logic, individual freedom and personal responsibility. It’s a meaningless label chosen for its emotional appeal, and has nothing at all to do with safety, lethality or function.
Even so, guns are not the problem. People with evil intent are the problem. We have too many repeat offenders on the streets. We have too many courts who are not punishing criminals, sometimes because the law does not let them. We have prosecutors who “plea down” gun charges to get a conviction on another charge, or even simply to clear the calendar. Put criminals in jail, and the misleading category of “gun crime” will fade.
In any case, banning “assault-style weapons” has almost nothing to do with safety. It’s just the first step to an all-out ban on every weapon for people who hunt, shoot for sport, target shoot, or keep one for self defense.
Depriving law-abiding citizens of their constitutional rights, disarming the innocent, will not make anyone safer. It’s been tried repeatedly, and it’s failed repeatedly. After all, whatever means he used to kill his little brother, Cain did not use a gun.
Having legalized and regulated recreational marijuana, should Colorado pursue legalization of recreational psilocybin, also known as hallucinogenic mushrooms?
I could vote for such a statute — providing any harm done to innocent bystanders while the user is under the effect of these drugs is prosecuted fully and completely. If the person is in a bedroom quietly enjoying those effects, we assume it’s a responsible adult partaking. But when that adult puts other people in danger or causes harm to others, it’s no longer a personal choice: it’s a crime.
Would you support legislation imposing restrictions on abortions, or should Colorado stay the course in preventing the government from making those decisions for women and their health care providers?
No one wants to hurt women, but the current law does hurt babies, babies who could live outside their hostile mother’s wombs. It is difficult to see any justification for an abortion moments before the birth of a fully formed baby. The mother had months, nine months, to decide on this. Nine months is more than long enough. What is the decent amount of time that should pass before the state steps in and says, “time’s up!”? There is such a point, but whatever it is, rational people will agree that nine months is beyond a reasonable limit.
If you could unilaterally write and impose any law you wanted, what would it be?
NO RESPONSE
If you could unilaterally sunset any existing Colorado law, which would it be?
We have too many laws, and too many of them are not good laws; many don’t even address contemporary problems.
I’d sunset all of them over a period of eight years. Each one would be considered for re-enactment as it was repealed by the calendar. If a law is important enough and good enough to be in force, re-enacting them would be a simple task.
Should the state seek to prevent growth in communities that cannot prove sustainable water sources?
No. Each municipality or community can deal with the issue on its own. As people and other entities contemplate moving into a location, the question of water to support the increased need should be part of those deliberations, and the cost to provide it should play an important role. Getting the state involved in this is just one more layer of bureaucracy that ends up costing more than it could provide in terms of service to the citizens.
Colorado cannot pave its way out of highway and road congestion and the air-quality problems it creates. Should the state make a concerted effort to reduce overburdened roads and highways some other way? How?
The question assumes an answer, and only one seems acceptable. That’s not the American way, and it is not the Colorado way. Let’s look at the issue from a variety of points of view, and examine some of the alternatives tried elsewhere. I’ve lived in France, Italy and Switzerland; I’ve visited Britain, Germany, Austria and Spain. None of them had a “car culture”. Nonetheless, their roads are just as congested as ours are, in spite of trolleys, buses, trams and a dozen other “public” systems in place.
The problem stems largely from commuters all trying to get to roughly the same area from a hundred different places and at the roughly same time. What if companies addressed the concern? We’d have several dozen alternatives, none of them costing a single taxpayer dollar. Each company would constantly re-evaluate its own program and make changes as needed. Again, not a single dollar of tax money spent.
We might choose to incentivize non-traditional work schedules. We could do any of an untold number of things unimaginable right now.
Not every problem requires more tax money to solve it. This just might be one of those problems.
Do you trust the election process in Colorado? And will you accept the outcome of this election as announced?
If we have an adequate number of impartial or at least balanced panels of election judges at each precinct and there are elementary guidelines all of them adhere to, the process is reasonably trustworthy.
I see no reason to mistrust our current system as it stands. Absent gross anomalies, I would accept the determination of the voters.
Do you believe the 2020 Presidential Election was absent of widespread fraud and fairly won by Joe Biden?
There remain unanswered questions. However, it does not matter: the only federal vote that counts was in the House Chamber, and Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., won that election.
What’s the most Colorado thing you’ve done recently?
No response
What is the last concert you attended?
No response
What restaurant do you frequent most?
No response
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
No response
What was the last book you read?
No response
What is your least favorite household chore?
No response
If you had to pick one television show to watch forever, what would it be?
No response
Did you have any New Year’s resolutions? What were they?
No response
What were you most excited to do after pandemic restrictions eased?
We got to go back to the church and were able to sing properly.
What fun fact about you would most surprise people who know you?
I macraméed a vest for my then-fiancée while we were in college. My Boy Scout background came in handy, and I’ve never tied so many square knots in my life. Alas! the vest and everything else went up in smoke when our house burned down 16 years later.
No response
What is the last concert you attended?
No response
What restaurant do you frequent most?
No response
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
No response
What was the last book you read?
No response
What is your least favorite household chore?
No response
If you had to pick one television show to watch forever, what would it be?
No response
Did you have any New Year’s resolutions? What were they?
No response
What were you most excited to do after pandemic restrictions eased?
We got to go back to the church and were able to sing properly.
What fun fact about you would most surprise people who know you?
I macraméed a vest for my then-fiancée while we were in college. My Boy Scout background came in handy, and I’ve never tied so many square knots in my life. Alas! the vest and everything else went up in smoke when our house burned down 16 years later.