IT'S COLORADO GIVES DAY! And that means it's the perfect day to give to your favorite charity or give to one worthy of your dollars. I'll be featuring three on the show today that are near and dear to my heart. First:
STEP DENVER If you've listened to the show for any length of time you know that Step Denver helps men overcome the consequences of addiction to get their lives back and become productive members of our community again. This program is needed more than ever, we see it on our streets every day. Donate to Step Denver by clicking here, and if you have a car or truck or RV you don't want anymore, please consider donating it to Step Denver. Find out more about that by clicking here.
CHILDREN'S DIABETES FOUNDATION Though Children is in the name, Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age. The Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes provides a clinical service for children, adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes (also known as childhood, juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes). Additionally, the Center supports substantial clinical and basic science research programs to prevent and ultimately cure this chronic life-threatening disease. Donate to them by clicking here. Find out more about them by clicking here.
THE OTHER SIDE ACADEMY This organization has a similar mission to Step Denver, but they also accept women. The Other Side Academy is a training school in which students learn pro-social, vocational and life skills allowing them to emerge with a healthy life on “the other side”. This program is available as an alternative to those facing long-term incarceration as well as those seeking a change from the life they’ve chosen in the past. Many of those who seek entrance into the Academy are convicts, substance abusers or homeless. This school accepts men and women, both pre-and post-sentencing, who are ready to learn a new and better way to live. You may have heard my listener Bill who called me in desperation as an alcoholic living in his truck. He has been at TOSA and has a new lease on life. I love this program, it is so incredibly good. Donate to them here, or find out more about the program by clicking here.
BUT I'VE GOT A FEW MORE OPTIONS FOR YOU And if none of these suit your fancy, you can search the database at Colorado Gives Day here. Here are a few more places that I love and would love for you to support if you'd like.
INDEPENDENCE INSTITUTE: Jon Caldara and his amazing team have lowered your income taxes TWICE and always advocate for more freedom and less government on your behalf. They run a tight ship and can always use a little more to keep fighting. They also run CompleteColorado.com which is the best news aggregator in Colorado. Donate to Independence Institute here.
THE STEAMBOAT INSTITUTE They are dedicated to defending freedom and celebrating the rugged individualism that made our nation great. Similar in mission to Independence, they make a difference by bringing spirited debates to college campuses to spread the word about freedom to young people and beyond. Donate to The Steamboat Institute here.
COLORADO VETERANS PROJECT Not only do they put on the Veterans Day Parade and several other events, they donate to local veterans causes as well. This is a great way to make sure your money is well spent! Donate to CVP here.
COMEBACK YOGA Comeback Yoga provides free, accessible, trauma-informed, science-based yoga classes to the military community to enhance overall health and quality of life. My friend Rob is now an instructor and this program is changing lives. They don't ask for much so it should be really easy to hit this goal! Donate to Comeback Yoga here.
MOTORCYCLE RELIEF PROJECT The mission of the Motorcycle Relief Project is to provide relief to veterans and first responders with PTSD and other invisible injuries by taking them on structured and professionally led multi-day motorcycle adventure tours designed to help them decompress, get unstuck, connect with other veterans and first responders, and take meaningful steps toward recovery from their injuries. Donate to Motorcycle Relief Project here.
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF COLORADO Our very own AROD volunteers his time as a "big" with BBBSC and swears by the great things that this organization does for our youth. Donate to them here and find out more about them here.
ADDING VFW POST 1 FOUNDATION Because they are changing the VFW post culture by embracing multiple ways for veterans to engage without alcohol. Find them here!
There are many, many worthy organization to donate to, these are just a few of my favorites and I know they all spend your money very carefully.
IT'S TIME TO END THE VACANCY COMMITTEE NONSENSE And Ari Armstrong has a scorcher on the abuse of the system here. He's 100% right when he says the political parties abuse the vacancy committee by running to "keep" a seat and then bailing before the work is done. Armstrong offers some good alternatives here.
WE ARE NOW FUNDING MEDICAID FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS And this PISSES ME OFF. I just had to sponsor my friend's husband who has lived here legally for YEARS and has an actual JOB because Immigration said he might end up on welfare (even though he never, ever would) and now I find out that in Colorado we will paying for Medicaid for illegal immigrants. The part of the story that REALLY pissed me off is this:
"Based on current Colorado state laws they protect the privacy of the clients that are applying for these public benefits," said Rodriguez. The state says that not only is privacy protected - the benefits don't present a "public charge" challenge. The "public charge" rule specifies that a US Citizenship and Immigration Services officer may deny a person admission to the U.S. if they deem the person is likely to become dependent on certain government benefits in the future, which would make them a "public charge."
How is being on Medicaid NOT a public charge? It's the TEXTBOOK definition of public charge. This is infuriating. And I'm helping pay for it.
WANT TO LEARN HOW BADLY SYRIA IS SCREWED? Watch this explainer by Ben Shapiro.
Israel is wasting no time in ensuring that Syrian military equipment will not fall into the hands of ISIS adjacent rebels by blowing it all up. Good. If the rebels want to fight Israel they can do it with their hands. This article says Iran is primed and ready to fall, though it is paywalled. From the WSJ:
Assad’s removal is also the climax so far in a cascade of events catalyzed by the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, which resulted in the most fundamental change in Iran’s security landscape since the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. But, while the toppling of Saddam Hussein ultimately provided Iran with opportunity, this time Tehran is at a disadvantage.
In more than a year of attacks, Israel has devastated Hamas, Iran’s main Palestinian ally. Since September, Israel has killed most of the leadership of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia that is Iran’s most powerful ally, and sent its surviving top commanders into hiding. Assad’s toppling destroys the remaining front line of what Iran calls its “forward defense,” said Ali Vaez, director of the International Crisis Group’s Iran Project.
How ironic that the attack by Hamas, which Iran says they didn't know about, could spell the end of the regions biggest terror sponsor after all. Heh, here's hoping.
CONGRATS TO CU'S TRAVIS HUNTER As he's been named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy after a super stellar year.
WHO IS WATCHING WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING? Of course the Denver City Council defended an organization that gives grants to organizations who are supposed to working on mental health and addiction issues. Unfortunately this story from CPR tells a much different story than the one they want you to believe. It's a story of a secretive organization given gobs of taxpayer money refusing to show us where the money went. The money is supposed to go to mental health and addiction treatment groups but some of them are not good and we don't know which ones those are because no one is checking. So of course the City Council defended the organization. Of course.
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MIKE ROSEN Mike writes here about why stores have gone back to Merry Christmas and why that is a good thing.
MASS TRANSIT IN DENVER IS FAILING And yet our Governor seems hell bent on spending gobs more money on the system we don't want. Read it here.
LADIES, THIS ONE IS FOR US And it's very funny.
GOVERNMENT SUCKS AT BUILDING THINGS And John Stossel shares why.
I UGLY CRIED ON THIS ONE
THE KIFFNESS AND A GAY KITTY
MORE LIFE ADVICE FROM OLD PEOPLE
THIS MAY BE MY SPORT It's called Disco Foot and I bet I'd be great at it. Watch below or click here.
HOW DID WE NOT NOTICE THIS BEFORE??? Watch below or click here.