Common Sense Unfiltered

In this episode, DJ Summers is joined by Kelly Caufield, CSI Colorado’s Executive Director, to discuss Amendment 80, a key proposition on the upcoming November ballot. If passed, this amendment would embed school choice into the Colorado Constitution.
Tune in to learn what this could mean for education, families, and the future of schooling in the state.

This November Oregon voters will decide on Ballot Measure 118, which would increase Oregon’s taxes on corporations six-fold, with the proceeds to be distributed equally across all eligible individuals. Under the proposal, Oregonians would face the most aggressive gross receipts tax in the nation by far.
Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes Mark McMullen, Vice President of Research and Policy for CSI Oregon, and CSI Oregon Board Member Lynn Snodgrass, CEO of the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce and former Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. They unpack what the measure seeks to do, the reasoning behind it, and ultimately what would happen if this measure is passed. Every voter in Oregon should listen to this episode to understand the likely impacts of Ballot Measure 118. You can read our research about it here. 
Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

In this special edition of Common Sense Digest, we feature discussion from one of our recent events. On Tuesday, September 10, Common Sense Institute hosted its quarterly Eggs & The Economy Event. This edition was titled: "Unscrambling the 2024 November Ballot" Our panelists included:
Paul Pazen - CSI Public Safety Fellow and Former Denver Police Chief
Lang Sias - CSI Mike A. Leprino Free Enterprise Fellow
Paul Andrews - President & CEO of the National Western Stock Show
Kelly Caufield - CSI Colorado Executive Director
Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

Our President and CEO Kristin Strohm fills in for Earl Wright on this edition of Common Sense Digest as she welcomes four full-time Daniels Fund Scholars to the show to discuss the work of four remarkable summer interns. 
These young men and women are working to help advance CSI’s mission of examining the fiscal impacts of policies and legislation by crafting reports that better inform citizens. Over the course of the summer, the Daniels Scholar Junior Fellows have conducted informative research, assisted with data collection, and are each working with a CSI
Fellow to construct a final report that will be released in the upcoming weeks.
Join us in welcoming Josh Green, Sr. Vice President of Scholarships for the Daniels Fund who spearheaded this partnership along with Avery Martinez, Toby Lee, Jade Gromer, and Rasheed Garza Archuleta as they discuss their experience this summer, share what they've learned, and reflect on the work they did with our CSI fellows.
Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

Ballot Initiative 91, a bold move to ban big cat hunting in Colorado. The group "Cats Aren't Trophies" is leading the charge to stop the killing, wounding, pursuing, or trapping of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynxes. This quirky yet crucial issue is stirring up debates across the state, especially among rural residents and hunters.
How will this impact Colorado's economy? Will taxpayers foot the bill? And what can we learn from California's experience with similar legislation? Tune in to explore the complexities and potential consequences of this contentious proposal.

Deep diving into one of the most contentious issues on Colorado's 2024 state-wide ballot: the proposed ban on slaughterhouses. With only one slaughterhouse in Denver and a wave of complaints driving the proposal, we explore how this ban could impact Coloradans.
 
Is there a tangible benefit to banning these establishments, or is the push fueled by emotion rather than economic sense? We also discuss the implications for Colorado's cattle industry and the broader economic effects of such a ban in a state that is more about cattle than crops.
 
Read the full report as we unpack the facts beyond the rhetoric and consider what this decision means for the future of Colorado – https://commonsenseinstituteco.org/the-economic-impacts-of-the-proposed-denver-slaughterhouse-ban/

What exactly is PERA? Are state and public employees getting the short end of the stick? Is PERA financially sound? And how is Colorado managing these challenges?
PERA obligations might sound dull at first, but this is a conversation that affects nearly 140,000 public employees in Colorado. Join us as we delve into these vital questions and more.
For more information - visit www.commonsenseinstituteco.org

What is the state of our city? How is Mayor Mike Johnston addressing homelessness? Will housing prices continue to soar unaddressed? Are migrants top of mind for the administration?
DJ Summers & Cole Anderson dive into Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's State of the City address, examining the challenges faced in the past year and his plans for the future. Coloradans need affordable housing, homelessness is draining city resources, the migrant population is growing, and a different approach to Denver's Public Safety issue.

Welcome to the pilot episode of Colorado Clarity! Join hosts DJ Summers and Cole Anderson from the Common Sense Institute as they dive into the most pressing policy issues impacting Colorado today. In this episode, they tackle the fentanyl crisis sweeping through Colorado, the significant financial burden of the migrant influx on Denver and surrounding areas, and the staggering rise in property taxes—the highest since the Vietnam War era.
For more information on the research discussed in the episode today, please visit our website.

In this special edition of of Common Sense Digest, we feature discussion from one of our recent events. On Thursday, June 27, Common Sense Institute hosted an event titled "Fentanyl: Our Nation's Most Devastating Challenge" where speakers from across the country will share research and insights on one of the most challenging issues of our time. Our panelists included:
Max Williams - Community Leader; Portland, Oregon
Rachel Mitchell - Maricopa County Attorney
Mitch Morrissey - CSI Colorado Owens-Early Criminal Justice Fellow
Paul Pazen - CSI Public Safety Fellow and Former Denver Police Chief
Vince Bzdek- Executive Editor of The Gazette (Moderator)
Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.