As whispered concerns grow louder over Joe Biden’s obvious decline, alternative Dem candidates are being conjectured.

One such person is our own dear governor Jared Polis, whose recent interview with John Stossel has him appearing to be much more moderate than Gavin Newsom — the leader evidently so admired that many citizens are reportedly fleeing for less-taxed states.

While libertarian-appearing Jared stated during this interview that he is “for freedom and lower taxes,” I question what he really means. Touching on the topics he covered, does he mean freedom from student loan debt because of nasty colleges overcharging students? Does he mean stopping the Trump-era tariffs that punish our freedom to buy whatever we want? Does he mean the personal freedom to imbibe in marijuana and magic mushrooms — but impair gun ownership? Does he mean employment freedom granting more work permits to those who wander into our country? Does he mean school choice — which is limited to publicly funded schools rather than an alternative voucher system? Or does he mean the freedom to choose identity over biology and abortion over life?

Yes, Jared can brag about the almost 3% reduction in state income tax, but I noticed he didn’t mention the 7% average increase in property taxes. Yes, he can also tout the balanced state budget with reserves, but how long will it last? A boatload of money is being expended for universal preschool and other social programs. As crime and homelessness increase, Jared says we should just hire more cops and pitch more tents. Doesn’t money solve all social ills?

Speaking of social ills, Polis recently released a multi-page equity policy (deja vu to our own county’s recent struggle with the same). Stossel pointed out that “equity” involves the philosophy of critical race theory: equity of outcome rather than equality of opportunity. Shockingly, Polis laughed and dismissed CRT as being some dusty, college-level theory with no bearing on reality. He is either woefully ignorant or just giving the party line.

The final question I have about Polis possibly stepping into the presidential race at some point is why he would make a divisive statement about Republicans censoring more than Democrats — and using the recent illustration of TikTok being banned in Montana while ignoring that TT was banned for all federal employees in the Biden administration. It doesn’t matter who censors whom. When we have more authoritarian decisions in social media and legacy media to squash opinions, research, and even true news that doesn’t fit a desired narrative, we’re heading into dangerous waters that may overwhelm and sink our ship.

Linda Mazunik, Lone Tree