The two faces of Hickenlooper

Effective politicians often need a thick skin, especially when labeled hypocrites. They must shrug off the accusation and stay focused. True exceptions are rare: leaders guided by consistent principles, conscience, and a genuine willingness to compromise for their constituents’ benefit.

Senator John Hickenlooper is no such exception. He projects a folksy, moderate man-of-the-people image—complete with the aw-shucks grin, plaid shirts, and denim jacket—but it rings hollow. A multimillionaire whose fortune stems largely from politics and his earlier brewing business (after an unsuccessful stint as a geologist), he has shifted sharply to the left over the past decade. In that time, he has delivered relentless criticism of the current administration while offering few tangible accomplishments and ideas for Colorado.

As the saying goes, those who criticize others most harshly often reveal their own shortcomings.

Hickenlooper’s hypocrisy stands out most clearly on crime and immigration. He has embraced an “oppressor versus oppressed” lens that appears to show greater concern for illegal immigrants and criminal elements than for the law-abiding citizens he represents. He has advocated using Colorado taxpayer dollars to support those who entered the country unlawfully.

This marks a stark reversal from his earlier stances. As mayor and governor, Hickenlooper supported stronger border security measures, a REAL ID system, a structured guest worker program, and accountability for employers who hired unauthorized workers. Today, he opposes bills like the SAVE America Act and has warned that requiring proof of citizenship for voting would disproportionately burden “millions of women.” Such claims strain credibility: verifying citizenship is no more onerous than routine tasks like updating an address or filing taxes. It serves as a basic protection against fraud and foreign interference. Critics argue his current open-border leanings effectively aim to import a dependable voting bloc for his party.

On economic affordability, Hickenlooper’s record is equally troubling. His embrace of climate-first policies as Denver mayor, Colorado governor, and now U.S. senator has contributed to making Colorado one of the nation’s most expensive states.

In May and June 2022, nonprofit outlet Sludge reported that Hickenlooper violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act by failing to disclose multiple stock trades by his household within the required 45-day window. The trades involved substantial sums, with one set valued between $565,000 and $1.3 million, and another including purchases up to $1.2 million and sales between $130,000 and $300,000.

Finally, Hickenlooper has labeled the Iran conflict “illegal,” relying on arguments that critics say overlook long-term national security realities. He would do well to revisit the words of fellow liberal John Stuart Mill, “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight… is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

Colorado deserves better than performative politics and inconsistent leadership. The state’s future—its safety, economic vitality, and water security—requires decisive action rather than partisan posturing and ideological signaling. In 2026, Colorado voters have an opportunity for a hard reset: leaders who prioritize common-sense solutions on crime, affordability, border security, and resource management over virtue-signaling and personal political branding. Wake up Colorado!

Will Steuben

Palmer Lake

Fool me once

Speaking as a proud Libertarian, so much for our “Secretary of State” asserting that she can be trusted and Colorado’s voter rolls can be relied upon for free and fair elections. Despite her ad campaigns at our expense, and “show me the proof” tirade, after two years to scrub the hard drives, sooner or later the truth always comes out.

Our blatantly biased “Secretary of State” was forced to settle a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch (and joined by the Libertarian Party) to clean up the voter rolls. And now the results are in. ( https://www.judicialwatch.org/inactive-voters-removed-colorado-voter-rolls/)

Well, my, my, it turns out the truth is that 372,000 names were removed as a result of that lawsuit. And when will our allegedly impartial “Secretary of State” take responsibility for the results of her actions? Don’t hold your breath!

Since our allegedly unbiased and impartial “Secretary of State” has demonstrated by her actions that she can’t be trusted, and had to be sued to force removal of ineligible voters from the rolls, how can we trust that similar actions won’t be repeated as Attorney General if given the chance, and why would we be so foolish as to provide her with the opportunity?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!

Gordon Carleton

Pueblo West

Human cost is real

ICE is breaking the law, the economy, and America’s integrity.

As a retired diplomat, I am saddened to see our friends — Canada, France, Germany, and the UK — issuing travel warnings to their citizens about visiting the United States. These countries, which still welcome Americans with open arms and the promise of due process, now warn their own citizens that they may be unlawfully detained by ICE, treated violently, and denied basic legal protections.

More than 328,000 people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2025 — the largest interior enforcement surge in American history. This represents a tragic departure from the constitutional and moral norms that have long governed how this country treats people within its borders.

Our Constitution’s Fourth Amendment requires probable cause before any arrest, and the Fifth Amendment guarantees due process to any “person” in the United States — not just citizens. Yet ICE’s own “border czar,” Tom Homan, has confirmed that agents make “collateral arrests” based on little more than a person’s appearance or location. Courts have repeatedly found such stops unconstitutional. Astonishingly, immigrants are now being arrested while showing up to their scheduled immigration court hearings. How can we claim to be a nation of laws when we arrest people for following them?

The human cost is real. ProPublica documented at least 170 U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents from January through October 2025, including veterans, warehouse workers, and elected officials. Detention facilities are dangerously overcrowded, often lacking medical care, with conditions resembling a third-world prison. This is not justice; it is punishment by detention.

The economic damage is mounting. Farm raids have disrupted agricultural supply chains. Tourism has declined. International student enrollment — a multibillion-dollar sector — has dropped sharply. Meanwhile, the American executives who knowingly hire undocumented workers, usually below fair wages face no scrutiny. And contrary to administration claims, undocumented immigrants do pay taxes. In 2022, they paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, of which $25.7 billion went into Social Security for benefits they cannot access.

When our democratic allies must warn their citizens about detention without cause on American streets, something has broken. Enforcing immigration law is legitimate. But a program that sweeps up citizens alongside non-citizens, that substitutes appearance for probable cause, and that treats constitutional constraints as optional is neither lawful nor effective. Congress must restore oversight, courts must enforce constitutional limits, and the public must demand accountability. A blunt instrument swung for political purposes does not make our nation great — it makes it less free, our country less prosperous and erodes our influence abroad.

Aric Schwan

Colorado Springs