Political Sheet

New Colorado Laws: Death by 600 Paper Cuts

Written by Scott K. James

Every August, our freedoms shrink while bureaucracy expands. Colorado lawmakers just dropped another stack of regulations too big to wipe with. Enough is enough.

Colorado Public Radio just dropped an annual gut-punch: a list of new Colorado laws taking effect on August 6. It’s your yearly reminder that freedom dies not in a blaze of tyranny, but drowned underneath a flood of regulation and committee-signed nonsense. You’ve got lawmakers, most of whom couldn’t survive outside a coffee shop and a participation trophy, passing hundreds of new bills like it’s their side hustle.

The Bullet Point Brief

  • Beginning August 6, Coloradans will be subject to dozens of new laws, because apparently the old ones weren’t doing enough damage.
  • Every legislator gets at least five bills per session, plus more if they’re in special committees or leadership roles. That’s how you end up with the potential for over 600 new laws annually.
  • Topics range from mental health investments (finally) to climate initiatives backed by unicorn dust and tax subsidies.
  • New labor regulations make it harder for businesses to hire people unless they also build them a shrine and pay them in Bitcoin and hugs.
  • Some laws aim to fix housing and opioids, just don’t ask about results; passing legislation = job done in Denver.

My Bottom Line

You want to know when freedom disappears? It’s not some dramatic coup; it’s when elected officials grab hold of their annual quota of busybody bills and start vomiting out legislation like they’re making TikToks for tyranny. “Only five bills per legislator,” they say, as if the threat of 600+ new state laws every year is somehow reasonable. That ain’t governing, it’s legislative looting dressed up as public service.

Every damn year, we get treated to another tsunami of rules, requirements, mandates, incentives-for-who-even-knows-anymore, and taxpayer-funded dreams that die faster than Joe Biden’s memory on live TV. Meanwhile, Coloradans are stuck trying to figure out what law they just broke for giving someone the wrong straw or putting out their trash two minutes early.

Let me be blunt: this isn’t good governance, it’s death by a thousand paper cuts… all written in legalese and signed with self-righteous flair. We don’t need more laws, we need more common sense. And for the love of constitutional sanity, quit using government as a therapy project for political interns who’ve never had a real job.

We’re suffocating under policy, not poverty. And if this trend keeps up, one day you’ll need a permit just to breathe in Weld County air… assuming the CDPHE hasn’t banned oxygen yet.

About the author

Scott K. James

A 4th generation Northern Colorado native, Scott K. James is a veteran broadcaster, professional communicator, and principled leader. Widely recognized for his thoughtful, common-sense approach to addressing issues that affect families, businesses, and communities, Scott, his wife, Julie, and son, Jack, call Johnstown, Colorado, home. A former mayor of Johnstown, James is a staunch defender of the Constitution and the rule of law, the free market, and the power of the individual. Scott has delighted in a lifetime of public service and continues that service as a Weld County Commissioner representing District 2.