Governor Jared Polis sat down with The Denver Post (aka The Polis Press) to wax poetic about his vanishing term and how he hopes Coloradans will remember him, not for things like stabilizing the economy or addressing sky-high prices and affordability, but for protecting outdoor recreation. Yep. That’s his gold star legacy item: conserving landscapes and improving access to state parks. According to the Post piece, Polis touts work done on outdoor equity, land conservation easements, and increasing trust-fund-esque access to nature. Because when your rent’s too high and you can’t find a job that pays more than minimum wage, at least you can cry about it from a scenic overlook.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Polis wants to be remembered for championing Colorado’s outdoors, not say… fixing a broken transportation system or crime.
- He pumped money into land conservation easements and expanding park access across the state.
- “Outdoor Equity Grants” are now a thing, because apparently equity now includes having nicer hiking boots.
- Media spotlight highlights how hunters and ranchers, as usual, weren’t invited to this green Kool-Aid party.
- All this trail talk comes while Coloradans can’t afford groceries or gas; priorities much?
My Bottom Line
If Jared Polis thinks his green pat-on-the-back is going to hoodwink Coloradans into forgetting the economic hellscape we’re crawling through, he’s smoking the good stuff out in Boulder again.
Look, I love Colorado’s wild spaces. I grew up with my boots in the dirt and a rod in my hand. Hunters, farmers, ranchers – we’re salt-of-the-earth types who know what stewardship really means. We manage God’s creation because we live with it, not because a bureaucrat handed us a glossy brochure about ‘trail access equity.’ The real stewards of this land aren’t sipping oat milk lattes in Old Town, they’re busting their backsides keeping this landscape thriving long before Polis figured out how to say “conservation.”
But let’s not miss the forest for his carefully curated photo ops: under King Polis, we’ve watched our cost of living skyrocket like a campfire unattended by one of his newly certified ‘trail equity officers.’ Our kids can’t afford homes. Our roads are pothole playgrounds. Public safety’s been left for dead somewhere along DIA’s last exit, and folks are getting priced out of retirement right when they were supposed to enjoy life. He hands us camping brochures when we need paychecks, roadways, and safer neighborhoods.
Make no mistake, Polis’ leafy legacy is sweet frosting trying to cover a rotted cake. And trust me, no one’s fooled by scented candles when the house is on fire.
