{"podcast":{"title":"Freedom Unaffiliated","slug":"freedom-unaffiliated-6377441","podcast_index_feed_id":6377441,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/independence-institute-fu/","website_url":"https://thinkfreedom.org","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/560ed20e-bd0d-4345-a03d-e5dbbf2a1bd7/xXlFVqlrZPsYyna95eX6pwIf.png","author":"Independence Institute","episode_count":194,"summary":"Did you know 46% of the voters in Colorado are unaffiliated? Have you ever wondered why? Hear from the experts at Independence Institute talk about the issues important to Colorado and how to bring some sanity to this increasingly leftist state.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-10T06:20:14.080106+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/freedom-unaffiliated-6377441"},"episode":{"title":"Senate Bill 135: Colorado Lawmakers Take Aim at Taxpayer Refunds","slug":"senate-bill-135-colorado-lawmakers-take-aim-at-taxpayer-refunds","published_at":"2026-04-23T18:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/freedom-unaffiliated-6377441/senate-bill-135-colorado-lawmakers-take-aim-at-taxpayer-refunds","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/freedom-unaffiliated-6377441","url":"https://thinkfreedom.org","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/63ac64af-e1a1-441d-a15a-a1d56f435b6d.mp3","summary":"I know this will shock you, but the system is rigged. Maybe not in the conspiracy-theory, tinfoil-hat way. In the simple, obvious, right-in-front-of-your-face way: politicians get to play by rules you don’t. And every now and then they get so brazen about it, you have to stop and admire the hustle. We Coloradans have been painfully clear for decades: We want our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights ( TABOR ). We want government spending limits. And, yes, we want our refunds when government takes too much. How many times do we have to say no? 1998, Referendum B. No. 2011, Proposition 103. No. 2013, Amendment 66. No. 2019, Proposition CC. No. 2023, Proposition HH. No. And none of these elections were even close. At this point, voters aren’t whispering. We’re screaming: live within your means. Wearing voters down But like shrill children demanding mommy buy them something, politicians don’t stop asking. Like the kid, they know they can wear you down. Because if they get a “yes” just once, it’s game over. TABOR refunds disappear forever. And I mean forever. TABOR originally said they could keep excess revenue for four years and only if we voters approved it. Then the Colorado Supreme Court later clarified “four years” actually means… forever. I guess because “four” and “forever” sound kinda the same. Good to know words still have meaning and our political elite keep fighting to “protect democracy” Now comes Senate Bill 135 . And you’ll never guess what it does. It ends your TABOR refunds, forever. But don’t worry. This time it’s “for the kids.” Cue the violins. Quite literally what you’ll read on the ballot says the money will go to education. There is no mention of a penny going anywhere else. The ballot language the legislators who want your money wrote practically tucks you in at…","meta_description":"I know this will shock you, but the system is rigged. Maybe not in the conspiracy-theory, tinfoil-hat way. In the simple, obvious, right-in-front-of-your-…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":360,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/freedom-unaffiliated-6377441/episodes/senate-bill-135-colorado-lawmakers-take-aim-at-taxpayer-refunds/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/freedom-unaffiliated-6377441/senate-bill-135-colorado-lawmakers-take-aim-at-taxpayer-refunds.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}