The lineup for tonight’s (Friday, July 16) Devil’s Advocate w/Jon Caldara has changed. Instead of Reason Magazine Editor-in-Chief Nick Gillespie as previously posted, tune in for a one-on-one conversation between Independence Institute president Jon Caldara and U.S. Senate candidate Jane Norton. That’s tonight at 8:30 PM, right after Colorado Inside Out, on Colorado Public Television 12.

You can still catch Jon Caldara and Nick Gillespie talking new media and the nanny-state on next Friday’s Devil’s Advocate.

I can’t help but be impressed with every post I’ve read on the Colorado Spending Transparency (COST) blog run by our transparency Czar (just kidding), I mean Transparency Director Amy Oliver.  Following our investigative reporter Todd Shepherd’s report, Amy’s thoughts on Bill Ritter’s lack of disclosure transparency were right on the money.  She has also been taking the Greeley-Evans school district property tax hike (3A) to task – both on the COST blog and on her own personal blog. After BJ Nikkel successfully passed transparency legislation forcing the state to create and maintain a website that showed state spending in an easy, search-able format, they unfortunately came out with this poor excuse of a transparency website. Amy has written several times on the inadequacies of the TOPS site in providing spending reports, but this most recent assessment shows just how poor TOPS is.  Evidently, transparency still means general rather than specific, while conveniently leaving out any and all semblance of context.  No, I’m afraid that… “we spent $100″ does not constitute transparency in spending.

Also, don’t forget tonight’s episode of Independent Thinking, hosted by none of than the Mistress of Transparency herself – Amy Oliver.

(Amy, you’re choice is either Mistress or Czar.  “Director” is just too boring).

Why can’t the state be more transparent like Jefferson County?  While Colorado’s largest county actively pursues detailed financial transparency with its new website Transparent Jeffco, Governor Ritter and the state controller violate the spirit of the Colorado Taxpayer Transparency Act by providing taxpayers with confusing, aggregated numbers with no context. To discuss the two dramatically different transparency websites, State Representative BJ Nikkel and Jefferson County Commissioner Kevin McCasky join host Amy Oliver Cooke on Independent Thinking. Tune in tonight at 8:30 p.m. to KBDI Channel 12.  Repeated Monday at 1:30 p.m.

I told you last week about the meet and greet KBDI channel 12 is hosting for me in downtown Golden.  Well, the time is upon us!  Tomorrow from 6pm to 9pm at the Golden Hotel, I will be live in the flesh, glad-handing, kissing babies, and signing autographs.  (8 x 10 glossies not included, please bring your own).  I hope you are as excited meeting me as I would be about meeting me.

But seriously, come on out; I’d love to meet you and hear what you have to say about the show. Besides, a $10 donation to KBDI gets you the chance to buy me a drink.  What a win-win!

Space is limited, so call Channel 12 at 303.991.5038 to reserve your spot.

What do health care, the economy, bailouts and deficits have in common? They all somehow involve the Obama Administration, and have all been covered by Denver Post columnists David Harsanyi and Mike Littwin. Tune into Independent Thinking as Harsanyi and Littwin join me to talk about the President’s agenda and what it means for Coloradans. That’s tonight at 8:30 pm on KBDI Channel 12; repeated the following Monday afternoon at 1:30 pm.

KBDI Channel 12 is hosting a meet and greet for me on Thursday, October 8th, from 6-9pm at the Golden Hotel in downtown Golden.
This is your chance to not only meet yours truly, but to meet the good folks behind our TV show Independent Thinking – including KBDI president and CEO Wick Rowland. This is your chance to ask Wick the tough questions, like why I don’t have my own dressing room, why they keep giving me plain M&M’s when my contract clearly states Peanut! (You could also ask him if he really thinks “Frontline” isn’t biased.)

But seriously, come on out; I’d love to meet you and hear what you have to say about the show. Besides, a $10 donation to KBDI gets you the chance to buy me a drink.  What a win-win!  Space is limited, so call Channel 12 at 303.991.5038 to reserve your spot.

What is former Colorado Governor Bill Owens up to these days? Find out tonight on Independent Thinking as Bill Owens joins me for a one on one conversation. Tune in tonight at 8:30 pm to KBDI Channel 12; repeated the following Monday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.

Want to know who’s up and who’s down in Colorado’s political races? Or how about the status of Colorado’s efforts to close budget gap? Denver Post reporters Lynn Bartels and Tim Hoover join host Jon Caldara for an end of summer wrap up of Colorado’s political races and ongoing state budget debate. Tune in tonight at 8:30 pm to KBDI Channel 12; repeated the following Monday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.

As traditional print media continues to shrink in Colorado, who will step in to fill the void? Alan Gottlieb from Education News Colorado and Todd Shepherd from the Independence Institute’s “Independence Investigates” project join me to discuss the challenges and future of non-profit based news gathering and investigative reporting outlets in Colorado. Tune in tonight at 8:30pm on KBDI channel 12.

What is the outlook for the Colorado state budget? What are the proper functions of state government? The Independence Institute’s Amy Oliver-Cooke and Renny Fagan of the Colorado Nonprofit Association join me on Independent Thinking for an update on the ongoing work of Colorado’s Long Term Fiscal Stability Commission. Tune in this Friday night at 8:30 pm to KBDI Channel 12; repeated the following Monday afternoon at 1:30pm.

***(NOTE: Our repeat viewing time has been changed from Tuesdays to Mondays at 1:30pm)***