A Bureaucrat’s Unappreciated Work For Taxpayers

Economic fears have metastasized into grievance—this is the core finding of the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer. We observe a profound shift in popular sentiment, a move beyond political polarization to aggressive advocacy for self-interest. Throughout the elections of the past year, citizens have raised their voices against business, government, and the wealthy across the globe.

For the second time, U. S. President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office on Inauguration Day Monday in Washington, D. C., by raising his right hand and putting his left hand on top of a Bible. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Why do presidents place a hand on the Bible? The answer is simple: tradition.

When Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago, President Joe Biden set three objectives for the U. S. response. Ukraine’s victory was never among them. The phrase the White House used to describe its mission at the time—supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes”—was intentionally vague. It also raised the question: As long as it takes to do what? [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “We were deliberately not talking about the territorial parameters,” says Eric Green, who served on Biden’s National Security Council at the time, overseeing Russia policy.

Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share their mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer?

A Fort Collins woman will undergo a surgery to prevent pregnancy. A Thornton couple has decided to embrace male birth control through a vasectomy. A mother in Evergreen plans to stock up on morning-after pills. And a transgender man in Colorado Springs worries about his access to testosterone. Although voters enshrined abortion access in the state’s constitution last fall, some Coloradans still feel uneasy about the permanency of reproductive health care and gender-affirming care under President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.

With the presidential inauguration on Monday, the Trump administration is set to kick off a series of policy moves focused on, among many things, reducing government waste. It’s not surprising to see a renewed focus on our government’s and politicians’ extravagant spending, especially when some families struggle to put food on the table because of persistent inflation (which is arguably also a result of government action).