Bullies

Jon Caldara hates bullies. He has dedicated his professional life to stop bullies who use the coercive power of government to take from others and force their values on those who don’t share them.

Jon believes that, with extremely rare exceptions, government must never impede, ban or mandate relationships. Consensual relationships have created the greatest beauty and human advancement the world as ever known. Jon works to secure our right to freely associate by promoting Liberty protected by limited government.

Jon Caldara is the President of the Independence Institute, Colorado’s free-market think tank in Denver, Colorado. He also hosts radio talk programs on 630 KHOW and 850 KOA. His current affairs television program, Devil’s Advocate with Jon Caldara, airs on Colorado Public Television Channel 12, Friday nights at 8:30.

Jon’s greatest pride is being father of three amazing children; daughter Parker, who died of cancer in 2001, daughter Piper who came along to save him in 2002, and wild-man Chance born in 2004 who, either because or despite his Down Syndrome, is the frat brother Jon never had.

Past achievements:

Jon Caldara started his political career in 1994 when he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Regional Transportation District, one of the largest governments in Colorado, later becoming Chairman of the board.

Caldara is a veteran of many political battles, running campaigns against tax and debt increases and for freedom-based reforms: He fought the 1997’s Guide the Ride transit tax increase; 1998’s Referendum B, a billion statewide tax increase; 2000’s Amendment 23, the unfunded spending mandate for K-12 schools; 2001’s monorail questions; 2004’s RTD’s Fastracks tax increase; 2005’s attack on the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, Referenda C and D and 2013’s Amendment 66, a progression income tax increase. In 2008 he led the effort for Amendment 49, a ban on deducting union dues from public paychecks. In 2010 he championed Amendment 63, the Health Care Freedom Act. In 2014 he brought forward Proposition 104 which made school district negotiations with unions open to the public.