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PandoraGod has given me the gift of ideas. Tens of thousands of ideas. I have spent a lifetime imagining what could be. Good ideas. Okay ideas. Horrible ideas. This podcast – Regular Folks Rising – was not one of them. No, this podcast was my best friend’s idea. Regular Folks Rising belongs to Hugh McKean. […]
Regular Folks Rising Podcast
Welcome to Regular Folks Rising (RFR, because I am too lazy to type the whole name every time). My name is Scott James. I keep this website, this podcast, and this effort running. I am a 40-year radio broadcaster from Johnstown who also happens to serve as a Weld County Commissioner. RFR is not my idea.
No, this effort was my best friend’s idea. RFR belongs to Hugh McKean. Like me, Hugh was involved in the important task of self-governance. Like me, Hugh was a dedicated public servant. Or, as the world calls us, “politicians.” Hugh rose to the position of Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives.
Frustrated with the direction of our state and nation, Hugh believed if we could just re-engage regular folks – not lawyers, activists, or consultants – but construction workers, factory workers, car sales people, farmers, ranchers, teachers, moms, dads – you know, regular folks – if we could just get regular folks involved in the political process, sanity might return to council chambers and the state and nation’s capitols.
On October 30, 2022, at age 55, Hugh unexpectedly died. I’m still a little pissed at him because of it. Just a few days later, he was re-elected, overwhelmingly and posthumously, to another term in Colorado House District 51. He lives on here and in our hearts, and this website goes on in memory of our dearly missed friend.
After Hugh passed, this website just kind of sat there with nothing really happening. I am called back to it because we need you involved in the process more than ever before.
Bottom line – Hugh was, and I am, just “regular folks,” not pedigreed politicians, whose desire to help people and make a difference in our communities led us into jobs as elected public servants.
The government in which we represent you is decidedly better when you are involved. But how do regular folks become involved in a government that has become unnecessarily bloated and burdensome? That's what this podcast is all about - helping regular folks rise!
Episode 9 – What Brings You Joy
Show Notes A bit different direction with the RFR Podcast this episode as Hugh asks, “What brings you joy?” Bottom line: Scott and Hugh derive a tremendous amount of joy out of their jobs. Just to link to the names Hugh drops – Colin Larson and Rich Holtorf. There is not a huge amount to […]
Episode 8 – Who is On, What’s Up, Where We Go
Show Notes Scott likes silence! Just to be clear… The show begins with a tangent (frankly, the whole show is a tangent, but it is fun talking to you) about Hugh’s love of lightening. And just to prove he knows what he’s talking about – here is a source. (3:05 in the show.) Hugh and […]
Episode 7 – The Interim & the Aftermath
Show Notes Hugh gives a brief review of the 2022 General Assembly. Hugh discusses Colorado Legislature interim committee assignments. A synopsis of those workings can be found HERE. The session is 120 days – or one-third of the year. Legislators meet with constituents and discuss legislative ideas in the other two-thirds of the year – […]
Episode 6 – Getting Personal
Show Notes Hugh turns the tables and asks questions of Scott. Hugh’s legislative session is hyper-intense. Thank the good Lord above that the Colorado General Assembly only meets 120-days a year. Not so many politics in this show – it’s a little more personal. Hugh and Scott share the basic tenant that parents should be […]
Episode 5 – Closing the Gap
Episode Five Show Notes Regular Folks Rising is a podcast that, among many other things, hopes to help close the gap that exists (and seems to be growing) between “the governed” (Regular Folks) and the people who “govern” (elected representatives and policymakers). Hugh and Scott both worry that this gap is widening. It is usually […]
Episode 4 – “Wintegrity”
Show Notes… Hugh suffers, albeit momentarily, from control board envy. And no, the profanity delay should not be conflated with suppression of First Amendment Rights. Don’t go there. We then get down to work… The Fundamental Level of Regular Folks Involvement is the Vote We touch on election integrity. “The franchise” is not the local […]
Episode 3 – It’s Silly Season
It’s an even-numbered year. That means the political arena gets much more, well, silly. Thus, it’s Silly Season. In Episode 3, Hugh and Scott talk about how the process of electing representatives can sometimes create an interesting intermix with the process of governing. There are Great Republican Candidates! Hugh – the Colorado General Assembly’s House […]
Episode 2 – Getting to Know You
Show Notes In this episode… We vow to use notes when we produce podcasts. That’ll never happen. Yes, we laugh and have fun. But the base-level premise of Regular Folks Rising is regular folks, people like us and you, becoming empowered to participate in the important role of self-governance. Election season is off and running […]
Episode 1 – Ready to Rise!
Welcome to Regular Folks Rising. Our names are Hugh McKean and Scott James. Hugh is a contractor from Loveland, Colorado, who happens to be Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives. Scott is a media talent from Johnstown, Colorado, who happens to be Chairman of the Weld County Board of Commissioners. Bottom line – […]