Welcome to the Kim Monson Show podcast. Kim Monson is your host. The UN Climate Conference COP30 is meeting in Brazil November 10-21, 2025. Aljazeera reports that world leaders are gathered on the edge of the fast dwindling Amazon rainforest in advance of the official kick-off. CEO of Laramie Energy Bob Boswell shares his thoughts on the curious actions to cut down the rainforest to build a highway for the climate summit. Author Pam Long discusses her most recent article What Could a Republican Slate Look Like for the Colorado Executive Branch. Antoinette De La Cruz expounds on the
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
SPEAKER 04 :
An early childhood taxing district? What on earth is that?
SPEAKER 14 :
The latest in politics and world affairs.
SPEAKER 04 :
I don’t think that we should be passing legislation that is so complicated that people kind of throw up their hands and say, I can’t understand that.
SPEAKER 14 :
Today’s current opinions and ideas.
SPEAKER 04 :
And it’s not fair just because you’re a big business that you get a break on this and the little guy doesn’t.
SPEAKER 14 :
Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
SPEAKER 04 :
Indeed. Let’s have a conversation. And welcome to the Kim Monson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. You each are treasured. You’re valued. You have purpose. Today, strive for excellence. Take care of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body. My friends, we were made for this moment in history. And thank you to the team. That’s Producer Joe, Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa, Amanda, and all the people here at Crawford Broadcasting. Happy Friday, Producer Joe.
SPEAKER 07 :
Happy Friday, Kim.
SPEAKER 04 :
And we are working diligently. We are pre-recording some amazing interviews for the week of Thanksgiving. And so stay tuned for that as well. I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is now less than two weeks away, two weeks from yesterday. So we are going to be getting into the holiday season. That is for sure. And while we’re talking about holiday season, Christmas, Hanukkah, A great gift would be to check out the USMC Memorial Foundation’s website. That is usmcmemorialfoundation.org. And buy a brick for your loved one that will be on one of the pathways of service. You’ll receive a beautiful certificate for that. But it is a lovely gift. And go ahead and get that ordered today. so that you have that in time for Christmas and Hanukkah. You can do that by going to usmcmemorialfoundation.org. That is usmcmemorialfoundation.org. As you know, we search for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through this lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. and it’s not compassionate and it’s not altruistic to take other people’s stuff whether or not it’s their rights their property freedom livelihood opportunity childhood or lives via force force could be a weapon but it could be policy unpredictable and excessive taxation fear coercion government-induced inflation This the World Economic Forum agenda, which is playing out right now in Brazil with the COP 30 conference regarding climate change. And they are using climate change as a lever and a hammer to control our society, really. And it’s really an assault upon middle class Americans and this American dream. And so that’s why we look at these things because we really are in a battle of ideas regarding the American idea. And remember, if something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. And on the show, we focus on the issues, not the personalities. We certainly will mention people, but we really try to stay out of the personality stuff that is going on. Our word of the day is immutable or and it is not subject or susceptible to change, not capable, unchangeable and alterable and unable to be changed without exception. It’s spelled I-M-M-U-T-A-B-L-E. That’s immutable. And I think I was reading something, and it was along the line of our Declaration of Independence. These rights from God are immutable. Even though people can infringe upon those rights, those rights, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, those are from our Creator. So your challenge is to use the word immutable in a sentence today. Our quote of the day comes from the Medal of Honor quote book from the Center for American Values. And I was down there emceeing an event on Wednesday night in celebrating their 15th anniversary. And this is a great place. It does not receive government funding. It is all from private donors and really appreciate what they’re doing as far as trying to change hearts and minds. As we look at our young people And socialism slash Marxism has become attractive to them because it’s been sold certain ways. It’s not really truthful in what it is exactly. And so we’re in a battle for hearts and minds. And the Center for American Values is on the forefront on that. They’re nonpolitical. They’re nonpartisan. They’re focused on these foundational principles of honor, integrity, and patriotism. But while we’re talking about gifts… for Christmas or Hanukkah, their Medal of Honor quote book is a lovely gift. And I would highly recommend that you order those and you can get those out for Christmas as well. But the quote today is from John P. Baca, United States Army Medal of Honor recipient, born in 1949 for actions he took February 10, 1970. So he’s probably about 21 years old, which is amazing. this is his citation for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty specialist fourth class baca company d distinguished himself while serving on a recoilless rifle team during a night ambush mission A platoon from his company was sent to investigate the detonation of an automatic ambush device forward of his unit’s main position and soon came under intense enemy fire from concealed positions along the trail. Hearing the heavy firing from the platoon position and realizing that his recoilless rifle team could assist the members of the besieged patrol, Specialist 4th Class Baca led his team through the hail of enemy fire to a firing position within the patrol’s defensive perimeter. As they prepared to engage the enemy, a fragmentation grenade was thrown into the midst of the patrol. Fully aware of the danger to his comrades, Specialist Fourth Class Baca unhesitatingly, and with complete disregard for his own safety, covered the grenade with his steel helmet and fell on it as the grenade exploded, thereby absorbing the lethal fragments and concussion with his body. His gallant action and total disregard for his personal well-being directly saved eight men from certain serious injury or death. The extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by Specialist Fourth Class Baca at the risk of his life are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army. And this is John P. Baca’s quote. He said this, he said, don’t swim through life, just float. Peace will never come on the battlefield. It comes from within. Allow gentleness and compassion to follow. And that is John P. Baca. I want to say thank you to LearnMe Energy for their goal sponsorship of the show. We will be talking with Bob Boswell today as he’s the CEO, as our featured guest. But it is reliable, efficient, affordable, and abundant power. from naturally occurring hydrocarbons such as oil, natural gas, and coal that powers our lives, fuels our hopes and dreams, and empowers us to change our own personal climate to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. So on the micro level, your own personal climate, if you’re having any challenges with your furnace or your air conditioner, or any plumbing needs, be sure and reach out to Ben’s Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling. Headlines that I wanted to go through today. The first one was, let’s see here. This is from Newsmax. It says, former air traffic controller to Newsmax, the Obama administration chose color over competency. And I know this is true. I remember sitting in a meeting where we were talking about the DEI and the air traffic controller rules. And instead of making sure that we had the most competent air traffic controllers, the benchmark under the Biden-Harris administration was the whole DEI stuff, which was defining people not by their competency, but by their descriptors. And so this article goes on to say, it says, as flight delays ease nationwide after days of disruption, a former air traffic controller is placing blame for the FAA’s long-running staffing shortages on hiring policies implemented under the Obama administration. Former air traffic controller Michael Pearson told Newsmax on Thursday the FAA’s workforce crisis traces back to 2011 when he asserted the administration chose color over competency by discarding a pool of roughly 3,000 qualified applicants and introducing a controversial biographical assessment. According to Pearson, those applicants had already passed aptitude tests, held relevant college degrees, and completed controller training programs at no taxpayer cost. It goes on to say they were ready to enter the system and instead the administration made applicants take a biographical assessment basically to determine what race they were before being allowed to move forward. Pearson said the hiring pause and new screening practices remain in place for several years, leaving the FAA with a critical shortage that persists today. Now, my friends, it sure seems to me that this is racist, that you are going to. hire people on the color of their skin instead of the competency or their character. And so this is, again, this was Newsmax. Next thing, again, from Newsmax, Brooke Rollins has said there’s 186,000 dead people receiving SNAP benefits. Oh, man. And I really support work requirements as well. There is dignity in work. But she had appeared on Rob Schmidt Tonight and said the U.S. Department of Agriculture received data from 29 states. Most of them were red states, says the secretary, said that 186,000 deceased men and women and children in this country are receiving a check. It seems like we should be able to get that cleaned up and And she said, this is stunning, and I must totally agree. Next thing, and I am very sad to report this. This is from ProPublica. And it says, a firm tied to Kristi Noem secretly got money from $220 million DHS ad contracts. says the company is run by the husband of Nome’s chief Department of Homeland Security spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Nome and her aides. DHS invoked the emergency at the border to skirt competitive bidding rules for the taxpayer-funded campaign. And this goes on to say $220 million is sure a lot of money. And it says on October 2nd, the second day of the government shutdown, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived at Mount Rushmore to shoot a television ad. Sitting on horseback in chaps and a cowboy hat, Noem addressed the camera with a stern message for immigrants. Break our laws, we’ll punish you. Noem has hailed the more than $200 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign as a crucial tool to stem illegal immigration. Her agency invoked the national emergency at the border as it awarded contracts for the campaign, bypassing the normal competitive bidding process designed to prevent waste and corruption. I’ll let us all just ruminate on that. I know that we’ve talked with Trent Luce, and he said the Kristi Noem that he had known at the beginning of her career is not the Kristi Noem that he knows now. I’m very unhappy about this, and so I think it’s important that… that we talk about it. As you know, we really search for truth, and we don’t like corruption in government, no matter what side of the aisle that’s on. And this kind of stinks. So then lastly, I wanted to let you know, this is from the Center Square. Denver finalizes a $1.66 billion budget despite council disapproval. And it’s very interesting. Denver has a strong mayor system, which gives the mayor authority to propose and adopt annual budgets without city council approval. It says while the city charter allows the council to hold hearings and suggest changes, the mayor can finalize the budget even without their sign-off. I also found this interesting. It says the budget is a 6% decrease from last year’s spending plan. And some applauded it as the most conservative budget Denver has had in 15 years, except for the COVID-19 budgets. Seems like that’s not a real statement. So I would say that this is not the most conservative budget in the last 15 years. But again, this is the way sometimes things get spun. And so those are the headlines that I have for you at this particular point in time. These discussions happen because of our sponsors and certainly appreciate the Roger Manget State Farm Insurance team. Give them a call for a complimentary appointment to go over your insurance coverage. Because if you bundle everything together, you might be able to save some money. I’ve talked with several of our listeners who said that they were able to save a significant amount of money. And the only way to find out is to give them a call. That number is 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, the Roger Mangan team is there.
SPEAKER 03 :
We are number one. In 2024, Newsweek reported that Colorado has the most car thefts in America. The Roger Mankin State Farm Insurance team knows that when you need to make an insurance claim, the financial strength of your insurance company is important. State Farm consistently receives high marks for the company’s financial condition and ability to pay claims. For that peace of mind to know that you’re working with a financially strong company, contact the Roger Mangan team now at 303-795-8855 for a complimentary appointment to assess your insurance coverage. That’s 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
SPEAKER 21 :
The metro real estate market is ever-changing. If you are looking to buy a new home, there are opportunities that the metro real estate market has not experienced for a while. Award-winning realtor Karen Levine with RE-MAX Alliance has over 30 years experience as a Colorado realtor, and she can help you buy… that new home sell your home purchase a new build or explore investment properties karen levine can help you successfully navigate the complexity of real estate transactions call karen levine at 303 877 75 16 that’s 303 877 75 16 you want karen levine on your side of the table
SPEAKER 13 :
The Kim Monson Show is here to help. Kim searches for truth and clarity by examining issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Tune in to The Kim Monson Show each weekday, 6 to 8 a.m., with encores 1 to 2 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. on KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM. The KLZ website, the KLZ app, and Alexa. Play KLZ. Shows can also be found at kimmonson.com, Spotify, and iTunes.
SPEAKER 04 :
Indeed, it is Friday. Welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. And from Parker to Golden, Little Richie’s Pizza and Pasta is your go-to for real New York-style pizza, hearty pastas, and that unbeatable local vibe. Little Richie’s is serving up daily specials, quick and tasty weekday lunch deals, and a happy hour the locals actually build their plans around. Whether you’re bringing the crew, catching up with friends, or flying solo for a hot slice, Little Richie’s in Parker or Golden is your neighborhood hangout. And, of course, if you’ve got people coming in for the holidays and you’re going to have a pizza night, be sure and add Little Richies into that as well. Pleased to have on the line with me Antoinette De La Cruz. And she’s got quite a story. And there’s a special event that is next week. She wanted to tell us about that. Antoinette, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER 19 :
Hi there, Kim. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it’s good to have you on again. And this event next week is titled From Heartbreak to Hope, The Dangers of Childhood Transition and How You Can Protect Colorado’s Most Vulnerable. Erin Friday and Dr. James Lindsay are the featured speakers, but you will be speaking as well. And this will be next Thursday, the 20th, 6 to 8 p.m. at Dayspring Christian Church in 8005 Highland Meadows Parkway in Fort Collins. So Antoinette, tell us about your speech. What will you be sharing with people?
SPEAKER 19 :
Thank you. So what I’m hoping to bring is the personal experience of how even as an adult, the transitioning thing wasn’t the answer. And even from my own experience and even just from my own research, it’s not even it’s it’s being pulled away from the disorder it once was and the mental illness that it used to be classified as. And the treatment nowadays is just It’s just terrifying, especially for children. So it’s to basically advocate that even as an adult making a decision that I later regretted is nothing that we should be giving to children, especially under 18. So this is a ballot measure. Basically, signatures really matter on this as well. So I know we’re going to be trying to motivate people to see why this is so important and to get out there and to get those signatures so we can protect the kids in Colorado.
SPEAKER 04 :
So Antoinette, your journey, the last time we talked with you, Connect the Dot, your name was Evan Dela Cruz. So explain that and what’s happening with that.
SPEAKER 19 :
Sure. So as most people who get indoctrinated into this cult, basically one of the things that you first do or want to do is to basically kill your name. So my birth name was Antoinette, and it’s what both my parents named me. I had a lot of pain behind it, and so that’s why I went away from it clearly. But ever since I’ve reclaimed myself and I’ve been able to reconnect with myself and do the healing work necessary, that should be really the focus now. in all this trans ideology, I’ve reclaimed my name as well.
SPEAKER 04 :
This is a really big deal. So for people that may not be familiar with your story, if I remember right, it was well over 20 years that you started this transition process. Is that right?
SPEAKER 19 :
Correct. So I was about 20 to 21 years old. And still not when my brain would have been developed, which would have been ideal. Even so, I was about 20 years old. I lived as a man, posing as a man, for about 14 of those years. Because there was times in there where there was, I would say, medical malpractice. Because even when I got the letter initially, it took two years before I even cashed in on it. And even at that point in time, the therapist or the person who was giving me the medicine, the letter for the medicine, basically didn’t ask any follow-up questions really. He was just like, okay, yeah, no problem. I’ll go ahead and, you know, basically mess with the date so it looks current and then I’ll give that to your current doctor so you can start getting on testosterone.
SPEAKER 04 :
So Antoinette, did you just do the pharmaceutical transitioning or did you also do surgical? Yeah.
SPEAKER 19 :
So unfortunately, that’s what the things I want to speak on is the irreversible surgeries. And so right now, a goal of mine is actually get breast reconstruction surgery, since those were some of the healthy organs that were removed from my body. So like my breasts were removed, my ovary, my cervix, my uterus, all healthy organs were removed. And I was also chemically transitioned. So I was on testosterone for that period of time as well.
SPEAKER 04 :
So Antoinette, when you’re describing this on the personal level, I’m just, my heart hurts. But on the macro level, this is a real moneymaker for these doctors and medical people and pharmaceuticals, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 19 :
You know, and I would I would assume so just because of what I’ve seen along the way. And I even know from my own, my surgeries are very expensive. You know, even looking at the bill from what Kaiser did cover, because that was one of the insurances I was under during that time. It was very expensive. Like even just for the top surgery alone, just to do the surgery was about like, I’d want to say about $16,000, but that wasn’t including, you know, the anesthesia, the medicine, all this stuff afterwards. And even for the stomach surgery, because that was a botched one as well. They perf my bowel. I had complications that were life-threatening, and I had to even go in for emergency surgery and died on the table twice and had to have a machine breathe for me. But when you’re indoctrinated into this thing, you see those things as rites of passage, and that shows the lack of mental wellness as a part of this discussion.
SPEAKER 04 :
So here we are these 20 years later, and you have it on your heart to really be a warning to this whole agenda. And so you’re working with Protect Kids Colorado to help get these ballot initiatives onto the ballot so the people of Colorado can have an understanding of what’s happening and vote on it, correct?
SPEAKER 19 :
Correct. And I think a lot of people are not getting that side of the detransition. You know, everyone’s been kind of sold this lie and they haven’t quite seen that there’s damage afterwards. And it takes some folks almost a decade to realize. And that’s once the damage has already been done. You know, that’s when the irreversible surgeries happen, the chemical transitioning happens. So there’s so much damage that’s being done before we even get to the root of the problem. And especially with kiddos, they really just need to leave these children alone. Most kids, they have no idea about who they are until they get much older. And you’ve even seen, even amongst adults, when you see on Facebook posts where it’s like, I’m not the same person I was last year. So if we’re making decisions that even as adults, we’re like, hey, I’ve made different decisions now. You cannot give these sort of heavy choices that are going to impact their lives that they have no idea what they’re signing up for. And they’re being sold a lie instead of being sold health, instead of being sold even therapy. Because as you know, with some of the laws, how they have things worded now, therapists are very scared to even help kids to give them a different point of view.
SPEAKER 04 :
This is so cruel towards children. But one of the first places that this starts is the whole pronoun game that is occurring in school. And it’s disruptive to the classroom to be playing this pronoun game.
SPEAKER 19 :
You know, agreed. And I feel it also further. To me, I call it like a cultural psychosis. Like, you have adults who have delusions or who are sick themselves, who are, you know, basically grooming these children. And, oh, forgive me, Kim, sometimes my brain jumps really fast. Could you please repeat that last part?
SPEAKER 04 :
You know what? I think that I’m with you as well. But it was the pronouns, the whole pronoun game language.
SPEAKER 19 :
Yes. Right. Right. And it’s promoting dissociation, you know, so it’s promoting mental illness. And that’s the thing that is so baffling to me is that this is one of the few disorders that gets celebrated the way that it is.
SPEAKER 04 :
Antoinette, I know this is a question that’s probably impossible to answer, but it’s like, why? Why, why, why would people celebrate this and then surgically and pharmaceutically main children?
SPEAKER 19 :
I think it’s just evil. What do you think? You know, I think it’s, to me, it’s like a spider web of things. So I think that it’s, it’s something that’s evolved that probably shouldn’t have you know because it’s not only the the money-making thing of it but now it’s attacking our children um it’s it’s an illness much like if you get a cut like one of the analogies in my my speech that i use is that it’s like kind of getting a cut on your foot and then standing in sewage water you know something that could have been managed at first has now turned into something that’s like almost like life-threatening to our society You know, and it’s very cruel to do this to children. They have no idea what they’re signing up for. This is basically, you know, sick adults who need help, you know, and to be rooted back in reality and be brought back into reality and for us to realize that this is still a disorder and it hasn’t changed, you know, and just because of the MSD.
SPEAKER 04 :
Whoops, did we lose her? Oh, gosh, I had one other question for her. Joe, I can’t, so why don’t you try to see if you can get her back on that. But we’re talking with Antoinette De La Cruz, and I wanted to ask her what’s moving on in the future here. So hopefully Joe’s going to be able to get her back on while we’re doing that. Okay, Antoinette, somehow we lost you, and I’ve got a final question for you, and that is, You are healing. Yes. And you are standing up for children. And what do you see for you as you look into the future?
SPEAKER 19 :
I’m hoping to, I’m even wanting to go back to school for psychology so I could be one of the few people that’s not afraid to stand up for what’s right. And which means giving children, or even adults, seeing the detransition, seeing that there’s a way to heal from this and there’s a way to even avoid all this altogether. I just want to give people a different experience from this whole situation, but also possibly a way out. So I’m hoping to show people that there’s hope after this. Even after the damage is done, there’s still a possibility to heal.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, Antoinette, I love that. So again, do you have the details on the event for next Thursday, the 20th?
SPEAKER 19 :
Yes. So, like, as you mentioned, it’s from heartbreak to hope. I know that it’s a free event, but I believe registering does help. This is to save kids from irreversible sex changes. So we really want to get everyone out there if they can or to even sign some of those things that you’ll start to see circulating. It is on November 20th, 6 to 8, the day of Spring Christian Church in Fort Collins. But I’m looking forward to meeting Aaron Friday, James Lindsay, and then also to see Aaron and Dr. Morrell as well. So I’m excited. And hopefully, will you be there, Kim?
SPEAKER 04 :
You know what? I’m not sure yet, but I’m going to see if I can try to make it. I would really like to be there. And I’d really like to meet you in person, Antoinette. So let me go to work on it, and I’ll see if I can make that happen.
SPEAKER 19 :
Wonderful. Well, hopefully I’ll be able to see you guys there.
SPEAKER 04 :
Antoinette De La Cruz, I have to say thank you. I just really appreciate your courage and healing as you move forward in your life. And thank you for standing up for children. I appreciate it. I’m sure that we will talk again very soon.
SPEAKER 19 :
Thank you, Kim. Have a beautiful day.
SPEAKER 04 :
You as well. And these discussions happen because of all of your support, all of our sponsors. And the Second Syndicate is doing great work to try to bring these disparate voices together over on the Second Amendment side where there’s a lot of people that care about the Second Amendment, but sometimes they don’t get along. So the Second Syndicate is trying to bring all these voices together.
SPEAKER 07 :
Today, particularly in Colorado, your Second Amendment right to keep and bear firearms is under relentless attack. The Second Amendment is in our Bill of Rights to ensure that each individual has the right to resist oppression, stand firm against government overreach, and protect our right to defend ourselves, our families, and our freedoms. Colorado’s premier grassroots Second Amendment organization, the Second Syndicate, is exposing the most pressing threats to the Second Amendment and providing education, resources, and tools to stay informed. empowered and prepared join the movement protect your rights support the second syndicate.com that’s the2ndsyndicate.com where the second is first
SPEAKER 10 :
Is the outside of your home looking dull? Paint peeling? Maybe it’s time to make your home radiant again. At Radiant Painting and Lighting, we strive for excellence in bringing both quality paint and service to your home. We treat your home as if it were our own. Quality products mean longer life for your paint, because who wants to paint every other year? At Radiant Painting and Lighting, we don’t just enhance your space, we transform it. Give us a call today, 720-940-3887. Let our team of professionals make your home or business truly shine. 720-940-3887. John Bozen and the attorneys at Bozen Law.
SPEAKER 11 :
know how overwhelmingly life can feel after an accident or injury. That’s why Bozen Law can help guide you, support you, and fight for the full compensation you’re owed. Whether you were hurt on the road, at work, or in a hospital, the Bozen Law team is ready to stand by your side and help you move forward. Backed by decades of combined legal experience, Bozen Law can help you pursue justice and compensation after serious accidents. Call Bozen Law at 303-999-9999 for a complimentary consultation. That number is 303-999-9999. Call Bozen Law now.
SPEAKER 01 :
All Kim’s sponsors are an inclusive partnership with Kim and are not affiliated with or in partnership with KLZ or Crawford Broadcasting. If you would like to support the work of The Kim Monson Show and grow your business, contact Kim at her website, kimmonson.com. That’s Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank God it’s…
SPEAKER 04 :
Indeed, it is Friday and welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. Pleased to have on the line with me, Bob Boswell. You know him. He is the CEO of Lurmy Energy, also a great sponsor of the show. Bob Boswell, welcome.
SPEAKER 16 :
Good morning, Kim.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it’s good to have you. And the first thing I wanted to ask you about was this conference of the parties to the convention, this COP 30, which is meeting in Brazil. And it’s a UN framework convention on climate change. It was a treaty adopted in 1992, acknowledging that climate change is a global threat. and it enshrined the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, meaning basically it’s a wealth transfer from the wealthier countries to other countries. And, of course, there are PBIs, politicians, bureaucrats, and interested parties that have gotten fabulously rich on this, and one of those is Al Gore. And then… The hypocrisy of they cut down part of the rainforest to talk about the rainforest so they’d have a highway to get these 50,000 people where they wanted them to go. So I just as a as an expert in an energy company, I just thought I wanted to get your read on this.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, I think the key word is hypocrisy. You know, the rainforest is one of the areas of the world, all these rainforest trees, plants absorb CO2. And, you know, it’s called photosynthesis and plants absorb the CO2 and it It helps the plant grow. It’s nature’s fertilizer, and then it gives off oxygen. So it is hypocrisy. The UN has used this as a movement, as you’ve pointed out, as wealth transfer. And we’ve, you know, it’s by claiming that climate change is a, you know, is a threat. And even Bill Gates has come out and said now it’s, you know, it’s recently said it’s not an existential threat, that the climate is something that we have to manage to the extent we can. It’s the degree which we can manage it is very limited. The atmosphere is very large relative to even the mass population that we have of 8 billion people on the planet now. And we’ve seen that in in our country where we’ve reduced emissions. You know, we’ve collected CO2. We are frankly wasting money taking CO2 and putting it into the ground. But people get paid for that. So there’s an incentive behind that. And there have been these. Incentives on the renewables, which are part of the equation, I think we want to have a policy of all the above, but it needs to be done on economic principles, not just government incentives and transfer of wealth that way. So it’s hypocritical, and it’s just evidence of the hypocrisy of this large group. sponsored by the UN, claiming that climate change is a real threat to the global community. That’s just not the case.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it’s not. And you mentioned the word incentives, well, two words, incentives and economics. And we really need to get rid of these government incentives. If something can stand on its own two feet from an economic standpoint, then that’s great. But incentives are a subtle… We talk all the time on the show about freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Incentives are a subtle kind of force. It’s a bit of an economic coercion to get people to do certain things. And that’s not the proper role of government. And so it’s so important to understand that. One other thing, Bob, I wanted to mention the documentary A Climate Conversation that I was involved with. It’s the… project of Walt Johnson, which really was, I think we filmed it about three years ago. It was ahead of its time with Bill Gates now saying, hey, maybe it’s not an existential threat. But Walt is currently working on the sequel to this. And so I’m pretty excited about that, Bob.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, that would be interesting. Please keep me in mind when this comes out so we can help others know that it’s available.
SPEAKER 04 :
We will do that. So let’s move over to a policy. Here in Colorado, we really see a governor and a legislature that is trying to hurt, I guess, there’s different words in my mind, but to hurt the oil and gas industry. And they’re doing it in a way by a thousand cuts. I see pieces of legislation come across the desk, and it just makes it difficult. Are you seeing any improvement here in Colorado? Because you… Laramie Energy is primarily on the western slope producing natural gas. So is there any improvement for our oil and natural gas companies here in Colorado?
SPEAKER 16 :
Perhaps a little bit, I think. But the movement, it’s one based on fear. And, you know, the governor’s role or goal of trying to reduce or have zero emissions by 2050 is a Don Quixote type of battle. You know, excessive regulations can… despite the grand bargain that the governor, uh, three of the law, uh, producers, uh, they continue to regulate. Uh, they continue to propose regulations. It’s part of the democratic parties, uh, uh, Control in the state is to keep this fear mongering and trying to make people think that these regulations are important. What it’s doing is two things. One, it’s raising the cost of power throughout the state. to all the people of the state. And secondly, it’s preventing the development of industry and business in the state of Colorado. Data center is a principal one, and I think most people have heard about artificial intelligence. The data centers and the power that are need to develop these data centers, which are going to really advance human knowledge in what’s unknown in the past. And it’s a it’s almost like an arms race. globally, particularly with the Chinese, to tap the power and the abilities of artificial intelligence to analyze large amounts of data very quickly and help advance different technical advances. As an example, I think Virginia, which has mainly coal, has something like 70 data centers proposed. Arizona has something like 40 to 50. Texas has something like over 100. Texas has natural resources. Arizona does not have the resources. You know, the natural resources, the clean burning fuels such as natural gas, this all has to be piped in. I think there have been two proposed in the state of Colorado when we have the sixth largest production of natural gas of any state in the country. So, you know, we’re we’re really hurting ourselves. And right now we’ve had such an overexpenditure in the state government. The budget in the last seven years, I think, has gone something like 18 billion dollars a year to something like over 30 billion.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think it’s 44 billion now now.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, it may be. It has been growing, and part of what they are trying to do right now is put in, to get around the Tabor Act, which limits the ability to raise taxes. It requires a vote of the citizens of the state to raise taxes. They’re putting in fees. enterprise fees, and they’ve come up with some 23 or 24 at my last count. You may have a more recent number than I do, Kim. But it’s a way to get around the Tabor Act. And so what they are doing is calling these new taxes fees, and there’s three criteria. And two of them are really kind of the discretion of the government, and the third one has to meet certain definitive criteria. a certain definitive requirement. But that’s what they’re doing right now. They’re proposing a producer tax on oil and gas production, and that’s going to increase the cost of power in the state. It’s going to defer investment in elements such as these data centers for artificial intelligence. And it’s going to hurt the economy of the state. But they’re trying to, again, if they can’t tax it, they’re going to put a fee on it. And it’s just a way to defraud the public and really to, again, take away the incentive for development in the state of Colorado. The governor has this 20,050 zero emissions goal, which is a fool’s errand.
SPEAKER 04 :
It really is. And we’re going to continue the discussion with Bob Boswell, who is the CEO of Laramie Energy. These discussions happen because of all of your support, all of our sponsors. For everything mortgages, reach out to Lorne Levy. He can help you in 49 of the 50 states, just not New York. Probably people are moving out of New York. So wherever you’re moving, Lorne can help you with that mortgage.
SPEAKER 18 :
Many seniors are feeling squeezed because of inflation, higher property taxes, and increasing costs of living. If you’re 62 or older, a reverse mortgage may be the solution. Reverse mortgages can be complicated, so it’s important that you understand the process and work with a trusted professional. Mortgage expert Lorne Levy will help you craft solutions for your unique circumstances, whether a reverse mortgage, first mortgage, or a second mortgage. If you’d like to explore how a reverse mortgage might help you, call Lorne Levy at 303-880-8881. That’s 303-880-8881. Call now.
SPEAKER 12 :
April 26, 1777. Colonel, the British are raiding Danbury and burning the town. I’ll go tell them. Sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington mounted her horse and rode 40 miles through night and pouring rain. That’s twice the distance of Paul Revere to sound the alarm.
SPEAKER 10 :
Quickly.
SPEAKER 12 :
assemble at my father’s house the kim monson show is our modern day sybil luddington bringing us the latest breaking news in the battle for truth and freedom ben’s plumbing heating and cooling is proud to stand with kim will you stand with us get engaged with the issue that keeps you up at night so that you can influence your school and community with truth and justice And for quality craftsmanship at a fair price, call or text Ben’s Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling at 303-995-1636. That number again is 303-995-1636.
SPEAKER 02 :
Do you strive for excellence as you work with your clients and customers? Does it make sense for you to add a unique and focused branding opportunity to your marketing portfolio? Would you like to access a broad customer base that loves our country and wants to make life better for ourselves, our neighbors, our colleagues, our children, and our grandchildren? Then you may be a perfect fit as a sponsor slash partner of The Kim Monson Show. To learn more, reach out to Teresa at 520-631-9243. Teresa would love to talk with you. Again, that number is 520-631-9243.
SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Do you want more freedom and confidence with your money? Then Mint Financial Strategies can help. They’re an investment independent firm with over 25 years of experience and is an accredited investment fiduciary. They put your best interests first always. With a strategy first approach, they’ll help you build a plan that fits your life. Call Mint Financial Strategies today. That number is 303-285-3080 today. 303-285-3080. And we are talking with Bob Boswell. He is the CEO of Laramie Energy. And Laramie Energy, I so appreciate their sponsorship of the show as well. Bob Boswell, you mentioned in the last segment that Colorado is, I think, proposing a producer fee. Is that what your ear to the ground is saying regarding oil and natural gas?
SPEAKER 16 :
Yes, it’s Senate Bill 230. And it is proposing a fee on the production of oil and natural gas, and it’s on a per unit of production. And what it does is it gets around the Tabor Act, which limits the increase of taxes. except by public approval. And under the Tabor Act, fees are allowed, but they’re specifically allowed for projects that benefit those who actually benefit from the fee. And it’s been abused. In this case, there’s a limit. Each enterprise is not supposed to fee is not supposed to garner more than 100 million revenues over the first five years. The enterprise fee that there are two enterprise fees, they break these up in segments, but charge the same fee in each segment to those that are taxed. In our case, there’s two of them. One is for a transit system, a train into the mountains. And this fee actually is going to cost producers of oil and gas in the state $169 million. So it’s above $100 million threshold. And then the other is a wildlife fund, which is going to cost an estimated $110 million, $116 million over five years. You know, both perhaps for good purposes, but these are things that should be voted on in the state for support, not just arbitrarily structured as an enterprise fee. And as you know right now, the state is looking at something like a $1.2 billion deficit. Before the Polis administration, during the first part of it, we actually generated excess revenues that were distributed back to the taxpayer. That’s since changed, and it’s just kind of a – an out-of-control spending and budget that has really not accomplished what the state has endeavored to do, and it’s done at a great cost.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it is, and that cost really is being borne by everyday hardworking Coloradans, the middle class. And you mentioned this producer fee, and from an economic standpoint, if you want less of something, you tax it or put a fee on it. So what they’re saying is producer fee, they’re taxing it, they want less production. of oil and natural gas and coal but the other thing about we mentioned incentives so we’ve got to get rid of incentives all of these energy sources need to be standing on their own from an economic standpoint but those wind turbines i was talking with someone recently they have to be greased or lubricated on a regular basis and that is a petroleum product that makes that happen so it’s so disingenuous to not be honest about actually what’s really necessary for these different energy sources, Bob?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, that’s exactly right, and I don’t know if most people may not realize that about 70% of the fertilizer comes from natural gas, and it’s made into ammonia, and that’s a key component of fertilizer. So there is tremendous hypocrisy, and if you look at all the different uses of petrochemicals and fabrics in agriculture, different medicines, everything else. It is truly hypocritical to try to kill the golden goose.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and this wealth transfer is really from middle class Americans to many PBI’s pockets. And then some goes to third world countries as well. And then some goes to government. I was out in California recently. And so I shop for when I’m fueling my vehicle. And there are some places over on South Broadway that I think I filled up the other day for $2.29 a gallon. And there can be even close to a dollar differential right here in Colorado. So you think about it, if you top off 15 gallons at a dollar differential, that’s 15 extra dollars in my pocket. Well, I could go… buy lunch or do something like that with that kind of money. But I was out in California recently, and there was at least a $2 differential between what I pay in Colorado and what I saw out in California. So that means the people out in California, and that differential is taxes and fees. And so that differential of $2, and so again, for 15 gallons, that’s 30 bucks that everyday people are basically paying in taxes and fees. That money could be in their pocket. But it’s on a micro level, it is a wealth transfer from everyday hardworking people to government.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, that’s exactly right. And you see that even in Colorado, but California is probably the poster child in that they have the highest taxes on gasoline of any state. I think it’s something like almost double the average across the country. And it’s a transfer of wealth to government. It’s a disincentive. It’s a to the use of gasoline because a lot of people, it’s difficult to afford paying $4 or up to $5 a gallon of gasoline. So it’s exactly as you described it, a transfer of wealth from people to the government. It’s just another form of taxation.
SPEAKER 04 :
It is. So we have about three minutes left, Bob Boswell. On the national level, I see that the Trump administration seems to really be supporting the oil, natural gas, and coal industry. What’s your read on everything from a national level?
SPEAKER 16 :
My read on the – well, I think Trump is doing what he can to try and lower the cost – hydrocarbons and fuel in the U.S. And it’s working. And I think the more that we can benefit from increased supply, the lower costs will be.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and one other thing. Oh, go ahead.
SPEAKER 16 :
No, I thought I lost you there for a second.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. I was down in Pueblo on emceeing an event for the Center for American Values on Tuesday night, and as I was coming back on Wednesday morning, I noticed coal trains that were headed south. And my understanding is we’re possibly exporting coal to other countries for their power plants, and I’m thinking this is pretty… Or maybe I just I thought that was just crazy that we’re doing that, Bob Boswell.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, we’ve been exporting coal for some time. A lot of it has gone to countries producing steel. And lignite, which is the lower BTU, is usually what’s burned in power plants. And we are now exporting that. And, you know, you look at China, which there’s been a lot of kind of conversation about their exports. Production of EVs, electric vehicles, but at the same time, Chinese building more coal-fired power plants than any country in the world by a significant factor. So, you know, what we need to have is just balance and, you know, all the above different sources, but they need to be competitive and they need to provide the lowest cost of power to the public so that we can run our industries and be competitive globally and have lower costs for our citizens globally. We can’t just arbitrarily let government make decisions based upon particular political ideologies.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, Bob Boswell, I think that you have really nailed it on that. We always learn so much when you’re on the show. I greatly appreciate it. Wish you a very blessed holiday season as we’re coming into this. And I really appreciate Laramie Energy as a sponsor of the show because it is that reliable, efficient, affordable, and abundant energy sources that powers our lives. So thank you and have a great day. We’ll talk next month.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thanks, Kim.
SPEAKER 04 :
And our quote for the end of the show, I went to George Washington and this was a letter to Edmund Randolph in July of 1795. And he said this, he said, there is but one straight course and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily. So my friends today, be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically, strive for high ideals, and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you. God bless America. Stay tuned for our number two.
SPEAKER 09 :
And I don’t want no one to cry But tell them if I don’t serve
SPEAKER 15 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
SPEAKER 04 :
An early childhood taxing district? What on earth is that?
SPEAKER 14 :
The latest in politics and world affairs.
SPEAKER 04 :
I don’t think that we should be passing legislation that is so complicated that people kind of throw up their hands and say, I can’t understand that.
SPEAKER 14 :
Today’s current opinions and ideas.
SPEAKER 04 :
And it’s not fair just because you’re a big business that you get a break on this and the little guy doesn’t.
SPEAKER 14 :
Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
SPEAKER 04 :
Indeed, let’s have a conversation. And welcome to our number two of the Kim Monson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. You each are treasured, you’re valued, you have purpose. Today’s drive for excellence, take care of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body. My friends, we were made for this moment in history. And thank you to the team. That’s Producer Joe, Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa, Amanda, and all the people here at Crawford Broadcasting. Happy Friday, Producer Joe.
SPEAKER 07 :
Happy Friday, Kim.
SPEAKER 04 :
And boy, such important conversations on the show, both regarding our power to power our lives and Antoinette Dela Cruz regarding the event next week that will be on the 20th in Fort Collins. It is from Heartbreak to Hope event. the dangers of childhood transition, and how to protect Colorado’s most vulnerable, our children. That is next Thursday, November 20th, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Dayspring Christian Church, 8005 Highland Meadows Parkway in Fort Collins. And we have all of these discussions because of our sponsors. And I want to say thank you to Hooters Restaurants. They have locations in Loveland, Westminster, and in Aurora on Parker Road. And, in fact, was over there yesterday with Kurt Gerwitz. We went over for lunch and partook of their lunch specials they have Monday through Friday. And Kurt and I both agree, they have great food. He had the fish tacos. I had the… uh nachos and they were just absolutely delicious and so uh for a great lunch happy hour go to hooters and also when you are doing business with our different sponsors you’re also supporting the show because you’re supporting them so appreciate hooters restaurants immensely and how i got to know them it’s a really important story about freedom and free markets and capitalism And those pesky PBIs, those politicians and bureaucrats and interested parties that want to try to control our lives. And so be sure and check that out. Our word of the day is immutable. It’s I-M-M-U-T-A-B-L-E. And I was reading something, and now I can’t remember what it was exactly, but it was about the Declaration and these rights from God that we realize that these individual rights, they’re immutable. And it could be not subject or susceptible to change. unchangeable and alterable and unable to be changed without exception. So your challenge is to use the word immutable. I-M-M-U-T-A-B-L-E in a sentence today. And also, I think you could probably use that. Think about these words that you could be using as the kids are all coming back from college or the families are getting together. and you’re having important conversations. Our quote of the day is from John P. Baca, United States Army Medal of Honor recipient. He was born in 1949. Actions taken February 10, 1970. And if I shared the citation, which that will rebroadcast in the one to two hour, today, this afternoon. And he said this, he said, don’t swim through life, just float. Peace will never come on the battlefield. It comes from within. Allow gentleness and compassion to follow. And again, that is John P. Baca. I’d gone through some headlines in our number one. The first was this was regarding the air traffic controllers under the Obama administration. And I remember this is they had over 3000 qualified people ready to go to become air traffic controllers. But the problem was, is they were not. Well, probably it was that they were white. And so they didn’t hire them because they just wanted to hire people on the outside covering of their bodies instead of the competency. And so with that, this was from Newsmax, former air traffic controller to Newsmax, Obama administration chose color over competency. And that’s how we get to mediocrity and to get to less than mediocrity. And if you’re telling me that because of the outside covering of people is how you want to define whether or not they’re competent or not. I think that’s racist. And I think it’s important that we understand that. Next thing, next headline was Brooke Rollins, who is the head of the Department of USDA, said there’s 186,000 dead people receiving SNAP benefits. Got to get that cleaned up. And then I also really do believe in these work requirements. And And, you know, food banks, I think when people are going to food banks, I think that they should trade value for value so that there’s that dignity of work, maybe a sweeping floors or or stocking shelves. But I think that we need to have value for value. because there’s real dignity in that. And then last, let’s see, a couple of other things. Denver finalized a $1.66 billion budget, and it’s down a little bit from last year, 6%. So that is at least a step in the right direction. But still, that’s an awful lot of money. and then had talked about the Kristi Noem, and I’m really sad to say this, but Kristi Noem on… It says a firm tied to Kristi Noem secretly got money from $220 million. This is from ProPublica and Department of Homeland Security ad contracts. That sure seems like an awful lot of money. And we’ll talk about, I’ll take some of these text messages when we, in the very last segment of this hour, and we’ll go through some of those things there. Very pleased to have the Second Syndicate as a sponsor of the show. Alicia Garcia and Teddy and Rosia Collins think it’s important that instead of fighting each other, these different Second Amendment organizations, that we come together so that we can do things to protect our Second Amendment. So, Alicia Garcia, welcome to the show. Good morning, Kim. How are you? I am well. And Teddy Collins, welcome as well.
SPEAKER 20 :
Good morning. Thanks for having us.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, I guess it’s, and Alicia has the text. This came in from a listener, Alicia, and it says, ask what you think about the letter Congress sent to the Department of Justice and Pam Bondi on the National Firearms Act. Now, I’m not up to speed on this, so what happened?
SPEAKER 05 :
So the letter you’re referring to is the Trump administration’s executive order from like early 2025 that instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to review the past gun control measures and report on the potential ways to expand Second Amendment rights. So the Department of Justice subsequently sent a number of related documents and announcements regarding it in its actions and response, such as the creation of the Second Amendment Task Force. So what it does, there’s some key aspects of that directive. A couple of them were like, first of all, the executive order President Trump issued instructing the DOJ to review all presidential actions on gun control from January 2021 to January 2025, as well as specific rules of the DOJ and the ATF. And the focus of the review is to include the ATF’s, quote unquote, enhanced regulatory enforcement policy. So that’s also known as their zero tolerance policy, which was implemented in 2021. The goal was to find actions that could be seen as infringing on the Second Amendment. and to look for ways to expand those rights as outlined in the order. So I really appreciate that. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t appreciate that because we actually do want to see that, right? We want to see what things can be done to take away the government’s, you know, foot on the throat of the Second Amendment. I believe it’s a great action and I believe that it’s something that needed to be done for quite some time. The issue that I have with it is what is happening with it. You know, I mean, it’s all great and fine and dandy to discuss it, but I would like to see actual action and implementation of it because there’s a couple organizations out there that I’ve met with. This past year in January, there’s Firearms Policy Coalition, as well as the Second Amendment Foundation. We actually have had the Second Amendment Foundation on our show, The Second Syndicate, on YouTube and Spartan Defense Armory’s YouTube channel. And one of the things that we discussed is their lawsuit against the National Firearms Act, which is fantastic. So what is going on on a federal level, just to brief the audience, is that We had the big, beautiful bill that Teddy and I and you discussed not so long ago about removing the tax on certain items, especially suppressors from the ATF and the National Firearms Act. And now what they’re doing is they’re suing against that saying, well, now, since the tax is gone, we don’t need the National Firearms Act because it was created. Well, if you take away the tax, there’s no need for it, which is absolutely correct. So we would love to see that this is a moment in time that that could actually be removed and overturned. So I would love to see them be successful in that lawsuit.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, so do you consider, and that is one of the things that I have heard on different issues, is that the Trump administration has put out a narrative that people like, but getting the action done on it has been somewhat challenging. It may be that it takes time, but is this an action item that just happened then with Pam Bondi, or is it something still that was referred back several months?
SPEAKER 05 :
This is something that happened at the top of the year, January 2025. So the fact that we’re in November and we haven’t heard anything and it hasn’t been discussed is something that’s a bit concerning to me because it shouldn’t take that long to find actions that could be seen as infringing on the second amendment. There are plenty of them. And I mean, I’m very much anti gun control. I know Teddy is being involved, not only from a, a civilian aspect, but also from the aspect of a gun shop. of all the regulations and parameters that he has to exist in as a business, because not only do we have those parameters on a federal level, the state of Colorado has significantly attack gun shops on a state level, implementing state permitting for gun shops, implementing, you know, basically deputizing a Department of Revenue employees to attack gun shops and be able to, you know, have law enforcement capabilities to investigate them, yet not having the requirements of law enforcement, such as, you know, wearing body cams and things of that nature. So there is being a significant attack on this industry on a state level and a national level for quite some time. And, I mean, call me, Trump administration, call us, because this is exactly the issue that we’re facing. And it’s all fine and dandy to, you know, make executive orders and to talk about it. But I actually want to see some action being done by it that is showing that this is being investigated. And it’s also being enforced to remove, you know, that foot that’s on the neck of the Second Amendment. And we have not seen that yet.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. So Teddy Collins, you and Alicia are very involved in, well, obviously the second syndicate to shed light on all of these different issues. But we’re getting into the holiday season, Christmas, Hanukkah. And tell us a little bit about what might be a great gift. You’re having some sales here at Spartan Defense. So talk to us a little bit about that, Teddy Collins.
SPEAKER 20 :
Absolutely. Well, this weekend’s actually our four year anniversary in the Springs in Colorado Springs. So we do have a big sale going on this weekend. We have a 10% off everything in store, all firearms, the ammo, everything that we have in the store, as well as 20% off of used firearms. And, uh, 25% off of knives or turkey carvers for Thanksgiving. So, you know, come on in and get some good deals this weekend. We also do have gift cards and we offer gift wrapping services during the holiday season. So we’re pretty much a one-stop shop for anything that you need self-defense or personal protection related.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. Question. Can people order firearms or not? Do they need to come to the store? What does that look like exactly?
SPEAKER 20 :
Absolutely. So they can go to SpartanDefense.com or they can give us a call at our online department. We ship nationwide. We can ship to your home FFL if you’re located in a different part of the states for you to be able to pick up there. That phone number is 719-917-1911. We open at 11 a.m. and we stay open until 7 p.m. Is that Monday or seven days a week? Seven days a week. We’re open Monday through Saturday, those hours, and then on Sundays we do open later so that our staff has the opportunity to be able to go to church. We open at noon, and we close a little bit earlier at 6 on Sundays.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. And again, that website for Spartan Defense?
SPEAKER 20 :
Yes, SpartanDefense.com, and that’s defense with an S, not a C.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. And Alicia Garcia, your business is Concealed Carry of Denver. And this, again, we’re talking about the holidays. A great gift would be a gift certificate to someone. You help with both lethal and non-lethal ways to protect oneself. So just tell us a little bit about that.
SPEAKER 05 :
Fantastic. I appreciate that. So I do have a concealed carry business that I work very diligently to keep up and running and educate the state of Colorado. It is concealed carry class Denver dot com. You can go and book classes with me at my certain location. I have two classrooms in the state of Colorado. One is off of like Evans and I-25. The other is off of 104th and I-25. And what we do is we do renewals. for people that already have their concealed carry and want to renew it and keep that um that certification i also have brand new concealed carry classes that i host every sunday as well as other types of classes to educate you know the public as of like for example last night i had a free concealed carry or a free class at my classroom that i hosted from 6 to 8 p.m that discussed Basically what it looks like to use lethal force or how to defend yourself, what are the Colorado parameters in order to exercise your right to self-defense. We also have a church security discussion that we’re going to have, I believe, in two weeks at my classroom there as well. that you can come that’s also a free class i also am teaching a oc which is pepper spray certification class in december on december 2nd that way there’s a lot of people out there maybe they’re not old enough to carry a firearm because the state of colorado doesn’t recognize people 18 to 21 that could be able to potentially carry a firearm like they used to if they want to carry something else for you know less than lethal or not as lethal and they’re interested in learning how to do pepper spray they can come to that class as well so we do a lot of things to educate people and mobilize people in the knowledge of the second amendment and i’d love to have them come check us out
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, well, Alicia Garcia and Teddy Collins with the Second Syndicate, that’s the2ndsyndicate.com. We’ll talk with you next week. Thank you.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you, Kim. You have a great weekend.
SPEAKER 04 :
You as well. And we have these discussions because of our sponsors and all of your support. The Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance Team can help you with all of your insurance coverage. And if you bundle everything together, you might save some money. The only way to find out is give them a call. That number is 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, the Roger Mangan Team is there.
SPEAKER 03 :
costs to ensure your home apartment auto boat are increasing inflation high taxes grocery prices are squeezing coloradans budgets how can you save money when you bundle your insurance coverage with the roger mink and state farm insurance team you may save money on your insurance premiums The only way to find out is to reach out to the Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance team for a complimentary appointment. Call the Roger Mangan team now at 303-795-8855. That number again is 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, the Roger Mangan team is there.
SPEAKER 10 :
When you’re looking for a premium quality painting experience or professional temporary outdoor lighting, call our friends at Radiant Painting and Lighting. The owner, Karen Gorday, spent over 20 years in the customer service industry. She and her experienced professionals will treat your home as if it were their own and take great pride in their work. They only deliver excellence. When giving your home a beautiful new paint job, they use premium caulk and paint and will always deliver what they say. They don’t just enhance your space, they transform it. When you want excellence, call Radiant Painting and Lighting at 720-940-3887.
SPEAKER 13 :
There’s so much noise coming at us. Sometimes it is difficult to make sense of it all. How can you sift through the clamor for your attention and get to the truth? The Kim Monson Show is here to help. Kim searches for truth and clarity by examining issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Tune in to The Kim Monson Show each weekday, 6 to 8 a.m., with encores 1 to 2 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. on KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM. The KLZ website, the KLZ app, and Alexa. Play KLZ. Shows can also be found at KimMonson.com, Spotify, and iTunes. It’s right!
SPEAKER 04 :
It is Friday and welcome back to the Kim Monson show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M O N S O N.com. And do you have big dreams for your future, but you’re not quite sure how to get there? We’ll call our friends at mint financial strategies. They know that your financial life is unique and as an independent firm and an accredited investment fiduciary, they build personalized strategies that put your freedom and goals first. No sales pressure, no one-size-fits-all approach, just thoughtful guidance built around you. So take that first step toward your future. Call Mint Financial Strategies today. That number is 303-285-3080, 303-285-3080. Pleased to have on the line with me Pam Long. She is an author here at the Kim Monson Show, writes very important pieces. She is the military director at Children’s Health Defense. She’s a West Point graduate and a former captain in the Army Medical Service Corps. Pam Long, welcome to the show. Good morning, Kim. Pam Long, you are brilliant. This piece that you have written, what if the Colorado GOP promoted an executive branch slate for the 2026 election? I hear people all the time. The question is, how do we bring the GOP together? We seem so fractured. There’s infighting. This piece that you’ve written, I think, is absolutely brilliant.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, this is actually part two. So a while back, I wrote an article about how do we talk to the unaffiliated voters? And it’s about messaging. It’s about individual conversations. And but this article, what we’re talking about today is about how would we actually structure the campaigns and the debates to win the independent voter?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and so where should we start on this, Pam Long?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, like, let’s explain what a slate is. So I think more and more people are familiar with, you may have seen, we’ve had a lot of success here in Colorado with school board slates, where you see three or four candidates, how many seats are available for conservatives to fill. And they run as a unified front. They share resources. They have their four pictures in their platforms, all on the same website, the same postcards. You know, they… They have each other’s backs. Right. And it’s very effective. This wins school boards. We know this. And and so what I’m proposing in this general framework is that the Republican candidates for governor in the 2026 election do a similar thing where, yes, they are running as individuals, but they are also running as a unified front. And what would this look like in Congress? First, let’s talk about what is happening. What would an unaffiliated voter see at a Republican debate for governor? They would see, you know, right now it’s 21 candidates, and that’s a bit overwhelming. And they all have very similar platforms. You know, in the recent October debate, you heard they all pretty much agreed on the state budget is overspending. We have problems with mismanaged Medicaid. The cost of living is too high. Like, How can anyone ascertain or say which candidate is better than the other candidate, especially if you’re coming from outside the party and some of the issues we talk about, you know, aren’t even resonating with people. So how do we change the debate system where we’re actually talking to an audience? We want to win their vote. And Kim, have you had that experience where you go to these debates over and over again and they’re all saying the same thing?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, on the big issues. Now, when I did that, moderated that debate, there were 12. At that time, there were 18 candidates. So there’s number three that have announced, and there still may be some others. And so, yes, I would say on the big issues, as you mentioned, spending, those kinds of things, they were in a lot of agreement. So to your point, it’s difficult to ascertain And each candidate. And then what we see, though, is there gets to be a lot of dirt that flies many times with some of these candidates towards others.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes. So thank you for bringing that up. So once they kind of get comfortable in the campaign season, then they’ll start criticizing each other. And, you know, they’re a fellow Republican. And that is not a good look for us. Right. Like I’m I’m I’m more conservative than you and I’m going to out conservative you. And in the audience is thinking, yeah, but I mean, what does conservatism look like in government? Like, how are you the solution? Right. You know, we’re we’re. We’re, we are so good at fighting each other. And so what I’m proposing is instead of giving the democratic party and media, basically ammunition later after the primary to say, Oh, you already told us all the skeletons in your closets, you know, by criticizing each other. And now we’re going to use it against you in the general election. Let’s not do that. And instead, um, let’s look at the, the, the state governance in all of our departments and have each candidate, um, Pick a department to brief at a debate like and I have like a sample of this. So, you know what I’m talking about. So instead of saying, hey, are you for and against issues and they’re all pretty much for the same things and they’re all against the same things. We’re saying, how would you govern the state of Colorado if you were in charge of let’s just say a small section, a department and So here’s like a sample like debate based on I’ve looked at all of these candidates like backgrounds and what they’re really passionate about. So like the department, Jason Mickelson, I’m sorry if I’m pronouncing that incorrectly. He’s a Teller County sheriff. He could brief the Department of Corrections. These are the changes he’d like to see in the Department of Corrections. Robert Moore, who’s an Army veteran, could brief the Department of Public Safety. Barb Kirkmeyer, Senator Barb Kirkmeyer, she’s very focused on the Colorado economy. She could brief the Department of Revenue. J. John Grinsberg, he’s in IT and cybersecurity. He could brief the Department of Transportation and Information Technology. Joshua Griffin, he’s an Army veteran. He could brief the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. Former U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, who’s also a former mayor and former administrator with the Small Business Administration, could brief the Department of Local Affairs. Senator Mark Baisley, and he’s an engineer focused on government waste. He could brief the Department of Regulatory Agencies. Will McBride, he’s an attorney focused on protecting small businesses. He could brief the Department of Labor and Employment. Victor Marks has an emphasis on family and faith, freedom, nature. He could brief the Department of Natural Resources. And Scott Bottoms, Representative Scott Bottoms, he has an emphasis on one of many, but on affordable health care. He could brief the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. And what people would hear is very specific solutions, intelligent solutions to how we can you know, run government more efficiently, save the average person money, bring real solutions to the table. And there are some other major departments as well, like education and health, you know, that could be briefed as well. But this would be a major shift from just hearing you know slogans like i’m i’m pro-life i’m two-way that those messages first of all those are social issues voters generally do not vote on social issues they are not resonating with independent voters instead they would hear solutions to the problems in our government
SPEAKER 04 :
I think this is absolutely brilliant. I think the other question, and I guess in a way is this showing a hand, but so we say, for example, Jason Micell, Department of Corrections, he would be the specialist on that. But then what about sharing a strategy on how they would win? Would you add that into that, Pam Long?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, what could potentially happen is – and they would all have to get together and unify on this, right? But overwhelmingly, the research shows in any given situation – When it comes to decision-making max out at seven plus or minus two choices, right? After seven plus or minus two choices, human beings will not make a choice. They’ll say, this is too overwhelming. I don’t care. I can’t do it. And we do it subconsciously. So we have 21 candidates running. So you already have people like there’s no way I can, you know, take the time to that. Twenty one candidates. Right. We’re not going to make a good decision just by decision fatigue. The decision over we’re overwhelmed. Right. Most people aren’t following politics like you and I are, Kim. Right. The average voter is not going to put the time into this. So what we need to do is we’re kind of encouraging this most likely candidates, you know, to unify and say, how can we promote ourselves as a state? We’re together. Obviously, the assembly process, the caucus process. We’ll pick a winner that will go into the primary. Great. Let the best man or woman win. And at that point, whoever wins that primary should be able to look back at their slate and say, all right, I am the sheriff and you are my deputy. Let’s go win this state. Get out there and get our message out to the people of Colorado.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think that this is absolutely a brilliant strategy, Pam Long, and we’re going to continue to talk about it, but we’re going to go to break. And I just wanted to mention, if you are looking at a new build or to buy or sell your home, you’ll want to make sure that you have Karen Levine on your side of the table.
SPEAKER 21 :
A house protects from the rain, but a home shelters from the storms of life. Additionally, homeownership has helped Americans create wealth for themselves and their families. The Colorado Metro real estate market is ever-changing and is presenting new opportunities for homebuyers that we have not seen in quite some time. If you are thinking of buying a new home or selling your home, Remax Realtor Karen Levine can help you successfully navigate the complexities of real estate transactions. Call Karen Levine today at 303-877-7516. That’s 303-877-7516. You want Karen Levine on your side of the table.
SPEAKER 07 :
The Second Amendment is in our Constitution to protect your right to resist oppression and protect your right to protect yourself, your family, and your freedom from out-of-control PBIs, politicians, bureaucrats, and interested parties. Those rights are under attack. Colorado’s premier grassroots Second Amendment organization, the Second Syndicate, is fighting to preserve and protect your constitutional rights. The Second Syndicate exposes the most pressing threats to the Second Amendment by providing education, resources, and tools to help you stay informed, empowered, and prepared. Join the movement. Check out thesecondsyndicate.com, where the second is first. That’s the2ndsyndicate.com.
SPEAKER 18 :
For nearly 20 years, mortgage specialist Lorne Levy with Polygon Financial Group has helped individuals realize their hopes and dreams of home ownership, fund kids’ educations through second mortgages, and access capital by utilizing reverse mortgages. Lauren Levy works with many different lenders, and his goal is to provide home loans to his clients with the lowest interest rates and closing costs as possible. Lauren Levy pledges to help borrowers overcome roadblocks that can arise when securing a loan. Call Lauren Levy now at 303-880-8881 so that you are prepared for opportunity in the mortgage market. That’s 303-880-8881.
SPEAKER 01 :
All Kim’s sponsors are an inclusive partnership with Kim and are not affiliated with or in partnership with KLZ or Crawford Broadcasting. If you would like to support the work of The Kim Monson Show and grow your business, contact Kim at her website, kimmonson.com. That’s Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our Web site. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. And sign up for our weekly email newsletter that goes out on Sundays. You’ll get first look at our upcoming guests as well as our most recent essays. We will be publishing this one by Pam Long. What if the Colorado GOP promoted an executive branch slate in the 2026 election? Before we get back to that, though, wanted to mention the Center for American Values, which is located in Pueblo. on the beautiful Riverwalk. They are non-political, non-partisan, but focused on educational programs and portraits of valor of our Medal of Honor recipients regarding these foundational principles of honor, integrity, and patriotism. So if you’re looking for something to do while family’s in for the holidays, why don’t you take a trip down to the Center for American Values? You can get there hours by going to AmericanValuesCenter.org, AmericanValuesCenter.org. Pam Long, we’re talking about this piece. What if the Colorado GOP promoted an executive branch slate in the 2026 election? And this came in on the text line. It says, ask Pam that the GOP used to use a slate in back in the 2000s. Do you know what happened?
SPEAKER 06 :
i do not but i always appreciate people who bring these you know historical perspectives to us and if anyone else wants to chime in on the tax line please do
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, and that number, excuse me, is 720-605-0647, 720-605-0647. So one thing also we could address, I hadn’t thought about that, but I think we may have one person running for state treasurer. I don’t know if we have anybody for attorney general or secretary of state yet. What’s your ear to the ground on that, Pam Long?
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, I really haven’t even looked at those races yet because, I mean, from my perspective, I am really focused on the gubernatorial race. It is critical to get people in. What we’re talking about today is basically what would a conservative cabinet look like, right? And that touches every part of our lives in all of these departments. Right. It’s so critical that we this is, you know, a long game. We can’t wait until June, you know, the primary, you know, to start getting ready for the general in November. Right. So we’ve really got to put a lot of emphasis and priority on the governor’s race.
SPEAKER 04 :
And the governor could veto some of this terrible bills legislation that is proposed on a regular basis here at the Colorado State Legislature. And so I think this is really a great strategy. I’ve not heard anybody else come up with something like this, Pam Long.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, you know, Kim, I’m totally unqualified to be giving any type of, you know, campaign advice. But what I’m finding in my life is that, you know, God does, He qualifies those He calls. And so, you know, I have reported on debates for your show and, you know, other sources, and I’ve followed these, the last couple election cycles very closely and all the candidates and And I also have kind of this unique perspective coming from a decade in medical freedom, which is bipartisan, which is we’re friendly with independent voters. We’re friendly with Democratic voters, you know, because it is a bipartisan issue. Everyone cares about medical freedom and bodily autonomy. So I have all these friends in all these different circles. And so when I look at how we do business in the Republican Party, I see how it is not attractive to outsiders, right? So all I’m doing is offering this perspective from my outsider friends saying, hey, we need to talk about things in a non-demonizing way. Not everyone has a Christian worldview. And we cannot take the moral high ground in all issues. We have to make our arguments in a way that would win people over, win hearts and minds. And our debates are not even friendly to newcomers because we’re saying things like I’m more pro-life than you and I’m more 2A than you and whatever. And people are sitting in the audience thinking, right, I need Colorado to be more affordable. What are we talking about here? We’re losing people by the way we talk and the issues we talk about and the infighting. And we need a major strategy shift here. So this is just one idea.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and with Phil Weiser and Michael Bennett running over on the Democrat side, they may be trying to rhetorically beat each other up. So we’d like to let them do that and put that that face out there to the unaffiliated voters. I think you address this, but we went through it very quickly. Patty texted and wanted to know who you would suggest tackle DORA. I think that’s the Department of Regulatory Affairs. And she said, this is a real opportunity. I think you had Mark Baisley in on that, right?
SPEAKER 06 :
Right. So I’m not endorsing any candidate like I do. I do have a candidate that I do endorse privately. But right now I’m team like just put a Republican in office. Right. So right now I am speaking from like I will help any Republican candidate get elected to governor. Like I’m not picking a favorite. But if this question is specifically like today, who would I ask a Dora question? It absolutely would be Senator Mark Baisley.
SPEAKER 04 :
So then whoever wins out of that field of 21, they already have these experts that have addressed these issues instead of all the campaign rhetoric. Okay. This question, Pam Long, what I have seen on the Republican side is the consultants make a ton of money on these campaigns, whether or not the candidate wins or loses. And my experience has also been we have good people that step forward. They want to run for office, school board, whatever. And the first words out of the consultant’s mouth is no. how much money are you going to raise or how much money can you raise instead of how can we work together to win? Not sure the consultants are going to like this so much. So talk to me about that.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, right. I don’t work with the consultants. And so that’s why this article I wrote about how to talk to the unaffiliated voters. I mean, people keep stopping me and saying like, oh, my gosh, thank you for that article. I’ve been sharing it like it makes so much sense. It’s resonating. Right. No one is out there going, wow, these consultants that have been losing elections for decades in Colorado are resonating. They are not right. They are not right. They’re giving bad advice to our candidates. And we have to change the status quo. We have to say that their strategy does not work. It is not winning elections. Let’s be open to other ideas, other strategies. And actually, I mean, when does unity go wrong? Like basically promoting unity. Let’s all work together. Right. Is that really controversial? Like I don’t ever see I don’t have a lot of examples where team unity loses.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and to your point, the piece that you’d written regarding messaging to the unaffiliated voters, I know that really resonated. And in fact, Jay Davidson, one of our sponsors with First American State Bank, sent that out to his sphere of influence and talked about how important that message was as well. So this is a recipe how we can reclaim the Colorado that we love and And I think we need to get behind this. I think this is a great idea, Pam Long.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, and, you know, the candidates can fine-tune it. This is a general framework of let’s do this campaign this year differently going into 2026. And I would say, you know, if this resonates with you listeners, talk to our, you know, our top candidates. Right now, the top candidates in fundraising from highest to lowest, currently it changes, are Kirk Meyer, Moore, Bottoms, Lopez, Greg Ginsburg, I’m sorry if I’m saying that incorrectly, in Baisley. And so go to those candidates and say, you’re our dream team, man. Can you guys get this together and work together? Put egos aside. There’s a lot of egos involved in this, right? We are all great people. We don’t care which one of you wins really at this point. We want one of you to win. And then the rest of you are going to potentially fill in these cabinet positions, which are great leadership opportunities as well if you’re You know, like, let’s get over the personal victory of, you know, running for governor and just put a Republican in that seat so we can fill all these other department heads with really smart leadership.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think it makes so much sense. So, again, we’re going to be publishing this this weekend at the Kim Monson Show. Make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter. That way you’ll get the first look at it. It is what if the Colorado GOP promoted an executive branch slate in the 2026 election by Pam Long? Pam, we’ve got things coming in, different subjects on the text line. We’d love to hear from people. 720-605-0647. And if you want to call in, we’d love to hear from you as well. Pam’s going to be fielding questions. 303-477-5600. 303-477-5600. And mention them in the first hour regarding helping you with your personal climate. That is to be warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and all your plumbing needs. Reach out to Ben’s Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling.
SPEAKER 17 :
There was a time in America when a man’s handshake cemented his word. At Ben’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, we are old school and believe in doing a job well. If there is ever an issue with the service that we have provided, we will make it right. Ben’s Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling is proud to partner with The Kim Monson Show to bring truth and clarity to the issues we face in Colorado, America, and our world. Call or text Ben’s Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling at 303-995-1636 for all of your plumbing, heating, and cooling needs. That number is 303-995-1636.
SPEAKER 11 :
John Bozen and the attorneys at Bozen Law believe that everyone deserves access to justice regardless of their financial situation. That’s why Bozen Law handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. You don’t pay anything up front. and there are no hourly fees. Bozen Law covers the cost of building your case, and they only get paid if they win for you. Every case is different, and results vary depending on facts and circumstances. Contact Bozen Law today at 303-999-9999 to see how Bozen Law might help you. That number is 303-999-9999.
SPEAKER 02 :
Would you like to access a broad customer base that loves our country and wants to make life better for ourselves, our neighbors, our colleagues, our children, and our grandchildren? Then you may be a perfect fit as a sponsor slash partner of The Kim Monson Show. To learn more, reach out to Teresa at 520-631-9243. Teresa would love to talk with you. Again, that number is 520-631-9243.
SPEAKER 04 :
It is Friday. Welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. And check out the website for the USMC Memorial Foundation and Buy a Brick to support them in their Buy a Brick program. It’s a great gift for your loved one for Christmas or Hanukkah and you’ll receive a beautiful certificate. and that brick will eventually be on one of the pathways of service. More information on that, go to usmcmemorialfoundation.org, usmcmemorialfoundation.org. Pam Long has agreed to stay on the line. We’re going to be publishing her piece, What If the Colorado GOP Promoted an Executive Branch Slate in the 2026 Election? And it sure seems like a serious way to to try to win that election and reclaim the state that we love. Now, we’re going to be on different subjects, Pam Long, but this came in from Holly and we were talking with Bob Boswell in our number one. that there’s some new producer fees on our oil and natural gas producers, and the money purportedly for one of those fees is going to a train to the mountains. And Holly wanted to know, do we think that train to the mountains is mirroring California’s train to nowhere? I think that sounds like that’s probably the case. What do you think about that, Pam Long?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I have read up on this, all the train proposals for Colorado, and they do not make financial sense. They actually, well, first of all, how many people are training anywhere in their daily lives? How often are you getting on a train? I’ve been on a Amtrak trip like once in my life, right? I prefer to drive. So just like your anecdotal experience tells you, like, who’s using a train to the mountains, right? But then the data does show that, you know, the support for it is not there. And I actually think it’s a land grab, right? It is so… Once you put a train plan in motion, all of that land that is grabbed surrounding the rail is unusable. You know, we’re talking about even domain and all these, you know, anyone who’s an advocate for personal property rights would not be a fan of rail because it’s a land grab.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it is a land grab. And let’s think about just the logistics. So let’s say that you want to get to the mountains to ski. And say you have a family of four to try to get the boots, the bag, the skis, the luggage. It doesn’t make sense for that. And you’re only probably going to be going to one. One particular, maybe two locations to ski. So that would be government picking winners and losers on where that train would go to. There’s all kinds of reasons this is a terrible idea. The PBIs, though, obviously they’re taxing our oil and gas producers, which is a wealth transfer from hardworking people because they’re having to pay higher taxes. prices for our power sources and our fuel. And so it’s a wealth transfer. And again, it’s all under the guise of something they’re trying to make it sound good, but it’s just not realistic, Pam Long. But the fee is very realistic.
SPEAKER 06 :
Right. And right. Did you and I vote for rail to be put in Colorado in degrees in transaction with our government to use our taxpayer dollars, which is our money to pay for a rail system that we will not use? No, no one did that. So it’s subverting, you know, the democratic process in every way.
SPEAKER 04 :
It is. And so that that goes into yesterday. Kurt Gerwitz was on and he has one of the things he really supports is bicycle infrastructure. And so we’re going to continue to have this discussion. But I asked him who. pays for bicycle infrastructure. And this came in yesterday from Sandra. She said, regarding this bike conversation, she said, I have to pay out of her dollars for a driver’s license, automobile insurance, other vehicle expenses. In addition… to gas taxes. And so this is important. I think it’s Milton Friedman who said when we’re looking at issues, it’s who pays, who decides, who benefits, and is it fair? And those are really four great criteria when we’re looking at any of these things, Pam Long.
SPEAKER 06 :
Right. I might even add, like, is it reversible? Like, if you put a rail system in place, that land will always be dedicated to rail. It can never be used for anything else. But, you know, a bike path, it is reversible, right? The risk is less in the bike scenario. It’s a little less nefarious agenda. Like, I’m pro, you know, exercise. But, like, if it’s a bad idea, you do a test pilot in a city that, you know, really has support for it. And in the future, if it turned out to be a terrible idea, you can, you know, reconvert it back to a road without a bike path. And, you know, it can be reversed, right? So that should be, you know, part of our risk-benefit decision-making in any of these decisions.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. And hold on here. Holly said, excellent point, Pam, about the land grab for the train to the mountains. She said she’d not thought of that. I’ve also thought about the land grab for light rail. And as I drive up and down the corridor on I-25, I… I don’t see anybody during the day on those rail platforms. And that was one heck of a land grab as well. Just think if we had highway lanes, lanes for cars, that would reduce a lot of congestion. And that was one of the reasons they said they were putting in the train was to reduce congestion. And what they wanted was, when I say they, this is the PBIs, they want everyday people to ride the train so that they have less congestion when they’re driving around in their cars. That’s my read on it.
SPEAKER 06 :
Right. And what if we talked about, you know, these issues like, you know, our opponents do? Like, you know, the term virus was weaponized during the pandemic. And, you know, everyone was told, you know, everyone’s a super spreader. Well, you know, this light rail system transmits homeless people to your community, panhandlers to your community. You know, it spreads crime and other problems to your community. So, you know, we need to get better at talking about the issues like our opponents do, that there is a downside to all of these alleged great ideas that are going to improve our lives for a huge price tag.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, so that made me think about these problems, congestion or whatever. And in fact, I had a conversation with an elected who said to me, Kim, what are we going to do about the congestion overnight on I-25? And I said, the congestion proves that people are voting that they want to stay in their own personal vehicles. So reducing congestion is not trying to get people out of their cars. They’re voting that they’re willing to have some pain because they like the freedom. They like the safety of their own personal vehicles. Tell you what, a young woman standing out on a rail platform at 6 a.m. in the morning or at a bus depot, that doesn’t seem very safe to me. And so instead of trying to force people to do that, Randall Tula said that one of the great ways to help people is for them to get a vehicle so that they have choices of employment, choices of where to go. And so, again, that… agenda, we really, as you say, we really need to kick the tires on that idea.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, and let’s offer some counter solutions. There’s not more, there’s, you know, there’s more than one solution here. I’ve heard Greg Lopez say, let’s the state of Colorado buy 470, take the tolls off it, open up that free to everyone. And, you know, that reduces congestion. Wow, what a great idea. Right. We can do this. This is, you know, mass transit and taking away people’s cars, which is unprecedented, you know, right. Is, you know, it’s coercive. It’s a it’s it’s it’s forced. Right. We want choices. I want to be able to drive on 470. But, you know, I don’t want to pay one hundred dollars to get to Denver. So there are other choices and we have good candidates talking about solutions to these problems.
SPEAKER 04 :
And we do. And then we’re just about out of time, but this came in from Beryl. She said the train tax is another RTD tax. And she says people go camping, but they won’t use the train. Excellent point. Pam Long, your final thought.
SPEAKER 06 :
Everyone, you know, start looking at these candidates for governor and get involved in one of these campaigns. Any Republican in office is a win at this point.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, Pam Long, thank you so much. And again, we’ll roll that piece out this weekend. What if this Colorado GOP promoted an executive branch slate in the 2026 election? Pam Long, thank you so much. Wish you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving. We’ll talk with you next month. Okay, same to you, Kim. Bye-bye. Quote for the end of the show is from George Washington. He said this, there is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily. So my friends today, be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically, strive for high ideals, and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you, and God bless America.
SPEAKER 09 :
Like a new moon rising fierce. Through the rain and lightning. Wandering out into this great unknown. I don’t want no one to cry. But tell them if I don’t survive.
SPEAKER 15 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
