In a heartfelt appeal, Kim Monson raises awareness about Tina Peters’ situation, urging Colorado’s Governor to exhibit compassion. We also dive into the intricate details of zoning ordinances in Lakewood with Karen Gorday. Listen as we explore the challenges faced by local citizens trying to have their voices heard. Plus, author Rich Guggenheim shares insights from his book, Escaping the Rainbow Plantation, offering a unique perspective on truth and freedom on The Kim Monson Show
SPEAKER 07 :
It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
SPEAKER 16 :
I find that it takes work to get your brain around these ideas, and it takes work to engage in these conversations.
SPEAKER 07 :
The latest in politics and world affairs.
SPEAKER 16 :
With what is happening down at the Statehouse, I used to think that it was above my pay grade to read the legislation, and it’s not.
SPEAKER 07 :
Today’s current opinions and ideas.
SPEAKER 16 :
I see big danger in as much as we will be giving an unelected bureaucrat the power to make rules about what we inject into our bodies.
SPEAKER 07 :
Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
SPEAKER 16 :
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 Thursday, Producer Joe.
SPEAKER 24 :
Happy Thursday, Kim.
SPEAKER 16 :
And I am so pleased to have in studio with me my good friend, Kathy Russell. She is the president of Liberty Toastmasters North. We’ll talk with some of our colleagues a little bit later. It’s great to have you here.
SPEAKER 25 :
Oh, it’s so great to be here, Kim, and great to represent Liberty Toastmasters North. They are just the greatest people. People love them.
SPEAKER 16 :
They are. And I’m a member of Liberty Toastmasters Denver, which is also a great group. I wish we were on video because that way people could see just how beautiful you look today. I love this jacket. You said you have some Christmas. It’s very Christmassy and you have some Christmas parties later. So, yeah, it’s great to have you here.
SPEAKER 25 :
Great to be here.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay, we’re going to jump into all of this. I want to say thank you to the Harris family for their goal sponsorship of the show. And as you know, we search for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Something’s a good idea. You shouldn’t have to force people to do it. And it’s not compassionate and it’s not altruistic to take other people’s stuff. That’s called theft. And it could be taking their rights, their property, freedom, livelihood, opportunity, childhoods, or lives via force. That’s not okay. And it could be a weapon policy, unpredictable and excessive taxation, fear, coercion, government-induced inflation, and this agenda of the world economic forum and globalist elites that plays out through the United Nations, this Colorado state legislature, this Colorado governor. But through land use codes, they use all kinds of things, zoning regulations, taxes, fees, you name it. And remember, if something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. On the show, we focus on the issues, and we’ll talk about the people that are pushing issues, but we really stay out of the personalities. Because once you get into the personalities, you take your eye off the ball, on the issues and that’s I think Kathy I think that’s how we got where we are in Colorado is because we’ve not stayed looking at these issues and we’ve let emotion really move a lot of things
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, I agree with you. And a lot of misinformation is just coming through that is such a problem.
SPEAKER 16 :
That is a problem. And that’s why we do the show. Yes. It’s because we are looking for truth on all of this stuff that’s happening out there. So word of the day, I was thinking about communication. Because in Liberty Toastmasters, it’s not just about speaking, but it’s also about listening and being able to communicate many different ways. And so I thought, okay, let’s think about some of these different things regarding communication. And this word of the day I thought was perfect. It’s conversant. It’s spelled C-O-N-V-E-R-S-A-N-T. And number one, it could be familiar or knowledgeable as by study or experience. Number two, having frequent or customary intercourse, a familiarity associated, very acquainted. And so I really think it’s important. I wanted to go really to being very familiar with the subject. So conversant in, well, for example, in communications, to be conversant. So our word of the day is conversant. Your challenge is to use that in a sentence, and it’s C-O-N-V-E-R-S-A-N-T. And Kathy, I was thinking about communications, and Ronald Reagan is called the great communicator. And he was born in 1911. He died in 2004. He was an American politician. He was our 40th president. He was a member of the Republican Party, but he had been a Democrat. Kind of like you, huh? Yeah.
SPEAKER 25 :
Well, I was never a registered Democrat, but I always voted Democrat.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay. Okay. He was registered, changed his registration, and he was an important figure in the conservative movement. And conservative, what that means to me is conserving and preserving this American idea. that all men are created equal with these rights from God of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. And that’s worth conserving and preserving, I think, Kathy.
SPEAKER 25 :
Exactly, yeah. And I’ve been thinking about what conservative means also. And for me, it’s part of the search for truth that conservatives look to the past to find out what worked and what didn’t work, and then they take the best of what worked in order to bring that forward. Use that and create progress for the future.
SPEAKER 16 :
And that’s really what the founders did. Yeah. Is they looked back, they read so many different historical things about society. And then they came up with the American idea, which was a radical idea.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, such a great idea. Radical and amazing.
SPEAKER 16 :
And forward thinking. Yes, and we have a job to do to preserve and conserve that. But this is what Ronald Reagan said, and the quote for the end of the show is the one that you all know about, that we didn’t have freedom that was, well, I’ll share that as well. He said, freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. And did you see the movie Reagan with Dennis Quaid?
SPEAKER 25 :
I haven’t seen that yet.
SPEAKER 16 :
Oh, my gosh. You’re going to have to do that over the Christmas season. I don’t watch much TV. I don’t watch very many movies. So I rented it. I think it was last Christmas. And then I binged it. I watched it several times because it was so well done. But this is what Reagan said. He said, live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and then leave the rest to God.
SPEAKER 25 :
That’s beautiful.
SPEAKER 16 :
Isn’t that awesome?
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 16 :
So that is our quote of the day. As many of you know, we are doing a petition calling on Governor Jared Polis to do the humanitarian thing, and that is to release Tina Peters by Christmas Eve. And we are calling on him to exhibit kindness and mercy and compassion and release her. And you can go to my website, KimMonson.com. There’s a red banner at the top. And you can sign the petition. And I will deliver that to the governor’s office on Monday. And I think we might be making some progress on that because he had done an interview recently. With somebody from Channel 9, I reported this yesterday, and he said that there is a way that Tina Peters could be released. And it’s not because Donald Trump pardoned her, but that if she, well, he said if she basically was on her deathbed, well, you know, let’s let her get out before that. But he also said if she had a health condition, such as cancer, that he would show mercy. Those were our words that we had used. So he could look really good by doing this. And Kathy, he always, ever since he’s been governor, since 2019, he has either pardoned people or pardoned people and or commuted sentences. Last year, he pardoned 22 people. He commuted sentences for four people. Of those 22, two were murderers, one was a bank robber, and one was a rapist. Now, Tina Peters didn’t even have a traffic ticket before this whole ordeal, and so he could look really good.
SPEAKER 25 :
Really good. Because right now it looks so bad. You know, before you could think, well, maybe she did something wrong. But now it’s like, what did she do wrong? Nothing. If you look at her motivation, they are so pure and good and everything that Polis wants, everything that the Democrats want, which is election integrity. I mean, you would think they’re all about freedom through the people. Yeah.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah. Well, that’s what they say. So he could walk his talk, is what you’re saying. Exactly. Which would be a really great thing. Would be a great thing. So you all have a job to do, and that is, this is so organic, and the signatures are coming in to me. I did not use any outside service. They’re coming directly to me. I was talking with a friend yesterday, and she said, Kim, I haven’t signed it yet because I’m a little concerned about having my name… out there. And I get it. And I said, well, what’s going to happen is I’m going to, well, the deadline is Monday morning, the 22nd to sign. Then Zach and I will format everything. I’m going to get it printed off. I’m going to notarize it that all these signatures came in to me. And I will submit first name, first initial of the last name and maybe the state. And so you don’t have to worry about any retribution if you sign this. And again, it is for you, no matter where you are on the issue, it’s the compassionate, kind and merciful thing to do. So sign the petition, get it out to your sphere of influence, have them sign and let’s call on Governor Polis to release her by Christmas Eve. I left a And said, hey, you could look really good if you did this. So we’re working on that. Pleased to have on the line with me Karen Gorday. And you know her. She is an entrepreneur. She’s the owner of Radiant Painting and Lighting. She ran for Lakewood City Council. The folks out in Lakewood are working to get… just a vote of the people on all of this rezoning land use. And so she’s been very involved in that. And she’s really stepped up. And in the spirit of our founders, she’s become a really engaged citizen. Karen Gorday, welcome. Good morning, Kim. Thank you for having me. Well, it’s good to have you. And are you getting any rest at all? Not this week, no. Good. And well, from a work standpoint, this is a time that’s probably some downtime for you, yes?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, and this is the time I normally would sleep and get caught up on some things, and not this year. Okay.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, the New Year’s right around the corner, and so when the New Year, people have all kinds of New Year’s resolutions, and one of them may be to spruce up the place. And so give your website how people can contact you on that, and then I want to talk with you about what’s keeping you up this week. Okay.
SPEAKER 06 :
Fair enough. The website for Paint is www.paintwithradiant.com.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay. And the pictures are beautiful. And those are not stock photos, are they? No, no. Those are all pictures of our work. It’s beautiful. Just beautiful. Thank you. Tell us what’s going on out in Lakewood.
SPEAKER 06 :
So as you know, the citizens ran four referendums because city council split the one big zoning bill into four different ordinances. In order to overturn that, you need to run a referendum. The obstruction has been there since day one. It took 18 days to get the first referendum approved, which obviously shortened the time frame to get over 3,500 signatures needed. You’re supposed to have 45 days on zoning issues, and you subtract 18 from that, you’re a little short of 45. We got all the signatures turned in for the fourth one. The validation team is working on validating signatures from all four referendums. And prior to last week, there’s two citizens that protested the first two referendums. And on December the 8th at 422, the co-petitioners received a protest for petition three. Two days later, that was last Monday, two days later on December 10th at 540 in the morning, the co-petitioners received a notice of hearing that two days from now, so it’s December, or no, that’s tomorrow, December 19th, There’s going to be a hearing on all three protests. Here’s the key. The third protest was over, it was 90 pages long. The protesters are disputing over 1,500 of the 4,000 signatures. When the co-petitioners received the hearing notice after business hours on Wednesday, in the hearing notice, all witnesses left were due by the end of day Friday, and all exhibits were due by Monday, December 15th. It’s absolutely ridiculous to expect anybody to be able to go through a 90-page protest on one of the petitions, let alone you already had the first two. And so the three protests together are about 192 pages long. There’s between 1,300 and 1,500 signatures for each petition being challenged. The petition team or the co-petitioners are working with the lawyers to get them all the needed information. I am heading up the validation team and working around the clock with those folks. We’ve got a really good group of volunteers. And basically, we’ve never validated signatures for petitions. You need to match the signatures to the voter records and then copy and paste that voter record into a spreadsheet. And the validation team is sending those spreadsheets back to me. And in turn, I have a massive database of 4,000 names so we can prove that we have the 4,000 names.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 06 :
For the hearing, the burden of proof is on the protesters. but we need to be ready to issue rebuttals. And if the protesters don’t like the way this goes, they can appeal it to district court.
SPEAKER 16 :
Wow. Okay, what about the fourth petition?
SPEAKER 06 :
The fourth petition was turned in as of late last night. They have not received a protest. We know it’s coming. Okay. We know it’s coming. We just don’t know when and when that hearing will be. The thing is, they did not have to have the protest this Friday. Originally, the city offered up a series of dates and refused to let the co-petitioners select December 30th. as the date for the petition, for the hearing.
SPEAKER 16 :
And who is this hearing in front of?
SPEAKER 06 :
It is in front of a hearing officer, which happens to be the city clerk, who’s the one who certified the petitions to begin with and said that there were enough signatures. The city of Lakewood has hired outside counsel, so outside counsel will help the city clerk. it’s it’s funny because you know the city clerk said well we’re going to deny the motion for a continuance because you didn’t submit it as a motion but yet he said this is not a quasi judicial hearing it’s a more relaxed hearing but yet told them after the deadline because with motions you have to make three days ahead of time told them after close of business three days beforehand well you didn’t file a motion so we’re not going to issue a continuance
SPEAKER 16 :
Oh, boy. It is crazy, Karen. Well, thank you. Now, we’ve prerecorded for next week, so we’re not going to get to have an update on that until, well, you know what? We’re going to have to prerecord for the first as well. We’re going to have to get you on, though, when we’re live, probably. You know, whatever that is, the 29th or 30th. So we’ll get you on live and then we’ll pre-record for the 1st of January. But keep me in the loop. And thank you for what you’re doing, Karen. And support Karen, because this is how the founders, they were business people and merchants and farmers that founded this country. And in the spirit of that, Karen Gorday, give her your business again. What’s that website again?
SPEAKER 06 :
It is www.paintwithradiance.com.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay, and that’s Karen Gorday. Karen, thank you. I wish you a Merry Christmas. You and yours a very Merry Christmas. We’ll talk soon.
SPEAKER 06 :
Sounds good.
SPEAKER 16 :
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SPEAKER 02 :
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.
SPEAKER 16 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That’s KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. And I’ve highlighted two nonprofits on a regular basis on the show. The first is the USMC Memorial Foundation. And the official Marine Memorial is located right here in Golden, Colorado. And so a great way to say thank you to those that have put on the uniform, given their lives, have been willing to give their lives for our freedom, is to support the memorial. And you can make a year-end contribution by going to usmcmemorialfoundation.org. And then the Center for American Values, which is located in Pueblo, focused on honoring our Medal of Honor recipients. And also great educational programs. They’re nonpolitical, nonpartisan, but focused on learning. honor integrity and patriotism i’d recommend that if you still are wondering what to do regarding your gift list make sure that you can order that medal of honor quote book that we quote from on every friday and that website is americanvaluecenter.org you can get all that information there in studio with me is my friend kathy russell we’ll be talking with our fellow liberty toastmasters colleagues in just a moment it’s great to have you here great to be here kim And on the line with us is Rich Guggenheim. He is an author. He has written the book Escaping the Rainbow Plantation. Rich, welcome. Thanks, Kim. How’s the book sales going?
SPEAKER 04 :
They’re going pretty well. It’s a little slow at the moment, but I think that’s because I’ve had to shift my focus. to a few other things that, well, I guess we’ll talk about that today on the show, but yeah, that’s taken up a lot of time, and the book is doing good, and thanks for bringing me on.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, absolutely, and people can buy, let’s see, Escaping the Rainbow Plantation at Amazon, and so they can go there for that. Tell us what’s going on in your life. This is a big deal.
SPEAKER 04 :
It is. What’s going on is I blew the whistle on the state of Colorado working for the state government. We had a DEI meeting, well, a manager’s meeting at the Colorado Department of Agriculture back in November. And my boss, the division director, Wondrad Gapru, decided that he was going to start talking about DEI. We’re forming an inclusive leadership training. For 2026, and then also on that same agenda, we were talking about the DEI report due to the governor’s office in December. Governor Polis is doing this as part of his, quote, Colorado for all initiative. And that was a DEI report. And I, it was a virtual meeting, commented in the chat that this was DEI on steroids. My boss told me that comment was inappropriate. And I said on the microphone, I said, I don’t care. And he said, good, it’s on record that you don’t care. I said, no, it’s on record. And then told me to mute my microphone. And I said, no, it’s on record that you are going to engage in viewpoint discrimination and silence anyone who does not go along with your agenda. Ah, ooh. Pow. Yeah. That’s… So I sent him a private chat message, and I said, just so you know, I do have contact with Pam Bondi and President Trump at the Department of Justice, and I am going to turn this over to them. And I said, your grant funds, because I am a signatory on a grant, a very large grant for the state of Colorado to protect Colorado agriculture. And I said, your grant funds and your federal dollars are going to get shut off. And he apparently took enough offense over that that he He, while I didn’t know about this a month later, was placed under investigation by the Colorado Department of Agriculture for undefined violation of state policy. So the day that I had that meeting with our managers, I also sent a letter to the Department of Justice, just like I said I was going to do. I’m a man of my word. And I told in this letter to Pam Bondi, I outlined what was going on with DEI, and I submitted several pages of documentation, including three job announcements posted that day that have DEI statements in the job announcement that DEI is a hiring requirement to get a job in the state of Colorado. So I sent that over. The day that I was placed under investigation, I followed up with the Department of Justice and also the USDA as an Office of an Inspector General. And I said, this is also whistleblower retaliation. And I said, here’s more evidence, including a performance report for these grants that I’ve gotten that list in these performance reports that the managers are taking BEI and inclusive leadership training.
SPEAKER 16 :
So what’s happened now?
SPEAKER 04 :
You know, I am under investigation. I haven’t. Other than that, the process is the punishment as of right now. They know that I have blown the whistle. I have told them, I said, you do realize that this is protected by both state and federal law, and this is a form of whistleblower retaliation. HR Director Ruth DeCrescentis seems completely willing to violate federal law. They’re trying to decouple it by stating that this isn’t about whistleblower retaliation. This is about the fact that you made threats that create a hostile work environment. This is about you disrupting official state functions, and this is about your insubordination.
SPEAKER 16 :
Oh, boy. Okay, so we’re coming in on Christmas. What’s the next steps, Rich? We’ve got a couple of minutes.
SPEAKER 04 :
The next steps right now is for that whistleblower. I have followed up with the Department of Justice. I’m currently at AMFAST, so I’m making some connections with this. And I’ve talked to several people about this. Every attorney I’ve talked to says this, if they move forward with this, you’re going to get a substantial settlement. And I said, well, it’s not about the settlement for me. Right now, what this can, it’s about, we have so much corruption in the state of Colorado. I think when we talk about Tina Peters and we talk about the Secretary of State, Jenna Griswold, and what she’s doing with voter information, people that are plugged in are aware of the corruption. But I don’t think they’re aware of how deep this corruption runs in the state of Colorado and that it is systemic and it is institutional and they are completely willing to flagrantly violate state and federal law and until the federal government comes in and investigate. and hauls people out in handcuffs, they’re going to continue to do it. And it is up to us as state employees. If you work for a state agency and you see this kind of stuff going forward, you have a moral and you have a legal obligation to blow the whistle. And I also say to the people of the state of Colorado, utilize those CORA requests. And that’s another thing they’re doing is they’re abusing that. Because I, two weeks ago now, sent in a CORA request as a citizen on all of this information because I wanted to see what other people were saying in that meeting and what the other records were showing and what the internal communications were about. So I did a Quora request on myself as a public employee, as a citizen, and they never sent me the information about the Quora request to my work email. Two weeks later, I still do not have that Quora request.
SPEAKER 16 :
Boy, and transparency is pretty darn important, Rich Guggenheim. So next steps, I guess you’re just going to keep us in the loop on this, right?
SPEAKER 04 :
I am going to keep you guys in the loop. I’m going to see where it goes. I think it’s really important that we understand and we blow the whistle, we shine the light of truth on this stuff. That is the way our government works best is when they are forced to operate in an environment of truth. And I hate to say it, but we have to force that right now because they are not being truthful, they are not being transparent, and they are misappropriating our funds. This is our money as a people. These agencies are designed to work and represent the people.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay. Well, Rich Guggenheim, thank you for your courage in stepping forward on this. I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, and then we’ll talk after Christmas then. Thank you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you, Kim. Have a Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay. Boy, so much is going on out there. It is hard to believe. These important discussions happen because of our sponsors, and one of those is Hooters Restaurants. They have locations in Loveland, Westminster, and in Aurora. Great place to watch the Broncos as they are marching towards the playoffs. And, again, great sponsors of the show. And also, Lauren Levy, who is your go-to person for everything mortgages. Oh, I got mixed up. It’s Karen Levine, and she’s your go-to person for everything residential real estate. Thanks, Joe. We’ll be right back.
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SPEAKER 18 :
All Kim’s sponsors are in 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 16 :
And welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. And be sure to be signed up for our weekly newsletter that goes out on Sundays. In studio with me is Kathy Russell. She is the president of Liberty Toastmasters North. Great to have you here.
SPEAKER 25 :
Great to be here, Kim.
SPEAKER 16 :
And we’re going to do table topics with some of our colleagues.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yes, we are. And I loved what Rich Guggenheim just said. He was talking about viewpoint discrimination, which is a perversion of free speech. Not the American way. And what I love about table topics is it’s the opposite. It’s viewpoint sharing.
SPEAKER 16 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 25 :
It’s how we learn. So today’s topic, I love it, is virtues of the season, prudence, temperance, justice, fortitude, and gratitude. And the first person we have on the line is Rick Rome. He’s from Liberty Toastmasters Denver. Rick, are you there? Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yes, I am here. And I love those virtues. I really do. It’s things that we should practice throughout the season. But in all honesty, I think it comes down to a single word, if we put it in a crucible, and that word is discernment, the ability to judge well. And we practice discernment in every aspect of our life, whether we do it actively or passively. We’re looking at parents selecting schools and churches for their children. We do it by selecting our clients, choosing what business partners we have, whether they’re ethical or whether it’s something different. We do it in our family dynamics. Who are you choosing as your spouse to build a life together? Or are you choosing someone passively for another more passive reason or corporal reason, I guess, is the easiest way to describe it. It’s all about making good choices, about understanding the truth and moving forward. And those are those five qualities of virtue. One of my favorite things, and I’ve mentioned this before, is I love a good meme. It’s the Mark Twain of our time. They’re sharp. They’re witty. And in this one in particular, we have Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, and Moses kind of sitting around a table saying, guys, you’re missing the point entirely. It’s not about a political religious structure. It’s about the kingdom of heaven being within us. And this time of year in particular, I think it helps us to reflect just part of it as we’re conditioned as a society to do so. And part of it, I think, is the change of the light cycles where we have a little bit more darker and increasing level of darkness happening. quite literally, and as we approach the solstice or the Christmas holiday or the Hanukkah season, all of which are focused on this reflection and renewal, we have an opportunity to remember that we have a choice between lightness and darkness, and we can bring that light from within each of us, that kingdom of heaven, if you will. Or we can embrace the darkness and let it spread to the people around us and it’s almost like it’s a parasite. So it really is a binary choice that we’re faced with in the Christmas holiday and that choice, that discernment.
SPEAKER 25 :
Great.
SPEAKER 11 :
One of the things I think that people forget, and I like to try to remind them of this time of year, is that there’s various virtues that are tied directly to our recognition of gratitude. We have people who protect us, whether it’s our parents, the neighbor down the street who’s doing Overwatch, keeping an eye on things. We have people who grant us wisdom, who give us this gift that lets us understand with clarity what’s important in our lives. Could be a grandparent, a mentor. And we have love and support in our lives. Every single one of us, whether you’re married in a relationship, whether you have children, whether you have friends, These are the key elements to help us manifest that light from within and bring it out and really actively do so in a way that spreads that spirit of joy, that spirit of giving. You know, Kim, if I’ve got just another minute here, I might take you down another rabbit hole. As you also know, I love a good conspiracy. Flat Earth, that’s one of my favorites. It’s completely insane and nonsense. But there’s another one I came across, and it talks about what if, and it’s just as insane, what if the kingdom of heaven, the second coming, is already come and gone? The thousand-year reign took place, and the season that we live in, is described as Satan’s little season, that time when he’s released from the cage and allowed to run rampant and forcing each of us to make that choice. And there’s a little bit of merit in the philosophy of the idea, just because everything is so hyper-focused on time. good and evil and if you don’t follow this you have to be it by definition against us um and i mean some of the evidence of that is seeing the gay and lesbian community supporting an organization in the free palestine type that would just as happily throw them off a roof if they had a choice and it’s so convoluted in the context of truth being twisted so that it has malicious intent And that’s something that I think as we try to discern, how do you do that? One way, turn off your phone. Remember Corrine Jean-Pierre, black lesbian? I don’t know. Her credentials as she enters a room are too vast and numerous to remember. But she talked about the cheap fake, how AI and our screensavers and our phones and all of the things that it feeds us out as a substitute. for what is really important to us, which is the Holy Spirit touching our lives.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay. Rick Rome, there’s a lot in there. Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you and yours. And Merry Christmas to you.
SPEAKER 25 :
Thank you, Rick.
SPEAKER 16 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, and our next guest is Brad Beck. Brad, welcome.
SPEAKER 09 :
Thanks, Kathy and Kim. Long time no talk to.
SPEAKER 16 :
I know. Good to have you. So what’s your thoughts on these virtues of the season, Brad?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, the cardinal virtues, which are really about character, I’m conversant on them, using the word of the day. And the idea of prudence, which is wisdom, temperance, which is moderation, justice, which is fairness, and the idea of fortitude, which really undergirds them all, is courage. And the idea is that character and morals, which are the actions we take, and we always talk about it on the Kim Monson Show, good versus bad, right versus wrong, freedom versus force. And one of the virtues that hinges on these is gratitude. And I’m always grateful. In fact, every day in the morning when I rise and every evening, You both know I’m a card-carrying member of the Optimist Club of Erie. I’d like to recite the Optimist Club from memory because I do recite it every day. And it starts off with, and by the way, this was written in the early 1920s by a gentleman named Christian D. Larson, and the Optimist Club adopted it. And I say to myself, promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness… and prosperity to every person you meet, to make all your friends feel that there’s something in them, to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true, to think only the best, to work only the best, and to expect only the best, to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own, to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future, To wear cheerful countenance at all times and to give every living creature you meet a smile. To give so much time on the improvements of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. And I try to remind myself daily of these things. They’re hard to do, really. They’re simple, but they’re hard. And like Benjamin Franklin, one of our great founders, reminded us to try to practice the virtues. They’re things that you have to work at. They don’t come naturally. Man’s inclination is not to be grateful, not to be prudent, not to be temperate, not to have justice, and not to have courage or fortitude. And we need to practice these things. And it’s incredible that you go to some of these charter schools like Liberty Commons or Ascent Classical, And they practice these things with students. So my message for the holidays is practice gratitude and you’ll get better at it. It’s like going to the gym. The more you do, the more you’re grateful.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, Brad, you and I have been friends for a long time. And I know that you strive every day to live the creed that you just shared with us. And thank you. So I wish you and yours a happy Hanukkah and a very Merry Christmas. Thank you, Kim, and both you and Kathy.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, and Brad, I just want to say that your virtue of gratitude just spills over into Liberty Toastmasters North and probably Denver as well. And it’s no wonder that people call us the happiest, healthiest club around. So thank you, Brad.
SPEAKER 16 :
And that’s Brad Beck. He is a co-founder of Liberty Toastmasters. And he and his group that founded Liberty Toastmasters has helped so many people find their voices.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 16 :
I love that.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, it’s great.
SPEAKER 16 :
Who’s our next guest?
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, our next guest is Fred Clifford.
SPEAKER 12 :
Fred, are you on board?
SPEAKER 25 :
Oh, hi.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, I am. It’s good to be with you this morning. And by the way, just listening to Brad, I’m also… an optimist in the Golden Club. No kidding! But that’s obviously not how I know Brad. But I found out sometime in the last couple of years that he was an optimist as well. So I think my favorite virtue that you listed, and I think all the rest of them kind of depend on, is gratitude. I think if somebody has a good sense of gratitude, they’ll go very far with everything. And I can always think of… at least five things to be thankful for. And I think counting your blessings and knowing what you have to be thankful for is very important every day. Number one, I’m thankful that I’m alive. And I was thinking of an incident, I think it was 73 or late 72. I was driving to work one night. I worked a third shift, 11 to 7. and I was on Interstate 90, and the road was a little bit wet. I don’t think it was icy, but it was wet. It was a little bit slippery. And I was passing a semi-truck, and I had a Volkswagen Beetle. If you remember Volkswagen Beetles, the front end is kind of light because the engine’s in the back. And as I was passing this truck, all of a sudden, the front end of my car started moving towards this truck. And one of the first things I thought of was, There’s an expression, let go and let God, because there’s nothing I could do. And I bounced off the truck, kept spinning, and then there was a bridge coming up. So in the medium, in the highway, the rear end of my car hit the guardrail. And I noticed that the front bumper was twisted around. So what I hit on the truck was the wheel as it was spinning. That’s what twisted the bumper around. If I had been a little bit further back, I would have gone underneath the truck. So I was very thankful that I survived that. I went to work that night, and I don’t know if it was that night or not, but somebody at work offered to buy my car and sell me another one. So I got that all resolved from that. So that’s one incident. Another thing that we have to be thankful for every day is the grace of God. We can always think of reasons to be thankful for the grace of God. Another thing I always think of is that every challenge that we have, we can believe for the best. You know, Jesus Christ said, I think it’s in Matthew 22 or 21, I forget, that when you pray, believe that you have them and you shall have them. So if you don’t already have them yet and you’re believing that you already have them, that’s what he told us. So that’s why I think about it when I pray. So I’m thankful that I can always do that. And then the other thing I’m thankful for is no matter what we’re facing, Sometimes we don’t know what the appropriate action to take in every given situation. But James says that we can always pray for wisdom. And God doesn’t mind that we pray for wisdom. He likes it when we pray for wisdom, and he gives to all men liberally. So I’m thankful to be alive. I’m thankful for the grace of God. I’m thankful that we can always call on God with believing faith. And I’m thankful that we can always… Thank God for wisdom. So be thankful.
SPEAKER 16 :
Fred Clifford, that is really, really inspiring. Thank you so much, and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
SPEAKER 12 :
Merry Christmas. Thank you.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thank you, Fred. So we’re going to go to break, Kathy. And when we come back, we’ll talk with Dave Walden, and you’re going to wrap this up. And we have these great discussions because of our sponsors for Everything Mortgages. Reach out to Lorne Levy.
SPEAKER 17 :
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SPEAKER 19 :
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SPEAKER 20 :
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SPEAKER 19 :
The Kim Monson Show is our modern-day Sybil Ludington, 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.
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SPEAKER 16 :
And welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. And if you are ready for financial freedom, you need to call our friends at Mint Financial Strategies. They’re an independent firm and an accredited investment fiduciary. They always put your interests first. Mint means more than money. It stands for meaningful relationship, information sharing, a network of smart strategies, and a thoughtful advisor who puts you in control. No cookie-cutter plans. Everything tailored to you. So call Mint Financial Strategies. That number is 303-285-3080. 303-285-3080. And it is Liberty Toastmasters Day on the show. And in studio is the president of Liberty Toastmasters North, Kathy Russell. Great to have you here.
SPEAKER 25 :
Great to be here, Kim. Thanks. Yeah, so today we’re talking about the virtues of the season. Prudence, in other words, wisdom, temperance, justice, fortitude, and gratitude. And our next guest is Dave Walden from Liberty Toastmasters North. Dave.
SPEAKER 08 :
Good morning, Tim and Chet. Merry Christmas to you all and to everyone listening. You know, you’re talking about the season, and I… I certainly appreciate the season, and I judge the season as the three major holidays that we all enjoy during this season, that those five words you cited are such a part of, Thanksgiving being a celebration of production, Christmas being the celebration of being able to consume what is produced in some way or another, and of course the anticipation that comes from New Year, New Year’s of the repeat performance only greater for the coming year. Prudence, I judge that as forethought. One displays prudence when one thinks before one speaks or acts. Temperance is self-discipline, what one displays when one consciously chooses one’s values, recognizing that one’s desires or fears are never tools of understanding They’re just the emotional response that results. Justice is fairness when one receives what one deserves. It occurs naturally in nature, but through morality and politics in the affairs of man. Fortitude, as Brad mentioned, is courage. It is that value of character where one’s actions confirm one’s professions. in the face of a potential threat to them. You know, in summing these up, gratitude kind of encompasses all of them. And I would sum up this season and the sentiments that this season means to me is that gratitude is the appreciation of the results of your prudence, your temperance, and the fortitude you maintain in your adherence to your values, and finally, it is the potential justice we all receive by living in the greatest place, in the greatest time in human history, in spite of those failing to be grateful for it. So having said that, I wish you, Kim, and Kat a Merry Christmas, and I look forward to the coming year, as I hope you guys are as well.
SPEAKER 16 :
Most definitely, Dave Walden. And Merry Christmas and a happy, prosperous new year to you and yours.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, thank you, Dave. That was awesome.
SPEAKER 16 :
So Kathy, how do you want to wrap this up? This was really great stuff.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, this was really great stuff. I just would like to wrap up briefly with my favorite virtue that I was surprised to say is prudence. And up until a few months ago, I didn’t, I had the wrong, there’s two definitions of prudence. And I was using the Wikipedia definition, which means cautiousness. And so that was not a virtue. I mean, that’s a minor virtue, but in the original sense, it means looking It means forward looking. So in that sense, I do find it the most important all-encompassing virtue. And I appreciate what others said about gratitude. That’s generally my favorite virtue. But wisdom, for me, makes sense of everything. And gratitude is a way that we gain wisdom. It’s a way that we look at what’s most important to us so that we pursue the thing that we love. So prudence is the winner in my mind, and it’s practical wisdom. And we get that by looking to the past, seeing what works and what doesn’t work, by looking around during the present and seeing what’s happening, and then using all of that information to be able to look forward to predict and to create a more flourishing future.
SPEAKER 16 :
I love that. So we’ve got a couple of minutes here. You brought me a gift, and I am so grateful for that. And you’ve shown this to me. You’ve written a book. Yes. And it is absolutely beautiful. Evolution’s Arc, the Story of Creation. And I’m so grateful. Thank you so much for this. So tell us a little bit about it. People cannot buy it yet, right?
SPEAKER 25 :
Right. It will be… You can buy it early in the next year.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay, great.
SPEAKER 25 :
But, you know, as I was thinking about it, this book is about prudence. It’s looking to the past for the wisdom that will help us create a flourishing future. And this goes to the very deep past, all the way back to the Big Bang. And it goes through the evolution of atoms and stars, galaxies, Earth, first life, more complex life, all the way toward humans, society, and consciousness, and to this era that I believe we’re in right now, which is the creative era. stage of existence where humans, by virtue of our prudence, our ability to look forward, we can do that by looking to the past. One of my favorite quotations is by Winston Churchill, the further back you look, the farther ahead you’re likely to see.
SPEAKER 16 :
I’ve never found that. That’s awesome.
SPEAKER 25 :
Isn’t that a great one?
SPEAKER 16 :
And you are a scientist by trade, yes?
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, and a microbiologist, evolutionary microbiologist. And I just was fascinated for my whole life. It’s like, where did we come from? Because I always felt like if we knew where we came from, we’d better know where we’re going. and have a better sense of the most beautiful way to get there. And what was the most exciting thing about this book was learning that there is an arc to the universe, meaning that there’s progress. That going back, if we start 13.8 billion years ago, there’s all of these physical forces and then biological forces and then forces of consciousness where we have gratitude and we pursue value, we pursue happiness. Which inevitably, inevitably, there’s lots of jiggy-jags, but it means future progress. And that has radically changed my life. It’s made me happy. And it’s also helped me realize that I am a creator, you’re a creator, that we are all creators in this beautiful universe. And that changes everything. And as you know, as you mentioned, you know, I used to vote Democrat. And I think I’m kind of horrified. Not horrified. It’s just what it is. But looking back, I had a lot of woke beliefs that I gained from school. Just this intense focus on everything’s getting worse, that humans are a cancer on the planet, that there’s not enough resources, that we have to struggle.
SPEAKER 16 :
And all that changed. We’re about out of time. But you also look at this from a faithful component as well.
SPEAKER 25 :
Absolutely. That’s been the other huge surprise is that the essence of our Judeo-Christian faith of our entire Western civilization goes back to Genesis one and Genesis one 28. We are created in the image of the creator. The creator is this whole creative process. It’s amazing.
SPEAKER 16 :
I love it. And you’re going to stay in studio. Our quote for the end of the show is Ronald Reagan. He said, freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We just didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream must be fought for protected and handed on for them to do the same. We’ll be right back.
SPEAKER 21 :
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SPEAKER 07 :
It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
SPEAKER 16 :
I find that it takes work to get your brain around these ideas, and it takes work to engage in these conversations.
SPEAKER 07 :
The latest in politics and world affairs.
SPEAKER 16 :
With what is happening down at the Statehouse, I used to think that it was above my pay grade to read the legislation, and it’s not.
SPEAKER 07 :
Today’s current opinions and ideas.
SPEAKER 16 :
I see big danger in as much as we will be giving an unelected bureaucrat the power to make rules about what we inject into our bodies.
SPEAKER 07 :
Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
SPEAKER 16 :
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 eat your treasured, your 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 Producer Joe, not only are we working like maniacs this week, but we added in Liberty Toastmasters, which is always it’s always robust for you. I’ll just put it that way. Always.
SPEAKER 24 :
And we just said, let’s put all the hard things together in one week and I’ll make it.
SPEAKER 16 :
And you are making it happen. So great job, Producer Joe and the whole team here. Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa, Amanda and all the people here at Crawford Broadcasting. Check out my website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. Make sure that you are signed up for our weekly email newsletter. That way you will get first look at our upcoming guests. You can email me at Kim at KimMunza.com. The text line is 720-605-0647. Thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice on an independent station searching for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you shouldn’t have to force people to do it. And the show comes to you 6 to 8 a.m. Monday through Friday. The first hour is rebroadcast 1 to 2 in the afternoon. Second hour is… 10 to 11 at night. That’s on all KLZ 560 platforms, KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM, the KLZ website, and the KLZ app. And in studio with me is my friend and president of Liberty Toastmasters North, and that’s Kathy Russell. Great to have you here.
SPEAKER 25 :
Oh, so great to be here, Kim.
SPEAKER 16 :
And I just realized we didn’t give our listeners the information about how they can visit Liberty Toastmasters. Which Liberty Toastmasters Denver meets the first and third Saturdays of each month. And Liberty North meets at the Independence Institute in Denver. And Liberty North meets the second and fourth in Longmont, right? That’s right. And we love guests.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, we do.
SPEAKER 16 :
And it’s always a great Saturday. I’m not getting any attendance awards for 2025.
SPEAKER 25 :
Well, you are so busy with all the things you do.
SPEAKER 16 :
But it’s been, yeah, a lot’s been going on. But my New Year’s resolution is to attend. And because it makes us better. And we can always improve.
SPEAKER 25 :
Oh, I love it. It’s like the laboratory of communication.
SPEAKER 16 :
I know. And so we would encourage all of you to join us, and it will make you better. If you are thinking about running for office or if you are going to make comments at a city council meeting or a school board meeting, go down to the Capitol. And one of the best ways to do that and to become a better communicator is to attend Liberty Toastmasters. I went out to Kiowa a little over a week ago and made comments regarding this big land grab by Xcel Energy for an industrial transmission line. And actually, Ben Williams, our sponsor, also, he made comments and he was very eloquent as well. Well, I’m going to say as well. And the reason I say as well is because somebody came up afterwards and they said, I sure wouldn’t want to be in an argument with you. And I thought, well, maybe that means that I did okay. And I have to credit Liberty Toastmasters. So all of us can become better communicators. And I really encourage people to add that into their repertoire. Yeah.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, and not only that, it is so fun. We laugh so much. It’s just such a joy. Do you guys go out for lunch afterwards? Sometimes we do.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, and we generally have a picnic like every year. We’ve started that a few years ago, and that’s really fun.
SPEAKER 16 :
And we don’t always agree, but we become friends.
SPEAKER 25 :
No, we don’t always agree. And what I love about our group is we have libertarians, we have Republicans, we have independents, and we have Democrats. And it’s just wonderful that people just share ideas about what it means for liberty and all the different kinds of liberty. We have several people who are more in the spiritual realm of how you gain spiritual freedom, and then others in the more traditional political or…
SPEAKER 16 :
Kind of ideological.
SPEAKER 25 :
Ideological freedom.
SPEAKER 16 :
And we learn and we grow, and it’s thought-provoking. Yeah. And that’s why I love having Liberty Toastmasters table topics on the show as well. And also, they’re sponsors of the show, and so it all works out really well.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah. There’s one other thing I love about it, which is the evaluations, which is just priceless, because people give you feedback, and then listening to the feedback, you learn yourself and It’s just amazing.
SPEAKER 16 :
The evaluation component, learning that, it has helped me in my life when I may have a difficult situation personally or business. And I was able to use that when I was on city council. And it’s a tool that a lot of people I don’t think realize how important it is. But the evaluation component maybe has been better for me than even just the speaking component.
SPEAKER 25 :
Oh, yeah, I agree. It’s just a phenomenal thing. And then I also think, I think a lot about the evolution of everything and how Christians, why the Christian tradition is so powerful, whether you’re a believer or not, it is an idea. And one of the key things is repentance, that people just acknowledge that, hey, I’m a sinner, or as maybe somebody might say, I just don’t know. I don’t know, but I can find out. And that’s what that act of repentance is, which is the same as evaluation. Like, what did I do right? What could I learn? And what can I do even better?
SPEAKER 16 :
There you go.
SPEAKER 25 :
It’s a great cycle.
SPEAKER 16 :
I hadn’t thought about that. So in that component of repentance, yes. But the other great thing about it is that we are forgiven. Yes. And that allows us to go on as well. Yeah.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah. And I think I mean, we’re not at all a religious group, but there is so much grace. You know, it’s just people we laugh at ourselves for our foibles.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 25 :
And it just it’s so liberating that you can just try new things and be goofy and you learn from it.
SPEAKER 16 :
And I love that. I love that. So Liberty Toastmasters, come join us for sure. On the line with us is Karen Levine. You know her. She is an award-winning realtor with Remax Alliance. And we’ve been friends a long time. And she’s been a sponsor of The Kim Monson Show since before it was The Kim Monson Show. And Karen, I’ll be starting my eighth year of solo broadcasting on January 1. And you have been with me through it all.
SPEAKER 05 :
I have, and it has been a delight and an amazing learning journey. Just all the information that you bring to the show that we all get to learn from and gather the current information and make, I would say, educated decisions about the condition of things. So much appreciate all the work you’ve done these eight years.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, and you and I had dinner the other night, which was fun. I always love to spend time with you. We’re talking about Liberty Toastmasters, but you have just morphed into a really great communicator, Karen.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, thank you. I appreciate that compliment. And sometimes that just comes with a lot of practice, right, Kim?
SPEAKER 16 :
Yes, it does. It does. So it’s probably a little quiet right now in real estate. I can’t believe we’re just a week from Christmas. But looking into the new year, there’s a lot of opportunity. What do you want people to know? Because we’ve already prerecorded for next week.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, it’s interesting you would say it’s quiet. It’s not quiet. I am closing several transactions between now and year end, which is great, getting those last details in order. And I’ve had… potential buyers calling on homes I have on the market that they want to see. And I’m thinking, aren’t you supposed to be holiday shopping or preparing? But it’s been great. I’ve gotten to meet some new folks who are looking to make a move, change their address in 2026. So that has been delightful. And I’m certainly available for others who are interested in starting that conversation. I do have some listings that the seller would very much like to see a new buyer take over that address. And they range from a one bedroom, one bath condominium priced under $100,000 to a beautiful townhome in Arvada priced in the mid fours. It’s a three bed, two and a half bath, two car garage. It’s beautiful. And it qualifies. for some special financing. And then I have a lovely single family home that is ideal for a family of three or four, potentially five, because it’s a four bedroom, two bath. So there’s some great opportunities still available. Maybe you won’t get in by year end, but you certainly could start the process.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay. And how can people do that? What’s your phone number?
SPEAKER 05 :
They can reach me by calling or texting 303-877-7516.
SPEAKER 16 :
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SPEAKER 02 :
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.
SPEAKER 16 :
And welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Check out our website. That is KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. And if you are craving real New York-style pizza and pasta, Little Richie’s and Parker and Golden have you covered. Authentic New York flavor with Colorado roots. They have daily specials and weekday lunch deals and a great happy hour. So they can be your neighborhood favorite. and they’re always serving up something worth stopping for. They have great calzones, so check it out. That’s Little Richie’s in Parker and Golden. In studio with me is my friend and president of Liberty Toastmasters North, and that is Kathy Russell. Goes quickly, doesn’t it?
SPEAKER 25 :
Goes really fast.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 25 :
You guys juggle a lot over here.
SPEAKER 16 :
There’s a lot of moving parts. And pleased to have on the line with us Dr. Jill Vecchio. And Dr. Jill is one of the few people that has read the complete Obamacare bill. And, in fact, Obamacare was in the news. I was looking at headlines last night. And I’d like to get rid of these subsidies on Obamacare because the taxpayer is having to pay for it, which is all of us. But I think I saw that there were four Republicans that defected and voted to continue with these subsidies. Dr. Jill Vecchio, welcome. Thank you.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, hello, Kathy. Hello, Kimmy. Yeah, this is the classic story. Yeah, we can just walk through it. Because all of this, the reason we are in this position of ridiculous health care premiums now set to double and more than double per month. for people, how many people are now going to lose their insurance because of Obamacare? I mean, a bunch of people who had insurance before Obamacare passed lost their insurance because they couldn’t afford the huge increase in premiums. Then the new people that did get insured under Obamacare got insured under these, you know, Obamacare premium subsidies, tax credits, and all that stuff through Medicaid, right, through Medicaid and subsidies.
SPEAKER 16 :
So Medicaid and Medicare or just Medicaid?
SPEAKER 14 :
Just Medicaid. Medicare has always been pretty stable in their requirements, you know, their eligibilities, right, 65 and over. But the Medicaid, Medicaid, something like one out of three Coloradans are on Medicaid.
SPEAKER 23 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 14 :
It was crazy. I don’t know if that’s still the case, but it certainly was a few years ago. The increase in, oh, we’ve got so many more people that are now insured thanks to Obamacare. That was mostly Medicaid patients. And the Medicaid reimbursement is horrible for hospitals and providers. You lose money every time you see a Medicaid patient. So the private insurance, private third-party payers, the private insurance companies have been subsidizing. In other words, not the insurance companies, right? The people paying the premiums to the insurance companies, right? We have been subsidizing anybody on Medicare and Medicaid, especially Medicaid, forever. No provider can stay in business only seeing Medicare or Medicaid patients. They can’t. That’s why it’s so hard for Medicare patients to even get in. You can’t see a doctor. No, no, no, no. I can’t get in to see a doctor. I am a doctor and I don’t get to see a doctor. I’m on Medicare. I get to see a physician’s assistant. Wow. It’s kind of like. Okay, let me teach you what you should be doing for me, okay?
SPEAKER 16 :
I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that whole thing, Dr. Jill. But we had, I’m correct, right? Yesterday was a wild day. And so I was running through headlines quickly. But four Republicans defected to keep this whole thing going, right?
SPEAKER 14 :
I did not see that article. I was looking up, wow, that didn’t even pop up when I was reading. When I was doing my search.
SPEAKER 16 :
So tell me about that. Let me make sure that I am speaking correctly. They were voting to not prolong the subsidies, right? That was my understanding.
SPEAKER 14 :
Right, right. Okay. And, yeah, so what I can tell you is that the whole subsidy thing came from COVID, naturally, right? Here’s another great thing COVID did. Yeah, the subsidies came out of COVID, right? Well, really, so you’re saying that, you know, we would have been, this increase would have happened like probably sometime during COVID anyway. You know, it’s always going to happen. They’re always going to increase and increase and increase. But the idea was that the Republicans did not want to pass some temporary emergency prolongation of the subsidies. That’s the deal, right?
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay. Yeah. Okay. Here we go. This is from ABC News. Four House Republicans broke ranks with their leadership to force a vote on a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. Got it.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 16 :
I’ll get the names of those four as well. But this is a real problem, Jill. Yeah. And we were going to talk about AI and the danger. Right. To each of us. And then Zach’s always like, Kim, make sure you talk about what you put in the newsletter. But we’re changing that because it’s year-end. I got notification that my premiums for my insurance are going up 15%. So they say it’s affordable, but going up 15% is not affordable. So they say one thing, but the other thing is occurring.
SPEAKER 14 :
Right. And according to CBS News and some of these other ones, well, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, What happens when the subsidies shrink? Increases are over 100%. You know, over 100% for people that are going through the, having an ACA policy through the ACA marketplace. Now, that may not be, you know, that’s not every single policy. private payer kind of thing, but this is ACA marketplace people. Who are the people? That’s why we set up the marketplace, right? So we could get all these people insured and they could have health insurance. Well, how many of these people are still, even with the subsidies, are going to be able to afford these increases in the premiums? So now you’re just slowly negating the whole purpose for the whole justification for Obamacare to begin with.
SPEAKER 16 :
But they knew what they were doing, Jill. You were out there on the stump telling everybody that this is moving us towards socialized health care. They said one thing. They said the things that they know people want to hear, but they’re doing the opposite, Jill.
SPEAKER 14 :
Right. Well, let’s tie it back to AI. Thanks, Zach. So let’s tie it back to AI, though, because the more that the costs… to the providers increase because their reimbursements aren’t increasing provider reimbursements aren’t increasing it’s not the doctors getting that money it’s the insurance companies and um and and the big hospital corporation groups that’s who’s making out on this and they’re they’re the ones that give the most funding to politicians so where do you think this is going to get fixed You know, if you got somebody jumping ship on the Republican side that’s going to prolong this, where do you think the influence came from? Come on. Right. Right. And the other guy and it could be, you know, and let’s face it, in these back rooms, some of these Republicans are going to be up for reelection and they are maybe in dicey districts. So they’re allowed to jump. They’re allowed to jump ship or the whole Republican caucus gets together and says, OK, who can afford to do this? Because we’re all okay having it done, but we just got to pick out who’s the safest person to do this. Or is there somebody that’s already announced that they’re going to retire? That would be interesting, right? Because there’s some really interesting Republicans and Democrats that are not going to run again. Really, that’s a fascinating list. So it’s kind of like, okay, that’s how they play this game in the back room. And not just Republicans, but Democrats do it too. Oh, everybody, of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can afford to vote this way, so we’re going to have you vote this way because we really don’t want it to pass. But we have to make a good show to the potential voters and say, hey, I voted for this.
SPEAKER 22 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 14 :
when they really wouldn’t. You see what I mean? It’s a game. So if you get four of them, and all you need is four so that it doesn’t pass or it does pass or whatever, then… You know, you’ve just done your job, and your patootie is safe.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, and let me clarify, because I saw that headline, and I always should read more. So this is what it says from ABC News. The House on Wednesday cleared a Republican health care package, 216 to 211, that does not extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. Four moderate Republicans who had earlier Wednesday bucked GOP leaders and signed a Democrat-backed discharge petition voted in favor of the health care package. Representative Thomas Massey was the only Republican no vote. The measure now goes to the Senate where it’s unlikely to pass, meaning Congress is set to leave for the holiday recess as millions of Americans will see their health care premiums skyrocket. So this there’s a lot of politicking going on this going on on this. And then the headline was was this. It says how that Johnson denies he’s lost control of the House after the GOP health care revolt. So this is complicated. I’m not sure I’m totally clear on all this, Jill.
SPEAKER 14 :
I’m not I’m not sure I am either, because I don’t you know, all their terminology and jargon. It’s like double, triple negatives all the time. Yeah. the, you know, restriction on restricting.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah. But the bottom line is, is these subsidies, we need to be getting rid of subsidies. We need to have all of these different things and get rid of government grants. They need to be able to compete in a free, fair, honest, and transparent way. environment. And Jill, that’s really what you’ve shed light on ever since we met each other. And so we’re going to go to break and we can talk about that because you were ahead of the curve on all of that. We’re talking with Dr. Jill Vecchio. In studio with me is Kathy Russell, who is the president of Liberty Toastmasters North. And we are blessed with amazing sponsors. And we talked with entrepreneur and owner of Radiant Painting and Lighting in Hour No. 1, Karen Gorday, and she’s busy really trying to protect everyday people and their property in Lakewood.
SPEAKER 20 :
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SPEAKER 18 :
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 16 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. And I highlight on a regular basis the USMC Memorial Foundation, and they are raising money to remodel the Marine Memorial. You can make a year-end tax-deductible contribution by going to USMCMemorialFoundation.org. And then also the Center for American Values located in Pueblo. Pueblo is known as the home of heroes because there were four Medal of Honor recipients that grew up there. One of those is Drew Dix, who is a co-founder of the center, and they are focusing on honoring our Medal of Honor recipients and telling their stories. and also educational programs for kids K-12 and educators focused on honor, integrity, and patriotism. They’re nonpolitical, nonpartisan. These are two great places to support, and they don’t receive government money, which I love about that as well. And that website for the Center for American Values is AmericanValuesCenter.org. Kathy Russell is in studio with me. She is the president of Liberty Toastmasters North, and it’s always great to have you here.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yes, great to be here, Kim.
SPEAKER 16 :
And on the line with us is Dr. Jill Vecchio. And Dr. Jill, we’re talking about Obamacare, these subsidies. There’s a lot of politicking going on in Washington, D.C. over this issue. One of our listeners just texted me and said that their premium went from $700 to $1,000. They’d had no surgeries. They’re healthy. And so they’ve switched to a medical share program.
SPEAKER 14 :
You know, and that’s the thing. This may be, this could actually in the long run be a good thing. If people become outraged enough, if enough people lose their insurance, then they’re going to start going to unconventional things, right? The group health plans, the MediShares, like we talked about MediBid on that one show. they’re going to look for alternatives to this standard garbage that’s been shoved down our throats for decades now. And Obamacare just made it so much worse. So now government, the corporations, the insurance companies, the legislation, maybe they’re going to create their own downfall. They’re going to destroy themselves rather than us. You know, I think that could be a good thing. And with this stuff, people are outraged. Maybe it’s going to bring health care back into the spotlight. After the Republicans didn’t repeal Obamacare, people stopped talking about health care, right? Oh, well, I guess we’re just going to stick with what we’ve got. Well, maybe not anymore. Maybe now it’s time that people are going to wake up and maybe some politicians, maybe some politicians, maybe some like RFK Jr. is going to step up and say, OK, you know, we got to we got to figure something else out here. We got to get some other options available for people. So this could be overall could be a good thing, you know, through hardship comes enlightenment.
SPEAKER 16 :
So these insurance companies that have been so influential in this, for example, Obamacare, the insurance companies did very well under Obamacare, yes?
SPEAKER 14 :
Oh, yes. They were the winners. Remember, they were the big complainers. But that’s also how they passed the Federal Reserve Act, because the banks, who were the ones who wrote the legislation— The banks wrote the legislation for the Federal Reserve Act and pretended that they didn’t want it to pass. And everybody looked at the banks and said, oh, well, if the banks don’t want it, it must be great, so let’s pass it. Right? They actually did that. That’s how it passed. So they did the same thing with Obamacare. The insurance companies wrote most of the legislation. The insurance companies, the prescription drug companies, those are the people that write this legislation. And then they stood up and said, we won’t be able to survive if this passes. Everybody’s going, yeah, let’s stick it to the insurance companies. Yay, Obamacare. Obama’s saving us, right? It is. That’s exactly what happened. Nothing new is under the sun. They learned well from the Federal Reserve Act.
SPEAKER 16 :
So a couple of things. And I was driving on 470 the other day. I’m sorry. And going out to the airport and there’s a sign up said future medical campus. And I looked at it. I’m like, I don’t think we need another medical campus now. If people are medical, I mean, there’s wonderful people in the profession and they do amazing things. If you have been injured or I love I love doctors. We do really good things in our medical profession, but I don’t think that we need another medical campus here in the metro area because I look at these big complexes, and they look to me like a healthcare industrial complex to me, Dr. Jill.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, it is. It is. Healthcare is, yeah, healthcare, military industrial complex, healthcare industrial complex, absolutely. And we’ve been focusing on that for so long, and that’s what Obamacare did. It, you know, pushed all the private practice. Now there’s, so I tell, yeah, so another medical complex, another big medical complex, CU Health is all over the place. I have never seen so many medical facilities, urgent care, emergency, you know, this UC Health, Children’s Hospital West or whatever. They are building so many medical facilities. It’s kind of like, well, wait a second. These things are incredibly expensive to build and maintain. You’ve got to have people that will work there. You’ve got patients. We’ve got population growth. But what happened to all the wellness stuff? Are that many people that sick that we have to have all these new? And if they’re that sick, then obviously Obamacare didn’t do its job, did it? The other thing with the AI that we were talking about, or that we wanted to talk about, we’re supposed to talk about, they’re using telehealth more and more and more. Oh, that’s true. At what point, and they’re using chatbots to answer your medical questions, folks. Wow. So do you think they’re not recording every single thing you say to some telehealth? Are they even going to tell you if you’re talking to a bot or not? or an actual person. To me, we are at a precipice, like the edge of a sword, that could go so badly with this AI in healthcare. And the reason that they’ll do it, the corporations will invest in AI and not hire more doctors, not hire more nurses, not hire really skilled nurse practitioners. They’ll have PAs instead. AI in health care is going to make doctors lazy. It’s going to make a ton of mistakes. And who do you hold responsible? How do you sue an AI for medical malpractice? If they record something wrong in your medical record, give you the wrong advice, give you the wrong prescription. Who are you going to sue? Mm-hmm. Who’s going to make that right? I mean, this is, to me, so dangerous. And it all started with electronic health records so that they could create this database of information. And therefore, and then that had to be a first step for them to even go next to the next step of AI, to analyze all this data and come up with all these conclusions about how we should treat patients.
SPEAKER 16 :
And that was one of the big things in Obamacare was moving us to electronic medical records under the guise of this would be good for you, the patient, because that way then your doctor could get your records over to the specialist if they needed so. But they were playing long ball on this, Jill, and you were one of the few people that knew that.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, absolutely. And I had arguments even with some of my own comrades. You know, we all didn’t like Obamacare, and a whole bunch of us that had actually read it. And I said, this thing was written specifically to destroy the system. And they said, oh, no, no, they’re just stupid people. They don’t understand the repercussions. I disagree. I think they totally understand these repercussions, and it’s what they want to have happen. Wow. And I still stand by that 100%.
SPEAKER 16 :
Wow. Well, how do you want to wrap this up, Jill? This is a lot of important information, and we’ll delve into it more next month for sure. How do you want to wrap this up?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, you know, I think one of the things, because we still have, this is key, we still have health care tied to the workplace. Now, so businesses, employers… have a pretty big say in what options working people have to health care. Maybe if you have an employer who’s frustrated with the cost, can you imagine what the costs are going to be of these health care premiums for your employers?
SPEAKER 22 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 14 :
You think you’re going to get a raise? You think your benefits are going to increase? It’s all going to go straight to health care, and they’re going to have to cut back somewhere else, like backing off on your hours so you’re not full-time again. That whole game. Okay, so, you know, don’t be afraid to approach your employer and say, you know, if you’re in that kind of a position and say, you know, hey, you know, have you thought about MediShare? Have you thought about grouping together with other similar companies in industry? Like what if all the architecture groups banded together and self-insured, insured themselves? You get a third-party administrator to manage the paperwork and stuff, and you pool your money and you self-insure all the architecture groups to do it, all the realtor groups. You know, that passed during Trump’s administration, where associations could get together. This is a time for innovation, and I think this could be a great thing. Let the repercussions of Obamacare… destroy Obamacare. Interesting. That’s what I want to see. That’s what I want to see. It’s like, yeah, you’ve got to walk through the fire to get to the other side sometimes, but we’ve got to be willing to walk through some fire if it means that we can get rid of this horrible, horrible legislation and what it’s done to our country, our doctors and folks. It’s your health. I’m old. I’m glad I’m old, but you younger folks are You’re in big trouble. If you don’t get a handle on this, you guys are the ones that are really going to pay the price.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, and we have a responsibility as Americans to all of us, no matter what your age is, is to engage in this battle of ideas. Dr. Jill, always learn a lot. And it’s going to be a robust discussion in January for sure. And I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 14 :
Very Merry Christmas to everybody out there and to you and Kathy and Joe.
SPEAKER 16 :
Take care, everybody. Okay. And these discussions happen because of our sponsors. If you’ve been injured, reach out to John Bozen and Bozen Law.
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SPEAKER 24 :
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SPEAKER 16 :
And welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. And Financial Freedom starts with the right guide, and Mint Financial Strategies is here to help. They’re an independent firm with over 25 years of experience, and they’re credentials of an accredited investment fiduciary. They offer advice that’s focused on you, and their strategy-first approach is all about helping you live life authentically. on your terms with clarity, confidence and control. That number for Mint Financial Strategies is 303-285-3080. They are your path to independent financial confidence. And in studio with me is Kathy Russell, who is the president of Liberty Toastmasters North. I always learn a lot when we do these shows.
SPEAKER 25 :
Oh, I do too. Yeah, seeing what you do here is amazing.
SPEAKER 16 :
It’s a lot of perspectives that we are bringing forward because we want people to be able to understand what’s going on and there’s so much out there. And so it’s great to have you here.
SPEAKER 25 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 16 :
And on the line with me is my colleague with the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, also known as CUT. That’s Rob Knuth. He is the vice president. Rob, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you, Kim. Good morning.
SPEAKER 16 :
And we got our ratings report out. If you’re a member, you should have received it in the mail. And if you would like to get a hard copy of that, join us. You can do that by going to coloradotaxpayer.org. It’s only $25 a year. which is less than, it’s about $2.08 a month. And we’re getting ready for the next legislative session. And we’ve got an amazing team, Rob. Let me say thank you to them before we jump in on all this. And that is Steve Dorman, Greg Golianski, Russ Haas, Bill Hamill, you, Rob Knuth, John Nelson, Wendy Warner. Marty Nielsen, Rami Johnson, Mary Jansen, Dave Evans, Corey Onozorg, Paula Beard, and Ray Beard, all volunteers, an amazing group of people. And this is quite the piece of work that we put together, Rob, in our ratings report.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, there’s a lot of time, a lot of effort, and sometimes I don’t know if we’re any better for the wearer or quite a bit worse for the wearer. It’s hard to tell. But you and I had spoken before about this morning, Tim, and the first odious piece of legislative efforts that I thought we could discuss maybe would be Senate Bill 25-286. It’s a petroleum products feed penalties. which is another example of a government that’s out of control and definitely tone deaf as far as what reality is, raiding a cash cow, which has been our oil and gas industry here in the state. And it gives a legislative – well, I don’t know how they were appointed, probably by the governor directly, but it gives a bureaucrat – the arbitrary ability to assign fees and civil penalties of up to $5,000 a day on a retailer of reformulated gasoline, which does not meet the applicable fuel quality specifications. And again, they think that by killing the golden goose that they’re going to get more money. So it’s an interesting deal. It was a… I don’t know. It was a piece that, you know, I suppose a lot of people in the oil and gas industry have probably just kind of thrown up their hands and trying to do business in this state. But it’s a bad, bad signal to the private sector that employs and provides taxes and money, revenue streams to different municipalities across the state and the state itself.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, and it’s almost like they’re trying to kill the industry by a thousand cuts. A piece of legislation here, a rule of regulation there, a fee here. And it makes it very difficult for the industry. Meanwhile, Rob Knuth, they are trying to move us towards more and more industrial wind and solar and trying to electrify the state. But yesterday, they said they were going to turn power off for people because of high winds. So what I find so ironic is there’s wind in other states as well, but they don’t have to turn their power off. They figured out how to deal with it.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I’m not sure how the other states are doing it. I’m sure that most of our neighboring areas don’t have the population base and drain on the power grid that we have here in the Front Range and definitely in the Denver Metro area. I found it ironic last night with the local stations, my favorite news channel, because of their thorough coverage is 31. And they seem to be reasonably balanced in their approaches, how they cover the stories. But they showed, as an example, a fellow up here in Golden that’s known for having almost outlandish Christmas decorations and lights. And they shut his power off, and it was black all around him and his house and yard and everything was all lit up, and he’s doing it by a gas-powered generator. I thought that was rather intriguing. I mean, it was nice for the neighbors to see it, but, you know, they have to resort to what works.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, and I think the key thing you said, it was gas-powered, which means fossil fuels. You know what? No, I don’t say fossil fuels. Naturally occurring hydrocarbons, such as oil, natural gas, and coal. Correct. Yes. Yes, indeed. Rob, do you have another? Now, what we did in the ratings report, we took positions on over 261 pieces of legislation, which that is a monumental task. And we look at the legislation. Our litmus test is how it affects the taxpayer, which is all of us. If they’re going after TABOR, Colorado’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights, property rights and parental rights and school choice. And we took 30 of those pieces of legislation. And then you, the team, you wrote more extensively on them. And we included this in the ratings report. And it gives you a great taste of the great work that we do. Is there another one that we’ve got a few minutes that you wanted to let people know about?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, the second one I saw was Senate Bill 25290. It’s called the Stabilization Payments for Safety Net Provider. And what it does, basically it raids the unclaimed property trust fund, which I guess you could say is a rather creative way of trying to address a budget shortfall for a segment of the population that definitely is needy. But you know, rating the fund that if they have people that claim this property, then it’s going to be another issue for them down the road. And the idea of it is really kind of another way to skirt Tabor so they don’t have the accountability on that. The thing that concerned me about that was it was a bipartisan deal of Senator Kirkmeyer sided with Senator Mullica on this one and went along with it, which, you know, is of concern because she’s more the conservative side of the aisle and we hope we’d be a little more conservative fiscally aware and concerned, but I think it’s probably one of those situations where the Republicans are so vastly outnumbered that a lot of times they kind of just figure out what’s the least odious way to try to resolve a degree of the problem we’re facing.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, and that, which I think you’re referring to as a $1.2 billion shortfall that they addressed. Well, they addressed a bit of that in the special session. And what they did there was they picked the pockets of, I think, Coloradans. And there was still a shortfall. And then they gave… power to the governor to make decisions on the budget when it is the responsibility, really, of the state legislature. And we shed light on this. You know, Rob, I think people look at the legislature and they just say it’s just too vast. It’s too difficult to understand. And that is why having CUT, as my friend Pam Long said, CUT is your shortcut to understand what’s happening down at the legislature. And we really are.
SPEAKER 10 :
Correct. Correct. Yeah, it’s and I can understand. I feel for a lot of the legislators, particularly the ones that are in the minority, because there’s just so much coming at them. But what’s really frustrating is not the efforts of the legislators from the other side, because they pretty much don’t know a lot of times what they’re involved with, what their names are on. It’s the special interests that you’ve mentioned, the PBIs, politicians, bureaucrats and special interest groups that are dictating what the legislation is, and they get a rubber stamp from the current party in power, and most of the time from the governor.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, and to your point, what we’ve learned is you’re right. Many of these legislators are not writing the legislation. Special interest groups write it. They shop it to different legislators to say who will carry the bill. And then they try to get co-sponsors on it. And many times they don’t know what’s in there. And some of these pieces of legislation are pages and pages long. It’s irresponsible. to pass something into law if they’ve not read it. But that’s why cut is so important. We’ve got about a minute left. Your final thought, Rob Knuth, and thank you for all the great work that you do.
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, you’re welcome, Kim. Well, it’s just that it’s a constant effort, and I’ve told people I run into a lot of my friends that are discouraged with the way that our state is going politically, but I tell them I’m a Colorado native, and my intention is to stand and fight. I love this state. I don’t like the political atmosphere and what’s going on under the Golden Dome, but I love the state, and I do have a reasonably optimistic feeling that A vast amount of the voters that haven’t paid a lot of attention will start paying more attention and hopefully vote accordingly to reverse some of the things that we’re facing in our state that will actually improve our state. All the while, our roads are bad, and a lot of other things are bad, and we’re fighting over this other stuff and raiding the taxpayers’ treasures. So it’s frustrating. We just have to do our best to carry on.
SPEAKER 16 :
And carry on we will. Rob Knuth, thank you so much. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you, Kim. Merry Christmas to you and the crew.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay. And Kathy, Russell, great to have you here, and I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas. Thanks for being here.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, thank you, Kim. Merry Christmas to you, too.
SPEAKER 16 :
And our quote for the end of the show is from Ronald Reagan. He said, This freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream that must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. So 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. You are not alone. God bless you, and God bless America.
SPEAKER 21 :
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.
