Join Kim Monson in an engaging episode where she navigates the complex landscape of modern politics, focusing on the crucial debate of freedom versus force. With insights from guests like Karen Gorday, the show sheds light on pressing matters such as the Lakewood special election and the implications of zoning laws. The conversation also delves into historical contexts, drawing parallels with figures like George Washington and pivotal events like the Whiskey Rebellion.
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It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
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I find that it takes work to get your brain around these ideas, and it takes work to engage in these conversations.
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The latest in politics and world affairs.
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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.
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Today’s current opinions and ideas.
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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.
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Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
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Indeed, let’s have a conversation, and welcome to the Kim Monson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. You are each 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. 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. It is Thursday, Producer Joe. Happy Thursday, Kim. Happy Thursday to you and another great show planned for you. So fasten your seatbelts. Check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. Make sure you’re signed up for our weekly email newsletter that goes out on Sundays. And you’ll get first look at our upcoming guests as well as our most recent essays. You can email me at Kim at Kim Monson dot com. The text line is 720-605-0647. Thank you to all of you who support us. We are an independent voice on an independent station as we search 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 should not have to force people to do it. and it’s never compassionate or altruistic to take other people’s stuff, whether or not it’s their rights, their property, freedom, livelihood, opportunity, childhood, or lives via force. And force can be a weapon, but it can be policy, unpredictable, and excessive taxation, Fees, fear, coercion, government-induced inflation, the agenda of the World Economic Forum and the globalist elites plays out at the United Nations, but we’re seeing this play out all the way down to local government as well. I was talking with a business owner yesterday, that said two years ago his taxes on his commercial building was $10,000. Last year it went up to about $19,000. And as of this, he just got his new tax bill, and I think he said it was around $24,000. Now, that’s a big hit for a little business. That is a wealth transfer from business to government. We’ve got to get this thing turned around. And that’s why the work of the Colorado Union of Taxpayers is so important. And we’ll talk with Ramey Johnson, one of our board members, here in the next segment. Socialism is not about free stuff. The free stuff is just the carrot to get people to vote for it. But ultimately, government cannot give to someone what they’ve not first taken away from someone else. That is not the proper role of government. and so we’ll focus on these issues we stay out of the personality stuff but we will mention the people that are pushing these issues i did want to say thank you to our goal sponsors thank you to the harris family for their goal sponsorship of the show i really do appreciate them immensely our word of the day is omnipotent and it could be infinite in power as as god we’re having very great or unlimited authority or power So I chose this word because it was in yesterday’s quote from George Washington. He talked about the omnipotence of the divine provider. And so I thought, let’s use that as our word of the day. And it’s spelled O-M-N-I-P-O-T-E-N-T. And for the month of February, and thank you to Lisa for her suggestion, we’re going to focus on George Washington. We’ll pepper in a little bit of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan as well, since they also were born in February. But this is from George Washington, born in 1732. And this is another thing Lisa and I were talking yesterday. They said he was born February 22 in new time, but February 11th in old time. And I’m sure some of you listeners know the difference on that. I need to look that up. But you can text me at 720-605-0647 if you know what that is, the difference between old time and new time. But he died in 1799. He was a founding father. He was our first president. And he was the commander of the Continental Army. and he led the patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War. He’s commonly known as the father of our nation. And he knew this all these years ago. With this 24-hour news cycle, he knew the dangers then, what we have now. And he said this, when one side only of a story is heard and often repeated, the human mind becomes impressed with it insensibly. and that is George Washington. Our bill of the day is House Bill 26-1049. It’s to prohibit the use of personally identifying feature. And that is to use that without someone’s permission. And the sponsors on this are Representative Scott Bottoms and Senator Mark Bazley. And we at CUT, Colorado Union of Taxpayers, recommend a yes on this particular bill. And our commentary on this is the bill prohibits unauthorized use of a person’s unique biological characteristics. The bill is a proper role of government by helping protect individuals’ property rights. We agree with the use of the safety clause due to the rapidly increasing occurrence of identity theft and AI deepfake problems. And so, yes, we are a yes on bill of the day, and that is House Bill 1049. And we’re going to get over here to one of our sponsors. As you know, I work with people that strive for excellence in all that they do. And Karen Gorday with Radiant Painting and Lighting certainly strives for excellence as they help their clients with indoor and outdoor painting and lighting. Karen Gorday, welcome to the show. Good morning, Kim. Glad to be here. It is good to have you. And let’s talk first of all about what you’re doing in your spare time when you’re not working on helping your clients with radiant painting and lighting. And that is these Lakewood petitions. So bring us up to speed on that.
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Well, as you know, the Lakewood City Council voted to send the ordinances, the zoning ordinances, to a special election. So April 7th is the special election in Lakewood. Ballots will be mailed out on March 16th. And super exciting news. We have met with Rooted in Littleton. And we’ve joined forces rooted in Littleton has said we will help you in any way, shape or form, including our volunteers. And so we are bringing an army to this fight and super excited about the next eight, nine weeks. So we’ve got a very strong citizens coalition going into this.
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Okay, well, this is really important. What’s this going to look like? Will this be a mail-out ballot situation where everybody that is registered in Lakewood and… Will they all receive a ballot? What’s that going to look like?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, it is mail-in only. And so there is no in-person voting. And so we urge everybody to check their voter registration, make sure it is active, and look for that ballot on March 16th, 17th, 18th. And what’s really going to be important for us is to get the word out Because who looks for a ballot in the middle of March? People are going to think it’s, you know, fake. What’s going on? And they might just trash their ballots. And so they can go to the city clerk and get a replacement ballot. But yes, it is 100% mail-in only.
SPEAKER 10 :
So that means that those big apartment complexes that have been built in Lakewood, that all of the residents in those buildings will be getting a mail-in ballot as well, yes?
SPEAKER 08 :
That is correct, yes.
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Okay, interesting. Okay, so you are, you and your team, you’re working on this army regarding this special election on the 7th, and it is going to be a monumental, it’s really a historical effort as well, Karen Gorday.
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So if you do some Google searching about zoning referendums or referendums in general, there have been a few in Colorado, like up in Greeley. I think Longmont’s doing one now. And then there’s one in Georgia in the last couple of years to have to do with one of the islands off the coast. But referendums are not run that often. You know, and I even looked into what’s the possibility of a referendum on House Bill 26-1001, and there isn’t because they put the safety clause on, probably so people can’t run a referendum. So it’s interesting.
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Yes, this House Bill 1001, which was the very first piece of legislation that was introduced out of the chute for this legislative session, is very onerous because it would change the fabric of our neighborhoods. It takes away the voice of the people, and it also takes away the process that has been put in place. So it picks winners and losers. giving the position of cut, which is a no on this, a strong no, on Channel 7 the other night. And it was interesting to me, the developer who’s been chosen for a specific development that they were talking about talked about how not having to go through planning and zoning and all those different steps, how it would speed up the process. He didn’t say it, but the next thing is, is it makes it less expensive as well. And I’m thinking, oh, well, how about if that speeds up that process and that makes that less expensive for that particular development, then how about we do that on our other housing projects, for example, single-family neighborhoods, And that would make them less expensive or what’s another word for less expensive, Karen? Is it affordable? Affordable or attainable, yes. Yes. So we’re going to, I was just thinking, I’m thinking out loud on what else we could do on 1001. But so people want to get more information. What’s that website? Do you have that? You said you had that up and running?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, ma’am. It’s lakewoodcitizensalliance.org. So lakewoodcitizensalliance.org. And that House Bill 26-1001, that verbiage is essentially in the Lakewood zoning, where schools and houses, et cetera, can be turned into housing. And also in the Lakewood zoning, you lose your voice forever. And it’s Very, very concerning. And I think I have to guess that this is their backup plan if the citizens are successful in Lakewood.
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So Karen Gorday, we across the complete, everybody in Colorado should help you and your team on this. This is a line in the sand that we have to take. And so again, people can go to your website. So we will continue to focus on this on a regular basis. we all have to we’re small business people and we have to make sure that we’re taking care of our businesses as well and so a great way for people to also help support your work your team is when they’re looking at indoor painting or outdoor painting or lighting to reach you. And I know that you strive for excellence. You use great products. You just are real pros at this. Is there anything new that you want people to know this week about radiant painting and lighting?
SPEAKER 08 :
I would say go out to our website. We’ve got pictures of our projects. These are not stock photos. We do strive for excellence in everything we do. And you’ll go out to our website at www.paintwithradiant.com.
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Karen Gorday, this is truly historical what you and your team is doing in Lakewood. We all need to roll up our sleeves and help you. So thank you so much. We’ll talk again next week. Keep us in the loop.
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Okay, thank you, Kim. Have a great day.
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This is amazing, my friends. This is historical. Colorado’s at the tip of the spear. This is a property rights issue. And so let’s go to work and let’s help them. And if we can’t help physically, send some bucks over their way as well. That would be very helpful also. A couple of things. All this happens because we are an independent voice on an independent station. Hooters Restaurants has been a great sponsor of the show and America’s Veterans Stories for many, many years. They have locations in Loveland, Westminster, and in Aurora, and just great specials for lunch, happy hour. Of course, I know they’re going to be doing all kinds of interesting things for the Super Bowl, so check that out. And then also, Roger Mangan was in yesterday, and we are, for America’s Veterans Stories, we had done an interview with him regarding his stepfather. that was in a number of the battles in World War II. And then Roger took his stepfather back to Europe many years later, and they went to all the different battlefields. And it’s a fascinating interview that will be at 3 o’clock this Sunday afternoon on America’s Veterans Stories. And Roger, he and his team strive for excellence as they serve their clients. And make sure you know what your coverage is. You need to be proactive with your agent. and give them a call, Roger Mangan and his team, at 303-795-8855 for a complimentary appointment to go over your insurance coverage. You very well may save some money. And, in fact, Roger said that State Farm has cut the rates on auto insurance recently. And so check that out because you might be able to save some money. Again, that number is 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, the Roger Mangan team is there.
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We are number one. In 2024, Newsweek reported that Colorado has the most car thefts in America. The Roger Mangan 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.
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I’ll go tell them. That’s twice the distance of Paul Revere to sound the alarm. Quickly.
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Assemble at my father’s house.
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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.
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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.
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And welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. In February, we are talking about George Washington. And yesterday, Trent Luce, farmer and rancher, mentioned the Whiskey Rebellion. And I didn’t, I heard of it. It’s also known as Shays’ Rebellion. And I thought, I need to do a little bit more research on it because… And Trent, in his spirit of keeping government in its proper role, seemed like he was not in favor of the Whiskey Rebellion. And so I thought I just want to know a bit more about it. And I thought I’d let you know as well. And I understand Washington’s. his actions on it. As you know, I really don’t like taxes that much. There certainly are taxes that we need to pay for a proper role of government. We are so way out of the lane. We are probably so way out of the lane from so much higher than what they were paying back then. But anyway, this is from MountVernon.org, their library. It says in January 1791, President George Washington’s Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, proposed a seemingly innocuous excise tax about spirits distilled within the United States and for appropriating the same. What Congress failed to predict was the vehement rejection of this tax by Americans living on the frontier of western Pennsylvania. By 1794, the Whiskey Rebellion threatened the stability of the nascent United States and forced President Washington to personally lead the United States militia westward to stop the rebels. By 1791, the United States suffered from significant debt incurred during the Revolutionary War. Secretary Hamilton, a Federalist supporting increased Federal authority, intended to use the excise tax to lessen this financial burden. Despite resistance from anti-federalists like Thomas Jefferson, Congress passed the legislation. When news of the tax spread to western Pennsylvania, individuals immediately voiced their displeasure by refusing to pay the tax. Residents viewed this tax as yet another instance of unfair policies dictated by the Eastern elite that negatively affected American citizens on the frontier. Western farmers felt the tax was an abuse of federal authority, wrongly targeting a demographic that relied on crops such as corn, rye, and grain to earn a profit. However, shipping this harvest east was dangerous because of poor storage and dangerous roads. As a result, farmers frequently distilled their grain into liquor, which was easier to ship and preserve. While large-scale farmers easily incurred the financial strain of an additional tax, indigent farmers were less able to do so without falling into dire financial straits. President Washington sought to resolve this dispute peacefully. In 1792, he issued a national proclamation admonishing Westerners for their resistance to the operation of the laws of the United States for raising revenue upon spirits distilled within the same. However, by 1794, the protests became violent. In July, nearly 400 whiskey rebels near Pittsburgh set fire to the home of John Neville, the regional tax collection supervisor. Left with little recourse and at the urgings of Secretary Hamilton, Washington organized a militia force of almost 13,000 men and led them towards western Pennsylvania, warning locals not to abet, aid, or comfort the insurgents aforesaid as they will answer the contrary at their peril. The calling of the militia had the desired effect of essentially ending the Whiskey Rebellion. By the time the militia reached Pittsburgh, the rebels had dispersed and could not be found. The militia apprehended approximately 150 men and tried them for treason. A paucity of evidence and the inability to obtain witnesses hampered the trials. Two men, John Mitchell and Philip Weigel, were found guilty of treason. though both were pardoned by President Washington. By 1802, then-President Thomas Jefferson repealed the excise tax on whiskey. Under the eye of President Washington, the nascent United States survived the first true challenge to federal authority. And that is the story of the Whiskey Rebellion. I’m liking Thomas Jefferson more and more every day. Ramey Johnson, my fellow Cup board member, is on the line with me. What about you, Ramey? Are you liking Thomas Jefferson more and more every day?
SPEAKER 05 :
I am, Kim, and I appreciate that you’re pushing out these different scenarios for the folks. Thank you. Thank you. I’m learning.
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Thank you. Well, and so I guess there’s this proper role here in America to stand up against taxes, and that is that we, the people, have to get our voices together. What I’m seeing, I think what you’re seeing also, Ramey, as we are on both board members of the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, is we are seeing legislation, such as Karen Gorday mentioned in the first segment, House Bill 1001, that is taking away our voices not only to review the legislation because they slapped the safety clause on it but because in the legislation it says that these new um affordable and actually subsidized housing developments that they would be approved administratively instead of going through the process where the people could weigh in on it so what’s your thoughts about this one zero zero one ramey
SPEAKER 05 :
I think this is the worst piece of legislation that I have ever read since I’ve been engaged in anything, Kim. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It gives nonprofits the ability to do this that have proved that they have done affordable housing. But it also allows school districts, and that’s very applicable to Lakewood and maybe other cities as well fewer children are going to school here in Jeff County for a couple reasons Lakewood is aging out a little bit more but also people are pulling their kids out of public education because they understand during COVID exactly what the kids were being taught so what’s happened here in Jeff County is there are many schools that have been closed upward of I think 20 And. We have to remember that land and those schools belong to the people. It is not the school district’s purview to be building out that land. People within those communities have buy-in. Their homes are around there. They need to have say on what’s going to happen there. This totally strips that away from them. And also the same thing goes with RTD schools. RTD is tax subsidized. And I do know that they have land that they would like to divest from. And I have heard that they were waiting for developers that wanted to purchase their land. That is not their role, Kim. This legislation, this is also opposed by the Colorado Municipal League. And rightfully so. It strips away local authority. You know, the foundation for responsible growth and balance planning has been at the local level where you are electing your local representatives. This is state-found zoning. And it’s strange to me that they would be introducing this again, although they tried last year. And something similar to this did not pass. But I believe, Kim, it was in 24 when Governor Polis fast-tracked that bill the last week of session that was transit-oriented development, which directly impacts Lakewood, saying that a half a mile on both sides of the light rail should be high-density housing, which in this case up and down colfax you’re starting to see more and more of these apartment houses he is being sued by six different municipalities of course lakewood didn’t get involved in that one thing that hasn’t been noted is that folks in apartment houses generally have a different voting pattern and this will um forever change the voting here in the state of Colorado with this. It is so egregious. Well, they’re basically bypassing the comprehensive plans in 115 cities. And it’s top-down zoning. It’s horrible zoning.
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Well, it changes the fabric of the neighborhoods. And so, first of all, Ramey, you have served as a state legislator. You’ve also served as city councilwoman in Lakewood. So when you say that this is the worst piece of legislation you’ve ever seen, you’ve seen a lot of legislation. And, of course, as I’m being on the board of CUT as well, you’ve seen a lot of legislation. So this is… This is certainly, it is certainly onerous. And before we finish up on all this, I did want to mention our fellow Colorado Union of Taxpayers board members and people, we’d really appreciate for you to join us. And what we bring to the table for you is that you will know about this stuff that’s going on down at the state house as it affects you as a taxpayer, as they’re going to also go after Tabor, Colorado’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights, our property rights and our parental rights and in our education of our children. And our fellow board members are Steve Dorman, Greg Golianski, Russ Haas, Bill Hamill, Rob Knuth, John Nelson, Wendy Warner, Marty Nielsen, Ramey Johnson-Yu, Mary Jansen, David Evans, Corey Onazorg, Paula Beard, and Ray Beard. This is an amazing group of people that is taking their time, their volunteer time, to go through this legislation. And the other thing that’s really great as we started this cut engaged which mary jansen came up with the idea and you can go to coloradotaxpayer.org and we chose three bills last week five bills this week that you can weigh in on and it will take you less than five minutes you can have your voice heard on this house bill 1001 And I know that many people think, well, they don’t look at emails. But if they get an email from a lot of us, then they are going to look at that. So your homework out there, everybody, is to go to coloradotaxpayer.org and weigh in for sure on this House Bill 1001. And Ramey, this is this is quite a fight that we have going on here. But this, I think, has to be our line in the sand. And so this one zero zero one is important. And then Karen Gorday and all of you that are working on this referendum, this is huge as well. So, Ramey, you mentioned something about voting patterns. You’ve run elections. so we have all the subsidized housing that is being in we should use the word subsidized not not affordable because subsidized means that money’s being taken from the taxpayer many times for the developer then developer gets market rates for the affordable units many times it depends on it depends on how that deal is structured and it’s hard to find out how they’re structured But the developer, it typically is receiving market rates on that. But you have realized that it’s difficult to be able to get into these apartment complexes with any kind of literature regarding an election. So people receive a mail-in ballot. But for the candidates or the issue for people that the grassroots people to get in and talk to these people, you found that really difficult.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, that is true. Metro West housing would not allow my literature in, although I understand that there was other literature there in their facilities. Right. You know, I also want to mention, Kim, that none of the legislators have run on this issue. They don’t tell you ahead of time what they’re going to do. And I think that that is the height of dishonesty and the lack of integrity. You know, when you’re putting in housing like this, I’ve been listening to some other folks and One thing really struck me was that it’s the ultimate engineering of our society. It is controlled. It’s like having ant piles. It’s easier to control one ant pile and squash on it than it is when you’ve got ants all over the place. And they are trying to keep us close together, saying that we should have walkable or… Communities where we can either take the light rail bike or walk and keep us all close together. That is social engineering.
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the height of control kim it really is and so we’ll continue to keep an eye on this the representatives the prime sponsors on this are representative andrew bosenecker representative javier mabre senator tony exum and senator julie gonzalez and if you go to cut engaged you will see 1001 You can weigh in on that, and you can, if you want to add additional commentary, you can, or you can just send our cut position on that. And then you can also add in, if you want, like your commentary or the email to go to your state senator and your representative. And my friends, let’s mobilize. Let’s make this happen. and weigh in on this 1001. And you can look at the other ones if you want to weigh in as well. I would guarantee you that, of course, the first time you use CutEngaged, it’ll take a little bit of time, but I think it’ll take you one minute to do this. And so I highly recommend that people do that. Rami Johnson, your final thought on all this.
SPEAKER 05 :
I think any time I look at legislation, Kim, I ask myself, who’s going to win and who’s going to lose? And the people that are going to win are the developers. And the developers are starting to own this state. Developers from outside of this state. The government is going to win. It’s going to get bigger. The staff and people that are unelected. But who are the losers? It’s us. It’s autonomy and it’s freedom. That’s what the losers are.
SPEAKER 10 :
And that’s why we have, yeah, we’ve got to take this line in the sand here, Ramey Johnson. As always, I thank you for all the great work that you do. I also want to give you a shout out. We had our legislative kickoff last Thursday. And I need to be, Mary Jansen, Glenn Jansen. need to shout out to them as well glenn jansen was there jansen photography with his camera and we’ve got great photos which i need to get out to everybody on that but you took over handling all the food and it was absolutely a beautiful finger food that was set up and i thank you raymie and the team because you organized the whole board brought the food for all that which was just really remarkable
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, thank you. Actually, Kim, everybody brought food. Everybody helped. But thank you.
SPEAKER 10 :
I appreciate it. Thank you. It was my pleasure. It’s an amazing team. So, Ramey Johnson, keep up the great work and really appreciate it. For everything residential real estate, another sponsor that strives for excellence is Karen Levine.
SPEAKER 21 :
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SPEAKER 20 :
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SPEAKER 11 :
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SPEAKER 13 :
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 10 :
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 dot com. And Mint Financial Strategies has two events that are coming up. One is today. I think it’s at noon. It’s online regarding the psychology of retirement. And then there is an in-person dinner tomorrow evening. which is Friday. And I think that’s at Maggiano’s. And I’m not sure if they still have room for that or not. But give Jody Henze and her team a call. That number, let me, I think I haven’t memorized, but it’s 303-285-3080. And sign up because retirement is not just about your financial freedom, but also to think about what else you’re going to be doing while you’re retired. And so, again, give them a call. That number is 303-285-3080. And on the line with me is an entrepreneur and owner of the 88 Drive-In Theater, and that is Susan Kochevar. Susan, welcome to the show. morning kim there’s a lot going on in our world and you are you read extensively you watch the news you comment on it and i guess the first thing i wanted to get your read on is these protests in minneapolis these blue cities And we are learning that these are very organized. They’re financed. There’s when I say organized, there’s those out there that are really having like ice or, you know, watchers of where ice is. What’s your thoughts on all of this, Susan Kochavar?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I think we’re looking at the enemy within, you know, to bring down the country. I know Laura Logan put out some stuff just this morning even, kind of talking about what we’re seeing now and comparing it to that No Kings uprising, which I think was kind of a test. But there is a spreadsheet that… denotes the biggest lie in democrat politics that there’s uh it’s not a grassroots movement at all um what we’re seeing now has the same donors the same foundations the same year dozens of independent groups all pushing the same narratives at the same time it’s just it’s all horribly orchestrated they sell protests as spontaneous outrage And there doesn’t seem to be any coordinated budgets, but these groups all have money and they all push in the same direction. Same kind of lawsuits, identical messaging, the same sponsors are involved. It’s not the people uprising at all. It’s elites pulling the strings. And, you know, just like any bully, these people pushing these uprisings pretend to be bigger than they are. So what we are seeing is not a massive group of Americans that feel the way these protesters purport to feel in places like Minnesota. Most people do not like what’s going on. Most people want, even black Americans want You’d have to show ID and prove that you’re a citizen in order to vote. So these things are all orchestrated by these massive groups.
SPEAKER 10 :
So one of our listeners said the Bolsheviks, when they overthrew the Russian government back in 1917, it was a pretty small group of people, but very, very loud. And I think there’s a correlation to this. Now, you mentioned those at the top. There are those—I’ve seen people out on the corners here on, like, last weekend, even in South Denver— that were protesting ICE. But what I’ve seen is that many of the people on the street, and even tragically, these people that ended up being shot in Minneapolis, I think they are just pawns. Now, I think within those protests, there are organizers that are whipping people up. But I think that many of these people are pawns. And one of the things I think that’s been going on for many years, and this is with the mainstream media, is this fomenting of hatred for Donald Trump. And this hatred is clouding any kind of reason or conversation about what’s going on. The hatred for Donald Trump, I think, is overriding… uh, so much. And so they, because of that hatred, I think there’s a lot of people out there and they’re being used as pawns and those at the top don’t care if these people are killed. I just don’t think that they care at all. And I think those people that are pushing this don’t care if everyday Americans are killed as well. I think it’s a, it’s pretty, it’s pretty evil what’s happening on this. Um, Susan Kochavar.
SPEAKER 04 :
Exactly. They don’t care at all. And the Bolsheviks were quite brutal. And the people who are pushing this are quite fine to think it’s brutal because that scares all the rest of the Americans. You know, people, it terrifies people. Not everybody is a sheepdog. And that makes it very tough. And most people just want to go about their lives. Now, the people at the top who are fomenting this with what are often called useful idiots play on the politics of envy. Look at Donald Trump. He’s wealthy. Look at all the nice stuff he has. And they use, you know, and look at your life, you know, you’re having to work for everything. Gosh darn it. Well, you’re supposed to have to work for things. I mean, it’s just the way it’s always, it’s the way the world works. But they play on that and use that to push these people forward. One of the things that we’re seeing is Cloward and Piven in action. There were a couple of professors who put together a plan for destabilizing countries, specifically the United States. They overwhelm institutions. They delegitimize. which is what they’re trying to do with president trump they exhaust the public you can certainly see that is happening um and then they step in as a solution that’s their playbook uh and um the hypocrisy is staggering but that’s that’s what’s happening um and it’s hard to get the message out to the everyday person who is trying to raise their children and work and you know produce nice things for their life, it’s pretty hard to get this out to them so they understand what’s happening. Because once you understand it, I think it’s easier to shove it off.
SPEAKER 10 :
So with that, well, you know what, let’s go to break. We’re talking with Susan Kojavar. She’s an entrepreneur, owner of 88 Drive-In Theater, and she reads extensively, is a great commentator, and these discussions are so important. I did want to mention the Center for American Values, and it is located in Pueblo, co-founded by Drew Dix and Brad Padula. Drew is a Medal of Honor recipient. for actions he took during the Vietnam War. And they really have just these great conversations. As Brad Beck said, he really enjoys them. And season one is at the website. That’s AmericanValueCenter.org. They’re getting ramped up to do season two. So add that into your repertoire as you are listening to the Kim Monson Show. Add in Drew Dix’s podcast, Words from the Silo. And again, that’s at AmericanValueCenter.org. And for everything mortgages, reach out to Lorne Levy. And he just does great work in keeping us up to speed on what’s happening in the mortgage arena.
SPEAKER 23 :
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SPEAKER 14 :
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SPEAKER 01 :
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 10 :
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 check out the website for the USMC Memorial Foundation. That is USMCMemorialFoundation.org. And get your early bird pricing for their golf tournament. Their golf tournament is in May. It’s one of the first ones out of the chute for the golf season. And it’s a great event. And you can get your tickets, or I guess it’s not a ticket, I guess you can sign up at usmcmemorialfoundation.org. We are talking with a great show sponsor, and that is Susan Kochevar. She is an entrepreneur and owner of 88 Drive-In Theater. Susan, during the month of February, we’re talking about George Washington, the founding of our country. We talked a bit about the Whiskey Rebellion, which Alexander Hamilton had recommended an excise tax on whiskey spirits, and the farmers back in western Pennsylvania didn’t like that idea. Wanted to see what you thought about Hamilton, taxes, tariffs. What’s your thoughts on all this?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, you know, I really like that you’re going over a lot of the stuff, how the founders wrestled with all this stuff. People like to, you know, it’s, oh, this is all new. It’s not new. Yeah. which means you have to look for the patterns to to help figure your way out of situations and where you should go next and also I will add you know both of us are free market girls and with everything going on especially with Trump’s tariffs I’ve been really examining what free markets mean and essentially what I’ve come down to is you can have a free market within your country and But you can’t necessarily have free markets across borders. You have to protect your markets. You have to protect your country because those markets are a way for other countries to help bring you down. And Alexander Hamilton, who was our first Treasury Secretary, argued that moderate duties tariffs would nurture American manufacturing base and ensure independence from Europe. Tariffs become a tool of both economic development and national sovereignty. And I think we are seeing that is true. And I was really curious as to why the tariffs are not causing the inflation that all of the free market people, including Bastiat and some others, had talked about. And what I have come to is that it’s because… Secretary Besant understands that, as well as Peter Navarro and Trump and some others, that if you reduce the regulations so that companies can thrive, you bring back your manufacturing, you grow your way out of debt. And as long as you can use the tariffs, bring the manufacturing back and reduce those regulations, your inflation does not rise. And that is what we are seeing. So these are some really… fascinating people and I think they’re right about a lot of stuff and it’s fun to go back through the history and read what the founders had to say about all this stuff and see that once again it’s not new and those guys knew a lot of stuff.
SPEAKER 10 :
With that, as I was thinking about our conversation, because you read extensively and you think extensively as well. And I think with this 24-hour news cycle that we can obviously get on television, but so many, particularly of our young people, go to their phones. I somehow get alerts from different, I don’t know how I got signed up for it, but I get these different alerts. It can almost get to me. So I’ll get an alert that father killed children in whatever. Those alerts, I think, in a way, it’s kind of a propaganda to take us down. Do you think that’s too much to say on that? And the point I want to make is we have to make a concerted effort to… Push that aside and like the founders, search for truth and clarity. Read, think, because I think these constant alerts take us down and dumb us down. What do you think?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, they pull your attention in a billion different directions at once. And I think it actually becomes a form of censorship, right? There’s a clip where Hillary Clinton is saying that if they can’t censor people, censor all the media and stuff like that, they will lose control. So if you can’t get the media to censor, shut people down, the other thing you can do is absolutely flood it with a whole bunch of different notices and things like that. And I don’t… And I wouldn’t for a minute think that these people, Hillary Clinton types, John Brennan, all these other people are not behind. They’re absolutely behind a lot of the chaos and bad things that are happening in our country. You know, you see they’re funding DAs, which have been releasing heinous criminals who go out and do horrible things. And all that starts the media cycle again, including what’s happening to Savannah Guthrie right now, which is terrible. Her mother has been kidnapped, they believe, and they want bitcoins. to return her. These things, you know, also serve as a distraction and can be a form of censorship.
SPEAKER 10 :
So we have to, when we talk about local government, the most local of all government is ourselves. So we need to start to govern ourselves. We need to talk with our children and our grandchildren about governing ourselves, disciplining what’s coming at us, because there is so much that’s coming at us, and It’s difficult to get through all of it. That’s why we do the show. That’s why I so appreciate your partnership on this, as we really search for truth and clarity. And there is foundational truth. That is the other thing that I think that the puppeteers over here on the radical activist left, they speak of a relative truth. For example, that boys can be girls and girls can be boys. That just can’t work. So we have to also talk about foundational truth on a regular basis, Susan.
SPEAKER 04 :
absolutely and you know uh one of the things that you always say is you know read great books listen to good music stuff like that that is super important even uh charlie kirk would say he would take sunday off and and just relax and do fun things and i think that’s super important for everybody’s uh mental health and you’ll find that that is one of the things that trump is promoting when he when he’s going to the trump kennedy center beautiful music he’s redoing the buildings he’s putting a beautiful ballroom on the White House. You’ll even see in Melania Trump’s movie all the fine, beautiful things. like to get really i think sort of jealous about that stuff but when you look at soviet communist kind of art it’s very square very ugly and um there is something to all that beauty and fine music and and at least um bringing the art into your home that you like reading good books especially founders um and listening to fine music and things that that uh they even say that um Listening to classical music enhances your brain. So that is one of the things that Trump is working very hard to pull into the country in addition to using some of these founding principles to rescue us.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, and I talk about the different things that we have, but there’s beauty and there’s ugly, or there’s light and there’s dark. And these people that want to take down our country, it is very, very dark. And so we are at a time of choosing, and we’ve got this opportunity with this House Bill 1001 and helping the people in Lakewood. We’ve got an amazing opportunity. We have to step forward into it. Susan, your final thought on all this.
SPEAKER 04 :
Pay attention to… Who is behind all of this coordinated effort to bring our country down and work against them? That would be the way I would wrap this up.
SPEAKER 10 :
Susan Kochivar, thank you so much. Spring’s around the corner, and that means that the Historic 88 Drive-In Theater will open as well. That’ll probably be, what, late April, first part of May?
SPEAKER 04 :
Look, at the first part of May, we are celebrating our 50th year.
SPEAKER 10 :
Ah, that’s awesome. We’re going to have a great year here. Okay, Susan Kochibar, thank you. Have a great day. We’ll talk soon.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thanks, Kim. Sounds good.
SPEAKER 10 :
And our quote for the end of the show is George Washington. He said, government is at best a petulant servant and at worst a tyrannical master. 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. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you. God bless America. Stay tuned for our number two.
SPEAKER 17 :
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 16 :
It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
SPEAKER 10 :
And it’s not. Today’s Current Opinions and Ideas. 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 16 :
Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
SPEAKER 10 :
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, 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. 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. Happy Thursday, Kim. And that is a great first hour. One of the listeners texted me and said, I love hearing Susan and these conversations. And that’s Susan Kochevar. I totally agree. Check out our website. That is kimmonson.com. Make sure you are signed up for our weekly email newsletter that goes out on Sundays. That way you will get first look at our upcoming guests as well as our most recent essays. You can email me at kim at kimmonson.com. The text line I want to hear from you is 720-605-0647. And thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice. We search 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 should not have to force people to do it. On the show, we focus on the issues. We’ll mention the people pushing those issues. But we work diligently to stay out of the personality, emotional fighting. We want to look at these issues. with reasoned conversations, and that is our goal on a regular basis. Remember, socialism is not about free stuff, and government cannot give to one that they’ve not first taken from another. And a perfect example is I was talking with a business owner yesterday. He’s in one of the northern suburbs, and his property taxes two years ago was $10,000. Last year it went up to $19,000. And he just got his new property tax notice, and it’s $24,000. This is a wealth transfer from all of the work that this businessman has done to buy his building, to do his business every day. And where is all this money going? Where is it going? It’s way out of the proper role of government. And so what’s happening, these socialistic policies, subsidized housing over here, they’re taking away this wealth transfer, and it’s going through government. That’s why we are at a time of choosing, my friends. We are in the third founding of our country, and Colorado is at the tip of the spear. So join us. Be sure and check out CUT, our Colorado… union of taxpayers that website’s coloradotaxpayer.org your homework today is to click on the top where it says cut engaged it’ll bring up eight bills that we have put up there for you to be able to take action on you can take action on all of them or just choose house bill 26 1001 we need to have our voices heard it will take you less than a minute to do this And it is really important. And again, that website is coloradotaxpayer.org. Our word of the day is omnipotent. It’s spelled O-M-N-I-P-O-T-E-N-T. It could be infinite in power as God. And when we look at all of the dark, evil stuff that’s happening in our world today, it can be somewhat daunting, but real. we have faith that our God is omnipotent. He is, he’s infinite in power. And number two, we having great, very greater and limited authority or power. God has power over all this universe. And I talked to a friend of mine the other day and he said, Kim, remember, Good will win on all of this. But it doesn’t just happen. We have to faithfully do our part. And so with prayer and guidance, we do that every day. And our quote of the day, as you know, and thank you to Lisa, great suggestion to talk about our founding in George Washington because his birthday is this month. In old time, it’s the 11th of February. New time, it’s the 22nd. And I need to learn what the difference is between those. But he was born in 1732. He died in 1799. He was our first president, commander of the Continental Army, known as the father of our nation. And he said, when once, and this is regarding this propaganda and all this stuff that we were talking about with Susan Kochevar, you know, the continual influence. images of what’s coming out of Minneapolis without the complete context. And George Washington said this, when one side only of a story is heard and often repeated, the human mind becomes impressed with it insensibly. So all these images that are continued pressed upon us, it’s pressed upon us for a reason. So we’ve got to become more disciplined. We’ve got to look at the context of all of this. And that’s what we do on the show is to search for truth and clarity. Now, George Washington’s birthday is in February. And as I mentioned, in old time, it’s February 11th. In new time, it’s February 22nd. But another person that has a birthday in February is our expert on everything residential real estate, and that’s Karen Levine. Karen Levine, welcome. Well, thanks, Kim.
SPEAKER 06 :
I’m like, yes, me and George Washington and a lot of other awesome people like a brand new great niece that was born at 632 last night.
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, I just got chills as you told me that. Congratulations. That is so, so awesome. And I was going to say, do you know what your birthday would be in old time? Because apparently there’s two different. I’ve got to check all that out. But I know in new time, it’s in February.
SPEAKER 06 :
It is. It is. And, you know, I have found that there are lots of quality people born in February. So that’s a good month, as are probably all the other 11. Yeah.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, February is special. George Washington. Yes. Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and Karen Levine.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes. And my grandmother and now and great niece. So, yeah, lots of good people.
SPEAKER 10 :
So let’s talk a bit about residential real estate. What’s the inventory look like? We talked with Lauren yesterday. Interest rates are hanging right around where they’ve been. The Fed didn’t take any new action. So and I feel like we’re probably in the spring selling season since the weather’s been so mild.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, yes. Activity is good. I’m hearing about competing offers on some homes. And I think people are out and about because the weather is good. And I think we’ll see more homes coming on the market between now and April. And that gives more choice. And when, you know, we think about what to share on Thursday mornings, I have a listing that I haven’t highlighted. And I thought this morning would be a good morning to do that. Great. It is in golden. It is the address is one seven five three seven West 59th place. And it is a ranch style home. It is three, well, it’s four bedrooms, but three bedrooms on the main floor, main floor laundry. It’s a little over 1800 square feet on that main floor. And then the basement has, the finish has been started. So when all is said and done, you’d have about 3,300 square feet. But it has an oversized three-car garage. The third bay is another half bay deep. So for somebody who has, you know, toys and accessory vehicles, there’s room for that. And it sits at the end of a cul-de-sac. So there’s privacy. It was built by a really good quality small company. entrepreneurial builder back in 1994, and I represented him at the time, sold this house to these homeowners, and it is time for them to make a move, and we’re priced at $897,250 for a really beautiful home that’s nestled up against North Table Mountain.
SPEAKER 10 :
Nice. And I think that speaks so highly of you. You were representing the seller in that initial transaction, and then the buyer in that transaction, now that they’re selling the home, has reached out to you. I think that speaks volumes about how you really work for a successful transaction so that it’s a win-win for everyone.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, thank you. Yes. And I was really honored. I’ve kept in touch with these folks, these homeowners for over 30 years. And when their situation changed and it was time to make a change in their real estate, they said, we want you to represent us. And that always makes me feel good that I served them well over the years. So.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, and how can people reach you, Karen Levine, if they have any questions, if they want to get on your list as far as you keep people informed, do special things for them? How can people reach you?
SPEAKER 06 :
They can reach me at 303-877-7516. And that is Karen Levine for Everything Residential Real Estate.
SPEAKER 10 :
And, okay, so one other thing I wanted to mention, well, two things I need to mention here. The first is I run by the bill of the day that, because I was talking about 1001, but the bill of the day is House Bill 1049, prohibit use of personally identifying feature. The prime sponsors on this are Representative Scott Bottoms and senator mark basely cut colorado union of taxpayers is in favor of this and if you would like to show your support for that go to colorado taxpayer.org click on cut engaged at the top this bill is there as well we are a yes on it And I know that the bill sponsors would appreciate hearing from you on that as well. And then I actually he was in yesterday. We did some recordings and that’s Roger Mangan with the Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance team. And I continue to hear stories of you listeners that reach out to Roger and his team and are able to save money on your insurance. In fact, Roger said State Farm has reduced the cost of auto insurance for both their existing clients and new clients. So it’s worth it to give them a call. That number is 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, the Roger Mangan team is there.
SPEAKER 09 :
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 21 :
A house protects from the rain, but a home shelters from the storms of life. Additionally, home ownership 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 home buyers that we have not seen in quite some time. If you are thinking of buying a new home or selling your home, RE-MAX 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 19 :
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 10 :
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 yesterday I was out in Parker, so I stopped by Little Richie’s, New York style pizza and pasta. They have locations in Parker and Golden and had one of their delicious calzones. I think it’s the best calzone I have ever had. It’s big. I can actually get two meals out of it. And I would highly recommend that if you’re in the area of Parker or Golden, treat yourself to Little Richies because they’re always serving up something worth stopping for. And pleased to have on the line with me, Joe Lewis. He is a co-founder of Angels of America’s Fallen. And it’s great to have you on the show. Welcome, Joe Lewis.
SPEAKER 12 :
Good morning. Thank you, Kim.
SPEAKER 10 :
You know, Joe, with all of the news out there, I’m so thrilled to have you on because you have taken positive actions. And you and I met, I think, you and your wife, Shelley, co-founders of Angels of America’s Fallen, at the Center for American Values at one of their great events. And you’re doing great work. They’re doing great work at the Center for American Values.
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely, yes. I think that is where we met and we absolutely get behind them. And in fact, I’m going to be speaking with them or there a little bit later this year.
SPEAKER 10 :
And they do great programs. They have their On Values presentations. They’ve put together great educational programs for kids K through 12 and educators regarding these foundational principles of honor, integrity, and patriotism. They honor our Medal of Honor recipients with these portraits of valor, which the only other place you could see these would be at the Pentagon. And Joe Lewis, they don’t let just regular people in the Pentagon to see those portraits, so people need to go down to the Center for American Values.
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely. Absolutely. It’s something that every American, if they’ve got the ability to make it there, they need to. And if they’ve got the ability to join in on some of the virtual series things that they do, they should do that as well.
SPEAKER 10 :
and support them as well, and they can do that by going to AmericanValueCenter.org, AmericanValueCenter.org. Now, Joe, we have interviewed you for America’s Veterans Stories, but tell us about Angels of America’s Fallen, your story, how you, let’s begin with you. How did this journey happen to get to this point?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, actually, it started with my father. He was Marine infantry in Vietnam. And if he had not made it back, I never would have existed. And as a kid, it really made me think about how far the ripples go forward when we lose someone. And then I ended up joining the Army National Guard right out of high school and did field artillery to help pay for college and throughout college and then active duty in the Marine Corps for about 11 years. But my back was broken during training, and I couldn’t continue to fly ejection seat aircraft. So I transitioned out to the airlines. And then when 9-11 happened, I went back active duty, but this time with the Air Force. And I had previously done carrier operations with the Navy and ended up doing counter-narcotic support with the Coast Guard and supportive law enforcement as well. through multiple avenues. But I lost friends in every branch of the military. And two of my friends in the Marine Corps had babies on the way they never even got to meet. And that really made me look into what we do for kids of our fallen. And I could find grief counseling at the beginning and scholarships, a lot of scholarship options at the end when they become young adults. But in the middle, not so much, you know, maybe a summer camp or a trip to Disney, which is fantastic. But there wasn’t something to engage the kids in their local community throughout the year and keep them in some positive activities to help them offset the risks that they face after the traumatic loss of their parent. That’s how the idea was born. Actually, frankly, I felt it as a calling. I really felt it strongly that making sure that these kids had these positive outlets with coaches or instructors to have some additional mentoring was the path that I was supposed to be taking. And so Angels was formed in 2013 to engage kids nationwide in these healthy activities.
SPEAKER 10 :
And this really helps the spouse that is left behind as well, I think, to bring in some positive help with the child. And so these extracurricular activities, if people don’t have children, I don’t think they realize how expensive this is, and particularly if someone is a single parent. So walk us through that a bit.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, yes. Things have gotten much, much more expensive than when most of your adult listeners would have remembered. And what we learned very quickly when we started this was we were generally interacting with a young widow who had gone into survival mode to take care of her children and hadn’t even dealt with her own grief. And as we began this process of… Helping engage the kids in these positive activities and paying for their sports or music or baking lessons or any positive activity that has a coach or an instructor in their local community. We realized that the peer connections that we were making amongst our families was incredibly impactful to the remaining parent, typically that young widow and child. also case management, getting to know the family and refer them to other services they may not be aware that they might qualify for, and making that connection so that when you help the child, you help the parent, and when you help the parent, you help the child.
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s such important work. And I think also that widow probably feels really alone out there. And so this sense of community, I think, is really important, Joe Lewis.
SPEAKER 12 :
i absolutely yes you know that there tends to be some attention that’s that’s provided right at the time of loss and then very quickly the dust settles and and they are alone and they’re having to make all the decisions and and um and everything by themselves and all the stress and all the parenting role falls on them directly also it’s difficult for them to find a place that feels like home after the loss particularly for the military families they might move back to where they’re from and it doesn’t feel quite right. The family doesn’t understand, or there may be just different kinds of issues, so they typically move a couple of times. So finding that sense of community is really hard for them, and that’s what we’ve seen through the peer connections being incredibly impactful for them. This is when we connect families with others a little further in their grief journey that can maybe help them with that, and just having a sounding board, which our case managers are. They are might make a call to check in because we follow up and see how the family’s doing all throughout the year. And that might turn into a long conversation because they just need to be there and listen.
SPEAKER 10 :
So how many children, I know on your website you said there’s over six, and it’s not just military, the children in military, but it’s also our first responders that you help as well?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, absolutely. They are taking risks right here at home. And unfortunately, you know, suicide is a major factor in the military veteran community as well as in the first responder community because they experience trauma in their local community and over a career have many trigger points right there in their own hometown. So, yes, we support both equally.
SPEAKER 10 :
And you say on your website over 16,000 children have lost their military or first responder parent since 9-11-2001. And so you’ve got some different ways that people can help. What are those?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes. So the first thing would be helping maybe join us on our social media things and share information because it all starts with awareness. And most people tend not to think about the children after there’s been a loss like this. And and then, of course, we. You need donations to help us be able to pay for the kids’ activities. That actually is the only limiting factor for us supporting more kids. And last year we supported 635 children in activities throughout the year. And when we enroll a child, we commit that we are going to keep them enrolled all the way until they turn 19 to get them completely out of high school. So right now we have a waiting list that is over 800 children. So the donations are particularly important. But actually, we have an upcoming major event that is a program event for our families. And our keynote speaker is one of our supported widows. And children perform in the activities that we’ve been supporting them in at our Angel Gala, which is coming up in April in Colorado Springs at the Hotel Polaris on actually April 18th.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay, that’s right around the corner, and we are going to have your keynote speaker on the show a little bit later this week. So let’s go to break, Joe Lewis, and continue the discussion about this really important organization, Angels of America’s Fallen. and we have these important discussions because of our sponsors and we talked with her in the first hour and that’s karen gorday with radiant painting and lighting and uh certainly she can help you and go to their website beautiful and these are not stock photos this is their work but also regarding um what she’s doing in her spare time She and that whole team out there in Lakewood to organize regarding really, I would say, protecting the fabric of their communities. And so I so appreciate having Radiant Painting and Lighting as a partner of the show.
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SPEAKER 13 :
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 10 :
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 I did want to mention Financial Strategies, another great sponsor of the show. Jody Hinzey and her team are doing amazing work helping people with their personal financial freedom. They’ve got a couple events, one today. It’s an online event. And then one in person tomorrow evening. I think it’s at Maggiano’s. And it’s regarding the psychology of retirement. And so give them a call. They might still have some room. That number is 303-285-3080, 303-285-3080. And Jody keeps people informed on a regular basis on things that are happening. regarding financial freedom. And I’d really recommend that you have her on your side of the table as well. We are talking with Joe Lewis, who is a co-founder of Angels of America’s Fallen. And tell us about this event that is coming up in April, which is right around the corner, Joe.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, it’s our Angel Gala. It was actually started by one of our one of our supportive widows. And it is a night where we celebrate the successes and the positives and possibilities for the children while we honor the loss and sacrifice their parent had made. And so it is at the Hotel Polaris in Colorado Springs. Last year, we had 700 guests and we’re looking for the same this year. And we have an amazing keynote speaker, Rachel Flick, whose husband was Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Flick, who was lost in service several years ago. And we’ve been supporting her twin children. And then we have children that we support that are the stars of the night as they get up there and they perform. We’re going to have a cooking demo with cooking with Cooper. And he’s a 10 year old boy that has just fallen in love with cooking lessons. And we don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like, but I can promise you it’s going to be entertaining. And then a martial arts demo from a firefighter’s son who was lost in service as well. So it’s a night where our supporters can come in and see very directly the impact they have, the positive impact in these children’s lives, and it’s our largest fundraising event of the year as well.
SPEAKER 10 :
So are you selling tickets yet, or what does that look like, Joe Lewis?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, yes, we are selling tickets currently, and we are also still looking for sponsors. So any business that might want to become a sponsor for that or get a table sponsorship, which is 10 seats, that information can be found on our website at aoafallen.org. Up at the top, there’s an events tab, and then under there, the links for the Angel Gala. And it is really a very positive night of celebration of these children’s positive impact and their growth.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. Now, you mentioned that you have 800 children on a wait list. And I think that we, as members of the community, we need to be working on doing positive things. and helping a child be able to play soccer or take cooking classes or taekwondo, whatever it might be, is, I think, something that could help us, selfishly help us feel better about ourselves as well. To donate, is this a tax-deductible contribution?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, it is. We’re a 501c3, so deductions… follow the IRS rules for that. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. And you mentioned suicide. This is something that is so heartbreaking. And there had been a stigma around that. And I see that there is support to families to acknowledge that because of the service, their loved one ended up with suicide. And so I think it is really important that you are supporting these widows and these families as well, Joe Lewis?
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely. You know, what we’ve seen is, you know, to the child, it doesn’t matter if it was a combat fatality or if it was, you know, a shooting in the line of duty kind of a thing. It’s 100% loss of mom or dad. And that person was put into that situation or ended up in those conditions where they thought that that might be the best option for themselves because of their service. And so it is something that Oftentimes, these families fall through the cracks or there’s not the community support that rallies behind when it’s a suicide. But to the child, in fact, their risk of suicide increases significantly if their parent was lost to suicide. So it’s very important that we say yes to these families and we recognize the service and sacrifice of their loved one, as well as the sacrifice that they continue to have. And right now, unfortunately, about a third of the children that we support lost their parent to suicide.
SPEAKER 10 :
Wow. Okay. So this is very, very important. And what else do you want people to know about Angels of America’s Fallen, Joe Lewis?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I think that we honor the sacrifice and the service of the parent that made that ultimate sacrifice for our country and community. And as a nation, really, we should stand by and pay it forward to their children because they are at risk youth after this traumatic loss. Their risk of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, dropping out of school, and even suicide are much higher after that loss. And as a nation coming together to stand by them throughout their whole childhood, because when they have the loss, it’s not like the dust settles and they’ve got a new normal. They continue to revisit the loss as it impacts them differently at different stages of maturity as they age and grow up. And then, of course, there are trigger events like birthdays and holidays and so on. So the long term support is very, very important to helping them become successful young adults.
SPEAKER 10 :
And so how much would you recommend? If somebody wanted to help take this from $800 on the waiting list to $799, is there a dollar amount that would make that happen?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes. Well, we budget $3,000 per child per year. And, of course… Any amount helps us. That would be the amount that would cover the child for an entire year. But, of course, even small monthly donations are incredibly impactful. That helps us stabilize our budget a little bit and know when it’s a good time that we’re able to bring another child off the waiting list.
SPEAKER 10 :
Because bringing a child off the waiting list is… It is a financial commitment because you’re not just paying for one year. You’re committing and making sure that that will happen for the time until they get to the age of 19. So it’s… It’s a pretty big deal to move from the waiting list into Angels of America’s Fallen, where they’re actually receiving the services on that. And I know that that’s a bit of a tightrope for you all to try to navigate all that, correct?
SPEAKER 12 :
It is. It is a very difficult model for a nonprofit to make future year commitments because, you know, the only way we can honor the commitment is through the goodness of other people’s hearts. And we are at the whim of the economy or changes in tax laws or things like COVID. But we have not failed to keep a child engaged once we’ve made that commitment to them because we take that commitment very, very seriously. And actually right now, as of the end of last year, of 2025, the average length of support for the child once they’re enrolled is 8.8 years. So, you know, the youngest child to go on our waiting list was in the womb, actually. So it all depends on when they get into. But it can be that it can be an 18-year commitment, but the average is 8.8 years.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. And then another thing to do would be to attend the gala, which is in April as well. And all that information is at your website, correct?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, absolutely. And we would love to have more people come in and see the growth and the positive impact that their support has on these children.
SPEAKER 10 :
And again, so go to, the website is aoafallen.org, and then just click on Events, and you’ve got everything there about the Angel Gala, as well as tickets, sponsorships, and live auction. And so if you’re out there and you can sponsor a table or just get a ticket, go ahead and get that done, because that really helps as well as you’re doing your planning. Joe, I want to say thank you to you and your wife, Shelley, co-founder of Angels of America’s Fallen. You are doing such beautiful work. I’m so grateful that our paths have met at the Center for American Values. And Shelley is she is just so good at following up and making sure that everything is taken care of. And in fact, we will have your keynote speaker on the show later in the month as well.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes, yes. Shelly is an amazing woman, and she was the perfect person to get this thing started. She had the right background, and as a military spouse who had helped widows of friends of mine, yes, she does a lot, and she’s great for it. So I’m very blessed to have her.
SPEAKER 10 :
And again, that website is AOAFallen.org. Click on events, and that will bring you up to the buy tickets and sponsorships for the gala. And again, let me get that date. I’m sure you have that right there. It is what?
SPEAKER 12 :
April 18th.
SPEAKER 10 :
April 18th. Okay. Joe Lewis, thank you so much. Thank you for the great work that you’re doing. Thank you for the care of the children of our fallen, and I really appreciate you and Shelly. Thank you so much. thank you very much kevin and it’s an honor to do it absolutely so thank you so much for the opportunity to speak today absolutely and uh also wanted to mention the usmc memorial foundation which is i really support them and the center for american values on the show and the uh usmc memorial foundation will be having their golf tournament in may and you they have their early bird pricing right now and so it’s a great way to support the usmc memorial foundation and have a great round of golf. And you can then sign up for that by going to usmcmemorialfoundation.org. That is usmcmemorialfoundation.org. And as you all know, we’re an independent voice on an independent station, which means your support, our sponsors, is how we are here. And if you have been injured, you’ll wanna make sure that you reach out to John Bozen and Bozen Law for a complimentary initial appointment.
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SPEAKER 01 :
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 10 :
And welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. And it is the month of February, which is the birthday month of George Washington. And so we have been going through different things in history of America’s founding and George Washington. Yesterday, Trent Luce mentioned on the show the Whiskey Rebellion and that George Washington had 13,000 of the militia that they went west to save. tap down this whiskey rebellion and you know there’s a big question about the proper role of the federal government I thought I need to know a bit more about the whiskey rebellion so this is what I found from Mount Vernon and I think that’s mountvernon.org It says, in January 1791, President George Washington’s Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, proposed a seemingly innocuous excise tax upon spirits distilled within the United States and for appropriating the same. What Congress failed to predict was the vehement rejection of this tax by Americans living on the frontier of western Pennsylvania. And by 1794, the Whiskey Rebellion threatened the stability of the nascent United States and forced President Washington to personally lead the United States militia westward to stop the rebels. says by 1791, the United States suffered from significant debt incurred during the Revolutionary War. Secretary Hamilton, a Federalist supporting increased Federal authority, intended to use the excise tax to lessen this financial burden. Despite resistance from Anti-Federalists like Thomas Jefferson, Congress passed the legislation. When news of the tax spread to western Pennsylvania, individuals immediately voiced their displeasure by refusing to pay the tax. Residents viewed this tax as yet another instance of unfair policies dictated by the eastern elite that negatively affected American citizens on the frontier. Western farmers felt the tax was an abuse of federal authority, wrongly targeting a demographic that relied on crops such as corn, rye, and grain to earn a profit. However, shipping this harvest east was dangerous because of poor storage and dangerous roads. As a result, farmers frequently distilled their grain into liquor, which was easier to ship and preserve. while large-scale farmers easily incurred the financial strain of an additional tax indigent farmers were less able to do so without falling into dire financial straits President Washington sought to resolve this dispute peacefully. In 1792, he issued a national proclamation admonishing Westerners for their resistance to the operation of the laws of the United States for raising revenue upon spirits distilled within the same. However, by 1794, the protest became violent. In July, nearly 400 whiskey rebels near Pittsburgh set fire to the home of John Neville, the regional tax collector supervisor. Left with little recourse and at the urgings of Secretary Hamilton, Washington organized a militia force of almost 13,000 men and led them towards western Pennsylvania, warning locals not to abet, aid, or comfort the insurgents, a force said, as they will answer the contrary at their peril. The calling of the militia had the desired effect and essentially ended the Whiskey Rebellion. By the time the militia reached Pittsburgh, the rebels had dispersed and could not be found. The militia apprehended approximately 150 men and tried them for treason. A paucity of evidence and the inability to obtain witnesses hampered the trials. The two men, John Mitchell and Philip Weigel, were found guilty of treason, though both were pardoned by President Washington. By 1802, then President Thomas Jefferson repealed the excise tax on whiskey. Under the eye of President Washington, the nascent United States survived the first true challenge to federal authority. And so that’s the story of the Whiskey Rebellion. And it is election season. Any candidate that reaches out to me, I will get them on the show. And on the line with me is Phil Lukens, and he is running for Weld County Sheriff. Phil, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER 10 :
So, Phil, tell us a little bit about you.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I started my police career in Lafayette. And then I went to Erie Police Department, worked the lion’s share of my career there. I also worked part time for CU Boulder Police Department for football games and special events, etc. And then I went to the Louisville Police Department as a supervisor and then ultimately went to the Alliance Police Department as the chief of police. And then I’ve been working on consulting and currently a temporary assignment as the director of police in Providence, Rhode Island at the TF green international airport just working on some reformation and their agency and getting some things changed.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay, well, so this is a big deal to step forward and run for public office, particularly for sheriff in Weld County. What are the top three things that you’d like to accomplish as sheriff of Weld County?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I think I want to continue to uphold all freedoms, but strengthen that, strengthen our Second Amendment protections like constitutional carry. But I also want to reform some issues with the Fourth and the Eighth Amendments that I’ve seen some concerns with, and I’d like to be able to address those pretty rapidly. The other thing is I think we need to have smarter, safer policing. and i i understand that we have technology and i’m absolutely a big person uh proponent in utilizing technology but it needs to be utilized responsibly so i have several concerns about that going forward and what’s happening in a lot of police departments and i’m a part of a large circle putting some influence on how that needs to change and shift and then i want to see more voter driven accountability to the voters. I don’t think that a handful of elite or select people perhaps should be making a lot of the decisions or be influencing the election to the extent that it perhaps has been influenced in the last several years. And I would like to see a sheriff’s office that’s more transparent and responsive to the people and not the insiders and make sure that we’re defending our liberties and just an example that just came out is, for instance, there’s two sheriff’s offices in the entire state of Colorado that are now requiring notarized documents for people to get a public records request. And one of those is the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. And I’m thinking that in comparison to more liberal areas such as Denver and Boulder, where they’re not even requiring that. And I’m wondering why we’re starting to continue down a road where we’re not being as responsive to the people as we should be.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay, so clarify that for me, Phil. I’m not sure I quite understand. What is that exactly?
SPEAKER 07 :
So there’s a Freedom of Information Act, FOIA is what it’s called, and people are always entitled to public records. They’re allowed to get certain information. Obviously, protected information, like a juvenile’s name or something of that nature, is not publicly releasable. But the report that they’re involved in absolutely is. And anybody in the public is allowed to audit those records and get that information. And basically, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office has now put an additional hurdle in place for people not to be able to get their information.
SPEAKER 10 :
Boy, this is one of these things across the board that I am very concerned about transparency. And I see all kinds of different governmental entities making it more difficult for people to get information. And it’s a whole transparency issue. And if we don’t know what’s going on and we can’t access that information, then we don’t have a representative government. So that’s a really important point. So you’re in a primary, yes, for this particular office of sheriff of Weld County? Yes. So what would you say sets you apart from your competitor?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I would say most assuredly I’m a balanced constitutional defender. Well, I’m not just going to defend the Second Amendment, but we need to deal with the search and seizure issue and we need to deal with, you know, cruel and unusual punishment. Right. Those are additional. So I say all of the amendments to the Constitution are absolutely important. And, you know, we don’t want to have the impression that we’re spitting in somebody’s eye and telling them it’s raining by just saying, yeah, I’ve taken care of the firearms issue while we’re clinching down on freedoms in other areas. And so I would say that that is tremendously. There’s a large lawsuit that Weld County is involved in in the jail. And my opponent is partially responsible for that. So those are things that we need to be keeping an eye on. And I would say that I’m very much so committed to making sure that we are defending all of our constitutional rights here. And then I would say innovation over tradition. There’s a lot of old school methods that happen, but I think we need to modernize the police department with the crime and cut waste. And there are ways to do that without sacrificing our freedoms or chilling our rights. And then the other thing that I really think separates me is this true independent voice. I’m not an insider. I’m not asking to get elected through the caucus. I’m petitioning directly to voters to bypass that and put the power in your hands, the people. Right. And I want. people to be able to voice who they want on the ballot. And so I’m working extra hard to do that. But I believe that it’s more important than having a handful of party bosses or endorsements from key political figures to be able to say this is who you should vote for, but instead allow the people to make those decisions and put the power in the people’s hands. The government is supposed to be representative of what the people want, not a select few that are deciding how the government should operate.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. And so I think the big, big question then is regarding ICE in communities. What’s your stance regarding ICE, which is Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, that is a really valuable question, and I think it is a very hot topic. And that is because there are a lot of misinformation out there And there is other information and people are trying to sort through the facts. I think that realistically, we all can agree that we want criminals and we want people that are causing problems to our communities to be arrested and to be or deported back out. That is absolutely something that I think we all can agree on. I think when they started getting into nuanced one-off minor cases, I think that that’s where there’s more issues. So if we wanna ask what is the stance of the sheriff’s officer, what would be my stance? And that is that we need to collaborate. We do need to work together with the federal partners and we need to be a part of these investigations. And we also have discretion. If there was something that seemed completely out of line, we would have the ability to pull back. We don’t have to say, I’m going to participate in anything. I’ve been on the board for the Drug Task Force, and one of the things at a regional drug task force, and there were a couple of practices that I said, no, my officers are not going to participate in that. We’re going to follow this policy. But that’s why you establish clear policies and you work through that. So absolutely, do we need to be picking up these criminals that are wreaking havoc in our communities? Absolutely. And would we absolutely assist ICE in those situations? Yes. If there was something that didn’t seem right or that you know, needed an additional level of discretion. We would most certainly look at those as a case-by-case basis because we ultimately are responsible to the voters. If I get the sheriff’s office involved in a lawsuit for an arrest that’s not warranted, et cetera, then I’m subjecting the taxpayers to a different type of penalty and cost. So that’s my job is to make sure that we are doing things properly, but we are taking care of the community to the best interest of all.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. Phil Lukens, what’s your website?
SPEAKER 07 :
It’s lukensforsheriff.com.
SPEAKER 10 :
And how do you spell that?
SPEAKER 07 :
L-U-K-E-N-S, as in Sam, for, F-O-R, and then sheriff, S-H-E-R-I-F-F.com.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. Phil Lukens, thank you so much, and I wish you all kinds of good luck.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you for your time. You all be well.
SPEAKER 10 :
And our quote for the end of the show is from George Washington. He said, Government is at best a petulant servant and at worst a tyrannical master. 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 03 :
Talking about.
SPEAKER 17 :
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.
