Fiscal Responsibility and Property Tax Battles in Colorado

On this October 12, 2023 broadcast, Kim Monson tackled the intersection of federal fiscal policy and Colorado property tax battles. Former Trump budget director Russ Vought outlined pathways to a balanced budget, Australian immigrant Leigh Sargent shared his American Dream story while running for Summit County school board, and property tax experts Natalie Menten and Brandon Wark exposed the deceptive nature of Proposition HH.

Cutting Federal Spending Through Bureaucracy Reform

Start listening at 34:55 – Hour 1

Russ Vought, founder of the Center for Renewing America and former Trump administration budget director, presented a fiscally conservative blueprint to balance the federal budget within 10 years. Vought argued that traditional debates about Social Security and Medicare reform have created a political cul-de-sac, preventing meaningful action on government waste. His organization’s approach targets bureaucratic overreach and weaponization across federal agencies.

Vought highlighted how agencies like the EPA have been used against ordinary Americans, citing the case of a Navy veteran jailed for 18 months for building ponds on his ranch to fight wildfires. He emphasized that conservatives must align their fiscal fights with exposing government weaponization to build public support for spending cuts.

“Every one of these agencies, it’s not just big government. It is either woke, dividing the country on the basis of race and identity, or it’s weaponized. And it’s not just the Department of Justice that’s weaponized. It’s every one of these agencies.”

Russ Vought, Founder, Center for Renewing America

The Proposition HH Deception Exposed

Start listening at 74:10 – Hour 2

Natalie Menten, director with the TABOR Foundation, and Brandon Wark, founder of Free State Colorado, joined forces to expose the sleight of hand behind Proposition HH. Menten explained that the state legislature could have delivered property tax relief without voter approval by simply lowering assessment rates, but Democrats chose to hold relief hostage to seize TABOR refunds.

The 48-page measure claims to provide property tax relief, but Menten revealed the cap is optional. Any local government can escape it simply by holding a meeting. Meanwhile, the measure would phase out TABOR refunds through an inflationary clause and give politicians the power to extend it indefinitely after 10 years. Wark noted that hundreds of thousands of dollars of out-of-state money from the National Education Association and Jared Polis’ own consulting firm are funding the campaign.

“The only reason they’re presenting it to the voters is because they need to under-tabor to take away that tax refund money away from us. So it’s, as you said, deceptive, but hundreds of thousands of out-of-state money.”

Brandon Wark, Founder, Free State Colorado

Real Estate Market Opportunities

Start listening at 64:03 – Hour 2

Karen Levine, RE/MAX Realtor and longtime show sponsor, provided insights into the evolving Colorado real estate market. As affordability challenges continue with higher interest rates, properties are now staying on market 30 to 40 days, creating opportunities for buyers who were previously shut out of competitive bidding wars.

Levine emphasized that despite market changes, Colorado real estate continues to perform well. Sellers who experienced record appreciation over the past two to three years have significant equity positions, giving them room to negotiate. Buyers can now conduct home inspections and negotiate health and safety repairs, options that were unavailable during the frenzied market of recent years.

“We saw the greatest amount of appreciation in the real estate market nationwide over these last two, three years. So people’s investment in their housing, which the benefit of housing is you have a place to live, but you also get an equity position.”

Karen Levine, RE/MAX Realtor

Living the American Dream in Summit County Schools

Start listening at 17:23 – Hour 1

Leigh Sargent brings an extraordinary immigrant success story to his Summit County school board campaign. Born in Australia, Sargent arrived in America in 1981 with $600 and built a multi-million dollar aerospace company before selling it in 2017. He became a U.S. citizen in 2007, embodying the unique American promise that allows newcomers to truly become Americans.

Sargent’s concern for education stems from his own unconventional path. Despite struggling in high school, he excelled in a formal apprenticeship program, eventually winning Apprentice of the Year for his country and earning international scholarships. He now champions vocational education and the need to identify students’ natural aptitudes rather than pushing everyone toward traditional four-year degrees. He expressed alarm that 60% of Summit County students are failing English while the district operates on financial fumes.

“One of the things that we’re missing in the schools completely is we are treating kids as a sort of a homogenized group. Once you start to hit high school, you’re starting to actually stretch who you are. We need to understand the kids. We need to understand their actual particular aptitudes, the gifts, the God-given gifts that they’ve been given.”

Leigh Sargent, Summit County School Board Candidate