ESG and Its Impact on Liberty: From Car Crime to Capital Control

On this Tuesday, April 4, 2023 broadcast, Kim Monson examines how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing has evolved from voluntary corporate responsibility into a mechanism for controlling capital and business decisions. Joined by attorney and commercial finance expert David Roth, automotive expert Lauren Fix, and medical freedom advocate Matt Dark, the show connects ESG policies to broader threats against individual liberty and free markets.

ESG: Controlling Capital to Control You

Start listening at 74:07 – Hour 2

In this segment, David Roth, an attorney and commercial finance broker in Denver, provides an in-depth analysis of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing. Roth traces ESG’s origins to the 1960s concept of socially responsible investing, which was originally voluntary and focused on avoiding investments in tobacco or companies connected to South African apartheid.

Roth explains how ESG has morphed from voluntary guidelines into mandatory requirements that are now used to determine whether businesses can obtain financing. Where companies were once evaluated on their financial health and FICO scores, they now face ESG scores that penalize certain industries while favoring others. This represents a fundamental shift from “pecuniary factors” to ideological compliance in lending decisions.

“ESG really is just another way to spell control. It’s all about controlling another person’s life and doing so through capital.”

David Roth, Attorney and Commercial Finance Expert

The conversation addresses Silicon Valley Bank’s failure, noting that while ESG focus was not the direct cause of the bank run, it illustrated how “woke capitalism” can distract management from core fiduciary responsibilities. Roth provides encouraging news about pushback: over 20 state attorneys general have written to major asset managers opposing ESG prioritization, and there is growing bipartisan support in Congress for legislation protecting investors’ right to fiduciary-focused management. He advises listeners to explicitly tell their financial advisors they do not want ESG-focused investments and to research their fund managers’ ESG policies.

City Life and Car Crime: The New Normal?

Start listening at 29:49 – Hour 1

In this segment, Lauren Fix, known as The Car Coach, joins Kim to discuss the alarming normalization of car break-ins in major American cities. Fix reports from the New York Auto Show, describing the deteriorating conditions in Manhattan where homeless encampments, crime, and general disorder have become commonplace. She recounts a former San Francisco official’s statement that having your car broken into is simply “normal living” if you reside in a city.

Fix provides practical advice for protecting vehicles, including using visual deterrents like The Club, installing fuel cutoff switches, and parking in well-lit areas with security cameras. She notes that only 2% of car thieves are caught and prosecuted, suggesting this lack of enforcement is part of a broader agenda to discourage personal vehicle ownership. The conversation connects these policies to the push for 15-minute cities and reduced mobility freedom.

“If you live in the city, having your car broken into is normal living. Excuse me? No.”

Lauren Fix, The Car Coach

Fix also discusses Carvana’s dramatic decline, noting their stock fell 94% in 2022 with losses of $1.4 billion. She shares a cautionary tale of a customer who purchased what he believed was a 2021 Maserati, only to discover most parts were from a 2017 model. The segment emphasizes the importance of building relationships with local dealers and having vehicles inspected before purchase.

Medical Freedom and the Right to Refuse

Start listening at 62:12 – Hour 2

In this segment, Matt Dark of Colorado Healthcare Providers for Freedom joins Kim to discuss ongoing legal efforts to hold employers accountable for COVID vaccine mandates. Dark explains that all COVID vaccines remain classified as investigational new drugs owned by the U.S. government, making mandatory vaccination policies illegal under federal law.

Dark announces that Colorado Healthcare Providers for Freedom is raising $250,000 to fund lawsuits against employers who terminated workers for refusing vaccination. UC Health in Colorado is identified as the primary target. He emphasizes that Congress and courts have been explicit that no person can be forced to participate in medical research, yet hospitals and government agencies violated this principle during the pandemic. The legal briefings are being prepared by attorney Brian Ward through covidpenalty.com.

“Under no circumstances is a human being required to participate in medical research. And that’s exactly what went on with hospitals and government agencies where they told their employees, you will take this shot by this date or you are fired.”

Matt Dark, Colorado Healthcare Providers for Freedom