Carbon Capture Pipeline Cancellation, Election Results, and Honoring Veterans

On November 8, 2023, the day after Election Day, Kim Monson gathered USMC Memorial Foundation President Paula Sarlls, former State Senator Kevin Lundberg, mortgage specialist Lorne Levy, and sixth-generation rancher Trent Loos to analyze election fallout, honor veterans ahead of Saturday’s celebrations, and expose the growing threat of carbon capture pipelines to American farmland.

Election Analysis and the Art Club Documentary

Start listening at 30:37 – Hour 1

Kevin Lundberg dissected the mixed results from Election Day 2023. Colorado’s Proposition HH, which would have dismantled TABOR protections, went down to defeat by a 60-40 margin. Lundberg credited Natalie Menton, Brandon Wark, and Mike Alicron of Americans for Prosperity for their work defeating the measure. Kentucky’s Democratic governor Andy Beshear won reelection in a red state, while Louisiana elected a Republican governor outright without a runoff.

Conservative school board candidates lost across Colorado, from Holyoke to Woodland Park to the Thompson and Poudre school districts. Lundberg found the results paradoxical: voters in Loveland rejected food taxes, approved oversight of urban renewal projects, and defeated a fire district tax increase, yet elected union-backed school board candidates. Ohio passed Issue 1 enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution, prompting Lundberg to warn that Colorado may face similar measures targeting Article 5, Section 50’s ban on state abortion funding.

Lundberg previewed his documentary Art Club, premiering November 17th at Dayspring Christian Church in Windsor. The film tells the story of Erin and John Lee’s daughter, who was targeted for transgender grooming in what was supposed to be an after-school art program.

“There’s going to be a lot of head-scratching as to how in the world this election turned out the way it did. And I believe anybody who wants to stand up and say, well, the people have spoken and defend the election process, they better start proving that it works well rather than just assuring us that it does.”

Kevin Lundberg, Former State Senator

Carbon Capture Pipeline Threat to Agriculture

Start listening at 75:22 – Hour 2

Trent Loos broke down the carbon capture pipeline fight gripping the Midwest. Navigator CO2 (the Heartland Greenway pipeline) was cancelled after the company refused to release plume studies, claiming Midwesterners were not smart enough to understand them. Loos revealed the pipeline’s ownership structure: 84% BlackRock, 14% United Arab Emirates, and 2% other investors. The $17 billion in annual tax credits driving these projects ensures they will keep coming despite individual defeats.

The Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline continues advancing in Iowa. Loos exposed concerning conflicts of interest on the Iowa Utilities Board. Chairman Eric Helland, appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds, has ties to Summit owner Bruce Rastetter through a company called 49 Summit Solutions based in Alaska. Former Representative Steve King was denied the right to testify on behalf of a hospitalized landowner who had designated him as her proxy. King represents the King Interveners, landowners fighting the pipeline through the Free Soil Coalition.

Loos warned about the Tallgrass Energy pipeline, originally permitted for natural gas, now petitioning to transport CO2 from Nebraska ethanol plants through Colorado and into Wyoming for injection into the Denver-Julesburg formation under Cheyenne. Four insurance companies have sent letters refusing to insure properties with CO2 pipelines, and land sales near proposed routes are collapsing. The Klamath River dam removal, a $260 million project destroying 100-year-old infrastructure, connects to Biden’s 30 by 30 executive order aiming to return 30% of land and water to its natural state by 2030.

“I think that if we do not spend an extraordinary amount of time fixing the voter integrity problem, that it’s the writings on the wall. It’s more evident today than ever before. And we all focus on the presidential election in 2020. But what’s happening in manipulating votes at the local level, that’s where the real danger lies.”

Trent Loos, Sixth-Generation Farmer and Rancher

Veterans Day Celebration at the Marine Memorial

Start listening at 18:34 – Hour 1

Paula Sarlls, a Marine veteran and Gold Star wife, detailed plans for Saturday’s Veterans Day celebration at the USMC Memorial at 6th and Colfax. The event runs from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM with a Toys for Tots drive, new recruit oath ceremonies at 1:45 PM, and a special 99th birthday celebration for Iwo Jima veteran Jim Blaine. Lieutenant Colonel Isidro Izquierdo, commanding officer for Marines at Buckley Space Force Base, will deliver remarks. The Rocky Mountain Renegades, an award-winning team, plan a flyover weather permitting.

Sarlls provided updates on fundraising for the memorial remodel, noting endorsement letters from both Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Bennet. An NFL Alumni and Marine Memorial Golf Tournament scheduled for May 2024 aims to generate significant funds. The Foundation also plans a Light the Flags anniversary event in August featuring musician Dave Ray.

“He stole my heart from the first time I met him and his wife was adorable too. I’m telling you, the first class all the way.”

Paula Sarlls, President, USMC Memorial Foundation

Record Credit Card Debt and Mortgage Solutions

Start listening at 66:29 – Hour 2

Lorne Levy reported that American credit card debt has reached an all-time high of $1.08 trillion. Rates have retreated slightly from 8% to the 7.5% range following the Fed’s Wednesday announcement, but many consumers face credit card rates between 15% and 29%. For homeowners with low first mortgage rates, Levy explained options including second mortgages, home equity lines of credit, and reverse mortgages for those 62 and older. A fixed-rate second mortgage at 10-11% can dramatically reduce payments compared to credit card rates, allowing borrowers to actually pay down principal rather than making minimum payments that barely cover interest.

“And so if we can help people, you know, get into even if it’s a 10 or 11 percent rate on a fixed rate second, which can really bring down the payments on a 25 percent credit card bill. You know that is something that can really help people out by lowering that amount that’s due, and let them start carving away at the principal and get back caught up as much as possible.”

Lorne Levy, Mortgage Specialist, Polygon Financial Group