Electric Vehicle Dangers, Rising Crime, and the School Choice Revolution

On October 11, 2022, Kim Monson examines the unintended consequences of electric vehicle mandates as Hurricane Ian reveals dangerous battery fire hazards, discusses Colorado’s rising crime rates and cost of living crisis, and celebrates the growing momentum of the school choice movement that is empowering parents across America.

Crime, Cost of Living, and Colorado’s Broken Policies

Start listening at 18:03 – Hour 1

Gabe Evans, a former Arvada police lieutenant and Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot, breaks down the devastating consequences of Colorado’s soft-on-crime policies. Having sworn three separate oaths to uphold the Constitution through his military and law enforcement careers, Evans details how the state has become a criminal’s paradise with skyrocketing auto theft, catalytic converter thefts, and road rage violence.

Evans explains that the total cost of crime in Colorado reached $31 billion last year, translating to over $5,300 in increased costs for every man, woman, and child in the state. He connects rising crime directly to cost of living issues, noting that retailers like Home Depot and Walmart absorb billions in retail theft that gets passed on to consumers through higher prices.

“As a cop, I saw all of that stuff on a daily basis. I saw the faces. I saw the tears. They’re all people and stories to me. And that’s what the left has completely forgotten as they’ve run around and pushed all of their increasingly radical and out of touch policies.”

Gabe Evans, Candidate for State House District 48

Hurricane Ian Exposes Electric Vehicle Fire Hazards

Start listening at 32:25 – Hour 1

Lauren Fix, known as “The Car Coach,” reports from the ground in Florida where Hurricane Ian’s floodwaters have triggered a wave of electric vehicle fires. Unlike conventional car fires that can be extinguished in 20 to 40 minutes, EV battery fires require approximately seven hours to contain due to a chemical chain reaction that spreads from cell to cell.

Fix warns that saltwater corrosion of lithium-ion batteries creates unprecedented dangers, with over a dozen vehicles already having caught fire in the storm’s aftermath. She exposes the environmental costs that EV advocates ignore: the mining of rare earth minerals using child labor in cobalt mines, where young boys develop fatal lung disease by age 30. The average EV costs $66,000, making it a luxury item for the wealthy while creating fire hazards for entire communities.

Fix also sounds the alarm about the 2021 infrastructure bill mandate requiring breathalyzers in all new vehicles by 2026, calling it a violation of the presumption of innocence and another step toward government control of mobility.

“But unfortunately, when they’re imploding and catching fire, it takes about seven hours to put it out, where a regular car could take between 20 and 40 minutes.”

Lauren Fix, The Car Coach

Arizona’s School Choice Victory Sparks Nationwide Movement

Start listening at 72:32 – Hour 2

Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Federation for Children, celebrates Arizona’s passage of universal education savings accounts that allow every family to direct their child’s education funding to the provider of their choice. The teachers unions failed to gather enough signatures to block the measure, collecting only 86,000 valid signatures when they claimed to have 142,000.

DeAngelis reports that 72% of Americans now support school choice, with 77% of Colorado parents favoring education savings accounts. He debunks the myth that choice will “defund public schools,” explaining that typically half the funding follows the child while schools retain local and federal money, actually increasing per-pupil spending for remaining students.

“The money doesn’t belong to the government run schools. It doesn’t belong to any institutions in particular, public or private. Education funding is supposed to be meant for educating children, not for propping up a particular institution.”

Corey DeAngelis, Senior Fellow, American Federation for Children

Local School Choice Advocacy and Colorado Education

Start listening at 58:01 – Hour 2

Steve Peck, former Douglas County School Board director, joins Corey DeAngelis in studio to discuss the local implications of the school choice revolution. Peck highlights the alarming statistic that only 40% of Colorado third graders read at grade level, making the case that parents are rightly fed up with a system focused on ideology rather than academics.

He connects education outcomes to the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial race, where Glenn Youngkin’s embrace of parental rights transformed a 10-point Biden state into a 6-point Republican victory. The message is clear: politicians who tell parents their children belong to the government face political consequences.

“Which is a critical thing to know because if you’re not reading by the end of third grade, the research shows that you’re four times more likely to drop out of high school.”

Steve Peck, Former Douglas County School Board Director

Homeschooling as the Ultimate Educational Freedom

Start listening at 94:54 – Hour 2

Kim Ware, outreach director for Christian Home Educators of Colorado, promotes the organization’s introductory seminar in Castle Rock. She emphasizes that homeschooling is never too late to start, whether parents have young children or teens, and that even dual-income and single-parent families can successfully homeschool.

The segment also features a call from Carolyn at CHEC who raises important concerns about government funding following the child to homeschool settings, citing Alaska’s experience where state money restricted curriculum choices and diminished the independent homeschool community.

“Homeschooling, in my opinion and in Chuck’s opinion, is the best option for your kids.”

Kim Ware, Outreach Director, Christian Home Educators of Colorado