Protecting Kids, Property Rights, and Navigating Interest Rates

On Monday, June 23, 2025, Kim Monson examined critical threats to parental rights and property ownership with Yvonne Paez of Protect Kids Colorado, citizen watchdog Mike Rawluk, mortgage specialist Lorne Levy, and realtor Karen Levine.

Parents Organize to Protect Colorado’s Children

Start listening at 35:33 – Hour 1

Yvonne Paez, co-founder of Perspectives 101 and Army veteran, breaks down the three ballot initiatives that Protect Kids Colorado is advancing. The first initiative targets child sex trafficking with mandatory jail time and no possibility of parole for offenders, a measure that garnered 90 percent support in preliminary polling. The second keeps girls’ sports reserved for biological females, preserving the separate competitive category that Title IX originally established. The third prevents irreversible gender surgeries on minors until they reach age 18.

Paez emphasized the urgency of volunteer recruitment as the signature-gathering clock has started. Military families being stationed in Colorado now face what she described as being sent “behind enemy lines” due to the state’s policies affecting children in schools. Parents can sign up at protectkidscolorado.org to collect petition signatures from their circles of influence, with each packet requiring only 40 signatures.

“Parents in Colorado have basically found no other option than to try and unite and organize so that they can put some initiatives on the ballot in order to be able to protect kids.”

Yvonne Paez, Co-founder of Perspectives 101

Billionaire-Funded YIMBY Movement Targets Colorado Zoning

Start listening at 18:55 – Hour 1

Mike Rawluk exposes the funding behind Colorado’s aggressive housing density push. Open Philanthropy, co-founded by Facebook billionaire Dustin Moskovitz, has launched a $120 million Abundance and Growth Fund to support YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) initiatives nationwide. The organization’s stated goals include “redistributing wealth” to lower-income households while reducing what they call “excessive housing regulations.”

Rawluk connected this national movement to Colorado’s HB 1313 transit-oriented communities mandate and HB 1304’s elimination of parking minimums for multifamily housing. He highlighted a Center for Building in North America grant pushing single-staircase apartments up to six stories, a proposal that Colorado’s Firefighters Association successfully defeated on safety grounds. Jefferson County must submit its preliminary compliance report by June 30th with final documentation due by December 31, 2026.

“And then we are the surveilled.”

Mike Rawluk, Citizen Watchdog

Surveillance Cameras Expand Without Legislative Approval

Start listening at 19:25 – Hour 1

Rawluk reported on Xcel Energy’s plan to triple its Pano AI surveillance cameras from 40 to approximately 120, potentially surveilling 4.5 to 5 million acres across Colorado. Though Senate Bill 011 failed, private entities have found workarounds by installing cameras on their infrastructure and selling access to government agencies. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office used Pano cameras during the 2024 Bear Creek fire for early detection.

The public-private arrangement raises significant privacy concerns since Pano AI will pixelate houses but not property lot lines, leaving most private land visible to 360-degree cameras with 10 to 20 mile zoom capabilities. Unlike government surveillance, FOIA requests cannot access data held by private companies like Pano AI.

The 10-Year Treasury Controls Your Mortgage Rate

Start listening at 59:51 – Hour 2

Lorne Levy of Polygon Financial Group clarifies why Federal Reserve rate cuts do not automatically lower mortgage rates. The 10-year Treasury, currently at 4.34 percent, drives mortgage pricing because most homeowners refinance or move within 10 years. When the Fed cuts short-term rates, credit card and auto loan rates respond immediately, but mortgage rates follow the bond market’s independent assessment of long-term risk.

During COVID, the Fed acted as “buyer of last resort” for mortgage securities, artificially suppressing rates to historic lows. That support ended, and Wall Street now demands a risk premium of approximately 2.5 percent above Treasury yields. Until the 10-year drops to around 3.50 percent, mortgage rates with a five handle remain unlikely.

“Because, you know, it’s the same old story of like, if you can find a way to afford it now, you lock in that highest payment, right? It’s never going up unless your taxes and insurance go up, which happens, but then you can always refinance later.”

Lorne Levy, Mortgage Specialist

Real Estate Inventory Rises Toward Balance

Start listening at 60:14 – Hour 2

Karen Levine of RE/MAX Alliance reports 2,600 price reductions in the Denver metro MLS over the past seven days as inventory approaches the 10,000-unit threshold for a balanced market. High-end properties in desirable locations continue to sell above list price, with one $2 million home receiving multiple offers during her recent travels. Middle-market buyers in the $500,000 to $750,000 range remain sidelined waiting for rate relief that appears unlikely in the near term.

Levine’s travels through Portugal reinforced appreciation for American property rights. Swiss couples she met described their country’s controlled rental market where homeownership remains out of reach for most residents. Meanwhile, Colorado’s May property tax assessments showed stability, with most homeowners seeing flat or slightly declining valuations after years of rapid appreciation.

“And that’s what homeownership has always allowed the American people to do, is that when you made a commitment to make a payment towards an asset being your housing, you built wealth. And that has been the foundation of building excellence in America and having the right to own something.”

Karen Levine, RE/MAX Alliance Realtor