Timing Is Everything: School Taxes, Housing Policy, and Lessons from Bonhoeffer

On this Thursday broadcast, October 5, 2023, Kim Monson explored the intersection of local governance, fiscal responsibility, and moral courage with city council candidate Pete Del Duca, tax watchdog George Allen, and World War II historian Col. Bill Rutledge. The conversations ranged from rising crime in Lakewood to property tax pressures in Douglas County to the enduring lessons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s stand against Nazi tyranny.

The Moral Courage of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Start listening at 73:17 – Hour 2

Col. Bill Rutledge, a 95-year-old retired Air Force officer and voracious reader, returned for part two of his discussion on Eric Metaxas’ biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The Lutheran pastor and theologian, executed by the Nazis just weeks before the war’s end, stands as a model of Christian resistance to state tyranny.

Rutledge detailed the Nazi regime’s systematic assault on Christianity, including a proposed German National Church that would replace the Bible with Mein Kampf, remove all crosses and crucifixes, and place a sword on every altar. Bonhoeffer helped found the Confessing Church in opposition to this state-controlled religion. His involvement with resistance networks ultimately led to his arrest and execution in April 1945.

The colonel drew parallels between Nazi-era church closures and COVID-era restrictions, recounting his own letter to the Episcopal bishop of Colorado demanding churches remain open under constitutional protections. The conversation underscored Bonhoeffer’s warning: the person in love with their vision of community will destroy community, while the person who loves those around them creates community everywhere they go.

“The National Church demands immediate cessation of the publishing and dissemination of the Bible in Germany. No more Bibles in Germany.”

Col. Bill Rutledge, Retired USAF, quoting Nazi church documents

Douglas County School Tax Questions Under Scrutiny

Start listening at 31:31 – Hour 1

George Allen, a citizen activist with Citizens for Tax Fairness, dissected the Douglas County School District’s ballot questions 5A and 5B. The mill levy override and $484 million debt increase come at the worst possible time, Allen argued, as reassessments have already driven property values up 40 to 50 percent. A homeowner currently paying $5,000 in property taxes will soon pay $7,500 before any new levies take effect.

Allen challenged the school district’s claim that economic collapse would follow a no vote. Comparing Douglas County to high-spending Boulder, he demonstrated that population growth, personal income growth, and home value appreciation in Douglas County match or exceed Boulder’s despite far lower school taxes. The real drivers of economic success, Allen contended, are low taxes and low crime rates, not luxury school spending.

School enrollment in Douglas County has been declining and projections show continued decline, yet the district refuses to prioritize teacher pay within existing budgets. Allen filed a CORA request and confirmed the district never produced a budget showing teacher salary prioritization, fearing it would undermine their tax increase campaign.

“If 5A and 5B do not pass, people will stop coming to Douglas County and people who live here will leave, and the economy and the property values will collapse. That’s a quote from a school district official. But the data says otherwise.”

George Allen, Citizens for Tax Fairness

Crime and Housing Policy in Lakewood

Start listening at 15:58 – Hour 1

Pete Del Duca, a candidate for Lakewood City Council Ward 2, shared the incident that propelled him into public service: a homeless man rifling through his family’s belongings while his wife and children were home alone. Police response took four hours. Del Duca argued that Lakewood’s focus on subsidized apartment construction has neglected public safety and infrastructure, leading to increased crime and drug use across the city.

The conversation turned to the distinction between politicians and genuine representatives of the people. Del Duca emphasized that he has no interest in using the council seat as a springboard to higher office, calling such behavior a disservice to citizens. He advocated for building more single-family homes rather than subsidized apartments, noting that homeownership builds wealth while subsidized housing traps residents in poverty.

“When we put people into houses that are subsidized, not only are we screwing over the other people who are being taxed to cover that, but we’re not doing them any favors long-term either. We’re not able to build up out of that.”

Pete Del Duca, Lakewood City Council Candidate