Southern Border Invasion and the American Dream of Home Ownership

On Tuesday, December 20, 2022, Kim Monson opened with a powerful Soren Kierkegaard quote warning against the dangers of labeling individuals, then examined the southern border crisis with former border agent Todd Watkins before exploring the state of home ownership with mortgage expert Lorne Levy and realtor Karen Levine.

Border Crisis Reaches Breaking Point

Start listening at 29:26 – Hour 1

Todd Watkins, former border patrol agent and candidate for El Paso County Sheriff, describes the humanitarian and security disaster unfolding at the southern border. With Title 42 protections potentially ending, Watkins warns that the situation in El Paso has become untenable, with migrants sleeping in airports and overwhelming local resources.

Watkins explains how the Biden administration’s policies have created a two-tiered system where border states attempting to enforce immigration law face federal opposition. The former agent emphasizes that this is not merely an immigration issue but a national security crisis involving human trafficking, drug smuggling, and the exploitation of vulnerable migrants.

“What is happening in El Paso is a travesty. It’s being overrun by migrants. They’re sleeping in the airport. And just think about the disrespect that Biden has for Americans and these border towns by just opening up this border and welcoming these people in.”

Todd Watkins, Former Border Patrol Agent

Child Health Advocacy in an Age of Mandates

Start listening at 62:30 – Hour 2

Matt Dark of Roots Medical stresses that children need adult advocates more than ever as they face pressures from vaccine schedules to ideological agendas in schools. Dark notes that the United States has the highest first-day newborn death rate in the developed world and calls for a comprehensive rethinking of childhood vaccination protocols.

“Children today need adults advocating for them like never before. What we see with vaccine, we see with masking, we see with the sex and the drag shows and all this stuff that is getting bombarded with children.”

Matt Dark, Roots Medical

Interest Rates and the Housing Market Reality

Start listening at 70:00 – Hour 2

Lorne Levy, mortgage specialist with Polygon Financial Group, breaks down the Federal Reserve’s interest rate strategy and its immediate impact on consumers. While mortgage rates briefly touched the sevens before settling around six and a quarter percent, credit card rates have hit historic highs, creating a looming debt crisis as consumers charge holiday purchases.

Levy introduces a critical concept for prospective buyers: even with higher interest rates, the end of bidding wars means buyers may pay less overall for a home. A house that might have sold for $575,000 in a bidding war a year ago might now be available at $475,000, offsetting much of the rate increase.

“I saw a statistic yesterday that said, if you were going to buy a home that was 500,000, you know, six months ago, a year ago, at a rate in the high twos, you might have had to pay 550 or 575,000 for that house in a bidding war. Now you might pay 475 for that house. So, even though the rate is much higher, the payment was only like a hundred dollar difference.”

Lorne Levy, Polygon Financial Group

Home Ownership Versus the Great Reset

Start listening at 80:00 – Hour 2

Karen Levine, award-winning realtor with RE/MAX Alliance, reports that despite market adjustments, demand remains strong. She recounts listing a home that received nine offers within 24 hours, demonstrating that inventory shortages continue to drive competition.

Levine shares an eye-opening observation from her recent trip to Eastern Europe: even in Prague, citizens recognize the World Economic Forum’s agenda to eliminate private property ownership. A Czech tour guide told Levine directly about the WEF’s designs, noting the 18 percent inflation and strain on social services from refugee policies that mirror concerns in America.

The discussion turns to regulatory barriers that prevent affordable housing construction. Levine notes that in California, regulation accounts for 50 percent of housing costs, while Colorado may see 35 percent of costs attributed to government rules. These barriers prevent the construction of condominiums that once provided first-time buyers a path to ownership.

“You know that world economic forum, they don’t want us to own anything. And you and I have had this conversation. And so it is prevalent in Eastern Europe. They hear that rhetoric. They’re connecting the dots.”

Karen Levine, RE/MAX Alliance