Civic Engagement, Internet Freedom, and the Green Movement’s Hidden Costs

On this Election Day broadcast, November 7, 2023, Kim Monson explores the importance of civic engagement with Kathleen Chandler from the Independence Institute, examines FCC attempts to regulate the internet with Phil Kerpen of American Commitment, exposes the green movement’s anti-human agenda with Daniel Turner of Power the Future, and discusses fiscal responsibility in local government with Colorado Springs City Councilman Dave Donaldson.

Taking Back Your Community Through Local Government

Start listening at 16:49 – Hour 1

Kathleen Chandler, director of the Local Government Project at the Independence Institute, encourages citizens to move beyond just voting by serving on local boards and commissions. Chandler has spent eight years helping approximately 300 Coloradans get appointed to various governmental bodies, from park and recreation commissions to planning and zoning boards.

She emphasizes that unelected positions in government often shape policy more than citizens realize. When people complain about government but refuse to participate, Chandler argues, they get exactly what they deserve. Her upcoming class, scheduled for November 9th via Zoom, teaches the practical steps needed to stop complaining and start taking action.

Chandler highlights Stephanie Hancock, a success story from her program who is running for Aurora City Council after years of engagement on local commissions. The Independence Institute provides ongoing support to those who step up, offering policy guidance and encouragement when elected officials face pressure from bureaucrats pushing agendas.

“And the point is that you, all the listeners, me, we can be that person as well. We don’t need to wait for a Stephanie Hancock. I can be that person. You can be that person. And all you need to do is to have that step one.”

Kathleen Chandler, Director, Local Government Project at Independence Institute

FCC’s Flawed Justification for Internet Regulation

Start listening at 32:46 – Hour 1

Phil Kerpen, president of American Commitment, warns that FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel is using her poor home Wi-Fi signal as justification for reimposing Obama-era net neutrality regulations on the internet. Kerpen points out the absurdity of a sitting FCC chairman apparently not understanding that Wi-Fi router performance has nothing to do with public internet regulation.

The free market approach to the internet, established under the Clinton administration, produced remarkable results. When the Trump FCC repealed Obama’s public utility-style regulations, critics predicted catastrophic outcomes including deaths from inability to access suicide prevention resources. Seven years later, none of those predictions materialized. Instead, internet speeds tripled, private investment increased substantially, and prices remained flat or declined.

Kerpen explains that economic regulation inevitably leads to content control. The Biden administration has already pressured social media companies to suppress conservative voices, as revealed in the Missouri v. Biden litigation heading to the Supreme Court. With hundreds of billions in government broadband subsidies replacing private investment, the path to government-controlled networks becomes clearer.

“The best decision government’s made in decades was to not mess with this incredible technology that was emerging, just to leave it alone and see what happens.”

Phil Kerpen, President, American Commitment

Big Pharma’s Pattern of Profits Over People

Start listening at 62:16 – Hour 2

Jon Boesen of Boesen Law discusses the emerging legal cases connecting Tylenol use during pregnancy to autism spectrum disorder in children. Research has revealed a strong correlation between acetaminophen use by pregnant women and subsequent autism diagnoses in children born between 2007 and 2020.

Boesen describes a familiar pattern with pharmaceutical companies: products are marketed as safe, problems emerge years later, and companies are found to have known about risks long before disclosing them. This Tylenol litigation follows the same trajectory seen with numerous other drugs where profits were prioritized over patient safety.

The personal injury attorney urges pregnant women and those considering pregnancy to avoid acetaminophen products. Many families have discovered that knowledge of this correlation existed but was not communicated to doctors or consumers who could have made informed decisions about their health.

“We’ve seen it time and time again. I tell friends, I tell neighbors, I tell coworkers, if you can do without a drug and explore all the options, because it just seems like two, three, four, five, sometimes six, seven, eight years into it, we find out there’s all kinds of problems with something that doctors and pharmaceutical companies told people was safe.”

Jon Boesen, Boesen Law

The Green Movement’s Billion-Dollar Failures

Start listening at 72:12 – Hour 2

Daniel Turner, founder of Power the Future, exposes the disconnect between those who make energy policy in urban centers and the rural Americans whose livelihoods depend on traditional energy production. His organization advocates for the 18 million workers in the energy sector, most of whom live in communities far removed from Washington and New York policymakers.

Turner reveals that Michael Bloomberg’s fourth $500 million donation to shut down American coal plants does nothing to reduce global coal use. China is building more coal plants than currently exist in America, using practices that would never be tolerated domestically. Bloomberg’s crusade punishes American workers while ignoring child labor and unsafe conditions in foreign coal operations.

The New Jersey offshore wind debacle illustrates the consequences of politically-driven energy goals. Governor Phil Murphy set arbitrary targets requiring 100% green electricity by 2040. Scandinavian company Orsted received massive taxpayer subsidies, killed over 75 whales during sonar testing, then abandoned the project. New Jersey taxpayers are now stuck with over $1 billion in fees while Orsted executives collected their bonuses.

Turner characterizes the green movement as fundamentally misanthropic, viewing humanity as a problem rather than celebrating human flourishing made possible by affordable energy. From destroying classical art to brainwashing young people into believing civilization is on the brink of collapse, the movement’s tactics reveal its true anti-human nature.

“So for someone like Michael Bloomberg to say, I’ll be damned if a man in West Virginia or Wyoming works in coal, but I’m totally fine if an eight-year-old girl in some Chinese province works in coal. That doesn’t bother me.”

Daniel Turner, Founder, Power the Future

Stopping the Cycle of Emergency Tax Grabs

Start listening at 103:48 – Hour 2

Dave Donaldson, a Colorado Springs city councilman and former Green Beret, challenges Issue 2A, a ballot measure asking voters to let the city retain $4.75 million in TABOR refunds for a police training facility. Despite his strong support for law enforcement, Donaldson sees this as another example of the city manufacturing emergencies whenever taxpayers are due refunds.

The proposal lacks basic elements a bank would require for any loan: no specific cost estimate, no location identified, no detailed plan for what the facility would include. Donaldson characterizes it as 10% baked at best. City officials could not answer fundamental questions when pressed by council members, yet expect voters to approve locking away funds that cannot be repurposed if the project fails.

Former Mayor Steve Block and the Independence Institute have recommended voting no, joined by numerous current and former elected officials who privately oppose the measure despite their support for police. Donaldson argues that approving 2A would only encourage the city to continue discovering emergencies every time citizens are owed money.

“Why does the city repeatedly wait until citizens are due a refund and then discover an emergency which requires keeping your overpaid taxes? Why? Because it continues to get away with it.”

Dave Donaldson, Colorado Springs City Councilman