Banking Crisis, School Safety, and the Battle Over Water and CO2

On this Wednesday broadcast from March 29, 2023, Kim Monson examines critical issues affecting American liberty with four guests. Kim Ware of the Douglas County Republicans advocates for armed teachers following the Nashville school shooting, Jay Davidson of First American State Bank explains the banking crisis and Federal Reserve failures, Lorne Levy provides mortgage market updates, and Trent Loos exposes the truth about California’s water mismanagement and the CO2 pipeline fraud.

Understanding the Banking Crisis and Federal Reserve Failures

Start listening at 26:58 – Hour 1

Jay Davidson, founder and CEO of First American State Bank, provides expert analysis of the Silicon Valley Bank failure and broader banking crisis. He explains that SVB’s collapse was caused by a fundamental mismatch: they took $100 billion in deposits and invested them in 10-year treasuries, which lost significant value when the Federal Reserve rapidly raised interest rates.

Davidson reveals that the warning signs were visible in SVB’s quarterly call reports for over a year, yet regulators at the Federal Reserve of San Francisco failed to act. He explains the CAMELS rating system banks use and how SVB’s liquidity and sensitivity to interest rate risk were the fatal weaknesses. The bank run that followed was the first “tweeted” liquidity crisis in banking history, as large depositors panicked and demanded their funds.

The conversation turns to deeper systemic issues. Davidson, drawing on Austrian economics, explains how the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing since 2008 expanded their balance sheet from $850 billion to $9 trillion, effectively devaluing the dollar and planting the seeds for today’s inflation. He describes the unholy relationship between big government and big corporations as fascism, warning it represents the biggest threat America faces.

“The government is not your master. The government is not your friend. The government is power. And that power has to be wielded extremely carefully. And that power has to be controlled massively by adherence to our Constitution and our amendments.”

Jay Davidson, CEO, First American State Bank

California’s Water Crisis and the CO2 Pipeline Fraud

Start listening at 69:22 – Hour 2

Sixth-generation farmer and rancher Trent Loos of Loos Tales Media delivers a comprehensive analysis of water management failures and the emerging CO2 pipeline controversy. Despite California receiving enough precipitation since January 2023 to meet water needs for the next ten years, the water flows to the ocean because state officials refuse to build the reservoir infrastructure that voters approved funding for in 2016.

Loos traces the history of the Klamath River Basin, where farmers have provided irrigation and electricity since the 1920s while maintaining fish ladders for salmon spawning. Now the Biden administration plans to spend $250 million to demolish these dams, eliminating both irrigation and electricity generation. He connects this to the broader pattern of using conservation as a cover for restricting human flourishing.

The discussion takes a dramatic turn as Loos exposes what he believes is a massive fraud behind the CO2 pipeline project. While proponents claim CO2 must be buried underground because it’s dangerous, Loos reveals that CO2 has at least fifteen valuable commercial uses. He’s discovered companies that plan to use captured CO2 to manufacture synthetic meat-like substances, eliminating the need for livestock. The real agenda, he argues, is control: “He who controls CO2 controls life.”

“He who controls the CO2 controls life. That’s what we’re faced with.”

Trent Loos, Sixth-Generation Farmer and Rancher

Protecting Children by Hardening School Targets

Start listening at 14:29 – Hour 1

In the wake of the tragic Nashville school shooting, Kim Ware, Secretary of the Douglas County Republicans, joins Kim to discuss a letter sent to the school board requesting that teachers, administrators, and staff be permitted to carry firearms with proper training. Ware emphasizes that this would be voluntary and require coordination with the sheriff’s department.

Ware shares her personal experience attending Columbine High School in 1999, the year of that tragic shooting. She describes the lasting trauma and how knowing that trained teachers were present and armed would have provided comfort and safety. The Douglas County Republicans are not asking for mandatory arming of all teachers, but rather giving schools the freedom to choose protective measures that work for their communities.

The discussion highlights the disconnect between how we protect government officials, banks, and sporting events with armed security while leaving children vulnerable in gun-free zones. Ware notes that at a recent school board meeting, three armed police officers protected 50 people, yet elementary schools often lack such protection.

“We defend our president with guns, we defend our celebrities with guns, we defend our banks with guns. We defend our courts with guns, our jewelry stores, our sporting events, our music festivals. We defend our children with a sign that reads, this is a gun-free zone. And then we call someone with a gun to come help after it’s too late.”

Kim Ware, Secretary, Douglas County Republicans

Navigating the Mortgage Market Amid Fed Actions

Start listening at 61:18 – Hour 2

Mortgage specialist Lorne Levy of Polygon Financial Group provides updates on the interest rate environment following the Federal Reserve’s quarter-point increase. The market had anticipated the move, so there was no major disruption. More importantly, the Fed signaled a willingness to slow down and observe market conditions, which the mortgage market welcomed.

Levy explains that the Fed’s actions are designed to cool the economy, reduce wage growth, and decrease employment, though he acknowledges this causes real hardship for working Americans. With spring real estate season approaching, he encourages prospective buyers to get pre-qualified to take advantage of any rate dips that may occur.

“By raising rates, they make it harder for companies to borrow, harder for them to grow, and they also make it harder for consumers to purchase, sometimes especially if they’re having worries about their jobs, and so that is how they slow it down.”

Lorne Levy, Mortgage Specialist, Polygon Financial Group