Constitution Day and the Battle for Colorado’s Ballot

On September 17, 2024, Kevin Lundberg, Matt Vadum, and Danielle Jurinsky joined the show. Analyzed Amendment 79’s constitutional enshrinement of abortion rights and Proposition 131’s ranked choice voting system, revealing how ballot titles conceal the full impact of these measures on Colorado governance Reported on youth climate activists seeking Supreme Court revival of dismissed lawsuit and Maryland parents fighting to restore opt-out rights from.

Fighting Amendment 79 and Ranked Choice Voting

Start listening at 16:55 – Hour 1

Kevin Lundberg, former Colorado State Senator and author of the Lundberg Report, breaks down the dangers lurking in this November’s ballot. Amendment 79 would enshrine abortion rights up until birth in Colorado’s Constitution, removing parental notification requirements and funding restrictions. Lundberg reveals how the ballot title fails to explicitly state that passing Amendment 79 would repeal Article 5, Section 50, the existing constitutional provision prohibiting public funds for abortion.

The conversation turns to Proposition 131, the ranked choice voting measure backed by billionaire Kent Thiry with over $3.5 million in contributions. Lundberg explains how this system destroyed political party influence in Alaska, allowing a Democrat to win a congressional seat in a deep red state through vote redistribution algorithms. He warns this measure would hand elections to wealthy candidates who can afford to dominate a crowded primary field.

“Their rhetoric is the exact opposite of what they’re trying to do. Let’s not really tell people exactly what we’ve got in mind because if they knew what we were heading towards, they wouldn’t like that.”

Kevin Lundberg, Former Colorado State Senator

Supreme Court Confronts Climate Lawsuits and Parental Rights

Start listening at 71:00 – Hour 2

Matt Vadum, Supreme Court reporter for the Epoch Times, details a group of youth activists asking the Supreme Court to revive their dismissed climate lawsuit. Filed in 2015 by nonprofit Our Children’s Trust, the case argues young people have a constitutional right to be protected from climate change. The Ninth Circuit dismissed the case for lack of standing, but petitioners continue seeking their day in court.

Vadum also examines Montgomery County, Maryland parents fighting to restore opt-out rights for pro-LGBT storybooks. After the school board eliminated parental opt-out provisions two years ago, parents filed suit. Both federal district court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied their injunction request. Now parents have filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court, testing whether parental rights trump school board mandates on sensitive curriculum.

“If you can claim a right not to be injured by the climate, well, if you have a right to that, then whoever is deemed to be doing something that is changing the climate, you know, that is hurting you, is violating your rights, and you have to be able to have some recourse against the person, right?”

Matt Vadum, Epoch Times Supreme Court Reporter

Venezuelan Gangs and Aurora’s Public Safety Crisis

Start listening at 105:01 – Hour 2

Danielle Jurinsky, Aurora City Councilwoman, addresses the Venezuelan gang presence that has thrust her city into national headlines. Police officers came to her warning they would bury an officer if action was not taken. Jurinsky identifies nonprofits Papagayo and Live Wellness as organizations that placed migrants in Aurora properties, funded through Denver’s Emergency Migrant Response Resettlement Program.

The Tren de Aragua gang has been designated a transnational criminal organization, with Governor Greg Abbott announcing Texas crackdowns after a hotel takeover in El Paso. Jurinsky emphasizes this is not an Aurora problem but a border security crisis affecting the entire nation. Aurora declared itself not a sanctuary city, yet nonprofits receiving federal funds continue placing migrants there without local consent.

“You know, when I have police officers coming to me telling me that they’re not being heard, they’re not being heard in the chief’s office, one of us is going to get killed out here. You are going to bury a police officer, Danielle, if you don’t do something.”

Danielle Jurinsky, Aurora City Councilwoman