The Secret to American Freedom and Prosperity

On Wednesday, November 2, 2022, just days before the midterm elections, Kim Monson brings together three distinct voices to examine the forces shaping American communities. Paula Sarles of the USMC Memorial Foundation discusses Veterans Day commemorations, Douglas County School Board President Mike Peterson debates property tax increases, and banker Jay Davidson explains the monetary policies driving inflation.

Honoring Veterans at the Marine Memorial

Start listening at 15:59 – Hour 1

Paula Sarles, president of the USMC Memorial Foundation and a Vietnam-era Marine veteran, announces events honoring veterans at the Iwo Jima Memorial at 6th and Colfax. The foundation recently hosted Navy SEAL Commander Rourke Denver at a luncheon that included students, fulfilling their mission to educate the next generation about patriotism and Marine service.

Sarles describes the Saturday ceremony featuring active-duty Marines presenting colors for the first time, a flyover by the Rocky Mountain Renegades, and Master Gunnery Sergeant Stephen Gould as keynote speaker. The event will include a Toys for Tots drive and opportunities to meet Iwo Jima veterans from Cooper’s Troopers alongside Vietnam and Korea veterans. The foundation continues fundraising for a major remodel of the memorial.

“When I started this project, I asked him to help me, and he’s put people in my path, and I can’t even tell you, it’s just been absolutely amazing.”

Paula Sarles, President, USMC Memorial Foundation

Douglas County School Tax Debate

Start listening at 29:54 – Hour 1

Mike Peterson, president of the Douglas County School Board and decorated Navy flight officer, makes the case for ballot measures 5A and 5B. The mill levy override seeks $60 million annually to close a salary gap with neighboring districts, while the bond would fund three new neighborhood schools and maintain 111 existing buildings without raising current tax rates.

Kim Monson challenges the timing, noting Douglas County property owners already face a 40-50 percent reassessment increase. Peterson argues the school finance act provides the same per-pupil funding regardless of property values, with only the local-versus-state funding ratio changing. The debate exposes fundamental disagreements about PERA’s defined benefit structure, administrative growth versus instructional spending, and whether new taxes serve teachers or bureaucracy.

“Right now we’re at about 12%. Every other district in the Denver metro area is maxed out at 25%.”

Mike Peterson, President, Douglas County School Board

Inflation as Monetary Policy

Start listening at 70:23 – Hour 2

Jay Davidson, founder and CEO of First American State Bank, explains how quantitative easing created the conditions for hyperinflation. Since 2008, the Federal Reserve printed $9 trillion in excess money supply, expanding liquidity from roughly $19 trillion to $28 trillion. Every dollar above what the economy needs to function is inflationary by definition.

Davidson frames the constitutional republic as designed to protect individual sovereignty from democratic tyranny. He cites the founding fathers’ intentional exclusion of the word “democracy” from founding documents, arguing the Constitution exists to prevent majority rule from overriding individual rights. The solution to inflation requires stopping government spending and returning economic decisions to the private sector.

“The ultimate minority is the individual. And that’s what the founding fathers wanted to protect. That’s why I call it the sanctity of the individual.”

Jay Davidson, Founder and CEO, First American State Bank