Power Grid Vulnerabilities and Property Tax Reform Challenges

On July 31, 2023, Kim Monson opened with a Medal of Honor tribute to Private Paul J. Weidorfer before welcoming filmmaker David Tice to discuss America’s dangerously vulnerable power grid, followed by Douglas County GOP Chairman Steven Peck and County Assessor Toby Damisch breaking down Colorado’s looming property tax crisis and the deceptive Prop HH ballot measure.

America’s Power Grid Under Attack

Start listening at 29:47 – Hour 1

David Tice, creator of the documentary “Grid Down, Power Up,” sounds the alarm on America’s catastrophic infrastructure vulnerabilities. A congressionally mandated EMP Commission that operated for 17 years found that up to 90 percent of Americans could die if the power grid fails for an extended period. Tice explains that regulatory capture has left utilities with virtually no effective oversight, creating systemic vulnerabilities to electromagnetic pulse attacks, cyber intrusions, and physical sabotage.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm acknowledged on national television that foreign adversaries possess the capability to shut down America’s electrical grid. Chinese malware embedded in critical infrastructure and the 2013 Metcalf substation attack in Silicon Valley demonstrate the threat’s immediacy. FERC studies show that destroying as few as nine critical nodes could trigger a coast-to-coast blackout.

Despite unanimous Senate passage in Texas, utility lobbyists who have spent $1.2 billion on influence campaigns over a decade killed Senator Bob Hall’s protective legislation in the House. Tice brought actor Dennis Quaid to Austin to meet with Governor Abbott and state officials, yet special interests prevailed. The filmmaker urges citizens to pressure officials and visit griddownpowerup.com to take action before disaster strikes.

“Electricity is, frankly, even more important than water, because if you don’t have electricity, our domestic municipal water systems will not work, our wastewater systems will not work, and therefore this will turn into chaos quickly.”

David Tice, Filmmaker

Property Tax Crisis and Prop HH Deception

Start listening at 68:15 – Hour 2

Toby Damisch, Douglas County Assessor, breaks down why Colorado homeowners face historic property tax increases. All 64 county assessors reappraised properties using a June 30, 2022 valuation date, capturing the highest two-year residential real estate increase in Colorado history. Douglas County averaged a 48 percent jump, while mountain counties saw increases of 80 to 100 percent.

Prop HH offers a mere $35,000 reduction off assessed values while permanently surrendering TABOR refunds worth billions. When home values surge from $500,000 to $750,000, that token reduction vanishes into irrelevance. The Gallagher Amendment’s bipartisan repeal, championed by political operatives like Dick Wadhams and Josh Penry who received millions to sell the measure, removed the guardrails that had protected homeowners for decades.

Damisch warns that renters face a double hit: landlords will pass increased property taxes through to tenants, and all Coloradans lose TABOR refunds regardless of property ownership. School districts remain exempt from any requirement to reduce mill levies under Prop HH, ensuring education taxes climb regardless of the measure’s passage. Tax bills arrive in late January, conveniently after the November election.

“One of the worst things about it is they call it a property tax cut. And we’re facing, whether it passes or not, the largest property tax increase in the history of the state of Colorado.”

Toby Damisch, Douglas County Assessor

Grassroots Mobilization Against Tax Manipulation

Start listening at 76:20 – Hour 2

Steven Peck, Chairman of the Douglas County Republican Party, labels Prop HH the “highway to hell” and rallies listeners to defeat the measure. With Douglas County approaching 400,000 residents, Peck emphasizes that high-density development threatens the county’s conservative character unless citizens remain engaged.

Research from Magellan Strategies reveals that uninformed voters currently support Prop HH, but informed voters oppose it overwhelmingly. Peck announces a policy forum at the Parker Library on August 2nd featuring Ben Murray from the Independence Institute and Chrissy Burton Brown from Advance Colorado to educate voters. With nearly 100,000 registered Republicans in Douglas County, Peck stresses the party needs active participation beyond just voting.

Callers urge listeners to create homemade yard signs warning of the “highway to hell” and the multi-billion dollar tax increase. Damisch notes that most local taxing entities have de-Bruced from TABOR, meaning citizens must directly pressure metro districts, cities, and counties to voluntarily reduce mill levies rather than rely on constitutional protections.

“Douglas County is proudly Ruby Red and we want it to stay that way. I like to talk about Douglas County being the Florida of Colorado, because we want people that want small government that’s manageable and accountable.”

Steven Peck, Chairman, Douglas County GOP