In this episode, listeners are invited to explore the profound struggles between freedom and forced compliance in critical political contexts. Kim Munson, along with her guests, addresses the impact of current policies on American life, the utilization of safety clauses, and the necessity of preserving the core values of the country in an ever-changing world.
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It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
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I find that it takes work to get your brain around these ideas, and it takes work to engage in these conversations.
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The latest in politics and world affairs.
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With what is happening down at the Statehouse, I used to think that it was above my pay grade to read the legislation, and it’s not.
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Today’s current opinions and ideas.
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I see big danger in as much as we will be giving an unelected bureaucrat the power to make rules about what we inject into our bodies.
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Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
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Indeed. Let’s have a conversation. And welcome to the Kim Monson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. You’re each treasured. You’re valued. You have purpose. Today, strive for excellence. Take care of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body. My friends, we were made for this moment in history. Thank you to the team. That’s Producer Joe, Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa, and all the people here at Crawford Broadcasting. It is Thursday, Producer Joe, right? Right. Yes, ma’am. It is Thursday. Happy Thursday to you. And so and this is what day number four of the Trump administration. And my goodness gracious, there is a lot that’s going on out there. So we’ll talk about all that. Check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter there. You’ll get first look at our upcoming guests as well as our most recent essays. You can email me at Kim Monson. at kimMonson.com as well. And thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice. We search for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. And it’s not compassionate to take other people’s stuff, whether or not it’s their rights, their property, freedom, livelihood, opportunities, or lives via force. Force could be a weapon, policy, unpredictable and excessive taxation. Fear, coercion, government-induced inflation, the World Economic Forum’s agenda, which plays into all of this, all of it, the globalist elites agenda, United Nations, this Colorado state legislature that is on this extreme radical agenda. activist agenda with this colorado governor the world health organization which we are out of land use code zoning regulations force fees conservation easements national monument designations it looks like we’ve got at least one of those we can start to i guess i can take that off can’t i
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I believe you could. It’s such a great thing that we’re out of that.
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Yeah, we’re making progress. So we’ll stay on that. Remember, if something is a good idea, you should not have to use force to implement it. On the show, we focus on the issues, not over here and all this personalities, eighth grade girl fighting kind of stuff. We want to make sure that we are focusing on the issues and also on the goals of what we have. And what are those goals of America? that all men are created equal with these rights from God of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. And that’s what we are. That’s our North Star, and that’s what we need to work towards. Thank you to the Harris family for their goal sponsorship of the show. We are an independent voice, and what that means is that I purchased my airtime for both the Kim Monson Show and and America’s Veterans Stories, which gives us total independence on what we talk about on the show. And so it’s because of these great sponsors like the Harris family and also all the support from all of you. And we’re going to have something really exciting happening here in 2025. So stay tuned on that. The show does broadcast. Monday through Friday, 6 to 8 a.m. The first hour is rebroadcast 1 to 2 in the afternoon. Second hour, 10 to 11 at night. The show summaries are on the website. You just click on the image of that particular date. It’ll bring up a complete written summary of the show as well as the podcast. And then those podcasts can also be heard on Spotify and iTunes as well. Today, the 23rd, there is a lot that is going on. There’s two things. I’d love to be in two places at the same time, but I can’t. But your choices are this. Down in Pueblo at the Center for American Values, they’re having an On Values presentation. I think it is at capacity almost. And it is honoring the USS Pueblo, which was taken captive in the Vietnam War by the North Koreans. It was held for a year. And one of those prisoners that was on that ship, Bob Chica, is presenting down at the Center for American Values. And so you can check everything out at AmericanValueCenter.org. If you plan on attending, please let them know because they are getting close to capacity, I think, on that. And it doesn’t cost anything, but just please let them know. And then tonight is our legislative kickoff for the Colorado Union of Taxpayers. And that will be down at the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, which is at 290 East Spear. And there’s parking right next to the building. It’s well lit. And so we would love to have you join us. Tickets are $10. We’re going to be having a number of our legislators there. And we will be presenting our awards for our Colorado Union of Taxpayers Awards. 2024 awards and so we’d love to have you join us tickets are only $10 and and then also join us as a member there that’s only $25 and for $2.08 a month that’s what that works out to you will receive Hours and hours of analysis of what we are looking at down at the State House on all this different legislation. And you’ll be informed. You’ll know what’s going on down there. And again, it’s hours and hours of analysis. But I do want to say thank you to our taxpayer protectors. And that is on the Senate side, our warriors are State Senator Kevin Van Winkle, State Senator Mark Baisley, and state senator rod pelton congratulations to them and then over the house stephanie luck is our taxpayer champion and then representative ken de graff and representative scott bottoms are taxpayer guardians and then our 2024 colorado house taxpayer warriors are representative ron weinberg representative brandy bradley and representative don wilson And the Senate Minority Assistant Leader, or Assistant Minority Leader, Cleve Simpson, will be giving us some keynote remarks as well as our Minority House Leader, Rose Pugliese. And so 530 to 6, we will have Mix and Mingle. The program starts at 6. Again, it’s only $10. And we would love to have you join us. And this board that I get to work with on all of this is an amazing group of people. Again, volunteers who care about you, the taxpayer, which is all of us. And when you see them, say thank you to them. Steve Dorman, Greg Golianski, Russ Haas, Bill Hamill, Rob Knuth, John Nelson, Wendy Warner, Marty Nielsen, Ramey Johnson, Mary Jansen, Dave Evans, and Corey Ornerzorg. And again, you can buy your tickets and join us. Go to coloradotaxpayer.org. And the race is on on everything that is occurring out there. So our word of the day is audacious, and it’s spelled A-U-D-A-C-I-O-U-S, and it could be daring, spirited, or adventurous. It could be contending the restraints of law, religion, or decorum. It could be, let’s see, committed or with or proceedings from daring effrontery or contempt of the law. Now that’s interesting, morality or decorum. I like this first one. Daring, spirited, and adventurous. And I think that this is going to be an audacious time for the United States of America. But we have to roll up our sleeves. We have work to do here and now. In Colorado, I’ve been really thinking about this. One of the first things we have to do is get a handle on our voter rolls. There are mail-in ballots that are flying all over this state. And we have this lawsuit that we filed with the Wisconsin Center for Election Justice. Their legal team, that is in the legal back and forth. And then also we have the lawsuit that we raised the money for, all of you raised the money for, for both of these. And that is for the United Sovereign Americans and their lawsuit that Colorado’s elections are not meeting the minimum standards as set forth by Congress. So we’ve got standing, my friends, because of all of you, we’ve got standing. We’re in this legal back and forth right now. Stay tuned. I think something very exciting is going to happen. Marley Hornick, co-founder of United Sovereign Americans, is going to be on the show next week. We’ll get an update on that and try to get Peter scheduled as well with the Wisconsin Center for Election Justice. Our quote of the day is Samuel Adams. He was born in 1722. He died in 1803. He was an American statesman. political philosopher, founding father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and other founding documents, one of the architects of the principles of American republicanism, that shaped the political culture of the United States. He was the second cousin to his fellow founding father, President John Adams. He founded the Sons of Liberty. And he said this, it is in the interest of tyrants to reduce the people to ignorance and vice, for they cannot live in a country where virtue and knowledge prevail. And as we look at what has happened in our country, Ignorance and vice. And we’re going to have Kane on the show tomorrow. Gammy, one of our listeners, is watching this significantly. And this is this transgender activism, which is ultimately what it is doing is mutilating our children. It is cutting off breasts of young women and sex organs of young men and or if not doing that surgically, which they are, they’re using pharmaceuticals to do that. And Colorado is at the forefront of this movement. And so while we’re so excited at what is happening at the national level, we have so much work to do here. And so roll up your sleeves, we’re ready to do it. And again, that quote is, it is in the interest of tyrants to reduce the people to ignorance and vice, for they cannot live in any country where virtue and knowledge prevail and that is Samuel Adams and a great sponsor of the show and we will be talking with him a little bit later is Roger Mangan with the Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance team he’s been in business for 48 years and you are in business that long because you take good care of your clients takes great care of his family He gives back to the community. And I think he may be able to save you some money. You won’t know unless you give them a call. If you bundle your insurance together, you might be able to do that. So give them a call at 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, the Roger Mangan team is there.
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Focused and wise marketing is essential for your success, especially during tough economic times. If you love The Kim Monson Show, strive for excellence and understand the importance of engaging in the battle of ideas that is raging in America. Then talk with Kim about partnership, sponsorship opportunities. Email Kim at kimmonson.com. Kim focuses on creating relationships with individuals and businesses that are tops in their fields. So they are the trusted experts listeners turn to when looking for products or services. Kim personally endorses each of her sponsors. Again, reach out to Kim at KimMonson.com.
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And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter, and you can email me at Kim at KimMonson.com as well. Thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice. We search for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. And the show comes to you because of our sponsors, Hooters Restaurants. Great, just great lunch specials and great food. And those lunch specials are Monday through Friday. They have happy hour specials as well. And they have five locations, Loveland, Aurora, Lone Tree, Westminster, and Colorado Springs. And they have been great sponsors of both the Kim Monson Show and America’s Veterans Stories for quite some time. And I had mentioned the Center for American Values. That website is AmericanValueCenter.org, so be sure and check that out regarding their event this afternoon. And for our legislative kickoff for the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, that website is ColoradoTaxpayer.org. Let’s get into some of these headlines here. And the first one that I wanted to talk a little bit about, this was from CNN. And as I was really contemplating on this, the headline is flights canceled for refugees who were slated to travel to the United States. And it says these are refugees that were slated to come here after years long and often cumbersome process. had their flights canceled, according to a State Department memo, to resettlement partners obtained by CNN. Resettlement partners, that would be your NGOs, your non-governmental organizations that have been receiving tax money for this. Now, I served for Gosh, I think six years, a while, I’ll just say a while, on the board of Lutheran Family Services back in the 90s. And I joined the board because I had watched their adoption programs. I loved that. And so loved that they were adopting kids out, that they were giving options over abortion. I loved that. And then also helping seniors. And I love that, too. and helping refugees. And with refugees, I had in my mind the refugees back in the 40s and 50s, people that were being persecuted because of their Christian or Jewish faith and that they would come to America they would get a sponsor, and it would be maybe another family member, maybe it was a church. And what morphed into this was then like a Lutheran Family Services, where they were the sponsor to bring people over. Again, I’m thinking of Christian and Jewish refugees. But then the government got involved. And this would have been in the 90s. So this whole immigration thing has not been new. This has been occurring quite often. And so people would claim refugee status to get into the United States. And then there was government money that was going into these non-governmental organizations. And what they were doing instead of getting, and again, government money was being used. Some of the first things they did was get them on government assistance. And I’m thinking, well, gosh, in the old days, you had a couple of months, a wrench, you had a little bit of help and people hit the ground running and they built their lives. So all of this, I was becoming more and more uncomfortable with how this was coming down. And then when I understood the financials, and I think it was, again, this is from memory, out of a $14 million budget at the time, this was just for Lutheran Family Services in Colorado, that like $12 million of it was coming from government money, which then that was going to this whole refugee resettlement. And then I asked the question, I said, well, how are we assimilating? And are we teaching the Christian faith? And they said, well, we can’t really do that because government money is not involved with that. So this has been a pipeline for many, many years. So this memo from Donald Trump is suspending these refugee admissions and it, this is CNN again, marks another example of the swift impact his actions are already having. The move stands to affect thousands of refugees who had flights already scheduled. Now, I have to pay for my own flight when I fly someplace. And most Americans do. And our young people, I’m looking at Joe. These young people that are working and paying taxes and having to pay for their cell phones, having to pay for their rent, and yet we’re having people that are coming here. Both refugees would be legally, but I think – using the system I guess that’s the word I would want to use but then all those that we saw even at the southern border that wanted to come here illegally getting all this free stuff it’s not free stuff you can’t give free stuff something to somebody for free that you have taken you have to take it from somebody else Joe
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You’re absolutely right. And another thing that this immigration problem has shown me is you really can’t sift through the bad actors from the good actors if they’re acting well. And I think that is the biggest thing I have a problem with is like I do want to help the refugees. But at the end of the day, I can’t even help my grandmother. So why do I need to help them first before my grandmother? My grandmother is my main concern.
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Right. And so, yes, we take care of ourselves. We take care of our own. And and I think all of us have a heart for refugees. However, the system has been figured out how to be used, and it’s become really a refugee industrial complex. Just look at the numbers from the CNN report. Approximately 10,000 refugees had travel booked. 10,000, which is now canceled. And I think that this is pretty interesting what is happening with the Trump administration on that. So any other comments on that, Joe? But in concept, it’s a great idea. But then what happens is people get to a point where they use that system. They make money on it. That was the other thing is in these NGOs, these CEOs of these NGOs are making big bank.
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I was actually just about to bring up that point. The idea is great. I want to help my fellow people. That’s what I care about. But at the end of the day, we got to help the people that are here for a reason. They were born in America.
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live the american lifestyle that that’s the people i want to help first we got to close down everything and make it smaller yeah we have to lower taxes and if people have more money in their pocket then they will make decisions on which charities to give to and if they have a charity that is uh doing things that they don’t agree with then they won’t give money to them But if an NGO charity is doing things that you may not agree with, but yet they’re getting your tax money via the government, that’s a whole different thing. That’s not a free market. So let’s bring back the free market to all of that.
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I absolutely agree. The free market was the thing that showed in the 60s to work and grow from there. That is what brought us back from the sad times after World War II. Literally, that is the thing that created prosperity for America. So we do need to bring it back.
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We’re going to be getting that back, Joe. Here in Colorado, though, we’ve got our work cut out for us because this legislature and governor, when I say this legislature, those that are in control. That’s not their goals for that, but let’s lower property taxes. We have a lot of things to do. I didn’t mention the bill of the day yet, and that was House Bill 25-1026. It’s the repeal of copayment for Department of Corrections inmate health care. And the prime sponsors on this are both Democrats, Representative Michael Carter, Representative Lorena Garcia. And basically they’re saying that if you are in – THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AS AN INMATE THAT IF YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT AND YOU DON’T MAKE THAT APPOINTMENT, YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY THE FEE FOR NOT LETTING THEM KNOW. YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY CO-PAYMENTS. AND THE COLORADO UNION OF TAXPAYERS HAS NO POSITION ON THIS. THIS IS OUR RECOMMENDATION AND THIS IS WHAT WE SAID. WE SAID, FIRST OF ALL, THE BILL USES THE SAFETY CLAUSE. WE TALK ABOUT THAT ALL THE TIME. IT IS NOT AN EMERGENCY. that inmates would have to pay copayments and fees. So right off the bat, we don’t like that. And so we said this is not an emergency, therefore should be made available for voter review. Second, copays are common. Much of the general public must pay them. Why should inmates receive better treatment than law abiding citizens? No special privileges for inmates that are paid for by taxpayers.
SPEAKER 19 :
You’re absolutely right. And I hate that safety clause. I understand the reason it’s there is for the changing of times to compensate for that. But at the end of the day, it is such a sneaky way they use to just get around everything. I do not like it.
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It is, and I’ll probably talk about this other bill tomorrow on that. So join us, Colorado Union of Taxpayers. This is the kind of analysis and conversation that you can have, and you’ll know what’s going on. Let me just give you a quick rundown on the number of bills that have been… Now we’re at 179 bills that have been introduced here in Colorado. So you want to know what’s going on. Next headline that I wanted to hit here. And again, this is so important. This is from Fox News. The State Department blocks pride BLM flags from embassies and outposts with a one flag policy. This is also, I think, fantastic because the flag that you fly over your business or your embassy shows who your allegiance is to, and the allegiance to the United States of America and for all that it stands. The transgender flag or the, what is it, the pride flag, the pride flag, All that is celebrating carnal instincts. It’s not thinking about the things that we can do with our brains, the creativity and innovation. All it is celebrating is, first of all, carnal instincts and acts that are against nature’s law.
SPEAKER 19 :
Absolutely right. And I can get behind two flags, the state flag, like Colorado state flag, and the American flag. Those are the two main ones because that is our government. As soon as you’re showing off these other flags, you’re right. It shows an allegiance and then you got a question.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah. The Colorado flag, people like that. Right now, I’m not sure I can get behind it because of what’s happening down at the Statehouse, but this is interesting. They did have two notable exceptions, the prisoner of war missing an action flag and the wrongful detainees flag. And so those are the only exceptions to that. But I love the fact that we’re going to be focusing on Old Glory and all that she stands for.
SPEAKER 19 :
Absolutely. And, you know, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. There’s a reason those words were used for the Pledge of Allegiance. It is an important piece. We’re supposed to be united and not broken up like we are today.
SPEAKER 04 :
And my friends, that is from the voices or the voice of a 26 year old who has great hope for this this country. And that is producer Joe.
SPEAKER 19 :
Why, thank you. I see good things, but we’ve got to keep this battle up.
SPEAKER 04 :
We’ve got to do it. That is for sure. And we are engaging in this battle of ideas, and we get to do that because we have great sponsors. And she’s going to be in studio in the next hour. And that is award-winning realtor with Remax Alliance, Karen Levine.
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You’d like to get in touch with one of the sponsors of The Kim Monson Show, but you can’t remember their phone contact or website information. Find a full list of advertising partners on Kim’s website, kimmonson.com. That’s Kim, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. Sign up for our weekly email. You can email me at Kim at KimMonson.com as well. And thank you to all of you who support us. I am pleased to have on the line with me North Carolina realtor, and that is Lee Brown. And we wanted to get an update on what is happening in North Carolina with the Los Angeles fires. I think in a way, North Carolina… And the disaster in Lahaina has moved to the second page of many people’s memories, and we cannot let that happen. I think they’re all connected. Lee Brown, welcome to the show. Well, good morning, Kim. It’s a pleasure to be back with you again. Well, you’re working hard. Give us an update. What’s going on in your life?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, President Trump, his effect is already in action. Vice President Vance was in North Carolina yesterday. President will be here Friday to see what’s going on in North Carolina. So we’re very grateful that He is putting the spotlight back on the failures here that have really impacted people’s lives. And what we’re dealing with right now is of course, it is super cold. It’s one of our coldest winters in a long time. And we’ve still got people that are caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to housing. However, the proof of the Trump effect is that FEMA finally started providing some furnished apartments yesterday after four months and change of the storm. They’re finally getting people some housing that can extend a little longer. They’ve extended those that are on hotel vouchers. So there’s finally a sense of hope, which I think is really positive. And a friend asked me yesterday why I think that’s happening. And I said, well, I said, I don’t think the FEMA employees want to lose their jobs because they’re going to see the pathway here is either do things right or you’re going to lose your cushy little federal job. And the work here is That’s step one is getting people into warm housing. And, Kim, it’s just astonishing to me that we’re a first world country. This is the United States of America. And four months later, we’re still trying to get people into housing. That’s not even talking about the rebuild and the debris piles up and what we’re going to do about the FEMA overreach. And I’ve got a new problem I’m dealing with with the EPA that I haven’t made a video about yet because there’s only so many hours in the day. But Regardless, we’re all just grateful for steps in the right direction, and we’re grateful for the attention that people are still paying to this forgotten region.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and Lee, I’ve talked with a number of people about these different disasters. And one of the things they said is that we shouldn’t look to the government for help on this. And I guess that’s why you put together Patriot Relief Fund. But yet in disasters on the short term, we probably should. Or what do you say to that when people say that?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, we’re paying for it. I’ve been told my whole life as a very successful realtor, I pay a lot in taxes. As I think almost anybody is aware, I’m an independent contractor. That means I pay more than the average W-2 employee. And in America, it’s frustrating, but I’m grateful for the opportunity I have. That means that when I see the moment occur where my tax dollars have been earmarked, my tax dollars said they were going to take care of crisis, of borders, of National safety. That’s where I expect my dollars to go. Now, I totally agree that the community takes care of itself better. The churches are the center of community and used to be what they used to be the center. Now they’re coming back into that spot. Praise God. You’ve got. an opportunity to do things the right way. But why am I paying for it if I have to do it as well? So do I get a refund on my taxes? That’s what I’d like to have. I’ve been told my dollars pay for infrastructure and for roads and bridges. But on Friday, well, that’s not even a week ago, I was in the mountains doing some work and couldn’t get to this one spot that I was trying to survey because the roads are still out. So, yeah, as a taxpayer, I’m going to demand that the government do the job they’re supposed to do.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and we’ve seen these reports of billions of dollars that have gone to Ukraine. And then we hear the stories that there was $750 of relief that was offered to our citizens. Was that true?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, it was kind of offered because you had to have receipts to get the 750. So the reality of the 750, which was a slap in the face when Vice President Harris said, we’re going to give you $750. Here are some of the stipulations. You had to have proof that your power was out. This was in a region where we had. entire systems down, the poles gone, the landslides had taken out the actual infrastructure for power at the time, but they’re supposed to have a receipt that their power’s out, and then you had to have receipts of what you purchased with the 750. So there were a lot of people who said, forget this, and they didn’t even mess with it because They didn’t have all of that. And remember, too, these were all online forms. So if you had the receipt and if you had proof of your power being out, you also had to be the one lucky enough to have cell service or Internet service or a phone or a computer. And we had so many people whose lives were washed away. They didn’t have any of that. So the government set it up to fail. But I will say this, that the people of North Carolina, while we have been pretty irritated about the attention that California has gotten. We did see that at least there is some fair treatment because they offered the California people $770. So they there’s doing the same thing there. We, they say they’re going to help. They say they’re going to swoop in and then they make it a pittance while foreign powers get a blank check. Although I was personally delighted that president Trump did not allow Zelensky to come to the inaugural weekend. And that that bank account has finally closed. I just wish we could claw back all those dollars because as a as a hardworking business owner myself, I despise how our elected officials on both sides of the aisle have so carelessly treated our hard earned dollars.
SPEAKER 04 :
And that’s a really important. And then I really, this is, we’re talking about a disaster here and now, things that need to be done. But ultimately, I’d really like to see taxes, property taxes, all of those things come down so that people have more money in their pockets, that they make the decisions on where they’re going to help with charities and businesses. Because and when that happens, I think everything will become much more efficient. But you’ve seen really with a snap of the fingers, once Donald Trump was inaugurated, things change. Yes.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, we saw the director of FEMA. She resigned right quick. And all of us said good riddance to bad rubbish. And she was out. The interim director is a former special ops. He’s got family in Western North Carolina. And I am praying that I can get enough people to tell him to call me that I can share with him what I see as opportunities for improvement. Because as somebody who’s been down a lot of political and real estate pathways, I don’t think it’s fair to just complain. It is important to bring solutions forward. So I’m hoping to talk to him, but I’m very grateful that we have him. New leadership in a lot of different areas that seems to have a focus on action. I think if there’s anything we’ve all seen since Monday, it is nonstop action.
SPEAKER 04 :
So give us a boots on the ground. You said that were people still living in tents in this cold or were people in campers? What’s been that progression on people that have lost everything?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, there are still people in tents. And to be fair, some of the people that are in tents were in – Let’s just say they were tent-style living before the storm. So not everybody that’s in a tent is a family of four that lost their home. I’ll put it that way. It doesn’t mean they don’t deserve services, but there’s a different kind of services needed. Now, we still have people in their cars, and the people that are living in cars are for myriad reasons, one of which is that the FEMA hotel vouchers ran out on January 14th, And then FEMA announced on Twitter, excuse me, X, that they were extending them, but they didn’t tell the hotels or the recipients. So they got booted even while FEMA’s over here bragging that they’d extended the vouchers. So we had a breakdown in communication. We’re still getting those families into safe warm housing. And the camper situation, there are hundreds of people in campers, and that’s better than a tent. It’s better than living in your car. But the challenge of the campers is, is that a lot of the wonderful people who donated them donated them from areas where they were not winterized. So they are very cold. They’re very drafty. The pipes freeze in them because it’s single-digit temps in the mountains. And then you have the situation where they use up so much propane. And that’s why if you’re online, you see lines for propane miles long. That’s the people in campers that are just trying to – Keep it warm because those things will suck up some propane. My goodness. So there’s these are all the very temporary solutions. And again, I think people are very grateful for the outpouring for the for anything. They’re grateful that it’s better. But those are not long term answers. So my organization right now is pivoting into the longer term answers of repair and restoration so people can go home.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, and that is Patriot Relief Fund, correct? And that is PatriotReliefFund.com.
SPEAKER 09 :
And it’s the proof that American people, like you already said, Kim, they love to give and help out. And historically, Americans give at a higher rate than other countries. countries and other societies. So if the people have their tax dollars returned to them, they’re not wasteful. They’re going to take care of their communities and do good things. We’ve seen that forever. And I’m so grateful for the people all over the country who’ve donated because when they ask us what we’re doing with their dollars, I can send them photos. I had a trailer house yesterday that we got the siding fixed on. The siding had peeled off during the storm and this Young family was staying there because that’s their home. But the dollars that we were donated were able to take care of their side because they didn’t have insurance. They didn’t have excess money, but they didn’t want to leave. And so it’s important that we pour into our neighbors where they are with what they want. They didn’t want to move to a city and live in a. apartment somewhere. They wanted to stay in their single wide, in their community, and that’s what we made happen. Okay.
SPEAKER 04 :
And then the other thing is, I think that people need to realize is that people are rebuilding their homes, but there’s all these businesses and jobs that were lost, right? What’s that look like, Leigh?
SPEAKER 09 :
So we had last week the North Carolina bankers have their annual economic forecast forum. And this is where a lot of different businesses and trade associations and bankers come together to look at the picture in North Carolina. And before Helene, we had less than 100 jobless claims in the western North Carolina area. As of right now, we have over 4,000. That’s how extensive the jobless claims are. And as you know, that’s not all of the unemployed people. That’s the ones who filed for unemployment. There’s a lot of people with a high level of personal pride that will not lean on available resources unless they pretty much are under heavy duress. And that’s happened because Not only did our businesses flood out, we had so many of our businesses that went underwater, they’ve got to rebuild. Well, their employees don’t necessarily get paid during the rebuild. And then you have the service industries that, well, if you were doing lawn care and you were cleaning houses, you’ve lost a lot of your houses where you did the lawn care and the cleaning. That’s what I worry about, too, in California when you see these entire city blocks burned to dust. You’ve got not just the celebrities that are on TV getting some TV time. The people who work for those people, they’re going to have to relocate because it’ll be a long time before those jobs ever return. And so there’s just these cascading effects. But by the same token, our contractors, our well companies, our roofing companies, they are working beyond capacity right now. So we are seeing the signs of life that have to happen for the area to come back. But I just wish people would remember it’s not new dollars being created when somebody has to spend money to fix their flooded out living room. That’s dollars that they could have spent on something else, but now it’s having to be redirected. So it’s not new dollars. We’re just going to have to reallocate and keep things going. And we are asking people, if you can, to buy your birthday gifts and your anniversary gifts from small businesses out of the mountains. A lot of them have Etsy shops, and they’ve got online presences online. because they need the patronage to get back up and running again.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, I love that. And patriotrelieffund.com is where you can find all the great work that Lee Brown is doing. We’re going to go to break, and then I want to talk with her about her take on Donald Trump regarding making housing more affordable. And she’s a very successful realtor in North Carolina. She’s doing amazing work to help the people of North Carolina as well. And these are such important discussions. They happen because of our sponsors for everything mortgages. Reach out to Lorne Levy. He can help you in 49 of the 50 states, just not New York.
SPEAKER 02 :
The rise in interest rates is causing challenges and creating opportunities. For nearly 20 years, mortgage specialist with Polygon Financial Group, Loren Levy, has helped individuals realize their hopes and dreams of home ownership, fund kids’ educations through second mortgages, and access capital by utilizing reverse mortgages. Loren is not constrained to work with just one lender. He works with many different lenders. Licensed in 49 states, Lauren offers choices for your individual mortgage needs. Preparation leads to success. Call Lauren Levy at 303-880-8881 so that you are prepared for opportunity in the mortgage market. That’s Lauren Levy at 303-880-8881.
SPEAKER 17 :
All of Kim’s sponsors are an inclusive partnership with Kim and are not affiliated with or in partnership with KLZ or Crawford Broadcasting. If you would like to support the work of The Kim Monson Show and grow your business, contact Kim at her website, kimmonson.com. That’s kimmonson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
SPEAKER 16 :
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SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter, and you can email me at Kim at KimMonson.com as well. Thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice, and we search for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. And this year, make sure that you have in your repertoire of giving the USMC Memorial Foundation. It is so important. that we honor and remember those that have given their lives or been willing to give their lives for our liberty. And liberty is the responsible exercise of freedom. And the official Marine Memorial is right here in Colorado. And be sure and help them with that remodel and that facelift. You can do that by going to usmcmemorialfoundation.org. Lee Brown is on the line with me. She is a very successful realtor in North Carolina. She’s been very active locally, the state level, national level. regarding property rights home ownership and with the disaster in north carolina she has founded patriot relief fund which would be another great charity to give money to to help the people of north carolina and that is patriot relief fund god is it orger.com let me make sure.com Okay, Lee Brown, changing gears a little bit. Trump, one of the things he has said to all of his cabinet members, his administration, is we need to bring the cost of living down for Americans, and in particular in housing. And he had a memorandum to all of his heads of executive departments and agencies. What do you think about this memorandum? What is your ear to the ground telling you about this?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, it doesn’t actually do anything, but that’s OK, because this executive order, being one of the very first ones that the president signed, keeps housing at the forefront, which has to be a conversation because we’ve got this generation coming behind us, Kim, and a lot of them are really wishing they had a way into homeownership, but they feel very, feel a little hopeless about it. And so I think it’s going to give a lot of young people hope that homeownership is in their future. I will say that in the executive order, there’s mention of how there should be reform in zoning and regulations at the local level. That’s never going to happen from the federal level. So I just want all people to stay realistic about what is and isn’t possible from the top. But there is potential that since the government is so Well, I hate to say ruled, but we’re pretty much ruled by a bunch of bureaucrats right now. President Trump has promised to bring those agencies to heel, and if we can get the EPA and FEMA and these other agencies that add unnecessary rules to us, that will actually bring the cost of housing down, and it’s one of those effects that we should all be hopeful for. The Waters of the U.S. Act, which has really harmed Colorado, and I think a lot of your listeners who are in the building and developing space know this, If we can get the waters of the U.S. straightened out where the feds don’t have control over every single body of water, that will help us as well. I do think the American people are very responsible stewards. We have shown this in the history of our country. We don’t destroy our natural lands. We utilize it well. And if we can stop the overreach of government, it will bring the cost of housing down. So I’m hopeful. I’ll also say that his very strong actions on the illegal immigrant crisis that have been so well pointed right out of the gate. I love Tom Holman. What a great pick he is. If we take care of some of the illegals and get a couple million of these folks out of the country that don’t belong here, that’s also going to bring the cost of housing down because they’re part of the demand crisis.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. You don’t have 11 to 15 million people come into a country and not create more demand for housing or water, electricity, all of those things. And so you reduce demand and that should bring the price down as well. We’ve got a lot of work to do out here in Colorado. I’m so excited. I’ve talked to so many people. out there and in fact i did just want to give a shout out one of our listeners uh yvonne said that we’ve got a listener that’s uh listening in from baja california and mexico today so that’s pretty cool so i want to give a shout out to theresa for listening in on that but colorado is uh used to be in the at one of the leaders in economic growth in the country And we are really being governed by radical activists that have taken over the legislature and the governor’s office here. And we’ve moved down to 41st. in the nation in economic growth. And that’s because of all of these policies. So I’m so excited when I talk to my friends all over the country regarding the new things that’s happening at the federal level. But we here in Colorado have to roll up our sleeves. We’ve got to become involved at the local, county, and state level because the radical activists did not go to sleep. They did not go home. They are just doubling down, I think, at the state, local, and county level.
SPEAKER 09 :
Oh, I would absolutely agree. And you don’t have to look any further than the Minneapolis school board. I don’t know if you saw the expose on one of their school board members that came out yesterday. This woman hates the country. She hates the American flag, the American dream. And she got elected to a school board. And that might feel in Colorado like, well, that’s over in Minnesota. But we all know that those are warning shots because it can happen anywhere. When people aren’t engaged and they’re not voting very, very loudly during the primary season, but in school boards and in county commissions and city councils, that’s where smart conservatives and actually I consider myself a restorationist. I want the country restored. I want to see the Constitution treated like the beautiful. I mean, what a beautiful document and wonderful set of ideas that has given us so much over these years. Let’s bring that back. And it starts with how our local schools are handled. It starts with our county commissions and how we make decisions, our city councils, because those are the people that are going to either fight the state or go up to the state. And I want my local officials to take care of what the local constituents want, which it will eventually get up to D.C. We’re not there yet, but we’re making progress. And the people have spoken with a mandate to President Trump, and I do hope every engaged listener realizes that even if you’re in what’s considered a blue area, that area can change. And I’ll just say for the purposes of hopefulness, the city of Asheville, North Carolina, which is where the Biltmore House is, beautiful city, it’s right in the heart of the devastation of Helene. We’ve been calling it a blueberry in the tomato soup. It is very blue, very progressive. They passed their reparations. memorandum in the city that even the black residents didn’t want because it was ridiculous but that’s where antifa is headquartered and not many people know that antifa’s headquarters were in western north carolina Well, after the storm and with this disastrous government response, you’ve got that little blue city looking like the next set of elections are going to go fairly purple. And I will take purple over blue. That’s a step in the right direction. So don’t give up hope. Just remember that common sense does prevail, especially when we educate each other and we stay on point and stay focused and don’t get distracted by somebody else’s issues.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, and Lee Brown, thank you. Really appreciate it. That’s patriotrelieffund.com. You’re going to love the quote for the end of the show from Samuel Adams. He said this, it does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men. I bet you love that, yes?
SPEAKER 09 :
Oh, yes. I love that. I didn’t know that one, Kim. I’m stealing that.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s awesome. Thanks so much. We’ll talk again soon and keep up the amazing work. And my friends today, be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically, strive for high ideals, and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you. God bless America. Stay tuned for hour number two.
SPEAKER 07 :
Talking about freedom Talking about freedom I will fight
SPEAKER 15 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
SPEAKER 04 :
I find that it takes work to get your brain around these ideas, and it takes work to engage in these conversations.
SPEAKER 12 :
The latest in politics and world affairs.
SPEAKER 04 :
With what is happening down at the statehouse, I used to think that it was above my pay grade to read the legislation, and it’s not.
SPEAKER 12 :
Today’s current opinions and ideas.
SPEAKER 04 :
I see big danger in as much as we will be giving an unelected bureaucrat the power to make rules about what we inject into our bodies.
SPEAKER 12 :
Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
SPEAKER 04 :
indeed let’s have a conversation and welcome to our number two of the kim monson show thank you so much for joining us and listening you’re each treasured you’re valued you have purpose today strive for excellence take care of your heart your soul your mind and your body my friends we were made for this moment in history thank you to the team that’s producer joe luke rachel zach echo charlie mike theresa all the people here at crawford broadcasting uh i so appreciate you joe
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, thank you, Kim. I appreciate you and what you do every day.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, thank you. And in the first hour, we were talking about refugees. And you had commented on, first of all, you wanted to help your grandmother. And this came in. It was really nice to hear Joe, who is a young fellow, say that he wanted to take care of his grandmother. Some adults who are older don’t even think that way. Blessings to Joe.
SPEAKER 19 :
Oh, why, thank you. No, my grandmother has been a huge part of my life, and I will always make sure she’s taken care of, just like I would take care of my parents, just like I would take care of anybody. A radio show host?
SPEAKER 04 :
For America. How’s that? Well, and guests. Yeah, and guests. And that voice that you hear is Karen Levine. You know her. She is a great sponsor of the show. She’s a REMAX Alliance realtor and award-winning, and it’s great to have you here. Thank you. It’s great to be here. Two of my favorite people, and that other favorite person is Lorne Levy. He’s in everything mortgages in all 49 states, except I guess we have 50 states, just not New York, so 49.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, that’s right.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah. So great to have you here. We’re going to talk about Trump and what he’s doing and what you’re seeing in the real estate and the mortgage market. But let’s jump into some of the things that we we look at. As you know, let’s see. Our Web site is Kim Monson dot com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter there. You’ll get first look at our upcoming guests as well as our most recent essays. And you can email me at kim at kimmonson.com. I am struggling a little bit staying on top of those, my friends. But we’re working on it. Text line is 720-605-0647. And the show comes to you Monday through Friday, 6 to 8 a.m. The first hour is rebroadcast in the afternoon, 1 to 2. Second hour, 10 to 11 at night. And this is on all KLZ 560 platforms, KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM. the KLZ website and the KLZ app. You can find show summaries and podcasts at my website. Just click on the image of each day and that’ll bring all that up. And then you can also listen on the streaming services such as iTunes and Spotify. We look at these issues. We’re searching for truth and clarity by looking at them through this lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Something is a good idea. You should not have to force anything. people to do it. And let’s get over here to our word of the day. I like this word. I guess it kind of has two meanings. I love the first one. And that is audacious, which is daring, spirited, adventurous. And audacious is spelled A-U-D-A-C-I-O-U-S. And I think we’re moving into an audacious time for America. It’s exciting, Karen Levine.
SPEAKER 10 :
It is exciting. What are we? Three days, four days, four days, four days in. And there’s this feeling of hopefulness and people are excited. And I think we’re actually feeling safer about feeling proud of the decision the majority of the Americans made.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes. We talked about that yesterday. I’d done the comparison. Donald Trump got around 77 million votes this election, which was, I think, two million more than he got in 2020. And Kamala Harris, so he was 77 million. She was 75 million-ish, I think. But Joe Biden got 81 million. And I’m just wondering where the heck was that other 6 million? What happened to those 6 million Joe Biden voters? We’re going to continue to have that discussion. I think that’s pretty interesting. What do you think, Lorne Levy, day four here?
SPEAKER 14 :
I mean, I agree with Karen. I think people are excited to see what’s coming. In my world, not a lot has changed, which is okay. That’s how things work because they get anticipated kind of. Yeah. But I can just tell from talking to people that they feel different.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I think so, too. I still feel here in Colorado we have so much work to do. We’re at the tip of the spear. But I feel kind of a new rolling up our sleeves and going to work on all this. So let’s get through some of these other things. Samuel Adams is our quote of the day. He was born in 1722, died in 1803. He was an American statesman. He was one of our founding fathers. and a leader in the movement that became the American Revolution. I do think that we are in the third founding of our country, and we are in a historic time. But he said this, he said, it is in the interest of tyrants to reduce the people to ignorance and vice, for they cannot live in any country where virtue and knowledge prevail. And I think, Karen, I’ll go to you first. I think that we as Americans have gotten distracted, lazy on… the focus of where we needed to be, and Donald Trump has been pretty focused on what he’s going to make happen, and that is to make America or the American idea great again. Great again.
SPEAKER 10 :
Can you do me a favor and just repeat? That quote, because there was a piece in there that caused me to lighten up. So I just want to quote it correctly.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. It is in the interest of tyrants to reduce the people to ignorance and vice. Yes, that part. Okay.
SPEAKER 10 :
Ignorance and vice.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 10 :
That is exactly what we’ve been reduced to.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 10 :
And we’ve been reduced to ignorance through having media that lies to us. And so the media that tells us certain things to make us believe that is the reality. And so we become ignorant. And thank goodness for shows like yours, Kim, where hopefully you are unveiling truth. So that piece. And we become, the vice is we become divisive. And I think the comment Joe made in the first hour, which was, and you guys talked about the flag, We have all the flags, and flags cause divisiveness. Even though they all may have important parts in people’s lives, when you hang them all, then you’re not united.
SPEAKER 04 :
Good point. And so with this directive by Donald Trump and all embassies and government buildings that we will be flying the American flag, I think that’s great. So good point. And any comments on that, Lauren, at all? no i don’t it’s too early right now okay well i’ll give you a pass on that then our bill of the day and we talked about that in the first hour and this is uh again um if i could be in two places at the same time it would be great because there’s two great events that are occurring today first of all down in pueblo at the center for american values they’re having an on values presentation And the featured speaker is Bob Chica, who was a crewman on the USS Pueblo, which was taken captive during the Vietnam War by the North Koreans and held for over a year. And so they have the story of the USS Pueblo that they’re highlighting at the center, as well as this great event. If you want to attend, they’re getting close to capacity. It doesn’t cost anything, but let them know that you’re coming. That website is americanvaluecenter.org, americanvaluecenter.org. The other thing that is occurring, why I can’t be down in Pueblo, is the Colorado Union of Taxpayers is having their legislative kickoff. tonight and that will be at the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association and we will be honoring our our taxpayer protectors and I do want to give them a shout out again I did this in the first hour but it’s difficult down at the state house and these folks have done a really great job our 2024 Colorado Senate taxpayer warriors our state senator Kevin Van Winkle he is now accounting commissioner in Douglas County Senator Mark Baisley and Senator Rod Pelton. And then over on the House side, we have a Colorado taxpayer champion, Stephanie Luck. Good for her. And then two great taxpayer guardians, that is Representatives Kindergraf and Scott Bottoms. And then our taxpayer warriors that we are pleased to announce are Representative Ron Weinberg, Representative Brandi Bradley, and Representative Don Wilson. So we will be presenting them with these awards tonight. Our keynote speakers are Senate Assistant Minority Leader Cleve Simpson and House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese. Tickets are only 10 bucks. We’d love to have you join us and then also become a member of the Colorado Union of Taxpayers. It is only $25 and you’ll receive our hours and hours of analysis on many of these bills that are being presented And the things that we try to take a position on are things regarding taxes, property rights, school choice, and taper, protecting Colorado’s taxpayers’ bill of rights. And the team I work with on the board is Steve Dorman, Greg Golanski, Russ Haas, Bill Hamill, Rob Knuth, John Nelson, Wendy Warner, Marty Nielsen. Rigby Johnson, Mary Jansen, Dave Evans, and Corey Onizorg. And when you see these folks, say thank you. And you can get all that information at coloradotaxpayer.org. This show happens because of all of your support and these great sponsors. Another great sponsor is Roger Mangan, and he may be able to help you save some money. You won’t know unless you give them a call, make a complimentary appointment to see if you bundle your insurance together. That might happen. And so give them a call at the Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance Team.
SPEAKER 02 :
So I switched my insurance to the Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance Agency. Get this, I actually talked to Roger Mangan, who has been helping people with their insurance coverage in our community for 47 years. He helped me create a State Farm personalized price insurance plan for my home and auto and explained affordable options. For personalized service and peace of mind that you are working with a team that cares about you and your family, call Roger Mangin now at 303-795-8855. Kim highly recommends the Roger Mangin State Farm Insurance Team. Again, that number is 303-795-8855.
SPEAKER 01 :
With the limited number of homes in the Colorado Front Range market, Karen Levine can help you achieve your home buying or selling vision. Karen has the right connections, technology, and strategies to help you buy or sell your home or to purchase a new build. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed or want someone to take the wheel, or you just need a second opinion, you can rest assured that RE-MAX Realtor Karen Levine is the right agent for you. Call Karen Levine at 303-877-7516. Karen is the trusted professional who strives for excellence. That number is 303-877-7516.
SPEAKER 11 :
You’d like to get in touch with one of the sponsors of The Kim Monson Show, but you can’t remember their phone contact or website information. Find a full list of advertising partners on Kim’s website, kimmonson.com. That’s Kim, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
SPEAKER 04 :
Welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter. You can email me at Kim at KimMonson.com as well. Thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice. We search for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. In studio with me is Karen Levine. She is an award-winning writer. realtor with Remax Alliance, and Lauren Levy, who does everything mortgages in 49 of the 50 states, just not New York. So first thing, Karen Levine, we’ve talked about you helping people get into homes. In fact, I think last week you said you had a couple that got into a new starter home that you were able to help. But I have people close to me that you were able to help them navigate selling and buying a home. And I’ve always appreciated you, but I didn’t quite understand this whole group of experts that you have that are needed to make this transaction happen. Now, I do have a great listener. I have very smart listeners who said that he was able to buy and sell his home on his own, and that can happen. But a lot of people don’t take the time or have the time. the acumen to do that. And so that’s why what you do is pretty darn impressive.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, thank you very much. I think that the beauty of a free market is that if you have the bandwidth and feel like you have the knowledge to do the transaction yourself, I give you kudos. There’s a lot of obstacles. We have identified 86 points of turbulence that can occur in a real estate transaction. And I think what people forget is it’s the largest typically financial transaction that they make in their lives and that it occurs about every 10 to 15 years. And in my experience of over 35, I think somebody said it’s 37 now, years of experience.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s amazing because you’re only 39. I know. How did that happen? I was really young when I started.
SPEAKER 10 :
I think what I’ve seen happen is that the market is, changes I I keep checking out that the market changes not only on an annual basis but it can change quarterly monthly weekly and so my ears to the ground and knows what’s happening in the marketplace and then I have great partners like Lauren who understands the mortgage side and as you said a lot of other resources like painters and carpet flooring people and electricians and plumbers. And those resources come in handy when you need things done in a timely fashion to get a transaction closed successfully.
SPEAKER 04 :
And you had a big year last year.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you to all the listeners and all the people that supported my business. It was quite surprising that, yes, I ended up having an exceptionally good year. You were number one in your office. I was. As a single agent.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s pretty awesome.
SPEAKER 10 :
I think what was exciting is I had been a part of a team, as many of the listeners know, and I left that team August 1. And so the transactions, the volume that I did from January 1 to August, there was a big chunk taken out of those being part of a team. But the volume counted. And then I had, you know, from August to December to finish up the year. So it was a nice accomplishment. But as I have noted, when you do something as long as I’ve done it, you eventually can get all the awards. Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
I don’t think so. I don’t think so. So that’s really awesome. And Lauren Levy, what do you think about the Trump administration? You said over in the interest rate side, you don’t see a lot going on on that right now, right?
SPEAKER 14 :
No, because you and I talk about all the time the stock market’s been doing well, and it has been for a while, right? And it usually leads up to the news. And so we watch so closely the mortgage bond market and the treasury market. And treasuries have pulled back a little bit, which has been nice. They were darn near shooting up to 480 on a 10-year pretty close, and now they’re like 463. So they’ve pulled back a little bit, which is always helpful. But it’s going to be a bit before we see. I talk to people all day long and everyone’s got a different opinion as to whether or not rates will come back down and how far down and will they come down at all. And everybody’s got their own thing. But it’s I did. I understand what Trump is trying to do as far as housing. And I totally get that. And that’s that’s great. Hopefully we’ll lead to more inventory.
SPEAKER 04 :
So yes, so the realtor.com had in your referencing this piece. And before we get into that, Joe, I wanted to, you and I both during break realized this, that when Lee Brown was talking about North Carolina, and having to rebuild. Certainly that is creating demand there. But what she was describing, and Susan Kochevar texted me, that there couldn’t be a better example of the broken window theory is false. Lots of stuff got broken in North Carolina, and it’s not spurring economic growth. They’re just having to rebuild. So, she said, it blows a hole in the theory about war creating a good economy. North Carolina’s devastation is similar to war. So, it’s a rebuilding. It’s not a creation. And that was the difference between creating… creating wealth and then just having to replace wealth. And that broken window theory is something that I’ve gone over, Karen, with the young guys as we’ve gone through the book, Economics in One Easy Lesson, with producer Joe and producer Luke. And Henry Haslett has explained that. So I did want to just make sure that we talked about that. So thank you on that, Susan Kochavar. So let’s get over here to housing. Trump, and this was from Realtor.com, He said he wants to make housing more affordable. What’s your take on this? Have you been able to talk with a lot of folks about this yet, Karen Levine?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, not really, Kim, because you sent it yesterday. And I was occupied, you know, on Wednesdays. I have a commitment from 830 to 245. But with that said, I read part of the article, and I think – What President Trump is alluding to is a lot of different aspects of housing. And I think Lee Brown sort of touched on that a bit in the last hour, which is, first of all, we need to back off on policy. and we need to get regulation reduced and in doing that the cost of housing is going to go down we also need to get people back to work granted unemployment is at the lowest it has been for decades if And with that said, we don’t have workers to help bring costs down because projects are having to wait. So we’re not getting enough product out of the ground. And then we saw government subsidies going towards rental housing. which then spurred a thought in my head about Colorado and Denver City and County. And that mayor’s focus was getting people, homeless people, into housing, which took housing out of taxpayers’ ability to rent. Even though we’ve built plenty of rental properties in Colorado in the Front Range, we haven’t built ownership units yet. Here in Colorado, we’ve used the excuse of the construction defect legislation that has kept condominiums coming out of the ground because of the cost of insurance, etc.
SPEAKER 04 :
Prevented them from coming out of the ground.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, prevented them from coming out of the ground. And there is a sentiment, I think, at… our state house that that’s got to get turned around this year. So I think that both sides of the aisle. Do you think I believe? Yes. And that’s what we heard when we were doing candidate interviews. We the Realtor Association. So I think it’s a lot of different levels. But the fact that he understands and being a developer himself, he understands that if you get the cost of housing down, you do put more dollars to into taxpayers pockets, which means that generates a better, stronger economy.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and ways that I think we can reduce the cost of housing, Lorne, is just as Karen said, is to reduce rules, regulations. These zoning regulations have made it more difficult. They prevented housing from being built. We’ve got to get property taxes down. We’ve just seen such a skyrocket on that. And that’s really pinched people here in Colorado. So we’ve got work to do here in Colorado, Lorne.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, and there’s multiple components. I read that article you sent, and in my world, which I look at on the mortgage, I read it and I see something about mortgage rates and such, and there’s not much that a government can do to affect mortgage rates. It’s a market, and we talk about that. We touched on the Marshall Fire, right, when all those homes burned down in the Broomfield area. Those people went to rebuild, but they changed the regulations, and they had to use fire retardant stuff. Well, insurance companies only build back the house to the way it was. They don’t rebuild you a better home. They rebuild you what was there when it burned down. So if you change the regulations and it costs $100,000 more, those people don’t have insurance. So the regulation is really important as far as new homes and rebuilding homes. Like in California with these ones that have burned down, if they change the rules… But it doesn’t, I guess my point is when I bought a house in 2001, I had an eight and a quarter rate, much higher than we have today. Right. But that townhome at the time cost $210,000. That same townhome today is $525,000 when I look on Zillow.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, my gosh.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, you slap today’s rate on that, and that payment is more than double what I paid in 2001. So it’s not so much that rates are high. That’s a component of it. But the prices are so much higher compared to just, you know, that’s only 23 years ago. So it’s home to home. The payment’s double.
SPEAKER 04 :
But over 23 years, with this public policy that is limited, building new homes, then this is what you have. You bring more people in, and you have more demand, and you contract the supply. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that that’s going to occur.
SPEAKER 14 :
And that’s why on that article you sent out, the directive or the targeting is the cost of building the home and trying to reduce the regulation and the red tape and everything. versus trying to find a way to get rates down.
SPEAKER 10 :
Go ahead. No, I was just going to say, when you require new construction to install EV chargers in every garage and I choose not to have an electric vehicle, That’s a cost added to the house I want to purchase that is not something I want. And we have been built on an economy of choice and with regulation choice has been taken away from us and the cost has gone up.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right, and Colorado’s at the forefront of a lot of things that are occurring. Okay, let’s see. Before I, I don’t think I’ll bite off on this question too, because I don’t want to just blindside. Actually, I like to blindside Lauren all the time. It seems like I do that.
SPEAKER 08 :
Oh my.
SPEAKER 04 :
The final thoughts and what do you think about that quote and all these different things. And I am just so blessed to work with amazing people such as Karen Levine and Lauren Levy as our sponsors. And I was back and forth on a text with Jim May with Lavaca Meat Company, and he said that something that is so great is they immediately freeze that meat. And so it is just a really premium product. And, Karen, you had sent a gift of Lavaca Meat. I did. And great reviews, right?
SPEAKER 10 :
Great, great reviews. My pleasure. brother-in-law was astounded by the quality of the steak and the hamburgers and um they felt it was so delightful and it truly is the restaurant experience at home yes that it is that steakhouse experience at home lavaca meat company you can buy inside me i don’t
SPEAKER 16 :
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SPEAKER 02 :
The rise in interest rates is causing challenges and creating opportunities. For nearly 20 years, mortgage specialist with Polygon Financial Group, Lauren Levy, has helped individuals realize their hopes and dreams of home ownership, fund kids’ educations through second mortgages, and access capital by utilizing reverse mortgages. Lauren is not constrained to work with just one lender. He works with many different lenders. Licensed in 49 states, Lauren offers choices for your individual mortgage needs. Preparation leads to success. Call Lauren Levy at 303-880-8881 so that you are prepared for opportunity in the mortgage market. That’s Lauren Levy at 303-880-8881.
SPEAKER 18 :
Focused and wise marketing is essential for your success, especially during tough economic times. If you love The Kim Monson Show, strive for excellence and understand the importance of engaging in the battle of ideas that is raging in America. Then talk with Kim about partnership, sponsorship opportunities. Email Kim at kimmonson.com. Kim focuses on creating relationships with individuals and businesses that are tops in their fields, so they are the trusted experts listeners turn to when looking for products or services. Kim personally endorses each of her sponsors. Again, reach out to Kim at KimMonson.com.
SPEAKER 04 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter. You can email me at Kim at Kim Monson dot com as well. Thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice. We search for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Something’s a good idea. You should not have to force people to do it. And thank you to the Harris family for their goal sponsorship of the show. They’ve been great sponsors. We’re beginning our seventh year of solo broadcasting. Both of these sponsors that are in studio with me have been with me, well, Karen, before day one, and Lauren, just about from day one of these seven years, and I so thank you for that. So you watch the Federal Reserve, Lauren Levy, and I didn’t know this, and I think you didn’t know this, that there was a strategic plan that the Federal Reserve had for diversity, equity, and inclusion, DEI. Or as our listener, she actually calls it a diversity, inclusion, and equity, which is DI. Okay. But I had no idea that they would be focusing on that because I thought that monetary policy and inflation was their focus.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, I agree with you. And, you know, we just said off the air that at the end of the day, they have their independent, you know, from politics, supposedly. Right. But and they have their dual mandate, but they’re also a government agency paid with taxpayer dollars. And we’re coming off four years of the Biden administration where DEI was seemingly everywhere. So I don’t know how they could avoid it if they’re being told by the government, this is what you’re going to do as a government agency. I would like to think that the Fed is all about economists, number crunchers, and I would think that they would want to hire the smartest and perfect person for the job. What a novel idea. And so we’ll see going forward now with Trump in place if they unwind a lot of this stuff. Like a lot of companies are unwinding their DEI stuff. Right. But the government can say if you receive federal funds or grants or anything, this is how you’re going to do it. Yeah. And they kind of get forced. So we’ll see if some of this like Trump’s trying to get all the DEI people that have that on their business card. Basically terminated, right? And fired. And so we’ll see what happens at the Fed. I would like to think that nobody wants to be told who they have to hire just by DEI. Most people would want to hire the ideal candidate. But if you’re being told you can’t.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, but then what happens is we have this race to mediocrity or even more so race to the bottom. And as we’re looking back over our shoulder now at so many of these bureaucrats that were putting in such bad policy for our country. And the veil has really come off on these DEI hires, I think.
SPEAKER 14 :
I agree. I was listening to, I’ve told you guys before, you know, you can pick out what channel you watch. Most of the businesses I watch, I watch on mute because I just want the numbers at the bottom of the screen. But they had a guy on the other day, it’s been a little while, his whole purpose in life is to go to boards of companies and show them how DEI doesn’t work. And he’s an activist, so he will kind of bring his people with him. And it’s the opposite of what we’re used to seeing where, before is if you didn’t have DEI then they’ll protest in front of Chick-fil-A or they’ll protest in front of he’s the opposite he brings the people and if you don’t get rid of DEI Then us and our people will protest. So it’s pretty cool. And he’s like, we’re killing it. Like big companies are dropping their DEI stuff. And you can read about them, like major companies now. Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
And again, to hire somebody because of a descriptor, something outward versus they’re striving for excellence. Qualifications. Yeah, qualifications. How can they bring value to the organization? And you’re not doing anybody any favors by putting in these DEI hires. And, of course, Karen, I think that we’ve seen here in America that these DEI hires have just really not had, many of them have not had the best interest of people in mind. It’s really more of an agenda. And we’ve seen the effects of that. But it looks like we’re coming out of it.
SPEAKER 10 :
i i would agree i think um i we are i i believe those of us here in studio ex with the exception of joe we are of the generation that you worked hard and you proved your value and well and joe is many in his generation are doing that yes we’re saying that right we’re seeing that coming back but i think what happened and mediocrity. I think you made that comment about mediocrity. What happens is, is if you’re basing it on a DEI strategy, you’re not looking for the brightest and the best candidate for the position that you have in an organization, which should then gum down the productivity and the profitability of your company.
SPEAKER 14 :
Right. And these companies were under a lot of pressure.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 14 :
And so, you know, especially when you worry about protests and all this other stuff and it hurts your bottom line and sometimes you just give in to make it go away. That’s I mean, you’re seeing a ton of unwinding already just since the election. Yeah. Big companies like saying you guys are coming back to work or you’re not working here anymore. Like some of this at home stuff because they want to be able to see what you’re doing. You know, we’re paying you all this money. We want to see where what you’re doing and we want camaraderie and teamwork and we need you back in the office. And there’s big companies that I’ve read about lately. saying enough’s enough, get in here.
SPEAKER 04 :
And the, and we’ve talked about it on the show. What that is unveiling is that there are people that have moved and well, and this is on the federal level that people have moved out of the Metro area where they had their job. And some of these different different Metro areas have a pay bump. Uh, if you’re a federal employee, if you’re in some of these more expensive areas, which I’m not sure. I don’t think that’s a great idea. But anyway, but then these people have moved out of the area where they are getting that pay bump, implying they’re living there, moving to a more affordable area, keeping that pay bump. I was talking to a young person yesterday. That’s actually dishonest, Lauren.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, that’s fraud.
SPEAKER 04 :
It is, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 14 :
To the company.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and to the government. I was going to say, to me, the taxpayer.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
And so this is going to be real interesting to see what happens with all this.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, that’s what I find exciting. It’s fun to read about this. I’m calling it an unwinding of stuff. People will take stuff for free if you give it to them. And then you start taking it away and see how everybody reacts.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, so with this directive of back to work for federal workers, that’s going to be super interesting. Productivity, do you think productivity was thwarted with people working from home?
SPEAKER 14 :
I don’t know. It becomes an individual thing, right? I think probably at some level, I’m sure there’s people that are just good people that put in their time and realize they’re getting a wage to do something. But I’m sure there’s other people. There’s people that can do their job from anywhere. So maybe if they can combine a vacation and work on their computer on the beach and still get the same amount of work done. But I think what you lose is the teamwork aspect of things.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 14 :
And there’s only so much you can do on Zoom. Right. You know, and, you know, building a whole organization and you’re there in the fight with your coworkers, you know.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 14 :
I think a lot of that weakens companies, I think, if you don’t have some of that.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah. And so, Kieran, what’s your experience? What do you think about this getting people back into the office? I know a lot of people like the flexibility of home and office. Right.
SPEAKER 10 :
I think it’s a balance question, which it’s a balance question on a lot of different levels throughout society, which is, as Lauren said, I have friends that work incredibly diligently from home. But I also have others that I’m like, they are making quite a wage. And I saw them out walking their dog, then at the grocery store, then… And I’m thinking… wow, I don’t think that employer is getting what they’re paying for. So they’ve worked the system. And as Lauren said, if you can get something for free or you can get your job done or perceived done in less time and not have accountability, I’m sure it has hurt productivity. I remember the discussion we were having with mayoral candidates for Denver, and it was very important for the candidate we were supporting, which was kelly broff to get the city and county workers of denver back into the office because as lauren said they couldn’t collaborate on how to get permits out the door to get construction done well do you think that has caused problems in us getting houses built you think hello i would like to see the numbers on the amount of jigglers sold in the last several years compared to previous if you know what a jiggler is i don’t say what is that
SPEAKER 14 :
man you guys I know a jiggler and I have a friend that works for the FBI and I’m not sure if they were the ones that came up with it or not but it’s primary use if you’re in the FBI is when you have a crime and you confiscate someone’s computer and you finally crack it to open it with the code and whatever so you can see what a criminal’s been looking at a jiggler makes it so it doesn’t fall asleep when they go home it makes the computer think you’re working so the FBI agent can go home and go to sleep and come back and not have to crack it again OK. You know, so it doesn’t go to bed. So I have friends that work from home and it’s just a little plug in into the HDMI port. You can order on Amazon for like 15 bucks.
SPEAKER 20 :
OK.
SPEAKER 14 :
And it tricks your computer to think you’re still working.
SPEAKER 20 :
OK.
SPEAKER 14 :
So if so, a lot of my wife used to have a job where on the upper right hand corner of her laptop was a traffic light, red, green, yellow. So if she was typing away, it was green. If she stopped for a minute or two, it would turn yellow. And if it had been three, four minutes, it would turn red. Big Brother corporate could see if her computer was red and know she wasn’t working. So you get a jiggler, which tricks the computer to keep it in the light green the whole time. Just go to Amazon and do computer jiggler.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, I’m going to look. They’re everywhere.
SPEAKER 14 :
So I have a ton of buddies that work from home. They put in their jiggler and they go to the gym. So the question is, on productivity, are they just productive enough to hit their numbers? And if they’re in an office, would they keep working, knowing that someone’s around that could jump in their office and see if they’re there or not and make better numbers? Okay. Be quoted by more.
SPEAKER 04 :
The other thing about in the office, though, is and I love it when I’m in studio and I love talking with everybody. But it ends up there’s a lot of conversations that I’m then not as productive. But there is the camaraderie, Karen.
SPEAKER 10 :
Right. Well, and that was sort of what spurred a thought in my mind is that. coffee you know we used you know the time at the coffee machine you’d all gather to get the water cooler conversation there was value there but there was also wasted productivity potentially right and i look at some of um the people in my office and we have several other companies in our building other than um the real estate brokerage company and i’m like I swear that woman has gone down for coffee now for the fifth time today.
SPEAKER 08 :
Or smoke breaks.
SPEAKER 10 :
Exactly. And so I think, again, there’s this balance. There’s this balance. There’s certain types of employment that are ideal to be done at home with people. you know, checks and balances. And there are other jobs that are ideal to be done in an office. I personally, during COVID, went to the office every day because I personally am more productive in an office setting than I am at home because I get distracted at home. So I think, again, having choice is a good thing.
SPEAKER 04 :
It is, and I did a quick search now. Computer Jiggler on Amazon, the Tech 8 USA mouse mover device, undetectable mouse, $29.98. That’s expensive. That’s a Cadillac. Cloud Deck Mouse Jiggler, undetectable for computer, USB $13.99. There you go. Oh, interesting. We always learn something new.
SPEAKER 10 :
Depending on where you’re taking the conversation, I did have a thought about affordability and the other component. You touched on taxes. The other piece that is really, really hurting, especially Coloradoans and probably the majority of the nation will start to feel it as well, is insurance. And Lorne made the comment about the fires, the Marshall fires, and those homes had many of those, if not all of those people had home insurance, hazard insurance, but they couldn’t rebuild their home as it had been because of regulation. But personally, our insurance got canceled on two of our investment properties.
SPEAKER 04 :
Just recently? Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER 10 :
We’ve had no claims in six years or more. And they canceled us because this particular insurance company doesn’t want to do business in Colorado anymore.
SPEAKER 14 :
That’s what happened to all those people in the Pacific Palisades, right? Especially one that they keep picking on State Farm that had come through maybe nine months earlier and canceled tons of policies.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I want to talk with Roger Mangan about that. So with Roger, normally what we do is we pre-record those very informative, you know, his time on Monday. And so we are going to be doing those pre-records today, which we’ll be rolling out these next Mondays. And I really want to get his read on it. But you want to make sure that your insurance company is solvent. And so he and I had talked about this. It’s called the FAIR Act, and it moved insurance over to government. And I guess they were doing that here in Colorado and in California. I want to talk with him about that. But there’s no way that government can take all of that on. So it’s going to be interesting.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, again— Kim, you take away the free market. If the government controls your insurance, the cost is going to be more. We know that with health insurance. And you don’t have competition. And if competition is leaving your marketplace, it’s affecting the cost because I maybe had five choices and now I only have two. Those type of things. So my hope would be that we would see some of the actions that President Trump says is the encouragement of bringing free market back to The insurance industry. Yeah, marketplaces. And we also know, as my insurance agent has told me, is that it wasn’t the Marshall Fire that caused our costs and hailstorms.
SPEAKER 04 :
We have a lot of hailstorms here.
SPEAKER 10 :
know two three hurricanes and fires in california because that um is spread across those companies because they’re national companies and so the cost is going to then get shared by all but if you have more people in the marketplace you create more competition and i think yeah we got to accept that we’re going to have natural disasters
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, to Karen’s point, I’m having to recalibrate everything I do on a loan because the days of when someone would come to me and they get pre-qualified and I’d say, okay, you’re buying an $800,000 house, that’s probably about a $3,500 insurance policy. I would estimate $300 a month on their payment to qualify them. I have a loan closing today in Texas. They got two quotes, $8,900 and $9,500. I about fell out of my chair. They still qualified, but it was way more than what I was expecting. And they shopped it.
SPEAKER 10 :
And they’re in the middle of nowhere. Nowhere. Mine just renewed. And my house is valued under seven. So my house just renewed at $4,800. And she told me, we are not going to go shop because it’s going to be worse.
SPEAKER 14 :
So when I qualify people, I’m having to be like, we’ve got to really bump this number here.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 10 :
Sorry for that sidetrack.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, yes, and that squeezes that first-time homeowner. So, yeah, we’ve got a lot of work to do. And these disasters, yeah, we’ve got a lot of work to do. Important discussions that we have, and it came in on the text line when we come back. Apparently, in this plan of Trump’s, a 40-year… And they want to know what you had to think about that. So when we come back, we’ll talk about that with Lauren Levy and Karen Levine. And did want to make sure that this year on your giving, make sure you have the USMC Memorial Foundation as part of that repertoire. They are raising the money for that remodel. And that memorial is right here in Colorado. We need to honor those that have given their lives, have been willing to give their lives for our liberty. And so be sure and do that. USMCMemorialFoundation.org. And if you’ve been injured or if you think you’ve been injured by Ozempic or any of those sister pharmaceuticals, reach out to John Bosen at Bosen Law.
SPEAKER 13 :
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SPEAKER 17 :
All of Kim’s sponsors are an inclusive partnership with Kim and are not affiliated with or in partnership with KLZ or Crawford Broadcasting. If you would like to support the work of The Kim Monson Show and grow your business, contact Kim at her website, kimmonson.com. That’s kimmonson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
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SPEAKER 04 :
Welcome back to the Kim Monson Show. Check out our website. That’s Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter. You can email me at Kim at KimMonson.com as well. Thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice. We search for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Something’s a good idea. You should not have to force people to do it. In studio with me is RE-MAX realtor Karen Levine. That number is what? 303-877-7516.
SPEAKER 10 :
So…
SPEAKER 04 :
new to buy a home sell a home new build all those things and lauren levy what’s that number for everything mortgages 303-880-8881 so lauren in this plan that trump uh his wants to make housing more affordable there’s this um talk of a 40-year mortgage what’s your thoughts about that
SPEAKER 14 :
That’d be great. I’m totally open. The 40-year mortgage is the thing they tried to come out with last time, like the crash of 08. But the thing to remember is that, you know, first of all, whenever I call into the U.S., talk about this 10-year treasury ad nauseum, right? The reason that the 10-year treasury is so important versus a 30-year fixed mortgage is most people don’t stay in their homes that long. And Karen talked about people turn over. It’s the biggest purchase or sale you ever make every 10 to 15 years. So most people move or refinance or do something every 10 or 15 years. So that’s why mortgage rates are tied to the 10-year note versus even though they’re typically a 30-year mortgage. The 30-year mortgage is a thing that’s just been around forever, and that’s it. It’s just been around forever. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, so why couldn’t it be a 40-year? But for the fact that the people that make the rules and that insure mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, haven’t adopted it. It’s just a 30-year fix, 15-year fix, 10-year, 20-year, 25. They haven’t had a 40. So if Trump’s administration decides to have them go to a 40, it’ll happen. And that’s fine. And we’ll just get used to it. And it’ll bring payments down.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, that’s my question. It’ll bring payments down.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, it’ll be similar rates, but you’re just amortizing over 480 payments instead of 360 payments, the same amount of dollars. So you’re just getting 10 more years to make the payments, another extra 120 months. And if you’re going to stay in your house and pay it off eventually, who cares, right? You’ll just stay. It’s kind of like if you look at auto loans. For the longest time, auto loans were five years, right? Never longer than five years. Now there are six, seven years. Seven is about the longest I’ve seen, 84 months, because cars got more expensive. They wanted to sell cars. People that lend money to sell cars were like, well, people can’t afford these payments over 60 months. What if we stretched that out a little bit more? But the banks control those. They can do it. They don’t need government intervention. To go to a 40-year, if it’s just offered on a small scale by some of these boutique niche lenders, it doesn’t take hold. It needs to be through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And if they introduce it and release it, it’ll be norm.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 14 :
And it’ll be fine.
SPEAKER 04 :
Karen, your thoughts?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, what’s interesting is that the conversation during the Biden administration was getting rid of the 30-year mortgage. And that’s what’s built America down. you can’t get 30 year mortgage outside of the United States of America. If you go to Canada, it’s a 10 year is my understanding. And so that’s how we’ve been able to build wealth and home ownership in America is with a 30 year mortgage. When I got in the industry and rates were high, Lauren, there was a company Amundsen and they did a 40 year mortgage, but they were a private, private equity. They just couldn’t sell it to Fannie. They couldn’t sell it to Fannie. Oh, they did it. Okay, got it. So it was privately held, and it was a 40-year mortgage, and they utilized adjustable rates. And then they fit a marketplace. They provided choice. They provided options for people. But what happened was they got people into loans that maybe didn’t understand the ups and downs, right? And with an adjustable rate mortgage, you have to have a lot more financial acumen to understand how it works. And It had what was called negative amortization, which meant that the principal balance kept growing if you didn’t make so much of a payment. So with that said, it was a good product for a period of time in the market. And then that’s where government overreach came in and said, we’re not going to let you do those kind of things anymore. But I think we’ve seen it practiced and that it has had a place in the market. Okay.
SPEAKER 04 :
We have just a couple of minutes left, but you said Biden wanted to get rid of the 30-year mortgage.
SPEAKER 10 :
And I don’t want to accuse him, but that was the conversation, and Lauren could probably speak to that better than I, but that was the conversation we were hearing at the Realtor Association was getting away, getting rid of 30-year mortgages. And if you did that, homeownership in America probably would –
SPEAKER 14 :
be much less than it is and you think and i was gonna say and then you want to see what the value of homes would be and it would be the rich and the poor so the o biden harris administration was kicking that idea around yes ma’am had you heard that as well yeah and i hear a lot of things like that and i only worry about them when they become a thing right people say a lot of things um I don’t know how you get rid of a 30-year mortgage and expect anybody to buy a house because people ask me all the time, tell me what happens if I do a 15-year loan. I say, well, your payment goes from $2,400 to $3,800. That’s a big deal. So my answer is I’ll put you in a 30-year and I’ll give you the amortization schedule of a 15-year. If you can afford to pay it at this pace, you’ll pay it off in 15 years. But if you have a bad month… or an unexpected hot water heater explosion, make this lower payment and you’ll still be covered and you’ll be fine.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 14 :
You know, but if we get rid of the 30 and just force a 15 on everybody, the affordability is going to drop like a rock. Wow, that would create… People won’t be able to afford the payments, so the housing prices will have to drop a ton.
SPEAKER 03 :
Gosh, and you could see then… But a 40-year would have the opposite effect.
SPEAKER 14 :
It would string payments out longer and make them lower.
SPEAKER 10 :
And make it more affordable.
SPEAKER 14 :
And make the payment more affordable, and that would help a whole new world of buyers. And the question is, do we get in bidding wars again?
SPEAKER 04 :
And the price goes… Well, we have to then also make sure that we build more homes, too.
SPEAKER 10 :
I was going to say, we’ve got to make sure the inventory is there to sell.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yep.
SPEAKER 04 :
We’re out of time. Lorne Levy, Everything Mortgages. What’s that number? 303-880-8881. And Karen Levine for everything residential real estate.
SPEAKER 10 :
Residential real estate. Buying, selling, build new. I think you’re saying new builds. Yes. 303-877-7516. Great having you here.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you. Thank you. Our quote for the end of the show is Samuel Adams. He says this. It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men. So my friends today, be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically, strive for high ideals, and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you. God bless America. We’ll talk to you tomorrow.
SPEAKER 07 :
To live a free life To live in freedom Talking about freedom
SPEAKER 06 :
I will fight for the right to live in freedom.
SPEAKER 15 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
