In this compelling episode, John Rush and Brittany Madney confront common misconceptions about Medicaid and discuss why it’s vital for government programs to avoid waste and fraud. From personal anecdotes to innovative policy insights, Brittany shares why reshaping public perception is critical for America’s financial future. Discover the essence of responsibility, opportunity, and the true meaning of freedom in this enlightening conversation.
SPEAKER 08 :
This is Rush to Reason.
SPEAKER 03 :
You are going to shut your damn yapper and listen for a change because I got you pegged, sweetheart. You want to take the easy way out because you’re scared. And you’re scared because if you try and fail, there’s only you to blame. Let me break this down for you. Life is scary. Get used to it. There are no magical fixes.
SPEAKER 08 :
With your host, John Rush.
SPEAKER 13 :
My advice to you is to do what your parents did. Get a job, sir. You haven’t made everybody equal. You’ve made them the same and there’s a big difference.
SPEAKER 14 :
Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You felt it your entire life. That there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there. It is this feeling that has brought you to me.
SPEAKER 10 :
Are you crazy? Am I? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind?
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s Rush to Reason with your host, John Rush, presented by Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning.
SPEAKER 15 :
And our number three, Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Thanks so much for tuning in. We appreciate it. Our next guest, Brittany Madney, joining us now. Brittany, welcome. How are you today?
SPEAKER 04 :
Thanks so much for having me, John. I appreciate the opportunity to chat with you about some pretty important things to your listeners.
SPEAKER 15 :
Absolutely. Executive Vice President of the Economic Policy Innovation Center. You’ve been a congressional aide, been on Capitol Hill for a long time. So talk to us about myth versus fact in the BBB.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. So the one big beautiful bill act was just enacted into law last month. This is a massive win. And I don’t just mean for President Trump and for Congress. I mean, for the American people, it is the first step to get us back on track for fiscal sustainability and responsibility. Right now, John, we’re thirty seven trillion dollars in debt. This is completely bonkers. I mean, that is just an amount that the average household can’t even comprehend. I certainly can’t comprehend that when I’m trying to sit at my kitchen table and think about my grocery bill and daycare costs and all of that. So the good news with the OB3, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is it’s starting to put us back on the path of sustainability. The bad news, John, is that there are a lot of myths out there. People are saying things like we’re cutting Medicaid for the needy. We’re cutting food stamps for the needy. No, no, no, no, no. What we are doing is reshaping these programs, getting them back to their intended purpose and making sure that they’re working for America’s most vulnerable while getting rid of all the waste, fraud and abuse.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, and I appreciate you saying that. We’ve talked about that quite a bit on our program here and have done several different interviews along these lines and so on. And the one thing that, to me, and you correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s the one thing that I feel like our side has got to do a better job of, and that’s the whole messaging on the bill and the advantages for Americans, everyday average Americans at the end of the day. I think we… Well, I’ll be blunt. We don’t message well enough sometimes on our side, and we’ve got to do a better job of that.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, you’re absolutely right. You’re hitting the nail on the head here. Here’s one area that I’ve been encouraging members of Congress to talk about more and help get the word out to their constituents. Yes, we are reforming the program, particularly because we cannot sustain all of this bloated spending and waste. But when you hear things like there are cuts to Medicaid, what I would encourage people to think about is the nuance there. There aren’t actual cuts in the spending. In fact, under OB3, spending is still growing. If you can believe it, it’s going to grow from $618 billion to in FY 2024 to $807 billion. I mean, that’s a 31% increase that is still happening in OB3 and only in Washington, D.C. would someone say a 31% increase is a cut.
SPEAKER 15 :
Right. Well, and I think, again, the messaging along those lines we need to be saying. We need to also be talking about how, you know, part of this bill is we want those that are able to go work and get a job to go do so. That’s not a cut to Medicaid. That’s actually making people go out and do things that they should be doing, which, by the way, means they would be contributing back into what they once were sucking away from. I mean, all sorts of things along those lines, Brittany, that we need to be communicating better because we’re not, you know, This misconception or this perception, I should say, which is a misconception that, you know, the grandmother that’s 85 years old and has to use a walker to get around is no longer going to get Medicaid. That’s just simply not the case, Brittany.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s absolutely not the case in no way, shape or form. And in fact, the reforms in this bill that are common sense, reasonable work requirements, those reforms are applied to people who can work. We’re talking about able-bodied, working-age adults. We’re not talking about poor kids. We’re not talking about the elderly who use Medicaid as a supplement to Medicare. We’re not talking about pregnant women. We’re not talking about the disabled. We’re talking about the 38-year-old guy who’s sitting on a computer in his parents’ basement not working. The work requirements in OB-3 are very specific.
SPEAKER 15 :
And then I’ve talked about this because here in Colorado, I’ve given this example. You can be a family that has even a dual income of almost $70,000 a year. And if your employer, by the way, offers you a plan, you can still decide whether you want to take that plan or actually stay on Medicaid if it ends up being cheaper, which it typically is at the end of the day. Meaning that… You don’t have to go on your employer’s plan because some of that might actually cost you some money at the end of the day. But keep in mind, this is a family making close to $70,000 a year here in Colorado. That’s the other thing that we’re eliminating, Brittany, which we should be, by the way.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, absolutely. And I think there’s an important part of this narrative that we’re generally missing out on as we talk about messaging. We shouldn’t want more people to be on the Medicaid. No, we should want them off of it. Thank you. Exactly. It’s not a good thing to have people dependent on the government. We want people to be self-sustaining. We want them to be able to contribute to the economy. It’s part of human dignity to be able to provide for yourself and your family. It’s not a win. I know some on the other side of the aisle think it’s great to have all these people added to the Medicaid rolls. That’s not good for humanity. It’s not.
SPEAKER 15 :
It’s not – there’s a great – this guy’s hilarious. It’s a guy on social media that I just occasionally help pop up in my feed. And he’s got a great explanation. And he’s an old guy like me, so he’s kind of crotchety. And he talks about how, you know, it’s funny that Department of Agriculture – You know, we’ve got them. They run all of our food stamp programs and so on. And, you know, to your point, it just continues to grow and grow and grow. And the Medicaid thing just continues to grow and grow and grow. And this is the Department of Agriculture, remember, that actually distributes and handles all of what we’re talking about. On the same token, we’ve got the Division of Wildlife or, you know, that end of things, if you would, that manages all of our parks and so on and puts signs up all over the place that talks about how you shouldn’t feed the animals because by doing so, you make them dependent upon us. Right. Why is that such a contradiction, Brittany?
SPEAKER 04 :
I wish I could give you the answer to that one, John. It just escapes all reason. At the end of the day, what we’re talking about is finding ways to make government programs as limited as possible.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yep.
SPEAKER 04 :
so that they’re helping those who are truly the most vulnerable, those who need support. But they shouldn’t be incentivizing people to depend on the federal taxpayers. That’s exactly right. It is just not the path forward. And by the way, we aren’t even addressing the fact that we’re putting the next generation in an even worse position by making all of these bad decisions.
SPEAKER 15 :
Absolutely. No, you are spot on. And again, we could talk what’s in this bill and what it’s going to do to help average Americans. Everything from… You know, the tax sides of things, to being able to deduct interest for buying cars, to on down the line we go, Brittany. There’s so many things inside of this. Again, we could talk for a while. Reality is we’ve got to communicate that better so that people don’t think at the end of the day they’re somehow getting shortchanged because the reality is they’re not. What we’re simply saying is those of you that have the ability to work and contribute and help out the economy, even those that are in need by doing so, you should be, rather than trying to figure out how do you game the system.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s it. I was speaking to a member of Congress earlier this week, in fact, over the weekend, and he was telling me that he was working with a constituent who has two disabled children on Medicaid. And this constituent, a mother, was very concerned that her children were going to be kicked off of Medicaid and not be able to get the care that they need. And the congressman was asking me, you know, what can we do to help make sure that the message is out there that that’s not the case? And I said, Congressman, this is exactly the perfect case. for us to talk about because it is the program’s intent to support that single mom and her two kids. The program should not be wasted. We have very limited resources. The program’s dollars should not be wasted somewhere else. It needs to be preserved for that mom and for those two kids who need the support. And not only are we talking about limited dollars, going to individuals who are on the program we’re also talking about a crowding out of the health care system when you have a situation where hospitals and doctors get a higher rate of return for caring for individuals like the 38 year old healthy man that’s who they’re going to prioritize The problems are rampant here. I mean, we even have a situation where blue states are gaming the system with the Medicaid provider tax and lining their pockets.
SPEAKER 15 :
We are one of those, by the way, Brittany. Colorado is very one of those you’re talking about. We do the same thing.
SPEAKER 04 :
And it’s so unfortunate because at the end of the day, the people who are losing out when that happens. are those that the program was intended to help. So restructuring the program like it’s happening in OB3, that’s the way to actually save the program. So we aren’t making cuts on OB3. In terms of the overall program, we are getting rid of what the average American would consider waste, fraud, and abuse, and making the program work for the people.
SPEAKER 15 :
And my feeling is, A, we need to communicate that better, and then at the end of the day, if you’re against that, there’s something wrong with you because you’re not looking at this correctly when it’s all said and done. But I also will agree, and I’ve said this over and over and over again, if there’s anything I’m critical for our side on is we have great ideas. We have got a lot of answers on how to make things better for the country, but the way we message that sucks.
SPEAKER 04 :
I couldn’t agree with you more. Listen, we have the right policies. We certainly have the data to back them up. That’s what our organization does. We’re numbers nerds in the weeds on this all day. But what we really need to be focusing on is explaining to the people why we are doing this.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, I can sit here and tell you we’re going to continue increasing spending on Medicaid 31% while still cutting out the waste. At the end of the day, what people care about is not the math in my spreadsheets. what they care about is how are you helping me? How are you making sure that my neighborhood is growing? How are you making sure that my community is being lifted up and lifting itself up instead of being tethered down to this government welfare mentality? How are you making sure that the poor child is being taken care of, that the disabled grandmother is cared for? And that’s what we’re doing.
SPEAKER 15 :
One key word here, an example that I, I’ve been a business owner for all of my adult life, and it’s something that I taught my own employees and still do to this day. I teach even the folks that I consult with this same thing, Brittany, and that is, and this is true for the American public, and this is something every single politician should be thinking about, and I think one side does. I’m not sure our side really understands this as well as I should, and that is every person has this word written across their forehead. with them what’s in it for me and every politician needs to realize that every voter has that written across their forehead because to your point they don’t care about the spreadsheet they don’t care about the math they don’t care about what we tell them what they want to know is what’s in it for me yeah that’s right and you know what in some ways that’s a very shallow call it is look at the world it is other ways i understand right in other ways it’s human nature
SPEAKER 04 :
And I’d argue to some extent that it’s not contradictory to the way the American spirit functions. We’re a very individualistic society. We believe in freedom. We believe in opportunity. We used to believe in self-responsibility. And I think at the end of the day, if we’re looking at what’s in it for me, could it be better to look at what’s good for the country? Yes. But I get where people are coming from with that. And the reason they feel that way is because they’ve been put in a position, particularly after four years of the Biden administration, where things were so difficult for so long. Inflation was high. Regulation was overburdening small businesses and shutting people down. You were locked in your house during COVID. All of these things are happening. Of course, people are naturally going to respond by saying, the government hurt me for so long. What are you going to do for me now?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, I mean, part of the message along those lines, too, Brittany, needs to be, and you said that a moment ago, is it is somewhat true that it’s the American way, although I would also add to that that the American way always has been, what can I do to help you? In other words, we have this mentality, especially on our side, of if I help someone else, that help is actually coming back to me as well. Being charitable and helping someone else always comes back. and helps me you know what goes around comes around and somehow britney that’s another message that we need to get out into the american public of listen don’t be so selfish yes i know you need to make sure that your needs are cared for but there’s this principle this law that i believe god put into place from the beginning of time whereby when you help others and you have that giving spirit it comes back to you as well we’ve got to get our folk in america back on track that way
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely the right way to think about things. We have to be looking at this from a way that puts forward good morals, good intentions, and really focuses us on the American dream. And that all comes down to a belief in freedom, a unified society, and a strong drive that is rooted in opportunity. That’s the thing about America that nobody else has. Nobody else gets it.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 04 :
The opportunity is there in America. All you have to do is chase it. That’s right. John, my father is from a third world country. He came here with a strong belief in the American dream. He came legally, I might add. He’s a proud American citizen. And he made sure that my sister and I had it drilled into us, that we had all the opportunity in the world. And that meant for us that we also were expected to give back. And that’s why both my sister and I ended up entering public service. It’s our goal to truly find ways to improve this American experiment.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and A, thank you for staying a little longer than what I anticipated. But I got one more thing I want to add just because you’re with us and this has been a great conversation. The other thing, I watched a video early this morning and it was basically talking about, I don’t know who this person was, but came up on my feed and he was talking about how, you know, the comparisons middle class, which this guy’s not middle class, but middle class of living in China and also middle class living in the U.S. And he complained the different sizes in the homes and the different structure and the way that mortgages are done and this, that, and the other. And I started… Not so much him, but I was reading some of the comments just to see what people would say. And I was shocked at how many people talked about how there are so many other places in the world that you can live and be free and that we as Americans have this misconception that we’re the only free country. And I’m thinking to myself, because we are. The reality is there’s a lot of other countries where. you’re not free including this particular gentleman that may be living both ways he must he could be living in china and be living in america but any given time when he’s in china if they decide all of a sudden that they’re not going to let him out guess what that could very easily happen nobody in the comments said anything along those lines britney my point is we have not messaged that well enough we are that bastion of freedom the only country left and we don’t promote it enough
SPEAKER 04 :
John, you are speaking to my soul right now. You are so passionate about this, and I hear that passion in your voice, and you should be. We should all be that passionate about it. It’s disheartening that you didn’t find someone talking about that in the comments. Not only could China stop you from leaving if they wanted to, roll back the tape three, four years ago, they did stop you.
SPEAKER 15 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 04 :
They wouldn’t let you. Okay? I mean, I’m sitting here being told by people that, you know, Gaza’s free, that Palestine is free, that China’s free, that things are cheaper and better in other places. And I’m wondering… Have you ever gone to these other places? Have you ever looked at these other places? Do you want to know why things are so quote-unquote cheap for the average family in China? Because it’s entirely subsidized by slave labor.
SPEAKER 15 :
That’s right. That’s exactly right.
SPEAKER 04 :
Slave labor. Absolutely. Okay? I mean, you want to talk about freedom.
SPEAKER 15 :
Brittany, that could be said in a lot of other countries as well. It’s not just China. What you just said can be said in a lot of places whereby you might be in those places. By the way, this is the other thing nobody mentioned in the comments. There’s not, in most cases, a middle class, a low middle and a high class. It’s typically low and high. There is no such thing as a middle class. Very, very few countries have a middle class.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s true. That is not only the case in terms of different countries, economies around the world. It is also the way that we think about things in America. You are, encouraged to move up you can be born wherever in the country you’re born in whatever circumstances to whatever family and you can find yourself leading the country you can find yourself innovating you can find yourself as the ceo of a company that’s right you can do so many things i mean look at me i just said i’m from a family where my father’s from pakistan of all places My mother is from a small rural town in Kentucky, and here I am working in the nation’s capital for over a decade doing my part. And I don’t say that because I want accolades. I say that because my parents deserve the accolades because they made the decision.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yep.
SPEAKER 04 :
to work their tails off and instill that same work ethic in me. And it wasn’t just to get ahead. It’s because they wanted me to value the American opportunity in front of me.
SPEAKER 15 :
Amen. Number one, that’s fantastic. Thank you. Thank your folks for that as well. There’s a lot of folks I think that could say the same thing. One of the people, every time you talk about that, one of the persons that always comes to the top of my mind is Dr. Ben Carson, looking at where he came from, from a single mom, Growing up really in the hood, quote unquote, and her not allowing them to think that way and have a whole different mentality and watch what he accomplished in his life. Your point is exactly spot on. You can still do anything in this country you want to.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s exactly the case. And I challenge you to find that anywhere else on the globe.
SPEAKER 15 :
Amen.
SPEAKER 04 :
Because you won’t.
SPEAKER 15 :
Amen. Brittany, this has been a joy. You’re welcome anytime, as you can tell. We speak very much the same language. How do folks find you at the Economic Policy Innovation Center?
SPEAKER 04 :
I’ve had such a blast with you, John. I’d love to come back. You can find me online at epicforamerica.org. All of our research is there. You can also find us on X at Epic for America.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right. I’ll put that in my notes. It will be up on our website a little bit later. And I appreciate it again. You are. You’re welcome anytime. So just let us know. We’d love to have you back, and I’ve enjoyed this greatly. I appreciate it very, very much.
SPEAKER 04 :
Back at you, John.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, Brittany, have a great night. And what a great joy, by the way. She is somebody that is, as you can tell, on fire trying to change things for all of us. And I appreciate her hard work very much. Speaking of hard work, Golden Eagle Financial. Al did a great interview here of late. Stay tuned. We’ll listen to that. I’ll come right back. That is Golden Eagle Financial. Find him at klzradio.com.
SPEAKER 09 :
TJ with KLZ. And again, I am with Al Smith from Golden Eagle Financial. Al, we talk a lot about how relational you are with your clients. Why don’t you take us through what an initial visit might look like, whether that’s in the office or over a Zoom call or whatever that is. What does that look and feel like for one of your clients?
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, first we kind of get to know one another a little bit, have a little bit of small talk. And once we move slightly beyond that, I often ask a question, what is your and your spouse’s greatest concerns as you move into toward retirement?
SPEAKER 09 :
What do you think people’s main fear is when they come to see you and how do you help to quell that with them?
SPEAKER 19 :
Many of the people who come in have been listening to me on the radio for years. And often there is some event that the reason they want to talk to me. Maybe they have concerns about taxes. It may be they’re concerned about the volatility of the stock market. And so by asking them about their concerns, we can zero in specifically. Because usually people have something on the back of their minds as the reason that they came in rather than having a cookie cutter form that I complete for everybody. I try and dive in more specifically to what is an individual or a couple’s primary concern that brought them in the office.
SPEAKER 09 :
We love that relational aspect and we love Al Smith from Golden Eagle Financial. Al, why don’t you tell folks how to get in touch with you for that meeting?
SPEAKER 19 :
Easy way, 303-744-1128. If you’re driving, you can reach me through KLZ. KLZ has all my contact information. And once you reach out to them, they will reach out to me and I will contact you by phone or email so that we can have that conversation, whether it’s on a Zoom or a long phone conversation or here at the office.
SPEAKER 09 :
Excellent, Al. Thanks for joining us. Of course, you can find Al on klzradio.com slash money. Al, thank you so much. Well, thank you, TJ.
SPEAKER 18 :
Look forward to our next conversation. We’ve often wondered why would anyone who lives in Colorado not have solar? The government pays for most of it, and having solar installed on your home means no power bill. After you get solar, you can buy an electric vehicle and never get your oil changed or stop at a gas station again. Most of the solar tax credits and rebates end in just a few months. If you want to get solar or backup power to your home, you need to get a copy of your power bill to Allen Davis before September 15th to decide for yourself. Call Allen Davis at 303-378-7537. That’s 303-378-7537. This is Rush to Reason on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Okay, I was scrolling through all sorts of different things. One of you, by the way, text messaged, and I always appreciate this, asked, with all the different things I have and all the content we put out from the four different shows that we have and so on, when do I sleep? I sleep. I have plenty of time to get other things done as well, manage time fairly well, and I don’t let time manage me. I do my best to manage it. We all have the same time per day, and you can talk to my wife along those lines. I’m just also one of those people that… You know, I rest and I take time for myself and all of that. But I’m also not somebody that just sits around and waits for things to happen. I’m one of those people that usually is going out and making things happen. I’ve pretty much been that way my whole life. But thank you, by the way, for that. And, yes, I get plenty of sleep, never fear, and have plenty of time to do other things as well. So I don’t just sit around and work constantly, even though I am very much a workaholic. So at any rate, as I was perusing for today’s show, I saw a Facebook post from some folks here in Colorado. I won’t name names, but there was a Facebook post that had this to say. And I’m going to respond to this whole diatribe because that’s really what this is. It says, I have a favorite ask, and it’s a strong one. Please scroll through your Democrats in hiding friends near and far and ask them. One, hey, what do you think about Secretary of State Jenna Griswold? I’ll come back and give you my answer to her in a moment. Then ask them to, hey, what do you think about Tina Peters? Then you’ll likely experience an annoying grumble by them. So ask them to post this meme. There was a particular meme up about this particular topic or any other in a way that publicly or what did you say? They in any way publicly supporting some of what she’s talking about, by the way. Oh, what did you say? They won’t. Yeah. Don’t say, of course, they won’t. It should say you don’t say, but it said yo don’t say. So ask yourself why. Then look at who they’re actively supporting and endorsing. Do you still see no mention about Griswold and Peters and certainly never these two words mentioned together, election integrity? Yeah, you don’t say. So ask yourself why. When election integrity is literally how, all caps, Colorado became blue, and it’s still a huge fundamental problem here, and not one single thing has changed, please note who is fighting. Okay, I might go in reverse here, but first things first, Jenna Griswold. We talk about Jenna a lot on this program because I think she’s one of the worst Secretary of States we’ve ever had. And I talk about it continually and I still will. That’s coming from me as a business owner, not even politically speaking. I’m just talking about how things have been run as secretary of state under her business wise and how things work or don’t work. This has nothing to do with politics. She’s awful. This isn’t even getting into the political side of things. Just as she handles things business-wide, it’s awful. So that in and of itself, I don’t like her because she doesn’t run the office very well at all. The website sucks, by the way. It doesn’t work half the time. You constantly have to put in and ask for a new password because it won’t realize what the last password was that you put in and changed and so on. I got a list of things I could go through on that and the things that I won’t because that’s really not for radio. It’s just my own personal angst against her. But politically speaking, I can’t stand her either. So she’s got a double whammy when it comes from me as far as that goes, and I’ve never once given her any kind of an accolade whatsoever. So that being said, let’s go to the last statement she said first. When election integrity is literally how Colorado became blue. No, and this was a lady, by the way. No, honey. No, honey, that’s not how it became blue. I hate to break the news to you that election integrity has nothing to do with why Colorado is blue today. Do you not live in Colorado? Do you not look at all of the transplants and the amount of people that we have had move here to see exactly the mindset of the majority of people that have come here? Are you that dunce, that dense? Are you a dunce and are you that dense that you haven’t looked around to see exactly the people that have moved to Colorado? This has nothing to do with election integrity. I’m all for it, by the way. I’m all for election integrity. I interview different people from time to time on that particular topic, how we can clean things up, how we clean up voter rolls, how we make things better, how we make sure people that are on the rolls shouldn’t be on the rolls or taken off of the rolls. On and on we go. Yes, I talk about those things greatly. It means a lot to me. Is that the reason why we’re losing in Colorado? No. No. It has nothing to do with it, by the way. I’ll be straight up honest. That doesn’t have an ounce to do with it. It comes down to the amount of voters that are in Colorado. Our approach as a party, Andy and I hit on that constantly, the reality that we struggle to really have good, solid candidates that run in especially blue or even purple districts whereby we might have a chance of winning, but then we stub our toe by running the wrong candidate, messaging the wrong things, and so on. I mean, I could talk the rest of this show and even all of tomorrow’s show about that one very topic, but bottom line is… Election integrity is not how Colorado became blue. Again, I said it a moment ago. It has nothing to do with it. And the reason I say that is I go back to even the last governor’s race that we had in 2022, I believe that would be. Right, Charlie? Yeah, 2022, because it’ll be 2026 is the next one. And I literally was only a percentage or two off. And Andy’s the election expert, by the way. He watches and knows this stuff even better than I do. And even I was closer on actual ending numbers when it came to where some of the candidates would end, especially the governor’s race. Than what even Andy was, because Andy thought it would be better than what actually was. So here’s my point. If I had the numbers picked as to the spread of loss that we were going to have on our side, then how did we have an election integrity issue? When I already picked it on the front side, knowing the demographics and the people in Colorado that vote. If I were wrong, then I might believe that there might be some election integrity issues in Colorado. And by the way, I’ve said this numerous times, even on the National Crawford Roundtable. Are there election integrity issues in every election? Absolutely. Men cheat. Men cheat. Have since the beginning of time. That’s never going to change, by the way. Now, we need to put as many things in place as we possibly can to keep election integrity at an all time high. But the men are going to cheat no matter what on both sides, by the way, not just one side, both sides. And we have examples on our side where there’s been cheating that’s been done. So let’s not forget that. OK, I’m not going to go down that path right now, but let’s let’s not forget that we’re not blameless either. OK, so yeah, but I want elections to be top notch. Absolutely. But to blame that on why Colorado is blue, you live in a cave. You’re a dunce. Sorry, you’re a dunce. I almost responded that way, but I’ll just talk about it on air. It’s easier. So let’s go back to really quick, you know, this whole let’s post about Jenna Griswold and Tina Peters. And if you don’t post something about both of them, then you’re basically a rhino. That’s got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. How does that qualify somebody as a rhino? Because they won’t post about either one of those. Furthermore, don’t ever don’t ever force someone to post anything. That’s blackmail. And again, you’re a dunce. You’re a dimwit. Sorry, but you are. If that’s what you really think, you’re a nitwit. And frankly, you should just stop posting. Quit while you’re ahead, because you’re showing your IQ by posting some of these things, literally. You’re not very bright. I mean, asking somebody to post something to prove their political allegiance, it has to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard in my entire life. So I don’t align with Jenna Griswold at all. I am on Tina Peter’s side, although I will go as far as to say this. Did Tina do some things I wouldn’t have done? Yes. She definitely did things I wouldn’t have done. Some of you look at her as having no fault. I don’t see it that way. Because, again, she did things I wouldn’t have done. I’m just being straight up honest, guys. And I haven’t talked a lot about Tina. I think Tina’s got a raw deal, 100%. She shouldn’t be where she’s at, no doubt about that. That one I will say all day long. But is Tina an angel? No, she’s not. As I said a moment ago, did she do things I wouldn’t have done? Yes, she did. Had I been in her role, I wouldn’t have done some of the things that she did. That’s just me. So you guys can get mad at me for saying that. You can be glad. You can do whatever you want to. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m going to say whatever I want to say anyways. You guys already know that. I don’t mince any words. But to tell me that if I don’t post about her and Jenna at the same time that I’m somehow now a rhino, that’s lunacy. You’re a wackadoodle. You should stop posting and you should not be a conservative with a Republican with an R next to your name, by the way, because you’re a wackadoodle. You’re not doing the party any good. You’re harming it. You’re helping us lose, by the way. You’re not helping us win. So going back to what caused Colorado to be blue, none of the things you’re talking about It was a shift culturally in the amount of people that moved here. I think we as Republicans and as conservatives kind of felt like, oh, they’re going to be on our side. As long as we show them our way, they’ll be on our side. Well, no, that’s not how it works because we don’t message well, as I just talked to our last guest about, and she agrees with me. She’s much more of an expert at that than I am. We don’t message well. We don’t share with people what they really should be looking at because we get so steadfast on some issues that we will not give that up that it turns people off. And we get on our high horse at times, and we think that our way is the only way, and I think it is, by the way, but the way we present that doesn’t work. We’re wrong in how we present it. And then we wonder why we lose that independent vote, which we drastically need in Colorado, because it makes up the majority of voters, period, on either side of the aisle. Both sides need that vote, by the way. Democrats need it. Our side needs it. The problem is the other side does a better job of going after that vote than we do. So if you really want to know why did we lose Colorado and why did it go blue? Because nobody liked being affiliated with either party. They became unaffiliated voters, not even independent Colorado. They’re called unaffiliated voters. So they became unaffiliated voters. And then our side forgot about them. Actually, as Andy says, we even went one step further. And I coined this phrase. We went on the front lawn and yelled, get off our lawn. when it came to open primaries and things like that. We literally have been yelling at those that are in the middle to stay away from us. We don’t like you. Instead of embracing them and trying to figure out how to bring them in to our side and into what we believe and vote on our side, we chased them off through various ways. That’s just one of them. So I can talk more about this. Andy and I might get into this a little bit more tomorrow. But bottom line, this has to be one of the stupidest posts I think I’ve ever seen. And if you know who you are that posted this, by the way, and I also know you listen to me, you should make a correction on your post and take it down because it’s a really stupid post. And it really shows the ignorance that you and our side have at times. 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SPEAKER 15 :
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SPEAKER 08 :
The best export we have is common sense. You’re listening to Rush to Reason.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Okay, this is a topic that, frankly, I think we could use on our side of the aisle to communicate with those that are that unaffiliated, as I spoke earlier, and talk to them civilly and have a nice conversation. And, by the way, not talking anything about Jenna Griswold or Tina Peters, because, frankly, I don’t think—I would venture to guess— Most of those unaffiliated voters, independent, whatever you want to call them, they probably know who Jenna Griswold is, but probably don’t care much about Secretary of State, even though it’s an important position. They don’t understand why it is. And I would venture to guess that most, unless they read a lot of news and watch the headlines and so on, probably don’t know who Tina is. And I’ll be straight up honest, probably don’t care about either one. So posting and or talking about either one of them and then going down the whole election integrity, you know, all of that, that’s not going to go anywhere with that unaffiliated voter. They don’t care. I’m being very honest, folks. They don’t care. But here’s something I think you could get them on board about, and that is that Tabor is undermined constantly. Because right now, most people don’t realize this, but I don’t even think we as conservatives do, that almost half of the Colorado budget is now exempt. I’ll repeat that. Almost half of the Colorado budget is exempt from Tabor. And that was not the intention of Tabor. The intention of Tabor was to keep spending capped so the Democrats couldn’t just do runaway spending and then increase taxes accordingly in doing so. And by the way, the way they have done this is… Because they do these state enterprises. That’s how they’ve gotten away with Tabor is they create a state enterprise where it’s, quote-unquote, collecting its own fees, its own taxes, because that’s what a fee is, and therefore it’s exempt from Tabor because it’s not coming under Tabor. The same rules that Tabor was set out to handle. So, again, as always, Democrats have have a way of getting around, you know, finding a back door, if you would, to get around something. And that’s exactly what they’ve done. So according to the Bell Policy Center, enterprise funds are state owned businesses, quote unquote, that provide goods or services in exchange for revenue. Examples include the state lottery. the Colorado Health Care Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise, Chase, and there’s many others. According to the Common Sense Institute, 46% of total state spending, about $5,264 per resident, was exempt from TABOR in 1996. By fiscal year 2024, 74% of the state’s revenue was now exempt from TABOR, over $9,000 per Coloradan. So the entire budget is well over half now exempt from TABOR. That 74 percent is the revenue coming in. That’s not necessarily a budget because there’s other budgeted money that comes from other things besides just state revenue. That’s why that 74 doesn’t match the nearly half, you know, almost 50 percent on exempt from TABOR. So in 2020, voters approved Prop 117, which requires voter approval to establish enterprises expected to generate more than $100 million in revenue within their first five years. Since then, the state has created 10 new enterprises, costing Coloradans more than $124 million. And again, the way they get around that is it’s expected to generate, not necessarily what it generates. That’s how they get around doing those enterprises without voter approval. The report also found that revenue from enterprise fees has grown from $742 million in 1994 to $26 billion in fiscal year 2024. That’s a 3,369% increase. Not a 3%, not a 30%, not a 300%, 3,369% increase. Colorado’s higher education enterprise, which includes most of the state’s public colleges and universities, have constantly brought in the most TABOR-exempt revenue, growing from $360 million to now $15 billion. So, again, that’s something that I think you could message to those independent, in the middle, unaffiliated, whatever you want to call them, voters. And talk about some of these things that the left is doing, because what we have seen time and time again in Colorado is while they vote for knucklehead politicians, they’re very conservative, fiscally speaking. Yet most of them have no idea this is what’s going on. And part of that’s because we’re too worried about, quote unquote, election integrity instead of talking about this. We’re too worried about putting Tina Peters and Jenna Griswold in some sort of a meme for social media. We’re more worried about that than talking about this. That, folks, is why we’re losing. The example I just gave is why we’re losing, because we get hyper-focused on one thing that you might care about, and great, good for you, but here’s the reality, no one else does. You and a select few in the party care, no one else does. The problem is, because of what’s happened inside of the party over the last couple of years with the Dave Williams cronies, they have collectively screwed things up along those lines and made those that are hyper-focused on that have even a larger platform than what they should have had in the first place. So we’ve got time really quick, Dan. I’ve got to run to a break here in a minute, but go ahead, Dan.
SPEAKER 06 :
Hey, can we do an IPO for the state of Colorado? That return on investment would be awesome.
SPEAKER 15 :
Geez, is that not a fact, Dan? Absolutely.
SPEAKER 06 :
I mean, think about it. If you run a business and you had a 3,000% increase. in that time frame, imagine how much, if you started just a business back in 94, imagine what size your business would be right now.
SPEAKER 15 :
Huge, Dan. And again, as I was stating, this is the kind of stuff we should be talking to the middle about, not Jenna Griswold and Tina Peters.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, there’s whatever, Griswold is termed out.
SPEAKER 15 :
Right. She can’t run again. Correct.
SPEAKER 06 :
So who cares? Thank you. We’ve got to care. We’ve got to get that back into conservative hands. But she’s a non-factor now.
SPEAKER 15 :
Thank you. Thank you, Dan. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 06 :
We need to concentrate on getting that seat back into conservative hands.
SPEAKER 15 :
Right.
SPEAKER 06 :
And then we can talk about election integrity and all that stuff.
SPEAKER 15 :
Correct.
SPEAKER 06 :
If we don’t win that seat, we’re always going to be complaining about election integrity in this state.
SPEAKER 15 :
Thank you. You’re right, Dan.
SPEAKER 1 :
100%.
SPEAKER 06 :
So we need to message getting that seat back and stop bemoaning whatever Griswold did. That’s right. It’s water under the bridge.
SPEAKER 15 :
You got it.
SPEAKER 1 :
100%.
SPEAKER 15 :
Good stuff, Dan. I appreciate that.
SPEAKER 06 :
I do an ITO.
SPEAKER 15 :
I love it. No, good idea. And I appreciate it, Dan. Thanks so much for that. Cub Creek Eating and Air Conditioning coming up next. And you heard from Hunter in the 3 o’clock hour. He’s about two days behind right now on calls. But give him a call if you’ve got any issues at all. He’ll get out as quickly as he can. klzradio.com is where you find him.
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SPEAKER 15 :
All right, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560 closing out the day. Thank you all, by the way, for your text messages and everything that you guys add to the show. I appreciate it greatly. Dan calling in a moment ago as well. Same to you. Appreciate that also. Yeah, Dan had a great idea. Should start an IPO for Colorado given the returns that we’ve had in some of these areas. Yeah, unfortunately. Can’t do that. And on top of that, right now, they’re going to try to figure out here in the legislative session they’ve got going on right now, emergency session, trying to figure out how to get the budget balanced because of the lack of funds that may now not be coming in because of the big, beautiful bill, which we opened up this hour talking about. And my feeling on that is, you know, you guys have had several years to get things figured out budget wise. You spend money like a bunch of drunken sailors. And the reality is you don’t know any control. So you need to figure this out. And this is on you, those of you that are on the left. This is not the conservative folks that are down at the Golden Dome. These are folks on the left that have just spent far more money than they needed to in the first place. And now there’s going to be a lack of revenue coming in. And in Colorado, we have to have a balanced budget because we can’t print money like the federal government does. So it’s that simple. We’ll see what the outcome of that is as time goes by. I’ll talk more about that. Don’t forget, Andy’s going to be with me tomorrow. Tomorrow, too, we’ve got a little special. We’re going to squeeze a movie review in that we were trying to do this last Friday, but Andy couldn’t make it all work. So we’ll squeeze that in tomorrow along with Jordan Goodman joining us at 3 o’clock. Have a great night, though. This is Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
