This episode of Rush to Reason blends reflection, political analysis, and cultural critique as John Rush takes listeners from the meaning of Christmas into the realities shaping Colorado and the nation. He opens by challenging whether we value fleeting gifts or lasting experiences, then pivots to a blunt assessment of Colorado’s crowded GOP gubernatorial field. With more than 20 candidates in the race, John warns that infighting, ego, and lack of early unity could once again cost conservatives a winnable election. He also examines signs of a cooling Colorado economy, pointing to regulatory pressure and energy policies he says
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This is Rush to Reason.
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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.
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With your host, John Rush.
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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.
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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’ve 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.
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Are you crazy? Am I? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind?
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It’s Rush to Reason with your host, John Rush. Presented by Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning.
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All right, welcome. Rush to Reads, Endeavor’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Happy Monday, start of another week as we head down the stretch into Christmas. There’s roughly two and a half weeks left to Christmas, and depending upon how you do Christmas Eve, not quite two and a half weeks. So two weekends, and basically two weeks, and then it’s Christmas week, and there we are. So it’s coming around the corner fast. If you’ve gotten some of your shopping done, great. If not, I would suggest you… get going on that and don’t be that guy guys especially don’t be that guy that shops on christmas eve get things done prior to that i i frankly have never been the guy that shops on christmas eve maybe go out and get a last minute thing here or there but yeah i was never that guy that shopped on on christmas eve and i’m a i’m a decent shopper so you can you can um be rest assured that yep i can hold my own in that particular department all right Well, hi, Coyne. They were going to join us today, but some things came up last minute for David Gonzalez. Let me mention them for just a moment here before we move along. And I know I’m speaking of Christmas and all the things I just said a moment ago. Some folks are like, gosh, yeah, but how do you even afford to do what you want to do on Christmas? Well, for some of you. As you maybe have a jewelry box or just things along those lines where you’ve sort of collected or those things got thrown into a drawer or a jewelry box or a safe or whatever, the things can sort of build up over time. One thing becomes two, two become four, four become eight, you get the drift. And before you know it, you’ve got this plethora of stuff. In some cases, you inherit things or people, you know, give you items or whatever the case may be. And as time goes by, that accumulates and gets larger and larger and probably is larger than what you think it is. You know, with gold being what it is on a per ounce basis. And no, you don’t get all of the, you know, people think, well, I’ve got a ring that weighs an ounce. That should be worth, you know, the whatever it is, you know, for an ounce of gold right now. No, no. That ounce of gold price is market price, 24 karat pure, and very few rings are that way. So no, you’re not going to get ounce for ounce out of a gold ring what the price of gold is. There’s a misconception there. But you will get whatever that gold value is based upon its karat and weight and so on. And David Gonzalez can help you with all that. And I say this all the time. It’s free appraisals for KLZ listeners. So what do you have to lose? Nothing. If you’re thinking, well, I’d like to do something different this Christmas than maybe what I’ve done in the past. And for a lot of you that are older, by the way, the items you’re keeping, you’re thinking, and I’m being very honest here. I’m trying to be as nice as I can be. But you’re thinking, oh, I’m going to pass this down to so-and-so. I’ll be straight up honest. They probably don’t care. They probably don’t want it. In fact, as far as families go, you know what they really want? Time with you. So instead of worrying about passing something down to that next generation or even the generation after, your grandkids, why don’t you take them all on a trip? Go take all of what you’ve got, turn it into cash, and go take them on a trip. Because truthfully, they’ll remember that far beyond your stuff. And, you know, grandma’s brooch that you have that, you know, you think your grandchild is going to love or even your kid’s going to love. And the reality is they don’t want it. And I’m trying to be as nice as I can, but they don’t want it. They’d rather have that vacation time with you. And I’m being dead serious when I say this. And I’ve had other shows outside of Rush to Reason that I’ve done along these lines. And the reality is there’s a lot of individuals that think because they’ve never asked that that the next generations want these items when the reality is, no, they don’t. In fact, the first thing they’ll do is take and turn it into cash and do something with it, and they’ll have no memory then. So for a lot of you that are listening that have some of these things that have been accumulating over time, gold pieces, silver pieces, jewelry, things like that, and you want to turn that into cash so you can actually go do something with your family before it’s too late, go do that. And by the way, speaking from, this is me, speaking from somebody that’s been through all of this with their family in the last couple of years, trust me. Take the money, take the things, turn it into money, and go do something. You will be far better off and your family will be much more appreciative of you doing that than leaving you the stuff. So that can happen with Mile High Coin. And it’s not just coin, as I said a moment ago. It’s really anything of value along those lines. Could be an heirloom type watch. Could be a late model Rolex. Could be any number of high-end watches. or jewelry or coins or whatever turn that into cash get a free appraisal at mile high coin and do that sooner than later there’s still plenty of time before christmas to make all of that happen and one of your gifts could be guess what we’re all going on a trip to wherever And that would be a great Christmas present for your family. 720-370-3400. You can also find David by going to klzradio.com. I got plenty to talk about today, so let’s do this. Charlie, can you reverse those and actually put his ad next? We’ll do Mile High Coin next. And again, if you want to do a free appraisal, just tell him you listen to Rush to Reason. He’ll take care of the rest. 720-370-3400.
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Mile High Coin and Brokerage will come to you. The owner, David Gonzalez, believes in building trusted relationships with his clients, and that starts with making it as easy as possible for them. He also guarantees free and fair appraisal of your valuables as part of that position of trust. David has been meeting clients in person for over 30 years and has worked successfully with all the reasons people decide to sell their coin collections, inherited jewelry, and other valuables. And by coming to your home, David makes it easy and safe for you. No need to pack and transfer your collection to a dealer you don’t know or trust. Just call Mile High Coin and explain what you have and when it’s right for you. David can meet wherever it’s convenient for you. Mile High Coin & Brokerage is our trusted and highly rated partner that treats each person with honesty and integrity. Call 720-370-3400 or you can find KLZ’s professional coin and jewelry expert, Mile High Coin & Brokerage at klzradio.com.
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God. Country. Reason. Now back to John Rush.
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All right, got a text message along the lines of what I was talking about a moment ago with David Gonzalez at Mile High Coin says, so what you’re saying is experiences over gifts that will be forgotten. Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Great way to say it, by the way. Thank you for saying that for me. I appreciate that. I have very smart, intelligent listeners that add great value to our program. Thank you for that. Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Experiences will always be remembered. I mean, I can go back in time and remember some of the things that I’ve done with family, folks, kids, whatever, you know, those vacation times, those experiences, the things that you did, especially some of the things that happened while you’re doing those experiences, which get embedded into your mind that, frankly, you never forget. I can honestly say, can I tell you every single gift I’ve received over the past, you know, I’m 61, so, you know, when I was three or four years old and started getting gifts, can I remember every single gift that I’ve received over that time? No. And I’d like to meet somebody that can, by the way. Because typically the answer is, you know, there’s some special gifts you may have received along the way that have some significance and that you remember. For example, I remember getting my first – shotgun from my dad when I was like 11 years old. And yeah, that’s memorable. And I still have that shotgun today. Those are memorable gifts for me anyways, not for everybody, but they were for me. But those are the rarity. Those don’t happen very often growing up. And even today, as we get older, very seldom does that happen. Now, the experiences in doing things with each other. That’s what matters. And I mean that sincerely. So, yes, thank you, by the way, for rephrasing what I was saying. I really appreciate that greatly. So thank you for that, by the way. All right. The GOP governor’s race here in Colorado, which i haven’t looked of late because frankly i don’t care because it’s early and things will start weeding their way you know out and it’ll get down to just a few candidates when it’s all said and done but at one time we had over 20 on the gop side and hopefully that’ll end up getting whittled down to you know two or three before it’s all said and done but don’t count on it and here’s my point with all of that dumb Sorry, dumb. We’re our own worst enemy. The other side has a couple. Now, there’ll probably be a few more that get thrown in there at some point in time. But right now, it’s Michael Bennett. And really, he’s probably going to be the guy that ends up being on top versus our District Attorney Weiser. Or Attorney General, sorry. Not District Attorney. Attorney General Weiser. Phil. And you can tell who’s going to win just by what I said a moment ago. Yeah. Because nobody knows Phil. Everybody knows Michael Bennett. Keep in mind, I’m in media. I’m in radio. I mean, I know these names right off the top of my head. I forgot that one a second ago. Charlie told me in my ear. But, you know, very, very, very few people could tell you who Phil Weiser is. Some will tell you who Michael Bennett is because his name’s, you know, kind of been around for a little while. And, you know, he’s been a senator here in Colorado and he ran for president, you know, there at the last go around. What was it, 2020, I want to say, Charlie, that he ran for president. Bombed greatly. But maybe it was 2016. I don’t even remember when he did that, Charlie. It might have been 2016 now that I think back on it. I’d have to go back and look at that one. If any of you know and you want to text me that when Michael Bennett did, let me know. It doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, it’s going to be he and Weiser on the Democrat side. We’re dumb. And I get it. The GOP itself and those powers that be can’t control who throws their hat into the ring to run for governor. And typically people encourage others to run. There’s been some that have even encouraged me to run. And that’s not happening. Sorry, folks. Not happening. I wouldn’t inflict that abuse on my own family and friends and folks that I’m around for anything. Not going to happen. Because they dig into everything and find everything and accuse you of all sorts of things. And, yeah, I’m not going down that path. And I say so much on the radio that it wouldn’t be hard for them to find things that I say that I have said. And they will use that against me. So, no, I’m not doing that. Not worth it. And would I even make a good governor? I have no idea. Honestly, folks, I have no love or no desire to be governor. Not at all. Just not in my wheelhouse. So at the end of the day, bottom line, we are our own worst enemy when it comes to the GOP sides of things. It’s just – I keep reading some of the posts and different things that are out there when it comes to this particular candidate and that particular candidate. And I’ll tell you straight up right now. This is my prediction. If we don’t figure out how to sooner than later get behind one person, we’re done. We’re doomed. Not going to happen. So I’m going to make a prediction right now. And I know it’s early on. We’re not even at the end of 2025 yet. We still have a few weeks left to go before it’s the end of the year. Here’s my prediction. We don’t have a snowball’s chance of winning. I’m sorry. We don’t have a snowball’s chance of winning. Not at this point. And why do I say that? Because here’s my prediction. We’ll end up with a candidate that’s probably not the candidate that the hardcore rhino watchers out there want. And when that particular candidate that they don’t want ends up rising to the top to be the winner of the primary, which is what my prediction is, they will then do everything they possibly can to undermine said candidate. meaning we won’t have a chance of winning. So at the end of the day, it’s not worth messing with. So, sorry, we’re not going to win. I’m sorry to say, but we’re not going to win. And I know that’s early, and I know I sound defeated, and I sound negative, and so on. Folks, it’s rushed to reason. I’m just being reasonable and realistic. Now, I put some ifs to that. I put some ifs to that. If we can get behind a single candidate earlier than later, and we don’t have a group of individuals, which we do, but if we could somehow get these knuckleheads out of the way, if we could somehow do that, then we could potentially get behind a candidate and we might have a chance of actually winning. The problem is the ifs and ands that I just mentioned a moment ago, it’s a slim chance of that happening. Because I know the people that are involved in the things that I’m talking about and they’re not going to listen to what I just said. In fact, there’s been some of you out there that have been you know, very upfront about texting in and saying it’s probably because some of them are Democrat plants. You’re probably right. You’re probably right. And therein lies the problem. Because of that… We don’t have a chance. Now, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t get behind a candidate. We shouldn’t try really hard. We shouldn’t do our best to get someone elected. Once that person that wins the primary has an R next to their name and we’re all in, which I will be, absolutely going to do everything possible to get that person elected. I will be there just like a lot of you will be. Unfortunately. My prediction is that particular person won’t be the pick of the hardcore right in Colorado, the rhino watchers of Colorado. And because of that, they’ll undermine that candidate. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say they might even throw out an independent candidate that a lot of them will get behind, and they’ll make that person run that way, and that’ll be another way to undermine that person with an R. Now, I could be completely wrong. These are just my predictions, but that’s my predictions. So at the end of the day, we’ll see what happens. Again, by the way, and Andy, I know you’re listening, I hope I’m wrong. I hope the predictions that I just gave all of you, I am dead wrong. Dead wrong. I hope that I’m wrong. But I’m afraid that I’m not going to be. So we’ll we’ll see. We’ll see how it all turns out. Time will tell. I’m not keeping my hopes up. I’ll be quite honest. I think there’s going to have to be other things that we work on outside of the governorship because I just don’t see I see that one being so convoluted already. I see some of the infighting that’s already happening between groups of individuals that are already behind certain candidates. And I don’t see that ending. And because of that, that’s why I just made the prediction that I made. And we’ll see. So today is December the 8th. You guys can reference back to this at any point in time down the road. We’ll see if my prediction is right. I hope it’s wrong. But if some of you guys are bettors, you should probably bet with me, on me. Because I’m going to be right. And it’s not because I’m egotistical, I’m a know-it-all, I have a crystal ball. No, folks, it’s because I know human behavior. I’ve watched it inside of our party. I’ve seen what these particular individuals have done. Andy just said, by the way, I’m not wrong. I’ve seen the behavior of these individuals, and you’re not changing them. So given the fact that all of that is going that direction, it’s pretty easy for me to pick what’s going to happen or to predict and pick what’s going to happen. And again, it’s not because I’m smarter than anybody else, folks. I’m not. I’ve told you guys this numerous times. Put me in any room and I’m the dumbest guy in the room. Truthfully, I’m not that smart. But the one thing I do know is I can observe people and watch their behavior and figure out what they’re going to do next because that’s not that hard. You don’t have to have a high IQ to figure that out because I don’t. And it’s not hard to figure out. You can literally look at the way some of these people are behaving right now in a lot of the things that they’re doing behind their particular candidate, and I can already predict and tell you what’s going to happen. And by the way, I’ve seen it happen before because it happened the last time around with Joe O’Day and Hanks, Ron Hanks. So this isn’t going to be any different. I wish I could come to you all today on December the 8th of 2025 and tell you that the outcome of next November’s election is going to be different. You know, November of 2026. But I’m sorry to say it’s not going to be. Unless, like I said a few minutes ago, certain people do certain things. But they’re not going to. Because they’re dead set on being right and their way is the only way. And again, at the end of the day, it’s not going to be. So I’m sorry. And I’m not trying to come after you guys and be negative here as we head down the stretch into… And I’m saying some of this to maybe just maybe wake a few people up and maybe have some people listen and say, gosh, gosh, John’s right. If we continue to go down this path, he’s exactly right. That’s exactly what’s going to happen. So my hope is that there’s some people listening that would say, man, I want John to be wrong. I want this rush to reason guy to be wrong and eat his words, which I would gladly do, by the way. I gladly would eat my words on all of this if some of these individuals would take a different course of action, look at things differently and start saying, gosh, you know, I just want to win. I don’t really care who the candidate is as long as we win. But that’s not the mentality of folks that are on the inside of politics in Colorado, unfortunately. And they’re not that smart. That one I can tell you. Sorry, they’re not that smart. These are people that are really running off of emotion. They’re running off of bitterness, which I fully understand. I fully understand why they’re emotional and bitter because of things that are going on in Colorado, which I’ll get into in the next segment. I understand where they’re coming from. I understand their pain. I get it. I do. I get it. But at the end of the day, it’s because of that… that it’s going to end badly, unfortunately. It’s unbelievable. I mean, really, it’s unbelievable that we’ve got individuals that really are smarter than this. But at the end of the day, behave in such a way that prove they’re not very smart. So I’m sorry to say. Now, who’s smart? I do know this. Dr. Scott Faulkner. Now, there’s somebody that’s smart, a brainiac, to be honest with you. Scott’s a really intelligent guy that understands not only the whole health care system, but big pharma and how to counter that and how to help you be healthier than you were yesterday. In other words, every day that you’re with him becomes a more healthy day. And I mean that sincerely. Talk to Scott today. Let him be your doctor. 303-663-6990.
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All right, up next, Michael Bailey. He is our mobile estate planner. Now, one area where you really need help is your estate planning because lots of ins and outs and do’s and don’ts and things that you need to know on the front side. Michael knows all of that. Talk to him today. Get an appointment made for next year. Find him at klzradio.com.
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An estate plan with mobile estate planner Michael Bailey might seem like a lousy Christmas present to your family, but it is really a great gift of love and respect. While your kids may not be happy when they unwrap that estate plan gift, and you certainly don’t want to be the Grinch who steals Christmas, they need that plan to know that their future is secure. You love your family and why you want them to have a wonderful Christmas with good times, enjoying being together and exchanging presents, hopefully with everyone happy to see each other. Having an appointment with Michael Bailey to get your estate plan done will give you peace of mind and joy. Just like the Grinch, your heart will grow three sizes that day as it is filled with love because you’ve given your family the gift that makes everything come together when you’re gone. Don’t be a Grinch. Contact the mobile estate planner, Michael Bailey, on the klzradio.com advertisers page.
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The best export we have is common sense. You’re listening to Rush to Reason.
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All right, Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Great article, by the way, in the Denver Gazette. And I think this was put out on the 4th, so just a few days ago. And it says, once a step ahead, Colorado’s economy cools, burdened by rising costs and regulations. Now, this is coinciding with my last conversation on Colorado, our GOP candidates, and so on. And Andy and I talk about this a lot, and we can even talk about this a little bit more tomorrow. But here’s the reality. Our candidates, plural, because there’s a bunch of them, we should be thinning those sooner than later. Frankly, my feeling is about 80% of them should be gone by the end of the year. They won’t be. They’re going to run this thing all the way as long as they possibly can. Folks always ask, why would they do this? Why would people throw their hat in the ring and then hang in as long as possible? Name recognition. The longer they can stay in, they start building their own little repertoire, if you would, of things that they can now kind of hang their hat on. And, you know, I ran for governor of Colorado and here was my campaign. And they may dovetail that into other things they might be able to do in the business community or typically in politics. And it sort of starts to build the name for themselves. And that’s what they want to do. Now, in some cases, some already have a name and already are in politics. But this is another feather in their cap, if you would. So they throw their hat in the ring for that reason. And again, they’ll stay in it as long as they possibly can in hopes of potentially furthering their political career or, you know, making a bigger name for themselves. On and on we go. And again, going back to myself where I’ve had folks say, you know, John, you should run. No, folks. And I don’t need to. And I don’t need any of that. Nor do I want any of that. I have a name, I feel, for myself already, and good, bad, or otherwise, it is what it is, and I have no desire to do anything along those lines whatsoever, nor do I need to. And some do, though, I guess. That’s why they throw their hat in the ring. Now, I do believe that there are some that genuinely want to see Colorado change and improve, and that’s the direction that they’re headed. Although, if they really were after what I just said, they would be looking at everything that I just said. And they would make adjustments accordingly. So in other words, if they were individuals like myself that said, listen, I don’t need this. I don’t need these things. I just want to see what’s best for Colorado, and I want to win. Truthfully, all but two or three of them would drop out tomorrow. But see, they don’t look at it that way. Now, going back, you know, going to this article in the Denver Gazette that was out a few days ago, four days ago, actually, talking about Colorado and how at one time we really did have – one of the fastest-growing economies, and we did. It’s since been screwed up by the left, and those of you that are on the left, I will explain how, because most of you will argue with me on this, but it has been, and we are not one of the top economies in the country as we once were, because those on the left have messed it up. And I can’t blame all of it on Governor Polis, although, you know, that old saying, everything rises and falls on leaders. He’s the leader of the state. He’s the leader of the legislature, if you would. His party is in control. He does have a say in what gets passed, vetoed, and so on. And he does have a say in what bills even come to the floor in a lot of ways. He can encourage or discourage certain things. Trust me, folks. I know how that side of the process works. He can have powwows. He can suggest certain things that certain politicians should bring or not bring. He can give them ideas on what he would like to see, what he’ll pass, what he’ll veto, and so on. Trust me, he has more control than what he would even lead you on to believe. Trust me, I know, again, I know how that part of it works. He does. He has that ability. So a lot of the high costs that we have in Colorado, which, by the way, is one of the reasons why it’s driving the economy down, is our sheer costs. And it was in this article, and let me read this to you. This particular writer says, and he’s quoting another individual, pointed to the regulations on oil and gas and air quality, minimum wage, workers’ compensation, family and medical leave. So as a business owner, let me go through a few of those. Yes, we have higher costs. Our electricity rates, Jersey Joe sent me a list today of all of the different electric rates across the country, and we’re towards the top. We’re not at the top, but we’re not at the bottom either. And we’re higher up than middle. So our costs have risen because of our shutting down, literally, of oil and gas. And the fact that this whole air quality thing keeps getting pushed and pushed and pushed. And the fact of the matter is, the front range here, we get air inversions all the time. That’s the reason why we have high pollution days. And frankly, it’s better today than when I was a kid. The actual quote-unquote brown cloud, I’m not exaggerating. When I was a kid… The majority of time, you would look from Boulder to Denver, you’d see the brown cloud. You anymore, it’s minimal compared to what it was when I was a kid. We’ve cleaned it up that much. It’s that much better. And again, a lot of that is because of, I’ve said it for years and years now. Yes, our cars are cleaner, but that’s not the only reason. The biggest reason we have less brown cloud now, in the wintertime especially, than we did when I was a kid, is because we don’t use sand and gravel anymore on the roads. We use salt now. Now, that’s harder on cars, but it’s better for the air. We have less brown cloud because we’re creating less dust, if you would. And what I’m saying, by the way, you’re never going to see anybody talk or write about. It’s not even been communicated at all to the public in what I just said. But again, I go back to my statement last segment. I may not be the smartest guy in the room, but I do have a little bit of common sense, and I know that industry very well as far as snow removal is concerned, and we switched over the salt a couple of decades ago. And it was ironic that when we switched over to salt, the brown cloud started to get less and less and less. Now, I get it. It’s not just the particulates that they measure and the color of the cloud as far as when we, you know, violate, quote, unquote, the regulatory acts that are out there. You know, the regulatory, the regulations, I should say, that are out there regarding our brown cloud and the pollution and such. But the visibility of the brown cloud has been diminished because of what I’m saying. And you’ll never hear anybody talk about that other than me. And the reason for that is because, frankly, most folks in the media have no idea what I just said. They’re clueless. They really have no idea what I just said. I guarantee you, none of you have ever heard an interview on the fact that we have switched over from a sand-salt mix years ago to a complete salt mix or a brine mix now. Most of it’s even liquid that they’re using as far as CDOT is concerned. You’ll see still trucks running around with a—it looks like sand coming out of the back because it’s brown, but that’s just brown salt. It looks dirty, and it is. It’s dirty salt. It’s brown salt. We use it on the roads. A lot of us in the industry use it. But there’s very little dirt component to it. It’s just a browner salt than what you’re getting in the white salt. And in turn, we put that down on the roads, and it looks brown. It looks dirty, and it looks like it is sand, but it’s not. It’s salt. There are still a few places that use a sand-salt mix, but not near as many as what they used to. And my proof for anybody that would dispute what I’m saying, number one, I’m in the industry, so I know this full well. But anybody that would dispute that, look at most of the roadways that we have. Then go look at the vegetation around them and the death of the vegetation that you see around the roadways. pine trees, grass, things like that, it’s because of what I’m talking about. Those are not salt-tolerant trees and plants. The salt kills them. And it gets picked up by the cars, and it gets thrown into the air, and it’s especially in that immediate area right around the roadways, and you’ll see all sorts of vegetation death along the roadways because we’re using pure salt now. And again, this is a topic no one talks about. Going back to, though, the whole regulations on oil, gas, minimum wage, workman’s compensation, the other big one that’s happened in Colorado when it comes to businesses is the whole family and medical leave thing that just happened a couple of years ago. Every one of these things adds more regulation, more burden, and discourages business growth in Colorado. It discourages people from even coming and bringing their business here in the first place. In fact, it encourages businesses to leave and go somewhere else. And I’ve had arguments with some of you texters out there that what I’m saying, you don’t believe me. You say it’s not true. It is true. I’m in that world, folks. If you have the choice as an owner of a business to go someplace with high regulation or low regulation, why would you come to Colorado? Yeah, it’s great. We have great climate. We have a lot of great sunshine. We have the mountains and skiing and hiking and fishing and all the hunting and so on, all the outdoor activities, which is great. And that’s in this article that Governor Polis, by the way, touts as being one of the things that’s driving the state’s economy. Well, even he screwed that up. So he loves to take credit where he’s not due that credit, and then he likes to blame other things that, frankly, there’s no blame there. He’s blaming Colorado’s poor economy right now on tariffs and high interest rates, which he believes the White House has caused. First of all, the White House doesn’t control interest rates. The Fed does, and the Fed’s on his side. So, you know, Governor Polis, go talk to your buddy Jerome Powell, who’s on your side of the aisle, by the way, when it comes to interest rates. He’s proving what a putz Governor Polis really is, what a schmuck he is. And he is. He’s a schmuck through and through. A user, a user of the people. The terrorists, they haven’t affected Colorado one iota when it comes to what’s happening economically speaking. It’s the other things I mentioned earlier that’s really affecting the Colorado economy. This article goes on to say, then there are the changes people don’t see and hear about, such as energy and building decarbonization, transportation, other regulations coming from the Public Utilities Commission, i.e., and I haven’t talked about this much yet, but they want to see us go without hardly any natural gas in this state by like 2040. It’s ridiculous. And, you know, who’s behind the PUC? Polis and his cronies. They’re the ones that serve on those particular boards and committees, and they want to see us go basically natural gas-free. Stupid. Absolutely stupid. We have a ton of natural gas in Colorado itself, and it’s easy to get it to the places it needs to go, homes and businesses, to help them heat their homes, cook off of and so on, and we want to get rid of it. But yet, Governor Polis is going to blame tariffs and interest rates. for our slowing economy in Colorado. It just shows you by the – and let me say this straight. It’s not because he doesn’t know what I just said. He’s smart. Trust me. He knows what I just said is true. But he’s going to play the blame game. Anytime he can play the blame game, he’s going to. He’ll blame Trump and the White House and so on on the problems we have here in Colorado, although he should be looking in the mirror. He knows this, by the way. But he’s a politician through and through. Governor Polis is definitely a politician through and through. In this article, it talks about how every 10% increase in regulations leads to an estimated cost of 36,000 jobs in 9,000 firms statewide. That’s why, by the way, the Colorado Chamber talking about that, which I will say straight up is not a right-leaning organization. So the Colorado Chamber of Commerce is by no means the GOP. Not even close. So when they give out a figure that says a 10% increase in regulations leads to an estimated loss of 36,000 jobs and 9,000 firms statewide, they’re not lying. Added regulations slow the economy, slow the economic growth in Colorado by at least 2% annually. So those of you that are on the left that don’t believe that, that’s the Chamber of Commerce, which frankly is largely left. They’re not right. I can tell you that right now. They’re largely left. So our regulatory climate is now one of the greatest risks to Colorado businesses, climate and future growth. And we believe it is the primary reason we’re being or that we’re losing momentum in economic competitiveness. The chamber of Colorado politics said or the chamber told the Colorado politics. So, again, the Colorado Chamber of Commerce believes very much in what I’m telling you and is coming out with these statistics, and it basically goes against what Governor Polis says. And, again, I say he’s a putz. He is a putz because he’s playing politics here. He knows exactly what’s slowing down Colorado’s economy, but I’ll just tell you this straight up. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care. Like I say all the time, the left doesn’t care about you. They don’t care about your job. They don’t care about your family. They don’t care about where you live. They literally don’t care anything about you. In fact, their goal is to make your life miserable. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that, folks. They want to make your life miserable. They do. And they do their best at it. And by the way, they succeed in a lot of cases in making your life miserable. Their answer, by the way, to everything we’re talking about is, oh, we need tighter run cities. We need the whole Agenda 21 from the UN. We need you living and working and eating and playing and everything all in one place. That’ll lower the cost of living. It doesn’t, by the way. They’ll tell you that it does because they want to sell you this big pipe dream that that’s the way it’s, you know, these small urban cities whereby everybody lives, works, eats, drinks, and so on in one place, that high density. They’re going to tell you straight up that that’s the answer. It’s not, folks. It doesn’t drive costs down at all. I’ve got several things you could do to lower costs, which we can talk about. And some of you know what those are, property taxes, regulations, regulation on businesses, on down the line we go insurance costs, et cetera. There’s all sorts of things we can do. All right. We’ll take a timeout. 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SPEAKER 04 :
Now back to Rush to Reason on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 02 :
And we are back, Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush. Dale, go ahead, sir. What’s up?
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, I’m doing good.
SPEAKER 02 :
I’m doing great, Dale. How are you today?
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, not too bad.
SPEAKER 02 :
Good.
SPEAKER 12 :
One of my big peeves is, you know, they keep hollering at the cars you’re calling, causing the emissions and all this other malarkey. And… My opinion on that is, and you being a native like myself, I can remember back growing up when you didn’t see the ground from Halloween until sometimes June.
SPEAKER 01 :
Right.
SPEAKER 12 :
It didn’t snow every day, but it never got warm enough to melt it. And now, even where my house sits, I can remember being wheat fields. Right. And no matter where you go anymore, you can’t hardly drive three blocks and they’re not building some great big apartment complex.
SPEAKER 01 :
Very true.
SPEAKER 12 :
You know, you’ve got commercial people. We’ve got one commercial place over by me that was built probably back in the early 2000s. Mid-2000s, they haven’t had a business in there yet, it’s always. But they got a change from agriculture to commercial.
SPEAKER 02 :
Very true. Very true. You’re 100% correct.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, and that’s what’s irritating about it. You know, they’ll blame us because we want to drive across the street in our car. But yet they want to build 15, you know, 35, 40 apartments in one complex.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, and that goes back to what I said earlier about their whole, you know, they want the whole lower density, put everybody in one place. And really quick for everybody listening, please hear me when I say this. That’s not because they want to lower the price of housing and so on. Del, it’s because of their master plan where they want everybody in one place because it’s easier to control people when you do that.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, it’s Agenda 21.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s right. It’s easier to control the masses when they’re all in one place. They hate small business. They hate urban areas. They hate people being sprawled out. They hate the rural areas where people live on farms and ranches and so on. They hate all of that.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. You know, I mean, there’s a book out in reference to that, Agenda 21, that I read some time ago. It was quite interesting, but But yeah, that’s why you see a lot of these big apartment complexes and the first floor is nothing but commercial stores and 90% of them are empty.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s right. You’re right, Del.
SPEAKER 1 :
100%.
SPEAKER 02 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 12 :
So that’s my gripe about it.
SPEAKER 02 :
Good comments, Del. I appreciate it. No, very much on target. And, yeah, what I was saying earlier, by the way, is, again, it’s the reality is they’re going to come back and tell you that, oh, we need lower density. We need this. We need that. There’s our answers. No, folks, it’s not. The answer is let’s lower property taxes. Let’s lower regulations. In fact, they should cap property taxes. I could get into all of the wasteful spending. I talk about it continually, especially when it comes to schools, public schools, and so on. And the reality is how much of that tax dollars that you’re putting in is continually eaten up, and yet there’s less and less kids going to school. Most districts are reducing taxes. There are a number of kids that are actually enrolled. There’s a reduction there. It’s not an increase, and yet the taxes continue to go up. The money that’s spent there continues to go up. Less is shown for it. Test scores continue to go down. I can go down the list. Okay, speaking of, now, this isn’t exactly the public schools, although it is. So the Colorado High School Activities Association, CHASA, who, by the way, I cannot stand. Couldn’t stand them when my kids were playing sports, high school sports. Can’t stand them now. It is, in my opinion, one of the most political corrupt organizations in the state. And if you’re on the Chassa board, I’m sorry. You’re part of the problem. Chassa, again, I’ll just tell you straight up, one of the most corrupt organizations, especially when it comes to high school sports that are out there. I wish that particular organization could be torn down and be rebuilt because they are as corrupt, in my opinion, as corrupt can be. And here’s why. I have proof. I have proof today why. The Colorado High School Activity Association, CHASA, has settled with several school districts in Colorado over policies regarding transgender students’ participation in school athletics. In May of 2025, School District 49 filed a lawsuit to enforce a ban on transgender student-athletes, including CHASA, as a defendant. According to CHASA, the organization has never penalized the school or districts for policies on the issues, nor has it dictated what those policies should be. At no point before filing this lawsuit did the plaintiffs engage in any dialogue with Chassa. No outreach was made to inquire about our policies, our procedures, or the steps we had already taken to support schools navigating these issues. Now, by the way, that’s a flat-out and out lie because I’ve interviewed people individually that have definitely reached out to chassa to talk about their transgender policies over and over and over again prior to this lawsuit ever being filed so chassa’s lying straight up out and out lie and i’ve got proof of people being on this program trying to meet with chassa to go over some of their transgender policies for a very long time so that folks is a flat out and out lie by chassa susan you’re next hi john how are you i’m good how are you
SPEAKER 11 :
I’m good. Hey, so I know I sent you that text about Trapper Mine. Yes. So I wanted to call in and say, you know, my family is from that northwest area of Colorado, back five generations. And I’ve had cousins that have worked at Trapper Mine. And I don’t know all about it, but from what I’ve heard and read, it’s one of the cleanest coals.
SPEAKER 10 :
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER 11 :
that is around, but they’re shutting it down. And that mine has supported a lot of people in that area and kept Craig and Meeker and those rural areas thriving. I have a cousin who in Craig, he and his wife, they have multiple small businesses in Craig who have done very well. They are now selling their businesses, trying to sell their businesses and their home. They are moving out of Colorado because, because this is really going to drastically affect everything up there. So, you know, how do they, how do they keep their small businesses going and support their kids? And so, There you go.
SPEAKER 02 :
Great point. And you are correct in it being some of the cleanest coal out there, Susan. You’re 100% correct on that. And, yeah, again, going back to the whole point of Polis and his claims and what’s really shutting down our Colorado economy and so on, it’s just another lie from the left. It just flat out is. I have no other way to say it, Susan.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah. And he has had something out for that area of Colorado. He doesn’t like the hunting. He doesn’t like that rural area, different things that he has done. And introducing the wolves in that area.
SPEAKER 01 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 11 :
And my family and friends who have cattle and sheep, you know, ranches. You know, John, if a wolf is attacking even one of their domestic animals, they can’t shoot that wolf.
SPEAKER 02 :
I know, it’s ridiculous.
SPEAKER 11 :
Now, how, you know, you talk about all the PETA people and everything. How humane is that?
SPEAKER 01 :
I agree.
SPEAKER 11 :
To have to watch. It’s just, yeah. And when they did some redistricting here, tell me why. that area needed to be included with Boulder, Colorado.
SPEAKER 02 :
It didn’t. To your point, it didn’t.
SPEAKER 11 :
It didn’t.
SPEAKER 02 :
No, it’s being done so that they can control more of what their outcome is, as you know, Susan.
SPEAKER 11 :
Exactly.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yep.
SPEAKER 11 :
Exactly.
SPEAKER 1 :
100%.
SPEAKER 11 :
I mean, you and I both grew up in Boulder. We know how that is.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s very much we do.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. And then to put some of that area of Colorado… Redistricted with Boulder? Oh, give me a break.
SPEAKER 02 :
It’s total lunacy. They are not on the same page at all. Nope. Great info, Susan, as always. You always add great information, which I appreciate. You, and again, I have so many listeners. Thank all of you, but Susan especially, you, thank you for all you do. I appreciate it greatly.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, I appreciate you, too.
SPEAKER 02 :
All right, Susan.
SPEAKER 11 :
Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 02 :
You bet. Merry Christmas to you, too. Appreciate you very much. And, folks, we do. We have great listeners, and I’m very thankful to each and every one of you. I know I say that a lot, but believe me, I mean what I say, and I hope you understand that I do sincerely mean that. We really do. We have some of the best listeners, I think, out there anywhere. I hear that a lot from our partners, from our sponsors, from the people that we have as a part of what we do here on a routine basis. They talk highly about each and every one of you, and we do. We just have really great. Thank you so much for having me. And let others know in the right manner, you know, do this in the right way. But let people know exactly where things are. And the fact that, you know, again, in this case, we’ve got a governor who’s out there telling everybody that it’s tariffs and interest rates. And that’s why our Colorado economy is poor. We have to counter that. You need to tell people specifically that, no, that’s not why our economy isn’t at the top of the list like it used to be. You and your cronies on the left have destroyed what we once had as being one of the top economies. You’ve ran oil and gas out of Colorado. You’ve had severe regulations. You continue to raise minimum wage. You’ve hurt businesses with everything from insurance costs to workman’s comp to now all of the family leave and that sort of thing that continues to get shoved down businesses’ throats. You’ve encouraged businesses to leave. You’ve not encouraged them to come here. There’s nothing you’re doing that’s telling people do business in Colorado. You’ll tout all the things you supposedly have done, but they’re not working. And people are leaving. And there’s an article, it’ll be in my show notes, there’s an article there talking about the fact that businesses aren’t coming, or the Chamber of Commerce is talking about it. It’s very plain what’s happening, and it cannot be denied, and yet the left will deny that. And again, I always have to go back to the fact that the left doesn’t care about you. They claim to, but… They don’t. Paul Leuenberger, I can tell you right now, he does care about you. He cares about your insurance, what you’re spending on insurance, how you can save money on insurance. Do you have the right insurance? Is everything done proper so that at the end of the day, you’re the most protected possible? Call Paul today, 303-662-0789.
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SPEAKER 04 :
Live and local, back to Rush to Reason.
SPEAKER 02 :
All right, real quick, closing out this last minute, just to follow up with the whole Chassa thing, and there’s an article in KDVR about that. And basically, like Governor Polis, Chassa wants to make it sound like we didn’t do anything wrong. We didn’t set the stage for this. We have no idea why they didn’t just come and have a conversation with us before actually doing a lawsuit. It’s because, Chassa, you wouldn’t sit down and talk to anybody. Again, I had people. guests on my program talking about reaching out to you to sit down and have a conversation that knew exactly where you were headed with this whole transgender nonsense which it is utter nonsense that you by the way as an organization created and you want to you want to make it seem like no one ever came and talked to you you’re a bunch of flat out and out liars and yes i’m calling you out on this you’re lying through your teeth you know you’re lying But you won’t say that, of course. You’re just like Governor Polis. You’re going to play the blame game and blame somebody else for the things that you actually caused. All right. That’s enough for Chassa. I can’t stand that organization. I’ve said that publicly before. I’ll keep saying it. That’s it for this hour, though. We’ll be right back. Hour number two is next. Rush to Reason. Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 10 :
The Average Guy’s Ordinary Average Guy
