John Rush covers a wide range of political and cultural issues in this packed hour of Rush to Reason. Victoria Ikea joins the show to discuss Bernie Sanders’ new “More Perfect University” initiative and concerns over political activism replacing genuine education on college campuses. John compares the project to Turning Point USA and argues that critical thinking and open debate are disappearing from higher education.
Later, John dives deep into Colorado’s 2028 governor race, breaking down why he believes Greg Lopez faces impossible odds in a statewide election despite adding Tara Lynn Romero as a running mate. Using voter demographics,
SPEAKER 05 :
This is Rush to Reason. 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. With your host, John Rush.
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My advice to you is to do what your parents did. Get a job first. 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.
SPEAKER 01 :
Are you crazy? Am I? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind?
SPEAKER 13 :
It’s Rush to Reason with your host, John Rush, presented by Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay, we are back. Hour number three, Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Victoria Ikea joining us now. Victoria, welcome. How are you? Good.
SPEAKER 08 :
How are you, John?
SPEAKER 10 :
I’m very, very good. Talk to us about Bernie Sanders. I guess you could call it an alternative university.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, literally, yes. Well, recently, Bernie Sanders… and a few of his affiliates, assured that they were going to launch what they called More Perfect University, which is basically a coalition, a campus initiative to recruit students towards messaging for their platform and basically turn them into influencers. So that was definitely something that was important. I guess we can’t say it’s unexpected, but the main point they made was that it would be the counter to Turning Point USA and Charlie Kirk’s work.
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s called the more perfect university. Am I correct in saying that?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, yes, you’re correct.
SPEAKER 10 :
The more perfect university that’s really not doing anything university-wise. It’s just turning out what they feel are influencers.
SPEAKER 08 :
Exactly, yes.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okie dokie. So at the end of the day, they’re not really learning anything. So here’s a question I guess I have, not necessarily for you, but just in general. How are they going to go on and earn incomes after this?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, well, so it’s an interesting idea, mainly because they aren’t going to provide any kind of degree or certification of any sort. It’s a play on words. They’re embedding themselves in actual universities as maybe like a club or a coalition or a campus group. And then from there, they offer, so to speak, platform opportunities or speaking engagements or talking points, anything that can sort of broaden the base of their of their politics. So it’s. you know, it’s sort of a play on words in many ways.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, it is. No, it really is. And so, okay, so another dumb question on my part. I didn’t look this up. I guess I should have. How many students do they have?
SPEAKER 08 :
So it’s very, very new, and I am not sure how many students are actually a part of it at this point. It literally only was announced a few weeks ago. Okay. So it’s very new. I know that it’s in association with what a nonprofit called More Perfect Union that was started by those that helped Bernie Sanders campaign a while back. So yeah, it’s still fresh, but I mean, More Perfect Union, and it’s one of the largest political left-leaning NGOs targeting the young adult age group in the nation. So it’s pretty significant.
SPEAKER 10 :
So what I’m hearing, and you tell me if I’m hearing correctly or not, what they’re really doing is forming a training ground for the leftist movement, if you would, for the Marxist movement, whereby when these kids come out, they don’t necessarily go out and get jobs. They will most likely end up working inside of the Marxist movement itself.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, I think that’s a really accurate way to explain. I would say that it probably wouldn’t be said that way by them, but I think that’s ultimately what it would be.
SPEAKER 10 :
Quite honestly, though, as you know, it’s completely the opposite. The TPUSA folks, yeah, they’re coming out, they’re smart, they’ve got degrees, they’ve got skills. Yes, while they’re there, they’re, of course, doing things activism-wise for TPUSA and the conservative cause, but these are kids that are sharp and smart and are going to go on to do big things in life.
SPEAKER 08 :
Right. Yes, absolutely. And I think that’s a really great point. One of the main things that I really wanted to highlight in my op-ed was that Turning Point USA was a the strength of it was that it encouraged open debate and open dialogue. That’s right. That was literally the shining point of it. So this initiative said, oh, we will do the same. Well, my question was, what do you mean by we’re going to do the same thing, only better? Yeah. What does that mean when you’re talking about open dialogue? Are you going to have open dialogue or no?
SPEAKER 10 :
You already know the answer to that.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s a big no. Of course they’re not going to have any open dialogue because they’re the first ones to go to a TPUSA event and want to shut things down and even shut the dialogue down. Of course, Charlie and even those that are now following behind him are so good at keeping their cool and simply just having conversation about, no, this is the fact, this is this, this is that, here’s the data to back it up and so on. you’re not going to see that come out of these kids. I hate to say that.
SPEAKER 08 :
Absolutely not. And it’s really sad as well because, in my view, it’s a form of exploitation in many ways. Good point. Many of the students that I’ve worked with, so I work with the Institute for Women’s Health where We really try to separate ideology from women’s health. That’s sort of what we do. But I worked with our interns, and a lot of them were college students. A lot of them were at very progressive or liberal universities and were trying to find an environment where they could share their values, share what they thought freely and couldn’t. And I think it was really when we’d have some discussions in our internship where I was like, well, tell me what’s going on. Like, what kind of things are you experiencing on campus? And they just felt marginalized, literally, from being able to share what they thought, their views, if it didn’t follow the mainstream. And I think that’s the kind of thing that During the young adult years, when you see kids going through that, they’re really at a crossroads of will they feel free to share their opinion freely and openly or not? So these kinds of organizations like More Perfect University, I feel they. exploit that because they take advantage of the desire to belong, the desire to feel accepted, and then they sort of applaud you and give you a platform if you just accept our talking points. And that’s not encouraging free thought at all.
SPEAKER 10 :
No, and it’s in my notes, but I talk about this all the time. It’s not encouraging critical thinking. They don’t know how to process things. They simply take whatever’s been given to them. And by the way, I think sometimes our side can do The same thing is why I’m so big on even the name of the show. I want people to reason out and critically think about all the things that are going on, whether it’s one of our candidates or the other side. And unfortunately, Victoria, sometimes even our side doesn’t do that very well.
SPEAKER 08 :
Absolutely. I agree with you. And I love the name of your show, John, because I think it’s such a great example of how we have to really aim towards reasoning through and logical thinking on any issue, no matter what your personal beliefs are. And I think that’s something that both sides can practice and and grow better at. And I think that it’s it’s a skill that can be learned.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right. So, Victoria, how do folks find you? I mean, thank you, by the way. I appreciate you joining us. It’s been a joy having you. You’re welcome. Anytime. We very much think alike and I would love to keep having you on. So how do we get a hold of you, though?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, no, thank you. Well, if you reach out to the Institute for Women’s Health, that’s www.theiwh.org. You can learn more about our work there and you can read a little bit more about me on there. And yeah, just reach out to our organization and you’ll definitely be able to find me.
SPEAKER 10 :
And I’m looking at you right now, and I appreciate what you guys are all doing. I’m on the website as we speak. I’ll add that into my notes. And again, Victoria, it’s been a joy. I mean that sincerely. It’s been a joy, and you are welcome anytime.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thank you, John. It was a pleasure. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you very much. I appreciate it. What a smart young lady, and what a great organization, by the way, Institute for Women’s Health, and they do a lot of great work. I encourage you to go to their website, check it out. Golden Eagle Financial coming up next, Al Smith. And again, Al did a great interview of late. Listen in, and if you need Al directly, you can find him at klzradio.com.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right, we got Al Smith back with us on KLZ Radio. Al, I heard on a radio show the other day that people could replace their poor-performing annuities with new ones that earn 10% to 12% annually. Is that real?
SPEAKER 01 :
I think it’s an enormous exaggeration. I think there are some occasions where it might be in people’s best interest to replace an older annuity with a newer one, but to promise 10 or 12 percent returns, there’s only a very small percentage of annuities that have actually earned 10 or 12 percent. And sometimes unscrupulous returns People in the financial industry will use illustrations that are projected in the future, but have no clear examples of how it has actually occurred in the past.
SPEAKER 14 :
That’s probably a big red flag when people give those guarantees, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, they don’t usually say it with guarantees, but they make it sound like, oh, for sure, if you have a poor-performing financial product, we can get you one that’s going to pay 10 or 12 percent, and it’s guaranteed against loss. Well, the guarantee against loss is true, but the 10 to 12 percent performance, there’s about, I would estimate, maybe a 5 percent chance of that actually occurring in the future.
SPEAKER 14 :
Wow. So you heard it here, guys. If you really want to know the answer, give Al a call here. And Al, how do folks get in touch with you?
SPEAKER 01 :
You can reach me at my office at 303-744-1128.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right. You can also find him on klzradio.com slash money. Al, thanks for coming in today.
SPEAKER 04 :
You’re welcome. Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management, LLC. A registered investment advisor. BCM and Golden Eagle Financial Limited are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through BCM, but are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents.
SPEAKER 10 :
This is Rush to Reason on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, we are back.
SPEAKER 10 :
Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Again, appreciate you all listening. And really quick, just jumping back into the whole, you know, governor’s race, Greg Lopez, who now has a running mate, Tara Lynn Romero, who I know very well. We’ve had her on our program numerous times. Tara Lynn does a great job of… fighting for those where state governing authorities are trying to take people’s land. She had a big fight of her own up in Evergreen, who had her on back in the day, talking about that. And I like Tara Lynn. We are really good friends. We talk about a lot of things, even off air, and have stayed in touch throughout the years of her and her journey and so on. And And she’s a great lady. And same with Greg. I mean, I appreciate Greg a ton. And we’ve talked off air on some levels as well. And Greg’s a good guy. Now, all that being said, and this goes back to the conversation I was just having a moment ago about the critical thinking aspect of things. And I’m getting text messages in that, well, I just don’t believe the Colorado can be changed, and I don’t want to be that agent of change, and I’m looking at it the wrong way, and I’m more for the division of things and so on. Folks, no, that’s not it at all. Please, hear me when I say it. That is not the case. But I know our voters. And I’m not a dreamer, folks. I never have been. I’m not a pipe-dreaming kind of an individual. I don’t look at things that way. I am a realist. Always have been, always will be. I am very logical in things I do. If you haven’t figured that out by now and listening to me all of these years, I’m a very logical-brained individual, and that’s how I think. And I don’t have a pie-in-the-sky look at things ever. It’s why I’ve been self-employed since I was 22 years old. You can’t have a pie-in-the-sky look at things and stay self-employed because you’ll go off on every whim and you’ll be broke. So you have to look at things very realistically and know where the parameters are. And it doesn’t mean I don’t take risks. It doesn’t mean I don’t believe in things and try things and go after things and so on. That’s not the case at all. Or again, I wouldn’t be self-employed. You do all of those things. But you have to be educated and have some reasons why the show is called Rush to Reason. You have to have some reason in what you’re doing or don’t do it because you’re going to fail if you don’t look at things critically. So looking at the state of Colorado and where we’re at. And I know I hear people from the Greg Lopez side and even our side on the Republicans occasionally say things like, yeah, people in Colorado are just fed up with the way things are going. Well, are they? I mean, yes, there are a certain percentage that are, but are they? I mean, I rub elbows, folks, with a lot of different people. Right, left, middle, and so on. And yes, some of them get frustrated with certain things. But here’s what’s, and hear me out when I say this, here’s what’s ironic. And we’ve had this as a state for quite some time now. We have voters that are very conservative when it comes to fiscal things that make it on the ballot. So tax increases, things like that, they’ll vote those things down. Consistently. But yet, but yet, they’ll go vote in the same politicians that will reenact those very things that they just voted down. It’s the craziest thing ever. Because they don’t look at things the same way you and I do. And unfortunately, the unaffiliated in this state are heavily, heavily influenced by the left. And if you don’t believe me, trust me, they are. And just because Greg Lopez, who is running as an unaffiliated, just because he’s got that name attached to him, that doesn’t mean unaffiliateds are voting for him. I’m sorry, folks, it doesn’t work that way. And unfortunately, because Greg’s not a true unaffiliated, unfortunately, they’ll look through that. And they’ll see that. And they’ll know that. And trust me, folks, they’re not that dumb. They will look at Greg’s platform, what he stands for, what he has stood for in the past. Just his stance on abortion alone. And I know where Tara Lynn’s stance is, and they’re not the same. But remember, folks, you’re not voting for Tara Lynn for governor. You’re voting for her as the running mate. I’m sorry to say that. Lieutenant governor. You’re not voting for her as governor. So while she may add some things to the ticket, she’s not the ticket, folks. Greg is. Greg Lopez is the frontrunner. When it comes to that particular race, his name is first. Hers isn’t. Now, I will say this, and I told her this a long time ago. If it was just her as an unaffiliated running and not Greg, she’d have a better chance all day long. All day long. Her alone would do better than Gregor because she would draw more from the left than what he will. He’s not going to draw from the left, folks. He might draw a few more now that he has her. But again, folks, please hear me when I say this. This is not a knock against her or anybody else. While she’s done really well in her area and she’s got a lot of people that have voiced support for her and her cause and what she’s doing, what she’s doing to fight government taking of land and so on. The big thing we talked about up in Brighton where they ended up taking the farm and so on. OK, I get that. Lots and lots of press around that. And she’s got lots of support around those things. That doesn’t mean they’re going to vote for her for governor, folks. It doesn’t work that way. They’re still going to look at Greg as the main person that would be governor because he will be making all the decisions, what gets vetoed, what doesn’t. She’s not signing those things. She doesn’t sign the bills, folks. She’s lieutenant governor. If something happens to him, she becomes governor. But other than that, she’s not there. She’s not having much influence on those things, if any. And again, I think Greg was smart in getting together with her. Whoever put that together, that’s a pretty smart thing to do, but that’s not going to be the end-all, be-all, I’m sorry to say. And I wish she’d have talked to me first, because here’s the other thing that starts to happen. And this is somewhat happened to Greg. When you lose as many times as he has, it starts to affect things. It even affects people that are voting for you. And yes, folks, hear me out when I say that. It does have an effect. People want to vote for winners, not losers. And I’m not saying Greg’s a loser, but he has lost twice in Colorado when it comes to running for governor. So, yes, in fact, he is when it comes to that. He hasn’t won in Colorado on that end of things. He became a representative just kind of by default over the whole Ken Buck thing. That was it. He didn’t get elected into that position, folks. He was appointed into that position. So I’m not trying to come down hard on Greg, but I am because I’m afraid that this is a situation where his ego will not allow him to make the right decision. I’m sorry. I’m saying it as it is. I’m saying it as I see it. And that’s not because I don’t believe that folks in Colorado can’t be swayed one way or the other, but folks, they’re not going to be swayed. I’m sorry. They’re not going to be. And you’re still going to have a certain amount of people that vote for the R. You’re going to have a certain amount of people, unaffiliated, that are still going to vote with the R. Some will vote for Greg, although he’s going to draw more from the R than he will from the Ds. It’s just a simple fact. You can like it or not, but that’s the simple facts. And at the end of the day, Greg will do nothing but draw away from any chance our side has of winning, and we don’t have much as it is. And he has even less. And as I’ve said, I’ll keep saying it unless I see some big shift that I think might change the trajectory of things. Michael Bennett’s your next governor of Colorado. Handily. And if things continue to go the way that I think they will, the money supply will flow to down tickets and that’ll hurt us even worse. That’s what I don’t want to see. That’s my biggest fear, by the way, folks. And Andy and I will talk a little bit more about this. I’ll get his feelings on things tomorrow. But folks, I’m not wrong here. I’m just not. I wish I were. I really do. I wish I was wrong. I wish I was seeing things in the wrong light and that I was wrong and that I’m not looking at things correctly and I don’t know the numbers and the data and so on. But I do. I do. And again, folks, part of that is because of who I get to rub elbows with and see and talk to and so on. I’m in public a lot. I listen. I see. I hear. I hear. And the reality is there are certain Democrats even, unaffiliated that are still Democrats, they’re not going to vote for the our side, period. Period. And Richard mentioned it earlier. Don’t forget, you’re going to see a blue wave unless things dramatically change with the war, the outcome, gas prices, the economy, and so on. Unless Trump gets that handled quickly, you’re going to see a blue wave. And yes, it’s going to affect here as well. and i know greg says he’s an unaffiliated but he’s not folks and voters aren’t that dumb i guess that’s where i’m so frustrated is you you think voters in colorado are that dumb that they won’t see greg as a republican because he is i mean deep down inside that’s what he is you know tiger doesn’t change the stripes that fast so and that’s what people will look at they’re not going to see him as an unaffiliated they’re not going to see him as a democrat They’re going to see him as a red Republican. That’s what they’re going to see him as. I don’t quite understand why others can’t see that. And by the way, I’m not saying anything bad about Greg. I like the fact that he’s a conservative, but that’s not going to help him in his pitch to get Democrat unaffiliateds to vote for him. And there’s a lot more Democrat unaffiliateds, by the way, than there are Republican unaffiliateds. I know some Republican unaffiliated, but they’re outnumbered vastly by Democrat unaffiliated. So and again, I don’t call them independents because we don’t call them that here. They’re unaffiliated voters. They haven’t picked a side either or. And just getting back to the whole civics end of things. Yes, in Colorado, there will be a primary on our side between Kirkmeyer, Bottoms and Marks. I think that’s the only three that I know of. I didn’t see anybody else that petitioned on or made it. So they’re they’re the three. And unaffiliated will be able to vote in that primary. Keep that in mind. Greg doesn’t have to do anything. He just petitions on. He, I think, has to start sometime quickly because he’s got 60 days to gather signatures to get turned in by July 8th. So he’ll start that process and he’ll get on. He needs, you know, 12,000, 15,000 signatures to make sure he’s got 1,000 in each district handled. And then he’ll be on the ticket. That’s how it works. This isn’t that difficult. So we’ll see how it all works. Some of you don’t believe what I’m saying. You want to make some bets some way, somehow. I guess I need to figure out how to do that and have all the money go to charity. I’ll work on that and see if we can’t figure that out. But guys, I’m not wrong. I’m really not. I wish others would be rational and think about this the same way, but I can’t get people to think past their emotions. And that, to me, is very frustrating. Roof Savers of Colorado coming up next. Speaking of the storm last week and the emotions, I mean, I know for me, I walked out and it looked like a tornado had gone through my place. And if you find yourself in need of getting your roof inspected because of all of the damage that could have happened, I have Dave come by, take a peek at it, 303-710-6916.
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SPEAKER 07 :
The best export we have is common sense. You’re listening to Rush to Reason.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Still going back and forth with some of you on the text line about the whole, you know, governor’s race and so on. And I did look up, just for grins, because, again, I have a lot of respect for Tara Lynn Romero, who is now Greg Lopez’s running mate. I looked up, okay, how much influence does a lieutenant governor, a strong lieutenant governor, by the way, I think she’s strong, have in a close race? Now, keep in mind, I don’t see this being close. So I want to make sure I’m very, very clear when I say that. This will not be a close race. In other words, this isn’t going to be a close race between Greg Lopez, Tara Lynn Romero, and Michael Bennett and whoever his running mate is. Folks, it’s not going to be close. And the reason I say that is because you’ve got 20—well, it’s hard to say. There’s 22% Republicans. They’re not going to vote for – 22% of those are not going to vote for Greg Lopez. I mean, some will. He’ll draw from the Republicans. If anything, he draws more there than he does the Democrats, of course. But he’s not going to draw a large constituent from the Republicans. So you’re going to have probably 19%, 20% Republicans voting for whoever our person is, like Marx, Kirkmeyer, one of those two. So 22% are going to go that way. 28% of those Democrats, they are for sure voting for Michael Bennett. Absolutely. That’s a fact. They will not waver. They are not even thinking about voting for Greg Lopez or anybody that’s on the our side. It’s not going to happen. So if you think that Democrats are going to vote for Greg Lopez, I’ve got swampland in Florida I’d love to talk to you about. It’s not going to happen, folks. Believe me. Diagonal Democrats are voting Democrat, period. If they’re registered Democrat, they’re not changing. They’re not shifting. And the unaffiliateds, they strongly, strongly, strongly vote with Democrats on an ongoing basis. It’s proven every single election cycle here in Colorado. So if you think that you’re going to draw, Greg Lopez is going to draw X amount of those Democrats, that normally unaffiliateds that vote Democrats, you’re going to draw those to your side. No, you’re not. You’re not. You will draw some unaffiliateds that vote Republican votes. towards Greg. That one I would agree with. You’re going to draw a certain amount of votes to you, and that’s why I say it’s a disaster for the Republicans, this go-around with Greg running, because you’re going to steal away so many that there’s not a snowball’s chance of a Republican winning or of Greg winning. And again, folks, it’s math. It’s math. You’re not going to get those 20% of Republicans to vote for Greg. It’s not going to happen. It’s just not going to be there. And you need those to win. You’re not going to win. Again, do the math, folks. You’re not going to win without it. Andy and I can break it all down for you tomorrow if you’d like, but you’re not going to win without those 20%. I’m talking Greg. I’m not talking Michael Bennett. I’m talking Greg. Greg can’t win without that 20%. It’s that simple. What part of that equation do you guys not understand? I’m asking Greg that question. What part of that does Greg not understand? You’re not going to draw 20% of voters to you. It’s just not going to happen, folks. It’s the old party over person thing. There’s still a bunch of us, me included, that are going to vote party over person. It’s what we do. So you’re not going to vote for Greg. I’m not. I’m never going to vote for Greg. It’s not going to happen. Not in a gazillion years. Sorry. And the reason for that is because the math says he’s not winning anyways. So why waste my vote on him? Which is what it is. It’s a wasted vote. And yes, I will hammer that until Election Day. Vote for Greg Lopez. It’s a wasted vote. Period. You’ve done nothing. You’ve accomplished nothing by voting for him. And no, that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in change. I just understand it’s not going to work. The math doesn’t add up. You can’t do it. It’s incomprehensible, folks. And I don’t care how much Tara Lynn draws in. It’s not going to change it. And by the way, she won’t draw from the right. She’ll draw a little bit from the left, but it’s not going to be a lot. It’s not going to be a lot. And again, I wish I’d had an opportunity to talk to her prior to her hitching her wagon to Greg because I would have advised her to do something different because this is political suicide. And I mean that sincerely. This does not help her move forward, unfortunately. But who am I? I’m just a lowly talk show host who’s gotten every election right so far, but who am I? I guess I’m just some dodo, you know, guy that never went to college and hasn’t ever run a successful business and doesn’t know anything about what’s going on and hasn’t predicted most of the elections we’ve had in Colorado correctly. Who am I? In fact, I will say this. We here have gotten more of the election analysis correct than any other show in town. And that’s partly why I don’t hitch my wagon to anybody. I don’t endorse anybody, nor will I. Don’t ask me to. Not going to happen. And once, and I will say this, I’m a registered Republican, and once the primary is over, whoever won that, I’m behind them. Period. I’m not behind Lopez and Romero. I am behind whoever the R is. That’s who I am. Don’t ask me to change, because it’s not going to happen. Because I know there’s no chance of winning that way. So, again, unfortunately, I keep saying it. I keep posting it online. I’ll continue to say it. And there’s some solid Republicans that have hitched their wagon, solid conservatives that have hitched their wagon to Greg Lopez. Wishful thinking, guys. Wishful thinking. And by the way, wishful thinking is not a strategy. Hoping that things will change in Colorado is not a strategy. I said that a couple of weeks ago. Hope itself is not a strategy. Planning, execution, having a right game plan, all those things, that’s the proper way to do things. Hoping for something and hoping for change is not going to do anything. I get it. That was Obama’s slogan, you know, hope and change and all that. But keep in mind, you know, at that point in time in our country, you could have ran almost anybody as a Democrat and won. And to give Obama credit, he’s a good orator. He delivers a good speech. He can’t talk off teleprompter at all, but he does do a good job of delivering speeches. I’ll give him credit where credit’s due. And people like him. He’s charismatic and so on, and he does well, and people follow him. And… Again, I know what Greg is banking on. He’s banking on a lot of the minority vote. He even told me specifically that I don’t understand minorities because how could I? I’m a white guy. He basically said that to me, which was a racist comment, by the way, but that’s okay. I’ll let it slide. But that’s what he said. How would I know what goes on in those communities? I’m just a white guy. Well, I do know what goes on in those communities. I have a brother-in-law that’s Hispanic. So believe it or not, I know more about those communities than you think I do. But anyways, all that being said, I do understand Colorado. I understand our demographics. I understand who’s here. I understand how they vote. I watch it. I have watched. I’ve been watching it for a long time now. And I know that in this particular case, it is going to be really difficult to move things forward given the climate that we now have, especially given the fact of what Greg is doing. So, anyways, with all that being said, we will see what the outcome is. And let me throw this in really quick just to finish out this particular segment. On a lighter note, maybe. Maybe. We have a DJ. Okay. Coming to Denver, I believe this summer, who identifies as a horse. Just so you know. Praise the Farm, a rising DJ with a unique signature look, is going on tour and making Denver the first stop. Horse Girl, a German half-horse, half-human DJ, is bringing the Nature is Healing tour to the U.S., Canada, and across Europe over the fall to mark her first album releasing in June. Denver Farmies is the nickname for her fans. Now, folks, I’ve seen a lot of stupid things in my life. Really, I’ve seen a lot of stupid things. I think this one takes the cake. Did you know about this one, Charlie? The half horse? I mean, she’s not half horse. She dresses like she is, but basically she needs a mental analysis. Maybe she’s got a good gig. I don’t know. Maybe she’s figured something out to make money and she’s going with it. I have no idea, but I would think you’d need a little bit of a mental analysis if you think you’re a horse. Again, it’s probably the shtick. I understand. She probably doesn’t think she’s a horse, but still. She also goes by the name Stella Stallion. So Horse Girl or Stella Stallion. She’s coming to Denver, and this will be her first leg of her tour. Nature is Healing starts May 11th. So tonight. Oh, no, sorry, pre-sale. Sorry, the tickets go on sale. The tickets go on sale tonight at, or sorry, this morning. Went on sale this morning at 10 a.m. I don’t know how that went. Don’t care. I’m not going to go see her. Ever. I want to see people that are sane, not people that are psychotic and insane that think they’re a horse. So I’ll just leave it at that. Cub Creek, sorry, yeah, Cub Creek’s next. Heating and air conditioning, which right now in the studio, Charlie and I both are hot. We’ve got some issues with our building and it’s AC, so we need Cub Creek to come out and check us out, but they need to go see you instead. So Cub Creek heating and air conditioning, find them at klzradio.com.
SPEAKER 13 :
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SPEAKER 10 :
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SPEAKER 06 :
This isn’t Rage Radio. This is Real Relatable Radio. Back to Rush to Reason.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Thanks, by the way. We appreciate you listening, as always. And lots going on, as we know. And this, by the way, I appreciated this, reading this earlier today. Robert Downey Jr., who, by the way, has had his own set of issues in life. We all know that. He had his own demons and struggles and so on, but really came around, has done great. Iron Man, of course, and he has done very well as far as that end of things goes. But… He came out here recently, and he’s got a message for today’s Internet influencers. In a way, it’s get off my lawn. So in a recent appearance on Bran Farrin’s Conversations for Our Daughters podcast, the 61-year-old star admitted this new crop of DIY entertainers seems like hucksters to him. Downey added that the proliferation of online personality-seeking celebrity without effort has made it harder for anyone with talent to actually stand out. By the way, I agree with him. I agree with him 100%. This whole business of, you know, I’m an influencer, it’s utter nonsense in a lot of cases. I get it. People try to be influencers. They can make money doing so. I’ve talked about how that money is made and so on. And the reality is there is good money to be made if you’re really good at what you do. But, man, some of them are a flash in the pan, literally a flash in the pan. They come out strong, get their shtick going, and then all of a sudden that ends. And in some cases, depending upon what they end up doing, they could end up behind bars for whatever it is they actually did. He goes on to say, people can create celebrity without ever doing much besides rolling a phone on themselves, he said. And I don’t look at this as a negative thing. I just look at it as more like a challenge for individualism is being upped. The New York native also said that he hopes young people can resist falling into a self… aggrandizing kind of influencer type thing. Not that the Iron Man star dislikes all social media strivers. He revealed that he has even gotten to know a few and found them to be grounded and accomplished. Still, he doesn’t expect him to buy into that idea that they’re going to be the stars of tomorrow. When I hear people talk like, oh, the stars of the future are going to be influencers, I go, I don’t know what world you’re living in, but I think that’s absolute horse you-know-what. And I don’t know where, you know, Robert Downey Jr. sits politically speaking and all that. Don’t really care. I will say this. He’s a guy that since I don’t know where he stands means he doesn’t really come out and say much one way or the other. I’m guessing he’s probably a lefty, but you wouldn’t know that by the way he talks. And by the way, the way he’s talking here, I appreciate. He noted that his own teenage son has gotten caught up in the influencer world. Next thing you know, it’s like, hey, if you like the way I’m playing this video game, do you want to see me do a donate? You want to send me a donation? And he said, really, that becomes a religion. And he’s right on that. He’s correct. And that’s how that world works. And again, to each his own. I mean, I guess if you can be an influencer and make some money, then more power to you. But I think a lot of people, kids, young people, let me say it that way, get caught up in this whole influencer end of thing. And then when that doesn’t go very well, they wonder, okay, now what’s my purpose in life? Now how do I make a living? How do I make money? Because here’s the reality. I didn’t look this up to know how many influencers actually make money, but Charlie, I’m guessing it’s probably 1% or less. I mean, there are a lot of quote-unquote influencers out there that are on social media that have 15, 20, 30, even 50,000 followers, which, by the way, is quite a few. But you need to add a zero to that to really have any substance at all when it comes to making money. You need half a million followers, at least 150K. But really, to make money, you need a half a million to a million followers to really make money. If you get to that point, yeah, you can make some money being a quote-unquote influencer. And some have done very well at that. Some have found their shtick. And they do very well. Some celebrities even have done very well with that. It just depends. But I agree with Robert Downey Jr. I think the one thing that he’s trying to say here is if you’re a young person and your way of looking at life and making money down the road is to be an influencer and to be that only and not have anything else that you’re backing that up with, you’re going to be very sorry you did that someday. You have to have something to fall back on to actually make money is really what he’s trying to say. You can’t just look at life and say, I’m just going to be an influencer. And by the way, I think a lot of kids do. I think a lot of kids. He also said he worries that he also worries about being reduced to disposable content, I should say, for insatiable clickbait culture. I don’t wish to be consumed. And he’s right about that. Again, everything he’s saying, he’s spot on. He is not wrong. And I think one of the things that we have to be careful of when it comes to our kids especially is making sure that they don’t fall into those same traps. Again, I commend him for saying these things. A lot of stars would not say that. In fact, I think you could go as far as to say some stars would encourage their kids to be an influencer and to go down that path. Again, I appreciate him saying what he’s saying because he’s doing that the right way. Okay, one thing I want to talk about here before we end. I was going to spend a little more time on this than I get a chance to. And this is where, you know, there’s times where I disagree with some folks. NFIB, for example, National Federation of Independent Businesses. They wanted to come on and actually talk about this particular topic. And I said, well, just so you know, I am against this. And they were like, oh, okay, well, we probably should find another topic then. Yep, probably should because I’m against this. And what am I against? I’m against… Swipe fee, so in Colorado right now, they’re trying to run a bill through whereby all of your swipe fees, so when you run your credit card, the merchants are charged a fee, anywhere from 1.5% to 3% depending upon their transactions, their averages, and so on. I’m not going to get into all those details, but it’s right in there. Just think 2%. Most are charged around 2%. And that’s on the total bill. So if it’s a large bill and it’s $2,000 and there’s $150 in sales tax, they’re charged a 2% even on the sales tax. It’s across the board. What Colorado right now is trying to pass is those sales taxes would be excluded from the swipe fee, which to me is just an utter nightmare. It literally is a bookkeeping nightmare. And I also know this, that the credit card companies, if they’re losing out on those swipe fees on taxes, they’re going to get it somewhere else. In other words, they’ll just raise the price. So in the end, no one wins. If you think for one second, Wells Fargo, Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, all of them, if you think for one second they’re going to lose revenue because a state like Colorado doesn’t allow them to do swipe fees on sales tax, if you think that’s just going to roll along and it’s no big deal and they’re not going to raise rates across the board, think again. And that’s why I oppose this. And this is where the Democrats aren’t looking at it. Well, Democrats don’t care, but that’s where they’re not looking at it correctly. They don’t understand the system. These banks are not going to lose. these financial institutions. They’re not going to lose. So what they’ll do is if your fee is 1.7, it’ll be 2. If it’s 2, it’ll be 2.3. If it’s 2.3, it’ll be 2.6. You get where I’m going with this? They’ll get it some way, somehow. And in the end, all of us are going to be the same. As a consumer, this is not going to have any effect on us one way or the other. It’s not going to save us money. They’re touting this, the Democrats are, as saving us money, the consumer. It’s not. Trust me, it’s not. Because like I said, at the end, they’re going to get their money one way or the other. And that’s what I told NFIB, which again, I respect the NFIB. I like the NFIB. They’re looking at this as a way for merchants to save money. Unfortunately, they’re wrong in this. Because like I just said, in the end, it’s not going to save them money. It’s not going to save the merchant money. Because again, the banks aren’t going to lose, folks. Some of this to me is so elementary. Why can’t people see this? Even folks at the NFIB, why can you not see this? Banks aren’t going to lose money. They’re going to get this back one way or the other. And again, I’m one that opposes this particular legislation because to me it just makes for a lot more regulation and regulatory nonsense when it’s all said and done than what we currently have right now. So at the end of the day, no one wins. No one wins. And this will most likely pass and probably go into law. And again, at the end of the day, no one here wins. No one’s going to win. The Dems think that you’re going to win as a consumer, but again, at the end of the day, you’re not. There’s other bills and stuff that are going on as well, but that’s the one I wanted to focus on mostly because that one, it’s got one more hurdle to get past, and I would venture to guess that it will pass. So in 2024, Colorado merchants paid $218 million in swipe fees. Now, keep in mind, they didn’t, you did. I always have to remind people of that. They didn’t, you did. And guess what? We still will. This isn’t going to change what you and I pay at the end of the day. Total, businesses in the state paid $2.1 billion on swipe fees. $2.1 billion. So again, credit card companies made $2.1 billion off merchants, off of you, basically, using your credit card. You and me. And they want to take away $218 million. So if you think, which is roughly 10%, if you think for one second that those banks are going to allow that to just roll along and they’re not going to recapture that… $218 million, you’re crazy. It’s too much money to just sit and go buy. So they will figure out a way through raising the rates, the swipe fees, what they call it. That’s not even the right word, by the way. It’s not even called a swipe fee because you don’t swipe anymore. Most of the time it’s tap and tap to pay. Anyways, they’re called transaction fees, credit card transaction fees. That’s the correct terminology. I hate – again – terminology and words matter in this case the the left and this particular report’s coming out of the colorado sun it’s not a swipe fee that’s what everybody’s calling it but it’s not a swipe fee it’s called a credit card transaction fee and as merchants by the way we’ve had these for eons all the way back to where you put the card in the little metal thing that had the suction cups that you stuck to the counter and then you rolled the credit card back and forth you had to call in for authorization we paid them then and merchants are still paying them it hasn’t changed And again, it’s not going to, folks. No matter what happens at Colorado’s Golden Dome and what they pass or don’t pass, it’s not going to change. You’re going to pay credit card transaction fees. And all that’s going to happen now after this passes is those merchants are going to pay a higher fee. Trust me when I say that. There’s no free lunches. We all know that. It’s not going to change anything. So veteran windows and doors, what is going to change is if you want windows and doors right now, doors especially, which some of you have screen doors, storm doors, things like that. There’s things that even this time of the year you look at and say, wow, I’d like to have the main door open, but I’d like to have some ventilation rolling through. You know what? Dave can do that. Dave Bancroft can do that at veteran windows and doors. 45% off right now. Give him a call today. Find him at klzradio.com.
SPEAKER 13 :
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SPEAKER 06 :
Suck it up, buttercup. Back to Rush to Reason.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, we are back. That’s going to wrap it up for today’s program. Andy, now, of course, we’ll break down a few more things when it comes to some of the voting situations we’ve got going on in Colorado with the governorship and other races as well. And then, of course, Jordan Goodman will join us at the 3 o’clock mark. We’ll talk to him and get an update on what’s going on with the financial world as well. Guys, have a great night. Be safe out there. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
