In today’s episode, John Rush is joined by Dave, a seasoned expert from Veteran Windows and Doors, and they talk all things windows and doors in the challenging climate of Colorado. The conversation dismantles common myths about home construction, revealing the critical role of custom installations and efficient products. Whether building a luxury estate or simply wanting to protect your current home, this episode offers invaluable insights into making informed decisions on your next home improvement project.
SPEAKER 05 :
This is Rush to Reason.
SPEAKER 04 :
You are going to shut your damn yapper and listen for a change because I got you pegged, sweetheart. You want to take the easy way out because you’re scared. And you’re scared because if you try and fail, there’s only you to blame. Let me break this down for you. Life is scary. Get used to it. There are no magical fixes.
SPEAKER 05 :
With your host, John Rush.
SPEAKER 04 :
My advice to you is to do what your parents did. Get a job, sir.
SPEAKER 15 :
You haven’t made everybody equal. You’ve made them the same, and there’s a big difference.
SPEAKER 11 :
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 08 :
Are you crazy? Am I? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind?
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s Rush to Reason with your host, John Rush. Presented by Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning.
SPEAKER 06 :
All right, and we are here Monday. Happy Monday, everybody. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Myself and Dave from Veteran Windows and Doors joining me now. Charlie Grimes, of course, our engineer. Dave, good morning. Or good afternoon, I should say. Good afternoon. What I meant to say is we woke up to snow this morning. Yes. In some parts.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, and I just had the sprinkler guy blow out the sprinkler.
SPEAKER 06 :
I got sunburned yesterday out, you know, messing in the lawn. So today you have snow. So it is what it is. It’s Colorado.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome to Colorado.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, and that bleeds into you and windows and doors and why it’s important to have what you need.
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 06 :
Because our weather can change dramatically.
SPEAKER 12 :
It does. And that’s my biggest thing here is it has to be engineered to accommodate all of those changes and done correctly.
SPEAKER 06 :
And we have a lot of changes. You all know, anybody that’s lived here for any length of time knows that, you know, we can be 75 degrees, 80 even. We set a record on Saturday, almost a record. I didn’t look to see if we came, you know, if we actually broke it, but pretty close on Saturday. And then, you know, again, this morning woke up to, I don’t know, three-quarters of an inch of snow. Granted, just on the grass and such, but in a lot of cases, I’m not sure that’s really what people expected. And granted, it’s warmed up and it’s, you know, what is it, 56 degrees. So, I mean, it’s still a decent day outside, but not like it was Saturday.
SPEAKER 12 :
No, and I think they’re forecasting snow on Friday. Yes.
SPEAKER 06 :
So those big extremes, when it comes to windows and doors, how do you accommodate that?
SPEAKER 12 :
I mean, well, everything is tested for how efficient it actually is. And the, you know, the powers that be, the National Fenestration Rating Council has come up with certain values that your product should be meeting based on where you live. And they take that into consideration. You know, those fluctuations, the extreme changes from hot to cold. And, you know, in the warmer months, you want to block that solar radiation. In the colder months, you want to allow it in. So.
SPEAKER 06 :
So it is – I mean, it’s a little bit more – I’m not using the right words here. It’s a lot more involved than just somebody coming by saying, oh, yeah, I can do these windows. Here’s the sizes, and we’ll get you fixed up, and here’s the price.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER 06 :
There’s more to it than that is my point.
SPEAKER 12 :
There’s a lot more to it, and that’s kind of my frustration with this because I follow behind a lot of the big-name companies. They’re doing what I just said, basically. Exactly what they do. They’re trained to sell, and that’s their effort is to sell, not to actually – engineer it the right way to serve its purpose.
SPEAKER 06 :
So your 36 by 24 window or 48 by 36 window is X, and they don’t even get into any of the stuff that you’re talking about whatsoever. Not at all. And then I guess one thing we’ve never talked about, I mean, I guess we have kind of in a roundabout way, but with those big-name guys, do you even know who’s doing the install? Because most of them, and I might be stepping out of line here if I am, correct me, but I don’t think most of them even use their own teams to install. They use a bunch of subs. across the board that, you know, they’re, they’re, you know, basically, they’ve got this team or this network, if you would. And, you know, you could have, you know, Joe showing up one day, and Larry showing up, you know, five days later, and neither one knowing each other. Am I correct in saying?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it’s a lot of subcontract work. And, you know, some of them you show up with a flannel shirt and a hammer and you’re hired. And it’s a Not the way it should be.
SPEAKER 06 :
And the difference between them versus you is not only, and I’ll let you explain this, but not only are you going through and making sure that every window is engineered and done correctly for that home, and again, what the homeowner’s needs are, but really it’s much more for what the home needs because if the home needs it, the homeowner will be happy at the end of the day. But on top of that, you’ve got different crews that do the install.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, and we follow a much stricter code than is required. Colorado’s high plain desert, so they’re not overly concerned with water mitigation or things like that. But as you know, we get a lot of snow melt on top of a window can seep in. We actually make sure the opening is flashed and protected before the product even goes in.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay. And then the product itself, a lot of people, I think, just, you know, they go to the big box stores or they look online and they get the thinking, oh, you know, they’re all the same. A window’s a window’s a window. Well, not really.
SPEAKER 12 :
No, not at all. And even, you know, the company I use, Provia, just because it says Provia doesn’t mean that it was designed correctly. So you really have to be cognizant of where you are.
SPEAKER 06 :
Good point.
SPEAKER 12 :
And what you’re doing because I follow behind some of these companies and they’re putting in the absolute wrong product. It doesn’t meet energy code. It doesn’t meet ENERGY STAR criteria. It’s just you have to be aware and that has to be your concern, not the sale.
SPEAKER 06 :
And just because there’s a sticker on a pane of glass doesn’t mean anything either, I’ve learned, right? Not at all.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, it has to be the right sticker.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 12 :
So, yeah, that’s the National Fenestration Rating Council is the governing body. They test the efficiency. They look at how well the product retains heat, your insulating value. It looks at how well it refracts that solar radiation and that heat in the summer. And then airflow, air infiltration, all of those things are calculated and have to be clearly labeled on the product when you receive it because there are values that you’re supposed to be meeting.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay. One other thing, too, that I want to make sure people are aware of. I know we’ve talked about this in the past, but I think we’ve only hit on this maybe one time that you and I have been together in the past, and that is… For those of you that are listening, some of you might have a really nice high-end home, might have been very custom. Maybe you built it. Maybe somebody else built it. You moved in. But it’s got some very customized things in it. And you’re thinking, well, I don’t want just any old generic window stuck in here. I want something that’s going to be aesthetically pleasing and match what I’ve got and all of that. And I want people to understand that you can do just a really basic window that will get people by, or you can get as fancy as they want, right?
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah, I work in a lot of historic districts where we’re doing a true hardwood interior. Okay. Either maple, cherry, or oak, and then doing a factory finish to match the existing stains.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 12 :
So you can go high-end, or if it’s a lot of customers that are just in apartments, it’s not their forever home. Right. They don’t want to go to that extent, and so we put in an Echolite window that… My only effort is I make sure it meets your code so it’s going to serve its purpose. But other than that, there’s a wide range of costs.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, because I think, again, for a lot of people, I think they get this idea that, oh, well, I need to go to that custom builder if I’m going to get the custom windows to fit my custom home that somebody built 10, 15, 20, however many decades ago. And I don’t know if that’s something Dave can do. Yes, Dave can do that is my point. Yes, we can.
SPEAKER 12 :
And a lot of those custom builders, they’re not really thinking about the efficiency. They’re putting in a gas-filled window, which, you know, over 4,000 feet in elevation, you do not want to do a gas-filled window. But they’re readily available. It’s like McDonald’s. It’s easy to get, and it’s inexpensive, so everyone does it.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, and I talked about this last week outside of you, and not trying to be mean or rude or anything along those lines, but I have watched different homes go up in different areas. I’ve got some homes that are going up near me, and I look at the folks that are building them, and then I think to myself, are these really any different contractor-wise? And granted, these are very expensive homes that are going in, but are these any different than that $500,000 track home that’s going in a few miles away? Is there really any difference in the crews? And I’ll just be honest with you, Dave, not that I Yeah, there really isn’t. I mean, sometimes those guys float around from job to job, according to the, you know, the request that they’ve gotten and who the job came from, and so on. And the reality is, the guy framing the $500,000 home could be framing the $2 million home as well. Am I right?
SPEAKER 12 :
that’s it yeah they they all you know those windows it’s one of the weird things here is that they don’t really give you an option to upgrade windows or do anything like that you may get added interior casing or trim something to make it a little more you know higher end but that doesn’t mean that the window itself that you know the glass or the the actual product is
SPEAKER 06 :
No, you are. I have purposely, in these particular builds, have watched some of that, even the windows themselves. And you can see usually the label that is on the window as it’s going in. And I’m thinking to myself, these guys should have called Dave. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice. And these are super expensive homes where it’s like you wouldn’t expect that. And again, when it’s all said and done, and most people, even if they’re looking at the house as it’s getting built, Dave, they don’t know one window from another. They’re just looking at a finished product. And these particular homes, I can almost tell you because I’ve watched them, these are the type of homes that… somebody will move into and it’s all said and done and they won’t have any idea nor care how everything was done on the front side as long as it looks aesthetically pleasing when it’s all said and done that’s all they care about they have no idea how it was built yeah no they care no and that’s what it is as long as that window lasts a season you’re good to go but uh you know as soon as the gas is dissipated and it’s failed now you’re it doesn’t matter how
SPEAKER 12 :
how luxurious the home is. And that’s the whole point of energy-efficient products is to protect the mechanics of the home. That’s why they have those codes and those values, and that’s why you should be meeting them because that’s the end game.
SPEAKER 06 :
What is the special as we roll down the – I know we’re in April. I know the special right now is we’re changing anything up as we get to May, or is it all going to basically run together?
SPEAKER 12 :
We’re going to keep it the same, but I’ve had a big push on doors lately. Okay. So with the doors, I’m actually going to start doing 45% off Provia’s list price and installing it at our cost.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay. And, okay. I’m putting this into my notes. Perfect. Dave, I appreciate you. Those of you listening, you can call Dave, direct 303-529-0720. You can also go to the website, klzradio.com. You can also go to rushtoreason.com. A lot of you will text me for Dave’s number. That’s fine as well. However you want to get a hold of him, I can always send that off. It’s not a problem at all. But, Dave, I appreciate you. Have a happy Easter, by the way, as well. Yes, you as well. It’s a great week.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, it is.
SPEAKER 06 :
Heading down the stretch.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s it.
SPEAKER 06 :
All right, man. Appreciate you very much. Thanks for joining me. And, again, those of you listening, please, if you’re driving and you want to know more about Dave and his company and all of that, just go to klzradio.com. Look for veteran windows and doors. Golden Eagle coming up next. That is Al Smith. He wants to help you with your financial future. Talk to Al today. Again, also go to klzradio.com.
SPEAKER 10 :
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SPEAKER 06 :
All right, Roof Savers of Colorado, all under one roof. And what I mean is commercial, residential. They can fix what you’ve got going on. They can replace it as well. And by the way, that includes the commercial sides of it as well. Give Dave a call today, 303-710-6916.
SPEAKER 01 :
At Roof Savers Colorado, we are about more than roofs. We are about helping you make the best decisions with the right information. Being a homeowner isn’t getting any easier or cheaper, and neither is getting your roof the solution it needs. Deductibles are going through the roof, and with every passing year, insurance covers less than the one before. Due to a record amount of hailstorms recently, insurance companies have started limiting your coverage and pulling out of states entirely. We know the industry. With over 3,000 roofs under our belts and 23 years of experience, Dave Hart and his team are ready to complete a free roof inspection and discuss the option that is best for you. Don’t wait. Policy renewals are increasing by as much as 50%. Now is the time to get the solution you need. Call Roof Savers Colorado today at 303- 710-6916 or go to roofsaversco.com. That’s 303-710-6916 or go to roofsaversco.com to schedule your free inspection and start saving your roof today.
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SPEAKER 05 :
God. Country. Reason. Now back to John Rush.
SPEAKER 06 :
All right, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. I will say really quick, too, Charlie was mentioning this during the break, that when it comes to Dave at Veterans, the nice thing that is great about Dave and that we really appreciate, I know I do, is he’s not just a sales guy. He’s out looking not only at your home but the install, how things are going. He’s putting all of that together. Dave himself knows exactly how things should be done. He doesn’t have to go and check with his boss about this or his boss about that or the sales team about this. It doesn’t work that way. Dave is the guy. He’s doing the whole nine yards. He’s in a lot of ways kind of a one-man band as far as that goes. He’s doing the sales aspect of it, ordering all of the product, arranging everything to be installed with his crews. on-site as things are going in you know he is that guy and somebody asked a moment ago to be a text message if not gas filled windows then what next time days on all having talked a little bit more about that but what they will tell you to do is just you know the right rating Of each window pane, and they’re different from the inside to the out, non-gas, just regular double pane windows, but with the correct glass on each side, UV rating and so on. And a lot of that, again, is going to go into what part of the home is that window going into? What are you looking to get out of it when it’s all said and done? Are we facing, you know, which direction, north, south, east, west? and so on and he can walk you through all of that so no dave does not recommend gas windows at our elevation for the reasons he mentioned earlier it’s kind of a sales gimmick that a lot of folks have by the way as you can all tell dave is not a sales gimmick guy whatsoever and i would also say this if you have a specific question along those lines dave is the kind of guy where just reach out call him directly He will answer whatever question that you’ve got. Even if it’s something where you’ve had something done recently, you don’t like the way it turned out, you’d like to know what some of the options are for fixing it, give Dave a call. Don’t be bashful. He’s never going to criticize you for doing something along those lines. He’s not that kind of guy. He’s not going to make you feel bad for buying something from someplace else that maybe didn’t work out so well because, frankly, you just didn’t know about him in the first place. So, yeah. Anytime you’ve got a question all along those lines, please give Dave a call, and he would be happy to assist you. He’s a very humble, as you can tell, just a really humble, nice guy, and a great vet as well. So something else that you guys might find interesting, and this is by no means a – How do I want to say this? This is involving President Trump. This week this came out on Newsmax. He’s talking about a strong, holy week message recognizing Jesus’ suffering and redemption. Now, I don’t know President Trump’s heart no more than I know any of your hearts. No more than I know anyone’s heart other than my own. But what I can say is, like a lot of us, as we have conversations and we talk about different things, you can pretty well tell what’s going on with somebody in regards to their own faith by what they say, what they do. Now, really quick, before some of you hardcore Christians come out and say, well, yeah, but look what President Trump does. He’s just so brash and mean and angry and so on. He’s that way to the press. OK, you have to realize something with President Trump. Yes, he is narcissistic, no doubt about it. On the same token, you know, my son and I were talking a little bit about this earlier today. I think to be president or to hold any kind of position like that, you kind of have to be a little bit. And I’m not giving him a pass, but I’m just saying you’ve got to have the ability to come out, be bold and say things no matter what everybody else thinks. And just sort of look at it and say, I don’t care what you think. I’m going to say it anyways. Now, a lot of you, again, would say that, you know, well, I wouldn’t say that Donald Trump’s a Christian. Look at how he treats the media. No offense, guys. The media needs treated that way sometimes. They’re a bunch of scumbags and they need called out. It’s almost like think of Christ talking to the Pharisees or anybody that, you know, when he was calling out the demons. Think of it that way, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that. These are literally the brood of vipers, most of the news media, that he is now talking to. So when any of these high and mighty Christians come out and say, well, I just don’t like the way he talks to the press and this, that, and the other, in a lot of ways, that’s his persona, his stage presence, I guess you could say, and it’s just the way he is to those individuals, and rightfully so. Now, if you don’t believe what I’m saying, go watch the Bill Maher interview, who Bill Maher, by the way, is not a conservative. about the farthest thing from it, although it’ll be interesting to watch what Bill Maher does over the next several years because he could easily, maybe I’m wrong, but I think he could easily turn into another Elon Musk if the left isn’t careful. They’re already eating Bill Maher up over his comments about Trump, because really what Bill Maher said in a nutshell, I was going to play some of it today, but Bill uses a lot of colorful language. It’s really hard to go through and take a lot of that out. You guys can go listen to it, not on air, because I can’t play a lot of what Bill says on air because of our guidelines by the FCC. But really, in a nutshell, what Bill said was he’s actually a really nice guy. And I’m not really paraphrasing, am I, Charlie? That’s pretty much what Bill Maher said. Believe it or not, and he even said this, a lot of my liberal friends are going to be mad at me saying this. They’re going to be just spitting mad because I’m going down this path. But the reality is he’s actually a really nice guy. He even talked about how he took with him every unkind word Donald Trump had said about him publicly. You know, his show’s a loser, he’s a loser, this, that, and the other. And they brought that, and they basically brought it in. They had a good laugh over it. He wanted to know if Donald Trump would sign it, which they took video and pictures of him doing. And they had a great time and a great laugh. And I think what Bill realized is, yes, that’s Trump’s shtick. That’s what he has to do. Now, he feels he has to do. I wouldn’t do that if I were Trump, but I’m not Donald Trump. I’m not president. Now, all of that to go back to his announcement this week of Holy Week 2025. So it’s a message celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and salvation of sins and vowing to defend the Christian faith and religious liberty. This is a quote. This Holy Week, my administration renews its promise to defend the Christian faith in our schools, military, workplaces, hospitals, and halls of government, Trump wrote in a Palm Sunday statement. We will never waver in safeguarding the right to religious liberty, upholding the dignity of life, and protecting God in our public square. Okay, you can not like him for that or like him for that. But again, at the end of the day, that was a statement that was put out. which I’ll be straight up honest, I don’t think any statement from the last administration has been put out along those lines. So that’s the reality of, again, what Trump just put out over the weekend. I am by no means, you know, hailing him or worshiping him or anything along those lines. I think Trump does a lot of great things. I think there’s some things that he does that, frankly, I would do differently than what he does. But in the end, he is president. I am not. And there are some things that I will give him a pass on on a routine basis. Dr. Scott Faulkner coming up next. And Dr. Scott wants to help you with all of your medical care needs. And he thinks outside the box. He is not beholding to big health care or big pharma by any means. Give Scott a call today, by the way, 303-663-6990.
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Are you tired of crisis care and instead want true health care? Do you want to improve your overall fitness and beauty? Do you have a chronic medical condition that no one has taken the time to understand? Are you trying to meet a health or weight goal? Or maybe you’re just looking for a great doctor who thinks the way you do. Dr. Scott is a board certified internal medicine specialist, bringing decades of experience and expertise to the table. Dr. Scott is a true advocate of the latest advancements in health care. That’s why he uses umbilical derived stem cells, which have been clinically proven to be the most potent stem cells available. Worried about being lost in the crowd of impersonal health care? Fear not. Dr. Scott is a big picture doctor, not beholden to big pharma or big insurance like some other providers. He takes the time to understand your unique needs and will customize your health care to fit you, your body, and your lifestyle. Reach your full potential and achieve your goals. Call Dr. Scott today at 303-663-6990 or visit him online at castlerockregenerativehealth.com or find him at rushtoreason.com. Dr. Scott Faulkner and Castle Rock Regenerative Health Care is your path to a healthier tomorrow.
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SPEAKER 05 :
The best export we have is common sense. You’re listening to Rush to Reason.
SPEAKER 06 :
All right, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Dan Snowberger joining us now, superintendent of Elizabeth School District. Welcome, Dan. How are you?
SPEAKER 13 :
Doing well, thank you. Thanks for the opportunity.
SPEAKER 06 :
No, I appreciate it. No, thank you for joining me. I followed this story a little bit, you know, throughout the news and, you know, knowing some folks that know you on a direct basis. But, you know, you reached out and more than happy to have you on to talk about this with our listeners here. So give us an update. There’s a lawsuit. Make sure I’m hearing this correctly. There’s a lawsuit against your district from the ACLU. Explain all of that.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yes, absolutely. Last fall, we began a process reviewing our library books after parents expressed some concerns about books that their children were bringing home. And the process had identified a handful of books, about 19 of them that were inappropriate in libraries, different age groups that were of a concern instead of just throwing them away as maybe some school districts might do. We actually displayed them and invited parents to come in and give our board their feedback on what they felt was best to do with them. Overwhelmingly, our community felt like they were inappropriate to be in the libraries where they currently sat and our board, following the will of our community, removed them from the library. About four months later the ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of a couple of families in our community and we have been battling that since December 20th of last year and that has been an ongoing issue for us. Some of these books contain Some pornographic material, certainly material that we find pretty shocking and certainly material that doesn’t add educational value to our libraries. And so that’s been something that we’ve been working through here in our district.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, and just to make sure that we are clear for folks listening so that as they may have this conversation around their own family water cooler, whatever the case may be, you’re not talking about just banning anything that’s there that might be a little bit outside the box to where maybe one parent doesn’t mind, but somebody else thinks it’s okay. I mean, this is collectively where the parents have gotten together and said, you know, at this time in our child’s lives, this really isn’t appropriate for them to be reading, which, by the way, I can’t disagree with that.
SPEAKER 13 :
Right, exactly. And again, we actually have a process where material that some parents may find sensitive and others may not. We actually have a system where a parent can say, you know, I don’t want my children checking out those books, but you may. And so we have a system in place for what we call sensitive content. These books actually are over the top, meaning, again, they have some pretty graphic content. pornographic material that just, you know, really don’t belong in the hands of children. Even when you buy the book, it outlines an age group that just didn’t fit where they sat so far since they were in the middle school, and the books recommend that for children 17 and older. So this is almost like an R-rated movie versus a PG movie. Exactly. You know, some of the odd things about these books are, you know, as we As we were responding to the complaint from the court and sending that through our email filter, the federally mandated email filter, we couldn’t transmit some of the content in these books over our email.
SPEAKER 06 :
I’ll tell you something.
SPEAKER 13 :
So, you know, that’s confusing when the federally mandated email filter won’t allow you to transmit the content in these books, but we’re being sued to put them back on our shelves.
SPEAKER 06 :
I always have a dumb question along these lines because I’m kind of an outsider with all of this, Dan. How do these books make it there in the first place?
SPEAKER 13 :
You know, we have non-licensed librarians. We have, you know, people who have volunteered to be librarians. They get, you know, minimal training. But oftentimes book companies will put together, you know, you can buy these 100 books for, you know, $1,000. Okay. We’ll send you the file to upload them into your systems. And sadly, sometimes those books are included in packages like that. I see.
SPEAKER 06 :
That makes sense, by the way. I’ve always wondered, you know, how do these things get there in the first place? And what you’re really telling me is it’s sort of this package deal where they sort of, in a way, get snuck in.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yep. You know, it used to be years ago you’d have a licensed media specialist who would hand-select books to order for your library online. And over the last 10 to 15 years, book companies will put together packages and you’ll buy the package. These books have been in our library, some of them since the late 90s. Half of these books have never even been checked out. And so that’s the other concerning piece is certainly half of these books have never been checked out. And yet again, we’re trying to be forced to put them back. Their argument is the board is banning them because of political ideology. And again, the board’s made the decision based upon the content of the book and not based on political ideology.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, and I get that whole end of things, which makes total sense to me, by the way, as far as what you just said. I guess question, though, just being the business guy here, that I am, and looking at an end around all of this, why not just come up with a system whereby if a book isn’t checked out in X amount of time in our libraries, period, they’re just going to be removed from the shelves, avoiding all of this other nonsense, or is that even an option?
SPEAKER 13 :
You know, we do that. We actually weed our books every year. Again, through the concern of the community, since it was brought forward, I think our board felt like we needed to be transparent. I see. And so when you have parents coming forward and saying, hey, we’re concerned about what’s in your library’s You know, the board felt like, hey, let’s be transparent. Let’s make sure parents know we’re responding to their concerns. We felt like we found these books. We put this sensitive topic system into place so that parents can opt their children out of books that might contain sensitive topics. Like you said, I as a parent may not want my child to read it. You may be fine having your child read content like that. These books were over the top, and they felt like, you know, let’s be transparent and make sure that our community knows that we’re responding to their concerns.
SPEAKER 06 :
Which, you know, again, I’m all for. In fact, that’s the way it ought to work. You know me, though. I’m always thinking outside the box. And, okay, rather than letting the left try to have these wins and going through costly litigation and things like that, what’s the alternative to still get to where we want to go without having all of that involvement? Yeah.
SPEAKER 13 :
Absolutely. And, you know, John, this is unsettled law. And I guess that’s the sad part is there actually is not legal precedent in this matter. And so, you know, as a school district in Colorado, local control is you have an elected school board who your community elects. That school board is empowered by the citizens who have elected them to make curricular decisions. The library is an extension of the curriculum. And so should the school board actually be able to respond to the will of the citizens to ensure that the content in the school is appropriate? And in this case, you know, I believe it’s probably a case that needs to be determined so that school districts around the state and around the country need to be able to do their job. And so as frustrating as it is, We’ve been fortunate to have people from around Colorado and around the nation actually step up to help us, and we’re working really hard to keep this from not impacting our students. We’ve been fortunate to have groups like Parents United and the Article III Project step up with fundraising to help us make sure that this doesn’t impact our district budget. And that’s been very helpful to us. Obviously, you know, this is not going to be a short-lived case. It’ll be a case that’ll probably take a year or so to resolve. It’s right now at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. And we have no doubt that it may take a while before it’s actually resolved.
SPEAKER 06 :
So part of the… I would think the end goal of this is going back to your point on there’s no real precedence. This would, depending upon its outcome, hopefully be in our favor. I say our favor because I’m on your side. I would hope that we’d then have some precedence for other school districts across the country to go off of. Is that the idea?
SPEAKER 13 :
That’s exactly the case. I think in the end, we as a school district need to know that we can do the right thing, that when a community steps up and says we need to ensure that in our schools is appropriate, that school districts can do this, that we don’t have to hide behind, you know, throwing things away in the dark of night. You know, yes, that could be easier. And I’ve had many people say, Dan, you should have just done it quietly. But again, the right thing is never easy to do. And I think in this case, you know, we’re going to ensure that.
SPEAKER 06 :
No, given everything you’ve told me in regards to which I’m just astonished at, that we don’t have a precedence for this across the country, which to me is just maddening. Why we don’t is absolutely ridiculous. We ought to have that in every state. We ought to have some guidelines. If nothing else, have guidelines along the line of if it says the book content is for X age and above, then we will abide by that to start with.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, yeah. And, you know, we’ve read some of the books on air on some other stations, and it is bone-chilling to actually, when people hear some of what’s in these books, and again, to be said, oh, you’re just against political speech. No, this is pornography, and it’s embarrassing to read, and it’s embarrassing to think, you know, your 14-year-old at the high school could pick up this book and read this and think, You know, this is appropriate. What is this doing to afford their reading ability, to afford their knowledge of history? None of this has educational value in why we send children to school.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, and again, for everybody listening, as all people know, I’m very much a, you know, I kind of like that hands-off approach, Dan. You know, if you’re not bothering me, then great. Then I’m not going to bother you. And, you know, you do your thing and we’ll all be good at the end of the day. That’s fine for us as adults. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER 13 :
Agreed. Agreed. I mean, the reality is in Colorado, 40% of our kids can read a grade level. We’re spending a lot more time on foolishness in our schools than what we should be spending time on. And we’re going to make sure that materials in our library actually help students learn to read. And frankly, these materials don’t.
SPEAKER 06 :
So the argument from the ACLU against this, which again, it’s the ACLU, I get it, but how, I mean, I guess I’m trying to think in my mind, how do you defend leaving those on the shelf? I’m confused.
SPEAKER 13 :
Freedom of speech, that the authors have a right to deliver their speech in their books to individuals and that those individuals have a right to receive it. Exactly, exactly. And so that’s their preliminary argument.
SPEAKER 06 :
These are minors. There’s a difference. I mean, this would be like saying, Dan, and correct me if I’m wrong, but this would be like saying it’s okay to allow anyone in the strip club. You don’t need to be 21 years or whatever. I don’t even know what the limit is. It shows you how much I know. But whether it’s 18 or 21, you know, we have drinking age limits. We have all sorts of things along those lines. How is that any different than this?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, their other argument is that they believe that these books contain LGBTQ material and that these books are African-American authors, and therefore we’re trying to deny that. Again, these books are not in any way connected to that, and they weren’t eliminated because of that. Five of the 19 books… may have some theme related to an LGBTQ topic, but it’s not because of that topic that they were removed. It’s because of the graphic content. And again, you know, that’s the frustration as their framing of the argument is untrue. The content is what the problem is, and we’ve got, you know, examples of every one of these books and why it did not belong in the library where it’s at. And again, our frustration is the lower court judge here in Denver who issued the preliminary injunction that now has been paused by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to have a hearing, did not even offer the district the opportunity to come in and present our argument, issued a preliminary injunction twice. First, issued at 10th Circuit Court, did not step in but realized they might, and she stayed her own order. After waiting another week, reissued her preliminary injunction, and now the Tenth Circuit Court has stepped in and issued an administrative stay. And so we’re right now waiting for the Tenth Circuit Court to act. on our motion for stay in appeal at that level. And what’s our timeframe on all that look like, Dan? We will receive their response to our motion for stay in appeal tonight before the close of business today, and then we have a week to respond to theirs, their response, and then the court should take that up sometime next week, and then at that point we’ll know whether they’re going to remand it back to the district court or whether the 10th Circuit will hear the case at that point. So we expect something by the end of next week.
SPEAKER 06 :
How do all of our listeners that are out there listening to this, in some cases, either shocked or not? I mean, some of them may have already heard some of this story, and it may not be anything shocking to them. I am always appalled at these things when I hear it. But people that are listening, if they want to get involved and help, how do they do that, Dan?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, ElizabethSchoolDistrict.org is our website. There is a link at the very top of the page for folks who are willing to help us. Like I said, this could be a costly battle, so we appreciate anyone willing to help us there. And further down on that page is a link that will provide ongoing updates. All of our filings, all of our court filings are there, and certainly any updates that come from us will be there. So folks who are willing to follow along, we certainly appreciate it. and just the opportunity, John, to get the word out and share this. We really appreciate that.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I appreciate you guys. And as we move forward and anything else comes up and you want to make other announcements, I know you’re going to be doing that on the website as well. But if you want to get something direct out to us, listeners and so on, just let me know, Dan. And, yeah, we want to help as much as we can. To me, this seems pretty – I mean, again, I’m not the ACLU. I don’t think like those knuckleheads do. But to me, this seems pretty cut and dried.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, it certainly feels that way to us. And like I said, our focus is on educating kids and making sure that we increase the reading ability of our kids. That’s what we’re here for. And this seems like a no-brainer for us to defend and give other districts the right to do the same. Awesome.
SPEAKER 06 :
Dan, appreciate you. Keep your chin up. Let us know how things go. Appreciate it, John. You betcha, man. Appreciate it very much. No, thank you for filling us in. And, again, that’s Elizabeth, that’s with a Z, ElizabethSchoolDistrict.org. ElizabethSchoolDistrict.org. That is the website that you can go to. Charlie, let’s do this. Let’s put the kids’ book next in line here since it really ties in with what we just got done talking about with Dan, Adventures of Jimmy and Andrew. And you heard what Dan said. Only 40% of kids in Colorado, when they’re done with high school, Only 40 percent of them can read proficiently. So four out of 10, meaning six kids in Colorado leave school not knowing how to read fully. And we have a tool that can help you with that. That is The Adventures of Jimmy and Andrew. It’s American Stonehenge by Mike Goldstein. And with this book, and I mean this sincerely, it is the type of book that will not only teach your kids how to read. It’ll teach other kids you know how to read. It can be a family affair at the same time. And I know I keep saying this, but get this book. Pass it out to other people that you know that have kids. Maybe you don’t have any more kids. Maybe the grandkids even, or you don’t have them nearby. Well, get one and send it to them or have Mike send one to them. You can buy it, have it drop shipped even. But there’s all sorts of ways to get these books into the hands of young people. Do that today. Go to JimmyAndAndrew.com. Use promo code KLZ and get 10% off.
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SPEAKER 03 :
How are you doing today? Good, Ben. How are you? Are you all healed up from whatever you had going on?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, I had a super bad sinus infection, but yes, feeling much better.
SPEAKER 03 :
By the way, probably not for you, but for your listeners, I went to a hospital once with the same problem. And they put me using nasal irrigation with salt water.
SPEAKER 06 :
Oh, yeah. I’ve been using that as well. Absolutely. Works. Good stuff, man. Yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
Can’t beat good old sodium chloride. Absolutely. Anyways, so I just caught the tail end of your guy talking about education.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
And back when I was in school, honestly, I didn’t think it was that hard. I didn’t even study. I probably should have a little more. But even then, I had good grades, and I was slated to graduate a year and a half, I think, at least a year early. And for all you kids out there, you know, I think you’ve just got to kind of take hold of your own life young because, frankly, some of these parents are not up for the task.
SPEAKER 06 :
I agree.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I say – and even back then, I was working – And I had a car. I was working 20, 30 hours a week paying for, you know, a lot of my own meals. My flaw was I didn’t like cleaning house. I always hated that. But, hey, we all got a thing. But be that as it may. And then, you know, what I see, two more brief points, is a lot of the poor education people, The drug culture has become a thing, and I’m thinking, I just don’t see enough of a percentage in that. You know, you’re spending money, and the addiction and the problems and everything else from broken homes, you know, for all you kids out there, I just don’t think it’s a good way to go. It’s your life. You know, finally, I heard Trump on the tariff thing. he made a brief comment about China. He said, you know, they’re trying to get that rolling. And in terms of this tariff thing, he said, and I don’t know the details because he didn’t say them, he said, we’re making a couple of billion a day and we’re saving three billion a day. And for all the whiners and whatnot that don’t see that Biden in office and many of his predecessors did probably everything in their power to ruin the economy in many regards. Because as a side note, I think there’s something to be said for making stuff. I always enjoyed making stuff with my own hands.
SPEAKER 06 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 03 :
So, you know, Trump says basically we’ve got a net savings and income of about $5 billion a day. In terms of the size of the economy, it’s a drop in the bucket, but it puts the trend and the growth in the positive direction.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, it’s like I said before, to your point, Ben, what I say all the time is every little bit counts. It’s like a home budget. Yeah, I get it. There may not be one big item. They may be a big item, but there also might be a lot of little items that add up to a big item, but you can’t ignore them.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I’ve always been that way. When I was a kid, I mean, I had one buddy, he said, you know, you make the eagle scream on the back of the quarter.
SPEAKER 06 :
It’s all right.
SPEAKER 03 :
Anyway, I’ll let you go. No, that’s all right. Good for you.
SPEAKER 06 :
No, Ben, thank you for that, by the way. I appreciate those comments. And I’ve got a few things to talk about in regards to the tariffs I might get to a little bit later in today’s program. If not, I’ll get to them for sure tomorrow. And one of those really involves, and it’s something I wish the Trump administration would start discussing, You know, looking into or at least communicating. Maybe they’re looking into it. I’m not sure exactly how you would structure this because I’m not a federal overreach guy. I am a states rights guy. But I will tell you that a lot of what I think these companies that would love to do more manufacturing here run into. It’s just the simple hassle factor of what it takes to even put a brand new building up someplace on a vacant land, vacant lot, whatever the case may be. I’ll talk more about that because I’m not sure most people really understand the amount of brain damage that some of these cities and counties will make some of these companies go through before it’s all said and done. And frankly, that needs changed in order to foster more of that manufacturing industry. building things along those lines. I’ll get into that maybe a little bit more next hour or in hour number three. But hour two is next. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
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