Kim Monson
February 12th 2023

This article was originally published on the Kim Monson website.

Colorado is in trouble. Car thefts, bank robberies, egg prices, homelessness, kids falling behind in reading, writing, and math, and expensive housing. In this essay Kim connects the dots between radical, activist Democrat and Republican Consultant Elite PBIs (Politicians, Bureaucrats, and Interested Parties) who have united to implement public policy furthering their new Green deal. This Green deal is about the Green that they put in the pockets.

Colorado is in trouble. KKTV reported that Colorado is #1 in car thefts. CPR reported that Colorado led the nation in bank robberies in 2021. The price of a dozen eggs in Colorado is among the highest in the nation because of Colorado’s Scrambled Egg Law. In December the St. Louis Federal Reserve reported the average price of eggs in America was $4.25. I just paid $6.99 for a dozen eggs. Because of the metro area’s homelessness industrial complex, Denver, the city that I loved, is so dirty I seldom go downtown anymore. Chalkbeat reported that our kids are falling behind in reading, writing, and math. Instead of teaching the basics so our children have the tools for life success, our kids are being groomed for social activist agendas. Homesnacks reports that Colorado is #6 in the country as most expensive states to live which makes it very difficult for young people to buy a home.

Why? Public policy, Public policy that is implemented by the radical, activist Democrats that control the Colorado State House of Representatives, the Colorado State Senate, and the Colorado Governorship. The Democrats that control Colorado are not the Democrats of JFK. JFK loved America and stood for what was best for the American people. These radical activists push forward policies that hurt people. Their agenda is the agenda of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Great Reset whose goal is for everyday folks to live in apartments, work in cubicles, and travel by train, bus, bikes, or feet. It is ironic that the world’s elites fly to Davos, Switzerland for the WEF’s annual meeting on planes and ride in gas powered vehicles to get to and from their meetings. The policies they push are “good for thee, but not for me.” Under the guise of “Green” energy and climate change, this agenda is taking away your choices on how you live your life; where you work, how you travel, and where you live.

But these radical, activists Democrats that control Colorado are getting help from the Republican Elite Consultant Class in Colorado. The Colorado Republican Elite Consultants have been milking donors, padding their pockets, and losing elections for years. The Republican Elite Consultant Class is complicit in the demise of Colorado and they are complicit because of the real “Green” agenda, and that is money.

A perfect example is housing in Colorado. PBIs (Politicians, Bureaucrats, and Interested Parties), on both sides of the aisle, have been working together, for years, because of power, control, and money. PBIs implement policies and legislation that increase the cost of housing which makes it almost unattainable for young people to buy a home, creates homelessness, and pushes individuals into rental apartments where they cannot build equity and create wealth.

American home ownership has created wealth for a mobile middle class. However, rules, regulations, initiatives, and laws are significantly increasing the cost of housing. The National Association of Home Builders recently reported that 23.8% of the cost of building a new home is due to rising regulatory costs. The National Multifamily Housing Council reports that regulations imposed by all levels of government accounts for an average of 40.5% of multifamily development costs. If we really want to get serious about “affordable” housing, we must address the regulatory cost of housing. But, if we reduce the regulatory cost of housing, PBIs lose their power over your housing choices.

PBIs’ answer to affordable housing is subsidized housing. Subsidized housing takes money from one group of individuals (taxpayers) to give to others for their “affordable” housing. Subsidized housing also gives control to PBIs over housing options instead of a robust free market where everyday individuals make the choices on where to live and how to live their lives.

Look no further regarding the subsidized housing industrial complex than Colorado Initiative Prop 123: Dedicate Revenue for Affordable Housing Programs. Prop 123 passed in the 2022 election by a margin of 52.61% to 47.39%. It dedicates an existing one-tenth of one percent on federal taxable income of every individual, estate, trust, and corporation for affordable housing and exempts the dedicated revenues from the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) constitutional limitations. For the first full fiscal year, FY 2023-24, the Colorado Legislative Council Staff estimates $270 million will be transferred from the state general fund to the State Affordable Housing Fund. This is money that could be returned to everyday Coloradans who are experiencing high inflation and increasing housing costs. And of course, the PBIs involved in the State Affordable Housing Fund will not be working for free. They will take their cut as the money trickles down to the stated purpose of Prop 123.

Here is my analysis of Prop 123 that was published in my 2022 Voter’s Guide:

Prop 123 creates a new administrative bureaucracy. The Administrator may be selected by the Office of Economic Development without a transparent competitive procurement process; however, the selection will be announced in a public meeting with at least 72 hours’ notice. Cronyism! Subsidized housing picks winners (subsidized) and losers (those that do not want to depend on government). This proposition moves dollars from the general fund and dedicates it to an unelected, unaccountable bureaucracy while de-taboring excess revenue.

Prop 123 requires local governments that seek additional affordable housing funding to expedite development approvals for affordable housing projects over private projects. And it requires local governments to commit to increasing the number of affordable housing units by 3% annually. Ultimately this will decimate private property rights and home ownership.

Prop 123 codifies cronyism through its Land Banking Program, “equity” programs, and empowering bureaucrats to seek and accept gifts, grants or donations from any public or private sources, including governmental entities, that the division and the office are hereby authorized to seek and accept.

Ballotpedia notes that Coloradans for Affordable Housing Now led the campaign in support of Prop 123. The committee raised $6.6 million. Gary Ventures Inc. was the lead donor in support of Prop 123. Mike Johnston, former Democrat state senator and current candidate for Denver mayor, is the CEO and President of Gary Community Ventures. Other funders in support of Prop 123 include Bohemian Companies, Caring for Colorado Foundation, Colorado Low Income Housing Campaign, Community First Foundation and the National Association of Realtors. Most of these organizations are very left leaning and in favor of government control of our individual lives.

When we hear calls for unity today, Prop 123 is a perfect example of radical activist Democrats and Republican Consultant Elites coming together to undercut private property rights, home ownership, and the freedom for everyday, hardworking Coloradans to live our lives. During the 2022 election former Colorado GOP state chairman and media go-to Republican strategist Dick Wadhams was on the speaking circuit in support of Prop 123. And he was being paid to do so. The Colorado Secretary of State Tracer reports show that Dick Wadhams was paid $27,500.00 to support Prop 123 which undercuts private property rights, home ownership, and individual wealth creation.

This is why Colorado is in trouble. Radical, activist Democrats are pushing big government control of every aspect of our individual lives and Republican Consultant Elites are taking money to help. It is time to say “NO” to these PBIs and their self-serving agendas. It is time for moderate Democrats, Libertarians, Unaffiliateds, Republicans, and Conservatives to unite to reclaim the Colorado we love. It is time to shrink government and empower Coloradans to live the lives we choose. It is time for Coloradans to come together and elect individuals who represent “We the People.” Together, we can do this!