Exposing Government Waste and the Growing CO2 Pipeline Threat

On October 2, 2024, Pete Boddie, Rachel O’Brien, and Trent Loos joined the show. Republican candidate for Colorado HD-28 discusses his campaign against the incumbent, citing concerns about inflation, crime, illegal immigration, TABOR protection, and a legislative amendment affecting backflow testing businesses Open the Books Deputy Policy Director reveals Biden administration’s record $1 trillion in improper payments and investigates Tim Walz’s campaign donor connections. Colorado House District 28 Race Takes Shape Start listening at 16:24 – Hour 1 Pete Boddie, a hydrologist with 40 years of experience in South Jefferson County, describes his campaign to unseat the incumbent Democrat in House District 28. After recently retiring from water consulting, Boddie says he has the time and motivation to fight what he sees as California-style policies taking over Colorado. He cites inflation, crime, and illegal immigration as top concerns he hears while knocking on doors. Boddie takes particular aim at what he calls “the big backflow blunder,” a last-minute amendment by his opponent that requires licensed plumbers to perform backflow device testing. He argues this threatens small businesses across the state and could result in public utilities receiving health violations. With 525 bills passed last legislative session, Boddie pledges to vote “no” on any bill he cannot clearly understand and explain to constituents. “Well, I have a hat that says, make Colorado, Colorado again.” Pete Boddie, Candidate for Colorado HD-28 Open the Books Continues Adam Andrzejewski’s Legacy Start listening at 31:25 – Hour 1 Rachel O’Brien, Deputy Policy Director for Open the Books, addresses the unexpected death of founder Adam Andrzejewski and the organization’s commitment to continuing his mission. O’Brien reveals that under President Biden, improper payments by federal agencies will exceed $1 trillion for the first time in any single administration. These payments, sent to wrong recipients, in wrong amounts, or for wrong reasons, totaled $235 billion last fiscal year alone. The scope of waste is staggering: dead people received nearly $300 million in benefits, prisoners collected $171 million, and the IRS issued $25 billion in erroneous tax credits. While about 29% of overpayments get recovered, O’Brien notes that sophisticated fraud schemes remain undetected. Medicare and Medicaid account for over $100 billion in improper payments, representing 43% of the total waste. O’Brien also presents findings from Minnesota’s state checkbook showing connections between Governor Tim Walz’s campaign donors and state contracts. Between 2019 and 2022, Walz accepted at least $890,000 from employees of vendors who received billions in state payments. Neither the governor’s office nor the Harris-Walz campaign responded to questions about potential conflicts of interest. “So these are improper payments, and they’re exactly what they sound like.” Rachel O’Brien, Deputy Policy Director, Open the Books Water Wars and CO2 Pipeline Battles Threaten Rural America Start listening at 72:10 – Hour 2 Trent Loos, a sixth-generation farmer and rancher, warns about escalating water conflicts across the American West and the danger of proposed CO2 pipelines. While the Southeast deals with Hurricane Helene’s devastation, western states face severe drought conditions. Loos connects government subsidies for AI centers, Bitcoin mining, and CO2...