Tax Policy, Property Rights, and the Fight for Economic Freedom

On this Wednesday broadcast, Kim Monson assembled a powerhouse lineup to tackle the interconnected threats of runaway taxation, government overreach, and attacks on property rights. Economic historian Dr. Brian Domitrovic revealed the hidden history behind income taxes, Longmont City Council candidate Steve Altschuler exposed municipal socialism, and sixth-generation farmer Trent Loos sounded the alarm on the Biden administration’s 30 by 30 land grab. Income Tax History and the Coolidge Legacy Start listening at 32:16 – Hour 1 Dr. Brian Domitrovic, economic historian and co-author of Taxes Have Consequences: An Income Tax History of the United States with Arthur Laffer and Jeanne Karn-Sinkfield, delivers a masterclass on how taxation shapes national destiny. The progressive movement of 1913 established the Federal Reserve, the 16th Amendment (income tax), and the 17th Amendment in rapid succession, fundamentally restructuring American government just months before World War I. Domitrovic argues that the income tax exists primarily to fund warfare. Before 1913, 65 percent of federal revenue came from tariffs paid by foreigners. A domestic tax base became essential for hegemonic military campaigns. Calvin Coolidge, whom Domitrovic ranks among the top three presidents, inherited the largest debt in American history after World War I yet ran budget surpluses for 11 straight years while cutting tax rates from 73 percent to 24 percent. The Great Depression, Domitrovic explains, resulted from three catastrophic tax increases: the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930, Herbert Hoover’s income tax increase from 25 percent to 63 percent in 1932, and crushing property tax increases during deflation. His prescription for Colorado mirrors his historical analysis: cap property taxes, eliminate the income tax, and reverse home rule to prevent municipalities from imposing taxes under other names. “If you have a millage increase in an era in which home prices have gone up 35% in four years, well, that’s very backwards. I mean, it’s actually kind of a kill shot. I mean, it’s the kind of thing you can do to absolutely ruin your community.” Dr. Brian Domitrovic, Economic Historian The 30 by 30 Land Grab and Food Security Start listening at 75:12 – Hour 2 Trent Loos, sixth-generation farmer and rancher, traces the 30 by 30 initiative to Executive Order 14008, signed January 27, 2021. The 57-page order dedicates only two paragraphs to land use; the remaining 56 pages focus on ending fossil fuel use. The Conservation Reserve Program, paying landowners not to farm, represents an earlier erosion of agricultural productivity. Loos provides stunning context: in 1920, 80 percent of the world’s 2 billion people were food insecure. By 2022, with nearly 8 billion people, only 20 percent face food insecurity. The limiting factor in feeding humanity is not population or resources but government policy. He cites Maurice Strong, who began laying groundwork for Agenda 21 in 1971 while working at the United Nations, coinciding with the creation of the EPA and Endangered Species Act. The Biden administration’s land restrictions span multiple states: Arizona announced closure of a million acres, New Mexico followed with 700,000 acres, and on September 11, 2023, Biden traveled to Alaska to announce 13 million acres removed from oil recovery. Loos connects these actions directly to Executive Order 14008’s goal of restructuring society through green policies. “The only limitation we have in the resources providing essentials of life for human beings is the policies. If t...