The Four Tenets of Citizenship and Property Tax Relief Strategies

On this Liberty Toastmasters Day broadcast from July 27, 2023, Kim Monson and co-host Dave Walden explore the four tenets of citizenship with Liberty Toastmasters members Rick Rome, Greg Morrissey, Terri Goon, Marshall Dawson, and Christie Whaley. The second hour features property tax experts Natalie Menten and Brandon Wark explaining how Coloradans can protect themselves from rising property taxes. Understanding Property Tax Protections Start listening at 71:02 – Hour 2 Natalie Menten, director at the TABOR Foundation, and Brandon Wark, founder of Free State Colorado, explain how property owners can protect themselves from rising property taxes. They break down the difference between valuations, assessments, and mill levies, noting that while the state legislature controls assessment rates, local governments set mill levies. Menten explains that the Gallagher Amendment, which voters eliminated in 2020, provided critical protections for residential property owners. However, TABOR and the 5.5% annual levy law still protect some jurisdictions. “It boils down to empowering the citizens, the property owners, to be able to understand that they do have control over what is going on and provide information on the avenues that they can explore to ensure they’re able to still stay in their property as we face systematic spike in property values.” Natalie Menten, TABOR Foundation Civic Knowledge and the Northwest Ordinance Start listening at 31:28 – Hour 1 Rick Rome emphasizes that an uninformed vote represents an abuse of a fundamental right, drawing a pointed comparison to highlight the importance of understanding how government works. He shares his discovery of the Northwest Ordinance, one of the earliest laws created by the first Congress, which established the township section range system for property boundaries and set the stage for American expansion as a free society. Rome connects this historical foundation to modern challenges, noting the misinformation surrounding the 1619 Project and the need for citizens to understand the true origins of American liberty. “An uninformed vote is akin to crackhead Hunter running around in his underwear waving a loaded gun. It’s an abuse of a right that we have, that we really need to understand how our government works.” Rick Rome, Liberty Toastmasters Denver The Constitutional Foundation of Freedom Start listening at 34:52 – Hour 1 Greg Morrissey, sergeant-at-arms at Liberty Toastmasters North, lays out the four tenets of citizenship as the foundation for freedom in America. He stresses that practicing self-reliance, self-restraint, self-assertion, and civic knowledge gives citizens true freedom, earned rather than given. Morrissey encourages everyone to know the Constitution and promotes the upcoming U.S. Constitution Week in Grand Lake as an opportunity to deepen that understanding. “I see our four tenets of citizenship, self-reliance, self-restraint, self-assertion, and civic knowledge, and I want everyone to know you practice those, you have freedom. You have freedom in this country to be the best you can be. It’s not given to you. You earn it.” Greg Morrissey, Liberty Toastmasters North Speaking Up in a Representative Republic Start listening at 37:48 – Hour 1