What the Special Session Was All About: Douglas Bruce Elaborates

On November 30, 2023, Kim Monson welcomes Liberty Toastmasters co-founder Brad Beck to the studio for an extended conversation about public listening, founding principles, and the importance of civic engagement. Congressional candidate Trent Leisy discusses border security concerns in CD4, realtor Karen Levine shares year-end home buying opportunities, and TABOR architect Douglas Bruce delivers a fiery explanation of why Colorado’s special session failed taxpayers. TABOR and the Failed Special Session Start listening at 73:24 – Hour 2 Douglas Bruce, architect of Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, delivers a detailed explanation of why the recent special legislative session failed to provide genuine property tax relief. Bruce, a former prosecutor, contends that lawmakers violated their oaths of office by refusing to enforce TABOR Section 7C, which requires local governments to lower mill levies when property valuations spike abnormally. Bruce explains the constitutional math: if valuations increase by 40 percent, tax revenue cannot increase by 40 percent. Mill levies must be reduced so that the product of levy times valuation grows only by approximately the rate of inflation, roughly 6 percent. He characterizes Proposition HH as a “horrible hoax” that voters rightly rejected 60-40, and accuses Democratic legislators of deliberately creating chaos to justify future tax increases. In a bold recommendation, Bruce suggests taxpayers consider not paying property tax bills that reflect illegally high mill levies. He cites Martin Luther King’s philosophy of peaceful, nonviolent resistance to unlawful government actions. Taxpayers have until late spring to pay under existing law, giving the legislature time to correct its constitutional violation. “They’ve tried to figure ways for 30 years of success of Tabor, and they’ve tried and basically mostly failed. People have voted for a few tax increases that were properly presented.” Douglas Bruce, Architect of TABOR The Art of Public Listening and American Ideals Start listening at 1:18 – Hour 1 Brad Beck opens with reflections on American exceptionalism and the philosophy of human equality rooted in Jefferson’s Declaration. Beck, drawing from his reading of Mortimer J. Adler’s work on Aristotle, traces how the founders recognized that all humans share an equal nature, giving each individual the opportunity to pursue happiness and the good life. The discussion turns to Liberty Toastmasters, which Beck co-founded with Kim Monson. Unlike traditional Toastmasters clubs, Liberty Toastmasters themes its meetings around America’s founding principles, exposing members to concepts like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and free markets. Beck emphasizes that members come from across the political spectrum, from Christians to atheists, conservatives to libertarians, united by the practice of kicking the tires on ideas of liberty. Beck introduces the concept of auscultation, the medical practice of listening to internal body sounds, as a metaphor for self-reflection and truly hearing others before responding. The principle applies to political discourse as well: understanding an opponent’s language and framework can open doors to productive conversation. “We are founded on the idea of a dream. And that dream is each individual has the opportunity to pursue their happiness, to live the good life, to look for the good, the true, and the beautiful.” Brad Beck, Co-Founder, Liberty Toastmasters Year-End Real Estate Oppor...