WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.919 As much as I hate it, the governor's race has begun. 2 00:00:03.960 --> 00:00:06.280 And I'm not mad that there's a governor's race. I'm 3 00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:08.919 just saying it feels like we're always in political season. 4 00:00:08.919 --> 00:00:11.599 But next year we will have the opportunity to make 5 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:14.000 a change in the governor's office. And I don't just 6 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:16.960 mean the human being, I mean policy wise. It could 7 00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:20.839 be massive. And joining me now is one of those candidates. 8 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:24.120 Representative Scott Bottoms has thrown his hat in the ring. 9 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:27.399 He will be participating in the debate that Ryan Schuley 10 00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:29.960 and I from our assist our brother Station K Howe 11 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:33.399 will be moderating January tenth and Greeley if you want 12 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:35.960 to find out more information about that. And he joins 13 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:39.000 me now to not only talk about his run for governor, 14 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:42.479 but also a little deverbal kerfuffle that we're having right 15 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:46.799 now between he and another candidate. First of all, Representative Bottoms, 16 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:47.520 welcome to the show. 17 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:51.159 Yeah, thank you for having me. Always enjoy it. 18 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:55.159 So let's talk about why you decided to put your 19 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:58.159 face in the wood chipper for this election cycle and 20 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:00.520 decide to run for governor. What is your motivation? 21 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:05.239 Well, I've never heard that description but it's not a 22 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:08.920 bad one. This is so I've been a representative now 23 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:11.359 for two terms, but I've been a pastor all my 24 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:14.239 life since i was twenty years old. I'm fifty five now, 25 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:18.439 and that's that's who I am. That's what I've done. 26 00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:21.280 But a few years back, I realized, through a bunch 27 00:01:21.319 --> 00:01:23.439 of different things and really praying about it, that I 28 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:28.000 needed to be running for representative. And that was a 29 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:31.079 crazy journey. And now I really felt the same thing 30 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:34.319 we declared about this time last year. Actually, I've been 31 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:35.920 in the race for a year. I'm the first person 32 00:01:35.959 --> 00:01:39.000 to have declared, and I just really feel like I 33 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:42.000 have to do this. This is a spiritual journey for 34 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:45.959 me too. But this is also very much we have 35 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:49.200 got to reclaim Colorado. We're losing our state and everybody's 36 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:52.159 just sitting around watching it happen. And I'm not one 37 00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:53.040 of those kind of people. 38 00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:55.280 So I want to start. I'm glad you brought up 39 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:56.799 the fact that you're a pastor and that you're a 40 00:01:56.799 --> 00:01:59.799 man of faith, and this is a spiritual journey because 41 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:01.879 I I'm going to be perfectly frank. One of my 42 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:06.640 biggest concerns about a general election for you is how 43 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:10.919 secular Colorado is. We have a higher percentage of atheists 44 00:02:10.919 --> 00:02:14.199 and agnostics, we have many people, we have a slight 45 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:16.680 majority that identify as Christian. I looked up all this 46 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:18.919 data today, But we have a lot of people who 47 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:20.960 are like, yeah, there's probably a God, but it's not 48 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:24.400 centered in my life. Do you feel like that is 49 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:27.199 going to be a drawback and how do you reach 50 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:31.000 out to those people who may not only be non religious, 51 00:02:31.479 --> 00:02:34.199 but maybe a little hostile towards religion. 52 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:40.759 Well, being a pastor for thirty five years, I've experienced 53 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:45.039 hostile toward Christianity. I've experienced that over and over and 54 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:51.039 I've had many conversations with so many different atheists, agnostics, 55 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.159 humanist people that just really are you know, they just 56 00:02:55.159 --> 00:02:58.439 don't care different religions. I travel all over the world, 57 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:00.599 I'm preaching, teach and those. 58 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:01.919 Kind of things. So this is not new to me. 59 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:05.560 But the interesting thing is about being a pastor is 60 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:09.560 I actually understand them better than most people do because 61 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:12.319 I've been having the conversations for so many years and 62 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:15.639 I know, and here's a big thing, is I respect 63 00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:20.240 people's rights and I respect people's individual ability for free 64 00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:24.360 speech and free expression and spiritual expression. I do believe 65 00:03:25.080 --> 00:03:27.360 that Jesus is God. I do believe that, and I 66 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:31.520 do believe that the Bible is the guidebook for all 67 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:34.680 of humanity. But I can't force that upon anyone. I've 68 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:38.080 never forced that. If I could do that, my church 69 00:03:38.120 --> 00:03:41.000 would be in Colorado would be five million people. 70 00:03:42.039 --> 00:03:44.039 I can't even do. I can't even get people in 71 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:44.879 my church, for the. 72 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:46.240 Most part, to do some of the things that I 73 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:47.479 think the Bible is telling. 74 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:49.439 Us, which is called job security as a pastor. 75 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:55.120 But when you're so broken and society is so sinful, 76 00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:58.919 it is job description. I mean, is job security. But 77 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:04.479 here's the thing with that is my personality, my lifestyle. 78 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:08.719 Who I am is truly a Christian. It's not just 79 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:11.280 something I do on the side. And so I am 80 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:14.319 very much a moral person. I'm a person I don't lie, 81 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:18.040 I don't cheat, I don't steal. I don't even drink. 82 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:20.399 A lot of pastors drink. I'm not picking on that, 83 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:22.920 but I don't drink. I don't do anything like that. 84 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:25.560 And so when I have this conversation with people, I'm like, 85 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:28.240 what in that area makes me a bad guy? They 86 00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:31.279 think I'm going to somehow force I'm going to somehow 87 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:34.519 force people to go to church or so. I don't 88 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:37.600 know what people are thinking that I'm going to accomplish. 89 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:40.199 I do pray for the state. I pray for the 90 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:43.160 state for years. That's going to continue. I pray in 91 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:46.279 the capital that will continue. I don't force anybody to 92 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:48.120 pray any of that stuff. So it's kind of a 93 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:49.879 strange question that I get, but I get it all 94 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:50.240 the time. 95 00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:52.240 Well, I think part of it is, and this is 96 00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:54.879 just why this is just me spitballing here. I think 97 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:57.000 part of it is when people do have a bad experience, 98 00:04:57.079 --> 00:04:59.279 maybe they had a church that didn't live up to 99 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.160 the standards that they were putting forward. Maybe they have 100 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:05.920 a negative view of religion. They're just putting that on you, right, 101 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:09.839 because then you become the representative of whatever it is 102 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:12.120 that they don't like. And that's the part that I 103 00:05:12.319 --> 00:05:14.720 that concerns me. Not because I think everything you just 104 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:19.360 said was really smart from a pastor's point of view, 105 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:22.240 but I'm concerned that it's going to be more challenging 106 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:25.399 to say, Look, I am a Christian, I believe in God. 107 00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:27.920 I'm assuming that you pray for guidance you know, as 108 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:31.000 most Christians that I know do. But there are people 109 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:33.839 who are not Christians who say, oh, he wants a theocracy, 110 00:05:33.920 --> 00:05:36.720 which is absurd. But I do think that criticism is 111 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:37.360 going to be there. 112 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:41.560 Oh yeah, it's already there, and I don't shy away 113 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:43.920 from it. I'll answer those questions. It doesn't bother me. 114 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:48.600 Everybody's got a thing that somebody's going to try to 115 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:50.639 pick on or do whatever, and this is going to 116 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:53.240 be the thing they pick on with me. That the 117 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:56.199 other side of this is people don't realize that I 118 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:59.639 have years and years and years worth of preaching online. 119 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:02.600 They can and go find what I actually believe. Most 120 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:04.279 of the other candidates you're not going to get that. 121 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:06.519 You have to take them at their word at a 122 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:08.720 and I'm not saying just Republican, saying both sides of 123 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:09.079 the aisle. 124 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:11.480 You have to take them at their word at a 125 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:12.439 town hall or. 126 00:06:12.439 --> 00:06:15.120 Something like that, that this is who they are and 127 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:17.199 this is what they believe. I have three years of 128 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:19.839 a voting record in the House, I have speeches on 129 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:20.279 the floor. 130 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:21.639 All this is on my website. 131 00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:24.000 I have sermons online that you can go back and 132 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:28.639 listen to for years. I'm consistently been out in the 133 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:32.279 public arena, and it doesn't scare me, it doesn't bother me. 134 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:36.439 I don't have the ability to turn Colorado into theocracy. 135 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:38.600 It's just not possible. 136 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:44.360 But I will be a very good, solid, consistently moral 137 00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:47.120 looking out for people. A lot of my job as 138 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:49.680 a pastor is the widows and the orphans. That's scriptural, 139 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:52.120 taking care of people, taking care of homeless. I've done 140 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:54.079 that for years and years and years. I sat on 141 00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:56.639 the board of a group that after the girls were 142 00:06:56.680 --> 00:07:00.360 rescued out of human trafficking, we rehabilitated them for two years. 143 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:06.439 I've been working in these arenas forever, feeding people, homeless shelters. 144 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:09.120 I go all over the world, helping people get water 145 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:12.920 and food and buildings and stuff, and so I if that, 146 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:16.439 if somebody sees that as a negative, there's nothing I 147 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:17.120 can do about that. 148 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:19.800 But I'm actually a good guy. 149 00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:24.040 That's a great response, that's a solid response. Let's talk 150 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:26.079 about the issues facing Colorado right now. What do you 151 00:07:26.120 --> 00:07:28.279 think is the number one issue facing the state. 152 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:31.079 I think the number one issue, and this, by the way, 153 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:33.399 is backed up by statistics, but it's also my personal 154 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:37.360 number one issue is mental illness. We have a huge 155 00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:40.560 problem across the state and all kinds of things. And 156 00:07:40.920 --> 00:07:44.920 here's part of the problem is where we're taking money away. 157 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:47.639 There was just one bill last session this last spring 158 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:51.560 took one hundred and eighty million away from mental health. 159 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:52.160 Right. 160 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:55.600 I think there's some intentionality there that does seem a 161 00:07:55.639 --> 00:07:58.040 little devious and I'm not okay with it, But we 162 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:00.839 don't want to have good stuff of mental health. We 163 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:02.519 don't want to put money in there. I think there's 164 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:05.879 only one institution in the state of Colorado that is 165 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:10.600 a penal type of mental health institution, and we're shutting 166 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:13.240 all those down because why a couple of things we 167 00:08:13.319 --> 00:08:17.759 don't want to actually deal with mental illness. I've dealt 168 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:21.000 with that for thirty five years. That's like the biggest 169 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:24.480 thing that a pastor does is spiritual slash mental illness. 170 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:28.399 And we're shutting these things down in Colorado. I think 171 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:31.120 part of the reason is the same thing with the 172 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:34.519 bill that people have been talking about HB twenty four, 173 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:39.799 ten thirty four, where we're now letting criminals out much 174 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:44.000 more consistently because we're saying they're incompetent to serve trial. 175 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:45.480 I voted against that. 176 00:08:45.799 --> 00:08:47.759 I was one of the few people that voted against 177 00:08:47.759 --> 00:08:51.559 that because that's a mental illness issue as well as 178 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:53.759 a prosecutorial issue. 179 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:57.080 I do think the tide has shifted a little bit 180 00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:01.039 on that conversation because of the horrible, high profile crimes 181 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:03.279 that have been committed by people who have been let 182 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:06.559 out after being deemed and competent. Are you hopeful now? 183 00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:09.519 Are you you'll be back in the House this legislative session. 184 00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:13.039 Are you hopeful that meaningful change will happen there and 185 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:15.799 that you may be able to lead the reversal of 186 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:19.679 some of that funding that has been shortchanged outa mental 187 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:22.679 because for me, I agree with you. I think it's 188 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:25.080 an issue that doesn't just affect the people that are 189 00:09:25.679 --> 00:09:28.200 suffering from it. We obviously to see the quality of 190 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:31.759 life in Denver, in Colorado Springs that has been impacted 191 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:34.240 by this stuff. Do you have or are you working 192 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:36.200 on a bill to address some of the stuff. 193 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:41.919 Yeah, I've tried to do this. When it was voted in. 194 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:44.519 We had a lot of discussions in our caucus about this, 195 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:46.879 and I was telling the cocus, look, we've got to 196 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:49.759 vote no on this. When it first came through the House, 197 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:53.279 there was only two no votes, me and one other representative. 198 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:57.360 It went to the Senate. Luckily, the Senate amended it, 199 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:58.879 which means it can come back to the House. If 200 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:01.600 the Senate went amended it, it would have passed with 201 00:10:01.679 --> 00:10:04.919 two no votes me and Representative de Graf. When it 202 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:09.399 came back to the House with amendments, then twelve Republicans 203 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:11.720 got on end, which I was very thankful for, but 204 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:15.000 it wasn't enough. The bill passes. We've already got plans 205 00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:19.639 to do some things with that. But interestingly, some Republicans 206 00:10:19.639 --> 00:10:21.960 and some Democrats got together. I did a press conference 207 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.840 in front of the Supreme Court a few months ago 208 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:27.440 about this bill. I've done three press conferences about it, 209 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:28.799 two of them in front of the Supreme Court. 210 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:32.559 And interestingly, the people that the. 211 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:34.559 Democrats and the Republicans that got together and had a 212 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:36.960 meeting about this did not include me in the meeting. 213 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:39.320 I didn't even know what was happening. They kept me 214 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:42.279 out of it, and the first round I was one 215 00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:44.279 of two people that voted no. I knew I could 216 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:46.200 see down the road, I know what this is going 217 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:48.759 to do, and I was telling people this is going 218 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:50.960 to put people at risk, and they're going to be 219 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:56.360 more criminals attacking people in Colorado because of legislation, and 220 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:57.559 they've left me out of the meetings. 221 00:10:58.279 --> 00:10:59.720 I don't know what to do with that. 222 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:03.159 Well, sounds like they didn't want you there, going hey, guys, 223 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:04.960 you should have listened to me the whole time. I 224 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:08.159 knew what I was talking about. No, I'm just kidding secondary. 225 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:10.200 I told you so kind of guy. But I got 226 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:11.039 to say I told him so. 227 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:13.240 Yeah. So the second thing I want to talk about 228 00:11:13.240 --> 00:11:16.080 with you specifically is affordability in the state. 229 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:17.240 It is. 230 00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:20.320 You know, we've got Excel shutting down power lines right now, 231 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:22.919 and in my mind, there are a lot of people 232 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:25.639 who have tried to politicize that and make it into 233 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:27.919 some kind of political issue, when in reality, it's a 234 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:31.799 liability issue for Excel. But it does make me ask 235 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:35.080 questions about when we are one hundred percent renewables, which 236 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:38.120 is the green dream in Colorado, we are going to 237 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.720 have reliable power, right, I mean, it just stands to 238 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:43.080 reason that renewables are not reliable, so we're not going 239 00:11:43.159 --> 00:11:46.360 to have reliable energy. If you become governor, what would 240 00:11:46.360 --> 00:11:49.000 your energy policy be and what would that look like 241 00:11:49.039 --> 00:11:51.559 in terms of trying to bring down the cost of 242 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:52.799 everything in Colorado. 243 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:57.600 Right, So that's you know, that's a two hour conversation. Though. 244 00:11:57.639 --> 00:11:59.399 Let me throw some quick things out. 245 00:12:00.679 --> 00:12:05.200 So first, the shutdown of the electricity, I don't think 246 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:08.320 that is actually I don't think that was nefarious. I 247 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:10.519 think there was some legitimate reasons why they were doing that. 248 00:12:10.600 --> 00:12:13.639 But with that being said, this is something that's important. 249 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:17.120 Two years ago, we voted in a law that said 250 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:20.399 that there are going to be entire neighborhoods in the 251 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:23.039 state of Colorado that will be electric only they will 252 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:25.799 not supply gas to them. Gas will not be available 253 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:29.720 because the leftist in the House and the Senate hate gas. 254 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:32.279 Okay, the hate oil, they hate coal, the hate gas, 255 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:32.639 and they. 256 00:12:32.519 --> 00:12:35.039 Have stood up at the well in the Capitol and said, 257 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:38.240 we will shut down oil, we will shut down coal. Well, 258 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:42.120 the problem is is solar and wind will never accomplish 259 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:44.519 what needs to be accomplished with the grid. And now 260 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:47.840 you add AI to this, that is going to be 261 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:49.919 putting the demands. I read an article a few weeks 262 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:54.639 ago that said, for our federal government to accomplish the 263 00:12:54.639 --> 00:12:57.120 demands that AI is going to put on electric grids 264 00:12:57.120 --> 00:12:59.360 across the United States that we're going to have to 265 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:02.759 spend five one hundred billion dollars a year to be 266 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:05.879 able to accomplish that. Well, in Colorado, we think we 267 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:08.159 can do this through wind power. Come on, this is 268 00:13:08.200 --> 00:13:11.159 this is craziness. That is it is wind power and 269 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:16.080 solar are not even making positive one penny positive net 270 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:20.200 games yet and so the government's subsidizing at all. The 271 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:23.120 answer to that long term is small nuclear reactors. We 272 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:25.279 need this in Colorado. This is going to be part 273 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:27.120 of my energy plan. But we also need to drill 274 00:13:27.159 --> 00:13:30.279 for oil again. We also need to open up some 275 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:32.519 of these coal mines that have been shutting down, and 276 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:35.840 we've got to go back to coal providing electricity and 277 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:38.039 also natural gas. I've been talking a lot with the 278 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:41.519 energy industry and some of the natural gas distributors. 279 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:42.960 We're getting another line. 280 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:46.039 We have one gas line in Colorado sports all of Colorado. 281 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:47.000 That's not okay. 282 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:50.679 We need more, and there's another one coming through eastern 283 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:53.679 Colorado that just got approved by the federal government. 284 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:55.720 So so some of this we're going to be able 285 00:13:55.759 --> 00:13:56.000 to do. 286 00:13:56.919 --> 00:14:00.600 But my desire is long term for Colorado. We need 287 00:14:01.480 --> 00:14:04.159 data centers in Colorado. We need to put them on 288 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:07.480 mountain streams and rivers so that the natural cold of 289 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:09.759 the mountains and the water will help cool these things. 290 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:13.080 But we have to have small nuclear reactors to support them. 291 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:15.159 And I believe that small nuclear reactors need to be 292 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:18.639 voted on at the local level, not by the federal level. 293 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:20.480 Right now, Senator to Lee out of Utah, which I 294 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:22.480 like the guy. I think he's a good guy. But 295 00:14:22.679 --> 00:14:27.879 he's trying to just plant these in the national forest 296 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:29.799 and then just kind of mandate it. And I think 297 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:33.720 I think local control is always the thing when it 298 00:14:33.720 --> 00:14:36.360 comes to affordability and housing and things like that. We've 299 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:38.200 got to stop the taxes, and we've got to stop 300 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:40.519 the regulation. We're the sixth most regulated state in the 301 00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:44.080 United States. We've lost forty percent of our businesses under 302 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:46.960 the Police administration in the last five years. Okay, these 303 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:50.639 are direct decisions the governor Police is making, and that 304 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:53.399 the House and the Senator making. We've gone after private 305 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:56.679 property ownership with about twenty bills in the last three years. 306 00:14:57.080 --> 00:15:01.600 We're going we are raising taxes. The big beautiful bill 307 00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:04.960 that Trump came up with, this horrible, bad bill actually 308 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:07.960 said that people that get tips and overtime should not 309 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:10.759 be taxed for those and we went into special session 310 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:15.120 so that Governor Poulos could could could tell the House 311 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:18.080 to make sure that we're taxing people with their tips. 312 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:19.559 Why are we doing this. 313 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:23.240 This is attacking people, This isn't helping people, And we 314 00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:25.799 just got to take the regulations off. We just now, 315 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:28.399 after an eight year hiatus, we just now last year 316 00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:33.279 started building townhomes and condos again. Yeah, because they had 317 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:36.840 we had regulated so much and put so much legislation 318 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:38.679 to make it easy to sue all of these people 319 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:41.039 that they just stopped building. We went eight years without 320 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:46.600 building townhomes and condos, and that is a that's a 321 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:49.759 transitionary housing and concept. 322 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:52.879 That's how people actually get affordable housing. But we just 323 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:53.840 we just took. 324 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:56.039 It off the table and said it's not a there's 325 00:15:56.159 --> 00:15:57.720 I mean, I could go on and on. We are 326 00:15:57.759 --> 00:16:01.320 passing too many laws that are attacking the consumers in Colorado, 327 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:03.559 and I'm going to change that starting day one. 328 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:05.759 All right, so let me finish this interview. We got 329 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:08.600 about four minutes left. Representative Scott Bottoms is my guest. 330 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:10.440 By the way, I put a link to his website 331 00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:12.679 if you want to learn he's actually got policy positions 332 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:15.320 on his website, which I'm excited to see. And honestly, 333 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:17.879 you had me at small modular reactors. I talk about 334 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:19.399 them a lot, and I think they're the future of 335 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:24.480 energy period. But let's talk about the gossipy reason why 336 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:28.720 unfortunately you're here. And that is part of an interview 337 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:33.440 that was between my colleague grind Shuling from KJOWR, our 338 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:36.440 next door neighbor, and Victor Marx yesterday and I grabbed 339 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:39.039 this one little snippet. Can I buy audio a rod? 340 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:39.399 Please? 341 00:16:39.720 --> 00:16:46.080 Here's why I'm running. No one else can win in 342 00:16:46.120 --> 00:16:51.240 the general but me. If Senator Kurtmeyer could, if she 343 00:16:51.559 --> 00:16:55.480 really could, I wouldn't be running. If Scott Bottoms who 344 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:59.240 I know, and I've called her friend, I text someone 345 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:03.960 his father passed away. I wrote on his Facebook page 346 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:06.680 it was his anniversary thirty five years with him and 347 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:08.480 his bride yesterday. 348 00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:12.200 God can't win the general. 349 00:17:12.839 --> 00:17:17.440 He called me the night before I announced and he said, Victor, 350 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:18.759 don't announce. 351 00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:21.799 I said why why? 352 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:26.039 And I'm talking to him as a friend who I've 353 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:31.039 spoken at his church, Ryan and my life's not been 354 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:35.119 anything but normal, So I'm like, what's going on? 355 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:36.599 What do I need to know, Scott? 356 00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:38.799 And he said, I've been trying to get a hold 357 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:43.119 of you because you know, I'm running for governor and 358 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:45.960 I want you to be my lieutenant governor. 359 00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:50.079 Ask him direct, So. 360 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:52.480 I'm asking you direct. Did you ask him to be 361 00:17:52.519 --> 00:17:53.440 your lieutenant governor? 362 00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:58.559 No, Ryan asked me direct earlier today too, the same question, 363 00:17:58.960 --> 00:17:59.759 played the same clip. 364 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:00.480 But here's the thing. 365 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:04.960 I never asked Victor to be my lieutenant governor, and 366 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:07.119 he knows it. I called him and it wasn't the 367 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:09.599 night before, is the day of, about two hours before, 368 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:10.839 three hours before. 369 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:12.880 He declared, And I said, and I was trying to 370 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:13.480 get a hold. 371 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:14.960 Of him for a long time because I needed his 372 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:18.279 help on some human trafficking stuff. And I think providentially, 373 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:21.039 now that we're seeing all of the the stuff that's 374 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:24.079 coming out about who he really is as a human 375 00:18:24.119 --> 00:18:27.720 trafficking you know, savior guy or whatever, you know, when 376 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:29.839 the truth is coming out, it's I think it's providential 377 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:32.240 that he didn't help me because there's a lot of 378 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:35.400 bad stuff come out. So but no, I told him, 379 00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:36.720 I said, Victor, I've been trying to reach you. I 380 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:38.799 need some help on this human trafficking stuff. And I said, 381 00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:41.119 plus I wanted to talk to you about my campaign 382 00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:44.079 and maybe even possibly being lieutenant governor. I said, but 383 00:18:44.359 --> 00:18:48.400 now you have scuttled that whole thing. You've you've taken 384 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:50.960 that off the table. I said, because you don't know 385 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:53.960 what you're doing. And I said, there are three people 386 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:57.519 that are using you. They're propping you up and using 387 00:18:57.559 --> 00:18:59.960 you so that they can gain some of the notoriety 388 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:06.920 or money because their nonprofit or their political whatever is broke, 389 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:09.759 and including our state party. That's one of the people 390 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:12.359 as our state party chair. And I said, these people 391 00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:15.000 are using you and you don't even know this. And 392 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:18.519 then he calls me, leaves a message a week or 393 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:22.880 two ago saying that he wanted me to give money 394 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:25.440 from my governor campaign to the state party because the 395 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:28.680 state party's broke and they need seventy thousand dollars to 396 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:31.519 have a state assembly. 397 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:34.680 It is by law they have to have a state Assembly. 398 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:36.720 So I'm actually looking at some stuff, maybe some legal 399 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:39.279 action or something, because they're not letting us know anything. 400 00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:41.200 But Victor is the one they're sending out to try 401 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:43.839