Mileage Taxes, Kill Switches, and the Growing Threat to Freedom of Mobility

On the March 25, 2026 broadcast, Kim Monson examines the escalating assault on Americans’ freedom of mobility and personal privacy. Lauren Fix of Car Coach Reports reveals that per-mile taxes are already being tested in 17 states, Mike Rawluk of the Ralston Valley Coalition tracks the spread of surveillance cameras through Colorado communities, Trent Loos connects energy policy to 15-minute city agendas, and Lorne Levy navigates mortgage markets rattled by the Iran conflict.

Surveillance Cameras and the Bipartisan Fight for Privacy

Start listening at 18:04 – Hour 1

Mike Rawluk of the Ralston Valley Coalition reports that Denver City Council postponed its March 31 vote on canceling its Flock Safety surveillance camera contract, with the city now considering a switch to Axon technology instead. Rawluk points out that replacing one surveillance company with another misses the fundamental issue: the technology itself enables warrantless tracking of every driver’s movements. He notes that the Denver Party for Socialism and Liberation has joined privacy advocates in opposing the cameras, demonstrating that surveillance concerns cross traditional political boundaries.

Rawluk also reports on a House District 24 and 27 candidate meeting where gubernatorial candidate Scott Bottoms and U.S. Senate candidate Sean Pond appeared. Kim raises HB26-1138, the Retail Theft Prevention Program, which would create a new bureaucracy in the Attorney General’s office rather than enforcing existing theft laws.

“What we’re forgetting is not the company. It’s the technology. And if we keep it broad-based and say we’d like to not be surveilled as we drive, as opposed to we don’t like flock safety for some reason because it’s a lightning rod, we need to get down to the actual fundamentals here.”

Mike Rawluk, Ralston Valley Coalition

Per-Mile Taxes and Vehicle Kill Switches Assault Driver Freedom

Start listening at 32:20 – Hour 1

Lauren Fix of Car Coach Reports warns that per-mile mileage taxes are advancing rapidly across approximately 17 states, with California leading the charge. Fix explains that the policy creates double taxation for gasoline and hybrid vehicle owners who already pay fuel taxes at the pump while adding per-mile charges on top. Rural drivers face the steepest burden, as longer commute distances translate directly into higher tax bills. The surveillance infrastructure required to track every mile driven represents a Fourth Amendment concern that Kim Monson connects to the broader push for government control.

Fix also details the vehicle kill switch mandate embedded in the 2021 infrastructure bill, which remains funded at approximately $50 million despite repeated efforts by Representatives Thomas Massie, Byron Donalds, and others to strip the provision. The technology would allow vehicles to detect perceived driver impairment through biometric sensors and remotely disable the car, with no established protocol for how long a driver might be locked out. Fix reports that Volkswagen Group took a 98% hit in profit due to the EV mandate push, and across the entire auto industry, losses totaled $140 billion. Politicians and VIPs can opt out of Flock camera tracking while ordinary citizens cannot.

“We’re going to tax everybody by the mile. That includes electric cars, hybrid cars, gas cars. But the people with gasoline and hybrid cars are paying twice. So if I’m filling up at the pump, I’m paying a tax, a federal and a state, and I’m driving on the roads now, I’m paying a mileage tax.”

Lauren Fix, Car Coach Reports

Mortgage Rates Whipsaw on Iran Conflict Headlines

Start listening at 1:05:19 – Hour 2

Lorne Levy breaks down how the Iran conflict has created extreme volatility in mortgage markets. The 10-year Treasury yield swung from 3.94% before hostilities began to 4.41% at its peak, then dropped back to 4.34% within 12 to 18 hours on ceasefire speculation. Levy explains that working with a mortgage broker rather than a single bank provides flexibility to lock in rates during brief windows of opportunity, including the option to lock on a to-be-determined address before a specific home is identified.

“It’s very tied to the 10-year US treasury. So I was looking at it yesterday and I believe it was maybe four weeks ago, right before the war started, we were at a 10-year treasury of 3.94. Yesterday it hit 4.41. And then today, because of just the news that we might be gaining ground on some sort of a ceasefire, it’s 4.34, which is a big step down for just maybe 12 to 18 hours of time going by.”

Lorne Levy, Mortgage Specialist

PBI Transparency, Brand Laws, and the Lakewood Upzoning Battle

Start listening at 1:12:50 – Hour 2

Sixth-generation Nebraska rancher Trent Loos argues that politicians should be required to display their donors’ logos on their clothing, just as rodeo contestants wear their sponsors’ insignias. Loos traces the concept to the Nebraska brand law fight, where feed yards seeking exemption from mandatory brand inspections are the same entities making the largest campaign contributions to state senators on the Agriculture Committee. Despite over 300 written comments opposing the exemption and zero testimony in favor, Loos expects the bill to advance through committee in the final two weeks of the legislative session.

Loos reports that the Sandhills wildfire has burned over a million acres, with an estimated 100,000 head of cattle lost and dozens of homesteads destroyed. The long-term ripple effects are displacing ranchers who now compete for grazing land as fire-affected producers scramble to relocate herds. Kim reads from a Kim Monson Newsroom investigation revealing that Houston-based 501(c)(4) Action Now, founded by former Enron executive John Arnold, funneled $75,000 into Make Lakewood Livable, the issue committee backing Lakewood’s upzoning ordinance. Pro-zoning forces raised approximately $200,000 compared to just $40,000 for repeal advocates. Loos connects the Lakewood fight to a global pattern: governments cripple reliable energy, push electric vehicles, build AI data centers demanding massive electricity, then crowd people into dense urban housing when they can no longer afford to drive.

“In this particular bill, there were over 300 written comments against it. There was one for it. There were untold people. I think there ended up being about 20 people testified in person against it. Not one testified for it. And what do you think they’re going to do with that? They’re still going to advance that to the next level because the people who pay them, they figured out that we’ll just make a $100,000 contribution to our favorite senator and we don’t have to show up and speak. The money speaks for us.”

Trent Loos, Sixth-Generation Nebraska Rancher