Guests - Mark Levin, Yvette Serino, Tony Holland
Mark Levin Discusses His New Book "On Power"
Mark Levin, host of the Mark Levin Show on KVOI from 3 to 6 Live and Fox's "Life, Liberty and Levin," joined Winn Tucson to discuss his ninth book, "On Power." The book explores the concept of power in American politics and society, distinguishing between positive and negative power.
"I get to thinking about how we talk about our history and our principles in the future. And I feel like what's been missing is this whole discussion about power," Levin explained. "That's the constant battle that's going on. Who controls what? Who makes decisions for us?"
Levin argues that the struggle for America's future boils down to whether citizens, as sovereigns, can make their own decisions or whether "a relative handful of self-appointed radical ideologues" who oppose the American founding will make those decisions for us. "Whichever side wins determines whether we live in a free republic, or whether we don't."
The Progressive Movement and American Marxism
Levin highlighted how progressive ideology conflicts with America's founding principles. He pointed to Woodrow Wilson as "one of the main intellectuals behind the so-called progressive movement" in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
"They named themselves, but they were basically American Marxists, and they embraced Marxism," Levin said. He added that Franklin Roosevelt was "absolutely awful" and "came up with his own so-called second Bill of Rights" based on "Stalin's 1936 Constitution."
This Marxist mentality, according to Levin, has "spread like poison throughout our society," affecting even some who consider themselves Republicans. "Some of them who think they're Republicans talk like Marxists and think like Marxists. It's about redistribution of wealth, government programs, some of them phrased in populism."
America's Unique Founding Principles
Levin emphasized what makes America exceptional: "The reason this nation is so unique, it was founded on a belief that God is sovereign. The Judeo-Christian principles and values fused with the Enlightenment."
He explained that in America's founding vision, "God is the sovereign. His children on earth are sovereign when it comes to governing." This sovereignty is applied through Enlightenment principles, primarily "power-checking power."
This American experiment is "utterly incompatible" with Marxist attitudes because Marxism views governance from a "top-down, centralized, iron-fisted coercion" perspective.
The Marxist View on Individual Liberty
Kathleen Winn noted that in Levin's book, he mentions that "Marx directly and often denounced natural law and individual liberty."
Levin elaborated: "He was very specific. He said individualism, individual liberty is selfish. It undermines the whole notion of what's in the best interest of the commune of the general public."
This Marxist perspective, Levin argued, views individuals as "obstacles" to their vision. "That's why when you see these communist regimes, they're genocidal. They blow away individuals and they don't give it a second thought because they're able to claim that they get into the way of nirvana, this paradise, this worker's paradise that they're going to create."
The assault on individual liberty extends to property rights, which Marx called "absolutely selfish," and to capitalism, which has "created so much wealth and prosperity." Levin also pointed out that Marx spoke about destroying "the relationship between the parent and children" in the Communist Manifesto, demonstrating that "every social arrangement that exists, they seek to destroy."
The Administrative State vs. Constitutional Governance
Winn noted that the founding fathers understood governance should be representative with a separation of powers, but "we have a whole administrative state that has been mapped on top of it and it's making what we have dysfunctional."
Levin agreed, describing the bureaucracy as "a fourth branch of government that Congress created and put in the executive branch," violating "the whole notion of power checking power."
"The more powerful the bureaucracy gets, the bigger it gets," Levin said, "the further and further away from representative government" we move. He observed that Trump understands this problem.
The Left's Strategy
Levin explained the left's approach to political power: "When they win elections, they claim a mandate and they try to make permanent changes to the country that are unaffected by the next election cycle. And when they lose elections, they use the bureaucracy in the courts to try and advance their agenda or sabotage, as in the case of Trump, his agenda."
He characterizes this as "authoritarian democracy" where they "borrow the ideology" and "use the ideology of the authoritarian." As Levin wrote in his previous book "American Marxism," they have "customized Marxism towards the American system."
City Council Elections in Tucson
Following the interview with Mark Levin, Kathleen Winn shifted focus to the City of Tucson City Council elections taking place in Wards 3, 5, and 6.
"The future of the city is in your hands," Winn emphasized, urging eligible voters to cast their ballots. She highlighted Republican candidates working to "change what's broken in Tucson," noting that while surrounding areas like Morana, Vail, and Corona de Tucson are thriving, "the policies of this mayor and council have really been detrimental to all of us."
Winn mentioned candidates J.L. Wittenbraker in Ward 3 and J. Tokov in Ward 6, and noted that the election in Ward 5 would likely determine the next city council person for that ward without requiring a November election.
She stressed the importance of local elections: "Every single role where you can put in positive power, quote Mark Levin, and have a point of view that supports the Constitution, that supports the declaration, that isn't the antithesis of our freedoms is important."
Tony Holland on Business Success and Personal Values
Background and Business Philosophy
Tony Holland, CEO of Global Premier Benefits and Managing Partner of Integrity, joined the program to discuss his approach to business and life. With 31 years in business after graduating from Johns Hopkins University, Holland has built a successful career by putting clients first.
"I realized what I was missing," Holland said about his early career. "Yes, the college degree was great. Hopkins was great. I had a great experience. I had all the credentials, had all the theory, but now I had to have real work experience. The best thing I did was take a sales job right out of college."
Holland's business philosophy centers on service: "Put your client first, show them that you love them." He emphasized that this approach works in any business: "I don't care if you're selling cars, if you're selling homes or real estate, whatever you're selling... put your client first, show them that you love them... you're going to be very, very successful."
Finding Purpose and Passion
Holland advised young people to "follow your passion and do what you're excellent at." He discovered he was "really, really good at sales" and built his business around that strength.
"I've always been about one of my basic mission statements: I want to be in a position where I can change and save people's lives," Holland explained. His work in the Medicare field allows him to do this "every single day without the blood and hospitals" that would have been required in his original pre-med path.
MBA Graduates Struggling to Find Jobs
Holland addressed a recent report that MBA graduates from top schools like Harvard, Northwestern, and Stanford are having trouble finding jobs. He attributed this partly to the political climate at these institutions: "These Ivy League schools now are not looked at as the same they were maybe three, four, five years ago because of the political unrest on this campus. What company wants to bring that type of energy to their business?"
Beyond that, Holland identified a critical gap: "They have theory. They're smart young men and women, but they're missing out on the part where they have to be a hustler." He contrasted this with his son's experience: "My son, Jeremy, got two major offers from two big Wall Street firms, and he doesn't have an MBA. Why did he beat those other students out? Because he showed up an hour earlier. He worked an hour later, and he did whatever it took to win that job."
Holland criticized the sense of entitlement he sees in many graduates: "These young graduates need to understand, what are you going to do to help solve that company's problem? That's how you get the job."
He shared an example of persistence: "I had a young man I've been working with, he got turned down four straight times. I said, 'Keep going back. Keep going back.' He wanted that job so bad, on the fifth try, he got it. Nobody told the head of HR, 'I'll take whatever job you have. I'll start in the mailroom. I'll mop floors.' This young man has an MBA degree, but he's willing to do whatever it takes."
AI and the Future of Work
Holland owns three AI companies and sees artificial intelligence as transformative for business. "I think AI is going to totally take businesses to the next level," he said, suggesting it may be contributing to the decline in MBA jobs.
His advice to students: "Learn AI. Learn everything you can about AI." He noted that his top AI engineers earn "$500,000 a year better," suggesting there are tremendous opportunities in this field.
While embracing AI, Holland emphasized that interpersonal skills remain crucial: "Many of these young people have missed that due to COVID, due to the computer technology era. I think we need to go back to some old school sales training, marketing."
Mentoring Youth and Building Character
Holland spent 13 years coaching youth football, which taught him valuable leadership lessons while allowing him to mentor young men who often lacked father figures.
"I went to a seminar and learned that if you want to really get good at your leadership skills, go coach a youth sports program," Holland explained. This experience "taught me a lot about developing teamwork, helping people grow through their challenges. It made me a better leader in business."
His coaching philosophy focused on character development: "I made sure they understood the foundations of leadership, character development." He received national recognition for "teaching character and development in these young men" who often "came from very difficult families" or "difficult neighborhoods."
Holland, who grew up without a father himself, told his players, "I'll be your surrogate father. There'll be other men in your life that I hope you can lean on." The results speak for themselves - Holland coached 30 kids who went on to play college sports, including one who attended Harvard and one who attended West Point and is now a pilot for the U.S. Army.
Life Priorities and Personal Health
Holland emphasized the importance of proper priorities: "God first, you second, then your family, then your business." He explained that self-care isn't selfish: "If you don't take care of your health and take care of your wellbeing, your mind, your body, your spirit, how can you take care of a family? How can you take care of a business?"
At 55, Holland maintains his health through regular exercise: "I take no medication. I work out three to four days a week. I am in the best shape of my life. I am better shape than I was in my 30s."
Meeting His Father Through DNA Testing
In a remarkable personal story, Holland shared how he met his biological father at age 46 through an ancestry DNA test. "On June 11, 2016, I did my test. Three months later, this guy was hunting me down, trying to find me."
Incredibly, his father had done his own DNA test on the exact same day: "He did his test on June 11, 2016, the same day I did my test." Holland had 14 months with his father before his father passed away.
This experience reinforced Holland's faith: "For all those years, I did it with a lot of trauma, a lot of challenges. But I always had God first in my life. God was the father in my life that I didn't have a physical father."
Holland sees his mission as helping "young men and women out there that don't have fathers in their life," believing "God has called us to be fathers and mothers to the fatherless and the motherless."
Faith and Self-Reliance
Holland contrasted his approach to life with the ideology he grew up with: "I wanted to break that curse that was prevalent in my mom's family and live a better quality life." He criticized what he called the "woe culture" that suggests families don't need fathers.
"Let's show people how to be self-sufficient. Let's show people how to be independent. Let's show them how to fish for themselves, versus waiting in line for fish," Holland said, advocating for personal responsibility over government dependency.