WEBVTT - Pentagon spending updates, Abdul's Blues Clues, Leavitt steps down as Press Sec 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.720 Welcome to today's podcast sponsored by Hillsdale College All Things 0:00:03.800 --> 0:00:06.440 Hillsdale Hillsdale dot ed or. I encourage you to take 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:08.920 advantage of the many free online courses there, and of 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.280 course I'll listener to the Hillsdale dialogues, all of them 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:14.560 at q for Hillsdale dot com or just Google, Apple, 0:00:14.920 --> 0:00:20.239 iTunes and Hillsdale I mean Grace America. I'm Concuwitt. Welcome 0:00:20.320 --> 0:00:23.119 to the third illudition of the program. I want to 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:25.600 begin with a monologue about what's happened to the Democrats 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:28.560 and I followed this pretty closely for my adult life. 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:33.159 My grandfather was a Democrat at Roll Fire chief of Ashtabille, Ohio. 0:00:33.640 --> 0:00:37.400 Lifelong fireman, loved FDR. He was born on Leap Year, 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:39.640 eighteen ninety two. He died in nineteen ninety three. I 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:41.720 lived to be one hundred and one, never cast a ballot, 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:44.360 ballot for Republic. In his life. We had lots of 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:46.920 fun conversations about politics and what had happened to me. 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:49.440 For the last twenty years of his life, plus we 0:00:49.479 --> 0:00:51.680 would talk politics. He was a c SPAN actor and 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:56.960 he's a Democrat. FDR Democrat. They aren't around anymore and 0:00:57.000 --> 0:00:59.520 now they've gone over the edge, and I think it 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:05.759 was the Biden debacle freed up the progressive, transgressive, left 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:09.720 wing socialists to take over the party, which is now 0:01:09.760 --> 0:01:14.959 effectively socialism in their mouth, Marxism in their brain, communism 0:01:15.040 --> 0:01:18.800 in their heart. But they're also repulsive in many different ways, 0:01:18.840 --> 0:01:24.120 including the necessity of being transgressive, attacking parenthal rights over children, 0:01:24.600 --> 0:01:30.480 suggesting multiple genders beyond two, trying to actually destroy Western 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:33.399 culture along the way. I want to run through a 0:01:33.400 --> 0:01:37.039 bunch of clips illustrative of this, because with the exception 0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:44.000 of Alaska, Florida, Wyoming, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware, Louisiana, 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:46.959 the state primaries are done and none of those have 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:50.760 a particularly interesting race, except maybe Massachusetts on the Democratic side. 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:54.280 But they're not interesting in terms of running lunatics. Ed 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:57.520 Markey's already a lunatic in Massachusetts, but they've just gone 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:01.120 way off the map. Let's begin with anc. This is 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:04.600 sitting Georgia Senator John Ossoff cut number two. 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:11.160 Let's talk about reparations. Sure, all right, I'm for it. 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:12.000 What's your stance? 0:02:12.800 --> 0:02:16.560 So Senator Cory Booker has legislation in the Senate, right 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:22.280 to establish a commission for the purposes of studying the 0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:27.800 right way to redress the grievance to pay the debt 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:31.639 never paid forty acres and the mule was never paid. 0:02:31.440 --> 0:02:34.080 Out right, and that was an actual promise. 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:38.200 That was an actual promise of the federal government. There 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:41.920 is a debt unpaid. I think it is a very 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:44.919 very difficult question how to pay it. 0:02:45.560 --> 0:02:48.320 But see that should be the question, not if it 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:49.239 should be paid. 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:54.880 Exactly right, Okay, John Assoff sitting Senator for reparations. That's wild. 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:58.600 Then that's beyond the political norm. Adam Scheff sitting Democrat 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:01.079 on Politico with dash Burn's cut number four. 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:05.760 It's not an easy question. And Frank, I've got enough 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:08.640 difficult questions at the federal level. But one thing that 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:11.440 is not difficult for me, and that is there should 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:14.240 be a wealth tax at the federal level. There should 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:16.320 be a much more progressive tax code than the one 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:16.640 we have. 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:21.359 Okay, we need a wealth tax, Adam ship that is 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:26.120 by the way, socialism gone mad. Here's Abdul l sayed. 0:03:26.680 --> 0:03:30.239 The nominee in and the running whose running mates is 0:03:30.280 --> 0:03:33.919 on Piker ad on the Politics and pro Zoom call 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:35.040 cut number six. 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:37.920 It is going to require taxes, and the question of 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:40.200 who pays those taxes is an important question. There's a 0:03:40.240 --> 0:03:43.160 philosophical debate about how much of those taxes we would 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:47.360 ask working Americans to pay. And I follow on the 0:03:47.560 --> 0:03:49.800 argument that I think it's important that from the political 0:03:49.800 --> 0:03:52.600 economy perspective, that everybody pays a bit in because when 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:57.920 you look at conservative arguments for Social Security and Medicare, 0:03:57.960 --> 0:03:59.840 it almost always has to do with the fact that 0:03:59.880 --> 0:04:03.440 I paid into the system, ergo I take from the system, 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:06.680 and I think that is a justification that's worth investing in. 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:11.200 Here. So you've got John assof calling for operations, You've 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:13.560 got Adam Shift calling for a federal tax hike on 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:15.960 the wealthy, and you've got Abdulah i'l sayad calling for 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:18.960 a tax hike on everyone. Let's go to Kamala Harris 0:04:19.000 --> 0:04:23.120 doing a podcast with Stacy Abrams. Cut number seven, partial change. 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:26.920 I think we need to revisit the efficacy of the 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:30.159 electoral college. I think we need to expand the Supreme 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:34.159 Court and look at reforms. You know, so much of 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:37.000 what we are dealing with right now, back to the 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:39.760 point of just a violation of civil rights and all 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:43.240 that your parents in mind fought for the Supreme Court 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:45.920 decisions by this court that was basically at this point 0:04:45.960 --> 0:04:47.560 hand selected by Donald Trump. 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:52.520 Basically not true. She doesn't know that. Apparently three members 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:55.320 have been of the nine were nominated by Donald Trump, 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:57.600 and they were confirmed by the Senate, and they're very 0:04:57.640 --> 0:05:00.440 good justices, and she does not recognize that. But she 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:02.640 wants to tear up the Constitution in the electoral college 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:07.520 and packed the court. More kammona heiress with Stacy Abrams 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:08.120 cuttnumber eight. 0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:13.440 That part of the pain of this moment, Stacey, is 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:20.080 these so called leaders who are pushing this kind of 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:25.800 this narrative about who is a legitimate American citizen among 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:31.360 American citizens, this blood and soil narrative that's being pushed 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:33.240 at the highest levels of our government. 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:37.800 Some people argued for a birthright citizenship, including me, a 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:40.880 Republican in good standing and a conservative, and some people 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:43.600 argued there the fourteenth Amendment wasn't clear. The Court has 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:46.520 decided it, so it's not being pushed. Not a narrative, 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:49.640 it's made up in her mind, which is often empty 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:52.400 of any kind of coherent thought. One more cut from 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:55.880 the Stacy Abrams Podcast with Kammi Aires, cut number nine. 0:05:56.600 --> 0:05:58.719 And I know you've been spending a lot of time 0:05:58.760 --> 0:06:01.719 in the South reascent, see in Louisiana and North Carolina. 0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:05.360 And what I tell people when they want to understand 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:08.480 what authoritarianism can look like in the US, as it 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:13.839 looks out, we have lived under authoritarianism, I would say since. 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:16.200 Seventeen seventy six. 0:06:16.800 --> 0:06:18.960 Now you know why she was not selected for the 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:22.160 vice presidency when Kamlala Harris was because she says crazy 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:25.720 stuff like that, let's go to Beggy Flat again. Democrat 0:06:25.800 --> 0:06:29.200 nominee for Senate in Minnesota with Willie Geis this morning, 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:31.800 Cut number ten. She's not responsible for fraud. It's all 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:33.120 somebody else's fault. 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:36.760 Do you deserve any responsibility the lieutenant governor for those 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:39.960 fraud schemes have taken place in your state over the 0:06:40.000 --> 0:06:40.839 last several years? 0:06:41.800 --> 0:06:44.039 I would say, you know, the governor says the buck 0:06:44.080 --> 0:06:45.440 stops with him. 0:06:45.760 --> 0:06:49.200 More should have been done sooner, and I agree. 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:55.359 And now we know that one hundred people have been charged, 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:57.680 sixty have been convicted. 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:01.320 It's not be Babe, she should have humed Bob Dylan. 0:07:01.480 --> 0:07:04.760 It's tim Waltz, it's not her ro Kana also running 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:07.920 for president. On PR with Stevenskeep This Morning Cut number twelve. 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:13.200 He excluded a lot of the black South, where domestic workers, 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:17.080 agriculture workers didn't get a chance. He purposely set social 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:21.120 Security at sixty five, knowing that a black life expectancy 0:07:21.240 --> 0:07:22.040 was fifty nine. 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:23.640 That was the only way he was going to get 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:25.480 Southern support for It's a social reform. 0:07:25.560 --> 0:07:30.520 So yeah, he excluded, of course Japanese Americans and turned them. 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:35.640 But a multiracial New Deal, in my view, is what 0:07:35.720 --> 0:07:38.480 is needed, and it will probably be one of America's 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:41.920 greatest moments because what we can do and we'll do 0:07:42.040 --> 0:07:44.080 in America, I don't know if it'll be my generation 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:47.000 or the next generation. We will become the world's first 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:48.920 cohesive multiracial democracy. 0:07:50.320 --> 0:07:53.560 So FDR was racist, that's new I taught. I began 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.560 this monologue by talking about my grandfather, an FDR Democrat. 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:59.760 He wasn't a racist. That was remoting up in Northeast 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:02.720 and I actually be able to end to the underground railroad. 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:06.640 It was as freestyle as freestyle ever gets. It's an 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:09.960 insult to everyone in northeastern Ohio. But you go with 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:12.320 that ro He's been on this a guest on this 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:15.000 program a number of times. I'm disappointed in him. And 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:17.520 then let's put the icing on the cake. Hassan Piker 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:21.120 now the new Voice, the new Kingmaker, and the Democratic Party, 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:24.320 pleading for people to stop the mean Republicans from bringing 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:30.560 up the fact he said racist Islamist apologetics nine to eleven. 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:33.480 America deserved that crazy stuff cut number fifteen. 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:36.440 I know we don't always see Eyei on a lot 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:40.800 of stuff, but you have to literally at some point. 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:43.040 I know you don't want to do this, defend me, 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:47.880 and not because not because you love what I have 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:49.680 to say, not because I'm a part of this coalition, 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:51.400 even though I am, whether you like it or not. 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:55.520 But you are going to inevitably have to say this 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:58.840 is a ridiculous conversation that we're having, because the real 0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:02.240 conversation that Republicans don't want to have is the cost 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:03.080 of living crisis. 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:06.040 That requires you, at. 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:10.000 Some point to basically take the l a little bit okay, 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:13.600 and maybe be a little bit more honest about how 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:16.880 I'm not this dangerous, toxic radical force. I'm not expecting 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:20.719 you to defend clips out of context or anything like that. 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:25.800 I'm not even expecting you to defend some of these 0:09:25.920 --> 0:09:26.800 statements at all. 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:29.920 I think you should probably attack the form. 0:09:30.800 --> 0:09:34.959 You should attack the form, you should attack the function, 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:38.560 You should probably attack the. 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:41.640 Very reason as to why Republicans have made this. 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:46.199 All right, So, in fact, Hassan Piker is a dangerous, 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:51.480 toxic radical force. He reflects. He did not make the 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:55.480 Democratic Party. He reflects the Democratic Party of twenty twenty six. 0:09:56.040 --> 0:10:00.840 And at every level, state reps, state senator, your own congressperson, 0:10:01.400 --> 0:10:05.000 your governor's race, your Senate races. You have to vote 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:08.680 Republican in twenty twenty six, and you have to get 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:13.240 involved and repudiate the hard left turn that the Democrats 0:10:13.280 --> 0:10:16.080 have taken and are taking over the cliff because we 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:19.200 need two functioning parties in the United States. We need 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:22.880 a Democratic Party that argues for slightly higher marginal tax 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:26.440 rates for tinkering with that or changing this. We do 0:10:26.559 --> 0:10:29.640 not need a crazy left wing group led by a 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:34.040 San Piker. Abdul l sied Peggy Flanagan Rocanna in his 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:38.360 current iteration, Adam Schiff, who else did I bring up 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:41.120 in this, Kamala Harris? We don't need that we need 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:45.800 a Democratic party of Scoop Jackson and Sam Nun and 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:50.720 John Glenn and people were normis all right, normal people, 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:54.560 That's what we need. Stay tuned, Ninete, Welcome back in America. 0:10:54.679 --> 0:10:58.000 Jonathan Williams is the President Chief Economists of our friends 0:10:58.000 --> 0:11:00.920 at American Legislative Exchange Council. We got a new backdrop. 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:02.840 What's that new backdrop, Jonathan? 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:06.800 Well, hey, Hu, coming to you from the beautiful campus 0:11:06.800 --> 0:11:10.600 of Northwood University here in Midland, Michigan and my alma mater. 0:11:10.720 --> 0:11:13.640 We're here for a group of state legislators, one of 0:11:13.640 --> 0:11:16.560 our ALEC academies from the Great Lakes State. So we 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:19.320 even invited the Buckeye legislators to come up and join 0:11:19.400 --> 0:11:21.319 us here here. I know you'll be happy to hear that. 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:23.760 I want to know why I wasn't invited. You know, 0:11:23.840 --> 0:11:27.480 I love ALEC Evans and I love rich states, poor states, 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:29.520 and if I was there, I would make sure everyone 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:32.839 knows that of the Midwestern states, I believe Ohio is 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:34.280 highest ranked. Am I correct? 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:37.560 Well, almost, Indiana's got you beat. 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:38.760 You know, there are top ten. 0:11:38.880 --> 0:11:42.280 Ohio's making up for some lost time there, but Indiana 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:44.040 has been a pay center for a long time here 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:44.680 in the Midwest. 0:11:44.720 --> 0:11:45.640 But here's this you. 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:47.280 If you come join us next year, I'll put the 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:49.760 Ohio flag behind me alongside the Michigan flag. 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:50.160 How's that? 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:52.679 Okay? Well, we got to talk. I don't this might 0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:54.800 be the only thing we covered today, Jonathan, and I 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:57.760 want to know if there's actually anywhere at the Aleck 0:11:57.840 --> 0:11:59.599 website where they can find out what's going on the 0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:03.079 Midwest because this is the renaissance of America. I really no, 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:06.120 Michigan's falling behind and Illinois needs to catch up. But 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:11.440 water and power means AI and anderroll and volunteer and 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:14.800 everything like that. If the Midwestern legislators get it right, 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:17.319 that it'll be the new boom for the Midwest. 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:20.559 Yeah, it absolutely will. 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:23.000 And you know, one of the new pieces of model policy, 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:25.400 as you know, that came out of Orlando from our 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:28.920 alic annual meeting with eighteen hundred of our closest conservative friends. 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:30.800 And we're so glad to have you join us there. 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:32.960 That was one of those things that came out of 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:35.960 it was our model statement of principles on what do 0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:39.280 we do with the discussion around data centers, what do 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:41.800 we do around energy policy, that's smart. What do we 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:45.000 do around the water usage and zoning and making sure 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:48.559 that states and cities are open for a development and 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:51.040 making sure that the United States stays a leader when 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:54.120 it comes to this race with China on AI and 0:12:54.440 --> 0:12:55.960 data centers fueling that boom. 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:58.440 You know, Jonathan, I think I want to remember the name, 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:01.480 the name correctly, State Center Court from Texas, one of 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:02.480 my favorite guests. 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:04.600 That's right, he told great great man. 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:08.000 Great man. He told me that Texas already has three 0:13:08.080 --> 0:13:12.160 hundred and fifty data centers, one of which will more 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:17.120 than double the annual government revenue from property tax without 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:21.600 any impact on services. I don't know why people aren't 0:13:21.640 --> 0:13:23.520 rushing out to line up for these things. 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:27.840 Well, I don't think they think about that element of it, Hugh. 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:30.440 But I mean telling those stories is really important to 0:13:30.520 --> 0:13:33.800 know that there's some huge benefits for taxpayers out there 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:35.600 when this is done in a smart way, in a 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:38.640 responsible way, you know, even just looking at back in 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:40.920 northern Virginia that you know, well, I mean, I'm in 0:13:40.960 --> 0:13:44.480 Fairfax County, Laddin County right next door. Is that really 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:47.120 the heart and soul of where the data center boom 0:13:47.160 --> 0:13:49.600 has happened? In the United States, as you know, and 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:52.760 even as they've had liberal governance in Lodden County for 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:56.000 a number of years now, they've actually seen property taxes 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:59.559 remain flat or even decline in some cases, where Fairfax County, 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:03.320 with little to no data centers, has been property taxes 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:05.959 going through the roof. So just a bilateral comparison of 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:08.679 two counties right next door to each other in northern Virginia, 0:14:08.720 --> 0:14:11.760 both run by liberals, and you see a huge difference. 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:13.840 And I think it can be hugely attributed to this 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.199 development of data centers in Latin County that are taking 0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:20.120 that property tax burden and taking it off of residential 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:22.240 and other commercial property taxpayers. 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:24.440 And that's something that just doesn't get told nearly enough. 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:27.600 That's why ALECK exists. Why if you're a state legislator 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:29.440 or adjacent to one, you want to belong to the 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:32.520 American Legislative Exchange Council, go to ALEC dot org. Slash 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:36.600 U John, I want to do cover Michigan's problem right now. 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:39.280 They have a choice. They can go the Indiana Ohiopath 0:14:39.400 --> 0:14:41.320 or then go the Illinois Path. And that way, the 0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:45.360 Illinois Path lies doom. They've got lsiad versus Rogers on 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:47.440 the ballot and I know you're nonpartisans, so you're not 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:49.160 going to tell you. And they got John James. I 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:51.200 don't know who's running for governor on the Democratic side, 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:54.760 but John James, a good, serious free market guy. Michigan 0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:56.440 can has a choice in front of it right now. 0:14:56.440 --> 0:14:59.880 Do you think most Michiganders are aware of that choice? 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:03.880 I think so, and I think it's almost impossible to 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:07.600 ignore this dark contrast. I mean, this is what a 0:15:07.600 --> 0:15:12.040 great book by the awesome Thomas soul a Conflict of Visions, right, 0:15:12.080 --> 0:15:15.280 I mean, this is really a time for choosing between Yeah, 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:17.840 do you want to become Illinois, which is California of 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:20.560 the Midwest without the good weather, or do you want 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:23.760 to be more prosperous like Indiana and Ohio is increasingly 0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:26.800 becoming with in migration and businesses and job creation all 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:29.440 the things that go with that. I think Wisconsin also 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:32.240 falls in Minnesota to some degree in those categories. Is 0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:34.600 what do these states want to be when they decide 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:37.280 which path they follow? In Michigan, as we know, has 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:39.640 kind of gone back and forth under Rick Snyder and 0:15:39.760 --> 0:15:42.040 right to work and so many great things were happening 0:15:42.320 --> 0:15:45.479 in last decade, and then because of the progressive trifecta 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:47.360 there they repealed right to work and started to. 0:15:47.280 --> 0:15:48.560 Go the way of Illinois again. 0:15:48.800 --> 0:15:51.640 But I mean, it's almost impossible if you're an objective 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:54.840 observer and have studied the Midwest and the economies and 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:57.280 what Illinois used to be versus what it is today, 0:15:57.280 --> 0:15:59.440 and what Chicago used to be, what it is today 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:02.720 versus where Indiana and Ohio had been in the progress 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:03.360 that they've made. 0:16:03.640 --> 0:16:04.880 Did the only clear choice to. 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:07.280 Be more like Indiana and more like Ohio and less 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:09.320 like Illinois. When it comes to Snake's like, did you 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:10.200 get into the scouncil? 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:13.760 A great By the way, second plog A Time for 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:17.760 Choosing is a second grade book for Samon Thomas Soul. 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:22.080 Everyone go get the third grade book. Rich Statesportestates dot 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:26.960 com Riada. It's a choice, everyone gets to make, prosperity 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:30.880 or poverty. Pick prosperity. Jonathan Williams, All you good to 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:33.840 see my friend Alex dot org slash Hue, thank you, 0:16:39.760 --> 0:16:43.000 Welcome back to America. I'm Hugh Cwitt, always keeping an 0:16:43.000 --> 0:16:45.800 eye on our shipbuilding in the United States. After talking 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:49.840 to Admiral Mark Montgomery yesterday he pointed out that if 0:16:49.880 --> 0:16:53.760 we want to actually maintain operations that will detery Iran, 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:57.440 we need destroyers. Destroyers are the workhorse of the American fleet. 0:16:57.920 --> 0:17:00.440 And I'm joined now by United States Senator Susan Collins, 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:02.920 chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, also a member of the 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:06.720 Senate Intelligence Committee, and holder of the consecutive role call 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:09.000 vote record of the United States Senate well over ten 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:10.840 thousand now. Senator Collins, welcome back. 0:17:10.880 --> 0:17:14.720 How are you just find great to talk with you? 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:19.280 Que? So I was driving my grandchildren a few weekends 0:17:19.320 --> 0:17:23.040 ago to the Main Botanic Garden to see the trolls, 0:17:23.040 --> 0:17:25.879 which is an annual kind of excursion for us, and 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:28.280 we went over to the Kennebeck River and there was one 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:30.800 destroyer being worked on, and I thought, I've got to 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:34.640 ask Senator Collins, because I talked to Admiral Montgomery often, 0:17:35.200 --> 0:17:37.760 we need destroyers. Are we making enough of them? 0:17:39.040 --> 0:17:43.160 We're not making enough of them. There are more than 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:47.320 there is, more than one being a work done in 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:52.080 the yards right now. But we've got to keep it flowing. 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:56.639 As you were saying, they truly are the workhorse of 0:17:56.720 --> 0:18:01.399 the fleet, and They're essential to our national security. We've 0:18:01.440 --> 0:18:05.399 seen that in the Middle East. What's ay that's built 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:10.000 destroyer that shot down all of those who the missiles 0:18:10.040 --> 0:18:13.680 that were being fired at commercial ships that are are 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:15.240 troops and at Israel. 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:20.040 So, Senator, what Admiral Montgomery told me just yesterday is 0:18:20.160 --> 0:18:22.560 at a minimum, we've got sixteen there and we really 0:18:22.560 --> 0:18:25.720 need twenty two to twenty four, but we're stretched thin. 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:30.560 Are your Democratic colleague aware destroyers really do everything and 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:33.800 the carriers can't go anywhere without the destroyers. Are they 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:34.800 with you on this? 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:41.160 I think they'll be support for adding a second destroyer 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:45.920 to the President's budget. It's really important that. 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:46.480 We do so. 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:53.760 As you say, those giant aircraft carriers need the destroyers 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:59.200 to protect them, and without the destroyers you couldn't send 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:03.520 the air craft carriers out to do their mission. So 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:06.680 they are incredibly important. 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:13.160 So is Bath handling the craftsman shortage as well as 0:19:13.200 --> 0:19:15.720 they can. I know there's a housing issue in Bath 0:19:16.200 --> 0:19:19.919 and the same housing issue in Portsmouth with the submarine workforce. 0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:23.719 What are they doing? Is the Congress helping house and 0:19:23.760 --> 0:19:27.159 attract skilled workers to the people who build the ships? 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:31.840 Well pleased should say that I've been able to secure 0:19:32.000 --> 0:19:38.240 funding for two workforce housing projects right in Bath, and 0:19:38.600 --> 0:19:44.840 these are really important. The majority of the workers at 0:19:44.840 --> 0:19:47.840 that time works do not live in Bath or a 0:19:47.920 --> 0:19:53.600 joining communities. They commute from the Lewiston area. In the 0:19:53.680 --> 0:19:57.960 case of the Portsmouth Naples Shipyard and Kiddery, Maine, they 0:19:58.080 --> 0:20:02.680 commute from the Samford main That's a long commute. So 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:09.320 I've encouraged both shipyards to establish shuttles, of which would 0:20:09.359 --> 0:20:13.679 help with the parking. But we're also working on a 0:20:13.720 --> 0:20:18.959 parking garage at Bath iron Works, and on a daycare 0:20:19.160 --> 0:20:24.280 center and housing right in downtown Bath. That would make 0:20:24.359 --> 0:20:28.919 a huge difference, and it will help improve our retention 0:20:29.600 --> 0:20:33.440 and recruitment numbers, which are going up. They're much better 0:20:33.520 --> 0:20:34.320 than they were. 0:20:35.480 --> 0:20:38.679 Do you think that's a model for every high cost 0:20:38.760 --> 0:20:43.680 housing defense industry critical segment because if you can't get 0:20:43.720 --> 0:20:46.000 a worker, they make good money. I mean, you can 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:48.640 be a welder on a ship and make six figures 0:20:49.240 --> 0:20:51.200 after a couple of years, but you still got to 0:20:51.200 --> 0:20:52.840 buy a house. Is this going to be a model 0:20:52.880 --> 0:20:53.800 everywhere in the country. 0:20:54.760 --> 0:20:58.240 I think it could well be. You're right, it doesn't 0:20:58.240 --> 0:21:02.560 matter how good you're quit Mint is or your materials are. 0:21:03.040 --> 0:21:07.280 If you don't have the skills workforces, you can't build 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:13.720 these amazing ships, and they are amazing. They're technically advanced 0:21:13.760 --> 0:21:18.199 and they take very skilled workers. The other part of 0:21:18.240 --> 0:21:27.760 this element is helping our community colleges train more welders, electricians, plumbers, 0:21:27.800 --> 0:21:32.240 steel cutters, et cetera. And I have worked with that 0:21:32.600 --> 0:21:36.159 Armworks and with Supports and Staples Shipyards, with the pre 0:21:36.520 --> 0:21:40.439 winning plant in North Berwick, Maine that makes parts for 0:21:40.520 --> 0:21:45.119 the F thirty five, on making sure that our community 0:21:45.200 --> 0:21:50.360 colleges have the slots to train these individuals. And it's 0:21:50.359 --> 0:21:58.000 interesting you mentioned welders because BIW is known, renowned for 0:21:58.119 --> 0:22:02.520 the quality of its really important. 0:22:03.040 --> 0:22:05.520 So Senat, I want to close. I introduced you before 0:22:05.560 --> 0:22:07.720 you got on the line as being the most powerful 0:22:07.800 --> 0:22:10.200 woman in Congress because of your position a chair of 0:22:10.200 --> 0:22:14.200 the Appropriations Committee. I know Democrats have sort of forced 0:22:14.240 --> 0:22:18.080 us into a cr Are you optimistic after the electioneering 0:22:18.200 --> 0:22:21.320 is done about getting a real budget done? 0:22:21.880 --> 0:22:26.280 I am, and that really is critical. But I was 0:22:26.440 --> 0:22:31.919 hardened that the stopcap punding measure was approved in the 0:22:31.960 --> 0:22:35.879 wee hours of the morning on Saturday by a vote 0:22:35.920 --> 0:22:39.879