1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,880 Speaker 1: Okay, so nobody values hard work anymore. 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a According to a new poll done by 3 00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 2: The Wall Street Journal says the American dream is own 4 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 2: life support major shift and belief. Nearly seventy percent of 5 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 2: you as adults say hard work no longer guarantees success. 6 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: So seventy percent of adults don't believe that hard work 7 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: guarantees success. 8 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:25,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, so a very high level of skepticism. 9 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: Okay, So a couple of things with this one. I 10 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: think it is a it's a reality check of what 11 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: we say on this show quite a bit, which is 12 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 1: in this country right now, we are seeing an elevation 13 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 1: of the uber rich. The uber rich are getting richer 14 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 1: and have never been more prosperous, and everybody else is 15 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:51,560 Speaker 1: getting shoved down and countries, a thriving middle class is 16 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: a key to a thriving country. I heard this years ago, 17 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: and I know I've used this analogy before. In when 18 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: I was an elected official, we were together a sign 19 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 1: and zoning ordinance, and part of one of the things 20 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: in a sign and zoning ordinance is signs that are 21 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: business that are people are allowed to put in front 22 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: of their businesses. And a law enforcement person came and said, 23 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: whatever you do, do not slow the traffic down, because 24 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: they said, what they've found in studies with traffic is 25 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: traffic traffic can be moving at a slow rate of speed, 26 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: but as long as the traffic is actually moving, there 27 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: is hope and optimism. And in cases where even if 28 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,759 Speaker 1: you're moving at five miles an hour, there are much 29 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: fewer cases of road rage and road incidents than when 30 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 1: traffic is stopped because at a stop, subconsciously, most people 31 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: feel hopeless. Right, Yeah, And that always stood with me 32 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: about just so many other things, because that the idea 33 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: of the American dream isn't that for many people isn't 34 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: so much. We all have dreams when we're kids, right, 35 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: and then adult that happens and you're like, oh, that's cute. 36 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: It's the idea that you can elevate, not someday that 37 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: you're going to go from you know, a pauper to 38 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 1: a Rockefeller, but you can elevate yourself to a better life, 39 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 1: a comfortable life, a better existence than you had before. 40 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,799 Speaker 1: That there is hope giving the key where there's hope 41 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: in your work, there is hope in the effort that 42 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: you're putting forward. And what you're finding now because of 43 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: let's face it, the way the economy is rigged against 44 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: regular people, the way the government has printed us into inflation, 45 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: that people just see their monies that they're earning getting 46 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: swallowed up. I went to the grocery store yesterday, I 47 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: don't know, eight or nine bags of groceries ninety some 48 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: odd dollars, and it was like, holy smokes, again, I'm 49 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: not buying meat. It's just like basic stuff that even 50 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: that refrigerator. Like right, I go to Barton that event 51 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 1: on Sunday night and it was fun, like I love 52 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: the people. There was a great event. I always loved going. 53 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: I do it every year and made good money. But 54 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 1: there's subconsciously part of you that goes, all this is 55 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 1: going to that fridge. Yeah, none of this is going 56 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 1: back to me. Sure, it's all going towards something that 57 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: while you have to have a fridge, a week ago, 58 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: I didn't need a fridge. It was like, I have 59 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: the same thing I'm gonna havepp before, which is a 60 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: refrigerator in my house. It's not even a better fridge, 61 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: probably not even as good a fridge. 62 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 2: And so. 63 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: You can extrapolate that out to think about that over 64 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:41,680 Speaker 1: years and years of service, where I'm just talking about 65 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: some one off thing, years and years of you know, 66 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 1: working and getting up and going, and people just it 67 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: really messes with them if they feel like they're working 68 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: hard but they're not getting ahead. 69 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 2: So the Wall Street Journal has been doing this poll 70 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 2: for fifteen years and they say this is the highest 71 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 2: level of skepticism about the American dream in all of 72 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 2: that time. Only twenty five percent of people believe they 73 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 2: have a good chance of improving their standard of living, 74 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 2: and it's the lowest since nineteen eighty seven. Many older 75 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:17,559 Speaker 2: generations people feel had it easier, especially when it comes 76 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 2: to buying homes or starting businesses or being stay at 77 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 2: home parents. The one thing that I always think about though, 78 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 2: is yes. 79 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: They may have had it easier. 80 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 2: However, the interest rate was really high for many years, 81 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 2: but the house they were buying was much smaller, and 82 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 2: the older generation wasn't going out to restaurants all the time, 83 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 2: and entertainment was found within the family at home. 84 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: Ah, you just hit the thing, which is I think 85 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: the life that we valued, or the things that we 86 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: valued in life in previous generations made it easier to 87 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: believe you were having a better life and elevate yourself. 88 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: Like you know, people joke about my lamenting of the 89 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,920 Speaker 1: death of the fields and the farmland and stuff. There's 90 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: a reason though that I feel that way, because for generations, 91 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: that was good, that was sure decent, that meant something 92 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 1: to people, And we've sort of just entered this and 93 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: we're all guilty of it, or at least most of 94 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,719 Speaker 1: us are guilty of this from me included, where you're 95 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 1: just go, go, go, instant, instant, instant, all the time, 96 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: whatever we want. 97 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,159 Speaker 2: And a high level of consumerism, and. 98 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: People just people just they I don't know if they forget. 99 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: I don't know. Like I was thinking last night when 100 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: my daughter and I went for a walk, and I 101 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: was thinking about how all the things that have changed 102 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,479 Speaker 1: in my town, and I was thinking like, well, but 103 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 1: I'm basically like the only person left here right like 104 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:14,560 Speaker 1: everybody else leve Ye like the you know, everybody's so different. 105 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,280 Speaker 1: I haven't changed. So it's like, well, why would those 106 00:06:17,279 --> 00:06:19,679 Speaker 1: people care they're not here anymore. They don't. They didn't 107 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,599 Speaker 1: spend all their time here like they go places and 108 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,600 Speaker 1: do different things. So I just I just we've got 109 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: a serious problem in this country. Though, which is the 110 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: inability to elevate classes anymore or your position in the classes. 111 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: And there are certain skills, skill sets that will be 112 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 1: able to avoid, at least for a time, artificial intelligence 113 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 1: that'll be able to push that off. But it's not 114 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: going to get better. There's going to be more and 115 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: more jobs that are going to go away. It's going 116 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:55,839 Speaker 1: to be more and more positions. I mean, I saw 117 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 1: Tony was talking about this this morning, that Salesforce is 118 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 1: laying off a whole bunch of peace because of ai yep, and. 119 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 2: They're saying twenty thirty four, it's the year where you 120 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:10,320 Speaker 2: won't recognize anything compared to today. 121 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 1: And the older I get, the more I realize quiet 122 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: was good, and calm was good, and just having the 123 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: thing that you had in the communion in which you 124 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,640 Speaker 1: had it, and celebrating those things that made up the 125 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: little area in which you lived made people more happy 126 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: and more content. And also because they didn't have the 127 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: continual pressure and burden of having to have the newest 128 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: thing and the best thing, the newest phone and the 129 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: newest abutment, whatever right, they were able to find happiness 130 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: and the things that matter, and then the things that 131 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 1: they wanted. They put a value in a premium on 132 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: and it meant something to obtain it, and so they 133 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 1: were more happy because they could have those things. 134 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 2: So are you saying the American dream isn't dead, it's 135 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 2: just changed. 136 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: No, I think we're toast. No no, no, no no no 137 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: no no no no no no no. I just I think. 138 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: And I don't mean to mean mister doom and gloom, 139 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: which I never am. Of course, no always so super. 140 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 1: But somebody, somebody explained to me how this gets better 141 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 1: for the middle class. I'm willing to hear it. I'm 142 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: willing to hear because education, it used to be an 143 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 1: abduel and I used talk about this for years. 144 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 2: Sure, education would elevate you out of where your skill 145 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 2: sets trades, and now it's a burden with loans. 146 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, and you're whatever position you're in, you're going to 147 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 1: someday become a victim of artificial intelligence. Your position, your education, 148 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: no matter how great it might be, unless it's the 149 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: very tippy top, people are simply not going to outlast 150 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:43,679 Speaker 1: artificial intelligence.