1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:11,119 Speaker 1: It's that time. Time, time, time, luck and load. The 2 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: Michael Verie Show is on the air. Jenn's ready for you. Well, 3 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: as promised, we have Commissioner Tom Ramsey as our guest. Well, 4 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: if will you please wear in the witness Huh please 5 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: raise your right hand? Yeah, please your right hand? All right, dat, 6 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:38,200 Speaker 1: I'm Ramsey swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, 7 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: and nothing but the truth. So help you got absolutely, 8 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 1: Commissioner Ramsey. Where is lenahad all go? 9 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 2: Not sure? Actually I hear reports of traveling on junkets 10 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 2: in Europe reports maybe that is she back in the country, 11 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 2: but I haven't seen her and I have no idea. Really. 12 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: Okay, so y'all had a meeting this week. Uh, you've 13 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: become a star of the court, by the way. It's 14 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 1: it's quite fascinating. You know, you're the you're the lone guy. 15 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 1: You're you're the you're the one down there calling it out. 16 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: How does that work without the presiding officer in attendance? 17 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: Does Rodney just go? Everybody knows I've been running this 18 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: thing anyway, let's get started. 19 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:32,839 Speaker 2: Well, it's it's the commissioner that's been on court the longest. 20 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 2: When there was a period uh when Cactus was on there, 21 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 2: and Cactus actually chaired the meetings. 22 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:42,400 Speaker 1: Uh. 23 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 2: But that's kind of the uh local rule if you 24 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 2: will that. And since Rodney is the most tenured if 25 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 2: that's a word, commissioner, then he chairs the. 26 00:01:54,720 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: Meeting tenureds one word. Yeah, actors. Jack would have met 27 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: a great county judge. You know, he was a judge 28 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: my nephew, and my nephew came out of law school. 29 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: He's ended up becoming a very successful planning's attorney. But 30 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: when my nephew came out of law school, nobody was hiring. 31 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: At the time he came out of Two Lane Law School. 32 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: He was a good student, a great kid at the time. 33 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:17,399 Speaker 1: I still consider him a kidd. He's let my own kid. 34 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: But I was looking for a job for him. He 35 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 1: was living with us because he wanted to be in Houston. 36 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 1: And I called Cactus Jack and I said, Hey, any 37 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 1: chance you need an intern. He said, I can do 38 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 1: you one better. I need to hire a staff attorney, 39 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: and he did. And it was supposed to be a 40 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: three months and figure out where you're going to go, 41 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: and my nephew ended up staying there over two years. 42 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: Didn't want to leave, but he couldn't make more money. 43 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,960 Speaker 1: He loved working for Cactus Jack. Still thinks Cactus Jack 44 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 1: hung the moon. 45 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,519 Speaker 2: Yeah, he's great. You'll learn a lot about Shakespeare and 46 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 2: all kind of Texas history. It's it's quite the education 47 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 2: enjoy working with Cactus. 48 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: The County Judge, the County Judges press team posted Judge 49 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: Lena had all go, and the Trademan team met with. 50 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: Arcadis a global design, engineering, and consultancy firm specializing in 51 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:10,679 Speaker 1: helping communities and industries build more resilient and efficient infrastructure systems. 52 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: You are the former head of one of the biggest 53 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: engineering firms in town. You are probably the most widely 54 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:19,359 Speaker 1: known and respected. I'll focus on the known because you 55 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: won't want the respective, but both are true engineer in 56 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: our region. How would you rate her knowledge of efficient 57 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: infrastructure systems as your colleague. 58 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 2: Well, just based on my exposure to her in court 59 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 2: and the question she's asked and her apparent preparation, it's 60 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 2: pretty much she knows very little about any of it. 61 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: What about her obsession with the fact that Leslie Briona 62 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: is wanted an exit through the back door of her 63 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: office and Lena's carpet didn't match the drapes and she 64 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: wanted all that redone and she was unhappy and went 65 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: to Rodney overt which became very public. How did you 66 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: feel at that point went aside from just embarrassed for 67 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 1: the court in the county. 68 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 2: Well, embarrassed was a good word. When that very court 69 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 2: we were having conversations on moving forward with our flood 70 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,679 Speaker 2: mitigation projects, which in fact we have a plan now 71 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,679 Speaker 2: in spite of what the chronicle says, we have a plan. 72 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 2: We meet with a GLO every week to stay on 73 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 2: the plan. So we had just discussed this billion three 74 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 2: billion dollars worth of projects that are going to be 75 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 2: built and focused on them. We got a plan, we're 76 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 2: moving forward, and all the judge wanted to talk about 77 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 2: was she was going to lose the closet and order 78 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 2: for Commissioner brionis to have a fire exit. So that 79 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 2: just sums it all up. Her entire tenure here is 80 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 2: focused on bathrooms in closets rather than stuff that really matters. 81 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: My goodness and travel. She does love to travel. There 82 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: was a result because there was a resolution this week 83 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: related to the Houston Livestock Show in rodeo, and we 84 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: all know what went down in the dirt in the 85 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: shoot seats and how awful that was. Rodney tried to 86 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: add a line into that resolution to criticize President Trump, 87 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: who had nothing to do with any of this. My 88 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 1: understanding is that you shot it down, which is quite 89 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: impressive because you're the lone ranger down there amongst a 90 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: bunch of Democrats. But there was an apology from you 91 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: to the Rodeo, I think in person and publicly your 92 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 1: thoughts on all of that that you'd like to share, Well. 93 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,039 Speaker 2: You know, there's not an organization, Michael, when you know 94 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 2: this just from living here and working here and being 95 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 2: involved here, more respected than the Houston Rodeo. I mean, 96 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,479 Speaker 2: you know, the rodeo. You might have a CEO of 97 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 2: a major corporation driving a golf cart taking little children 98 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:03,920 Speaker 2: to an area so they can pet zoo animals, and 99 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 2: and that's what that's what this is all about. And 100 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:13,600 Speaker 2: for her to infer some racist Texas activity that they 101 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 2: would condone or be a part of, you're pretty much 102 00:06:17,279 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 2: indicting the thirty six thousand volunteers that are out there. 103 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 2: So yes, we owe them an apology. We owed the 104 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 2: twenty thousand county employees, an apology for embarrassing the comment, 105 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 2: the comments that the judge made out there, and and 106 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 2: so we that was a minimum, that was a bear minimum, 107 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 2: that was an East Texas bear minimum. We should have 108 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 2: got an apology, demanded an apology, but I could not 109 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 2: even get support for an apology to the to the rodeo. 110 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: My grandmother would use the word sech sech for such, 111 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: and she'd say in such a situation, she'd say, I've 112 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 1: never seen such. I bet she wouldn't carry on like 113 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: that in Crockett, Texas. They wouldn't stand for it. 114 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 2: No, not at all. You know, we might not get 115 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 2: everything right, but at least we know how to behave. 116 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: Truer in the words never spoken. And you know, I 117 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:21,120 Speaker 1: missed the simpler things. I live in a city that 118 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 1: you live in, in a county that you live in, 119 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 1: and I look at the nonsense and the chicanery and 120 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: tomfoolery and silliness, and I think to myself, you know, 121 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: Orange might not have been big and fancy, but you 122 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:39,160 Speaker 1: knew how to conduct yourself as an adult where you 123 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 1: didn't have to be embarrassed by what the county judge 124 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 1: is doing on a daily basis, and you didn't have 125 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: to wonder where she was instead of doing her job 126 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: in a multi billion dollar community. It's just crazy. I 127 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: find it interesting that the person who conducted all this nonsense, 128 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 1: Lenna d Ogo, doesn't think to apologize, and you who've 129 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: done nothing wrong or doing the apologies, I said, I 130 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: guess that tells us a lot about character, doesn't it. 131 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: Commissioner Tom Ramsey, can you hold on with us for 132 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 1: just a moment. 133 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 2: Sure? 134 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: When Tom Ramsey was running for county commissioner, I thought, 135 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 1: that's pretty good. He knows about infrastructure. I will tell 136 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: you I have been delightfully blown away what a good 137 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 1: county commissioner he has served on. It's just amazing. It 138 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: was April Fool's Day two thousand and eight, and YouTube 139 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: tricked users with the popular bait and switch prank called 140 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 1: Rick Rolling by playing this Rick Astley song by featuring 141 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: video links that actually led to Rick Astley's never Going 142 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 1: to Give You Up music video. Rick Ashley would tell 143 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 1: the story in interviews later that his kids, who obviously 144 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 1: were not alive back when he was at his popularity peak, 145 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: only knew dad as the guy who drops him off 146 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 1: to school and picks him up. They don't know what 147 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,560 Speaker 1: he does during the day, and all of a sudden 148 00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:11,840 Speaker 1: they were coming home and saying, Dad, turns out you're 149 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 1: really really cool. We had no idea Commissioner Tom Ramsey, 150 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: have you ever had that moment where your kids thought 151 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: you were really really cool because something someone else said 152 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: about you? 153 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 2: Well, you know, I don't know that I've had that 154 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:31,679 Speaker 2: kind of experience, but yeah, your kids never never really know. 155 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 2: It's kind of hard to know what your parents do 156 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 2: every day, twenty four hours at work, and sometimes I 157 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 2: think they are a little surprised that you're involved in 158 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 2: the things that you are. 159 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: You know, I knew you as an engineer for the 160 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 1: years I was on city council, and I never expected 161 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 1: you to be able to tolerate the nonsense of the 162 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:00,439 Speaker 1: political game. When I was in it, loved it. I 163 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 1: felt like I was good at it. I thrived on it, 164 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:05,640 Speaker 1: and I must admit I enjoyed it. But when I 165 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: was out, I was out, and I remember thinking he's 166 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:12,719 Speaker 1: too honest and honorable and decent to be able to 167 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: play that game. But somehow you've managed to succeed without succumbing, 168 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: and I have to tell you that's not a question. 169 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 1: I admire that about you, and I have said this. 170 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 1: I know you're very involved at Second Baptist. I have said, 171 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: you know, a guy that leads is his prayer group 172 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,679 Speaker 1: at Second Baptist is not typically a county commissioner in 173 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:33,720 Speaker 1: this county anyway, not these days. 174 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 2: Well, you know, I think it's been said before, probably 175 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:42,320 Speaker 2: one of the most political people that ever walked earth 176 00:10:42,559 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 2: was Jesus. And as we go into Easter weekend, you 177 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 2: think of all the politics he had to put up with. 178 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:55,320 Speaker 2: He did it with a lot of patiency. He never 179 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:57,760 Speaker 2: varied once in terms of what he thought or what 180 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:02,839 Speaker 2: he believed, and even though literally the world around him 181 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 2: was going to pot he was able to stay focused 182 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:10,520 Speaker 2: on really the things that mattered. And I think to 183 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 2: some degree, maybe Michael, growing up in a small town 184 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 2: you tend to be programmed early and too. You know, 185 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:21,480 Speaker 2: if you got plan to eat, and you've got a 186 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 2: good roof and you've got air conditioning, you know, that's 187 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:27,439 Speaker 2: pretty much all you need, and everything else is a bonus. 188 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 2: So I think that's part of it. I think just 189 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 2: having worked for fifty cities in twenty counties doing engineering work. 190 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 2: You've kind of seen everything you possibly could see in 191 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 2: the political world, although I will admit the last seven 192 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 2: years in Harris County, I would have never expected this 193 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:54,280 Speaker 2: from acted officials. I know a judge in Palestine, Wayne 194 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 2: Lawrence said back in nineteen seventy nine, you know, we 195 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 2: can disagree, but we don't have to be disagreeable and just. 196 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 2: And the fact that people knowingly just walk into a 197 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 2: meeting and immediately starts accusing everybody of everything. You're a 198 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 2: guest at the rodeo and they've given you three nights 199 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 2: of the premier seats in the rodeo, and all you 200 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:25,320 Speaker 2: can do is complain a word. That is a sad, 201 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 2: sad commentary on an individual. 202 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 1: Wayne Lawrence is one of my favorite Palestinians. Where are 203 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:34,040 Speaker 1: we at with regard to the November election, And we 204 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:39,520 Speaker 1: had we had Chas Bono brought in. You know, Rodney 205 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: took the elections away from the office that had been 206 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:45,960 Speaker 1: hosting the election and conducting the elections, and I think 207 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,679 Speaker 1: fairly we never had major questions of the integrity of 208 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,200 Speaker 1: the process. And he had to control that so that 209 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 1: they could corrupt it. And then he brought in Clifford 210 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:58,240 Speaker 1: Tatum are how concerned are you about we've got We've 211 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:00,680 Speaker 1: got some big elections including who are are you know 212 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 1: Ken Paxton versus James Talerico in November for the US Senate. 213 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: How concerned are you about the integrity of the Harris 214 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 1: County vote turnout? 215 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 2: I mean one, we got rid of the elections administrator 216 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 2: in the county. We're back to being ryn by the 217 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 2: part of it by the clerk and part of it 218 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 2: by the tax assessor. So we got it back to 219 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 2: where it should be. UH. Those individuals the clerk, Tanisha 220 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 2: husbith uh Dan Standard. She worked for stand Standard, so 221 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 2: I know she got some good background. Tanisha is a 222 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 2: person that does. 223 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 1: A good job. 224 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 2: I think she she knows what to do, she knows 225 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:49,440 Speaker 2: the right thing to do. But as you know, in 226 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 2: an election, you have all these judge precinct judges and 227 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 2: at each location, and you can't be in control of 228 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:04,360 Speaker 2: all that. I'm at least on our side, we don't 229 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 2: have nearly enough people volunteering to work the UH work 230 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:11,680 Speaker 2: to polls, either as a as an election judge or 231 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:14,839 Speaker 2: some other volunteer. We do need good people to step 232 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,760 Speaker 2: up and being involved in that because there is a 233 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 2: large number of people that are involved that don't wake 234 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 2: up looking at looking at elections the same way you 235 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 2: and I do. So I think that we got away 236 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 2: from the elects administrator. We've taken it back over. There's 237 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 2: a good person in charge of it. They know what 238 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 2: they're doing, but they're still we got to We've gotta 239 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 2: be vigilant in terms of paying attention to what's going 240 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 2: on and being sure that each one of those polling 241 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 2: locations they're they're run as they should. 242 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: I hope you're right. I still I know, I know 243 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 1: you are a big supporter as am I of Alex Mieler, 244 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: as is Jim Mackingville Mattress Mac and I think to 245 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: a time how things would be different if the election 246 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: that she won in twenty twenty two had not been 247 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:15,640 Speaker 1: stolen from her from the ballots that Clifford Tatum at 248 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 1: Rodney's behest perhaps maybe allegedly had gone out and the 249 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: votes had been cast, and she would have won and 250 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: things would be a lot better. But it really worries 251 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:31,400 Speaker 1: me a great deal. I'm still mad at Abbot for 252 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 1: not directing Jane Nelson, his Secretary of State, to be 253 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 1: more involved in the election violations that occurred. And I 254 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: think he didn't care because it didn't matter to him then. 255 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:45,080 Speaker 1: But he does care now because he's on the ballot 256 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden he cares about Harris County. 257 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:48,680 Speaker 1: I want to ask you to respond on that part. 258 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 2: But. 259 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: I guess the good news is is Abbot's going to 260 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:57,360 Speaker 1: force a pass into Harris County election integrity and right, 261 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:00,760 Speaker 1: let's hope, Tom Ramsey, I stole Wald all your time. 262 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: I filibustered, I apologize. I appreciate what you do. My man. 263 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: We're so glad you're at Harris County Commissioner's Court. Keep 264 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: up the great work we make Crockett practice far too soon. 265 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: There's that poet again, Paul Overstreet. That's what was running 266 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: through my mind when Tom Ramsey was talking about growing 267 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 1: up in East Texas. He and I over the years, 268 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: long before he was in politics, when I was in politics, 269 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:38,120 Speaker 1: we talk about our upbringings and our parents and our grandparents, 270 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 1: and our values, and our church and our wives and 271 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:47,400 Speaker 1: our families, and our coaches and our neighbors and our pastors. 272 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: And you know, not everybody was raised with our values, 273 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: and we have allowed it to become the case that 274 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 1: our values are discussed as being out of date from 275 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:10,879 Speaker 1: another time. We have allowed it to be discussed that 276 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:19,479 Speaker 1: things that are identified, whether rightly or only, as being 277 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 1: very white, are laughable or something to be ashamed of. 278 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:28,880 Speaker 1: It used to be that that meant that you know, 279 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,879 Speaker 1: your your assets were paid off and you had a 280 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 1: retirement account. That was white privilege. But then it became 281 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: the case that dysfunctional black women running for office. It 282 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:44,159 Speaker 1: was never the black men. It was always the dysfunctional 283 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 1: black women, the Jasmine Crocketts and Sheila Jackson Lee's and 284 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:50,680 Speaker 1: Maxine waters Is and Eddie Bernice Johnson, and I could 285 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:58,120 Speaker 1: go on, Cynthia McKinney. They would refer to having two parents, 286 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: plan pregnancy, have a baby, raise a baby, put aside 287 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:07,920 Speaker 1: money for vocational school or college, assist the child with 288 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:11,760 Speaker 1: buying their first home, maybe bring them into the family business, 289 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,760 Speaker 1: read to them at night, tuck them in at night. 290 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 1: That those cultural traits were referred to as white privilege, 291 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: and that was supposed to be something you were ashamed of, 292 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: and people stood by for it. Because white people have 293 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:36,840 Speaker 1: grown accustomed to some sort of guilt over the fact 294 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:41,680 Speaker 1: that whites by and large do better than blacks in America. 295 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 1: And that's not an accident, and it's not slavery. It's 296 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:49,400 Speaker 1: cultural traits. You want to know the extent to which 297 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:57,919 Speaker 1: it's cultural traits. Look at anyone who is black in 298 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: this country, who is a self made non singer, non actor, 299 00:19:02,359 --> 00:19:08,840 Speaker 1: non athlete, so a businessman in this country who is 300 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 1: financially successful, they will be referred to in terms of 301 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:19,199 Speaker 1: as I can't remember his name, ron as Chad, the 302 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:23,439 Speaker 1: name of the fellow that wrote the book I was 303 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:27,960 Speaker 1: Not Acting White. Can't think of the term for it. 304 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: His name was Ron. He was an advisor to President 305 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:33,920 Speaker 1: George W. Bush. But he said the original black insult 306 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: was basically the house negro. Term a house negro during 307 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:42,200 Speaker 1: slave times was what the field hands would refer to 308 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: as the black person who was also a slave. But 309 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 1: they got to work in the house. They got to 310 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:52,560 Speaker 1: work outside of the direct heat. There wasn't air conditioning, obviously, 311 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:55,639 Speaker 1: but there was better quality food and better quality conditions 312 00:19:55,680 --> 00:20:01,360 Speaker 1: and less strenuous work and no whippings and no harsh conditions, 313 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:04,560 Speaker 1: and so they were referred to as acting. They referred 314 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 1: to his house negroes. Then over a period of time, 315 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:12,040 Speaker 1: Blacks who took on traits of oh, I don't know, 316 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:18,720 Speaker 1: putting a G on the end of jaruon's, or spoke 317 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,879 Speaker 1: with what would be referred to traditionally as proper diction, 318 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:29,520 Speaker 1: who conjugated their b verbs by traditional norms, those people 319 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: were referred to as acting white. And so you'd have 320 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,640 Speaker 1: the kid who was the worst in the class, most violent, 321 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:40,160 Speaker 1: most likely to end up in prison, award winner would 322 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 1: insult the black kid who was studying hard to get 323 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 1: a scholarship to go to school, who may not have 324 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:49,360 Speaker 1: any money but is working hard on his academics as 325 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:53,600 Speaker 1: acting white. And that was the original awful insult. Did 326 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 1: you get the guy's name, ron see chet Ron White? 327 00:20:58,040 --> 00:20:58,439 Speaker 1: What was his name? 328 00:20:58,560 --> 00:20:58,679 Speaker 2: Ron? 329 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:00,600 Speaker 1: I can't remember his last name, chtn't know. We had 330 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 1: him on who wrote a book about it, called it. 331 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,680 Speaker 1: The book is called Acting White. About ten minutes ago, 332 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:07,639 Speaker 1: you could have googled acting white. Yes, you're not acting 333 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:11,119 Speaker 1: white right now, just so you know, Ron Christy, Yes, 334 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:15,440 Speaker 1: that's correct. Thank you. Was that so hard? I said, 335 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 1: ask Chad, you could have googled it. That's the same thing, 336 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: Chad is google. So Ron Christy told the story that 337 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,119 Speaker 1: he would be going to school and back in those days, 338 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:28,440 Speaker 1: my mother used to do this. You'd take your books. 339 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: You take a belt with the age before backpacks, take 340 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:34,359 Speaker 1: a belt and you wrap it around the books and 341 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 1: you'd sense it real tight and you'd throw it over 342 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: your shoulder like Johnny Appleseed carry you can carry your books. 343 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:43,640 Speaker 1: And he told the story that it wasn't the white kids, 344 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:46,280 Speaker 1: it was the black kids at the door to the 345 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 1: school that would knock the books out of his little backpack, 346 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:53,399 Speaker 1: makeshift backpack. It was the black kids who ridly killed it, 347 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 1: not the white kids, he said. I learned very early 348 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:58,919 Speaker 1: on that the racism my experience was not from white people. 349 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 1: It was from black people, he said. The whites, whether 350 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 1: it was at church or at school. You see this 351 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:09,879 Speaker 1: in the military. Whites were very supportive of me, and 352 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 1: whites are very supportive. Whites are very supportive of blacks 353 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:19,160 Speaker 1: who want to better themselves. They're very supportive of whites 354 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:22,359 Speaker 1: who want to better themselves. It's a cultural trait. It 355 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:30,680 Speaker 1: is something that is celebrated. Help other people, scholarships, mentoring internships, 356 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: these are cultural traits that are celebrated. And yet, and 357 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 1: yet you have this idea that it's a terrible thing, 358 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 1: that you should be ashamed of it. You know, I 359 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 1: read all the time these these sort of doomsday predictions 360 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:53,440 Speaker 1: that whites will be in the minority, that this sort 361 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: of suggestion sit down and shut up because soon we'll 362 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:59,120 Speaker 1: be in charge and you won't. And if you act 363 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 1: right while you're still in the majority, which you won't 364 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,520 Speaker 1: be for long, then when the whippings of you begin, 365 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: will you'll get better treatment than the others because you 366 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,200 Speaker 1: won't ever be in charge again. We'll be in charge, 367 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,159 Speaker 1: and once we do, we're gonna run this place. We 368 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 1: will run this town. Rihanna and Chris Brown style, Oh, 369 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: Rihanna and jay Z. Sorry, we're gonna run this thing. 370 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: When we do, it's gonna be hell on you. And 371 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:24,879 Speaker 1: it's turned out that that's been the case. The history 372 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,400 Speaker 1: of black mayors in Houston in America has not been 373 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:30,399 Speaker 1: a positive thing. But there is this idea that whites 374 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:33,680 Speaker 1: are going to be marginalized and minimized and you won't 375 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:35,919 Speaker 1: be the predominant culture because it'll be the people from 376 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: all over the world who will take over. And my 377 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:44,120 Speaker 1: answer to that is why the Japanese aren't being overrun 378 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: by the rest of the world, and then being told 379 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:47,640 Speaker 1: shut up and sit down because we're taking over. There's 380 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: gonna be waves and waves of us coming. And trust me, 381 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 1: we can't wait till we're in charge, because we'll subjugate you. 382 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:55,920 Speaker 1: Why why does it have to be the case? Why 383 00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: do white people have to be displaced and marginalized? Why 384 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,960 Speaker 1: am I the bad guy? Why am I the horrible 385 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: person for bringing those things up? As people tell me, 386 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:10,879 Speaker 1: I'd like to put the eighths before the wh Why 387 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:16,640 Speaker 1: is that the case? Why? On this day in nineteen 388 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:22,119 Speaker 1: sixty nine, Sugar Sugar was the number one song in 389 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 1: this in these great United States, this song would have 390 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 1: such cultural relevance that it would be played on board 391 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: the Apollo twelve on their way to the moon. It 392 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:40,119 Speaker 1: would hit number one, It would sell a record number 393 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:52,200 Speaker 1: of albums or records. The band was the Archies, which 394 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 1: didn't exist. It was a fake band. They pulled together 395 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:01,359 Speaker 1: studio musicians. They didn't have AI at the time, but 396 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:06,280 Speaker 1: people didn't know it wasn't a real band. I went 397 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:11,400 Speaker 1: to number one. I say that because russelly Borrow sent 398 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:13,040 Speaker 1: me an email this morning. I spend a lot of 399 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:19,080 Speaker 1: time talking about AI, the economics of AI, but also 400 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:25,439 Speaker 1: the the ethics of AI. I think it raises a 401 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:31,320 Speaker 1: number of ethical quandaries that are worthy of discussion. But 402 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: also there are a lot of other questions that come 403 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:36,680 Speaker 1: to mind, And I'll try to explain quickly, because I'm 404 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:41,160 Speaker 1: not very good at I must confess. So Russell sent 405 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:44,159 Speaker 1: me message said the number the top three songs on 406 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:46,119 Speaker 1: I don't know if it's the pop charts or iTunes 407 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:48,639 Speaker 1: where it doesn't matter. Point is the top three songs 408 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:52,359 Speaker 1: right now are AI songs. So it's a big deal 409 00:25:52,880 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 1: right now that manufactured songs, non human songs are are selling. 410 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:06,760 Speaker 1: People want to hear them, and you know that raises 411 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 1: a number of questions, you know, the authenticity of it all. 412 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 1: You know, one argument is, well, if you like the 413 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 1: way it sounds and you want to hear it, what 414 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:15,080 Speaker 1: does it matter if a human made it or not. 415 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:18,359 Speaker 1: Having a lot of musician friends, I know that there 416 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:21,919 Speaker 1: is a great deal of discomfort as to well, what 417 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: if we can be replaced? You know everybody. I was 418 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:29,440 Speaker 1: reading an article the other day about the general angst 419 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 1: amongst Americans as to what aspect of their professional career 420 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:39,800 Speaker 1: can be replaced. And I have a nephew, Harrison Reeback, 421 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,119 Speaker 1: who is he's married to my niece. He's like my 422 00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:44,160 Speaker 1: own son in law. Love the kid. He's a partner 423 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:46,440 Speaker 1: at baker Bots, which is no small feet. That's a hard, 424 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 1: hard thing to do. He's they've taken part of his life. 425 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,159 Speaker 1: If you meet somebody who is a partner at Vincent 426 00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 1: and Elkins, Andrews and Kirth, baker Bots, who am I 427 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:02,080 Speaker 1: forgetting Ramon? But it used to be Ladel Sapsivily Hill 428 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:05,040 Speaker 1: and Laboon now it's then it was Lockelord. 429 00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 2: I know. 430 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:10,159 Speaker 1: You meet somebody full Bright and Juwarski, you meet somebody 431 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:13,199 Speaker 1: who's a partner at one of those firms. Let me 432 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:16,160 Speaker 1: tell you something. You have just met the David Goggins 433 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: of lawyers. Those guys you grind. The number of hours 434 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:23,880 Speaker 1: you put in to become a partner at a firm 435 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,520 Speaker 1: like that, I would never have made it. I would 436 00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:29,880 Speaker 1: never have made it as a partner at a big 437 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,520 Speaker 1: law firm. It is you are chained to a desk 438 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:37,040 Speaker 1: and you work and work and work. It is not 439 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:40,000 Speaker 1: like La Law. It is not like any TV show 440 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 1: you've ever seen about lawyers. It is a corporate job 441 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:47,680 Speaker 1: that takes a lot of brain power and a lot 442 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:51,399 Speaker 1: of resilience. I have a friend named Bill Swanstrom, and 443 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:54,680 Speaker 1: he was one of the top dogs at ladel SAP. 444 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:57,440 Speaker 1: When my wife was there and Bill and I would 445 00:27:57,440 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 1: go for a run in the morning and I couldn't 446 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:04,439 Speaker 1: get but but he's a he's a huge runner, runs 447 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:07,200 Speaker 1: twice a day, and then he would go to work 448 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 1: and he would grind out. I don't know however many 449 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:11,480 Speaker 1: hours he would build that day. He was also the 450 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:14,359 Speaker 1: top developing attorney, which means bringing business in and then 451 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:16,879 Speaker 1: every night he would be out with a client and 452 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:18,879 Speaker 1: then just rinse and repeat rents and repeat rentsrent for 453 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 1: thirty forty years. It's crazy. So anyway, my nephew, Harrison 454 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: Reebak got on a bit of a tangent there, who's 455 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:32,879 Speaker 1: a partner at Baker Botts, went to a conference several 456 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:36,200 Speaker 1: months ago and the conference was about is AI going 457 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 1: to make us redundant? Even lawyers who would have thought 458 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,720 Speaker 1: you talk about value added You can't replace a lawyer 459 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:47,000 Speaker 1: with AI. And the answer is law firms in the 460 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,600 Speaker 1: coming years, sooner rather than later, will hire fewer associates. 461 00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:53,160 Speaker 1: That's the entry level straight out of law school. They 462 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: will hire fewer associates because more things will be passed 463 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: off a lot of paralegal functions. Paralegal is like a 464 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 1: dental hyghgenius. At big law firm. A paralegal is usually 465 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 1: when I was a baby lawyer, I'll tell you what 466 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,120 Speaker 1: a paralegal was in those days. A paralegal was a 467 00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:11,640 Speaker 1: woman always who didn't go to law school because she 468 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 1: got pregnant. But she was smarter than the lawyers, and 469 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,320 Speaker 1: she got a paralegal license. You do have to go 470 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:22,040 Speaker 1: to some school for that, and she was doing more 471 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 1: advanced work than the lawyers. When I started at Jenkins 472 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:28,400 Speaker 1: and Go Chris, I would go ask the paralegal how 473 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:31,000 Speaker 1: to do stuff, because a paralegals knew how to do everything, 474 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:34,520 Speaker 1: especially the ministerial functions. I don't know how to file 475 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:37,160 Speaker 1: a document. I know how to incorporate a company. I 476 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: did incorporate a company the first day I was there. 477 00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:40,640 Speaker 1: It turns out it's not that hard. But I don't 478 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:42,520 Speaker 1: know where. They don't teach you that stuff in law school. 479 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: They teach you how to think. They teach you to think. 480 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: They don't teach you the law people think you come 481 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:50,880 Speaker 1: out of law school and they're like, all right, you 482 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: graduated law school. Yep, okay, are you going to that 483 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 1: big law firm huh yep, all right, Okay, well let's 484 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:00,640 Speaker 1: just see, let's just check you out here. I'm going 485 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:03,600 Speaker 1: to go to the code here in this Statute fifty 486 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:08,640 Speaker 1: three twenty six point eight subc. What does it say. 487 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:12,280 Speaker 1: That's what people think law school is, you go and learn. 488 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,719 Speaker 1: That is not what law school is. It is teaching 489 00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:18,840 Speaker 1: you how to think. You're basically a librarian. You don't 490 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:21,080 Speaker 1: necessarily know anything. You just know where to go to 491 00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 1: find things, and it teaches you how to develop and 492 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 1: structure arguments and thinking and positions. And I love that. 493 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:30,840 Speaker 1: I wouldn't trade that for the world. In fact, I 494 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:34,480 Speaker 1: wish we had law school for non lawyers, which is 495 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 1: what law school ended up being for me, because I 496 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:39,120 Speaker 1: didn't want to hang around laws to be a lawyer forever. 497 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: But I wish we had law school for non lawyers 498 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:45,440 Speaker 1: because there are so many skills that I learned in 499 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:48,320 Speaker 1: law school that I have incorporated into every aspect of 500 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:50,520 Speaker 1: my life. But I would not want to be a 501 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 1: lawyer by day. I have a lot of respect for 502 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:55,960 Speaker 1: people who do. It's a tough, tough job. Anyway. The 503 00:30:56,120 --> 00:31:00,240 Speaker 1: upshot was that AI will replace a lot of things. 504 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: Even in that realm, it's going to replace a lot 505 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:07,240 Speaker 1: of other things. But I think I'm not a person 506 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:10,040 Speaker 1: who gets off on AI. People look at hey, hey, 507 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: you can make AI do this, and you can make 508 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 1: AI do this. I don't want that. The human connection 509 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:20,840 Speaker 1: is everything to me. Listen to this. AI can do this, okay, 510 00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:23,960 Speaker 1: but that's a machine. I'm not emotionally connected to a machine. 511 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:27,440 Speaker 1: In fact, I think it's creepy when people have conversations 512 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: with the box from Amazon, or they have conversations with 513 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:36,400 Speaker 1: basically some computerized robot in their house and they name 514 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:39,200 Speaker 1: it and they interact with it and they're friends with it. 515 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,960 Speaker 1: The same way these creepy dudes who have always lived 516 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,760 Speaker 1: alone and always will have sex with robots or blow 517 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:49,520 Speaker 1: up dolls. I think it's weird. I think people are 518 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:56,240 Speaker 1: willfully marching, whistling past the graveyard as they are giving 519 00:31:56,360 --> 00:32:01,200 Speaker 1: up what makes us special, our soul, our company, and 520 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 1: I applaud this. iHeart Bob Pittman, who was the founder 521 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 1: of MTV, who's our CEO, loves me very supportive of 522 00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:11,840 Speaker 1: my career, and yet he's not exactly a conservative, so 523 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:13,360 Speaker 1: it means a lot to me that he does, and 524 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 1: he thinks he's just been so good to me. But 525 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,480 Speaker 1: he came up with this slogan Guaranteed Human, which is 526 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,600 Speaker 1: this company is where you hear human voices, so the 527 00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 1: company doesn't use AI, which I think is pretty cool. 528 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:29,200 Speaker 1: That was a very corporate shield thing to say.