1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: So for this episode, we're going to focus on the economy. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: I met this guy EJ. And Tony, who's the research 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: fellow Regional Economics and Center for Data Analysis at the 4 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: Heritage Foundation at their gala dinner in DC a couple 5 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: of weeks ago. 6 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 2: Is a great event. 7 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: I really love Heritage and the work that they're doing 8 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: and doctor Kevin Roberts, who's the president of it. 9 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 2: They just do really great work. 10 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:23,959 Speaker 1: And we were having a conversation it'd be so interesting, 11 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: and I was like, you got to come on the show, 12 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 1: and we need to talk about a lot of these 13 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: big issues that we were discussing. There are a lot 14 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 1: of issues right even in you know, coming up with 15 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,480 Speaker 1: questions and doing some research for this, it's like, oh man, 16 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: so there's a lot of discuss right. I mean, let's 17 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: be honest. The economy sucks. We're all feeling it. Everyone's 18 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: taken a hit, besides maybe Joe Biden his you know, 19 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: powerful friends and you know big businesses and big banks, 20 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: but the little guys are suffering. The centralization that's happening, 21 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: whether it's you know, big government, big tech, big banks, 22 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: big business is pretty scary. You got a lot of 23 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 1: people at the helm of all things powerful who hate us? 24 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: So what does that mean for the country and how 25 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: hard of hit are Americans? Right now, we're going to 26 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 1: get into all the big economic issues facing our country, 27 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: how the Fed's handling interest rates, what it means for you, 28 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: what it means for the country. Also get into why 29 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:17,119 Speaker 1: Joe Biden is punishing responsible homeowners. 30 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 2: He's imposing higher. 31 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: Mortgage fees on and borrowers with good credit and reducing 32 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: fees for those with bad credit. But that makes sense 33 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: to Joe Biden because he hates hard working Americans. He 34 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: hates Americans who are just trying to do the right thing, 35 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: and that pretty much sums up his time in office. 36 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: So we're going to get into all of this with 37 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 1: EJ and Tony with the Heritage Foundation. Stay tuned, you know, 38 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 1: EJ was going through what to talk about today. It's 39 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: pretty depressing when you look at all the issues that 40 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: we face, all the economic issues. It's really like, you know, 41 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: where do you begin? What are the big issues from 42 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: your perspective? 43 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 3: Well, I'd say two things right off the bat. Number 44 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 3: one is that the average American is just substantially poorer 45 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 3: today than they were two years ago. Full stop. There 46 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 3: is no way around that. You can play with the 47 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 3: numbers all you want, but at the end of the day, 48 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 3: most families still are worse off. Right They can't buy 49 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 3: as much gasoline as they could before, they're putting groceries 50 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 3: on credit cards. Many people are at risk of losing 51 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 3: their homes as interest rates continue to rise, and we're 52 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 3: starting to see the layoffs kick in and the job 53 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 3: growth slow. So on the individual level, people are worse off. 54 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 3: But then when we start looking at the macro level, 55 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,119 Speaker 3: in other words, when we start looking at system wide problems, 56 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 3: now things get even scarier, because now we're into situations 57 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 3: where we're coming to realize that the entire banking system 58 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 3: quite frankly, has been built on sand for the last 59 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 3: several years. 60 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: Two questions from that, well, the first, is there a 61 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: number to put behind when we talk about, you know, 62 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: worse off and the financial aspect of this. 63 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 3: Certainly, you know, the average American family right now effectively 64 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 3: is seventy one hundred dollars poorer than when Biden took office. 65 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 3: And that comes from two chief sources. Number One, it's 66 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 3: just simply the fact that although wages have risen quite dramatically. Actually, 67 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 3: you know, when Biden says that part of the story, 68 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 3: he's telling the truth. Wages have gone up very fast, 69 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 3: but prices have gone up even faster. The dollars lost 70 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 3: fifteen percent of its value since his inauguration. And so 71 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 3: because prices have gone up so much, so much faster 72 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 3: than wages, people have lost what we call purchasing power. 73 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 3: So the average American families a weekly paycheck right has 74 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 3: gained about two hundred dollars in just the last two years, 75 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 3: but it buys one hundred dollars less stuff. So now, 76 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 3: on top of that, if you start looking at interest rates, 77 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 3: which have risen pretty dramatically to try to combat inflation, 78 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 3: that is causing borrowing costs for families to go up 79 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 3: equally dramatically. And so everything from mortgages to auto loans, 80 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 3: from credit cards to student loans and everything in between, 81 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 3: any kind of debt is getting more expensive, and that 82 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 3: represents another direct cost on families. So you throw all 83 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 3: that together and it's over seventy one hundred dollars. I mean, 84 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 3: that's just devastating. Look at the median household in this country. 85 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:25,800 Speaker 3: That's more than a month's paycheck. 86 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: You know, I can't imagine what families are going through. 87 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: I mean, I do pretty well for myself, not as 88 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: much as what the internet says. I wish, it's not 89 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: even a fraction of what the internet says I make. 90 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 2: But nonetheless I do well for myself. You know, I 91 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 2: live alone. 92 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: I can't imagine and I even notice it in terms 93 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: of just everything. You know, you go to the grocery store, 94 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: everything is just so much more expensive. So my heart 95 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: breaks for families right now who have more people to 96 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: take care of than just me as an individual. How 97 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: much of that you just went sort of collectively through 98 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: a lot of issues and a lot of financial pains 99 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:59,159 Speaker 1: that people are facing. How much of that is driven 100 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 1: by the BIDA main ininstration. 101 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,279 Speaker 3: Well almost entirely. So if you look at inflation, for example, 102 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 3: why do we get inflation because the government spends, borrows 103 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 3: and prints too much money? That has been the mantra 104 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,720 Speaker 3: of this administration. In a nutshell, it has been trillions 105 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 3: of dollars after trillions of dollars that they have just 106 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:22,280 Speaker 3: thrown at all of the nation's problems, real or perceived, 107 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 3: or just entirely fabricated. In some cases quite frankly, and 108 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 3: as a result of that, the dollar has lost value, 109 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 3: and as it does, it robs people of their purchasing 110 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:36,599 Speaker 3: power and transfers it to the government. And you know, 111 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 3: that's one of the things that I hope listeners can 112 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:42,280 Speaker 3: really take away from this. Inflation is a tax. Now 113 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 3: it's a hidden tax because Congress didn't vote on it, 114 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 3: the President didn't sign it like a normal explicit tax. 115 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 3: But inflation is still very much at tax because if 116 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:53,799 Speaker 3: you want to know what is the definition of a tax, 117 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 3: it's hard to come up with a better definition than 118 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 3: something which transfers money from you to the government. And 119 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 3: that's precisely what inflation has done and always has done. 120 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,920 Speaker 1: One thing that concerns me is just the centralization we're seeing. 121 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 1: I mean, it seems like now we've got big government, 122 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:12,720 Speaker 1: big tech, big banks, big business. All the big keeps 123 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:16,599 Speaker 1: getting bigger. The smaller, the decentralized or getting crushed, have 124 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: gotten crushed. We're left with a bunch of people who 125 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: hate conservatives at the helm of all things powerful in 126 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: the country. 127 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,159 Speaker 3: Jamie Diamond might be an exception to that, although I 128 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 3: still wouldn't call him a true blue conservative in a 129 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 3: lot of ways. Although he has been a pretty good 130 00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 3: fighter against things like ESG. But nonetheless, ever since Dodd Frank, 131 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 3: which was supposed to protect small banks and keep the 132 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 3: big banks in check, we have seen the number of 133 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 3: banks in this country decline. We have seen the small 134 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 3: banks go under and the big banks become more powerful. 135 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,039 Speaker 3: And Dodd Frank was just the latest in a long 136 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:57,479 Speaker 3: line of regulation that did the exact opposite of what 137 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 3: it was sold as to the American people. And now 138 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 3: this again. I mean, whether or not it's the straw 139 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:05,920 Speaker 3: that breaks the camel's back, we'll have to just wait 140 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 3: and see. But it is just another example of a 141 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 3: big bank gobbling up a small bank, all in the 142 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 3: name of doing something good for the American people, in 143 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 3: this case stabilizing the banking system. However, the bailout of 144 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 3: SVB was supposed to have the same effect, and yet 145 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 3: here we are, several weeks later, dealing with another crisis. 146 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 1: You're much kinder about, Jamie Diamond. I don't trust them, 147 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,240 Speaker 1: But it seems like this is all with intention, right. 148 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: I mean, it's hard to fail this badly without it 149 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: being intentional, And it seems like what the intention is 150 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: is for us all to be impoverished and reliant upon 151 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: the government, and only a handful of people in the 152 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: country and in the world are the ones with the 153 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: money and the power. 154 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 3: Well, you know, it's really scary when you start looking 155 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 3: at how that is becoming reality. Precisely what you just said. 156 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 3: How many people can't afford to own home today and 157 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 3: probably never will be able to own a home, and 158 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 3: they are stuck in this perpetual cycle of rent. And 159 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 3: then you start looking at all of the retirees today 160 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:06,559 Speaker 3: who have lost so much in their four oh one case, 161 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 3: so much in their pensions, people who will likely have 162 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 3: to come out of retirement and start working again. Wealth 163 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 3: has just been evaporating before our eyes. And again you 164 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 3: have to ask the question, where is all that value going. 165 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 3: It's going to the government, It's going to a handful 166 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 3: of wealthy elites who, as you said, are going to 167 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 3: wind up controlling everything, or at least a controlling stake 168 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 3: in everything. 169 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: And then what's really sad is you have so many 170 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:36,560 Speaker 1: Americans who have worked really hard, have tried to invest well, 171 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: but they're being punished. I mean, you've got the Biden 172 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: administration punishing responsible home buyers right now. Why is he 173 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: punishing responsible home buyers. 174 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:47,559 Speaker 2: What are your thoughts on all that. 175 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 3: Well, I think it's just the latest in a long 176 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 3: line of examples of how this administration has waged a 177 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 3: war on merit quite frankly, and how Biden and his 178 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:01,920 Speaker 3: cronies in government and also in big businessiness are striking 179 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,680 Speaker 3: out against those American ideals that you can lift yourself 180 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 3: up by your own bootstrap, that you are not bound 181 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 3: by the class you were born into. You know, your 182 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 3: immutable characteristics did not determine your destiny in this country. 183 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,599 Speaker 3: But if you start listening to the rhetoric of this administration, 184 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 3: it's precisely the opposite of those American values, where if 185 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 3: you are a person of color, let's say, you necessarily 186 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 3: have to have a hand up or a handout from 187 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 3: the government otherwise you just can't make it. It is 188 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 3: the soft racism of low expectations. 189 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 2: Well, and you know it's also punishing. 190 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 1: You know, you look at the student loan highest that 191 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: he was trying to do, which is unconstitutional. I mean, 192 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:45,720 Speaker 1: you've got people footing the bill for you know, folks 193 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: who made some poor decisions in their college decisions. Right, 194 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: So it's like you've got hardworking people getting host when 195 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,200 Speaker 1: it's not their responsibility. 196 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 3: Right, you know, in the student loan case, those who 197 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 3: were responsible who either didn't take out loans or who 198 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:02,079 Speaker 3: took out loans but paid them off. For maybe those 199 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:04,440 Speaker 3: who never even went to college but learn to trade 200 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 3: and have been working since they were eighteen. All of 201 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 3: those people are punished. And the people who are getting 202 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:12,959 Speaker 3: the hand out here, who are getting that wealth transfer 203 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 3: are those who recklessly borrowed too much and now can't 204 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,160 Speaker 3: pay it back. I mean and inflation. Going back to that, 205 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 3: that's another great example. People who save their money, they're 206 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 3: watching their savings lose value, and yet people who are 207 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 3: massively in debt are seeing the real value of that 208 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:33,680 Speaker 3: debt decline. And so this administration again, it is like 209 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 3: they have a war on merit. It's like they want 210 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,079 Speaker 3: to punish success and reward failure. 211 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:43,079 Speaker 1: You mentioned people having to come out of retirement. You know, financially, 212 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: we're also saying things like Social Security and Medicare are 213 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 1: obviously heading towards insolvency. But you know, no one wants 214 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:52,679 Speaker 1: to address it politically because it's toxic. 215 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:54,880 Speaker 2: So you know, what do we do. 216 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:57,440 Speaker 3: Well, there's two things. One you can actually have you 217 00:10:57,440 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 3: can actually find people who are willing to expend the 218 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,559 Speaker 3: political capital to make the changes that are needed. Or 219 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 3: you alternatively can just let the whole thing collapse in 220 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:09,440 Speaker 3: on itself and then who knows what happens. I suppose 221 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 3: it's a coin flip whether the Ponzi scheme gets bailed 222 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 3: out and becomes even bigger, or whether it finally goes 223 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,200 Speaker 3: away at that point. And I don't use those words 224 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:21,319 Speaker 3: lightly calling these things Ponzi schemes, but that's what they 225 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 3: are effectively, whether it's Social Security or Medicare or a 226 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 3: whole host of these other programs, they are sold to 227 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,839 Speaker 3: the American people as somehow you are saving for your 228 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:35,840 Speaker 3: own retirement. But that's not the case. You are paying 229 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 3: for today's retirees and tomorrow's pay ease are going to 230 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 3: pay for your retirement. And if we don't continue to 231 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 3: have very large population growth in this country like we 232 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 3: did decades ago, then the Ponzi scheme is going to collapse. 233 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 3: And that's what we're seeing today. 234 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 1: Quick commercial break more with EJ and Tony with the 235 00:11:54,080 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: Heritage Foundation. House Republicans have passed to a debt ceiling hike. 236 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: It doesn't look like Biden wants to play ball at all. 237 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 1: You know, what should people know about this? You know, 238 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 1: how does a debt ceiling fight impact them? And what 239 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: should people know? 240 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:12,679 Speaker 3: Well, there's a couple of things here, Lisa. One is, 241 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:17,839 Speaker 3: don't pay attention to this hyperbolic rhetoric from Biden from 242 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 3: Janet Yellen about how, oh my gosh, the nation's going 243 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 3: to default and it's going to be the end of 244 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:26,040 Speaker 3: the world. Please, nothing could be further from the truth. 245 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:28,400 Speaker 3: If we bump up against the debt ceiling and there's 246 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,680 Speaker 3: no agreement to increase it, then the government can't borrow, 247 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,559 Speaker 3: and therefore they need to only spend as much as 248 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 3: they're taking in, and their taking in plenty of money, 249 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 3: by the way, they can pay for all of the 250 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 3: treasury bill, bonds and notes, in other words, all the 251 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 3: debt obligations of the government. There's enough money to enough 252 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 3: revenue to cover that. There's enough revenue to cover payments 253 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 3: on Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits, et cetera. So all 254 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:57,240 Speaker 3: those essential services will be covered, but there's not going 255 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:59,439 Speaker 3: to be enough for some of the frivolous spending, and 256 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 3: the government will have to cut back cut that back. 257 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 3: In other words, it's a partial government shutdown, which we 258 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 3: have had plenty of times before we even had one 259 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 3: under President Trump, and the world didn't come to an end. 260 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:13,200 Speaker 3: In fact, most Americans don't even notice when we have 261 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 3: these partial government shutdowns because they're so uneventful. Probably the 262 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 3: most eventful thing to actually come out of a partial 263 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 3: government shutdown was the Monica Lewinsky crisis. 264 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 2: Should more Americans care about our nation's debt? Oh? 265 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:31,319 Speaker 3: Absolutely, because it's unsustainable and I don't think people realize 266 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 3: that if we continue on the trend we are currently set, 267 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:39,440 Speaker 3: that we are going to end up like Greece at 268 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,280 Speaker 3: some point the bill comes due, right, and if we 269 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 3: don't actually start paying for things today, then we're going 270 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 3: to have to pay for them in the future. And 271 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 3: the longer we kick the can down the road, the 272 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 3: more austerity, the more severe austerity we're going to need. 273 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: You mentioned Greece. Carry that out for the listener. So 274 00:13:57,040 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 1: what does that mean to become like Greece? What would 275 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:01,360 Speaker 1: that mean for their day lives, What would that mean 276 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,080 Speaker 1: for their income? What would that mean for how we 277 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: would be impacted here in the United States. 278 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:08,760 Speaker 3: Well, in the case of Greece. You don't have your 279 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:11,560 Speaker 3: own central bank, right, so they because they're part of 280 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 3: the EU, they didn't have the option of what the 281 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 3: FED has done the last several years, where they just 282 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,440 Speaker 3: print money to cover all of these deficits, and so 283 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 3: they're essentially monetizing the debt, meaning they're imposing a hidden 284 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 3: tax instead of an explicit tax. But what Greece had 285 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 3: to do, and what we will probably have to do 286 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:33,920 Speaker 3: eventually as well, is start imposing higher explicit taxes, whether 287 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 3: that's an income tax, sales tax, property tax, you name it. 288 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 3: Taxes are going to have to go up. But on 289 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 3: top of that, the government in Greece and eventually the 290 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:46,040 Speaker 3: government here too, will have to drastically cut back their spending, 291 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 3: and that includes cutting back benefits on some of our 292 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 3: most popular programs, things that we already mentioned, like social security, 293 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 3: like medicare. 294 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: What do you make of the FEDS handling over interest rates? 295 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, are these I have it? Or public airwaves, 296 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:02,920 Speaker 3: because it's going to depend on what kind of language 297 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 3: I can use. 298 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 1: Right now, AJ, you need to drop an F bomb, 299 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: I will hear it from my mom. 300 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 4: But here more than well, it is difficult to find 301 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 4: an institution on Earth today who has just messed things 302 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 4: up so badly as this Federal Reserve. 303 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:25,440 Speaker 3: I mean they essentially, in order to finance those trillions 304 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 3: and trillions of dollars of government spending that was unfunded, 305 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 3: the FED just printed the money, and in doing so, 306 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 3: they kept interest rates far too low for far too long, 307 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:39,600 Speaker 3: and they created this systemic risk where banks had their 308 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:44,400 Speaker 3: balance sheets flooded with low interest rate treasuries. And what 309 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 3: that did is is it exposed them to the risk 310 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 3: of rates going up, because in terms of bonds, rates 311 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 3: and prices actually move an opposite direction. So as rates 312 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:57,760 Speaker 3: have gone up, the prices of those assets have gone down. 313 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 3: That means the banks essentially didn't have the assets they 314 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:05,200 Speaker 3: thought they did, except that there were no high yielding 315 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 3: assets that they could even buy in the first place, 316 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:11,560 Speaker 3: because the FED pushed rates everywhere so low. So the 317 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 3: FED created this problem, and now the FED is having 318 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:18,600 Speaker 3: to raise rates hard and fast in order to make 319 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:21,280 Speaker 3: up for lost time and in order to help fight 320 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 3: the inflation that they themselves helped cause in the first place. 321 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 3: So it's very much the arsonist playing fireman here, Lisa. 322 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 3: And now we're at a point where because of fractional 323 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 3: reserve banking, which essentially just means when you put a 324 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 3: dollar on deposit at a bank, the bank doesn't actually 325 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,040 Speaker 3: have to keep that dollar in the vault. In fact, 326 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 3: they lend out almost all of it as fast as 327 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 3: they can. And that system works as long as it doesn't, 328 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:50,040 Speaker 3: in other words, as long as all the depositors aren't 329 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:53,240 Speaker 3: trying to get their money at once. Well, with higher 330 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 3: interest rates and inflation, what's happening. A lot of depositors 331 00:16:57,080 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 3: need their cash because the cost of living has gone up. 332 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 3: In other words, they're with drawing deposits, and they're doing 333 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 3: it across the system. And we've seen this in the 334 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 3: big banks, for example, for over a year now. In 335 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,720 Speaker 3: the small banks we've seen it much more recently and 336 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 3: much more rapidly. And the result of that is the 337 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:17,359 Speaker 3: banks all of a sudden need to raise money because 338 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 3: they let out your money, and so they're selling off 339 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:22,240 Speaker 3: these assets. But these are the assets that we just 340 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:25,160 Speaker 3: mentioned which have lost so much value because the FED 341 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,159 Speaker 3: raise rates after keeping them so low for so long. 342 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 3: So basically, the Fed created this giant mess. They set 343 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,200 Speaker 3: the fuse, if you will, on this bomb and it's 344 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:41,280 Speaker 3: beginning to go off. In fact, it's not just individual banks, lese. 345 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:44,120 Speaker 3: So that are in this terrible predicament where their assets 346 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:47,399 Speaker 3: have lost so much money, it's the Fed itself. People 347 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 3: don't realize the Fed's balance sheet has lost a trillion 348 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 3: and a half in value. I mean, it takes a 349 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 3: special level of incompetence to lose that kind of money 350 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 3: when you literally have a money printer in your basement. 351 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:03,400 Speaker 2: Has the economy reached the bottom yet? 352 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 3: No, no, not by any means. We are definitely going 353 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,679 Speaker 3: to enter into a recession again later this year. I 354 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:12,919 Speaker 3: say again, because we already had a recession in the 355 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,640 Speaker 3: first half of last year. I frankly don't care anymore 356 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 3: what the professional pundits say about redefining the word recession. 357 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 3: You can redefine words all you want, whether it's recession 358 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:25,960 Speaker 3: or woman or take your pick. You can tell me 359 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,760 Speaker 3: inflations transitory, how did that work out? 360 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 4: Right? 361 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 3: These people have no idea what they're talking about. They're 362 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:36,359 Speaker 3: trying to manipulate words for their own political purposes. But 363 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:38,680 Speaker 3: the fact is we already had a recession, and now 364 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:41,400 Speaker 3: we're going to have the second part of the double dip. 365 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 3: Essentially where we had a brief period of growth and 366 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 3: we're going to be right back into the economy shrinking again. Look, 367 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,879 Speaker 3: you can't spend, borrow and print trillions upon trillions of 368 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:55,600 Speaker 3: dollars and not expect negative consequences. I just don't know 369 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:56,480 Speaker 3: when we forgot that. 370 00:18:57,160 --> 00:18:58,440 Speaker 2: Are we going to hit a depression? 371 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 3: That's going to depend in highly on what the government 372 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 3: does from here? I mean, we certainly can. It's not 373 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:08,719 Speaker 3: outside the realm of possibilities right now. If the Federal 374 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 3: Reserve continues to manipulate interest rates instead of just letting 375 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 3: markets reach their natural levels, then a depression does become inevitable. Absolutely. 376 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:21,840 Speaker 3: So it's going to take a tremendous amount of political 377 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:25,199 Speaker 3: will to stop the spending in Congress and to stop 378 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,399 Speaker 3: the manipulation of the money supply as well to prevent 379 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 3: that from happening. 380 00:19:29,359 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 2: Is there any way out of all this? 381 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:34,679 Speaker 3: Not one that doesn't involve a tremendous amount of pain? Again, 382 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 3: this in a lot of ways is like alcoholism. Okay, 383 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 3: when you print a bunch of money, for example, and 384 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:43,600 Speaker 3: you give all this money to the government to spend, 385 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:47,119 Speaker 3: the good effects come first and the bad effects come later. 386 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 3: If everyone started drinking and immediately got a hangover. No 387 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:53,840 Speaker 3: one would drink too much because the hangover would come 388 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:56,600 Speaker 3: first and then the buzz would come later. But it 389 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,479 Speaker 3: works exactly the opposite of that. The buzz comes first 390 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 3: and it's not until the next morning that you wake 391 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 3: up and regret everything that you just did over the 392 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,680 Speaker 3: last twelve hours. And so as a consequence of that, 393 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:09,399 Speaker 3: if you want to look at this in terms of 394 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:14,360 Speaker 3: monetary policy and government action, what's happening here is that 395 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:18,879 Speaker 3: we're waking up with the hangover. These bank crises, inflation, 396 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:21,640 Speaker 3: you name it. We're going from one crisis to another, 397 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 3: and the solution the government continues to impose is more 398 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,200 Speaker 3: of the same. In other words, it's hair the dog. 399 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:30,480 Speaker 3: They're reaching for the bottle again, and every time they 400 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 3: do that, they make the eventual episode of sobering up 401 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:35,159 Speaker 3: that much worse. 402 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: The sad thing is, I understood every single part of 403 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: that Hair on the dog done that, thinking to myself, 404 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 1: I wish the hangover would hit pers It would have 405 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:47,439 Speaker 1: seld me from being an idiot at times throughout my 406 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:50,560 Speaker 1: life my younger years. So I'm picking up what you're 407 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:56,119 Speaker 1: putting down there. Does Joe Biden hate working Americans. It 408 00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: just seems like I don't know any other explanation for 409 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 1: the pain that he is inflicting on people who are 410 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:06,359 Speaker 1: just trying to work hard and make an honest living. 411 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 3: Come on, man, you think he hates people. 412 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:10,480 Speaker 2: I sure do. 413 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 3: He hates working people. I thought he came from a 414 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:16,960 Speaker 3: working class household in Delaware or Scranton, or wherever the 415 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,160 Speaker 3: heck it was. I don't know. The story always changes, 416 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:21,399 Speaker 3: like how he got cancer from the oil slick on 417 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:23,040 Speaker 3: his windshield growing up, or. 418 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 2: I don't think he remembers. 419 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 3: No, I'm not so sure he hates people. I think 420 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 3: it's more so he just loves himself, and he loves 421 00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 3: himself so much that he doesn't care what kind of 422 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 3: pain he inflicts on others, probably in order to get 423 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,120 Speaker 3: any kind of selfish gains that he can. I think 424 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:43,160 Speaker 3: that's probably the case for most politicians. They're just too 425 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 3: in love with themselves to see beyond themselves and to 426 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:50,199 Speaker 3: see how their policies are actually affecting other people in 427 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 3: the real world. 428 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:55,679 Speaker 1: You're going to take a quick break more on the economy. 429 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:58,680 Speaker 1: There's a push and to talk about a central bank, 430 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 1: digital currency, talk about what that would mean for Americans 431 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:04,920 Speaker 1: and why should people should be concerned about it. 432 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,159 Speaker 3: We need look no further, Lisa than China to see 433 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 3: some of the things that they are already implementing over there. 434 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,479 Speaker 3: For example, one of the things a central bank digital 435 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,320 Speaker 3: currency does is because every single dollar, every single cent 436 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:22,840 Speaker 3: in fact, has a unique digital fingerprint, it makes every 437 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 3: cent traceable, trackable, taxable by the federal government, and they 438 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 3: can do things like put an expiration date on your money, 439 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 3: for example. So in China, when you get paid with 440 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 3: these digital tokens, this central bank digital currency, you literally 441 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:42,200 Speaker 3: have a certain amount of time in which you can 442 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:46,159 Speaker 3: spend your money before poof, it's gone. Not you know, 443 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:48,920 Speaker 3: it's taken away and locked in a savings account. No, no, 444 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 3: it literally just evaporates, that's it. And so as a 445 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 3: consequence of that, I mean, this is a level of 446 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:57,639 Speaker 3: control that Orwell couldn't have even dreamed of. To be 447 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 3: quite frank, the government can tell you how much you 448 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 3: can spend, how much you have to save, where you're 449 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 3: going to invest your money. So I'm sorry, you can't 450 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:09,919 Speaker 3: invest in exonomobile because they produce too much fossil fuels. 451 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 3: You have to invest in Cylindra or some other green 452 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 3: energy boondoggle. Right, And same thing with when you go 453 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,600 Speaker 3: to spend your money, I'm sorry you've bought too much 454 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,360 Speaker 3: gasoline this week. If you want to drive around anymore, 455 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,480 Speaker 3: you can use your money for an EV charging station. 456 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:29,439 Speaker 3: Let's say so again. This is control. This is and 457 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:32,160 Speaker 3: this is not conspiracy. By the way, the things I'm 458 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:35,680 Speaker 3: talking about are either already implemented or they are from 459 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:40,199 Speaker 3: publicly available memos that central bankers around the world have 460 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 3: written and published. This is not you know, ej Antoni 461 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:46,400 Speaker 3: coming up with a crazy idea here of what could 462 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:50,959 Speaker 3: potentially happen. These are the advocates for a CBDC telling 463 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 3: you what they would like to see happen by implementing 464 00:23:55,840 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 3: these technologies. It is crypto, but instead of being decentralized, 465 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:01,480 Speaker 3: it is centralized. 466 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:02,640 Speaker 2: Man, I'm not gonna lie. 467 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,320 Speaker 1: The idea of buying a house and living in like 468 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 1: the woods somewhere, like off the grid and off the 469 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:12,200 Speaker 1: land is starting to sound pretty good to me these days. 470 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: You know how much of these financial woes that we've 471 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:19,200 Speaker 1: been discussing trace back to COVID. When you look at inflation, 472 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,359 Speaker 1: when you look at the rise of centralization. You know, 473 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: when you look at global supply chain issues, how much 474 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:27,880 Speaker 1: of it can be traced back to decisions that were 475 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:29,840 Speaker 1: made during COVID, or at least at the height of it. 476 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,479 Speaker 3: Well, I like to say it doesn't trace back to COVID. 477 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,879 Speaker 3: It traced back to our response to COVID. Right. It 478 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 3: wasn't so much the virus that has a you know, 479 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 3: a ninety nine percent survival rate for the vast majority 480 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 3: of the population. That's not what what wrecked the economy. 481 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,399 Speaker 3: What wrecked the economy was the government imposed lockdowns, the 482 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:52,439 Speaker 3: draconian measures that told people, no, you can't go for 483 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:55,919 Speaker 3: your cancer screening that will save your life because of 484 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 3: a virus that can't kill you. So we're going to 485 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:02,680 Speaker 3: lock you home and effectively kill you ourselves by letting 486 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 3: your cancer return. But you can thank us for not 487 00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:08,200 Speaker 3: letting you get the virus with a ninety nine percent 488 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:12,200 Speaker 3: survival rate. So I mean, the government's response again was 489 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:16,919 Speaker 3: just so draconian and so frankly useless that it cost 490 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 3: far more lives than it post could have possibly saved. 491 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,439 Speaker 3: And I will say, though as bad as it was, 492 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,200 Speaker 3: a lot of the economic problems would have simply resolved 493 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:32,240 Speaker 3: themselves with the expiration of those bone headed measures we 494 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:35,080 Speaker 3: put in place in twenty twenty. But the problem is 495 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 3: that when Biden got into office, those measures not only 496 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:42,159 Speaker 3: stayed in place, but many of them became even worse. 497 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 3: In other words, Biden, this is so ironic. I think, Lisa, 498 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:49,199 Speaker 3: that Biden, with the benefit of hindsight, could see everything 499 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:51,680 Speaker 3: that President Trump did right, and he could also see 500 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 3: all of President Trump's mistakes, and mysteriously he chose to 501 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:59,159 Speaker 3: ignore everything Trump did right and instead double down on 502 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:01,640 Speaker 3: the mistakes, and the results have been catastrophic. 503 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: I love Trump, but my biggest beef with him is 504 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:07,000 Speaker 1: ceding the economy to Fauci during COVID, and. 505 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:09,679 Speaker 3: And that's a pretty big gripe. I agree with you 506 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 3: one hundred percent. 507 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:14,360 Speaker 1: It's pretty remarkable and good catch on. That wasn't COVID, 508 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:16,480 Speaker 1: it was the government that did it. I normally make 509 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 1: that point, but to be honest with the AJ, I've 510 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: been traveling and i haven't been sleeping, so I'm glad. 511 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:22,440 Speaker 1: I'm glad you caught me on that, because we wouldn't 512 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,159 Speaker 1: want to let that go on this show. You know, 513 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 1: it's pretty remarkable to think that we live in the 514 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:32,960 Speaker 1: United States of America, and we cannot stalk our own 515 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:38,800 Speaker 1: shelves that we have. There's been a shortage of baby formula, 516 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 1: a shortage of children's title, a shortage of eggs, a 517 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: shortage of basic goods that even just a few years ago, 518 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:52,479 Speaker 1: it would be you wouldn't believe someone telling us that, 519 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:54,920 Speaker 1: you know, these wouldn't be on the shelves or you 520 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:56,440 Speaker 1: couldn't get hold of them, right. 521 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 3: And you know how many times did President Trump, even 522 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 3: before he became president, even before he ran for president, 523 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:06,240 Speaker 3: how many times did Donald J. Trump warn the nation 524 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 3: that we needed to diversify our supply chain, that we 525 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 3: needed to not be so reliant upon countries that hate us, 526 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,640 Speaker 3: whether it's China or Iran or any of our other enemies. 527 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:21,919 Speaker 3: And instead, the nation ignored those warnings, largely in the 528 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 3: name of political convenience and or making a quick book. 529 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 1: You got me to think differently on a lot of 530 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:30,840 Speaker 1: things foreign policy, but also you know, things like manufacturing 531 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: and just bringing manufacturing back home. And we really saw 532 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:36,639 Speaker 1: that during COVID, when you know, China was threatening the 533 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:41,760 Speaker 1: United States to withhold antibiotics. Why are we reliant upon 534 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:44,359 Speaker 1: China for eighty to ninety percent of our antibot Like, 535 00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: why are we relying on an enemy for eighty to 536 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,159 Speaker 1: ninety percent of our antibiotics? I mean, I think that 537 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:52,720 Speaker 1: case right, there is a case to move or manufacturing 538 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:54,879 Speaker 1: back home or at least on important things that we 539 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:57,359 Speaker 1: need for the survival of the nation, the survival people. 540 00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:01,280 Speaker 3: Absolutely. And you know, why do we have of sensitive 541 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:06,359 Speaker 3: military equipment being manufactured overseas? Again not by our friends 542 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:09,720 Speaker 3: and allies, but by these countries that hate us? And 543 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 3: it's such a shame that we have reversed so much 544 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 3: of the progress that was made in the last administration 545 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:21,359 Speaker 3: in returning a lot of that sensitive manufacturing and those 546 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 3: sensitive supply chain items back to the United States. Now 547 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:27,760 Speaker 3: it's going it's basically turned right back around and is 548 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:29,400 Speaker 3: being offshore. Yet again, it. 549 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 1: Begs the question too, you know, why wouldn't we want 550 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:33,159 Speaker 1: to be energy independent? Why wouldn't we want to be 551 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:36,080 Speaker 1: independent when it comes to manufacturing? You know, why don't 552 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:39,120 Speaker 1: we want to be an independent America first nation? And 553 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 1: I think the answer is, at least if you're on 554 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 1: the left, is you know, they'd rather be part of 555 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:45,719 Speaker 1: this global cabal, right, you know, they care more about 556 00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:48,920 Speaker 1: being in bed with you know, the World Economic Forum 557 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:51,200 Speaker 1: and Trudeau and all these other people than they do 558 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:52,280 Speaker 1: about their own citizens. 559 00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:55,400 Speaker 3: Oh come on, now, are you really suggesting we mine 560 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 3: our own coal and pump our own oil and natural gas? 561 00:28:58,720 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 4: Lea. 562 00:28:58,920 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 3: So why do you hate the plan? 563 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:00,200 Speaker 4: It? 564 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,360 Speaker 1: Well, I actually don't care about the planet if we baby, 565 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: I say this. 566 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:06,240 Speaker 2: All the time on TV. 567 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:09,040 Speaker 1: I mean, look, I live in Florida, right, We've got 568 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 1: the Everglades here. You have to you know, take you. 569 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:13,040 Speaker 1: We want clean air and clean water and stuff. But 570 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: we know that's not what they care about. It's total 571 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 1: bs would have virtually no impact on the climate. And 572 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 1: you know, we're already reducing emissions by you know, just 573 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:24,640 Speaker 1: things like natural pass and whatnot. 574 00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:26,200 Speaker 2: So it's all bullshit and we know that. 575 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,160 Speaker 3: And then especially when you consider the fact that when 576 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 3: we stop drilling here, all that means is the drilling 577 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:35,080 Speaker 3: happens overseas and it's shipped here. So now we're burning 578 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 3: more fuel just to ship it here. But on top 579 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:41,040 Speaker 3: of that, you also have to realize that so many 580 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:44,719 Speaker 3: of these countries overseas don't have the stringent environmental regulations 581 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:47,480 Speaker 3: we do when it comes to our energy production. So 582 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:52,160 Speaker 3: we're literally getting dirtier energy from overseas instead of getting 583 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,479 Speaker 3: cleaner energy here at home, like you just mentioned, Lisa, 584 00:29:55,680 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 3: our abundant, our abundant natural gas resources. And so these 585 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,840 Speaker 3: people clearly do not care about the environment, as you 586 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 3: already hinto that, because if they did, then they would 587 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 3: be going after solutions that actually address the things that 588 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 3: they claim to be so worried about. 589 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,880 Speaker 1: Man, honestly think the next Republican nominee just needs to 590 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 1: run on fixing the country and getting back to the basics. 591 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,640 Speaker 1: And we can have planes take off on time, we 592 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:23,240 Speaker 1: can have any commy. 593 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:24,800 Speaker 3: That works, trains not crash. 594 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:26,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, like you should be able to buy gas, you know, 595 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:29,760 Speaker 1: like just the basic bait, which is sad that you 596 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:32,640 Speaker 1: know this is the message for the country, but you 597 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:35,760 Speaker 1: know that's what it is. Have I missed anything I 598 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 1: probably have? Is there anything important that we need to 599 00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:42,640 Speaker 1: get into this conversation that I've missed in my questions 600 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:42,880 Speaker 1: to you? 601 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:46,240 Speaker 3: I think one of the big takeways do we have 602 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:46,880 Speaker 3: enough time? 603 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 4: Yeah? 604 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 3: Exactly, yep, yep. Well we'll be here another week, right, 605 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:53,720 Speaker 3: This conversation could probably last longer than the dollars the 606 00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 3: world's reserve currency, right. 607 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:58,480 Speaker 1: And anything very important that people at home should know 608 00:30:58,520 --> 00:30:59,200 Speaker 1: that I've missed. 609 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:00,880 Speaker 2: I guess we'll or. 610 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:04,480 Speaker 3: Maybe that's maybe this whole idea of the dollar as 611 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,120 Speaker 3: the world's reserve currency, right, it's something that we've really 612 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 3: just taken for granted for so long. And the Bind 613 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,560 Speaker 3: administration might have put the last nail in the coffin 614 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:18,680 Speaker 3: of the US dollar being the world's reserve currency. Now, 615 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 3: why is that so important? Basically because for seventy years, 616 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 3: it has allowed us to export inflation. In other words, 617 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 3: it has allowed the FED to finance government deficits over 618 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 3: the years without just creating all these massive price increases 619 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:36,960 Speaker 3: here at home, because we found a bunch of foreigners 620 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:39,480 Speaker 3: who were willing to hold those dollars, whether they use 621 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:43,160 Speaker 3: them as their country's own currency, or whether they use 622 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:45,400 Speaker 3: them as bank reserves, whatever the case may be. But 623 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,720 Speaker 3: Biden did two very terrible things. One was the worst 624 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:51,320 Speaker 3: inflation in forty years, and all of a sudden, people 625 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:53,520 Speaker 3: are looking at the dollar and wondering, why am I 626 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:57,120 Speaker 3: holding something that just lost fifteen percent of its value 627 00:31:58,040 --> 00:31:59,960 Speaker 3: in a couple of years. This isn't a good state 628 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:02,680 Speaker 3: or of wealth at all. This is ridiculous. But the 629 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:05,360 Speaker 3: other thing he did to Russia, which by the way, 630 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:07,880 Speaker 3: is something that we didn't even do to the Soviets 631 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:13,120 Speaker 3: during the Cold War, is Biden confiscated the bank reserves 632 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 3: of the Russian Central Bank and the Russian people. And 633 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:20,200 Speaker 3: so by doing that, he sent a very clear message 634 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:23,960 Speaker 3: the dollar is no longer a political but rather the 635 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:27,040 Speaker 3: dollar is a weapon of war that we will wield 636 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,840 Speaker 3: as we see fit. And this is not to justify 637 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,520 Speaker 3: Putin's actions or anything like that. So you know, if 638 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,440 Speaker 3: people want to call me a Putin lover, you have 639 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:37,520 Speaker 3: at it. I really don't care. This is still the truth. 640 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:42,080 Speaker 3: What Biden did was send a message that, hey, you 641 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:44,360 Speaker 3: know what, if you're a nation that disagrees with our 642 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 3: pro abortion stance, or maybe our stance on ESG, or 643 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:54,400 Speaker 3: you know, some kind of like diversity measures where you 644 00:32:54,480 --> 00:32:57,400 Speaker 3: need to have a certain percentage of people of color 645 00:32:57,520 --> 00:32:59,760 Speaker 3: or women in your work force, you name it, whatever 646 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 3: the case, maybe pick the Liberal agenda item that a 647 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,520 Speaker 3: lot of countries around the world disagree with. What happens 648 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,840 Speaker 3: if the bind administration decides to impose some kind of 649 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:15,880 Speaker 3: sanctions on you or confiscate your dollar reserves the way 650 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:18,520 Speaker 3: we just did with Russia. All of a sudden, the 651 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:21,600 Speaker 3: dollar is no longer stable, the dollar is no longer 652 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:24,760 Speaker 3: a political and those were the things that made it 653 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 3: the reserve currency of the world, and Biden has taken 654 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 3: that away. And so now we are seeing countries around 655 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:36,120 Speaker 3: the world abandon the dollar for international trade. They're abandoning 656 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:39,480 Speaker 3: the dollar for use as bank reserves. And what's going 657 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 3: to happen is all of those dollars now have nowhere 658 00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 3: to go but back here. That means seventy years of 659 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:51,160 Speaker 3: trade deficits flooding back to America all at once. For perspective, 660 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:56,760 Speaker 3: that's twenty five percent inflation overnight. If it happens overnight. 661 00:33:56,360 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 2: That's pretty terrifying. 662 00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:00,800 Speaker 1: I mean, it just speaks to the larger loss of 663 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:04,400 Speaker 1: stature we have seen with America standing in the world. 664 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:05,720 Speaker 2: It's all sad. EJ. 665 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:08,719 Speaker 1: And Tony with the Heritage Foundation. Thanks so much for 666 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:10,960 Speaker 1: coming on the show and taking the time. I really 667 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:11,640 Speaker 1: appreciate it. 668 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 3: No my pleasure, Lisa. I promise next time we talk 669 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 3: we'll find something happy to talk about. 670 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,680 Speaker 2: Itcluding hearing the crap out of us. EJ. 671 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go May they go live your hangover scenario 672 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:24,840 Speaker 1: from you just explained. 673 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:26,480 Speaker 2: Thanks so much, EJ. Appreciate it. 674 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:27,200 Speaker 3: My pleasure. 675 00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:37,800 Speaker 1: That was EJ and Tony with the Heritage Foundation. You know, 676 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:41,240 Speaker 1: a little depressing, but it's good to know what's going 677 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,319 Speaker 1: on and what's on the horizon as well. And look, 678 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:46,719 Speaker 1: you know there's always hope. We've got an election coming up. 679 00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:49,160 Speaker 1: We need to get the old crazy guy out of office. 680 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:51,080 Speaker 1: So I want to thank you guys at home for 681 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:53,680 Speaker 1: listening every Monday and Thursday, but you can listen throughout 682 00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 1: the week anywhere you get your podcast. Please leave us 683 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:59,280 Speaker 1: review on Apple Podcast, give us a rating. Love reading those, 684 00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:01,799 Speaker 1: love staying that. I want to thank John Cassio and 685 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:03,480 Speaker 1: my producer for putting the show together. 686 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:04,399 Speaker 2: Until next time,