1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio, the George 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Shoe Getty arm Strong 3 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 1: and get Ki and he Armstrong and Getty. 4 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 2: But he should have taken it serious in allowed the 5 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 2: United States to engage. President Trump is the only one 6 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: that could have prevented this war from taking place. And 7 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 2: President Trump now is cleaning out the mess of Biden 8 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 2: left behind and and President Trump will get it done. 9 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 2: He will negotiate an end to this war. He wants 10 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 2: to see the war ended, regardless of how that takes place. 11 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 2: He wants to see a win for Ukraine and a 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 2: win for Russia at the same time, because there's a 13 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,519 Speaker 2: lose lose going on for both growth countries. 14 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: Right now. 15 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 2: People are dying, and the President said he wants people 16 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 2: to stop dying. 17 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: As Senator Mark Wayne Mullen, friend of the Armstrong and 18 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: Getty Show, we're in the stage of Trump communication where 19 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: Trump says something outrageous and sometimes ridiculous, and then his 20 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 1: allies reinterpret it for us in a more sane way. 21 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: And I want to talk about, you know, some of 22 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: the things Trump said and done lately is they try 23 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: to move toward a solution of the Ukraine Russian conflict specifically, 24 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: but first a general discussion with Mike Lyons, military analyst 25 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 1: to Mike served with various military organizations in both the 26 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: US and Europe throughout his career and joints US. Now, Mike, 27 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: how are you. 28 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 3: Good? Good? 29 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:32,400 Speaker 4: Thanks for having me back. 30 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: Oh, it's always a pleasure, thank you. So before we 31 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: get into some of the specifics of the Ukraine Russia 32 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: thing right now, you're a student of history as we 33 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: know it is, I think beyond question that there is 34 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: a serious change in the chemistry the magnetic fields. However 35 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: you want to describe it post World War Two, NATO 36 00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: and the Western Powers. Where would you start in you know, 37 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: telling a class about that. 38 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 5: I'd start at nineteen eighty nine, nineteen ninety when the 39 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 5: Soviet Union falls as the West completely screws up what 40 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 5: happened of the Russian Empire back then? And you go 41 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 5: back at that point, had you know, NATO wins the 42 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 5: Cold War and Russian's bankrupt. Ronald Reagan a lot of 43 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 5: it has to do with what he wanted to do 44 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 5: with Russia and decides and the Soviet Union breaks up, 45 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 5: and instead of managing that properly and making sure that 46 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 5: the Russian Empire had zero chance of ever coming back again. 47 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 5: The West decided to bring countries into NATO one at 48 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 5: a time or so over the course of the next 49 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 5: thirty years since then, and thinking that that was going 50 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 5: to be a stable way to go, as opposed to 51 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 5: recognize not recognizing that you can't have every member of 52 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 5: NATO to be everybody except Russia, because that's how the 53 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 5: First World War started. So we're seeing now the effects 54 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 5: of lack of NATO doing anything in six when Georgia 55 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,799 Speaker 5: gets invaded. We're definitely seeing the effects of fourteen when 56 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 5: Obama and Merkele does do nothing when Crimea is taken. 57 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 5: And then very clearly Joe Biden when he was president, 58 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 5: was the reason why Vladimir Putin decides to go after Ukraine. 59 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 5: And now we're faced with a NATO that's disarmed on 60 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 5: the continent that if not but for the United States 61 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 5: nuclear umbrella, that the defenses don't happen. 62 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 4: The last twelve years. 63 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 5: Historians are going to look back at the European countries 64 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,960 Speaker 5: and say they had multiple warnings to rearm and remobilize 65 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 5: their forces to put some kind of leverage behind any 66 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 5: kind of military operations, and they didn't. And I think 67 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 5: that's where we're at right now, and that's why the 68 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 5: messag is being cleaned up. 69 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: Which leads me beautifully to the next topic I'm on 70 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: to address, and that is I've been reading a lot 71 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: about the domestic politics and economics a lot of the 72 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: European countries now, particularly because several of them are having 73 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 1: important elections. Virtually all of the biggies are. And it 74 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: strikes me, whether you're talking about technology or the economy 75 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: in general, the politics, the freedom of speech policies in Germany, 76 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: which has been much discussed lately, it all feels like shrinking, 77 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: not growth. Europe just feels like a diminished force that's 78 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: continuing to be diminished with few signs of life. 79 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 5: Yeah, And the thing is, we needed each of those 80 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 5: individual countries to have their own individual leaders that had 81 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 5: that same vision with regard to where they were going, 82 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 5: but instead each of them have been more aligned with 83 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 5: i'll just say, more liberal tendencies of unlimited immigration. The 84 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 5: free speech conversation that's taking place in Germany right now 85 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 5: is appalling. I mean, what happened over with the sixty 86 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 5: minutes interview and they're arresting people for putting memes on 87 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 5: the Internet and then trying to equate that summer reason 88 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 5: like because of free speech, that's why we had the Holocaust. 89 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 5: I can't even connect these dots, or whoever thought they 90 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 5: were going to get connected is just virtually insane at 91 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 5: this point. 92 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 4: But what's happened is and then go back to Germany. 93 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 5: You know, they've they've gotten rid of all their nuclear 94 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 5: energy power plants. 95 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 4: The world runs on energy. 96 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:15,839 Speaker 5: You have to you can't have a country unless you 97 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 5: have that, so they rely on Russia. 98 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 4: So you kind of bring all this together. 99 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 5: I saw a good quote the other day that talked about, 100 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 5: you know, when the Roman Empire fell, it's not because 101 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,360 Speaker 5: of the elites, you know, didn't improve their their their 102 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 5: cost of living, or didn't improve their their lifestyles. It 103 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 5: fell because the barbarians had hatchets. And that's still the 104 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 5: same for today. You've got to have a military presence 105 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,040 Speaker 5: and show leverage and show capability of doing things. 106 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 4: And all of those countries, to include England. 107 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 5: England is no less guilty in any of these countries 108 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:48,719 Speaker 5: right now, and they really risk Europe in particular England, France, Germany. 109 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 5: Some of these countries really risk losing their cultures, losing 110 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 5: everything that's about. 111 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:55,279 Speaker 1: Them well, and every sign is that they have no 112 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: inclination whatsoever to do the things that need to be 113 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,480 Speaker 1: done to fix it. In fact, the minute somebody suggests, 114 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 1: for instance, hey, our welfare state is draining our coffers 115 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 1: and we don't have the money to defend themselves, they 116 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: get voted out of office. So I don't have a 117 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: lot of hope. So let's get a little more specific 118 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: about Ukraine and Russia. You can either address some of 119 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,640 Speaker 1: the incendiary things Trump has said lately or not. It's 120 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:22,720 Speaker 1: up to you. But as the folks gather for various 121 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 1: peace talks, how does the whole thing strike you overall? 122 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 5: Well, yeah, he said some outrageous things. Obviously, you know, 123 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 5: the dictator here is Prutin, and Russia did invade Ukraine. 124 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 5: It's unjustifiable, and the Russian aggression is something that has 125 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 5: to be dealt with. The question is how what's the 126 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 5: leverage that we can apply back in order to have 127 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 5: them not do it again? And Trump's transactional view of 128 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 5: this whole thing is it has to stop. Once it 129 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 5: does stop, we create an armacist, but he's afraid of 130 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 5: the same thing over and over again. We land European 131 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,720 Speaker 5: troops there, we put American troops there. American troops will 132 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 5: before this and they became really what will be a 133 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 5: trip wire. I mean, again, I appreciate what the British 134 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,840 Speaker 5: Prime Minister was talking about sending troops to Ukraine. 135 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 4: I'd like to know exactly which troops. 136 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 5: There's less than one hundred thousand active duty troops that 137 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 5: are in the UK Army right now, which is ridiculous 138 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 5: for a country of that size for once was once 139 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 5: a great power. 140 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 4: I mean, they might as well be Portugal, they might 141 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 4: as well be you. 142 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 5: Know, some some mid Atlantic uh, you know, the Middle 143 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 5: Eastern country right now. So so again, none of these 144 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 5: countries have got really any capability to do this. But 145 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 5: I think I think the question is I think we're 146 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 5: going to get to the spot that everybody is you know, 147 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 5: Pete Heiks that said the quiet part out loud. Russia 148 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 5: will contain, will have the twenty percent of that they've kept, 149 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 5: they'll likely keep CRIMEA, they will put up a border. 150 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 5: Lato won't be won't be bringing in Ukraine anytime soon, 151 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 5: and they'll be lucky to get some some EU you know, 152 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 5: kind of money they're going forward and to try to 153 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 5: get the fighting to stop. I think that's where it's 154 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 5: going to go, and that's that's where it should have 155 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 5: went back when the first thing started four years ago, 156 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 5: three years ago at this point. 157 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: And honestly, whatever's next is not going to play out 158 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: in the next year. It's going to play out in 159 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 1: the next thirty years. So we'll all find out together. 160 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 1: Military analyst Mike Lyons online, Mike, we're really putting you 161 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: through the paces today, and we appreciated another topic speaking 162 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: of Pete Hegzeth and in Trump's order to take a 163 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: serious look at the Pentagon, cut budgets, cut the fat. 164 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: What do you think of that in general? And you, 165 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: as an experienced Pentagon hand, tell us about the efficiencies 166 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: and inefficiency of the Pentagon. 167 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:35,959 Speaker 4: Yeah, they go through this every once in a while. 168 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 4: They've tried a couple of different administrations. 169 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 5: What you're seeing though, is Pete Heggsuff being very overly transparent. 170 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 4: He put about an eight minute video out. 171 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:45,959 Speaker 5: Last night with regard to what that was going to 172 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 5: be about, specifically left certain things out of its certain 173 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 5: domains that won't be cut. But like anything else, there 174 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 5: are things that are redundant within the Pentagon that it's 175 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 5: an easy place for fivictoms to be built and for 176 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,120 Speaker 5: for kingdoms to kind of move forward as people try 177 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 5: to stay in one location and don't change their jobs. 178 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:07,640 Speaker 4: So I think he's looking to knock down some of 179 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 4: those stilos. 180 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:10,200 Speaker 5: Some of those stilos are calcified, I'll put it that way, 181 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 5: in terms of where they don't talk and now eleven 182 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,679 Speaker 5: did actually a pretty good job of knocking those silos 183 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 5: down when it came to information and communication, but they 184 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:20,959 Speaker 5: still get rebuilt and they still get re established, and 185 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 5: I think that's what Pete wants to do. Up He's 186 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:27,040 Speaker 5: up against a very strong momentum on the other side 187 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 5: because there's people that are going to dig in pretty 188 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,680 Speaker 5: deeply and they're going to want to keep their victems 189 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 5: and keep their dollars. 190 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 4: But when you think about if the Pentagon is the. 191 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 5: Most the largest discretionary budget that we have right now, 192 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 5: and so if we can get some savings out of 193 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 5: their ten percent, then I think that'll be a win, right. 194 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:43,959 Speaker 1: And we have always said around here at the A 195 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:46,839 Speaker 1: and G Show that the kindest, best thing we can 196 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 1: do for our actual fighting men and women is to 197 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: ensure there's efficiency at the Pentagon. And the idea that 198 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,959 Speaker 1: scrutinizing the Pentagon or re ordering budgets to somehow weakening defense, 199 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,719 Speaker 1: I think is foolish. Final question, speaking of our military 200 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:04,199 Speaker 1: in these turbulent times, what do you see as our 201 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 1: greatest strength right now as our forces exist? And what's 202 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: your greatest concern or our greatest weakness. 203 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 5: I think our greatest strength remains this intangible of being 204 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 5: an American. 205 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 4: I think anytime you see. 206 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 5: Americans in a situation where they have to rally and 207 00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 5: put themselves together, not just in the military, you see 208 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,560 Speaker 5: it in corporate America sometimes. But but there's this thing 209 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:28,599 Speaker 5: about being an American, which is why everybody wants to 210 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 5: come here, why everybody. 211 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 4: Wants to be part of this thing. 212 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 5: When when when push comes to shove, when a mission 213 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 5: has to get done, I remember, you know, my time 214 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 5: in active duty, that that people would say, you know, 215 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:40,320 Speaker 5: this is we're going to get this done. 216 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 4: We're going to you know, look left and look right 217 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 4: and take care of each other. 218 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:45,640 Speaker 5: So I think our greatest strength is this tangible that 219 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 5: runs in our DNA of of being an American and 220 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 5: what that means and being on the high on the 221 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 5: high ground and doing whatever it takes. I often think about, 222 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 5: you know, I look at these videos and I watch 223 00:10:57,760 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 5: the Russians leave their soldiers behind and things like that. 224 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,559 Speaker 5: I remember being in when I was at combat, thinking that, 225 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 5: you know, you never see Americans surrender and things like that. 226 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 5: So we have this intangible that's there, But then that 227 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 5: greatest strength is a weakness. If we still don't have 228 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:13,840 Speaker 5: the technology and don't have the equipment, and if we 229 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 5: come up with somebody that has better, better kind of things, 230 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,320 Speaker 5: we're not going to no matter no matter how great 231 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:23,320 Speaker 5: that intangible is, it's not going to overcome that. So 232 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:24,959 Speaker 5: we still have to have military might, we have to 233 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 5: have material might, and be able to put our money 234 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 5: where our mouth is. 235 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 4: I think those are the two biggest things. 236 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:32,480 Speaker 1: Right, And that's so perfect. I was just going to 237 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 1: interject it. In reading about Germany and the elections and 238 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 1: that sort of thing, a German analyst was saying, what 239 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:41,160 Speaker 1: really weakens us and strengthens the Americans is that we 240 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:44,640 Speaker 1: have a culture of we'd better be careful, we'd better 241 00:11:44,679 --> 00:11:47,400 Speaker 1: not Here are the things that can be wrong, that 242 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 1: could go wrong. Rather, whereas the Americans have a spirit 243 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 1: of let's try it and see what happens, learn from 244 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:57,320 Speaker 1: it and go from there. And yeah, if we ever 245 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: lose that including technologic as you're saying, and you know, 246 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: we're screwed. Uh. Military analyst Mike Clons Mike, great to 247 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: talk to you. Thanks so much for the time. 248 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:08,199 Speaker 4: Yeah, thank you, thanks for having me. 249 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:11,679 Speaker 1: Absolutely. Coming up in just a moment or two, a 250 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 1: couple of interesting perspective studies I've come across in the 251 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:19,600 Speaker 1: last few days about the technical world, what it's doing 252 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:22,400 Speaker 1: to our brains, and how to unplug from it. I 253 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 1: think you'll find it interesting. 254 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:30,439 Speaker 3: Stay with us, very stars. 255 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:34,080 Speaker 6: What's that for? 256 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 7: Call future done it again inside the Tady garden. 257 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 1: Well, look back on that moment and understand that's what 258 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: started the Great Canadian American War Canada viciously and unprovokedly 259 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:59,440 Speaker 1: is that a word, Uh, scoring against our poor goalie 260 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: in overtime and brutally winning the hockey game, which did 261 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: not start with a bunch of fights. By the way, 262 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: I was hanging out with my buddy Gordy, who is 263 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: a former elite hockey player, not quite NHL, but very 264 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:16,959 Speaker 1: very good hockey player and still as part of the 265 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,319 Speaker 1: world of sports. And I said, hey, they're going to 266 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: be a bunch of fights to the night. And he said, no, no, no, no, 267 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,200 Speaker 1: too important a game. It'll come out just win. Scores 268 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 1: have been settled. Now let's play hockey. And he was 269 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 1: absolutely right. He also pointed out that hockey is the 270 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:34,160 Speaker 1: only sport where there are absolutely rock solid rules unwritten 271 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:40,679 Speaker 1: but you cannot violate. About fighting. You watch an NBA fight, 272 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:44,280 Speaker 1: guys are are sucker punching each other and punching each 273 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:50,319 Speaker 1: other from behind and swinging wildly like lunatics. In hockey, 274 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:56,240 Speaker 1: you tell the guy we're fighting, he says, yes, you 275 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: drop your gloves, you slug each other in the head. 276 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,920 Speaker 1: If you can, you can't. It's very hard to fight 277 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 1: on ice. If you've never tried it, don't, but trust 278 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,680 Speaker 1: me when I tell you it's very difficult, especially when 279 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:09,839 Speaker 1: somebody's grabbing your jersey and pulling it up and the 280 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:14,679 Speaker 1: rest of it. The minute anybody's getting hurt, the referees 281 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:18,200 Speaker 1: dive in and break it up. And the minute anybody 282 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 1: goes to the ice, the other guy says, oh, it's over, 283 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,640 Speaker 1: and they back off. You'll never see an NHL player 284 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: like pounding another guy who's down. They just don't. It's 285 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 1: very honorable. It's like the dueling culture thing we were 286 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 1: talking about yesterday. You don't have to be in favor 287 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: of it. But it's not like straight thugs beating each 288 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,440 Speaker 1: other to death on the pavement or anything like this. 289 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: Very very different than that. It's a gentlemanly punching another 290 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: man in the face. Anyway, I thought this was good, interesting, 291 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: thought provoking because I worry about this all the time, 292 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: not just for the younger generation, although I certainly do, 293 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 1: but also about myself, and that is our addiction to 294 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 1: the endorphin bursts of in put after input after input 295 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: from smartphones in particular, technology in general. Here's a story 296 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:13,520 Speaker 1: about how popular these unplugged nights are among young Brits. 297 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 1: Offcom is the name of the organization. They unplug and 298 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 1: they get together for offline nights, they call them, and 299 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: they do whatever, whether it's drinking or dancing or even 300 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: playing games or whatever, just talking to each other, no 301 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: tech allowed. Katie joins us, Yeah, I love this idea. Yeah, yeah, 302 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,320 Speaker 1: me too. And they you know, anybody old enough to 303 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: remember this doesn't need a description, but they mentioned one 304 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: group that was playing games and scattered around the room 305 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:57,240 Speaker 1: table stacked with board games is an excited hum echoed 306 00:15:57,240 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 1: around the walls. Here's this twenty five year old engineer 307 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 1: that he found leaving his phone at the door, freeing. 308 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:04,680 Speaker 1: I didn't realize the addiction. Then too often I feel 309 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 1: the urge to look at my phone and scroll. He 310 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: talked about fomo, but this is growing in popularity. I 311 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 1: don't know if it will achieve any sort of critical mass, 312 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 1: but it's definitely a response to what we're all feeling. 313 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:23,359 Speaker 1: I think. And then this, which is of similar content obviously, 314 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: but a big study out multiple universities across the USA 315 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:31,120 Speaker 1: and Canada worked with hundreds and hundreds of iPhone users, 316 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:34,160 Speaker 1: average age thirty two to test how we're moving Constant 317 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 1: internet access would affect their daily lives. And I'll squeeze 318 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: in the analysis real quickly as we look forward to 319 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: a chat with Lanhi Chen in just a moment or 320 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 1: two about domestic policy. Blocking mobile internet for two weeks 321 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: led to mental health improvements with an effect size larger 322 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: than typically seen in antidepressant studies. Improved sustained attention comparable 323 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 1: to reversing ten years of age related decline and increased 324 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: well being in ninety one percent under participants in at 325 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: least one key area. There's more to it, and we'll 326 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 1: dip back into it. But it's like better for depression 327 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:10,680 Speaker 1: than drugs and better for memory than being ten years younger. 328 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:17,159 Speaker 1: Holy cow, stay with us, Lanhi chennext, Armstrong and Getty. 329 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 8: Cut jobs, save the government money, sant Americans a check 330 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:25,879 Speaker 8: for the difference. That's the Trump plan being floated at least, 331 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 8: But is it realistic? Is it feasible? And might it 332 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 8: hurt your wallet more than it would help? 333 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:32,440 Speaker 1: Where He's gone too far? 334 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 3: A slim majority using presidential power fifty two percent say 335 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,640 Speaker 3: he's gone too far There cutting federal programs. 336 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 1: Fifty one percent of Americans say gone too far. This 337 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 1: is the. 338 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 6: Chainsaw for bureaucracy, turns off change saw a variety of 339 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:56,440 Speaker 6: opinions and thoughts there having to do with domestic policy, 340 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 6: budget cutting, bureaucracy taming, et cetera, which is one of 341 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:02,920 Speaker 6: the major initiatives going on in the Trump administration right now. 342 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: Who better to discuss this with than Lanhi Chen, David 343 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 1: and Diane Steffi fellow in American Public Policy Studies at 344 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,760 Speaker 1: the Hoover Institution and the Director of Domestic Policy Studies 345 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:13,399 Speaker 1: at Stanford University Lanai. 346 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 3: How are you great to be with you? 347 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:19,040 Speaker 1: How are you just terrific? Thank you. Earlier in the show, 348 00:18:19,119 --> 00:18:24,439 Speaker 1: we were comparing and contrasting the democratic reaction to a 349 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:27,880 Speaker 1: lot of the cutting and restructuring and examining the giant bureaucracy, 350 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: which has been essentially any cuts are a horror in 351 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:37,760 Speaker 1: a constitutional crisis, with Lincoln's statement that we absolutely have 352 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:41,399 Speaker 1: the right to amend to reconstruct and you know he 353 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 1: didn't say this supposedly, but cut or grow government in 354 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:46,120 Speaker 1: the way we the people see fit. 355 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:50,879 Speaker 3: It's quite a contrast, it is, And I would just 356 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 3: say this, I mean, I think there is a fair 357 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 3: amount of hysteria over some of the activity that we're seeing, 358 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:01,920 Speaker 3: and the effort I think that's underway by some in 359 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:04,400 Speaker 3: the media is to try and define some of these 360 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:08,720 Speaker 3: cuts as existential. We're deeply problematic. So let's just step 361 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 3: back and take a look at one of them that 362 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 3: they talk about. For example, the IRS. This is one 363 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 3: of my favorite ones. The IRS has reached record levels 364 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:19,680 Speaker 3: of staffing in the last couple of years, and they 365 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:23,400 Speaker 3: have significantly expanded their workforce. So they went from about 366 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:27,679 Speaker 3: seventy thousand employees to one hundred thousand employees over the 367 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,520 Speaker 3: course of a couple of years. Now, the cuts that 368 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 3: DOZE is talking about sixty eight hundred employees, we're talking 369 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 3: about sixty eight hundred probationary recent hires that they're looking 370 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:43,440 Speaker 3: to essentially trim from the IRS bureaucracy. We're talking about 371 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,919 Speaker 3: between six to seven percent of the workforce. And it 372 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,399 Speaker 3: doesn't even account for this significant, as I said, increase 373 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 3: in the workforce we've seen recently. So people just need 374 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 3: to look at the facts and try to figure out 375 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:59,480 Speaker 3: exeguly what's going on here, because fundamentally there is this 376 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:02,240 Speaker 3: notion and that well, no, we can't cut anything. This 377 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:04,840 Speaker 3: is going to cause a degradation of service. Look, the 378 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:07,119 Speaker 3: service of the IRS wasn't all that great before. So 379 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:10,520 Speaker 3: the notion that we have this challenge that's being created 380 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:12,600 Speaker 3: because of the things that government is doing, the things 381 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 3: that DOGE is doing in particular, it's just not true. 382 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:22,560 Speaker 1: Well, and the idea that to even autit something is 383 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:27,679 Speaker 1: improper or threatening is just it's it's obscenely backward. One 384 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:31,560 Speaker 1: of the things Kim Strassel's writing about is how the 385 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:38,680 Speaker 1: Trump administration is taking a serious look at the agencies 386 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: that Congress created to perform executive functions, Like, well, they 387 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: administer laws, but they're free from the executive branches control. 388 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: It's like Congress created its own executive branch. And any 389 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,159 Speaker 1: thoughts on where we are as a country with that, 390 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:54,919 Speaker 1: and what are the chances of doing something about it. 391 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:57,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's another great question, because you've got a whole 392 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 3: host of agencies that are they're called into pendent agencies, right, 393 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:03,560 Speaker 3: they're created Usually they end in a B or a 394 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 3: C so commission or board, and these are the organizations 395 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:10,920 Speaker 3: that essentially are part of the executive branch, but they 396 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 3: have some independent authority. So they've got, for example, board 397 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:18,400 Speaker 3: members or commission members who are appointed by a president 398 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:20,919 Speaker 3: for a set amount of time, confirmed by the Senate, 399 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:23,400 Speaker 3: and they're supposed to sit for that set amount of time. 400 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:25,840 Speaker 3: And the idea was, well, you've got some of these 401 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 3: institutions that are supposed to create some separation from the 402 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:32,440 Speaker 3: rest of the executive branch. And this doesn't make a 403 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:34,119 Speaker 3: whole lot of sense though at some level, And so 404 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 3: what this administration, what the Trump administration is now trying 405 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,040 Speaker 3: to do, is to say, for example, hey, if you, 406 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:42,880 Speaker 3: as a commission, a supposedly independent commission, issue a new 407 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,720 Speaker 3: regulation something that you're saying people can or cannot do, 408 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:49,879 Speaker 3: you need to take that regulation and you've got to 409 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:51,960 Speaker 3: run it through the White House. We've got to know 410 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,560 Speaker 3: what it is that you're doing, even as a quote 411 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:57,919 Speaker 3: independent agency. I don't think that's unreasonable, right, because the 412 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 3: independent agency has elements of independence. We understand that because 413 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,680 Speaker 3: they're regulating, let's say, for example, whether a merger can 414 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 3: go through or not. But at core, what the White 415 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 3: House is saying is, if you're going to regulate, we 416 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 3: have to know about it. And again, this is one 417 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:14,800 Speaker 3: of those things where there's been a lot of writing 418 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,439 Speaker 3: in the media, a lot of misunderstanding, this notion of 419 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 3: Trump's trying to take over the entire bureaucracy, when the 420 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:25,520 Speaker 3: reality is there's certain things here that independent agencies, for example, 421 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:28,159 Speaker 3: been doing for a long time where we probably do 422 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 3: need a little more political oversight. And so, you know, 423 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:32,520 Speaker 3: people again just got to understand what the real story 424 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:33,960 Speaker 3: is versus what the media is reporting. 425 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: Sure, and we've been plenty harsh about the unchecked growth 426 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 1: of executive power and how the gigantic executive branches come 427 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: to be. In many ways, it mimics all three branches. 428 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:52,359 Speaker 1: It writes rules and laws like Congress, then it enforces 429 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:56,879 Speaker 1: them like the executive branch, I guess, and then decides 430 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: on your fines. And here's the appeals and everything, like 431 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:03,560 Speaker 1: the judicial branch. And so obviously it needs to be 432 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:06,159 Speaker 1: looked at. And the other aspect of this that has 433 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 1: never talked about in the media is that the president, 434 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:13,480 Speaker 1: as for instance, they're howling that Elon Musk is unelected, 435 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: you know, like the president's virtually the only person in 436 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 1: the executive branch who is elected. But the idea that 437 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:23,679 Speaker 1: a huge chunk of the executive branch wouldn't be answerable 438 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 1: to the voters at all, except, like, you know, three 439 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 1: steps down the line. While I fear unchecked executive power. 440 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 1: If the executive is in charge, they can do good 441 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:42,200 Speaker 1: things and be rewarded with reelection or their party or reelection. 442 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:44,640 Speaker 1: But if they do bad things, they can be voted out. 443 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 1: Right now, if the giant, sprawling executive branch does bad things, 444 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:50,239 Speaker 1: what the hell do I do about it? 445 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 3: Well, This is the most important thing that people don't realize, 446 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 3: which is that there is actually check on what the 447 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 3: executive branch can do. And that's Congress. 448 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: Right. 449 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 3: If Congress actually did its job and was functional as 450 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:06,680 Speaker 3: opposed to just being a bunch of people running around 451 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:10,680 Speaker 3: yelling all the time. If Congress actually yeah, if Congress 452 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 3: actually functioned the way Congress is supposed to function, that's 453 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 3: your check on the executive branch, right, that's your check 454 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,600 Speaker 3: on what the executive is doing. They have the oversight power. 455 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,959 Speaker 3: They can have hearings, they can run legislation, they can 456 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:25,119 Speaker 3: do all sorts of stuff to constrain if they're really 457 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:29,480 Speaker 3: worried about if Chuck Schumer and Democrats and the have 458 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,800 Speaker 3: Hakeem Jeffreyes and all the rest, if they're really worried 459 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 3: about what the executive branch is doing, if they're worried 460 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 3: about what those is doing, they have the ability in 461 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 3: Congress to try and work together with Republicans there to 462 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 3: figure out a way to conduct oversite. They can conduct 463 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:46,360 Speaker 3: oversite on their own, by the way, they don't need 464 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:50,639 Speaker 3: Republicans to do it necessarily. So the idea that there's 465 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,760 Speaker 3: no check on the executive first of all, you're right, 466 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 3: the voters can set a check. But more importantly, Congress 467 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:01,119 Speaker 3: needs to do its job, and Congress completely seated the 468 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:02,919 Speaker 3: playing field in a lot of waste the executive. This 469 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:05,879 Speaker 3: is not a Trump problem. This happened during the Biden administration, 470 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 3: has happened during Obama. That the Congress has just gotten 471 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:11,960 Speaker 3: less and less willing to do its job. And that's problem. 472 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: Is it just that if they're not on the record 473 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:18,240 Speaker 1: having done anything, they can't be blamed for anything going wrong. 474 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: Where does this cowardice, laziness, whatever it is come from. 475 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:24,400 Speaker 3: Well, part of it is that the incentives for members 476 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,240 Speaker 3: of Congress are really different now than they work for 477 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:26,720 Speaker 3: you know. 478 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:28,119 Speaker 4: Now it's all about. 479 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 3: How many likes can I get on social media, how 480 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:32,840 Speaker 3: can I generate a following on social media? How can 481 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 3: I do all of that, as opposed to you know, 482 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 3: where I think there were members of Congress that did 483 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 3: the hard work of actually trying to get things done. 484 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:43,360 Speaker 3: You know, I think it's been a few decades since 485 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:45,919 Speaker 3: we've really seen a lot of that activity. But I 486 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:48,520 Speaker 3: think part of it is the incentive structure has changed. 487 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 3: And then part of it is, you know, unfortunately I 488 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 3: do think we're electing in a lot of places more 489 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 3: extreme members of Congress who are really more interested in 490 00:25:56,440 --> 00:26:00,640 Speaker 3: advancing ideology than actually passing legislation and getting the done. Now, 491 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:03,879 Speaker 3: some of that's the reflection of us as the American people, 492 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 3: becoming more more polarized and more ideological in some ways. 493 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 3: But overall, I do think that the composition of Congress, 494 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,160 Speaker 3: the nature of Congress who were sending to Congress, all 495 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 3: of these things have impacted quite frankly, Congress's ability to 496 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 3: do its job and congress members of Congress's willingness to 497 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:22,320 Speaker 3: do their job. 498 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: Wow, that's a big and that's a big and we 499 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 1: don't really have time to talk about how to reform 500 00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: our entire primary process. Yeah, and the rest of it. Actually, 501 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:35,560 Speaker 1: you know what I was going to ask, and I'm debating, 502 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:38,639 Speaker 1: can you hang on for a few minutes through a break? 503 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 4: Yeah? 504 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 1: Absolutely, Okay, because what I was going to ask, because 505 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:46,639 Speaker 1: folks like me and perhaps you are more than willing 506 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:52,120 Speaker 1: to geek out on the you know, the inside baseball 507 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:56,560 Speaker 1: structural stuff a government and then forget to explain what 508 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,959 Speaker 1: a success reigning in the giant bureaucratic state would look 509 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:02,959 Speaker 1: like to real human beings in their lives. So why 510 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,240 Speaker 1: don't we take a break, catch our breath, and let's 511 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 1: talk about what it would look on look like on 512 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:09,960 Speaker 1: main Street. If that sounds good to you, be here, 513 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:14,120 Speaker 1: beautiful Lanhi Chen of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, more 514 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:21,720 Speaker 1: to come. Thank you for tuning in, Armstrong and Getty here. 515 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:25,000 Speaker 1: Jack is off for today, but we're pleased to have 516 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 1: terrific guests like Lanhi Chen of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Alanhi, 517 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:34,239 Speaker 1: thanks for hanging around. We really appreciate it. And so 518 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:36,840 Speaker 1: for folks just tuning in especially, we've been talking about 519 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:39,920 Speaker 1: and a lot of this has gone on unnoticed or 520 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,359 Speaker 1: untalked about by many people in the media in the 521 00:27:43,359 --> 00:27:46,879 Speaker 1: midst of Trump cutting, you know, transgender polo matches for 522 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 1: Dubai or whatever the heck. A lot of the serious 523 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:56,800 Speaker 1: looking at and rejiggering the administrative state, all these commissions 524 00:27:56,840 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 1: and boards and making everybody go through all the rules 525 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:03,960 Speaker 1: and see if any of the rules violate the Constitution, 526 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:07,159 Speaker 1: exceed legislative power, go beyond the clear words of the 527 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:11,439 Speaker 1: Congressional Statute, harm the national interest, a stripping down of 528 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:15,239 Speaker 1: the gigantic administrative state, and those of us who've been 529 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:17,000 Speaker 1: praying for that sort of thing are super excited. But 530 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:19,119 Speaker 1: as I said before the break lawn, he can we 531 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: help understand, help people understand rather how that helps their lives, 532 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 1: you know in everywhere America. 533 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 3: Well, look, we want an effective and efficient government, right 534 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,479 Speaker 3: and obviously everyone wants government to do things that's supposed 535 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 3: to do. But when you have I think there's a 536 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,960 Speaker 3: couple of issues. One is when you have government that's 537 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:48,680 Speaker 3: grown so big and particularly has so many people that 538 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:51,760 Speaker 3: it becomes kind of a constituency in and of itself, right, 539 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:56,040 Speaker 3: that it becomes about defending the institution, which really means 540 00:28:56,400 --> 00:29:00,360 Speaker 3: making sure that nothing ever changes. What you end up with, fortunately, 541 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,000 Speaker 3: is a situation where government doesn't have to improve. I mean, 542 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 3: let's just compare that to a minute to let's just 543 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:06,200 Speaker 3: think about a business. 544 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:06,400 Speaker 6: Right. 545 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 3: If you think about a business, the reason why businesses improve, 546 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 3: really the only reason why they improve is because of competition. 547 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,719 Speaker 3: And you've got a marketplace where you've got different businesses 548 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:20,360 Speaker 3: competing for people's support and for people's business, and that 549 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 3: ends up forcing them to improve and to change and 550 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 3: to evolve. Think about government for a minute. What forces 551 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:29,520 Speaker 3: government to change and evolve and get better. The answer 552 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:33,320 Speaker 3: is nothing on a regular basis unless you apply some 553 00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:36,720 Speaker 3: sort of pressure. There is no competition. There's no other 554 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 3: government out there that's going to do national security, that's 555 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:43,520 Speaker 3: going to do processing to make sure that we have 556 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 3: clean air and clean water. That you don't have that 557 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:50,800 Speaker 3: unless you apply some political pressure on government to do better. 558 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:54,320 Speaker 3: And that is fundamentally why we need to think about 559 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 3: some of these changes that are going on. You know, 560 00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:58,520 Speaker 3: are some of them unorthodox, Are some of them going 561 00:29:58,560 --> 00:30:01,680 Speaker 3: to raise eyebrows? Sure, but fundamentally, the only way government 562 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 3: gets better is if you apply some pressure on it 563 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 3: to be more efficient and more effective. And by the way, 564 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 3: here's another thing, Joe, that really drives me nuts is transparency. 565 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:13,080 Speaker 3: If you look at, for example, in California where I'm sitting, 566 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:16,760 Speaker 3: the lack of transparency we have into what government is 567 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:20,200 Speaker 3: doing and spending money on is remarkable. And at the 568 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:23,480 Speaker 3: federal level we've got some similar issues. It's not as 569 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 3: bad as it is in California, But why can't we, 570 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:30,040 Speaker 3: as the people who fund government, have a better idea 571 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:33,400 Speaker 3: of what government's spending our money on. This is something 572 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 3: that's always drove me. Thats is why I ran for 573 00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:37,840 Speaker 3: controller several years ago. It's why I continue to believe 574 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:40,880 Speaker 3: we've got to push this transparency message because if we 575 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:43,480 Speaker 3: don't know what government is doing, it can ever get better. 576 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,400 Speaker 3: We can't ever make it do the things that's supposed 577 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:48,280 Speaker 3: to do, and instead it ends up doing things that 578 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 3: after the fact we read about it, we're like, what 579 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:52,040 Speaker 3: our money's been going to? 580 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:52,280 Speaker 4: What? 581 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 3: Because no one was able to see along the way 582 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:57,239 Speaker 3: where all that money was going. So anyway, I'll get 583 00:30:57,240 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 3: off my soapbox now, but I really think transparency is 584 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 3: hugely important. 585 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,800 Speaker 1: Well so, and how that lands on main street though 586 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: is number one. We're not being stolen from and our 587 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:11,760 Speaker 1: tax money merely distributed to cronies. That is what I 588 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 1: would like very much. But secondly, wouldn't we see less 589 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 1: regulation therefore more efficient economic growth and change and that 590 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:23,680 Speaker 1: sort of thing and rising wages? I just think I 591 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:26,720 Speaker 1: think scaling back the administrative state would have a specific 592 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:30,400 Speaker 1: material benefit to average Americans wherever they are. 593 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:33,760 Speaker 3: Well, yeah, I mean, look aside from people getting better 594 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:36,880 Speaker 3: service and having a government that's more responsive. You're right, 595 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 3: I mean, not to get too wonky about this, but 596 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:42,200 Speaker 3: there is always this worry about government crowding out the 597 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:45,320 Speaker 3: private sector, and what that means is that the government 598 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,960 Speaker 3: becomes so big that it starts to make it difficult 599 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,480 Speaker 3: for you know, private entrepreneurs and small business owners to 600 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:55,840 Speaker 3: do what they're doing. And the more debt we take on, 601 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:58,440 Speaker 3: the more people are going to have to pay in 602 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 3: taxes to pay off debt. And why we why do 603 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:04,000 Speaker 3: we carry debt? We carry debt to have a bigger government. 604 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:07,120 Speaker 3: And so yeah, there is a real impact for people 605 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:10,200 Speaker 3: on main street, and that is that if government gets bigger, 606 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:13,600 Speaker 3: taxes go up and people pay more because we have 607 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 3: to pay more to support the mechanism of government that's 608 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:19,239 Speaker 3: been created. So there is a direct effect on our 609 00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:21,360 Speaker 3: pocketbooks and something that that people. 610 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 1: Need to be aware of. And just you know, a 611 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: personal example. I've been very fortunate, Jack and I have 612 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,800 Speaker 1: done well in this business. I'm reasonably financially comfortable, but 613 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:35,719 Speaker 1: my taxes are breathtaking. And if I were not paying 614 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: those taxes like that, It's not like I would go 615 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: out and buy a yacht. I would love to invest 616 00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:46,120 Speaker 1: in smart people with great ideas. That's what I would 617 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 1: do if I was not spending X amount of money 618 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:51,840 Speaker 1: on taxes and help them grow their businesses and hire 619 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:54,080 Speaker 1: a bunch of people and to get start an insurance 620 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,440 Speaker 1: plan and the rest of it. So yeah, the idea 621 00:32:56,480 --> 00:33:00,160 Speaker 1: that government crowds out free enterprise and private enterprise is 622 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 1: absolutely true. So Alanie, we appreciate the time and thoughts 623 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:10,040 Speaker 1: anything else on what the Trump administration is doing domestically 624 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 1: that's got you excited or you're feeling really good about. 625 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 3: Well, Joe, I mean, look, I think the some of 626 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 3: the stuff that the doge is doing in terms of 627 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:21,880 Speaker 3: right sizing government, I think that's long overdue, quite frankly. 628 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:25,400 Speaker 3: But what I would also say is we've got a president. 629 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 3: I mean, whether you like what he's doing or not, 630 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:29,959 Speaker 3: he's doing something okay, And I think that that is 631 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:34,040 Speaker 3: fundamentally what in many ways in our in our country, 632 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:36,480 Speaker 3: we feel like we've been lacking this. We've been lacking 633 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:38,880 Speaker 3: this kind of leadership and direction. And we can have 634 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:41,160 Speaker 3: a real debate about whether all of these things are 635 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 3: right or wrong, whether we like everything that's happening, whether 636 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:45,480 Speaker 3: we think the direction that's that the US is taking 637 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:48,720 Speaker 3: around the world is the right one. But fundamentally, we 638 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:52,880 Speaker 3: have an action oriented executive branch and an action oriented government, 639 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 3: and maybe we can kind of wake everyone up and 640 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:57,880 Speaker 3: sort of say, listen, there's some things that have to 641 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:00,239 Speaker 3: get done here, and there's some ways in which we 642 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:03,640 Speaker 3: need to push forward to improve our country. And I 643 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,040 Speaker 3: just think that we can have a real debate over 644 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:08,319 Speaker 3: these things and this level of activity and action that 645 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:11,799 Speaker 3: is truly exciting to be and you know, let's see 646 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:12,279 Speaker 3: where it goes. 647 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:16,719 Speaker 1: Lanhi Chen of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Lonie is 648 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:19,040 Speaker 1: always a pleasure. Thanks so much for the time. 649 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:20,480 Speaker 3: Yep, great to be with you. Thank you. 650 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:24,279 Speaker 1: Likewise, thanks and to Chuck Schumer and those who have 651 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:27,000 Speaker 1: been denigrating the Supreme Court and talking about how it's 652 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:31,080 Speaker 1: illegitimate and the rest of it. The plan is all 653 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:35,680 Speaker 1: the stuff we've been talking about to really look at 654 00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:41,800 Speaker 1: the foundations of the giant, obese Washington Colossus and dragged 655 00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:48,000 Speaker 1: to the Supreme Court. Questions like these commissions and boards 656 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:52,240 Speaker 1: and departments of since they're no longer doing what Congress 657 00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:54,040 Speaker 1: told them to do and they're not accountable to the 658 00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:57,600 Speaker 1: executive agent, the executive branch, can we end them or 659 00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:02,920 Speaker 1: how can we trim them and restructure them? And if 660 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:07,440 Speaker 1: it runs a foul of any constitutional principles we have, 661 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:11,880 Speaker 1: thank God and Trump. Frankly, we have a lot of 662 00:35:12,920 --> 00:35:18,400 Speaker 1: constitutionalist judges who are very, very protective of the bones 663 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:20,840 Speaker 1: of the Constitution, the original intents of the Constitution. So 664 00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:24,040 Speaker 1: I think it's the perfect circumstance. We've got an agent 665 00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:26,880 Speaker 1: of change and agents of stability that are going to 666 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,080 Speaker 1: work together to make the government better for all of us. 667 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:31,520 Speaker 1: Hey la hey, law I love it. Stay with us, 668 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:34,560 Speaker 1: Armstrong and Getty