1 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio the George 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:11,400 Speaker 1: Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty Armstrong and 3 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 1: Getty and know He Armstrong and Getty. 4 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 2: Former President Joe Biden suggested last week that his new 5 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: memoir could be published as early as September. It's expected 6 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 2: to be the next book that Joe Biden accidentally buys. Hey, 7 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 2: this looks interesting, like this guy's from Scranton. 8 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 3: Too, latest on the war with Iran and people's opinions 9 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 3: about it and stuff like that. My my best effort 10 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 3: at a glasses half full scenario with what's going on 11 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 3: right here. They could pan out and some other stuff. 12 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 3: Joe's got some AI stuff. I always love a stuff 13 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 3: because I think it's among the biggest deals in the world. 14 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,400 Speaker 1: I hope I can do this justice. This piece in 15 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 1: the dispatch. 16 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 3: Half of America cannot afford to live and other wrong numbers. 17 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,399 Speaker 3: It's really thick and interesting. And I haven't had a 18 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 3: sip of coffee because I remembered today to not drink 19 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 3: any coffee or eat any food because I have to 20 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 3: get some lab work done, get my blood taken, and man, 21 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 3: I have trouble doing this job without coffee. I just 22 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 3: want to lay down on the floor and go to sleep. 23 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 4: Yeah, you seem a little leedgy too, Michael, watch you 24 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,039 Speaker 4: p's and q's. There could be a snap. I'm just 25 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 4: so tired. 26 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:44,199 Speaker 3: Yeah, anyway, he goes through the I have been saying 27 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 3: for years that economic reporting is the dumbest reporting we have. 28 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:54,559 Speaker 3: Almost always an economic headline is almost always divorced from 29 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 3: what they're the story is actually about incredibly misleading, to 30 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 3: the point of you'd been better off a few hadn't 31 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 3: heard it, which is one of the things he brings 32 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 3: up here. In March of twenty twenty six, just a 33 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 3: couple months ago, the Urban Institute released an updated version 34 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 3: of its True Cost of Economic Security measure. The headline 35 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 3: we talked about this had got lots of headlines which 36 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 3: I'm about to read to you. The headline finding is 37 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 3: that forty nine percent of people in American families lack 38 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 3: the resources required for economic security. Half of America. 39 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 4: Whatever that means, let me just throw that in. Already 40 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 4: half of Americans can't a fortune. 41 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 3: Had the headline of half of Americans can't afford to 42 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 3: dine out or vacation in a cost of living, crisis governing, 43 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 3: whatever that is, wrote, nearly half of US households are 44 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:51,519 Speaker 3: not economically secure. Another headline on a publication in New York, 45 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 3: more than half of all people in the US lack 46 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 3: economic security. The careful researcher's numbers becomes the act of 47 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 3: ast slogan becomes the political cult if it were true 48 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 3: the overall headlines on this. 49 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,919 Speaker 1: You this is what you would expect to see. 50 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 3: You would expect mass starvation, or at least mass migration 51 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 3: out of the country. You'd expect the streets to be 52 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 3: lined with the dispossessed. Well, you actually see as a 53 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 3: country whose biggest dietary problem is obesity and whose biggest 54 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 3: housing problem is that nobody's allowed to build any So 55 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 3: what is the almost half of the country forty nine 56 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,679 Speaker 3: percent number actually measuring? The threshold is defined as the 57 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 3: level of resources required to fully participate in today's economy 58 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 3: and society without cutting back on anything, while also saving 59 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 3: for emergencies in the future. 60 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 4: There is hardly a word in that sentence that does 61 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 4: not crave a definition, right, So to fail to read that, 62 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 4: if you do me a favor, read that sentence again. 63 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 3: The threshold is defined as the level of resources. Do 64 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 3: you have the level of resources required to fully participate 65 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 3: in today's economy. 66 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: That's in the eye of the beholder by a jet. 67 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 4: I didn't invest in Elon's IPO, so no, no, I can't. 68 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 3: I'm the victim here today's economy and society without cutting 69 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 3: back on anything while also saving for emergencies in the future. 70 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,599 Speaker 3: To fail this test, you do not need to be hungry, 71 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 3: you do not need to be cold, you do not 72 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:19,799 Speaker 3: need to be one. 73 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:21,280 Speaker 1: Car repair from homelessness. 74 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 3: You need only to be cutting back on something or 75 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 3: not saving as much as some Urban Institute economists thinks 76 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 3: you should be saving. So saving up for your vacation 77 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 3: is by definition cutting back on something, and that is 78 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 3: ugly and unfortunate. Well, he goes through three different examples 79 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:41,720 Speaker 3: here all that would fit this, and they're all very, 80 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 3: very different. The point of this whole thing is this 81 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 3: is always presented as like an app policy that would 82 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 3: fix the whole thing, when they're all very different situations. 83 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: And this will make more sense in a second. 84 00:04:55,240 --> 00:05:00,559 Speaker 3: So by that standard, a Harvard MBA who who's making 85 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 3: three hundred thousand dollars a year, three hundred and fifty 86 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 3: thousand dollars a year. 87 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 1: He's spending all of it. 88 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 3: Because he just bought a co op in Manhattan and 89 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 3: his fiance wants a destination wedding. He is cutting back 90 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 3: on his deserted per se, which I'm assuming is a 91 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 3: fancy restaurant that people have heard of. 92 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:18,800 Speaker 1: I have none. I don't. 93 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,480 Speaker 3: Though he's not saving for the future by the true 94 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 3: cost of economic security definition, He's part of the forty 95 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,440 Speaker 3: nine percent of Americans who cannot afford to live because 96 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 3: he can't live the lifestyle he wants. So's a retired 97 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 3: couple in Florida who are deliberately drawing down their savings, 98 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 3: which is what savings are for during a downturn. So 99 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 3: is a twenty three year old barista who's spending every 100 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 3: nickel on rent and concert tickets and having the time 101 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,280 Speaker 3: of her life right. 102 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: And loving her life. 103 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 3: And you know, as part of the forty nine percent 104 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 3: that don't have economic security. So as the unemployable woman 105 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 3: with the worthless degree. So is the unemployable woman with 106 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 3: a worthless degree from a fraudulent for profit college who's 107 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:02,520 Speaker 3: generally choosing to between insulin and electricity. In rural Mississippi, 108 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 3: some of that you would most of us would describe 109 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 3: as actually struggling to get by, and. 110 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,239 Speaker 4: That would not limit it to quote unquote for profit 111 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,599 Speaker 4: college is by the way he plays one won't include 112 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 4: Harvard and anything below. 113 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, he uses the example of anything that's a studies 114 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 3: a studies degree. That's one number for four completely different stories. 115 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 3: The number is engineered to include all of them, because 116 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:27,159 Speaker 3: including all of them is what gets you to forty 117 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 3: nine percent, which is a good headline. And even that number, 118 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 3: taking at face value, doesn't tell you the share of 119 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 3: Americans in actual distress. It tells you the share who 120 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,160 Speaker 3: feel a financial squeeze of any kind, of any severity 121 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 3: for any reason, which I find really interesting, which is. 122 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 4: Virtually the entire population, over every second. 123 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:48,919 Speaker 1: Of human existence. 124 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 3: And so he says, we have two serious affordability problems 125 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 3: in America, and they look nothing like each other, and 126 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 3: they need opposite solutions, but they're always lumped together. The 127 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,359 Speaker 3: first is what he calls the destitute tale, a real 128 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 3: but small share of Americans that are in genuinely miserable 129 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 3: financial situations. They have more bills than they can pay, 130 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 3: They are one misspay check from eviction. They frequently have 131 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 3: literally zero money. An unemployable woman with a worthless degree 132 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 3: from a fraudulent for profit colleges in that category. So 133 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 3: as a fifty year old who got laid off from 134 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 3: a manufacturing job, exhausted as savings can't get hired anywhere 135 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 3: and watches his wife work double ships at Walmart. These 136 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 3: people need money. The institutions that make their lives worse, 137 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 3: the for profits that produce unemployable graduates, and the medical 138 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 3: billing systems designed to confuse people into paying twice. I've 139 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 3: done that so many times, and then that's why you 140 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 3: end up a situation where you think, I don't. 141 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: Think I have to pay this. I think I've paid this. 142 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 3: Then you get a call from a bill collector you 143 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 3: haven't paid your nineteen dollars and sixty two cents for 144 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 3: an appointment you had six months ago that you don't remember. 145 00:07:57,960 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: Yeah. 146 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 3: Sure, anyway, he said, all of those need to be 147 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 3: regulated or eliminated because they're squeezing that category of people. 148 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 1: Both of those blah blah blah blah blah blah bah. 149 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 3: The second problem is the squeezed talent class, and it's 150 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 3: hard to explain because the people involved look fine on 151 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 3: paper picture a thirty two year old physician married to 152 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:20,640 Speaker 3: a thirty year thirty two year old software engineer. Their 153 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 3: combined household income is four hundred thousand dollars. They cannot 154 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 3: buy a house in San Francisco or Boston or New 155 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 3: York within a sane commute. They cannot afford to have 156 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 3: three kids, pay for childcare and put them in decent schools. 157 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 3: They're doing every single thing that the merit deocratic American 158 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 3: dream told them to do, and the dream is not 159 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 3: being delivered. Their parents, at the same age, with worse 160 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 3: credentials and lower real incomes, owned a house, had three 161 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 3: kids on one salary. Something is broken here and it 162 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 3: isn't their fault, and that isn't fixed by transfers. Then 163 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:55,840 Speaker 3: he gets into the somehow building more homes, et cetera, 164 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:58,079 Speaker 3: et cetera, et cetera. But the main point being these 165 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 3: are completely different polye solutions for these groups of people 166 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:05,480 Speaker 3: that they all they put all together in one lump 167 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 3: so that you can get to the amazing headline of 168 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:10,680 Speaker 3: half of Americans are struggling to get by, and the 169 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 3: Bernie's and the aocs of the world can scream about that, 170 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:16,679 Speaker 3: right and talk about what a disaster the country is in. 171 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 1: Yeah. 172 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,719 Speaker 4: Well that gets back to one of the absolute foundational 173 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 4: principles of understanding politics, and that's that you have to 174 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 4: be convinced that you're a victim of something and that 175 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 4: the politician can. 176 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 1: Solve it for you to get your vote. 177 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 4: I mean, it's an incredibly profitable business that some of 178 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 4: the greatest minds on earth are devoted to convincing you 179 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 4: that you are the victim and not the captain of 180 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:46,200 Speaker 4: your own ship because a self reliance and saying, hey, 181 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 4: you know, honestly, you could cut back on this or whatever. 182 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 4: That's of no use to a politician. And so sometimes 183 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 4: you are the victim of something. Sometimes things are unfair, 184 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:00,599 Speaker 4: but beware of that because that's the currency of politics. 185 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: I'll hit this one paragraph because I thought NGOs and 186 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 1: especially lefty politics. 187 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, I thought this one paragraph was really good. These 188 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:10,160 Speaker 3: are two problems that require completely different policy responses. The 189 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 3: first example is a redistribution problem, requiring cash transfers, safety nets, 190 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 3: regulatory crackdowns on the worst predators. The second is a 191 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:23,080 Speaker 3: supply program and requires zoning reform occupational licensing reform, which 192 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 3: is what our friend Tim is always talking about and 193 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:29,479 Speaker 3: breaking up the entrenched cartels and housing, healthcare, education and childcare, 194 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 3: and those two different scenarios don't overlap at all. And 195 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:38,840 Speaker 3: then another interesting thing, and man, it's thick and don't 196 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 3: have time to get into it here, but he's talking 197 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 3: about what people tell polsters causes them to feel squeezed 198 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 3: the way they do. The number one thing recently is 199 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:53,200 Speaker 3: gas and food. Everybody mentions that, but in terms of 200 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 3: stuff that makes people feel like they're poor or the 201 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 3: economy has gone bad or whatever, lots of stuff like 202 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 3: I can't afford all my streaming services, I'm going to 203 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 3: have to cut back on a few, or the fact 204 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 3: that Americans spend fifty six cents of every dollar eating 205 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 3: out now and it used to be more like nineteen 206 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:24,319 Speaker 3: cents back in the day. Food dollar, food dollar, yeah, 207 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 3: I'm sorry, every food dollar. Yeah, fifty six cents of 208 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:29,960 Speaker 3: every food dollar is spent eating out, and it used 209 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 3: to be in the teens and it's been great slowly 210 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 3: over time. And if we have to cut back on that, 211 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 3: we feel like we're being squeezed. If we have kids 212 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,200 Speaker 3: that play club soccer and it's four thousand dollars a year, 213 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 3: and now you're having to think you might have to 214 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 3: eliminate it even though you're you know it didn't even 215 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:46,559 Speaker 3: it used to exist, and your kid's not going to 216 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 3: play in the World Cup or anything like that. You 217 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 3: feel like you're being squeezed. Pet healthcare is up a ton, 218 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 3: But if people can't afford all the stuff that we 219 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 3: in the modern world feel like we need for our pet, 220 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,560 Speaker 3: we feel like we're being squeezed. And we tell polls this, 221 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 3: and that's where you get a lot of the numbers 222 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:07,000 Speaker 3: that you hear bandied about and talk radio and by politicians. 223 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:10,199 Speaker 3: But how people are so miserable the whole go in 224 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,200 Speaker 3: the wrong direction thing. If you feel like the country's 225 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 3: going the wrong direction because you have to get rid 226 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 3: of one of your fifteen subscriptions, maybe your kid can't 227 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:22,360 Speaker 3: pay play four thousand dollars a year soccer, and you 228 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 3: might not get to eat out constantly. 229 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: That's a different kind of squeezed than other kinds of squeeze. 230 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 4: I think I've got a decent bottom line for you 231 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 4: and a recommendation of a great show after a quick break, 232 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:37,880 Speaker 4: So why don't we do that. We'll follow up and 233 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 4: then in a couple of minutes, one of the most famous, 234 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 4: time honored and beloved businesses in America is changing completely 235 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:47,360 Speaker 4: because of a I. 236 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 1: We'll have that as well. Cool lots on the way 237 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: you stay here. 238 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 3: If you missed the previous con conversation, I was written 239 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:06,600 Speaker 3: from the dispatch, this thing from an economics guy about 240 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 3: the affordability crisis in America, which has become such a 241 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 3: comprehensive problem or talking point for all of media and politics. 242 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 3: I mean, it's like, what's going on in America now 243 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:24,559 Speaker 3: is the affordability crisis, and both parties are trying to 244 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 3: figure out how to get your attention on that and 245 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:29,040 Speaker 3: help you out. And the point that is being made 246 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 3: in this piece is that are lots of different kinds 247 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 3: of you feel like things are too expensive now, and 248 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 3: they require very different solutions. But anyway, the point wasn't 249 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 3: like to criticize you if you feel like you need 250 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 3: to have your kid in four thousand dollars year club soccer, 251 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:49,960 Speaker 3: or want to have every streaming service. It's the point 252 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:53,920 Speaker 3: is just that these are some luxury choices that we, 253 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,840 Speaker 3: some of us can do and have decided to make. 254 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:01,920 Speaker 1: But the policy solution for being squeezed on that. Some 255 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 1: of stuff is. 256 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 3: Way different then people that are actually you know, can't 257 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 3: afford medicine and this and that. Expensive housing for professionals 258 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:14,839 Speaker 3: is a very different issue than truly poor people who 259 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:16,680 Speaker 3: don't have the capability to make it on their own, 260 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 3: needing little help. The pet healthcare, for instance, up a 261 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 3: lot people suffer over it, a chosen luxury that nineteen 262 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 3: seventy households couldn't access at all. An MRI for the 263 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 3: dog was not on the menu in nineteen seventy. Correct, 264 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 3: are people worse off because this option now exists but 265 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 3: is expensive? So now you do it and it could 266 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:40,800 Speaker 3: fit into your life, and you've decided to fit into 267 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 3: your life. But is there a policy that needs to 268 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 3: go around that, or what would the policy be? None 269 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 3: of this belongs in a serious policy conversation, writes this 270 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:49,680 Speaker 3: guy in the Dispatch. All of it shows up in 271 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 3: survey responses, though, that drive the headline affordability numbers for 272 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 3: all these political discussions we're having. When forty nine percent 273 00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 3: of Americans say they can't afford to live securely meaningfully, 274 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 3: so a meaningfully share of them are telling posters they 275 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 3: had to choose between Disney and Netflix last month. 276 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:12,480 Speaker 1: Oh no, yeah, yeah, yeah. Interesting. 277 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 4: You know the pattern is you want something, it's tough 278 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 4: for you to afford it, and the government says you 279 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 4: should be getting it for free. That's a very attractive 280 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 4: thing I was talking about. You know, the bottom line 281 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,400 Speaker 4: of politics is convincing you you're the victim of something 282 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 4: and the politician in question will solve it for you, 283 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 4: whether it's systemic racism or affordability or whatever. Advertising a 284 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 4: whole has two purposes. Number one is to inform you 285 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 4: where you can get a good or service at a 286 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:43,680 Speaker 4: good price or a high level of service. 287 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: The second one is to. 288 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 4: Create demand, to convince you that you really really need. 289 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 1: Something that you probably don't. 290 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 4: And you know, I've thought of all sorts of different 291 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 4: ways to describe this. As you look at your life, 292 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 4: you've got to figure out what is necess strip it 293 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 4: down what is necessary. Because some of the brightest minds 294 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:09,080 Speaker 4: of our generation, if they're not in politics or in advertising, 295 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 4: trying to convince you that everything is necessary, including four 296 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 4: thousand dollars a year club soccer for your kids. 297 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 1: Part of that might be environmental. 298 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:21,440 Speaker 4: Everybody around you does that, and I get that sort 299 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 4: of pressure from your kids and your peers. But you've 300 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,320 Speaker 4: just got to You got to be the captain of 301 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 4: your own ship and not let the advertising industry and 302 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 4: peer pressure dictate your life choices. 303 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 1: You just have to do that. 304 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:36,880 Speaker 3: And then in terms of actual policy stuff, tot He 305 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 3: is talking about somehow as we all got richer the 306 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 3: world of medicine, insurance and housing and colleges looked around 307 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 3: and thought, man, if people are willing to spend this 308 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 3: much on their pets and kids soccer, we got to 309 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 3: jack up the rates on all this stuff. 310 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 1: Right exactly that they can pay it. Yeah. 311 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:01,040 Speaker 4: Yeah, entertainment too. I didn't get to my great show recommendation. 312 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 4: I will throw that in right before we discuss a 313 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:06,080 Speaker 4: couple of really interesting developments in the world of AI 314 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:08,639 Speaker 4: and where it intersects with your job. 315 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:11,879 Speaker 1: That's coming up in moments, is that I got to 316 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:13,400 Speaker 1: take my job probably. 317 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:16,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, if you miss a segment like they're beginning discussion 318 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 3: about economics, get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on demand 319 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:21,479 Speaker 3: Armstrong and Getty. 320 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 5: Well, guys, everyone's getting ready for the big victory parade 321 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 5: this Thursday for the world. 322 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 1: Champion New York. 323 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:35,280 Speaker 5: It could be the largest parade in New York City history, 324 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:38,440 Speaker 5: with over one million people expected to attend. The city 325 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 5: is distributing twenty five hundred pounds of shredded paper to 326 00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:44,640 Speaker 5: office buildings along the route for workers to toss out 327 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 5: their windows. Right now, The sanitation departments like, why do 328 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 5: we even bother cleaning up from Saturday? 329 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 3: And this is at an actual, like ticker tape sort 330 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 3: of parade. 331 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 1: Oh, what sounds kind of fun. Breaking news. 332 00:17:57,359 --> 00:18:01,720 Speaker 3: Luigi MANGIONI will assert psychiatric defense in murder case. 333 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:03,679 Speaker 4: What does that mean? You're going to claim He's going 334 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:07,239 Speaker 4: to claim that he was extremely disturbed. Yeah, it's just 335 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 4: reading about that. 336 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: Because of high medical prices. 337 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 3: I don't know, not that its because his brain doesn't 338 00:18:14,119 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 3: work right, i'd guess. So he's not owning this as 339 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:21,920 Speaker 3: a brave crusade against the abuses of healthcare companies. No, 340 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:24,280 Speaker 3: he's saying I was so nuts, I had no idea 341 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:27,840 Speaker 3: what I was doing. Hey, I wish you luck with that, 342 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 3: young man. A fanboys and fangirls. He's not even claiming 343 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:32,320 Speaker 3: what you're claiming. 344 00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 1: Now. Yeah, they don't listen to logic. 345 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,040 Speaker 4: They'd say, he just has to say that because the 346 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:39,000 Speaker 4: machine is against him. 347 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:39,960 Speaker 1: Right and his eyebrows. 348 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:44,120 Speaker 4: You're idiots, You're stupid, You're stupid, stupid. I sound like Trump. Now, 349 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:47,320 Speaker 4: if you don't have a better argument, then you're stupid. 350 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:51,119 Speaker 4: You don't have an argument anyway. So a quick recommendation. 351 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 4: First of all, I was turned onto this by my 352 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:58,119 Speaker 4: friend Rick John ham of mad Men Fame got a 353 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:01,879 Speaker 4: new show on Apple TV. And if you can't afford 354 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:04,160 Speaker 4: to stream Apple TV, you're not missing out on anything. 355 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:07,639 Speaker 4: Get other entertainment. There's tons of it everywhere. Watch Friends 356 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 4: reruns that are really funny. Anyway, to get back to 357 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,920 Speaker 4: our discussion, last half hour, So John Hamm, it's called 358 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 4: Our Friends and Family. 359 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:18,440 Speaker 1: He is a high flying. 360 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 4: Rich Wall Street guy, got it all going on, the 361 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 4: beautiful wife, the huge house, the kids in the four 362 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:28,040 Speaker 4: thousand dollars a year club soccer is there, and his 363 00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:30,639 Speaker 4: wife has an affair with his best friend and dumps 364 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 4: him in for some reason. 365 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:33,400 Speaker 1: For some reason, she gets everything right. 366 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 4: Meanwhile, has duplicit his boss minor spoiler alert decides here's 367 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 4: a good chance to steal his book of business and 368 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,320 Speaker 4: get rid of him. He ends up like down and out, 369 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 4: but he's still in those high flying social circles. So 370 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,240 Speaker 4: he decides. But what he's going to do is start 371 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:56,679 Speaker 4: stealing from these a holes. And I'm telling you, if 372 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:01,200 Speaker 4: you like like insanely rich people houses. 373 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: Oh this show is and it's like, you know, you're 374 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: I don't even know where. 375 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 4: It's Stamford, Connecticut, I guess is one and like some 376 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:09,080 Speaker 4: parts of Teeneck, New Jersey where the high flying Wall 377 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:10,520 Speaker 4: Street guys live across the river. 378 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:12,920 Speaker 1: Holy crap, some of these houses. 379 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:18,479 Speaker 4: But anyway, he starts to steal from him and hilarity results. Anyway, 380 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:22,160 Speaker 4: it's a good show. So, speaking of business, I thought 381 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 4: this was interesting. I almost didn't read this story because 382 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:30,360 Speaker 4: I'm not particularly concerned about State Farms auto insurance business 383 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:32,400 Speaker 4: or the nature of the business. But to the Wall 384 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:36,359 Speaker 4: Street General is reporting on the fact that, and trust me, 385 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:39,119 Speaker 4: this is it gets more interesting as it goes that 386 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 4: they rolled out the red carpet for it's nineteen thousand 387 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 4: or so sales agents. Because State Farms, since the day 388 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:52,480 Speaker 4: it was born, which we'll talk about, has been like 389 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 4: a good neighbor. It's your agent, Jim, who's been with 390 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 4: you for years. He knows your kids' names, and he 391 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 4: when you go so went from your crappy used car 392 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:04,439 Speaker 4: to your first ever new car. Jim was there with 393 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 4: some good advice blah blah blah. So anyway, these thousands 394 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:11,040 Speaker 4: of people flying into Las Vegas on the insurers dime, 395 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 4: they get treated to I think a private pink concert. 396 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 4: Jimmy Fallon let us sing along and did some comedy 397 00:21:18,119 --> 00:21:21,200 Speaker 4: for him. They got to take selfies with Jake from 398 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:25,679 Speaker 4: State Farm, the actor with the beard, blackfellows in the 399 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:29,399 Speaker 4: red jacket. Who's in all those ads. It's just a great, 400 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 4: great time. And then the CEO took the stage at 401 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:37,719 Speaker 4: Allegiance Stadium and dropped a bombshell. Yeah, we're tearing up 402 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:40,440 Speaker 4: everybody's employment contract if you want to stay past twenty 403 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:43,400 Speaker 4: twenty seven, it's a new compensation deal. In sales, targets 404 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:47,320 Speaker 4: were incorporating lots and lots of AI. Sorry everybody. At 405 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 4: least they got to see the pink concert. So it's 406 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 4: going to be much more apps. In bots sales, you 407 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 4: go online, you click around, you get the rate from 408 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 4: State Farm, and you sign up or you don't much 409 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:03,480 Speaker 4: like the other companies. 410 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 3: Wow, so I won't mention the company I use, but 411 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:09,119 Speaker 3: it's one of the big ones and like, I know 412 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:11,359 Speaker 3: my guy. I've known him for decades. I've been with 413 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,159 Speaker 3: him for decades. He knew me before I was married. 414 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,160 Speaker 3: He coached one of my kids in little league. It's 415 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:20,920 Speaker 3: this sort of thing you're describing, and I would hate 416 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 3: it if it was just a go on AI deal 417 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:29,800 Speaker 3: with a chat bot from here now, I hate that, 418 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:31,639 Speaker 3: but I can see how it would go that direction. 419 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,639 Speaker 4: What a type of AY that was one of the 420 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:37,040 Speaker 4: agents there in Las Vegas. 421 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:40,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's the question before all of us. 422 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:43,119 Speaker 4: So just to finish up the discussion of people in 423 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:46,480 Speaker 4: their jobs only like AI, if. 424 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:51,119 Speaker 1: What the f kind of AI s it did? What 425 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:52,280 Speaker 1: a type of A. 426 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:56,400 Speaker 3: That's want to get exactly right? What you're gonna say 427 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:57,720 Speaker 3: when you call after a fender bender? 428 00:22:58,280 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: Right? 429 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:03,919 Speaker 4: Exactly? Press too for fender venders? Last three for you 430 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 4: are a fatality? Well there's an irony there. So anyway, 431 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:11,280 Speaker 4: it's like, is it going to be the most successful 432 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 4: and aggressive agents are going to stick around? It that 433 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,639 Speaker 4: the model is changing completely. I just thought this was interesting. 434 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:20,720 Speaker 4: The initiative is clearly in response to state farms at 435 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:25,600 Speaker 4: roding status in the industry. The insurer was usurped as 436 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 4: the nation's biggest personal auto insurance this year by Progressive, 437 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,960 Speaker 4: losing a throne it is held since World War Two, 438 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 4: no kidding, yeah yeah, and Progressive sells over half its 439 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 4: personal auto policies direct to consumers using AI and tech 440 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 4: to keep costs low, and State Farm, by contrast, is 441 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:50,680 Speaker 4: the goliath among agents sold auto insurance, but they're being 442 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:53,440 Speaker 4: laid low by some of the David's. Yeah, you're probably 443 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 4: going to go where most people are probably going to 444 00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:58,119 Speaker 4: go with, you know, if you're shopping around, which one's cheapest, 445 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:02,879 Speaker 4: and you know, you like the personal touch of knowing 446 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:04,800 Speaker 4: the name of the guy you call and say, hey, 447 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 4: how's your son doing? 448 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:08,760 Speaker 1: Blah blah blah. You like that, but you're not willing 449 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:11,720 Speaker 1: to pay extra for it, right right? 450 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 4: Yeah? Anyway, I thought that was interesting. A couple of 451 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:19,639 Speaker 4: other other AI type stories. Yeah, it's a sense a 452 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:21,680 Speaker 4: car insurance came up. Let me throw this in here. 453 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 4: Maybe we'll get back to AI when we come back. 454 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:27,119 Speaker 4: So a close acquaintance of mine. I will keep this vague, 455 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 4: very close acquaintance of mind. It did get into a 456 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:33,480 Speaker 4: fender bender with a gentleman in a really crappy car. 457 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 4: I mean it was like a fifteen. I saw the 458 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 4: picture after the wreck. What much of a wreck, but 459 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:43,720 Speaker 4: it was about a fifteen hundred dollars car. Did some damage. 460 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:46,000 Speaker 3: You probably totally did because it wouldn't take much damage 461 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:50,119 Speaker 3: to total a fifteen hundred dollars car. No, it wouldn't. 462 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 3: Dude got out very very angry about it. Was the 463 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 3: fault of. 464 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 1: This acquaintance of mine. 465 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:58,200 Speaker 3: Just didn't see him in a turning lane or something 466 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:04,040 Speaker 3: and just bumpers met very slow speed. Any who, guys 467 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 3: are very very very angry. That really mat This person 468 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:08,680 Speaker 3: asks over and over are you hurt? 469 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:09,680 Speaker 1: Are you hurt? Are you hurt? 470 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:11,920 Speaker 3: Hard to imagine they'd be hurt, but they said no, no, no. 471 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 3: They exchange information like you do in the modern world. 472 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:16,320 Speaker 3: You don't call the cops because they don't they're not 473 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 3: going to come. You exchange the information and move on. 474 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 3: Then you find out a week later they have made 475 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:25,119 Speaker 3: an injury claim. Oh boy, and it's from one of 476 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:27,720 Speaker 3: those big companies. I'm not gonna mention it, but I mean, 477 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,639 Speaker 3: especially if you live in California, there's like two that 478 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 3: are the giant ambulance chaser billboards in every town and 479 00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:41,040 Speaker 3: it's that company and dude is now in Mexico. 480 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:42,520 Speaker 1: Apparently, which is apparently where it's. 481 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:48,399 Speaker 3: From the guy that was in the car, And so 482 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 3: the insurance person with this friend of mine actually did this. 483 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:53,879 Speaker 3: So they're on the phone with them about the injury 484 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,720 Speaker 3: claim and the person said the insurance dude says, hold 485 00:25:57,760 --> 00:25:59,800 Speaker 3: on a second, I got to turn off the recorder. 486 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,400 Speaker 3: So see, you know the phone calls may be recorded 487 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,120 Speaker 3: for quality. It turns off the recorder and says, look, 488 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:07,800 Speaker 3: this is this is how this works. We've been through 489 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,760 Speaker 3: this a thousand times and just laid out the whole 490 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:14,720 Speaker 3: People are here from other countries and they so he 491 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:17,760 Speaker 3: told somebody I got a wreck, Oh you got to call. 492 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:20,360 Speaker 3: I'm not going to mention the name you gotta call. 493 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:22,880 Speaker 3: You know, one of the big ambulance chaser companies. 494 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: I did it. My buddy did it, and he got 495 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:25,600 Speaker 1: one hundred thousand dollars or whatever. 496 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 3: Anyway, and they turn it into a thing and and 497 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 3: you claiming your neck hurts, and you go to chiropractor 498 00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:33,520 Speaker 3: and try to rack up bills, and the insurance company 499 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:34,879 Speaker 3: fights it and it becomes a big dance. 500 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:39,199 Speaker 4: So I'm guessing what he told you after stopping the 501 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,040 Speaker 4: recording was, look, we got to just write them a 502 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:43,879 Speaker 4: little check and they go away, or do you not 503 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:44,480 Speaker 4: want to go there? 504 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 3: No, apparently it is most of the time if you 505 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:49,560 Speaker 3: just if you push back hard enough, they give up 506 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:51,720 Speaker 3: and then you don't actually have to pay anything. But 507 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:53,679 Speaker 3: if you don't, they will rack up a. 508 00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 1: Whole bunch of bills. 509 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 4: Oh, it's like the rental car company scam these days, 510 00:26:57,600 --> 00:26:59,919 Speaker 4: where they hit everybody with a hey there was a 511 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:03,199 Speaker 4: scrash at three hundred and fifty bucks place. Knowing that, 512 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:06,399 Speaker 4: you know, eighty six percent of people say wait what, No, 513 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 4: there wasn't I'll think you okay, fine, never mind, we're 514 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:10,640 Speaker 4: thinking of a different guy. 515 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:14,000 Speaker 1: But they'll collect on the sixteen percent or whatever number 516 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:17,280 Speaker 1: I implied who don't push back. 517 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:19,439 Speaker 3: Remember I got that that with the chip in the 518 00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:21,840 Speaker 3: windshield night They hit me for eighteen hundred bucks or 519 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,880 Speaker 3: something like that. And it hurts when I think about it, 520 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:29,119 Speaker 3: It really hurts. I won't mention the company, but I 521 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 3: told my and then I told my insurance people about it, 522 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 3: and they said, yeah, they do that that. The company 523 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:35,960 Speaker 3: especially does this all the time. Will deal with it. 524 00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:38,280 Speaker 1: And I don't know how it got worked out. But yeah, 525 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:43,800 Speaker 1: that sucks. All of that sucks. Yeah, sucky suckitude. What 526 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:44,399 Speaker 1: should you do? 527 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,360 Speaker 3: What's the best way to protect yourself? You get into 528 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 3: a fender bender, get on the phone the person saying 529 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:54,640 Speaker 3: they're not hurt, have your phone out recording the whole time. 530 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:55,120 Speaker 1: Are you hurt? 531 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:58,680 Speaker 3: So that when they say repeatedly no, I'm fine, because 532 00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:03,440 Speaker 3: I don't know that that works, because you could. When 533 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,399 Speaker 3: I had my motorcycle rack, I bopped up people around 534 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:08,199 Speaker 3: me who would stop their cars and everything like that. 535 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,680 Speaker 3: I'm bleeding all over the place, I'm limping. Are you okay, 536 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:14,919 Speaker 3: I'm fine. I'm fine, I said repeatedly. Hours later I 537 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 3: was not fine at all. So just because you said 538 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:21,400 Speaker 3: you're not hurt then doesn't mean you're not hurt, right. 539 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 3: I don't know how you get I don't know how 540 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:24,199 Speaker 3: you protect yourself against that. 541 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:25,119 Speaker 1: Gosh, I don't know. 542 00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:31,120 Speaker 4: I would consult a lawyer, one legitimate, one crooked, and combine. 543 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:33,480 Speaker 4: There are two sets of advice into what seems best 544 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:33,920 Speaker 4: for you. 545 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:34,359 Speaker 1: Friend. 546 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:38,640 Speaker 3: You imagine dealing with that constantly as an insurance company 547 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:43,040 Speaker 3: or an insurance guy. Just oh boy, another especially the 548 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:44,520 Speaker 3: I'm from a foreign land. 549 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:51,719 Speaker 4: Yeah yeah, So you got furriners driving heaps, probably intentionally 550 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:54,720 Speaker 4: provoking fender penders. I could so easily see, like in 551 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,520 Speaker 4: a right turn lane, the infamous the guy starts to go, 552 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:00,120 Speaker 4: then stops and you're looking to see whether there's a gasp, 553 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 4: and you roll into them. 554 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:03,240 Speaker 3: This person, who had never had a wreck before, said, 555 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 3: I don't know how it happened, Like, I literally do 556 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:06,480 Speaker 3: not know how it happened. 557 00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 4: Yeah, it is entirely possible. I mean it just that they, 558 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:14,720 Speaker 4: you know, put it in reverse and then in neutral 559 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:17,840 Speaker 4: coasted Indians and came out screaming, Oh my god, you 560 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 4: hit me. 561 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,600 Speaker 1: They do this for a living. Yeah, in a crappy car. Yeah, 562 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:24,040 Speaker 1: absolutely absolutely. 563 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 4: It's kind of a funny coincidence, isn't it that it 564 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:27,800 Speaker 4: was a really crappy car. 565 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:32,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's stinks. Stinks hit by a very very very 566 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:34,160 Speaker 1: not crappy car. 567 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 3: So which would lead the driver to think that maybe 568 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:41,760 Speaker 3: there were some opportunities there. Oh yeah yeah, deep pockets 569 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:44,320 Speaker 3: please interesting if you know anything about that textas four 570 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 3: one five two nine five kftc. If you know anything 571 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 3: about the slipping Jimmy's out there four one five two 572 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:51,360 Speaker 3: nine five KFTC. 573 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,920 Speaker 1: More on the AI. What did it coming up? 574 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 3: The Vice President jad Vance has explained in a couple 575 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,480 Speaker 3: of different settings now in the last eighteen hours why 576 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 3: we're not allowed to see the memorandra of understanding. It 577 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 3: makes sense, so stay tuned. We'll get to that hour three. 578 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 3: Except that it doesn't at all. Who's a greater threat, 579 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:23,440 Speaker 3: China or Anthropic. The Trump administration seems to be torn 580 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 3: and leaning toward Anthropic. Is They just essentially banned the 581 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 3: export of Anthropic's newest. 582 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:31,920 Speaker 1: Advanced AI model. 583 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 4: And since Anthropic has no idea of where people are really, 584 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:41,880 Speaker 4: they've essentially banned the product. And the journals writing about 585 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:44,920 Speaker 4: there are all sorts of signs. The White House has 586 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 4: a I can think of one expression, but it's unfortunate, 587 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 4: it's impolite. They have it in for Anthropic. There's something 588 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,560 Speaker 4: going on there. They bad mouthed Anthropic in a number 589 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 4: of ways. Now they're trying to hog time as China 590 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 4: forges ahead with its AI products, and it's not. 591 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:07,920 Speaker 1: Clear at all to the. 592 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 4: Journal why they are so fixated on Anthropic. That's a 593 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,960 Speaker 4: story we'll get into as it develops. Came across this. 594 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:18,160 Speaker 4: This is also the Wall Street Journal. We've talked about 595 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:23,360 Speaker 4: this jack now for a while. AI supercharges deep fake nudes, 596 00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:28,200 Speaker 4: unleashing a new form of bullying among kids. Evidently, the 597 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:34,160 Speaker 4: new defy tools are easily accessible and everywhere, and parents 598 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:37,840 Speaker 4: in schools are struggling to protect young victims and they 599 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 4: go into the inevitable examples. Right exactly last year, boy 600 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:45,400 Speaker 4: creating a deep fake image of this gal's middle school 601 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:48,360 Speaker 4: daughter shared it on Snapchat with other kids who took screenshots, 602 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 4: shared him in the hallways during school, and then you know, 603 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,280 Speaker 4: the local cops got involved in the administration. 604 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 3: The only thing that's going to stop this is there 605 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:01,800 Speaker 3: will be a thousand different versions of every cute girl 606 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:06,000 Speaker 3: and every grade that everybody's already seen, so it doesn't matter. 607 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:08,320 Speaker 1: That's the only thing that's going to fix it. Right. 608 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:12,840 Speaker 4: Getting to that point, the local police told her the 609 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:14,560 Speaker 4: best way to get the photo off line was to 610 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:18,400 Speaker 4: upload it to a website that specializes in removing deep fakes. 611 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:22,480 Speaker 4: But because the image depicted a naked miner, federal law 612 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:26,160 Speaker 4: prevented the police from giving her the image. Instead, they 613 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:27,840 Speaker 4: gave her a black and white print out of the 614 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:32,120 Speaker 4: image instead. They couldn't give it to her electronically and 615 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:34,720 Speaker 4: the police told her daughter would likely need to testify 616 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:37,280 Speaker 4: if she pressed charges, the boy would face limited consequences 617 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 4: because he was a minor. Yeah, to your point, and 618 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:42,360 Speaker 4: do not take this for a single second. Is somehow 619 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:48,040 Speaker 4: approved of this incredibly embarrassing My god, an adolescent, especially 620 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 4: an adolescent girl. 621 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:52,200 Speaker 1: It's just it's so bad. 622 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:57,440 Speaker 4: I have not heard anybody come within one hundred miles 623 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 4: of an enforceable First Amendment safe way to deal with 624 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:09,480 Speaker 4: this that will be effective. I think you're right, and 625 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 4: maybe this is giving up prematurely. And if you have 626 00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 4: a solution, by god, craft it and get it to 627 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:19,120 Speaker 4: the authorities immediately. It's got to get to the point 628 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:21,440 Speaker 4: that this is so old hat people are like, yeah, 629 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:26,080 Speaker 4: that's not me. Whatever, right, and remove the sting. I mean, 630 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 4: it reminds me in a weird way. Although again we're 631 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:32,320 Speaker 4: talking about adolescent girls here mostly, although boys too, who 632 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:37,360 Speaker 4: would be absolutely mortified. You know, back when, back in 633 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:40,160 Speaker 4: the day, when the de crowd, the neo Marxist would 634 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:42,240 Speaker 4: call somebody a racist, they'd immediately be like. 635 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:44,520 Speaker 1: Oh my god, no, wait, I'm not a racist. Time 636 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:46,400 Speaker 1: I'm not. I'm not. What do I have to do 637 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:48,080 Speaker 1: to why'd you call me that, what do I have 638 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:48,760 Speaker 1: to do now? 639 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:52,080 Speaker 4: It's like, shut up, No, I'm not that the sting 640 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:55,480 Speaker 4: has been taken away, because it's it's everywhere, all the time, 641 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:59,400 Speaker 4: and it's it's incredibly disingenuous. I don't I don't understand 642 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:01,680 Speaker 4: any other way to get to where we need to 643 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:07,080 Speaker 4: go on this stuff. It's ubiquitous, it's effortless. Yeah, it 644 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:11,000 Speaker 4: takes no talent. Right, And if you're talking, especially if 645 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:15,160 Speaker 4: you're talking about an adult, and I'm not in favor 646 00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,000 Speaker 4: of this, and I don't do this, but you could 647 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:20,719 Speaker 4: absolutely say I'm within my First Amendment rights to say, 648 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:25,439 Speaker 4: paint a picture of say Hillary Clinton naked as some 649 00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 4: sort of political statement. What that statement would be and 650 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:32,600 Speaker 4: if anybody on earth would want to look at it 651 00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:39,640 Speaker 4: is another couple of questions. I build Clucking Bill appreciating 652 00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:44,279 Speaker 4: that one. Yes, I I don't. I don't see how 653 00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:48,279 Speaker 4: he fixed this. No more than half of US teens 654 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:50,960 Speaker 4: who took a recent George Mason University survey said they'd 655 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,319 Speaker 4: created at least one image using neudification tools. A third 656 00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:56,440 Speaker 4: said someone had created and shared a nude image of 657 00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:59,080 Speaker 4: them without their permission. That seems very, very high, but 658 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:01,680 Speaker 4: grantiates high. 659 00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:03,799 Speaker 3: Well, but just because they've heard of it, everybody's tried 660 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:05,920 Speaker 3: it at least once. I gotta think the fund goes 661 00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:07,200 Speaker 3: out of it pretty damn fast. 662 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:09,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, believe it or not. 663 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:12,560 Speaker 4: I'm going to tell you something interesting about England's World 664 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 4: Cup soccer team. Next hour and JD explaining why we're 665 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,560 Speaker 4: not allowed to see the terms of a deal that 666 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:21,560 Speaker 4: the United States has struck to end a war. 667 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:25,000 Speaker 3: I can't imagine a good reason, but we'll hear what 668 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:27,400 Speaker 3: he has to say. The short version, we're not allowed 669 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:29,280 Speaker 3: to allowed by whom? 670 00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:29,879 Speaker 1: Right? 671 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 3: Aren't we the winners? Don't we get to dictate the terms? 672 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:36,720 Speaker 4: Armstrong and Getty