1 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:11,280 Speaker 1: It's that time, time, time, time, luck and load. The 2 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: Michael Varie Show is on the air. 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 2: There are cultural impediments to doing this work. Let's say 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 2: you work in the FBI. You know that one of 5 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 2: the two political parties is, let me put it nicely, 6 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 2: white supremacist adjacent at a minimum. 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 3: So there's a lot of people that are like, you 8 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 3: know what, like, let's go find the safest white boy 9 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 3: we can find. 10 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: Poor kids are just as bright and just as talent 11 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: as white kids. 12 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 3: Is that this election has proven, that this administration has 13 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 3: proven painfully in some ways, is that black people cannot 14 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 3: save this country from white folks. 15 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: All right, I want you to listen carefully to what 16 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: I'm about to play. Thirty second clip. It's is Adrian 17 00:00:51,840 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: Garcia who knows better. Adrian Garcia ran for city council 18 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:06,400 Speaker 1: while I was on the city council, and Gabe Vozkaz 19 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: at the last minute ran for controller or maybe mayor, 20 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 1: I don't remember what it was. But he runs for 21 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: mayor and at the last minute, and I think he 22 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: had wired it where this is one of these games 23 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: people play. They their hand pick candidate's going to replace them. 24 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:33,400 Speaker 1: The following deadline is five o'clock. At four fifty five, 25 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: Adrian Garcia walks in. He'd been an HPD officer and 26 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: at the time he was like an HPD liaison with 27 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,680 Speaker 1: City Council, so I had worked with him in a 28 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: purely professional capacity. He was very responsive if I had 29 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: questions after hours, if I had a question before council, 30 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: mean he've had a question when middle of council because 31 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: the numbers didn't up, or I needed to know the history. 32 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: He was He was responsive, he was polite, respectful. I 33 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: had good things to say about Hadrian. I didn't think 34 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,799 Speaker 1: he was the sharpest pencil in the pack. He wasn't 35 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: going to figure out how we get to mars Elon, 36 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: wasn't going to hire him to fix the Texas the 37 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: Tesla battery deficiency. But he seemed honest, straightforward, solid, consistent. 38 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:34,399 Speaker 1: There was well, you know, I'll leave that alone. Then 39 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: he he runs and he wins, and we were happy. 40 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: Thought he's a reasonable guy. I didn't have any illusions 41 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: that he might be delusions that he might be Republican. 42 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: But it didn't matter much on City council if you 43 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:53,119 Speaker 1: didn't let people outside council infect your mind and tell 44 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: you you needed to be down there. You know, Ada 45 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 1: Edwards would would think she was you know some you 46 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: know Angela Davis, Black Power, the rent is too damn 47 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: high guy, or Kami Mamdani or Jasmine Crockett. She'd get 48 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: a little carried away on that, which wasn't necessary. But Adrian, 49 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:21,519 Speaker 1: we expected good things, and by and large he was okay. Well, 50 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: I noticed as I was leaving he was being recruited 51 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,799 Speaker 1: by the Democrat party that picked him, that he was 52 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: they were going to run in for president, for mayor 53 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: or congress because he was a Hispanic mail with a 54 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: law enforcement background and this this is that that was 55 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: easily controlled. So he serves out his term. I think 56 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: he ran for mayor and got beaten. And it was 57 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: the woman who ran his campaign who was the one 58 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: who Lena Hidalgo was trying to give the twenty million 59 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: dollars to that got her three top eight. He's indicted. 60 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: So Adrian then runs for sheriff and it was a 61 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: year the Democrats swept, So he gets swept into office. Well, 62 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: a lot of people are looking around, going, this is 63 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: a nice guy, but can he handle the department like this? Well, 64 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:26,720 Speaker 1: I guess we're about to find out. So he goes 65 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: in and he decides he wants to be county commissioner, 66 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: and he runs a pretty good race, and Adrian is 67 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:44,119 Speaker 1: very good at east Side politics. Politics on the east 68 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: Side of Houston are very different than elsewhere. It's very 69 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:57,160 Speaker 1: much working class Chicano Tehano Mexican American, different people to 70 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 1: find themselves differently, but it's very much kind of a 71 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:05,479 Speaker 1: working class Hispanic base that are not real deep into 72 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: ideological issues. It comes from a Latin American political You 73 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: cheer for your politician the way you cheer for your 74 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: soccer team. I got it on Si delos Minos. Well 75 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 1: why why though? Why because they are team oh okay, 76 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: and so you cheer for your team and your colors 77 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: and and you're loyal and you'll be there forever. But 78 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: why because it's our team? Okay? But but why? Uh 79 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 1: mean familia? And so there's this there's this family god 80 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: community and our colors. And the NFL interesting has tapped 81 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:50,600 Speaker 1: into this demographic because these are very very loyal fans. 82 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: NFL loves them because they're not buying the front row 83 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: seat or the suites, but they will show up when 84 00:05:57,800 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: you're oh, and sixteen to the last game of the 85 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:01,720 Speaker 1: Sea and it feels so weird to say that ramon 86 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: seventeen game seasons, so weird. But they will show up 87 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: when you're on sixteen. 88 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 2: They will. 89 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:08,920 Speaker 1: They will buy a jersey with their favorite player's name 90 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:12,599 Speaker 1: on the back, or just just to be kind of cool, 91 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 1: they may show up with Andre Johnson, you know, on 92 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:21,279 Speaker 1: the back, or JJ Watt. They'll drink a lot of beers, Budwezer. 93 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 1: They'll go afterwards, they'll stagger out of there. They'll be 94 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: They're always a man on the street. If you if 95 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 1: you see a video of a man on the street 96 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,919 Speaker 1: after an Astros or a Texans game and we've just 97 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 1: lost a heartbreaker, you know, the white people are like, 98 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 1: I'm down with this team. Screw them, man, I've been 99 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: been a fan for a long I'm sick of my 100 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: heart being broken. I'm done with this. And he strolls off. 101 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: He'll be back, but right now, boy, he's had enough. 102 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,479 Speaker 1: And then here will come some little Chikano dude. He's 103 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: got his jersey on, and they're like, what do you 104 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 1: think And he'll interrupt them in the middle. You think you, oh, man, 105 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: we're going to support a man. These are astros, and 106 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: we are going to be here for them and I 107 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: will never forget them. Put on either these are my team. 108 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:16,800 Speaker 1: Uh see him, I mean familiar and it's great man 109 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: on the street video because it's like, you know this 110 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: is this is the hometown fan. They believe. Well, that's 111 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: kind of what Adrian was campaigning to and he's good 112 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: at that. It's not to say he's not. Ben Reyes 113 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 1: was good at that. He gets elected commissioner and he 114 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 1: starts having visions of running for a bigger office, including 115 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:42,040 Speaker 1: Sylvia Garcia's congressional seat. The audio I'm about to play 116 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:45,880 Speaker 1: you has set off every law enforcement agency in the 117 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: regions in the region. Now, I'm sad to say this 118 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: because they're friends of mine, but they'll all come back 119 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 1: together and support him and raise money for him when 120 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: he runs for re election. But today they're pretty pissed. 121 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: I'd like to see them so mad at him that 122 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: he regrets his comment for the rest of his career. 123 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: But I have found it to be the case that 124 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: a lot of law enforcement agency representatives are purely transactional, 125 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: and if you're gonna win, they're gonna support you, and 126 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: so you never really teach a guy like this to 127 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: stop the nonsense. But we shall see. I'll play that 128 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 1: audio just man I got caught up in the Picano 129 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:22,760 Speaker 1: Astros fan. You know that guy. You gotta love that guy. 130 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: We are going to win next year. We have next 131 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 1: year already next year beginning. 132 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 3: Now you've got. 133 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: Manos. 134 00:08:30,000 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 4: The Michael Berry Show. 135 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: Is as talking about talking about nineteen eighty nine Oscar Arius, 136 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: president of Costa Rica, wins the Nobel Prize for Peace. 137 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: Or read an article that they call him. It's two 138 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 1: o'clock in the morning in San Jose, the capitol. He 139 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: rolls over, picks up the phone and they said, senor audience, 140 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: you have won the Nobel Prize for Peace. And he 141 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: says the prize is for Costa Rica. Well, that story 142 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: hit me. I liked it. You know, this was like 143 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:18,559 Speaker 1: John F. Kennedy making Winston Churchill an honorary citizen and 144 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:23,720 Speaker 1: proclaiming at the ceremony that Prime Minister Churchill had mobilized 145 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 1: the English language and sent it into battle. I was 146 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:32,480 Speaker 1: moved by such words and concepts, and so I decided 147 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:33,839 Speaker 1: then in there I was going to go to Costa 148 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: Rica that summer. I had raised the money go to 149 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: d C summer before, and had learned a lot about politics. 150 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 1: Now I wanted to learn Spanish and travel abroad, which 151 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,200 Speaker 1: I'd never been. So I raised ten thousand dollars from Orange. 152 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,680 Speaker 1: My poor sweet mother told me before I left, when 153 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 1: she should have said, how proud she was of me 154 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 1: that I'd done this without asking for a penny. She said, 155 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:59,199 Speaker 1: You've made us look like the poorest people at Orange 156 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 1: around town with your begging board asking for one hundred 157 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: dollars apiece. Should I have asked for two? But I 158 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 1: think about this. One hundred businesses supported me at one 159 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: hundred dollars apiece. I mean a lot of businesses wouldn't 160 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 1: write you one hundred dollars in twenty twenty five, and 161 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,560 Speaker 1: that's thirty six years later. One hundred dollars was more 162 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:21,319 Speaker 1: than it is today. That was nice. They didn't know me. 163 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 1: Wasn't some prominent families to go to church with them. 164 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: They just did it because I told them what I 165 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: was going to do. Bawban Enterprise gave me a commission 166 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: to write a series called the Youth's Young Writers, Young Writers, 167 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: and so I would write, you know, kind of dispatch 168 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 1: his back. That was my own Hunter S. Thompson in 169 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: my own mind. So I go down there, and I 170 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: get there, and I have a host family that I'm 171 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:55,880 Speaker 1: living with, and I would go to this place called 172 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:59,200 Speaker 1: the Central Cultreal every day. And it's where all the 173 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: old Americans would gather to read American newspapers and drink 174 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:06,680 Speaker 1: coffee and gossip. Because at the time, if you would 175 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: spend two thousand dollars a month US dollars in the 176 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: country in any way, shape or form, you could live 177 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:16,080 Speaker 1: tax free. You could live like a king, like the 178 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:19,439 Speaker 1: government protected you. They were trying to bring us. They 179 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:21,560 Speaker 1: were trying to bring Americans down there, and so you 180 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: had people who were pensioners. What two thousand dollars a month, 181 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: even in nineteen eighty nine wasn't a lot of money 182 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 1: in the US. But you got some guy that's a 183 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 1: truck driver, plant worker, police officer, and he's got twenty 184 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: five hundred dollars a month in a pension for the 185 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: rest of his life. And they moved down there and live, 186 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: I mean absolutely like kings. Some of them take up 187 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,800 Speaker 1: young Costa Rican wives start a whole different family, but 188 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 1: that's a different issue. And I would go there every 189 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 1: day and I would sit and I realized, I can't 190 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,560 Speaker 1: hang around these Americans are all speak English all day. 191 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 1: So I would just wander through the streets and I 192 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: would ask people for directions. And I'll never forget the 193 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: first time a parade like almost like a festival. It 194 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,600 Speaker 1: was almost impromptu, like in New Orleans. Was the second 195 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:14,439 Speaker 1: line what do they call it? It just burst up 196 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 1: and it was Costa Rica trying to qualify for their 197 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:24,720 Speaker 1: very first World Cup. They were the Coca Caf I 198 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:28,840 Speaker 1: think it was called, was the Caribbean the I forget 199 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 1: the categories. I'm not a soccer nut, but I try 200 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 1: to learn a little bit about everything, and that was 201 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: their song and soccer for Costa Rica. They didn't they 202 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:42,559 Speaker 1: didn't qualify in the Olympics. They didn't have a bobsledding 203 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 1: team and the dream team of basketball and the skate shooting, 204 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:51,680 Speaker 1: and they didn't have Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis and 205 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 1: Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps. This was it, man, if 206 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:59,719 Speaker 1: they could get into the World Cup, their little their 207 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:02,560 Speaker 1: little country, their little soccer team. And so you know, 208 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 1: San Jose is the central hub of the so there 209 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:08,720 Speaker 1: was so much excitement. I never see anything like this. 210 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,719 Speaker 1: And in Latin American cities everything people come to the 211 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: Central Park. And it's funny when Houstonians tell me, you know, 212 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: we should be like New York, we should have a 213 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 1: central park. Why don't you go there for a week 214 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: after dark by yourself, no cops, and see how long 215 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 1: it takes till you get butt raped. But I'm a 216 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: man a point exactly, if you're lucky, you'll just be mugged. 217 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: You don't go to the park because you don't have 218 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:36,000 Speaker 1: to go to the park. You have a park in 219 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:39,800 Speaker 1: your backyard. They don't you ever notice those people aren't 220 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 1: leaving their home in Yonkers to drive into the park. 221 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 1: That's not how that works. The people of Long Island 222 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: don't drive back into town to go to the Central Park. 223 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:56,280 Speaker 1: Nor do they ride the subway if they can help it. 224 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,360 Speaker 1: But that song would break out, and I would remember 225 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 1: the words, even though I didn't remember what they know 226 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 1: what they meant. I didn't have any way to download it, 227 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: so I would write them down phonetically. Good news is 228 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: Spanish is almost one hundred percent purely phonetic, And I'd 229 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: write them down, and later I would ask people to 230 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: explain them well, unfortunately, most people don't know how to 231 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 1: create a synonym for a word that has H has 232 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: the same meaning. I got it on say kay significa, oh, 233 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 1: leiban tha, leibon, Oh lift up yes lois mano your 234 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:41,760 Speaker 1: hands lift ah raise your hand raised, that's raiser ah. 235 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: I got it. But it's the best way to learn language. 236 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 1: And I have such fond memories of that. Not sure 237 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 1: why I told you that story, but it was top 238 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:51,840 Speaker 1: of mind. Oh because I mentioned that song and it 239 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: was playing in my head. So here was what County 240 00:15:54,640 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: Commissioner Adrian Garcia said at Commissioner's Court yesterday, which lucky 241 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: for him, is being overshadowed because of Lena Hidalgo pitching 242 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: a fit. 243 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 5: Jonathan, it would I be able to or would the 244 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 5: court be able to make some request short of a 245 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 5: demand that our county law enforcement not cooperate with Ice, 246 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,840 Speaker 5: that I would like to take the discussion into executive session. 247 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 3: Given there's tremendous legal risk around that, I do think 248 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 3: there's some things we could do around that. 249 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:41,960 Speaker 1: Hold on, we'll make sure you understand what just happened, 250 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 1: Adrian Garcia said, can you figure out a way legally 251 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: that our jail would not cooperate with the federal officials 252 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 1: in Ice trying to remove murderers and deport them as 253 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:59,400 Speaker 1: the president has or think about that for a moment. 254 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: The Michael Barry shows. You know, this drives me crazy 255 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:09,240 Speaker 1: when you do this kind of thing I would do 256 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 1: to other people. You know that one Donometta is not 257 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:21,640 Speaker 1: Costa Rican, you know it's Mexican. Seven one three nine 258 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 1: one thousand, seven one three nine nine one thousand. Reminds 259 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:34,200 Speaker 1: me of that great Mexican freedom fighter Jose Marti seven 260 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: one three nine nine one thousand in that fantastic, fantastic 261 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:47,080 Speaker 1: group that had such a resurgence. Are really I guess 262 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:49,560 Speaker 1: you can't. I can't. You can't make a comeback if 263 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 1: you never were Buena Vista Social Club from just south 264 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:59,520 Speaker 1: to California on the Baja Peninsula. Boy, they had a minute, 265 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:05,440 Speaker 1: didn't they. And the Gypsy Kings O man, I tell 266 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: you my second favorite Mexican woman singer Gloria Stefan. She 267 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:16,119 Speaker 1: was something and El Puma ol Puma with bay La Baylah. 268 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: That was a good Mexican right there. Mm hmm. So 269 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:28,399 Speaker 1: a little story, Let's see if I can find it. 270 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,120 Speaker 1: I was talking to Paul Lambert. Paul Lambert stepped into 271 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:38,760 Speaker 1: Eddie Martini's shoes when Eddie became the division president, and 272 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,600 Speaker 1: that means he's head of many, many markets, not just 273 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:42,439 Speaker 1: Houston now. 274 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:43,760 Speaker 5: And. 275 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 1: So I was we were talking about something. Uh oh, 276 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 1: he had sent an email to everybody saying about He 277 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:57,520 Speaker 1: called it email etiquette, and he said, hey, guys, and 278 00:18:57,560 --> 00:18:59,159 Speaker 1: he said it in a very polite way. I wouldn't have 279 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:02,119 Speaker 1: been so polite. Hey, you know, somebody sends you an email, 280 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:06,879 Speaker 1: acknowledge it. So if somebody says, hey, I'm interested in 281 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 1: being on the Michael Berry Show, which is why I 282 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,399 Speaker 1: always tell people send it to me first, then I 283 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,840 Speaker 1: can make sure you're taken care of. Oh well, I 284 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:18,760 Speaker 1: didn't want to bother you. So you called the national number, 285 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: got sent to New York, who sent you to Florida, 286 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:22,560 Speaker 1: who sent you to Arizona, and now you have a 287 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:25,159 Speaker 1: rep I've never met in place. Well you bothered me, 288 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: all right. You bothered me by not being able to 289 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:31,640 Speaker 1: help you when I tell you contact me directly. This 290 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 1: is my business. I live my business. I don't have hobbies. 291 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:37,440 Speaker 1: I talk on the air. I take care of businesses. 292 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:40,640 Speaker 1: That's what I do, and I take care of businesses 293 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 1: by connecting them with listeners and making sure they take 294 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,720 Speaker 1: care of our listeners. And then it all works. When 295 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:49,359 Speaker 1: you do me the favor you think of not bothering me, 296 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,040 Speaker 1: you cause yourself a bunch of problems, and in the 297 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 1: end me problems because now I got to deal with 298 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:58,119 Speaker 1: some rep in Arizona. Hey, have you ever heard of 299 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: so and so? They're really nice people. They like to 300 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 1: sponsor the show. How do you know they're nice people. 301 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: I just spoke to them. So they want to spend 302 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:09,920 Speaker 1: a bunch of money. Their nice pens seem real nice, 303 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 1: real nice. Yeah, well they're in green energy and I 304 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 1: don't do green energy, so no, we're not going to 305 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 1: do that. That's my way of saying. Email me directly 306 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:22,960 Speaker 1: through the website Michael Berryshow dot com. His email was 307 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,040 Speaker 1: about email etiquette, and he'd send it to all the 308 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:30,359 Speaker 1: all the employees at our company, and I I had 309 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:32,240 Speaker 1: to reach out to him and say, gosh, I'm so 310 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:35,920 Speaker 1: glad that that's such a well written email. I wasn't 311 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:37,960 Speaker 1: asked kissing, Ramon, I don't need to ask, Okay, I 312 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,320 Speaker 1: was ask kissing. I mean, wasn't that Okay, the act 313 00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 1: itself is a kissing, but the worst kind of ass 314 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 1: kissing is when you're as kissing saying something you don't believe. 315 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:50,160 Speaker 1: I was saying something I believed, but yes, it did 316 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,160 Speaker 1: fit into the category of ask kissing. I would admit 317 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 1: to that. So anyway, the point was I hate when 318 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:03,719 Speaker 1: someone emails our team are giving example, Emily has been 319 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,919 Speaker 1: yelled at before she's learned, Hey, as long as you 320 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:10,520 Speaker 1: learn from it. Someone email, Hey, I'm interested in going 321 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,040 Speaker 1: on the Palm Beach trip. Can you send me the 322 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:17,840 Speaker 1: price and some details? And by the way, can I 323 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 1: do this thing? Or will this happen? And so she'll think, well, 324 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 1: I don't want to bother Michael, so let me figure 325 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 1: out an answer to that question, so that when I 326 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:30,960 Speaker 1: respond to them, I can give them price dates and 327 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:35,239 Speaker 1: an answer to that question. And so two days into it, 328 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 1: she's still reviewing it. Well, what does the listener do? Hey, 329 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,679 Speaker 1: and Emily and I both get our emails. Everything I 330 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:47,680 Speaker 1: receive she receives in a carbon copy and she can 331 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:50,159 Speaker 1: respond to it or I will respond to it. And 332 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:52,120 Speaker 1: if I respond to it, she sees that that way 333 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,320 Speaker 1: she always knows what my interactions are so she can 334 00:21:55,359 --> 00:21:57,880 Speaker 1: step in and take care of anything before I even 335 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:01,600 Speaker 1: need to if I'm on air. And so two days 336 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:04,679 Speaker 1: go by, email comes again. Hey, just want to make 337 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,840 Speaker 1: sure you got my email because I haven't heard back. 338 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: And so my rule is, you don't have to do 339 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: what the person is asking. You don't have to give 340 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: them answers to the question they're asking. You don't have 341 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:23,680 Speaker 1: to perform the task they're asked. Acknowledge the email. If 342 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 1: you go up to somebody's house and they're inside going, uh, 343 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,080 Speaker 1: probably take me about twenty minutes to get dressed, let 344 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 1: me go ahead and get started. I'll go upstairs. They're 345 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:37,639 Speaker 1: gonna leave right and come back. But if you were 346 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 1: to say give me just a second, they now know 347 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:48,120 Speaker 1: you've acknowledged, and they wait. These are basic, basic task tasks. Son, 348 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,880 Speaker 1: easy word. So I send him an email telling him 349 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,080 Speaker 1: that story and how Emily's tired of hearing about it. 350 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:57,560 Speaker 1: And he said, my parents opened a small supermarket when 351 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,440 Speaker 1: I was nine years old. When my dad's think one 352 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:04,399 Speaker 1: of my dad's things that he harped on religiously to 353 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:09,000 Speaker 1: the employees and me was immediately acknowledged. Every single person 354 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 1: who walks through the door His specific quote was, and 355 00:23:14,359 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: I heard it more times than I can possibly remember. 356 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,360 Speaker 1: I don't care if you tell them to go to hell. 357 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:25,159 Speaker 1: At least they'll feel acknowledged. That was the concept behind 358 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:31,280 Speaker 1: the Walmart. Greader, you have foregone your local hardware store, 359 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:38,679 Speaker 1: your local bike store, your local supplies and Sundrys, and 360 00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: you have given up everything that gave your life meaning 361 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:46,720 Speaker 1: human connection. You have sold your soul and you will 362 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 1: regret it. I remember when everybody was so excited they 363 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 1: had a Walmart that come to town. Everybody regretted it, 364 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 1: but at that moment they are so excited. So now 365 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 1: you're basically just going in like zombies and here are 366 00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:08,119 Speaker 1: your cheap Chinese chachkes, just boxes of commodities. Nobody to 367 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:12,920 Speaker 1: help you, Nobody that you know ever touched this product. 368 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:18,800 Speaker 1: It was all. It was all forklifted after it came 369 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 1: on a big ship on a slow train, on a 370 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:24,960 Speaker 1: slow ship from China, and the only thing that human 371 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,200 Speaker 1: being ever did for a while till they got them 372 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 1: out of that was to scan it for you. And 373 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:32,520 Speaker 1: so all the people that had lost their jobs at 374 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:36,360 Speaker 1: the other stores ended up being scanners there, even though 375 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 1: they had the paint department or hardware at the local 376 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:42,080 Speaker 1: store you'd been going to for years. But in order 377 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:46,760 Speaker 1: to try to humanize the process. Brilliant, brilliant concept, they 378 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:49,159 Speaker 1: put old men and old women at the front to 379 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: greet you. It was absolutely genius. And I see this 380 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:56,880 Speaker 1: all the time when businesses will tell me they want 381 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:59,720 Speaker 1: me to come tour their business. And I can't tour 382 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 1: every but sometimes if I'm in the area, I'll stop 383 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 1: in and they want to show me all their technology. 384 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 1: Hey a, I can do this and replace these three people. Okay, 385 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,159 Speaker 1: well that's good, you got them off your payroll. I 386 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,119 Speaker 1: get that. But let me ask you this. What I 387 00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:18,359 Speaker 1: don't like a chatbot? Oh no, no, the chatbot can answer. 388 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:21,120 Speaker 1: I don't like a chatbot. I won't use a chatbot. 389 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:25,920 Speaker 1: I think in the process a lot of business. It's 390 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:27,720 Speaker 1: one thing for big businesses, they don't care, they have 391 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:31,119 Speaker 1: no soul. But if you're a small business, don't lose 392 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: what differentiated you. You're never going to out technology to 393 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: big boys, out customer service, the human connection. Growing up 394 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:47,679 Speaker 1: in Spanish hustle, I guess young people will never appreciate it. 395 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: But for my generation, and I guess you're an old soul, 396 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:56,359 Speaker 1: So you're more in my generation than your own. But 397 00:25:56,440 --> 00:26:01,280 Speaker 1: the idea that these great bands would gather around the 398 00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:06,640 Speaker 1: bandleader guitarist who himself was not a vocalist, Carlos Santana, 399 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: Ted NuGen, I mean, there's so many of those, it's 400 00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:15,640 Speaker 1: just fascinating to me. Little Debbie's name and image were 401 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:22,840 Speaker 1: first used in nineteen sixty when the McKees packaging supplier 402 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: Bob Mosher suggested using a family member's name to market 403 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: the new Family pack of The first item that was 404 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:41,320 Speaker 1: used the name that was used for the oat Mill 405 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 1: cream Pies to market that oat Mill oat Mill cream Pies. Correct, 406 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:56,680 Speaker 1: So what was the name of the person and that 407 00:26:56,760 --> 00:27:00,960 Speaker 1: person's image that were used to sell the cream pie? 408 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,959 Speaker 1: They wanted to personalize it. They didn't want it to 409 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:08,879 Speaker 1: just be a commodity, an item of food stuff. It 410 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:10,280 Speaker 1: wanted to be something you connect with. 411 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 2: It was. 412 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:25,120 Speaker 1: Named for no guess. You don't have a guess, Little Debbies. 413 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,879 Speaker 1: You're right, Little Debbie Herse, you got that right. Little 414 00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:33,200 Speaker 1: Debbie herself and her parents were unaware until they saw 415 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:36,679 Speaker 1: her face on the boxes, illustrated by the famous pin 416 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: up artist Pearl fresh Man. Mosher's marketing tactic paid off. 417 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:45,840 Speaker 1: In the nineteen sixties, the McKee family got their big 418 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 1: break selling family packs of individually wrapped, wrapped snake snack cakes. 419 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:54,919 Speaker 1: The McKee's concept of multiple single serving pastries in a 420 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:58,280 Speaker 1: single box was groundbreaking, and over the years the Little 421 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:03,159 Speaker 1: Debbie line unvailable loved products including Swiss rolls, Christmas tree cakes, 422 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:09,000 Speaker 1: and of course Twinkies. Twinkies are my favorite example of 423 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:12,679 Speaker 1: a phenomenon that I see happening a lot today, and 424 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 1: that is where you go. Hey, did you see Twinkies 425 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:24,560 Speaker 1: went away? Oh? Man, God, noll I miss Twinkies me too, Man, 426 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 1: I used to rip some Twinkies. Me too, Man, I 427 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:35,160 Speaker 1: hadn't had a Twinkies in forty years. Me neither. 428 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:36,960 Speaker 5: Boa. 429 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: Well, how how much you gonna miss them going away? 430 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 2: Man? 431 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:49,720 Speaker 1: I'm gonna miss the old Terry's Coffee shop going away 432 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:54,200 Speaker 1: on I ten between viter and Beaumont. It's a real 433 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 1: loss to the community. Really gonna miss it being there? 434 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 1: Oh really, how long has it been since you've been there? Shoot? 435 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:08,520 Speaker 1: Probably eighty five, maybe eighty eight, late eighties. Well what 436 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:12,959 Speaker 1: exactly are you gonna miss? Just so I know, because 437 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: the only Terry's restaurant that exists for you is in 438 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 1: your mind and nobody can take it from it. In 439 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:24,680 Speaker 1: the memory Palace, Twinkies didn't go anywhere. Twinkies played a 440 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:29,200 Speaker 1: little game on everybody, big announcement. Hey, sh don't tell 441 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 1: nobody Twinkies quietly going out of business. Whit what You 442 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:39,239 Speaker 1: can't quietly go out of business, your Twinkies. You're a 443 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: public repository of respect, an institute of awesome. You can't 444 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:52,280 Speaker 1: just go away, Twinkies. Yeah, yeah, going away. Putting the 445 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:56,200 Speaker 1: old white cream Philly away for good. 446 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:56,640 Speaker 2: Yeah. 447 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: Yellow gelatinous substance with a disturbing shelf life of three 448 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:10,960 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty years, the oddly moist cake like substance 449 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:15,640 Speaker 1: that remains moist for as far as we can tell 450 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 1: about ninety years, will be put away and used as 451 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 1: ky jelly supplement or something because it's oddly oddly moist 452 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:35,960 Speaker 1: for a disturbingly long period of time For something that's 453 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:41,560 Speaker 1: going into my belly. I never needed it to be nutritious. 454 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:47,080 Speaker 1: I just really didn't want to mainline arsenic if I 455 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:52,680 Speaker 1: could help it. You know, you've made vasiline taste good. 456 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:56,120 Speaker 1: But people will do that with things. They're so sad 457 00:30:56,160 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: that something went away, so sad. Well, it was last 458 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 1: week they announced they were going away, don't you. I 459 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 1: meant to I meant to get over there. God dog it, 460 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:10,160 Speaker 1: I wish I'd gotten over there. I really hate it. 461 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 1: So and so not touring anymore. That was my favorite band. Well, 462 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:18,120 Speaker 1: they just came through on their finalite tour two months ago. 463 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:23,640 Speaker 1: I know, I know, I wish I'd had gone. I 464 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:25,920 Speaker 1: bet there's a lot of I wish I had gone 465 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:31,040 Speaker 1: in your life. I bet you the idea of sense 466 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:35,080 Speaker 1: of urgency, make a decision, act on it completely. I 467 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:38,120 Speaker 1: bet that that's not strong. That's not a strong suit 468 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: for you. So my advice to small business, and we're 469 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,800 Speaker 1: to the point, especially in the retail space where you're 470 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:50,680 Speaker 1: really small or really big and there's very very little 471 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,800 Speaker 1: in between, is don't lose touch of who you are. 472 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:59,360 Speaker 1: I had a late lunch yesterday. No I didn't eat ramon. 473 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,000 Speaker 1: I sat there while they eat. Yes, that's obnoxious. I 474 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: agreed to the meeting. I wanted to meet these folks. 475 00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:07,520 Speaker 1: So it was the owners of some of the Ace hardwares. 476 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:12,280 Speaker 1: And the cool thing about Ace Hardware is it's basically 477 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 1: just Bill's hardware and Mickey's hardware and Dorothy's hardware. I'm 478 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:22,560 Speaker 1: going around the room. Here's hardware and Jack's hardware. It's 479 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:25,120 Speaker 1: basically just your hardware. But you can't compete as a 480 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 1: one off because it's basically a buying co op because 481 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 1: you can't. You already can't compete on price with Home 482 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:35,920 Speaker 1: Deep or Lows. You don't even try to. I mean, 483 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:39,400 Speaker 1: you can say, hey, come shop here. There won't be 484 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:43,240 Speaker 1: a bunch of illegal aliens out front, but now you 485 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:45,240 Speaker 1: know Trump cleared that up, so you have to say 486 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:49,480 Speaker 1: you can say, hey, come shop here, because I work here. 487 00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 1: My wife runs the girls gifts department. My son's over 488 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,760 Speaker 1: here in the barbecue pits, my daughter's over here in 489 00:32:56,800 --> 00:33:00,680 Speaker 1: the gardening section. We have a post office inside here. 490 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:02,320 Speaker 1: You don't have to go to the old fashion post 491 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,520 Speaker 1: office and get bad customer service. And I am roving 492 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:08,680 Speaker 1: at all times. You need an air conditioning, you need 493 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:12,080 Speaker 1: an ac capacitor apparently the number one fastest growing item 494 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: for all A stores. So anyway, ACE is basically just 495 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:19,800 Speaker 1: a buying co op for each person's individual hardware, gifts, 496 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:24,160 Speaker 1: everything store. But it's kind of everything that I believed in. 497 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:25,760 Speaker 1: So anyway, I said, yeah, I want to meet these guys. 498 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:27,720 Speaker 1: I want to talk about how they run their stores. 499 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,920 Speaker 1: It's fascinating. So I've been out touring the Ace hardwarees 500 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 1: and they have twenty nine different items, different categories in 501 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 1: a store. So it's kind of like how Walgreens and 502 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:43,840 Speaker 1: cvs took over away from the big stores because nobody 503 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:44,960 Speaker 1: wanted to go in that big story. You want to 504 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:46,480 Speaker 1: go in and get it. Well, this is like a 505 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:51,080 Speaker 1: Walgreens CVS of everything thisess, except it's locally owned and 506 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:54,520 Speaker 1: instead of a Walmart reader, you got Bill Murrah or 507 00:33:55,200 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 1: Mickey or Rick tap or Dorothy You've got the people 508 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,760 Speaker 1: that own them right there at the front and their 509 00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:08,360 Speaker 1: whole family. So that was kind of a very very subtle, 510 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:11,720 Speaker 1: but fully disclosed. I'm not gonna lie to you. Product 511 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:15,840 Speaker 1: placement for Ace Hardware Texas dot com. 512 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:16,680 Speaker 2: And when you go in. 513 00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:18,799 Speaker 1: Today, say oh, I heard Michael Berry talk about you. 514 00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:21,000 Speaker 1: I want to meet the owner because the owner will 515 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:22,480 Speaker 1: be on site. You never get that at the big 516 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:23,080 Speaker 1: block stores.