Jason Schwartz with Scott R Bushnell– June is Busting Out!
Summary & Full Timestamped Transcript below
[00:03 → 07:24]
Overview of Current Socioeconomic and Political Climate
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The discussion opens with a reflection on the Y2K scare and transitions into contemporary issues around trust in information and infrastructure integrity.
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Key point: Engineers debate the collapse of the World Trade Centers, with some asserting it could only have been caused by pre-set charges, while others argue the buildings were designed to collapse (“pancake down”) under impact. This highlights ongoing disputes and distrust in official narratives.
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There is a growing sense of distrust in news and institutions. The speaker expresses uncertainty about what or whom to trust.
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Economic pressures on ordinary citizens:
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Maui faces an estimated $1.7 billion loss due to new vacation rental restrictions, impacting local economy and housing.
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Many Americans live paycheck to paycheck without savings; credit card companies no longer incentivize spending with low-interest offers, leading to increased default risk.
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More Americans than ever are on the edge of credit card default.
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On a national scale:
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The U.S. is paying more in interest on its debt than on any other combined government programs, marking a tipping point in fiscal sustainability.
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Historical context: Clinton administration balanced the budget through debt restructuring; since then, interest rates on debt have risen, compounding the problem.
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Comparison to Soviet Union collapse due to unsustainable debt and spending patterns.
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On international geopolitics:
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Sanctions on Russia (post-Ukraine invasion) are criticized as ineffective, mainly hurting ordinary citizens rather than leadership.
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Russia responded by putting the ruble on a gold standard, signaling a strategic move away from Western financial influence.
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China, Russia, and India increasingly trade without using the U.S. dollar, which threatens the U.S. dollar’s global reserve status and the country’s economic influence.
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[07:24 → 14:07]
Local Governance, Bureaucracy, and Infrastructure Challenges
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The conversation shifts to local infrastructure and housing issues in Maui.
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Key insight: Local elected officials have limited control over critical decisions related to building permits, zoning, and infrastructure, as these powers lie with unelected bureaucratic departments such as planning and water departments.
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These bureaucracies act with “Godlike power” and are resistant to change, often unchecked by elected officials.
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The complexity and rigidity of these systems prevent swift responses to crises such as housing shortages or rebuilding after disasters.
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Historical political anecdotes:
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Ronald Reagan observed politicians as “on summer break,” implying transient power and limited accountability.
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Jimmy Carter’s attempt to change military policy was resisted by Joint Chiefs, illustrating how bureaucratic inertia can override elected leadership.
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The impact on residents:
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Multigenerational families face housing crises, with bureaucratic obstacles frustrating efforts to rebuild or maintain homes.
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Frustration leads to social issues, including increased incarceration stemming from systemic anger and helplessness.
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[14:07 → 17:43]
Critique of Federal Agencies and One-Size-Fits-All Policies
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The EPA and Department of Education are criticized for applying uniform national standards that do not fit local conditions.
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Example: EPA rules designed for the entire U.S. do not adequately address Maui’s unique environmental needs, hampering effective local governance.
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Education system:
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Federal mandates create a rigid curriculum that stifles teacher creativity and local relevance, negatively impacting student engagement and outcomes.
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Programs like No Child Left Behind imposed uniform standards, ignoring regional diversity in needs and culture.
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The bureaucratic growth of these agencies leads to a disconnect between elected officials and real decision-makers.
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Lack of an effective “override” or local autonomy to modify or adapt federal regulations to suit unique community needs.
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Past historical example: Abraham Lincoln eliminated 35% of agency leadership to realign governance with elected values, implying a need for similar reforms today.
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[17:43 → 26:01]
Political Corruption, Media Manipulation, and Economic Hardships
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The discussion turns to contemporary political scandals:
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Trump’s hush money trial and allegations of unfair jury instructions likened to “Jim Crow laws”—where defendants are tried without clear or fair legal procedures.
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The existence of hush money payments in Congress totals over $20 million annually to manage negative press and scandals within parties.
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Politicians must maintain squeaky-clean reputations or have “Teflon coats” to survive politically.
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Media’s role:
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Sensationalized news (“war is coming,” political scandal) is used to sell advertising, distracting the public from substantive issues.
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Clickbait and misinformation proliferate, making it difficult to discern truth.
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Economic realities:
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Inflation has significantly raised food and retail costs; fast food prices have quadrupled over 25 years, while wages remain stagnant, affecting low-income families the most.
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New mortgage products (e.g., 100% first mortgage plus 3% second mortgage) may trigger another housing crisis due to over-leverage.
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Local businesses like McDonald’s and Taco Bell report lower customer volume, reflecting economic strain.
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[26:01 → 33:14]
Energy Alternatives, Geothermal Potential, and Government Funding Inefficiencies
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The speakers discuss geothermal energy potential in Hawaii:
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Despite being a volcanic hotspot, geothermal development has been slow and hindered by environmental concerns and oil industry influence.
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Home geothermal cooling systems can significantly reduce electricity usage for air conditioning—estimated to be 20% of Hawaii’s electricity consumption.
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Other regions like Iceland and New Mexico have successfully harnessed geothermal energy for decades.
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Government spending inefficiencies highlighted:
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USDA’s food stamp budget is $140 billion, but only $6 billion reaches beneficiaries directly; the rest is consumed by administrative costs.
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Much agricultural aid goes to animal feed or foreign countries, raising questions about priorities amid domestic economic struggles.
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The speakers lament the complexity and opacity of federal spending, and the contradiction of abundant resources yet insufficient help for locals.
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[33:14 → 43:52]
Societal Divides, Political Cynicism, and Cultural Observations
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The “New World Order” and related conspiracy theories are mentioned as part of broader concerns about elite control and manipulation of society.
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Political polarization and distrust fuel fundraising and media sensationalism, especially around figures like Trump.
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Personal anecdotes:
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Jesse Jackson’s presidential security was allegedly funded by Donald Trump decades ago, illustrating complex political connections often hidden from public view.
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Media narratives shape public perceptions, often unfairly labeling individuals.
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Despite hardships, gratitude is expressed for the natural beauty and community of Hawaii.
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Housing affordability is critically low:
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$1,000/month rent on the mainland can buy a three-bedroom house with a pool, while equivalent housing in Hawaii costs several times more.
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Younger generations are leaving the islands due to lack of jobs and affordable housing.
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[43:52 → 52:59]
Polling Data and Social Ethics
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Poll results from the Rasmussen Polls indicate:
Group % Willing to Lie or Cheat in Politics General population 7% Homeowners earning >$150,000 68% -
This suggests a different value system among wealthier Americans, indicating ethical disparities.
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Historical urban unrest and protests (e.g., Antifa, Portland, Seattle) are cited as manifestations of social conflict.
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The speakers express concern that the issues discussed lack meaningful solutions.
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Local Maui residents are somewhat insulated but face a divide between affluent and struggling populations.
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Public health observations note poor mask hygiene persists despite guidelines, reflecting broader public complacency or misinformation.
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[52:59 → 56:22]
Closing Thoughts and Call for Solutions
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The speakers emphasize the need for practical solutions and systemic reform, including:
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Addressing bureaucratic overreach and restoring accountability to elected officials.
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Reforming federal agencies to allow local adaptation of policies.
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Improving transparency in government spending and reducing administrative overhead.
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Encouraging cooperation and smart decision-making at all levels.
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Highlighted recent Federal Reserve decision:
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Banks no longer required to hold asset buffers, enabling more lending but increasing risk of inflation and economic instability.
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The economic outlook is pessimistic, warning of a potential “hard landing” comparable to the Great Depression.
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The conversation ends on a hopeful note, inviting future discussions focused on solutions and constructive change.
Key Themes and Insights
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Economic fragility at individual, local, and national levels driven by debt, inflation, and policy failures.
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Disconnection between elected officials and bureaucratic power, leading to ineffective governance and resident frustration.
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Federal policies often fail to accommodate local conditions, especially in unique environments like Maui.
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Media sensationalism and political corruption exacerbate public disillusionment.
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Energy independence through geothermal and other renewables remains underutilized due to political and corporate interests.
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Social divisions are deepening, with wealthier classes exhibiting different ethical standards and priorities.
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Urgent need for reforms in governance, education, and public policy to restore trust, efficiency, and equity.
Summary Table: Selected Quantitative Data
| Topic | Data/Figure | Source/Context |
|---|---|---|
| Maui vacation rental economic loss | $1.7 billion | New bill restricting vacation rentals |
| Credit card default risk | Highest ever percentage on edge | U.S. consumer credit data |
| U.S. government interest payments | Exceed all other program spending combined | National debt servicing costs |
| USDA food stamp budget | $140 billion total; $6 billion actual benefits | USDA.gov data, administrative overhead |
| Housing cost comparison | $1,000/month in central states buys 3-bedroom house with pool | Maui rent much higher |
| Political hush money payouts | Over $20 million annually | Congressional records |
| Rasmussen poll on political ethics | 7% general population; 68% wealthy homeowners willing to cheat/lie | Poll data |
Conclusion
This discussion provides a comprehensive, candid examination of the intersecting crises facing Maui, the United States, and global geopolitics as of mid-2024. It highlights the complex web of economic, political, social, and environmental challenges compounded by bureaucratic inertia and misinformation. The speakers underscore the critical need for systemic change, local empowerment, and pragmatic solutions to ensure sustainable futures both locally and nationally.
Full Timestamped Transcript
00:03
good morning everyone aloha aloha welcome to the neutral zone I’m your host Jason Schwarz we’re now in June well Aloha it’s June 3rd 2024 yes sir you remember y 2K that was 24 years ago and we thought the world was going to explode computer wise our world would be different than we know it there there’s always a crisis you know what I saw yesterday which was intriguing a uh a little article that showed Engineers talking about how a building would drop the World Trade Centers and they there is no way that it
00:43
could have dropped the way it did unless there were charges set in the building I you know I I I don’t question that because that’s how they drop buildings when they do that like you watch them in Vegas all the time theyd perfectly go down yeah um and I’ve heard Engineers say actually the exact opposite that if something happens at the I mean Engineers don’t agree it’s like anything else it’s designed to Pancake down and so but yeah and they talked about the strength of the building with the way it was built
01:15
was four times the strength of any other build and they they have so many things that are going on yeah that show so I’m living in a world now where I don’t know what the news is I don’t know what to trust who to trust Maybe maybe no one I got an article sent to me overnight that Maui’s going to lose 1.7 billion when the uh vacation rental uh no more vacation rentals in certain areas bill goes through all I know is that at the low end of the curve well let’s call it the 99% or I don’t know where percentage go
01:53
people that don’t have any money saved people that don’t have any other money except sources from the government right well you know it’s been a long it’s been a long tradition um not really a tradition if it’s a tradition or it’s a snafu that people would get these credit card companies that would say here here’s $5,000 Z interest for 18 months oh shoot let’s go to the islands let’s let’s take a vacation that’s gone away so people aren’t taking they’re not
02:27
taking that risk of yeah I’m going to make more money I know exactly what my budget is at home what I have to spend for the kids and for everything and they’re not getting those incentives from credit card companies and actually now more Americans are on the edge of default than ever in the history of credit cards well I’m not surprised by that are you no not at all there are more people so when there are more people there’s more than fall the percentage of people that are on the
02:57
edge yes well I uh got to admit I’m living on that edge as a country we are just in the last two weeks our national debt that we pay out we pay more in interest on our debt now than go to any other programs all combined we reached that Tipping Point oh goodness gracious so as the individual families go our country is gone we’ve reached that we are just servicing the debt and we can’t sell the debt because then it’ll comand at higher interest rates during the Clinton Administration he balanced the budget by
03:37
restructuring the debt he sold it on shortterm notes five 10e notes at a low interest rate and then Along Comes the Bush Administration and all of a sudden we’re like um we can’t resell that debt at that same interest rate and now it just keeps compounding and now ooh we were on a slide during the Obama years it was going up fractionally and now here we are in the in the um Biden tenure or his four years as president and we can’t sell our debt at a lower interest rate so we’re having to
04:18
sell it at a higher interest rate just like everyone’s getting higher interest on their credit cards we are as a country and it’s it’s what Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed uh cruv and uh they they had all their debt hanging out and all of a sudden their service on their debt was just compounding and compounding because they kept spending to try to keep up with the Cold War and they kept annexing countries and annexing countries and annexing countries back into the fold and they
04:52
collapsed we’re following that same pattern as a country and then what well what interested me at the onset of um the Ukraine war and when we made these crazy uh Financial bounds that we put on uh Putin and put on Russia and block their Banks we block banking we bought the sale of this we impounded Yachts that were flag yeah why was that crazy well we basically said that we don’t care about your money and all in over history that’s only thing that’s ever proven these sanctions have ever proven to hurt are the poor
05:36
and the working people in that country we’ve never affected the outcome of a country by those sanctions it’s the same Cuba it’s the whole it’s it’s it’s just it’s a failed plan and shortly about 6 eight months into that uh Vladimir Putin put the rubble back on the gold standard and when he did that I realized that they’re not not backing down they’re doubling down on this well you know we’ve talked about that about the gold standard a lot oh yes um it insulates
06:12
1972 1972 Richard Nixon go down in infamy well well they also created the um the World Bank so to speak or the fed and that fed all of a sudden it was like giving the government a printing machine to print as much money as you want want and here we are now here we are now where they can digitally print money that just goes along in space and now it finally caught up with us we’ve hit that Tipping Point where okay what are we going to do we can’t we can’t sell the debt the dollar is still
06:50
good but now China and Russia are selling oil between themselves and India and Russia they’re all selling things and they’re not using the dollar is that a big deal well when you think about it yes because every time a dollar is exchanged anywhere in the world we get a piece of that somehow I’m honestly it would take an economics professor to explain that but when we’re not trading in the dollar we’re losing status in as a country and as an economy the world economy so we’re we’re um we’re in an
07:24
interesting time well and I don’t know how steep the precipice for quality of life but I think it we got to be pretty sharp because once we hit a Tipping Point we and we basically can stop having any growth isn’t that basically right and that’s where we’re at today so how do we handle problems how do we handle issues like like this local issue and we’ve heard it many times we can’t build our way out of this problem no um it goes back um I remember Ronald Reagan um I remember him too yeah he’s
08:02
brilliant uh order but he was talking about when he went to meet meet with the heads of um all of the c or all of the organizations met with uh the world not the World Bank but he met with head of the IRS he met with all these great heads of all of our bureaucracies and then the takeaway that came back to him after that because one of his staffers was left in the meeting after he left was they consider our politicians today like they’re on uh summer break so whoever gets elected they’re the power and the elected
08:46
officials are just there for a short time so they’re really not answering to the officials when Carter wanted to um oh my gosh Carter wanted wanted to do a lot of different things but Carter wanted to back off of our in our our things that are going on in Iran during the ran Contra and all that costage negotiations and stuff and he went to the uh chief of the Joint Chiefs he said I want to do this and the joint Chief says no that’s you don’t you don’t want to stir a hornet’s nest you don’t want to go into
09:23
there it’s horrible train we can’t do it and Carter said do it and they were like well okay so they have halfway did it we lost a bunch of helicop we lost soldiers we did get some people out but who’s running the country really you know if you can’t build a house in Maui you don’t go to a politician you the of people don’t go to a politician they go to the the department of planning they go to the Department of Water they go to all these different departments that are controlling how to build a house where
09:57
you can build it how it’s being built no elected official has that doesn’t have control of that anymore you can’t go to you can’t go to our mayor I like mayor I really like the guy honestly straight up and you can’t go to him and say I really want to build a house why is this in the way because we built this infrstructure of checks and balances and the people running those they’re not elected but they have Godlike power they have the power to find they have the power to say you can’t build they have
10:28
this power that power and that power AR like officials are becoming neutered so to speak to do anything well unless laws are changing the way those decisions have to be made in those departments yeah that’s but who wants if you’ve got that power in that department who gives that up that’s power is an aphrodesiac it’s dangerous thing well you know the thing that’s missing from all of this is in my mind that we need enough of movement of money whatever that trading commodity is to build what
11:10
we need and we also need the people in the world to start cooperating toward making smart decisions on choices they make because you know oh a trip to Maui the interest rates down that’s luxury stuff but the stuff that we’re talking about about building houses and talk locally where are the people that are living here I’m here 30 30 years right or more 30 God 36 years I’m getting older every day but you know I I heard a couple of Hawaiians um one gal who was running for office moaning on the
11:50
internet that she’s not going to be able to leave a house a family house for the people that follow after Hawaiian mhm doesn’t have have money and you know where we have multiple Generations living in one HP we have we have multiple generational people in our correctional system who are so angry and then they they end up getting in the system because they were so angry trying to deal with the bureaucracy when they just wanted to rebuild their home so what do they do when they get out they
12:28
start I I have to watch my hippo on this one but yeah they’re they’re very frustrated they’re realizing that that means he has to be not disclosing things personally right and you know especially by the way I didn’t introduce this is my co-host Scott Bushnell every so often we bring him in from the world he he comes up with things that are happening in the world you know Scott you’ve been just full of information oh I’ve been told I’ve been full of it for years [Laughter]
13:03
so I’m changing the subject on you I think what do we do with these problems that don’t go away and no money and we have control in a department they can’t just snap their fingers and change their rules right they do they make their own rules and it it really came obvious to me and this is something that I brought to you about the EP about how they were handling the waste okay this came up I came to you I was heated because I was going they’re not they’re not doing this right yeah and
13:37
you you were like ah we got to talk to the mayor we got to talk to this and then I researched and I went they’re hog tied by the EPA because they’re either following the eepa guidelines it’s not up to Mayor Bisson it’s not up to president or not it’s not up to Josh Green their hands are tied they’re doing it exactly as they’re told by the EPA the EPA created these things without due governance they created their rules and laws on their own with their committee right they they were given a kind of a
14:07
Car Blanc when they were first created which I I agree with most things with the EPA but I think they need to be able to do it as um as Eisenhower said everything is local not no Roosevelt said that all politics are local which Roosevelt um the second Roosevelt said everything is local to get in the arena what’s good for this part of the country maybe not be good for this part of the country problem and they and and this honestly this goes across Department of Education they have failed every year
14:43
since they’ve been in existence because they made a single block this is how we’re going to teach our kids we’re going to do it all the way from Florida to Alaska everything’s going to follow this this and this and they took away the V they didn’t take away way they they had good meaning I honestly I know they had good meaning but what they have done is they took away the creativity and the power of teachers and staff and principles and said check the boxes check the boxes send them in and created
15:19
a whole new layer of BU bureaucracy over education just to give them money so that they could pay their teachers well You’ brought that up in numbers of departments that all across there layers of bureaucracy have layers upon layers because of the sources of money that they seek right need to seek to keep these programs going again is it all tied back to us going off a standard we we for the for the good of the country everybody oh we’ve got to make all the standards George Bush had this No Child Left Behind but
16:00
it a Child Left Behind in Texas is not a Child Left Behind in the Bronx you know we they tried to make everything fit for everyone and what they did is they took away teachers you know love and if you go if you’re a teacher and I and I’ve taught and I kind of teach you have ownership if you have a curriculum and you own it and the kids buying into it and they’re learning it’s amazing but when somebody hand hands you something and say teach to this this is the test and after a few years or even
16:35
10 years teachers are like oh God I just I don’t even want to teach anymore because all is I’m doing is taking it from one hand and spewing it out and hoping the kids get the right answer they’re not showing the value they’re not selling it they’re not packaging it so kids in Hawaii are different than kids in Alaska or different in the kids in Florida you’ve got to take in the vernacular of the people around you you can’t cook cookie cutter education nor can you Cookie Cutter Environmental
17:04
Protection yes there are some baseline standards we just don’t throw motor oil in the ocean no yeah we can all agree on many things but Maui is unique it’s not like the middle of Oklahoma for taking care of things but yet we’re following the EPA guidelines that were set down for an entire country so is there no override switch who has the power I look for that Jason I did I did that and you know couldn’t a Joe Biden or whoever’s President Joe Biden Joe Biden I don’t know I don’t see
17:43
that I see these bureaucracies have grown out of control because like as I said earlier the heads of these bureaucracies see elected officials as just people that are on summer break and they’re there for a few years and gone so they’re not really making an impact I don’t I think term limits would be good I think we need to flush the system there but I really did you know that when Abra Way Off Track Abraham Lincoln comes in he’s voted into office he eliminated 35% of all of the
18:15
leaders of all of the agencies in the United States government that’s an interesting one yeah where do you find this kind of information Jason I I my my my head’s just just sucking it all in all the time 35% of the uh Administration Administration he changed leadership across the board and and when asked and when you ask him he was asked or they talked about that it said the presidency was more about making sure that the people that you’re govern governing over are taking the values of the person you elected to
18:56
do that there’s going to have to be a lot of change well we’ve heard there let’s now jump a 100 change years to the present we have a a thing going on now in our country that is I don’t have to tell anybody you know everybody on every time I open up the news the headline says Trump hush money trial uh Trump uses job gag orders yeah all kinds of how you can break somebody’s civil rights try somebody in a city court for a federal election they broke every single rule on the book wait wait I don’t even know
19:44
what that means a federal election trial excuse me not there in New York you’re talking about I’m talking about what the New York and this is another let’s go let’s really reel this back okay back during um Jim laws Jim Crow laws there was there was a bunch of them this was when this was this this is back um 40s 40s up up until the 40s and 50s most of these were still on the books is that right just until 1940s and 50s 2020 uh give us a simple definition of a Jim Crow law Jason I know you did
20:21
something wrong and I’m not sure what it is but I’m going to tell all these people are going to talk here in front of court I’m going to send them back and they’re going to decide what you did wrong I don’t know what for sure you did wrong cuz we’ve been listening to everybody they go back they deliber deliberate with the information they were given and then they pick what they want to say you’re guilty of but you don’t give them written hand they don’t you they’re not carrying back the jury
20:46
instructions they’re not seeing the line item of what these laws are and how they apply so you know in that case the question comes to me is if they were doing everything right until then and then they would do something like this you wonder is there someone controlling that step how did that happen how could that happen when everyone was so aware of it how could that happen well when Clinton paid out $800,000 to uh Monica Monica no I and that other lady too yeah I don’t remember the name flowers Jennifer
21:25
Jennifer Flowers yeah you know the Senate and the house pay out averagely over $20 million in hush money every freaking fiscal year that’s an interesting statistic where no it’s not a statistic that’s on that’s on the books H how can they know who’s paying out house money because they have a department in the senate in the house that handles within each of their parties negative press so if they have somebody that they have some dirt on but yet they have a senator represented
21:59
that’s really working towards what they want to believe in they funnel money through let’s say you had 50 parking tickets let’s say you did something uh stupid when you’re in high school or whatever college and it’s not it’s not like you know convictable crime but it just kind of muddies the water so being a politician would be so horrible I know so many of them personally they’re retired now but if somebody comes to you I’m going to come to Jason I’m coming to you I said you
22:29
know what I remember what you did in La over at the Hyatt with that group of girls back in 1983 you know what this is what I really want to get past to make sure that um this legislation goes through because it’s work either I tell it or you do what I want yeah so until to save their embarrassment they’re gaining leeway so you have to go in either squeaky clean or have a Teflon coat to actually go where you want Kelsey Gabbert who I absolutely adore when I was going through things when I moved back home I
23:04
contacted her she called me back personally we handled stuff together she kind of pushed through some stuff that I was going through with my uh health insurance you know and she just told me it’s just like the system is so built it’s not government anymore it’s the system well are we just going to live with it till it breaks and then have War what are we going to do I don’t I don’t see War because and here’s another weird sta you don’t see War locally here we see War CU it’s CU it’s
23:37
sells it sells soap for the media it sells soap for the masses so if if you put on your TV show oh the third or the second world war is coming or the second um civil war is coming um that’s gonna people are gonna watch your show put that as a title people will tune in what happens when those Nelson numbers come back the cost per Rising goes through the roof it sells Trump sells anything he does the mass media highlights that turns takes one piece of something and just blows it up in the air so that they can sell more ad
24:18
time and make high dollars on it why does the Super Bowl get what 50 $50 million a minute because people are watching and if people aren’t watch if people don’t want to watch if you look on the internet and you click through and you see people those great headlines just grab you and they’ pull you in and if more people click on it then all of a sudden you start making money so the truth has been lost yeah I remember looking piece of ice on a hamburger and it says hey do you know you should put ice on a piece
24:55
of hamburger when you’re grilling click here and then you get get there and they’re like hey here’s 150 things you can buy and then about a number 138 is here’s that hamburger we spoke to you about oh by the way here’s the grilling tools I’m so sick of it or you try to look for a job on the net or they talk about ways you can use AI get income you can make $5,000 a monthe make 5,000 a day yeah and here’s how and do these get this buy this it’s snake oil it’s all snake oil well
25:31
it’s getting absurd and then the local jobs you know hey we got $15 an hour oh that’s coming in a few years when we when the minimum wage is RA so we’re not at 15 but we’re going to offer you 15 so we’re paying more wait a minute go to McDonald’s have you seen McDonald’s recently I don’t eat there but well again but I’m only bringing it up because yeah they used to be crowded and now it’s like a ghost when you drive by oh yeah when you see six cars and you
26:01
realize those are the six people that work there we went to Taco Bell the other day just because we were both uh really exhausted we went through the drive-thru and it was like 20 bucks and I go you know when the kids were young five bucks we could get enough food to feed the whole family and that was like 25 years ago given yeah but really yeah well that’s what they talk about inflation well the inflation has caused that well they sure aren’t moving wages up and even if they were they’re based
26:32
on raising wages just shoots you in the foot and now there’s a new mortgage did you see the 100% First Mortgage is 97 and then there’s a 3% additional second mortgage they take out to people are making large incomes but have no money for their down payments at all you know um what is causing that’s going to cause another gabo crisis yeah so so what we were talking about Jason and I talk the other day we walk in the water at the pool you can join us if you like but I’ve had this I’ve had this bug
27:08
ever since I was very young I I researched geothermal electricity back when I was like grade schooler I did a science project on it it always fascinated me and so Jason and I were talking the other day I said you know I’m going to really look into that deeper and see why we’re not Iceland’s doing some amazing things um Hawaii is considered a hot bed that could use geothermal power 30 years ago I remember when I was at the integrated resource planning Advisory board for Maui Electric they had
27:35
presentations about all the different Technologies and at that time the big thing about geothermal was that it’s going to change the conditions on the surface no and heat up the water and destroy the reef so maybe they that’s their goto that’s the oil companies go to well whatever it is here we are 30 years later they’re still using the Big Island right Big Island yeah they’re Iceland they have a geothermal I used to live close to a geothermal um plant when I lived in New Mexico up in the HZ
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mountains Los Alamos National Laboratory yeah up on the Valdes caltera which is used to be this huge mountain that blew up they said killed the dinosaurs we still know but they but it’s a volcanic area it’s a lot of a lot of heat underground they put in a geothermal plant they’ve been doing research up there now for 75 years we still need to research that but this is something I did not know but I’m so glad I started researching this geothermal home systems here in Hawaii anywhere in the
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South anywhere where we’re in a warm climate you can when you build your home you put in these this conduction rods down is you go down an extra 10 ft or so below your foundation put these these tubes in that run through your heat exchange system you can basically cool your home for pennies because geothermal works by going and creating electricity you can run tubes on your roof and have hot water I did not even know and this is not new that you can run tubes down in the ground 10 ft and you’re going to drop 30° in temperature
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you can cool your home we could cut the need for electricity because I think what I read on this Hawaii um um hawaian electric website is that they estimate that almost 20% of electricity on island is for air conditioning cooling cooling great need huge because the hotels open doors open Airways all air conditioned and I came here you don’t want to know from it in in 1988 yeah with the ideas of also using a system that was co-generation yeah to you know using the sun to heat a fluid and then go through the heat
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exchange process they’ve been using it yeah swimming pools have been using it forever had solutions that don’t make it out here I I get it that that greasy oil fingers don’t like those and then then you they do they do research and then they flood everywhere that you’re trying to read about something or learn about something with research that is funded somewhere on the last line in very small print by Exxon or by you know one of the big oil companies or one of their subsidiaries one of the up links Black
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Rock somebody like that well there the options are there let’s go to a much more downto Earth funny I want to hear funny when he told me this one I was like food stamps and the cost of delivery that one is worth really pursuing and some of you here locally in Maui ought to like dig in in with the tools that you have to dig in yeah I actually I actually did my research on that and I made some screenshot so I knew where the budget lines were listen to this one this one blows my mind so the US budget US
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Department of Agriculture budget for food stamps is $140 billion big big the amount they pay out six billion six 6 billion out of 140 billion yeah so it costs 140 billion to get $6 billion to the people that’s because of the administration of that yeah this this is the US I I really this was horrible reading the US I went into the usda.gov oh this is right from them that’s from them wow and you know I started reading and I was like oh my good why what does the department of nutrition and
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assistance have to do with these weird these I I it there’s a million things they’re doing that make no sense to me I don’t I mean I get it you help the farmers that’s what the department of um egg is all about Department of Agriculture who funds the and then we hear that most of that help goes to feeding animals or it goes to other countries to develop resources USDA yeah this money goes more places outside the country than stays in well well I don’t know what to say those countries need need some resources
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too they do and we try to be the benevolent uh but we’re but we’re paying them out we’re having to print money to pay them because we’re so we’ve reached that Tipping Point well and then people here are complaining because they’re not getting the the same kind of help that we’re giving to foreign countries yeah and then we look back and we say look this money is all made up anyway why we create some more and help ourselves as well right it’s a mad cluster yes things we can’t say yeah we
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don’t it’s a cluster it is but I I think the people on the very top um they’re making money out of keeping us confused you know I remember studying the trilateral commission um in college that was this un this strange entity that oversaw all the things in the world and then uh when uh George Bush Senior got into office and started talking about the New World Order and I was like New World Order trilateral commission okay there’s a coalition here and I started reading more and I was
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like the people with a lot of money they lose their money if we go to war as if we have a civil war so the people that are making these millions of dollars off the poor and the middle class in this country they can only if they manipulate you to a Breaking Point which I think we saw with New York and a city trial over federal election violation we saw the Outreach and Bill millions of dollars going to president Trump we realize that the country is fed up obviously well obviously the day after the decision on
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the Trump Tri yeah zillions of dollars were raised by I couldn’t believe I couldn’t believe that they they sent the jury back with Jim Crow kind of directions hey go find him guilty or something you don’t have to all agree no that that’s not exactly the words they Ed I’m no they didn’t he spoke for three and a half hours reading the jury instructions but then didn’t give him a copy that’s just the craziest thing yeah if you’ve ever done jury duty they usually hand you this is the statute
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this is what the law was broken and go figure it out well so I think I always like to come to the point where we get completely confused so what do we do now I think remember what Warren Buffett said everybody’s just going to be happy if they have a place to live and they should just shut up and fall in line that was about 20 years ago well they don’t have a place to live and not everyone no no they don’t they don’t I I think it’s much worse in Maui than it’s being reported to us oh
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absolutely how do you go from living a a family multi-generational home in lahina maybe to living with some family and then expected to go live in a tent or a box or no tent or no box because we don’t have enough tents and boxes yeah luckily the people that um and I think this is a true blessing and talks about the AA a lot is that if you were multigenerational on Maui you’ve got family so deep and there’s and they this the people that got DEH homeed um or out living with family more
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than any which still it’s a it’s a burden you know it’s hard when your in-laws live with you oh my God that’s scary no even more than in-laws I mean just the whole pressure on this whole system here so it’s been how long since this fire a while yeah and um they keep celebrating they have 320 houses cleared 800 Lots cleared and they don’t clear the whole one building and they’re still sticking the ash Ino I thought we were told there was going to be moving to a piece of land
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next to the central Mai landfill that’s what people decided and they haven’t been able to secure that land and they still are delivering one housing permit one week after Hurricane and Niki we had over what 640 building permits issued well you know I mean yeah we I agree with you we can spot the problems yeah what are we going to do about it and maybe it and this is this is doesn’t mean me or you no and I mean and what can we I I I feel so empathetic for Josh Green May Bon and all of them because
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it’s out of their hands why don’t they share that with people well they’re following the guidelines that were set out by the EPA so why don’t they share that so that people understand they’re not the Boogey Man right and share what it takes to get PL or get plans approved to build what everything it takes along that line it’s there’s an infrastructure here that created it kind of it’s kind of morphed and became this giant animal that’s not controlled by city council it’s not controlled by County
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Commissioners it’s not controlled by the mayor’s office or the governor you know they’re we still haven’t gotten to what are we going to do no and and all those things were done in Good Intentions yeah they were they wanted to protect the island and make sure that we had it sustained growth and it was done properly do we do like Trump is talking take a giant knife and cut jobs like Lincoln did um maybe administrators I don’t know Jason and then what do those people do see there’s like this yeah
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ripple effect but it seems like and and I and I I remember listening to Steve Forbes talking about this he said it seems like and he he I listened to the speech in person oh gosh 35 years ago and he said it seems like our government agencies if you can’t do your job you get a promotion if you can’t do that job they promote you higher because you can’t get rid of you because there’s a rule that says they can’t get rid of yeah so they just promote you but what you did do was really good when you started but then
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they wanted to promote you but if they promote you to something you can’t do very well you know maybe they should just keep the same pay and go back and do what you do good so you’re taking care of what needs to be taken care of I don’t know if that’s the answer that those are fighting words you know for most people but um we’re we’re we can’t print money anymore they just today just a little while ago um the FED decided that they were going to release the buffer that needs
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to be kept so now the banks all of a sudden are getting a flood of money because we don’t have to keep the asset resources on Independent Banks and uh and federally insured Banks now can lend more than their assets well that’s always been the case right it’s always been the case but they’ve always to hold a solid buffer at the bottom that’s gone no they just decided that the fed and the banking um they don’t have to have any kind of Reserve zero zero Reserve that seems to me a dangerous and
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risky chance it was at 10% it was pretty risky yeah horribly risky yeah yeah your assets needed to your assets needed to that’s like this 0% I told you zero down on a house just cuz you’re earning this much now they’re going to loan you 100% right God yeah and now they’re going to do that Banks Banks have to drop the floor on their their asset their asset Holdings so they can lend more they can lend more a lot more so it’s just going to be a freef fall again and it’s going
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to I is I think that will fuel inflation because if you give people more money they’re going to spend more and if there is there not enough product out there the prices are going up who loses everybody in the middle well and middle and going down no all at the bottom we’re gone I mean I I you know I as you know I lost everything to you know dealing with a medical issue 10 years ago and I’ve been at the bottom and I’m living a very happy life but my goodness you can’t go to McDonald’s the other day when Andrew and
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I went to um Taco Bell it was the same price as going to Dante’s and have a and a set of stack of ribs and I said I’d rather sit at Dante’s and look over the bay oh tante tante yeah and sit over the bay and have some ribs and share them share them because there’s more than you can eat they best ribs that are left on island I think that I’ve had and for the price of a couple of meals at McDonald’s or Taco Bell yeah I it’s broke and I think honestly that’s fueling the huge Trump outcry I
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mean I’ve been listening to these rap songs now they’re have this is an interesting tidbit I mentioned this to my nephew he was calling I don’t know if he called in we were talking a little while ago remember when Jesse Jackson ran for president yeah okay who did his security do you remember no farahon who fakan Alx Faron oh he did you know big leader faircon who paid for that his security any guess 35 years ago who paid for jetsi Jackson security while running for president Donald Trump Donald Trump yeah these are things
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and unless you really look you’ll not hear I heard um Jesse Jackson I heard a couple people um that getting interviewed in the last couple days about this trial and everything and they’re going like we’ve known him our whole life you know he paid for my security when Faron was taking care of my security when I was running for for a president I was like there’s a new one so you don’t really know the man you just know the media that painting they paint him whatever color they want they
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can paint you that color they can paint me that color I always painted that color when I ran for office when I when FEMA decided to take a aim at me because I wanted to adjust the sea mamal AC after Mount St Helens they were doing all kinds of painting so so here you are now yeah happy yeah poor not happy poor but I still have I live on I live just looking out towards the I look towards the ocean it’s not a great view but there it’s through the trees there no but we are so blessed that’s really the truth cuz I
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don’t know where on the mainland is a place to aim no I mean I’ve I’ve lived uh some beautiful places we keep losing people here that uh we keep losing we know we’re losing people yeah but we’re there are no jobs here that I see that I qualify seems to for that’ll pay enough money to be able to live a a regular life and have any kind of future no never mind that people you much younger they’re leaving here all the time yeah I mean if you if I live over um par Gardens it’s 1,00 a month 1,00 a month
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for a one bedroom 1,00 a month month okay for a one bedom take this in 1,00 a month in almost any of the Central States will buy you a three-bedroom two B home with a pool wow yeah so if you’re you’re thinking I want to live move to the islands you’re got to I got to change my lifestyle so yeah dramatically dramatically what about going back to the mainland I would find a job to be able to pay a fraction of that 1900 for a lesser place I I don’t know there uh Scott rasmon the rasmon polls have you
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ever heard of that Scott rasman I read one of his poll datas the other day which was just shocking to me they ask a large swath I mean large swath huge huge survey 20,000 plus people if you would you cheat or lie to get a politician you know to either not be elect or be elected or to taint them 7% of the population said no we wouldn’t do that seven seven but if you take homeowners making over $150,000 a year and that same question 68% would say they would lie and steal to do whatever it takes
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68% so my take away from that rasmason poll was that the people that are making lots of money have a different value system than the rest of us well again I go back to what do we do about this and I that’s the part I don’t know no you say Civil War isn’t going to break out I I without calling it War we already see it forming well we saw the streets burning we saw antifa we saw people in Seattle Portland you know homes burning you know we’ve already seen the war it was staged and paid for and
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destroyed our inner cities to to tune that people weren’t moving back in the inner cities um yeah I’m I’m concerned that all the stuff that we talk about is not attached to any meaningful action well the hard part for us because we’re insulated on the island is that we have a most of the people that live here are either in that scope of uh they’re in the island mode which I absolutely love it that’s the beauty of living here and there’s a large group of people here that are very in they’re in
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that 150 plus to who knows where and they’re living in a bubble and this is what I’ve come across talking to family across the country there are some that are in Academia that when they look when they put their glasses on and they look at what’s going on they’re seeing something completely different than I am you know and I appreciate that that they see it differently um I still see people wearing masks and I just want to tell them I said you know you’re supposed to change that every 15 minutes with a 101
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bleach solu and rinse it let it dry otherwise you’re creating a biohazard and I still see people wearing the same mask at Safeway had the same one on for years it’s dirty it’s gross it just I you know so let’s go back I’m going way back I loved your number about the food stamp thing yeah 47 when you talked about it in dollars to one but whatever that statistic is 6 billion out of 140 Bon I am concerned about what are we going to do about yeah is there anything we could do about it because like you just said
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the people that are earning money they don’t want to give up their money no to make the system right because then there because the people that are we’re actually can inter interacting with if you’re on the island you’re interacting with a very small agency but this whole agency that’s floating around Washington DC that’s huge so it’s not here the local people are running on a meager bad meager s IES they’re not making Tony money they’re doing the they’re doing the people’s
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work they’re doing wonderful the interface is brilliant I think they need more help they need a lot more help they’re doing a great job but everything above that from Washington State way in the state level excuse me I think that’s a we’ve got things to do so I you know I mean if oh let’s let’s do some math $1.2 billion do have rolled into Mau s the fire what if we just cut a check of 1.2 million divide it by every homeowner how much could we given them we had to give them $1.5 million give them a check they
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got $700 and just said don’t come just send the money just giveing a 17 million check to each person living here it doesn’t stop it it’s huge well that one needs a little closer scrutiny it does need scrutiny I just I I did the math I just went here’s number here’s how many people divide it well but then they we have no services like when people say I want my road fixed I want this I want that but I don’t want to pay for it everybody you pay for everything that’s the the whole thing
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and it comes around it just come everybody that was screaming and yelling was like oh I got this Co check or I got this you’re going to pay for it you’re going to pay for it I didn’t get any any Co bail out and and I was looking at my partner and some my kids they go we had to pay taxes for the first time and I said how much Co money you get 40 Grand I no but $45,000 per well I I think I I I think most of my kids got maybe like you know $2500 $3,000 oh well here they were getting 863 a week for so many weeks really oh I
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get I didn’t I wasn’t in that thing that was unbelievable yeah and it created homeless people that suddenly had Vehicles mhm and were able to get the executive Camp Model I actually read uh or actually when I went I have a dream of buying a new car I’m still driving the car that I drove out of the showroom floor 14 years ago oh and I was in talking and I was looking at a new car and he I go well he says you know we’re getting a lot of repos I go really what what do you think drove that he say
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people came in during Co with all this money put a down payment down and and now all of a sudden the reality is is they’re really only making like a half what they were making right so no and they’re getting all these repos just two threey old cars are coming in so so yeah they don’t teach in school home economics anymore they don’t teach cooking they don’t teach um stewardship and they don’t teach statesmanship those were things that I think were some of the most important
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classes I had when I was in grade school and high school statesmanship how to agree to be disag how to disagree and be agreeable that was an elective no that was mandatory it was part of your history and social science and you say that’s not being taught now it’s not it’s not no how to disagree without being disagreeable statesmanship no I don’t see that going on no because that’s all we need to do is just be able to disagree without being disagreeable you and I agree on a lot of things a lot
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of things I’m just going like where did he come from well a lot of things we disagree on we somehow we still somehow talk there there there’s threads in there that we agree on yeah absolutely there’s lots of threads we agree on but the thing that I keep asking is the one that I don’t know how to get past which is how do we stop this flood of wrong I I don’t know Jason it’s I just don’t don’t know I it’s not it’s not it’s not going to they’re talking now about we’re
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going to have a really really hard Landing which is something that the Great Depression was yeah and now economic economic economic the guys that know this stuff econ Economist yeah the economists are saying we’re going to be ready for a hard Landing okay the last hard Landing was the Great Depression so we have that’s something people of our in our life never know experienced we see it all around the world but it’s nothing no if if once we start hitting two or 3,000% you know when you go for loaf of
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bread and it’s $75 then we’ll know well got surely you know before that believe it or not we have 2 minutes and 40 seconds which is good because we just been rambling on about problems you next week I have bodium you know bod b i i i i don’t know him personally doorway into light is a a natural funeral alternative see I just want to be thrown in the ocean with a rock that can happen we can arrange no you can arrange that and the price could be right it could be right and put you out there with those other guys we
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didn’t agree with it came on your show yeah we know how you get rid of people no you know this is a neutral zone and I like bringing different perspectives on but yeah you know I sit here and I wonder why am I doing this what is this doing for me nothing if you can create thought yeah well create thought if people listen but we see we already have discovered those that have aren’t listening and those that don’t have they’re not listening because they’re trying to figure out how to survive so
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who am I talking to you’re talking to all of us Jason we’re all talking but it’s not about talking it’s asking the questions but then how do we make the change if we can’t we get people to answer okay so if you’re not in charge of you’re the governor you’re the mayor if you’re not in charge of this agency um okay who is so you’ve got an administrator that you didn’t hire back to Lincoln you got an administrator that’s administrating this department
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you didn’t hire that’s executing laws that the people didn’t vote for the planning laws for Mai let’s bring this back local well but these codes were created yeah they they weren’t they were they were created to stop the blast of growth but right now we need just to replace the growth that was there we have 45 seconds so we’re going to have to bring you back again hope you don’t mind oh I love coming back Jase I’m gonna ask you to make a list of solutions for next time I
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Solutions are fun all right anyway Scott you’ve been a fun guest and a good guest and and I hope that everyone listening realizes that if you have any solutions we want to hear about them you can sit in this hot seat oh yeah in fact I got a call from someone who’s been in the mayor’s office a couple of times for Solutions on the west side we only have 13 seconds so I guess that’s going to be it my goodness thank you Scott for being herea it has been a pleasure thank you guys for joining us we’ll see you next
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week blessings
