The Best Weekend Talk Show In America (Hour Two)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: The Best Weekend Talk Show In America (Hour Two)

Date: July 18, 2026
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into intensely debated political and social issues across America, with a focus on the escalating hostility toward the Supreme Court, the consequences of progressive crime policies in major cities, and the underlying factors behind American pessimism about the economy. True to Armstrong & Getty’s style, the conversation is marked by their direct, irreverent tone, frequent humor, and calls for realism over what they view as ideological fantasy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Supreme Court Under Threat: Escalating Rhetoric and Security Issues

• The episode opens with a critical discussion of extreme rhetoric targeting the Supreme Court, particularly threats from high-profile politicians.
• [02:03] Joe Getty: “Yeah, that was the most powerful Democrat in the Senate threatening Republican appointed Supreme Court justices.”
• Both hosts describe this shift from disagreement to outright hostility as "irresponsible and dangerous" and attribute it to political fundraising and voter enthusiasm tactics.
• They highlight how threats have soared, requiring increased security for justices, as explained by testimonies from Justices Barrett and Kagan before Congress.
• Memorable quotes:
  • [04:06] Justice Barrett (via testimony): “I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was.”
  • [05:33] Justice Barrett: [Describes her child seeing her take home a bulletproof vest after death threats.]
• The hosts point out hypocrisy across the political spectrum, with both Trump and Democratic figures being called out for reckless comments about the judiciary.

2. Crime, Policing, and Progressive Policy Failures in Portland & Beyond

• Detailed analysis of police understaffing and slow emergency response in Portland is used as a case study of broader crime policy issues.
• [14:41] Jack Armstrong laments “Portlandia is crumbling...The battle is between realism and people who have these childish fantasies about how the world will work.”
• News accounts are included of a naked man harassing people and attempting to abduct a child, illustrating police resource depletion.
• [16:14] Portland Police (via Fox 12): “We don't have the appropriate amount of police officers to handle the amount of demand for police services.”
• The hosts argue that repeat offenders should be jailed, not managed through what they view as ineffective diversion tactics.
• [21:18] Joe Getty: “Hopefully you don't get your house or your car broken into, you or someone you care about hurt in the meantime.”

3. Criminal Justice: Repeat Offenders and Societal Rot

• The discussion pivots to research on crime concentration among repeat offenders and the hosts’ frustration with policies that enable recidivism.
• [28:38] Jack Armstrong: “A few offenders commit most of the crime...It's undeniable.”
  • Cites studies demonstrating a tiny percentage of the population drives the majority of crime (e.g., 1% responsible for 63% of crimes in Sweden).
• The hosts express exasperation with progressive narratives attributing criminality to “capitalist oppression” or “climate change,” calling this a type of “Marxist cult.”
• Getty shares a personal story—being verbally assaulted with his family—underscoring their theme that victim’s interests have been forgotten.

4. Youth Lawlessness: The "Teen Takeover" in Raleigh

• The hosts cover a viral incident where thousands of youth overwhelmed Raleigh, NC, with violence and crime, despite significant police preparation.
• [32:51] Jack Armstrong: “When lawlessness is observed and not punished, people decide lawlessness is okay.”
• The conversation becomes a broader critique on the erosion of societal norms and the dangers of not holding offenders accountable.

5. Economic Pessimism and Survey Bias

• The persistent pessimism in the Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is discussed, despite a seemingly stable economy.
• [36:09] Joe Getty: “It's low. Right now we don't feel good about the economy—more than ever, we're despondent.”
• Methodological shifts from phone to online surveys may contribute to gloomier sentiment, with online respondents showing more negativity.
• The hosts speculate that partisanship and media-fueled negativity further drive this downbeat outlook.

6. Education, National Mood, and Cultural Shifts

• Armstrong & Getty warn of the effects of educational and cultural shifts that, in their view, encourage young people to “hate their own country.”
• [41:07] Jack Armstrong: “The perversion of our education system to become not a system of education, but a system of indoctrination to Marxist ideals...is a serious, serious problem.”
• They end on a note urging vigilance and a return to patriotism, even as they acknowledge the challenge of keeping the conversation both engaging and realistic.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “That's one of the most disgusting things ever said by a leader of either party. It really is.” — Jack Armstrong, on Democrats’ rhetoric toward SCOTUS [02:10]
• “I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was.” — Justice Amy Coney Barrett [04:06]
• “If you believe Reagan...we're never more than a generation or two from losing our liberty...this is a serious, serious problem.” — Jack Armstrong [40:34]
• “It's a blessing...you come from Hardy stock.” — Jack Armstrong, bantering with Joe about genetics [11:16]
• “Hopefully you don't get your house or your car broken into, you or someone you care about hurt in the meantime.” — Joe Getty [21:18]
• "A few offenders commit most of the crime...It's undeniable." — Jack Armstrong [28:38]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:33–07:26| Supreme Court threats, security, & political rhetoric | | 14:41–21:18| Portland's crime & police resource crisis—news reports & analysis | | 23:05–26:46| Recidivism, repeat offenders, and failures of progressive lawmaking | | 29:44–32:49| Pareto principle in crime, statistics, and enforcement | | 32:51–34:37| "Teen takeover" in Raleigh, implications for society | | 35:39–39:43| American economic pessimism & impact of survey methodology | | 39:43–42:14| Education, youth pessimism, and cultural indoctrination concerns |

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The Armstrong & Getty Tone

• Blunt, irreverent, frequently sarcastic, especially regarding progressive narratives ("childish fantasies," "Marxist cult")
• Willingness to directly criticize both left and right extremes
• Heavy emphasis on statistical or media evidence to support arguments
• Use of humor to soften often bleak or heated observations

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For New Listeners

This episode offers a sweeping critique of political rhetoric, crime policy, and shifting cultural norms across America, laced with both bleak warnings and the hosts’ trademark banter. Listeners will find both strong opinions and supporting data, tied together with the sense that too much idealism and not enough realism threaten American society on multiple fronts.

Transcript

[Orderly Meds Announcer]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

And now here's Armstrong.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Fox 12 Reporter]

Hey there.

[Jack Armstrong]

You've tuned in to the best weekend talk show in America. We talk about what's happening around the country and around the world without left wing spin.

[Joe Getty]

You can find our podcast, It's Armstrong and Getty on demand. Armstrong and Getty on Demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

And enjoy the best weekend talk show in America. I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won't know what hit you.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that was the most powerful Democrat in the Senate threatening Republican appointed Supreme Court justices.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's one of the most disgusting things ever said by a leader of either party. It really is. There's perhaps dating back to Jim Crow.

[Joe Getty]

There's way too much threatening by all the powerful on both sides, unfortunately. But that was really, really awful.

[Jack Armstrong]

So you have an atmosphere where the rhetoric against the Supreme Court for disagreeing with your particular politics right now. Any you know, it's worth a quick aside when for 65 years the lefty justices control the Supreme Court, conservatives would just say, hey, I don't agree with that. That's wrong. But now that conservatives have some level of control, you hear that sort of absolutely horrifying rhetoric and that's barely true.

[Joe Getty]

We went through all the statistics last week with what's her name that we really like.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yeah, Anastasia Bowden.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's just not a it's just not true. In fact, all of Trump's biggest things his justices won against him. The court went against him. His biggest things tariffs and, and birthright citizenship and stuff like it. So the whole it's a Republican MAGA court, even if it were true, it wouldn't be something you should complain about. As you just pointed out, it was a Democrat led court forever, but it's just not true.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, I do want to talk more about the birthright citizenship ruling, which I found lame. But yeah, so it's, it's purely this, this vile rhetoric against the Supreme Court is purely a fundraising voter enthusiasm strategy, but it's incredibly irresponsible and dangerous. So dangerous, in fact, that a couple of the lady justices went before Congress yesterday to say, hey, we need more and better security.

[Joe Getty]

The Supreme Court Police reports a 38% increase in threats to members of the court over the past year, threats that Justice Barrett described firsthand.

[Justice Amy Coney Barrett]

I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one.

[Joe Getty]

Justice Kagan argued that security measures are necessary in today's threat environment. For some of us, those threats have come very close and all of us live with the knowledge that they may again materialize. And we all know about Kavanaugh, where they actually arrested a guy. He was in prison still with an assassination threat against him. Caught him outside his house with a gun and zip ties and all kinds of stuff that would have been awful. Really, really awful. Kagan went on to talk about how she used to go around with no security all the time. She could go wherever she wanted and now she has to have security always right.

[Jack Armstrong]

In his end of the year report for 2024, Chief Justice Roberts said threats against the judges had more than tripled in the last decade. Federal marshals had investigated more than 1,000 threats against judges in the previous five years. Hundreds of federal judges have faced threats this year, and Justice Kagan said the Supreme Court police force is projecting a 38% threat increase this year on top of the 25% increase last year. And as Jack said, she described the minimal, minimal security when she joined the court in 2010 when she clerked for Antonin Scalia. The justices didn't have 24 hour protection. They didn't need it. So it's all about these times we're living in the political rhetoric, justice Barrett

[Justice Amy Coney Barrett]

went on, when threats to my life were particularly intense a few years ago around the Time of the Dobbs leak. My security details sent me home with a bulletproof vest and I carried it into my house, put it into my bedroom, dropped it down on a table, turned around, and my 12 year old son was standing in the doorway of my bedroom and he wanted to know what it was and why I had it. And I didn't know how to respond.

[Jack Armstrong]

And Justice Barrett, who has been a bit of a wobbly vote, certainly from Trump's perspective, or maybe even from the conservative perspective, is probably getting it from both sides. Her home was targeted in a swatting attack. And then she told lawmakers multiple deliveries arrive in the name of. And this should have made the news, but I guess it takes too much expl. They get packages at their home, but the name is of the son of Federal Judge Esther Salas, son who was murdered in 2020 at the family's home by a gunman posting as a delivery driver. So the Barrett family gets packages addressed to young Mr. Salas at their home. For God's sake, people, what, what are we doing?

[Joe Getty]

You would question whether or not you should have taken the job or whether you should step down.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would, you know, if I bring bullet because I decided to become a Supreme Court justice, that's, that's terrible. But if I see my child shot down.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's unimaginable. Anyway, so the two justices were requesting some extra money from Congress to beef up security around the justices, and it's, it's a no brainer. I hope it goes through immediately and with a unanimous vote. It's terrible that it's needed, but it absolutely is needed. And the question we always ask in this sort of discussion, will it ever go back?

[Joe Getty]

I doubt it. Security stuff doesn't seem to ever go back. I mean, 150 years ago, you could walk up to the White House and knock on the door. And then little by little, over time, it has become a fortress. Now you can barely get close enough to see it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. They mentioned in the Wall Street Journal that Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of the Democrat of Rhode island has made smearing the justices as corrupt a personal mission. He's constantly saying stuff like that.

[Joe Getty]

But I don't want to make this partisan because, well, the New York Times had a big story. Oh, 60 Minutes did it, too. They did their story about justices under threat below the level of the Supreme Court. They focused on that woman you just mentioned whose son was killed, which didn't really have to do with her politics or judging, weirdly enough. But regardless, they made it all about Trump. Because Trump has said horrible things about all your lower level courts and all those justices feel scared and they left out the Supreme Court because if they had gotten into the Supreme Court, you'd have had to focus on the fact that Joe Biden said many, many, many times, the ultra MAGA Supreme Court, it's a rubber stamp for Trump and all

[Jack Armstrong]

that sort of illegitimate court guy that

[Joe Getty]

used to be the chair Judicial committee, you would think would know better than to pretend that the justices were just doing the bidding of Donald Trump. Especially when it's not true.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. No, but it's. Everything's clickbait. Everything's about fundraising and whipping up the electorate and. Yeah, for. In the name of being fair. Yeah. Trump has said some ridiculous things about the Supreme Court. Just terrible, horrible, horrible, horrible.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, they come out with some of those. You know, it happens twice a week where a sitting judge in Omaha has declared Trump can't do this or that, and then Trump will say all kinds of horrible things about the guy or woman. I had another point I was going to make about the justices and saying something about the justices and the. Oh, yeah, the Amy Coney Barrett thing, the swatting thing. I think the timing of that was after she went against one of Trump's biggest. The tariffs are one of them. So I quite possibly was a MAGA person. I mean, there's.

[Jack Armstrong]

Who knows. Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

It doesn't make any difference. It doesn't make any difference. You gotta stop.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. Indeed.

[Joe Getty]

What is cable news like talking about diarrhea.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I've noticed that. And explosive. Is that the word that we're hearing? Usually that's the word they use.

[Guest Expert]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Kurblooie.

[Joe Getty]

That's.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Why do you suppose they like talking about that?

[Joe Getty]

Because we all hate it so much. It gets your attention. What's causing that? I want to avoid what's causing that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, if somebody says disease causing a runny nose, we'll have information next. I might stay tuned, but I probably won't avoid. But the ed. The ed. The explosive diarrhea. I'm staying too. Oh, no.

[Joe Getty]

They got the tips to avoid the explosion.

[Jack Armstrong]

Avoid pre washed bagged salads.

[Joe Getty]

I always thought those were safe. I thought those were the safest ones. Okay.

[Justice Amy Coney Barrett]

Yeah.

[Orderly Meds Announcer]

I just.

[Jack Armstrong]

They don't wash them very well.

[Joe Getty]

You know how I avoid it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I do.

[Joe Getty]

I don't need no dang salad.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's why I pray for your colon.

[Joe Getty]

I just had it checked out. I had a physical imess. I'm perfect.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, Lord, please protect Jack's colon. In spite of the abuse, he spawned it.

[Joe Getty]

I have. I was recognizing this. Thank you, God, for that. Just to do genetics, I got. I got the genetics of. I'm just predisposed to have low cholesterol,

[Jack Armstrong]

low blood pressure, all that sort of

[Joe Getty]

stuff, no matter what I do. So I'm protected against this. These sort of crazy things.

[Jack Armstrong]

You come from Hardy stock. It's a blessing.

[Guest Expert]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if that's correct. I catch every cold that comes my way.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's true. But you're still kicking. Your folks are still doing great, right?

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Very, very much.

[Jack Armstrong]

Fantastic. Oh, man, we got all sorts of good stuff to talk about. Former Miss North Dakota has pled guilty to daycare fraud in Minnesota. Damn North Dakota carpetbaggers.

[Joe Getty]

Former Miss North Dakota went over to Minnesota to rip off taxpayers.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, because anybody who wanted to steal from Minnesota could.

[Justice Amy Coney Barrett]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thanks to Gov. What's its lame brain. Oh, man. We went almost the VP we went

[Joe Getty]

through with Katie Grimes last week, the fraud in California, which makes Minnesota seem like nothing. It's just the amount of money that gets stolen from us. And as I always say, before we take a break, I don't understand why you liberals aren't more upset about this than conservatives. We wish that the government didn't have a role in any of this stuff, that all these programs would just go away. You like the programs.

[Jack Armstrong]

So why.

[Joe Getty]

I mean, you. You think they should exist, I assume because you want to help people.

[Jack Armstrong]

They aren't helping people.

[Joe Getty]

They're stealing the money. That should make you more angry than me, actually, because you believe in it.

[Jack Armstrong]

So stupid. Politics is, though, any criticism of the program, I'm in favor of including the fact that it's being stolen from. I won't accept that. I'm going to pretend that it's not happening. And the effect of it is, you aptly point out, is that what you want to happen doesn't happen because it's getting stolen from, you stupid idiot.

[Joe Getty]

I think giving the downtrodden money enables them. I don't want to give them the money. They aren't getting the money. I'm winning. I just hate, in terms of that issue, I just hate the fact that it's being stolen as opposed to I get to keep the money.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good Lord. That was the voice of the patriarchy right there, folks. That was shocking. Doesn't want to help the downtrodden. You're in favor of income equality, inequality? Yes, that one. Damn it. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Well, yeah, actually, I am. Any system that would Try to make it equal is not going to work.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a nightmare. It would be oppression be horrible. Armstrong and Gettysburg

[Orderly Meds Announcer]

Summer is here. At Orderly Meds we know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you've struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications, orderly meds can help you learn about your options. Through a simple virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether treatment may be appropriate for you. Getting started is fast, convenient and happens online from the comfort of home. This summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next step forward, Compounded medications are not FDA approved, eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Jack Armstrong]

Portlandia is crumbling. It is a cry and shame. That's right, metal guy. Thank you. If you were not privileged to spend time in Portland, Oregon prior to the fall, I am sad for you because it is was an amazing city in so many ways. Just pretty the art scene, the music scene, food. Just the vibe. Great place, cleaner, greener. San Francisco for a long time. And it's gone to hell, especially downtown. And a story that happened it was just a day or two ago is getting a lot of nationwide coverage and I'm glad it is because to such a large extent, the battle between the progressives, the social progressives, and I don't want to give it away, but not progressives is not a war between colonializers and the resistance or the downtrodden and the patriarchy or white people against transgender black people or whatever. The battle is between realism and people who have these childish fantasies about how the world will work if they just set it up right. Okay. And the defund the police thing is that. Exactly. It's a perfect example of it. They think, well no, it's gonna be just like the suburbs. That's what AOC said. What an idiot. This is the reality.

[Guest Expert]

We don't have the appropriate amount of police officers to handle the amount of demand for police services.

[Fox 12 Reporter]

This statement from Portland Police has been made evident the past state several days. On Saturday, it took officers an estimated 30 to 40 minutes to respond to a dozen 911 calls reporting a Naked man harassing people in Waterfront Park. This escalated to an alleged attempt to grab a seven year old girl out of her parents arms. The bureau says its officers were tied up with a barricaded suspect a mile away.

[Joe Getty]

They're resource intensive and so when you have a draw like that it really puts a drain on the entire city, not just that precinct.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't want to steal or thunder. Let's, let's play one more clip then I want to spell it out, what happened in what order.

[Fox 12 Reporter]

But this wasn't an isolated incident. Earlier this month a group of women held back an alleged attacker for 40 minutes until help arrived. And on Monday morning a Fox 12 crew was threatened with a knife at the waterfront. It took police 10 minutes to intervene.

[Guest Expert]

There's no, unless it's an on call group of officers like the SWAT team or the traffic team, there's no additional officers that I can just bring in at a moment's notice.

[Fox 12 Reporter]

Deputy chief Brian Hughes says PPB was operating at a 24% staffing reduction with 41 officers stationed across the city and 10 pulling overtime. He says tactical calls like the domestic violence threat in Old Town require additional staff in case the suspect gets away or fires a weapon.

[Joe Getty]

Well, my immediate question would be just because I know the way it has been happening around California, would you not need extra officers if these people were locked up the first one of the first 10 times they showed society they can't be free people. If they, if they're in jail then you don't have to tend to them every single freaking day. I mean because I mentioned at a similar situation, I called the 911 on an incredibly crazy out of control person the other day, street person. And the cops called me back because they always get your name and phone number. And they called me back and said yeah, this person is known to us. We deal with them on a regular basis. Okay, so he acts like this all the time and he's just out on the streets. Well then, then how much resources does that take to deal with the same guy day after day after day as

[Jack Armstrong]

opposed if you put him in jail. Right. So here's what happened with the, the crazy guy in Portland. At about 6:50 in the evening folks started calling that a man was running around naked in this section of the city. And just a few minutes later, but the, the cops didn't have anybody. Sorry, yeah, we can't do anything about it. Few minutes later dispatch advised officers that another caller stated the man tried to punch them in the head. Sorry. All officers are Busy with other calls. Can't really help you out there. Then five, eight minutes after that, a third caller reported that the suspect grabbed a young girl, a seven year old, and pulled her away with her mother for God knows what crazy ass purpose. Finally, there were no available officers in the central section of Portland. So they had to send officers from north precinct down to the, you know, the other section of the city. Now that the guy was actually snatching children out of their mother's arms. Just unbelievable.

[Joe Getty]

And these are usually cities or states where they don't want you to have a gun or a knife or any sort of way to protect yourself. Even though we are allowing criminals to run free on the streets and won't arrest them and there aren't enough cops to call.

[Jack Armstrong]

Isn't that something? Yeah. They would absolutely deny you the opportunity to defend yourself. They would, they would try you for punching this guy to get him away from your child. Yeah. Again, it's this complete disconnect from reality. Let's hear a little more from Julia Lopez on Fox 12.

[Fox 12 Reporter]

With 70 vacancies, more than $20 million in recent budget cuts, and an increase in complex calls since 2020, Hughes says patrol staff is stretched too thin to respond right away.

[Guest Expert]

It's just triaging calls as they come in on the street as opposed to having enough officers to handle each call as they came in.

[Joe Getty]

Build more jails.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. No kidding. Yeah, don't empty the jails, build more of them. Here's an idea. If somebody commits a crime and is prosecuted beyond a reasonable doubt in front of a jury of their peers, have them undergo the punishment that is prescribed by law. We'll call that the Joe Getty plan. It's innovative. It's crazy. I can write it out for you if you, if you didn't follow it because it's complicated. Tell me this is not a war between realism and fantasy land. Because they would reject what I just said. Well, the over incarceration of minorities and people victimized by the colonial oppressors, blah, blah, blah. Telling you folks, you got to resist these people because they will ruin the world. End of screed.

[Joe Getty]

Well, and hopefully you don't get your house, your car broken into, you or somebody you care about hurt in the meantime.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right. Yeah, yeah, that's. Who was it? Jim Cooper, the sheriff of Sacramento county in California, said the other day, can we start thinking about the victims again, please? Well said, Coop.

[Joe Getty]

That's the exact same same thing I said at a city council meeting. When are we going to start caring about the law abiding taxpayer as opposed to the drug addled the criminal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right. It's insane. It's insane. You get.

[Joe Getty]

I did not get the finger clips though. Finger clips.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, the snaps. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Somebody else who followed me who said something like, blah, blah, blah patriarchy, blah blah blah capitalist system. They got all the.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, there you go. The only upside to all this insanity is now I get how other societies went crazy. Cite your favorite example, Armstrong and Getty.

[Orderly Meds Announcer]

Summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast. That's orderlymeds.com podcast. Taking care of yourself feels great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Jack Armstrong]

There are some folks in the legislature and they're true believers. For whatever reason, they don't want anybody held accountable to go to a county jail or prison. And that's what we're dealing with with some folks in California. Sheriff Jim Cooper, longtime friend of the Armstrong and Getty show, he's the sheriff of Sacramento county in California. He's talking about the progressive governance in California and how it's many to say soft on crime is to really not describe it properly. The policies are don't jail anybody because that's part of capitalist oppression.

[Fox 12 Reporter]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

I almost can't talk about this subject because it makes me so angry and worried, actually, since my family, when my kids were little, we were verbally assaulted by a guy that should have been in prison because of all the crimes he had committed. He ended up back in prison because of what he said to me and my family. I've told that story a million times. I thought I was quite possibly going to die in a knife or gun fight with the guy, but he should have been in jail a long time ago. And when I called the cops, I'll never forget this. When I called the cops, the first cop I talked to said, you know what's really a tragedy is that we don't have someplace we can put this guy so we could get the mental, oh, is that the tragedy? As my kids are crying behind me, I thought they were going to die like 10 minutes ago. And the cop tells me the real tragedy is that the guy doesn't have someplace he can go to get more help. He's a criminal. He's been a criminal. He's advocated a criminally. He'd done all kinds of horrible things. He should have been in jail.

[Guest Expert]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

These people are nuts and they're going to get more people hurt or killed.

[Jack Armstrong]

And Sheriff Cooper, in that same interview with the excellent Ashley Zavala points out that when there are like mental health diversion programs, they're not funded because they don't believe in putting anybody behind bars. Anyway, I thought this was so interesting.

[Joe Getty]

That's why I've decided that socialism is a mental illness, it's an actual mental illness because it doesn't make any sense. You can't, you can't make, you know, there are all kinds of political policy differences you can have with people, but you can understand their argument. This doesn't make any sense.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right. You have to suck down the delicious Kool Aid of the, the Marxist cult. Really, to pretend because it's so clearly what they are advocating is so clearly counter to what we all recognize about reality and humanity, which is why really socialism works best on the young and stupid people. But Lehman wrote a great piece for the the Dispatch a while back entitled why don't we lock up repeat Offenders? And it starts, Jack, with a disturbingly similar situation to your own. It wasn't long ago that police charged Hector De Leon and emotionally disturbed and homeless 51 year old with slashing 6 New Yorkers in an unprovoked attack at Penn Station in New York. De Leon is a vibrant criminal history. Another slashing committed in Newark, New Jersey four years ago right across the R6. Other prior arrests including aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon use or possession of drugs, assault, domestic assault and criminal mischief.

[Joe Getty]

Because of capitalism, you see, that's why he did that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh for God. Or global warming. Climate change. Did you see? I shouldn't get off on this tangent. I really shouldn't. National Geographic is trying to. And they've been captured by the progressives, like a lot of so called scientific institutions trying to pitch the idea that selling girls off as child brides in Muslim countries is because of climate change. It's not because of their perverse culture or sick view of religion. No, it's climate change. Unbelievable.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, we gotta do some of the writing around that because it is horrifying.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, there'll be plenty of time. That'll still be a problem in a year and a decade anyway. So Lehman asked the obvious question. Why was a violent criminal with a string of priors, history of Deranged behavior on the street. Why wasn't he locked up in a prison or a mental health facility or something? And why do such people seem to cause so much of our crime problems? And this is, and I think this is probably not necessary for a lot of you, but this is an absolute ironclad illustration of how idiotic the. We can't incarcerate our way out of the social problems we have. Oh, this is about capitalism. No, it's about a few people who, who victimize others. They are predators. Every cop we've ever talked to, done a ride along with, says the same thing. I spent 90% of my time babysitting 3% of the population. Well, that's not quite the percentage that some of the scientists come up with, but frequent offenders drive a massive share of crime. It's one of the most well established findings in criminology. It's undeniable. But it turns out that in many states and cases, our criminal justice system isn't designed with that reality in mind. So people like De Leon can keep offending and slashing. Can you imagine? You get sliced open. I mean, when people don't die, I think other people underestimate how horrible it is. What happened? Oh, thank God. He's injured. He's expected to recover. Oh, please. Think about it for a minute. I don't want to dwell on it because it's horrifying, but you wouldn't sleep right for months. Oh, you'd be disfigured for life. You'd be dealing with medical treatments and infections.

[Joe Getty]

Well, not even that part. The PTSD of like being out in public or walking down the street or getting on a bus or anything ever again.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, you can speak to that. Somebody with wild eyes approaches you quickly. Can you imagine the horror, the utter terror that would cause for maybe the rest of your life anyway, so the De Leones of the world keep getting turned loose. But the upside of this is if we go back to sanity, we have a great opportunity to bring crime under control again. Because we've done it more than once. A few. That a few offenders commit most of the crime is the closest thing we have to an iron law of criminology. Offending follows what social scientists call a Pareto distribution or the 8020 rule. And this is at least 80% of crime is committed by at most 20% of the offenders. And the true concentration is probably greater than that. One systematic review a few years ago found that 10% of the population that is most criminally active accounts for 66% of all crime on average.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. 10 I could believe. I don't believe 20% of people are out there committing these crimes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. And it's not a new finding. I mean, they did a giant study following a cohort of nearly 10,000 Philadelphia boys born in 1945. They found that 6% of the boys were responsible for roughly half of all police contacts observed same. Oh, in Sweden, 2.4 million Swedes found that just 1% were responsible for 63% of all criminal offenses.

[Joe Getty]

Absolutely believe that.

[Jack Armstrong]

And do you want more? Most gun violence is highly concentrated in tight social networks, a phenomenon that's shown up in Baltimore, Boston, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco and Oakland, et cetera. It's gang bangers almost exclusively who commit crimes. One of the reasons you might think otherwise is that the media is uncomfortable with that because it's frequently black gang bangers, sometimes Hispanic, sometimes Asian, but it's generally not white people. And for the idiotic woke reasons we've discussed a million times, they're uncomfortable reporting that. So if white guy goes crazy is available, they amplify that like crazy. And to be shot is to be shot. I'm not in favor of that, but you know the point I'm trying to make but, so why does this happen? Simple answer is a life of crime is the product of many different rare events and well, they go into it. Frequent shooters, for example, tend to occur only in environments with a lot of well armed young men with little oversight and a strong culture of honor. There's some shot, look, I'm going to shoot you. Yeah. Frequent shoplifters tend to be seriously mentally ill and or addicted to drugs and also have frequent opportunities to shoplift. Peer groups, family environment and genes also play a role. In short, a lot of things have gone wrong for someone to become a frequent offender. So most people don't. But if you have a frequent offender, they're going to keep offending. It's as close as he said to an iron law of criminology as exists.

[Joe Getty]

Lock them up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Lock them up. Enforce the law.

[Joe Getty]

I got so frustrated yesterday. This happens to me a lot in California. I remember how it's a problem when I'm on vacation, I'm driving around other states but can't find a restroom anywhere. Can't a convenience store anywhere. You stop just because they're all locked up, because they don't want to deal with homeless people. We are willing to give away the idea of having public restrooms in many parts of California or across the country because we just don't Want to enforce the law makes me so angry.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. And you know, Jim Cooper, in that interview, one of the points he made, I don't think we have the audio of it, but he said, look, we've got to start thinking about the victims of crime again. Our entire criminal justice system, he's talking about Cal. Unicornia is geared toward sympathy and helping and counseling for the offenders. Nobody talks about the victims. Thank you, Coop, for saying that.

[Joe Getty]

Yes, this is exactly right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Brings us to your point about when lawlessness is observed and lawlessness is not punished, people decide lawlessness is. Okay, here's a story from the other side of the country. Raleigh, North Carolina, which is an absolutely lovely place. Raleigh, Durham, from Chapel Hill. You got the major universities of North Carolina, you got all sorts of eggheads and tech people and families and all. But in Raleigh, they had a shocking event the other day. It was one of those, what are they, teen takeovers. 1:30 in the morning, you've got as many as 8,000 young people, many juveniles, many from outside the city, that gathered in and took over one commercial area in Raleigh ran roughshod, committing crimes, robberies, theft, etc. Acts of violence, then later converged on another area. What followed was a night marred by disorder or disorder and violence, one that police say left nine people injured by gunfire, led to the seizure of nearly a dozen guns, resulted in dozens of arrests of young people and delinquency cases against multiple minors. Scenes spread across social media. News coverage of overflowing sidewalks and streets shouting and cursing, sirens and music blaring, crime scene tape, people face down being handcuffed. And the police chief, who's had a 26 year career there in Raleigh, said it was heartbreaking and unacceptable. And he says we were prepared for the crowd size. What we were not prepared for were the number of firearms we were recovering off individuals and the desire to.

[Justice Amy Coney Barrett]

To.

[Jack Armstrong]

To commit criminal acts. Where did that come from? The intent, the lawlessness? Well, I think we answered the question already.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Did you? I'm asking y' all or Jack or Michael or anybody. Listen, did you grow up thinking, you know, it'd be fun if a bunch of us got together and just absolutely trampled on the law in one city or another? Of course not. It's a societal rot and it's caused by permitting lawlessness all the time. All right, end of rant. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. This is the best weekend talk show in America.

[Orderly Meds Announcer]

Summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right. For you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast that's orderlymeds.com podcast taking care of yourself feels great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is this is this is Makes you wonder what we're doing. Do we really feel this lousy about the economy? University of Michigan Consumer confidence Consumer sentiment index much discussed it's been going on since the 1940s. The Michigan Survey of Consumers is the poll for how Americans have felt about the economy now for generations.

[Joe Getty]

And it's low. Right now we don't feel good about the economy. More than more than ever, we're despondent.

[Jack Armstrong]

A key survey of Americans consumers is scraping bottom, showing they've never felt this lousy about the economy, even at the height of the recessions or when the COVID pandemic COVID pandemic raged. We were talking about this a couple of weeks ago. What could possibly explain that we're they're so anti Trump. Some people are Price of gas, Price of gas when inflation is high, nothing else matters. It's the survey itself, according to a growing number of critics, including several economists. They've pointed to methodology methodology changes in the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index as bugs in the machine, saying they're skewing the results. Now the polling people are saying no. Low sentiment likely reflects a profound shift in mood since COVID struck, according to survey director. But it shouldn't be too surprising. People felt differently about the world, including the economy, after the pandemic. It hit its lowest mark in May, lowest ever. Above them. The low readings they make the point in the Journal seem at odds with an economy that appears decent, if not stellar. The country's adding jobs and consumers are continuing to spend despite worries about inflation and affordability. And I would point out increasing credit card and car loan defaults and higher and higher level of debt. Maybe you shouldn't be spending that, but anyway, in 2024, Michigan the University of moved to conducting its surveys via the web rather than via cell phone. A response to the problem the ongoing problem everybody knows surveyors face in getting anybody to answer the damn phone because everybody's being spammed all the time. So a couple of years ago they made that transition to online polls and some critics think that Made the sentiment index more downbeat in part because has shown that when people are surveyed online for some reason, they tend to be more negative than when they're speaking to a human being. 2024 analysis. Couple of economists you'd never heard a heard of estimated that this survey methodology shift shaved about 9 points off the Michigan Sentiment Index. 9 points. Recent analysis from the Chicago Fed also took issue with the survey switch.

[Joe Getty]

I think it's interesting that people are so much more negative being online than if you're asked on the phone. So. Sure, because of the algorithms feeding us depressing stuff constantly. We've trained our brains as soon as we go online to immediately have a bad attitude.

[Jack Armstrong]

Probably. I wonder. Or it could just be if there's another human being, you don't want to appear too negative and bitchy because it's not considered an attractive quality. I don't know. There's. There's also the fact, and this is undeniable, that the. The skew in partisan attitudes is as big as it's ever been. You ask a Republican, right now, Republicans control the White House as if the White House runs the economy, for God's sake. People. People shouldn't anyway. But you ask Republicans, they say it's just freaking fine. You ask Democrats, they're like, it's horrible.

[Joe Getty]

We talked about this. I talked about this last week coming out of 4th of July, and I took in a ton of 250th anniversary founding stuff and up with America tweets and books and TV shows and speeches and all the different sort of stuff. And I was feeling pretty rah rah about America and actually thought, Joe and I need to be less negative. We are too negative. But I did want to push back on all the rah rah with just a little bit of the. All of those things are true structurally, historically, everything about the United States being great and all that force for good, etc. Etc. But this whole educating the young people to hate their own country, K through PhD is new and real and is going to bear fruit for a long time to come.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yeah. If you believe Reagan, that we're never more than a generation or two from losing our liberty, or Jefferson, that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. Was it. Jefferson said that he might as well have. If you believe those things and if you don't, you're an idiot. Yeah, this is a serious, serious problem, as I'm always saying.

[Joe Getty]

And then you throw in a dose of online information algorithm stuff that is all brand new to the world. Also, I'm not as optimistic going forward as a lot of the rah rah speeches were.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's funny because, you know,

[Guest Expert]

we're

[Jack Armstrong]

conducting a for profit enterprise here and if we're too downbeat and discouraging, arguably, you know, for two downbeat and discouraging, it's not going to work. But from a purely patriotic standpoint, and this is distasteful and inappropriate, but I also don't want to be the guy telling Lindsey Graham, oh, it's probably indigestion. Don't worry about the chest pains, you know, when, when there is a serious, serious threat. And that is the successful perversion of our education system to become not a system of education, but a system of indoctrination to Marxist ideals. The. The woke. The current woke postmodern version of it. So I to me, you know, and, and I care as deeply as I do, and I know you do too, because I'm so positive about the United States of America and love it so much. I mean, it's danger. Danger. Will Robbins, Jack Armstrong, and Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

We've decided to call this the best weekend talk show in America. And if you like it, download it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Yeti on demand.

[Orderly Meds Announcer]

Summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast that's orderlymeds.com Taking care of yourself feels great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.