The :A&G Replay Wednesday Hour Three

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: The :A&G Replay Wednesday Hour Three – July 1, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this "Replay" hour, Armstrong & Getty curate and revisit some of their most pointed discussions from recent weeks, packed with their typical blend of wry humor, skepticism toward mainstream narratives, and cultural commentary. This episode’s main themes revolve around American economic arguments about wealth and Elon Musk, the tepid embrace of electric vehicles (EVs) by Americans, cultural self-reflection (and self-criticism) surrounding America’s 250th anniversary, and some lighter, bizarre news stories to close out the hour.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wealth, Elon Musk, and Economic Misunderstandings (03:09–13:01)

• Main Thread: Jack Armstrong dives into viral outrage about Elon Musk’s ascent to “trillionaire” status, criticizing those (especially politicians like Bernie Sanders and AOC) who argue Musk's wealth is a sign America is off track or that it comes out of ordinary citizens’ pockets.
• Public Misconceptions:
  • Many believe “Elon having a trillion dollars took money out of your pocket.”
    • Jack: “That’s insane.” (04:11)
• Government Contracts and Value:
  • Armstrong argues that government contracts like those with SpaceX were competitive, produced real taxpayer value, and lowered costs substantially compared to NASA.
    • Jack: “We got tremendous bang for our buck.” (05:41)
  • The largest government contracts were not handouts, but payment for delivered services at lower-than-government cost.
• Subsidies for Electric Cars:
  • Armstrong points out inconsistencies: many who now attack Musk’s wealth enthusiastically pushed subsidies that helped Tesla succeed.
• On Wealth Creation:
  • Joe: "Wealth is not a pie of a fixed size. You can create wealth." (07:47)
  • Wealthy entrepreneurs’ money typically gets reinvested, driving innovation and jobs.
• Pushback Against "Wealth from Government" Critique:
  • Many government-funded projects fail with no uproar, but when a private entity like Musk succeeds, critics complain.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Jack: "When one of these programs works out and somebody makes some money, then you're angry. That is just nonsensical. Beyond nonsensical." (07:32)
• On Socialism & "Capping" Wealth:
  • Joe: "Envy is like a shot of fentanyl. It just numbs you… The politics of envy are so powerful and so easy." (12:00)
  • Armstrong & Getty warn about the impulse to equate success with theft or to villainize prosperity.
  • Jack: "Because the valuation of his company is such that his share of it makes him a trillionaire. You lost. What? How? What?" (12:52)

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2. Why Americans Don’t Dig Electric Cars (13:20–19:54)

• Cultural Resistance to EVs:
  • Armstrong discusses his own EV ownership and is perplexed by Americans’ deep aversion—especially in the Midwest, but noticeable even in California.
    • Jack: "Most people I mention the whole idea of electric car to... just instantly, rigidly anti the idea of an electric car. And I'm not exactly sure what drives that." (14:13)
  • Joe suggests part of the aversion is backlash to the left "forcing" EVs through subsidies and regulation.
    • Joe: "I think it was probably the left forcing it... on American consumers." (14:23)
• Subsidies, Demand, and Comparison with Other Countries:
  • Post-subsidy US EV sales dropped dramatically, in contrast to high international adoption (e.g., almost 100% in Norway, 50% in China, 6%—and dropping—in the US).
  • Jack: "We do not dig it." (15:28)
• Practical Obstacles:
  • Charging infrastructure is limited and inadequate.
    • Jack: "Those [chargers] are freaking worthless... I was in there for a half an hour and I don't even think I got one mile." (17:05)
  • Fast-charging stations are vastly outnumbered by gas stations (15,000 vs. 145,000).
  • Other deterrents: high insurance, costly repairs, more expensive gas in Europe drives adoption there.
• Imposed Change:
  • Automakers lost significant money on forced EV ventures—demand just isn't there in the US.
  • Jack: "They were only making them because the Biden crowd was forcing them into it anyway." (18:29)
• Cultural Identity:
  • Gas-powered cars are tied to American mythology—"the great American wide open road."
    • Jack: "I don't think it's logical. I think it's some sort of emotional gut... Camaros and Mustang. I think it's something there." (18:57)
• China’s Example: Chinese EV sales are policy-driven and not a free-market comparison, they argue.

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3. American Self-Criticism & the 250th Anniversary (23:21–37:39)

• Cultural Self-Reflection vs. Self-Loathing:
  • Armstrong & Getty react to a trend of museums, book reviews (e.g., NYT’s review of Eddie Glaude Jr.), and anniversary celebrations focusing on America’s sins and flaws.
  • They critique the expectation that celebrations (like the nation’s birthday) should be dominated by “honest self-reflection” on negatives.
    • Jack: "So when mom and dad have their 50th wedding anniversary, the point of it is to have honest reflection on all our flaws?" (24:46)
  • Armstrong & Getty use family/marriage metaphors to illustrate: celebrating doesn't mean ignoring faults, but constantly fixating on them is unhealthy.
    • Joe: "That would be poisonously dysfunctional... horrible." (26:29)
• Schools and National Narrative:
  • The hosts reflect on the shift to focus heavily on America's worst chapters even with children, and argue for a more nuanced or positive teaching of history for young students.
    • Joe: "The past should be a teacher, not a jailer. People don't rise when they are taught helplessness." (30:26)
• Cultural Impact & Why It Matters:
  • Arguments that constant focus on American wrongdoing engenders victimhood, division, and erodes civic cohesion and optimism.
    • Jack: "You present [America] to school kids as if it's the worst place on earth to be. What is your point?" (31:49)
  • The “progressive class” is accused of requiring self-hatred to be accepted in their circles.
    • Joe: "Self hatred is a complete—it's a requirement. Jacket and tie required. Self hatred required." (31:55)
• Quotes from Robert L. Woodson, Jr.:
  • "The past should be a teacher, not a jailer. People don't rise when they are taught helplessness." (30:26)
  • "Will we continue nursing our grievances or will we choose the harder path of radical grace? America’s future depends on that choice." (33:56)
• On Proportion in Teaching History:
  • Jack: "When have we spent enough time looking at our flaws? Give me a deadline. Because... we've wallowed in our flaws for many decades now and the point has been made." (34:15)
• Eddie Glaude’s "Despair":
  • Excerpt from Glaude: "I do not love America and never have, especially now." (36:50)
  • Response: Joe: "Go somewhere better." (36:53), Jack: "Yeah, where's better? Go there." (36:55)
• Closing Thoughts: The hosts lament that “unwillingness to look at our successes” is what they see in mainstream coverage leading up to America’s 250th birthday.

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4. Weird Crimes & Listener Humor (41:26–45:24)

• Listener Email:
  • EJ from San Diego wins “funny email of the day” for satirical take on political victimhood narratives.
    • EJ: “Damn it. Now we have a gay disabled Iranian as an anti-Trump foil. You know, weird beard story will be made into a musical and win all the Oscars next year. A gay disabled victim of Trump.” (42:08)
• Weird Crimes:
  • A Chinese national caught with 2,200 live ants smuggled inside his luggage.
    • Joe: "Who was in charge of counting them all?" (43:24)
  • An Episcopal priest in Pittsburgh is busted for repeatedly stealing baseball cards from Walmart, perhaps for the thrill.

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Memorable Quotes

• "Wealth is not a pie of a fixed size. You can create wealth." – Joe Getty (07:47)
• "That is just nonsensical. Beyond nonsensical." – Jack Armstrong (07:32)
• "Envy is like a shot of fentanyl. It just numbs you... The politics of envy are so powerful and so easy." – Joe Getty (12:00)
• "They were only making [EVs] because the Biden crowd was forcing them into it anyway." – Jack Armstrong (18:29)
• "At what point is a child ready for... Daddy got drunk a lot when he was young or played around a lot? I'm not sure when you need to drop that information." – Jack Armstrong (34:34)
• "The past should be a teacher, not a jailer. People don't rise when they are taught helplessness. They are motivated to rise when they are shown examples of what is possible." – quoted by Joe Getty from Robert L. Woodson Jr. (30:26)

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Notable Timestamps

• 03:09 – Start of the Elon Musk "trillionaire outrage" discussion
• 05:41 – Explanation of SpaceX's government contract value to taxpayers
• 07:47 – Wealth creation is not zero-sum, Joe Getty's economic primer
• 13:20 – Transition to EV adoption in America, Jack's personal experience
• 17:02 – Discussion on failed/ineffective public chargers for EVs
• 23:21 – Introduction of America’s 250th and the trend of self-criticism in museums/media
• 30:26 – "The past should be a teacher, not a jailer" quote/discussion
• 34:15 – Discussion of when enough self-flagellation about American history is enough
• 41:26 – Lighter closing: listener email, ant smuggling, priest baseball card theft

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Tone and Style

The conversation is lively, sardonic, and rooted in an outsider-skeptic’s perspective. Armstrong and Getty mix humor and incredulity, pushing back against mainstream progressive narratives and offering a blend of common sense economic arguments, cultural observations, and personal anecdotes.

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Useful For

• Anyone wanting an irreverent, skeptical take on contemporary economic and cultural debates
• Listeners curious about the “other side” of the Elon Musk wealth argument or why Americans lag in EV adoption
• Those seeking thoughtful critique of modern American self-criticism around national milestones
• Fans of weird news and good listener jokes

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Note: For full context and all nuanced arguments, listeners should still consider the original episode. This summary distills the substance and memorable moments, skipping ads and non-content sections.

Transcript

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Who do you call?

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[Joe Getty]

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

[Jack Armstrong]

And now here's Armstrong and Getty. Armstrong and we're Armstrong and Getty. Not actually here, but yet still providing you information.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's a bunch of segments from the last several weeks. The wackiest, the most amusing, insightful, that sort of thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, this is very, very exciting. You haven't heard this stuff.

Oh, could be, it could be funny, could be touching.

You might cry, you might laugh.

[Joe Getty]

The Armstrong and Getty replay.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know how far to get into the weeds on this whole Elon Musk conversation. I got sucked into it because it was making me so mad. Over the weekend, the number of posts I was seeing and cable news hosts on the non fox channels about how,

oh, various government, your elon Musk's, your AOCs, your Bernie Sanders. I predicted this on Friday. We would hear from them by the

end of the day and we did. They all had very strong statements about

how awful this is and how it's a sign that our country is just completely off track that we now have a trillionaire.

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Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

And somehow believe, they seem to actually believe, as do a lot of the

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people

[Jack Armstrong]

that vote for them, that Elon having a trillion dollars took money out of your pocket. So like I tweeted out that specific

phrase over the weekend, something along the lines of I can't believe the economic illiteracy we have in this country thanks to our public school system, that so

many people feel like Elon becoming a

trillionaire took money out of their pockets. That's insane.

Well, the pushback is all the various government subsidies or contracts that he has that still don't make sense for, for

all kinds of reasons that I can read to you. Here's one. This was a pushback against a, a senator that had posted that, you know,

the taxpayers made Elon Musk rich, not

Elon Musk, by us giving him all these various breaks.

Elon Musk was awarded not given cost per result contracts to perform a service for the U. S. Government. The total of those for SpaceX specifically is $22 billion, which includes repaid loans, state tax incentives, etc. The deal was simple. Put stuff into low entry orbit at or below a set cost. If SpaceX does it below the set cost, SpaceX keeps the difference. If it doesn't, the company is responsible for the overrun. It was SpaceX versus first of all they, they bid against other companies and won out and then against NASA. The end result is that SpaceX and Elon lowered the cost of getting a kilogram into low entry orbit. By a hundred percent versus what NASA was previously doing. In other words, it would cost us the taxpayer. All this stuff we were trying to put in space so much more money if we did it with the government program of NASA versus the SpaceX program of Elon. In other words, we got tremendous bang for our buck.

[Joe Getty]

And as a government we incentized innovation in a way that's going to pay off for generations, Centuries maybe.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right?

And then once again responding to this particular Senator, most of what is cited are government contracts. The money going to Elon Musk.

You see, the government which you help

run, I forget which Senator, it was one one of your lefty socialist centers.

The government which you help run wanted services and decided his company was best to provide them, which they did at a negotiated price. How on earth that entitles you to the profit he made providing those services which you guys wanted and agreed to is beyond, well, anyone, especially me. And the subsidies he got for electric cars were from your party because he did what you wanted him to do. Remember when he was your darling. So there's that part of it.

I was against the subsidies for all the electric cars.

I don't think taxpayers should be giving

Everybody else a 7,500or twelve thousand dollar break on their electric car to incentivize them.

But all y' all on the left decided that was a good idea, which

got Elon started on the whole rich thing.

But on, on the, the other thing with SpaceX is we were mentioning earlier, Elon's the biggest taxpayer in world history already and that is going to go

exponentially higher because of all of his

dealings, everything like that, plus the hundreds of thousands of jobs and all the taxes that they pay.

And this has been pointed out already in a couple of these things I've

read the service that are being provided to people that people want. Where are you all complaining when the cylinders of the world happen, they take your tax money, they give it to these green ideas that never pan out. So you don't get any jobs, you don't get any green energy, you get zero bang for your buck.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Cronies get rid of tax money because nobody's profiting in any way. And when is anybody complaining about that? So when one of these programs works out and somebody makes some money, then you're angry. That is just nonsensical. Beyond nonsensical.

[Joe Getty]

I wish I still had in front of me that brilliant essay I read you part of a few weeks ago about how when the rich a successful business and they come up with More, they end up with more money than they could ever spend. They don't spend it. You know, depending on which guy you're talking about, maybe they buy a super yacht or whatever. But most of it, they reallocate. They take that money and put it somewhere they think is even more productive, creating more companies, more jobs. And if you are Mark Zuckerberg and you decide you want a mega yacht, okay, somebody built that mega yacht. Somebody's maintaining it mechanically. You have captains and crewmen and cooks and cleaners and dock workers and all sorts of people. That creates wealth. The wealth of the world. Here's the one thing you have to know. If you don't know this, you will be an ignoramus till the day you die. Wealth is not a pie of a fixed size. You can create wealth. Wealth can start with a dollar and end up with a trillion dollars a few generations later. If people are smart and they allocate money wisely. Oh, my God.

[Jack Armstrong]

That seems to be one of the breakdowns, is that in watching the pushback. The pushback seems to come from a crowd that thinks there is a fixed amount of money. Always right. That was Senator Ed Markley, by the way.

How much of Musk's wealth. How much of Musk's wealth comes from government help? Virtually all of it.

He says.

[Joe Getty]

That's idiotic. That is absolutely untrue.

[Jack Armstrong]

For instance, this back and forth, which was on our Twitter feed, Elon gets

paid roughly $8 million a day by

the American taxpayer via his government contracts.

Explain how taxpayer subbies aren't literally money out of our pockets. One of our very smart listeners, thankfully

was willing to argue with all these people all day yesterday when I wasn't somebody that goes by the handle common sense.

Do you understand the difference between a contract for delivering a service or product versus a handout? I don't think so.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, well said. That's astonishing ignorance.

[Jack Armstrong]

Nearly all competitive contracts that had deliverables, launches, Starlink services, etc. SpaceX won those awards by offering a lower cost than other companies or that the government could do themselves.

[Joe Getty]

The government understand the difference between Stacey Abrams and SpaceX.

[Jack Armstrong]

That was Elon's pushback. For instance, the Stacey Abrams thing.

Stacey Abrams started an NGO and 30 days later was given $2 billion by the Biden administration. She has not had to return a penny of that. The NGO never did anything. And there are tons of those kinds of things that happen all the time are do you all get mad about that or you just don't notice because they're Failures. They're all failures. And so nobody is making money off of that. If we could invest in someone that would clean up the homeless situation and make it cheaper than all the homeless government programs and that guy gets rich, I'll sign up for it today, right? I don't care if he gets rich. If it ends up being cheaper than the government programs that are doing nothing. You give out money to these green.

I keep mentioning the green programs because there's.

But there's tons of stuff that's not just all kinds of crap that they. They put money into that doesn't produce any taxpayer revenue, doesn't make a thing. It doesn't do anything for anybody. It's not a product that people want. It's just a money hole.

[Joe Getty]

Right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

So we've been addressing the faulty and dopey he had government contracts argument. We haven't even gotten to the main socialist argument, which is that income essentially should be capped and once you have a certain amount, you should be restricted from ever making anymore. I want to get to that. I will tell you two things. I'm going to lay two truth bombs on you. One is an old great old saying. I can't remember who came up with it, but a triumph is temporary because you'll go seek new challenges and battles and you might not win all of them, but an excuse is eternal because you can just lay there with your excuse covering you like a warm blanket and never try anything. All right? That's truth bomb number one. Number two is envy is like a shot of fentanyl. It just numbs you. You get sleepy, you bend over at the waist and you stop thinking. The politics of envy are so powerful and so easy.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

I hope I raise my kids in such a way that they have the feeling I have when there is a, you know, a guy like Jeff Bezos inventing Amazon or Bill Gates and, you know, doing what he did with computers all through the 90s. Or Elon now.

I think it's freaking cool as heck. I admire it. I want. I wish I could be more like that as opposed to the immediate feeling being I've just been taken from. That's bad. I have a negative feeling you stole from me. God, that's sick.

[Joe Getty]

Because the valuation of his company is such that his share of it makes him a trillionaire. You lost. What? How? What?

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

Any thoughts on this text line?

415295KFTC.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty. The armstrong and getty show.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was reading this piece in the

Dispatch about why Americans don't dig electric cars.

And it is a bit of a

mystery, it's some cultural thing to where

we just hate the idea of electric cars. And I know because I, I've, I've

been in the electric car world now for five years.

I guess during the pandemic when gas

got super expensive, I thought because I commute to work every single day and I was driving a big truck, I

thought I had to get one of those little Teslas.

I did the math.

I thought, you know, I'll get a used one.

I bought an older used one.

I thought this will pay for itself

quite, quite easily with what gas is currently. I tried it out and I liked it. And I have since been moved on to fancier Tesla's drive a cyber truck now.

But most people I mention the whole

idea of electric car to, especially anybody

in the Midwest, but still even in

California, people around me just like, I

hate to see knee jerk because that sounds critical but it just, just instantly rigidly anti the idea of an electric car. And I'm not exactly sure what drives that.

[Joe Getty]

I think it was probably the left forcing it could be on American consumers.

[Jack Armstrong]

I understand that completely. You're taking my taxpayer money and trying to change the way I live when I don't think there's any good reason for it.

That's part of it. That is definitely part of it.

And the dispatch gets into that a little bit on how much money we've spent.

Well actually how much of it has gone away. So we weren't buying a lot of electric cars before compared to other countries. But then when Trump came in and got rid of all the subsidies and

everything like that, it's dropped quite a bit.

EV sales were 23% lower than a

year ago,

dropped 27% year over year.

For the first quarter of 2026, when we got rid of all the, you know, you buy an EV and you

get 7, 500 back from the taxpayer. So other taxpayers are supposed to pay for your electric car.

I can see why people be against that.

Anywho, to give you an idea, way it is in the rest of the world, a quarter of all new cars sold worldwide in 2025 were EVs.

25% of all cars in the world.

In Norway, almost 100% in China, about 50% in the United Kingdom, 35%. 27% all around Europe, it's only 6% in the United States and it's going down. We do not dig it.

[Joe Getty]

I'm getting one of those new Ferrari electric cars. They're $650,000. I might get one for Judy too. So, you know, it's fast, but I don't want to hear, oh, you got a $650,000.

[Jack Armstrong]

Still not as fast as my plaid though. It's 2.2 seconds to go zero to 60.

I haven't got that kind of time. Mine's one time for that, right? Yeah. The $650,000 Ferrari electric car. It's interesting that they've decided to make an electric car.

Well, people buy Ferraris, rich people buy

Ferraris all around the world. And as you just heard, they're hugely popular. Not so in the United States.

Let me hit with some of the

numbers that I found pretty interesting.

For instance, a lot of the problem

is the whole charging thing.

It's pain in the ass.

It is a pain in the ass.

We got misled partially by our leaders in that you kind of thought not owing an electric car, that they put

electric car chargers in front of the Target or now we have them in front of the library or city hall.

Those things are freaking worthless. I didn't know that myself. I hated the idea of paying for

that as a taxpayer, but I didn't know they were worthless.

When I got my first Tesla, I was at the Target and I thought, this would be cool. I'll pull into the stall and I'll charge while I'm in there. And somebody on a Tesla pulled up and I said, don't bother. I said, what? It doesn't do anything. You could be in there all day and you'd get like three miles and.

And I tried it.

I was in there for a half an hour and I don't even think

I got one mile.

They're just, they're worthless. So you paid for those as taxpayers in front of every damn city building or the added cost for.

In the town I live in, they wouldn't let the tech, the target go in unless they put in a certain number of electric chargers, blah, blah, blah,

blah, and they're just, they don't freaking do anything.

[Joe Getty]

It's the perfect metaphor for progressivism.

[Jack Armstrong]

It really is.

As of earlier this month, the United States has 50, 15,000 of the fast charging stations. Those work.

It's still way slower than filling up with gas, which as we all know, takes you a couple minutes.

But we got 15,000 of the fast charging stations, gas stations, 145,000.

That's quite a difference in the number of places that you can, you know, get the power you need to go somewhere anyway.

They go through all the pluses and minuses. Now the whole

subsidies went away, could change completely. Democrats take back the House, the Senate and the presidency and we could be right back to that in just two and a half years.

Quite easily.

Yeah. Trying to force these down people's throats,

but there just does not seem to

be an appetite for it.

It goes through all the big projects that GM and Ford and Honda and everybody tried to do and nobody wanted to buy them and they lost their

shorts and they stopped making these things.

But they were only making them because the Biden crowd was forcing them into it anyway.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Because there's not demand for it. There's just not demand for it.

[Joe Getty]

I'd like to know more about the practical, the reasons for resistance in the United States. Much longer commute times I'd imagine than.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't think it's Europe. I don't think it's logical. I think it's some sort of emotional gut. We like electric, we like gas powered cars.

Great American wide open road Camaros and Mustang.

I think it's something there.

I think it's a lot of that.

[Julian Edelman]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Well, what about insurance rates?

[Jack Armstrong]

Insurance is high on a Tesla. Very high.

You don't have to get oil changes

or air filters or brake pads or lots of other maintenance stuff that you just never do. I've never done one time. But insurance is pretty high and repair

[Joe Getty]

costs I understand are really high. If somebody, you know, scratches it in the parking lot or what have you.

[Jack Armstrong]

If, if you get into a wreck. It's expensive. Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

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Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

I, I mean it's interesting though that other countries have adopted it soul.

Of course their gas is really expensive in Europe.

[Joe Getty]

Intentionally. Yeah, intentionally.

[Jack Armstrong]

To try to drive you in electric cars.

China is a completely different beast. Don't tell me half the electric cars

or half the cars sold in China are electric cars. When the government's subsidizing to the extent that they are there, you're just making a dollars and cents mathematical decision.

[Joe Getty]

The Armstrong and Getty show get more Joe podcasts and our hot [e-mail] this

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[Julian Edelman]

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[Orderly Meds Announcer]

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 podcast. Taking care of yourself feels great. Great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Joe Getty]

The Armstrong and Getty show this didn't take long.

[Jack Armstrong]

So yesterday, Joe brought us some of the pushback on the 250th anniversary of this country, particularly like a lot of our parks and monuments around the United States and museums. Museums, because I've talked about this, I've experienced it myself with my kids, where

there's got to be all kinds of

anti American, anti human, anti Western civilization stuff and every freaking plaque you see in every museum you go to, and it really gets tiring. And I said, well, we're going to get ready for a lot of that. Coming for the July 4th anniversary, the 250th anniversary, and then bingo, bango. There's a review of this book, America USA in the New York Times last night. Eddie Glaud Jr. If you're a watcher of MSNBC or Ms. Now now, he's a regular on there as they pundit. He's a black dude and he hates America. And he's written this book, America usa,

where he wants to.

Well, I can read a little bit here from the review, which I find highly annoying. Eddie Glaude, Looking back on previous celebrations, like the bicentennial in 1776, which Joe and I were old enough to live through, and everything like that, such celebrations, he contends, have never really been the moments for honest self reflection that they're often advertised to be. Wait a second. That's interesting.

So when mom and dad have their 50th wedding anniversary, the point of it is to have honest reflection on all our flaws. That's funny. That's not the way most people look

at these sorts of things.

[Joe Getty]

I love how the left will state that is. I mean, clearly this is the way people look at it.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no, no, no.

[Joe Getty]

Before you say another word, no. Your very premise is perverse.

[Julian Edelman]

No.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it's your daughter's 16th birthday. Let's go through everything she's done wrong

in her 16 years and spend our time reflecting on that. Because that's what we do with celebrations

[Joe Getty]

and why people, especially boys, don't like her and probably never will.

Yes.

Happy 16th, honey.

[Jack Armstrong]

Instead, the nation usually shatters the mirror, refusing to accept what it prefers not to see.

American anniversaries are often moments to turn a blind eye to the evils of the past and the present. Glaude rides. Glaude writes, to suppress the fact of America's soul. And it goes on and on and

on and on like that.

And I knew there was going to

be a lot of that crap. And the fact that the New York Times already has a review touting how wonderful that is.

[Joe Getty]

Oh my.

[Jack Armstrong]

We have been using the marriage metaphor because I think it's so good. Or. Or whether you're looking at the anniversary or just like your husband or wife. Do you feel the need with your husband or wife for many decades to constantly focus on the flaws that if you don't focus on the, you know, a couple of years that, that weren't great, or they did this wrong or really did that wrong or whatever. Always focus on the way you're burying the past. You're turning a blind eye to the sins. Is that what you're doing? Or are you looking at the totality of things? And you're pretty happy where you are now and you got here by zigs and zags, but look at where we are now. And I'm happy with this and I

want it to continue.

Which is it?

[Joe Getty]

And you work on stuff that isn't great in a way that does not betray your love for the family slash the country. Imagine if, you know, in your 20s, the husband will say, made an investment that didn't work out and 30 years later they're looking at, I don't know, new dishes. Well, I'm not sure we can afford those. You remember that bad investment you made in our 20s that didn't help us a bit. That would be poisonously dysfunctional. I mean, horrible.

[Jack Armstrong]

I've known a few marriages that survived affairs and strengthened them in some cases. And do you just lean on that all the time? Every year, anniversary, you got to make

that the focal point because otherwise you're burying your history.

Right.

You're censoring your history. Or you got through it and you're better for it and, and this is where you want to be and you're moving forward. It's just. It's so ridiculous, the self hating nature of that. It's a weird psychological thing. You want to spend all your time on the negatives as if they've gotten worse and not better.

[Joe Getty]

Right, Right. Well, that's useful if you're selling that and you wish to profit from it. But it's incredibly unhealthy. It's toxic.

[Jack Armstrong]

We didn't do this sort of crap

back in 1976, or at least as

a child, it was hidden from me. It is going to be everywhere this July 4th.

It's going to be hard to get away from.

[Joe Getty]

For instance, I shared some of this yesterday. It's a sign at a Philadelphia museum that's getting geared up. Philadelphia, of all places, getting geared up for the 250th birthday party for our country in which our country will be kicked in the repeatedly. What did independence mean for people in the colonies of British North America? Well, that's a very ABC 123 basic question. Here's the answer. When Thomas Jefferson famously declared in 1776 that all men are created equal, his

[Jack Armstrong]

words did not ring true for many

[Joe Getty]

groups in the colonies. Enslaved people, indigenous people, women and the economically disadvantaged and others all tried to. That's your plus, you know. LBGBTQ all tried to discern what their opportunities for life, liberty and a pursuit of happiness might be in the new United States. Individuals who could choose to support the Revolution, most often white men, did so for varying reasons. Some joined because of political ideals. Many sought new economic opportunities. And others hoped that independence would bring westward expansion onto the lands of various indigenous nations. Colonists like Edward Shippen, whose portrait hangs nearby, rebelled because they felt that unfair tax policies made them slaves to Great Britain. Yet many were enslavers themselves, themselves. Growing colonial industries like John Bartlem's porcelain factory proved that colonists could produce their own fine goods, but they too exploited enslaved labor. So there is not a sentence of this that does not suggest that the entire revolution and everybody who participated in it was just a sick slaving monster. And that's at a museum in reply, and I've quoted Robert L. Woodson, Jr. Before, he is speaking of black Americans. He is a black man. He is a man of the cloth, and he is absolutely brilliant and eloquent and a patriot. And I'm just going to hit you with part of this because it's a little long, but the 250th birthday of the United States presents a unique moment to celebrate beyond flag waving, anthem singing and praising the wisdom of the Founding Fathers. Though meaningful, such rituals become empty without moral reflection. This is the part I loved. Which victories exactly are we celebrating? What kind of nation are we calling ourselves and our posterity to be? Over the past decade, American history has been weaponized to convince its people that we are irredeemably defined by our worst chapters, especially the moral darkness of slavery. Black children are increasingly taught to believe they live in a country that fundamentally thinks Less of them. White children are told they are inherently guilty because they are privileged oppressors. Both messages produce the same outcome. A diminished sense of human value, the erosion of self respect and a collapse of social trust. And people that are convinced they are powerless will eventually live as though they are. The past should be a teacher, not a jailer. People don't rise when they are taught helplessness. They are motivated to rise when they are shown examples of what is possible. Then he gives a great biblical example about the Israelites in Egypt, which will pass over. Go ahead.

[Jack Armstrong]

We were first hit with this. When did this all start? 10, 15, 20 years ago. Whenever this all started.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Starting in the colleges of education leeched its way outward.

[Jack Armstrong]

They started doing it in schools and it was more negative than positive about the United States at every turn.

Ultimately what?

Well, I know what ultimately it is. This is an attempt to bring down western civilization.

But just for the teachers and the people that go along with everything. What are you trying to accomplish? What's your goal? Do you think that the perfect place to be would for everybody to just be sad about the country or should we dissolve it? People cross swim through rivers, they get on boats and shark infested waters, they cram into back of the trucks and nearly die of heat to get into this country to hope, have a chance to live here. And you present it to school kids as if it's the worst place on earth to be. What is your point?

[Joe Getty]

Right, right. Part of it is if you're a progress of the progressive mindset, self hatred is absolutely the pass you need to show at the door to get in. You will not be accepted in those circles unless you express hatred of your country and of your race. If you're white, of your economic position, if you're not poor. Self hatred is a complete. It's a requirement. Jacket and tie required. Self hatred required. Anyway, so he mentions that the Israelites were commanded to never forget their bondage in Egypt. Not so that they would remain victims forever, but so they would never become pharaoh to another people. To find their goodness and their morality and to regret the badness of the past, but not be bound by it. America must remember its own Egypt in that exact spirit. Woodson writes, the evils of slavery should never be forgotten, but neither should they be used as a permanent indictment against the nation. They should serve as a moral guardrail reminding us that greatness is neither inherited nor guaranteed. It must be earned, defended and renewed. Slavery reminds us of the capacity for cruelty within every society and why we must remain Humble, vigilant and committed to justice. Then he talks about the entire American experiment is that we're striving for our ideals and it's hard and we make mistakes. But those ideals, they're a North Star and they are always there for us. And he says the painful struggle to live up to those ideals takes courage, self discipline, and above all, grace. Not the cheap performative grace of political rhetoric that rationalizes wrongdoing or denies injustice. The costly kind that demands something of you. Discipline, sacrifice, responsibility and moral courage. The kind that chooses restoration over revenge, even when revenge feels justified. In his last couple of sentences, as America turns 250, the question is whether we still possess the spiritual resources to renew ourselves. Will we continue nursing our grievances or will we choose the harder path of radical grace? America's future depends on that choice.

[Jack Armstrong]

Radical grace, that's a good term.

I have no idea what they're teaching

school kids in 1920 or whatever. Maybe you went to school and they never mentioned slavery. I have no idea. But I'm old and I went to school, you know, many, many a half a century ago and they were getting plenty of slavery in school.

So when is enough? The whole we are unwilling to hold a mirror up to ourselves and look at our flaws. When have we spent enough time looking at our flaws? Give me a deadline. Because I really feels to me like we've wallowed in our flaws for many decades now and the point has been made.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Yeah, that's the intellectual class for you. I agree completely. I'm thinking back to the family metaphor of children, because you mentioned teaching children in schools. At what point is a child ready for. Daddy got drunk a lot when he was young or played around a lot. And I'm not sure when you need

[Jack Armstrong]

to drop that information.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or be a long time in.

[Joe Getty]

Well, why are you teaching 6 year olds the terrible flaws when what's most important is that they love the country and its principles because they unite us. And yes, as they get older and can handle all right, we said all men are created equal. But slavery was all over the planet, including here. And the Founding Fathers knew that was a tension they would have to figure out going forward. They were fully aware of that and troubled by it. But they couldn't figure out how to unite the north and south against the Brits because if they told the south, you're not welcome, it never would have worked. So they thought, oh my God, this is going to be hard and we're going to have to work it out over the course of years and eventually we had a bloody civil war to settle the question. And yeah, it's been a really hard thing we've dealt with. But yeah, the country lived up to its principles. Took a while and took a hell of a lot of trouble in blood. That's a much more mature theme than little kids can handle. And you can present the sins of the country to them in a way that does not wallow in self loathing. But again, the leftist class, they don't have the same goal as we do. They want to tear the country down. They hate it because they want to build their Marxist utopia.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

So there's Eddie Glaude who's on MSNBC all the time.

Glott is in no mood for celebration,

the New York Times says. And then he says down here. And I quote from him a half century later talking about when he was a kid.

Glod is refreshed, refreshingly honest about the

depths of his despair.

Oh, it is refreshing because we never come across anybody on the left who,

who says this sort of thing. This is refreshing. His quote, I do not love America and never have, especially now.

[Joe Getty]

All right, well, go somewhere better.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, where's better? Go there.

Enjoy it. Knock yourself out.

[Julian Edelman]

God.

[Jack Armstrong]

God dang it.

It's going to be tiring. From the New York Times, Washington Post, MSNBC class as we lead up to the 250th birthday.

Well, I just unwilling to look at our flaws. Really? Is that what's going. That's not what it feels like is going on here. Unwilling to look at our successes, unwilling to look at our achievements is what it seems like.

[Joe Getty]

The principles that are the envy of the world. That's what you're unwilling to look at. Eddie, you fake intellectual. America hating.

[Jack Armstrong]

I will buy your ticket, pay your moving expenses.

[Joe Getty]

Leave Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty the Armstrong and Getty show

[America 250 Announcer]

this July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Experience music performances by major artists, patriotic tributes and. And the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history.

It's more than just fireworks.

Join this landmark celebration and get your America's Block Party Tickets now for $17.76

[Simon Malls Announcer]

at america250.org LA It's America's 250th, but you deserve some presents too. Simon. Malls mills and premium outlets have can't miss sales July 3rd to 5th. Join Simon plus our new rewards program for free and get 2.5 times the points.

In addition to ext savings, cash back

and offers that also [e-mail] grab the

fam head to assignment center and make it a day for the books.

It's a celebration thing. Sign up [e-mail] rewards program terms apply. See SimonPlus.com for details.

[Rob Gronkowski]

This is Rob Gronkowski from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules and talk about a perfect partnership. I'm here to tell you about protecting your end zone with Dude Wipes. If you're still wiping with toilet paper, you need to listen up. Dude Wipes are a wet, extra large flushable wipe that leave nothing behind in your behind because they are wet and we all know wetter cleans better. Unlike dry wiping with toilet paper, dude wipes clear instead of smear. Goodbye dingleberries. Goodbye itch and irritation. Plus, if you take Gronk sized Grumpies or as I like to call them, Gronkies Baby Wipes won't do. You need extra big Dude Wipes to handle the job and they come in different scents and pack sizes, including a single use on the go pack that you can take wherever you go for that home field advantage. So don't fumble the ball with toilet paper, stop being an A hole to your B hole and start using Dude Wipes. Available on Amazon and major retailers nationwide. Dude Wipes Best Clean Pants down Summer

[Orderly Meds Announcer]

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 medication applications are not FDA approved, eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[X Games Announcer]

The best skaters, BMX riders and moto athletes in the world don't compete in leagues until now The X Games league championship is live From New Orleans, July 24 through 26. Three days of elite action sports, plus performances from Metro Boomin Jid Subtronics and Bunt Watch on ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2. Stream on the ESPN app Roku Kick, Amazon and X Games YouTube. The inaugural champion gets crowned this July.

[Joe Getty]

The Armstrong and Getty Show.

Congratulations to EJ in San Diego. It's our funny listener email of the day. Michael. Congratulations.

[HomeServe Announcer]

I thought.

[Jack Armstrong]

I thought it was going to be the fan. Yeah, no, no, not that one. Yes, that's a fan fair.

[CarMax Announcer]

Sure.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, it's ruined. Anyway, here's EJ's note. He says, damn it. We now have. It's about weird Beard junior. Damn it. We have a gay disabled Iranian as an anti Trump foil. You know, weird beard story will be made into a musical and win all the Oscars next year. A gay disabled victim of Trump.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, that's pretty.

Wow. Wow.

[Joe Getty]

That is pretty funny. All right. Weird crime. Chinese national has been apprehended at Nairobi's main airport after being found with more than 2200. Anybody can guess more than 2200 of something in his luggage.

[Jack Armstrong]

Some sort of reptile, an insect, bird.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, Katie, wait a minute. 2200 live garden ants in his luggage on purpose? 27 year old?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes. Oh, I transported.

[Joe Getty]

Question.

[Jack Armstrong]

I transported bedbugs once, but it wasn't on purpose.

[Joe Getty]

This 27 year old Chinese national arrested at the Kenya airport, highlighting a growing trend of insect smuggling in Kenya. The illicit trade caters to enthusiasts who pay significant sums to cultivate ant colonies in specialized transparent enclosures known as formicariums. Blah, blah, blah.

[Jack Armstrong]

So like farms.

Ant farm like we had as kids?

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. Yeah. Big elaborate ones that are hot in Asia, I guess. Investigators said a search of the Gentleman's luggage recovered 2238 ants. Who was in charge of counting them on?

[Jack Armstrong]

Can I investigate a murder or something?

[X Games Announcer]

How do you count that many ants?

[Jack Armstrong]

20, 32. 20, 30.

Ah, crap.

[Joe Getty]

They keep coming, boss. Count them twice to make sure it's accurate in test tubes and the rest in three rolls of soft tissue papers, et cetera. Anyway, one more weird crime for you. This one. This is something else. Head priest of Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh accused of stealing baseball cards from Walmart. The head priest and dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Pittsburgh is facing charges after being accused of stealing more than $1,000 in baseball cards from Walmart. The Very Reverend Aiden Smith, arrested just after leaving the store outside Pittsburgh with 27 packs of baseball cards concealed under his clothing and in a cardboard box. According to court records, police responded to a call from Walmart security who told him, hey, this guy comes in and steals baseball cards and he's here again and we think he's going to steal some more. And they watched him. Sure enough, security video shows he went right back to the baseball card display. It stole a bunch.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's almost got to be one of

those you're stealing, dealing for the thrill of it as opposed to the you couldn't afford it, right?

I can't.

[Joe Getty]

I, I have no idea. But it's always baseball cards with this guy. Is he some sort of arrested development case and he's trapped in his 11 year old consciousness or something?

[Jack Armstrong]

I knew somebody once who told me

a story and I'd known them for a long time and wrote that they went through a period when they were in their 20s where they stole stuff for the thrill of it. I've never had that. I, I wouldn't, I wouldn't get an enjoyable thrill out of it. But that's what motivates me.

[Joe Getty]

Them, no, they didn't need, they get

[Jack Armstrong]

still stuff they didn't need or could easily afford.

It just it was the thrill.

[Joe Getty]

I get it. It's the same reason you ride your motorcycle fast or people mountain bike or whatever. You want to feel on the edge. Maybe get a, a mountain bike instead of stealing, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg this July 4th, come

[America 250 Announcer]

celebrate at America's Block Party hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Experience music, performances by major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history.

It's more than just fireworks.

Join this landmark celebration and get your America's Block Party Tickets now for $17.76

[Simon Malls Announcer]

at america250.org LA It's America's 250th, but you deserve some presents too. Simon Malls, mills and premium outlets have can't miss sales July 3rd to 5th join Simon plus our new rewards program for free and get 2.5 times the points.

In addition to extra savings, cash back and offers that also [e-mail] grab the fam head to assignment center and make it a day for the book books.

It's a celebration thing. Sign up [e-mail] rewards program terms apply. See SimonPlus.com for details.

[Capella University Announcer]

There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. Stand still. Not a chance. You're a lifelong learner who's come this far. Now we're here to help you keep going further. Capella University what can't you do? Visit capella.edu to learn more.

[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 a preference 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 individually. Actual results may vary. See website for details.

[X Games Announcer]

The best skaters, BMX riders and moto athletes in the world don't compete in leagues until now. The X Games League Championship is live From New Orleans, July 24th through 26th. Three days of elite action sports, plus performances from metro Boomin, Jid, Subtronics and bunt watch on ABC ESPN and ESPN2 stream on the ESPN app, Roku Kick, Amazon and X Games YouTube. The inaugural champion gets crowned this July.