Fecal Matter Is Out Of Fashion

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "Fecal Matter Is Out Of Fashion"
Release Date: April 10, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty | iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Fecal Matter Is Out Of Fashion," hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a myriad of topics ranging from the inefficiencies of government services to cultural and political commentaries. Interspersed with their trademark humor and sharp insights, the duo navigates through current events, societal frustrations, and thought-provoking discussions.

DMV Frustrations and System Inefficiency

One of the primary discussions centers around the perennial frustrations associated with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Both hosts express exasperation over the lengthy wait times and perceived inefficiencies within the system.

• Joe Getty laments, "Why are all life's losers hanging out at the DMV?" [02:55], highlighting a common sentiment of frustration among patrons.

• They critique the outdated processes, with Joe Getty suggesting the integration of modern technology: "I wonder if AI can get a wrap on this someday where there's a DMV AI thing that can tell you, no, you need this form."* [06:03]

The conversation extends to the emotional toll on DMV employees, questioning how one could maintain a positive demeanor in such a demanding environment.

Privatizing the Postal Service

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to analyzing the financial woes of the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the potential benefits of privatization.

• The announcer provides compelling statistics: "The per employee cost at the Postal Service averaged almost $86,000, compared to $76,000 at UPS and $54,000 at FedEx." [15:26]

• Joe Getty reinforces this point, stating, "It's 86 grand per employee for the post office and almost half that for FedEx." [15:37]

The hosts discuss the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) assessment of USPS's unsustainable business model and ponder whether privatization could inject the necessary efficiency and innovation to revitalize mail services.

Recent News: Incident Involving Weezer's Bassist's Wife

In a lighter yet intriguing segment, the hosts recount a bizarre incident involving the wife of Weezer's bassist.

• Joe Getty narrates the event: "She's the bass player from Weezer. They are a very popular band from back in the day. She's standing in the driveway with a gun... She points the gun at the cops." [44:24]

The discussion explores the ramifications of such incidents on personal lives intertwined with fame and the unpredictability of human behavior under stress.

Inflation and Economic Indicators

Shifting focus to economic topics, Armstrong and Getty touch upon recent inflation data and its implications.

• Joe Getty remarks on rising prices: "Eggs hit an all-time high... up 5.6% from last month." [37:02]

While inflation numbers are slightly lower than expected, the increasing costs of everyday items like eggs remain a point of concern, reflecting broader economic challenges.

Cultural and Political Commentary: The American Idea

A substantial segment is dedicated to reflecting on the foundational American principles and the challenges they face in contemporary society.

• Drawing from Dan McLaughlin's work, the hosts discuss whether Americans still believe in the "American idea," encompassing democracy, free markets, civil liberties, and pluralism.

• Unnamed Announcer emphasizes, "The largest single crisis we have today is whether or not the American people will remain committed to the American idea." [28:24]

• Joe Getty shares his perspective: "I'm beyond cynical about the idea that there's not a privileged class that gets treated differently and everything like that." [30:07]

The conversation critiques progressivism's influence on institutions, arguing that excessive red tape hampers the nation's resilience and ability to adapt swiftly in times of need.

Current Events: Israel Under Attack

Addressing international concerns, the hosts briefly mention the ongoing missile attacks against Israel, urging listeners to support humanitarian efforts.

• Unnamed News Anchor states, "Missile fire has resumed from the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas enemies seeking Israel's destruction." [48:35]

This segment underscores the gravity of geopolitical tensions and the human suffering resulting from prolonged conflicts.

Conclusion

Throughout "Fecal Matter Is Out Of Fashion," Armstrong and Getty provide a blend of humor, critical analysis, and heartfelt commentary. From the nitty-gritty frustrations of everyday government services to deep dives into national identity and international crises, the episode offers listeners a comprehensive look at the multifaceted issues shaping contemporary society.

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Notable Quotes:

• Joe Getty [02:55]: "Why are all life's losers hanging out at the DMV?"

• Joe Getty [06:03]: "I wonder if AI can get a wr*ap on this someday where there's a DMV AI thing that can tell you, no, you need this form."

• Unnamed Announcer [15:26]: "The per employee cost at the Postal Service averaged almost $86,000, compared to $76,000 at UPS and $54,000 at FedEx."

• Joe Getty [15:37]: "It's 86 grand per employee for the post office and almost half that for FedEx."

• Joe Getty [44:24]: "She's the bass player from Weezer. They are a very popular band from back in the day. She's standing in the driveway with a gun... She points the gun at the cops."

• Joe Getty [37:02]: "Eggs hit an all-time high... up 5.6% from last month."

• Unnamed Announcer [28:24]: "The largest single crisis we have today is whether or not the American people will remain committed to the American idea."

• Joe Getty [30:07]: "I'm beyond cynical about the idea that there's not a privileged class that gets treated differently and everything like that."

This episode effectively captures the essence of societal challenges, the intersection of personal frustrations with broader systemic issues, and the ongoing discourse on American values and international relations.

Transcript

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[Joe Getty]

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[Unnamed Racing Enthusiast]

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[Unnamed Announcer]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.

[Jack Armstrong]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty. And now he is Armstrong and Giddy. Finally, a Bronx man recently threatened to blow up the Department of Motor Vehicles.

[Joe Getty]

After he was told he Would have.

[Cindy]

To wait up to two hours to.

[Joe Getty]

Apply for an id.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Unfortunately for him, the line to blow.

[Joe Getty]

Up the place was three hours long. That's a good joke. Having spent two hours at the DMV yesterday. Spent two hours at the DMV yesterday. That's with an appointment. But. And, but I tweeted out, and I've wondered this since I was young. Why are all life's losers hanging out at the dmv?

[Unnamed Announcer]

Where are the regular people?

[Joe Getty]

There are no regular people at the dmv.

[Unnamed Announcer]

It's almost entirely losers, like in line there and stuff.

[Joe Getty]

Hanging out. Yes. Sitting in line, everybody. There's like, with me, it's got a bit of a Homer Simpson. Why do the things that happen to stupid people keep happening to me, but you don't look around and see anybody. I mean, I thought this when I was 25, so this isn't like me now. I've always thought this.

[Unnamed Announcer]

It's like, it's very elitist, disturbing. Michaelism.

[Joe Getty]

Well, every car parked in the parking lot is like dented and missing hubcaps and got, you know, a plastic bag over one window. The percentage of people with either a crutch or a sling is way higher than the regular population.

[Unnamed Announcer]

I don't know what to make of this. I'm uncomfortable with it.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know why it is. I've always wondered that. Now I tweeted that out and some people said, well, those of that. There is a separate one for those of us who aren't life's losers. It's called AAA. And I did discover that in my 30s, that if you're a member of AAA, a lot of the stuff you can do there. But like the thing I'm doing, bringing a car in from another state, you have to go to the dmv. California tries to make it impossible to bring a car in from another state because their ultimate goal is to have no cars. That is the goal of the state of California. They hate cars and they would like to get rid of them.

[Unnamed Announcer]

So you're always everybody in evs which tear up the highways, which are already bad, and I'm registered trying to register.

[Joe Getty]

An ev, and it's still just as hard. But anyway, that aside, what was. I had a point. Oh, somebody did point out, though, because I got into a lot of conversations online because I had two hours to kill wondering about this question. Is that further down the ladder of life working out for you, or when you're young, you drive cheap cars that have, you know, more difficulties and you Swap cars more often and just with. With other crappy cars. Just lots of things happen that require the DMV more often.

[Unnamed Announcer]

And there's. There's a certain percentage of trips to the DMV which are caused by lack of organization. No, no doubt I'm speaking for myself. I know that if I, for instance, had gotten the form X34B in on time, I wouldn't have to be standing in that damn line. And there's definitely a correlation between ability to be organized and think ahead and success in life. You either have it or in my case, you marry it and thereby avoid a lot of the trips.

[Joe Getty]

But anyway, it's insane that we can't have a simpler system, though, that they're. I know a lot of it has gone online, but it all should be easily doable online, shouldn't it? Why not?

[Unnamed Announcer]

Yeah. Yes, clearly.

[Joe Getty]

I wonder if AI can get a wrap on this someday where there's a DMV AI thing that can tell you, no, you need this form. Click here and you'll have the form. And then you fill out the form and it's submitted on the computer. And all of this is nonsense of waiting in line for hours. And this didn't happen to me, thank God, but I saw it happen to practically everybody around me, waiting in line for hours to be told, no, you need 34B. You have 34BA.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Oh, that's so Soviet Union. That is so evil. Actually, Elon Musk and the. The Doge boys, they're getting all the attention for cutting this and firing them over there, but one of the main priorities they have is updating the ridiculously antiquated and unconnected computer systems of the government. And I would love to see that catch fire. Just as an aside, after the. What was a half dozen or so of the Doge leaders made that great appearance, Special report with Brett Bear, I really thought they would be mounting a charm offensive where more of those people would be doing more interviews. I haven't seen. It could be that all of the Alphabet networks and the usual suspects, the New York Times, have no interest in it because it undercuts their narrative of it's just a handful of frat boys on meth running around firing nice, innocent people with families, when indeed that's not it at all.

[Joe Getty]

I actually hadn't been in a DMV in quite a few years, so I was trying to take the multiple hours as an opportunity to just observe, you know, our government at work. I also, I also committed myself to knowing that I wouldn't get accomplished what I want to accomplish in one trip. And I didn't. But to. To having a cheerful outlook about it. As I watched so many people get angry and thinking you've made yourself miserable, you've made the person that works there even a little more hardened against the public. Nothing good was accomplished by getting upset about this no matter what. But I thought, how do you do that job? How could you do that job for a day and not end up the way a lot of DMV drone people are? The person I worked with was very cheerful and nice, but a lot of them aren't. And I don't know how you could work that job one week without being one. Just the mindless boredom of it and then the everybody being mad at you.

[Unnamed Announcer]

It's really inhumane to subject someone to doing that.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I don't know how you would do that.

[Unnamed Announcer]

I agree that's. It's not an excuse exactly for being mean or abusive, but I, I understand it. Having dealt with the public fair amount, especially in younger jobs, I think it's.

[Joe Getty]

How TSA people end up where they are too. Although with the added benefit for both of those jobs of you can't be fired because working in retail is a lot of that too. And you have to keep your cheerful out look because they can fire you and get somebody different. So you have to overcome the whole. The customers piss me off.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Yeah, yeah, that's a big difference. My son, who is a gifted actor, though he's not really acting these days, which is a shame. But he, he once got a job by the. The. This person said, you know, there's a lot of public interaction, blah, blah, blah. And can you handle that? My son said, look, I'm a trained actor. I can convince your customers I'm happy to see them. And they thought, okay, that's good enough. So on a related Note, in about 10 seconds, the idea of privatizing the postal service is getting a lot of attention again later in the hour, and I cannot wait to bring this to you. One of my favorite authors, so smart. The five Biggest Challenges facing America. And it's not a gimmicky listicle. It is the goods, and we will bring them to you.

[Joe Getty]

My. I won't say who. A relative of mine briefly worked for the post office, thought that's what he would do, moving from his military career. And he was there, I don't remember how long, not very long weeks. He says the most miserable group of people he'd ever been around in his life. All they talked about was when their next break was coming up, he said. And he just handled it.

[Unnamed Announcer]

I've told the story before of a guitar player. I played with a government employee, Bob the guitar player. A terrific musician, but he was a walking black hole of emotions. He would suck your joy out of you because he was so miserable dealing with the public in a government job. He just is. The despair clung to him like a stench. Even out of work, you know, outside of work hours.

[Joe Getty]

Oh my God.

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[Joe Getty]

The higher percentage of people having crutches or slings, does that fit in with.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Your I don't know. That's got to be studied at the university level. I have no idea what explains that. So Christian Snyder wrote a piece yesterday, I guess, about privatizing the post office, and I haven't paid that much attention to this issue. But as soon as anybody mentions that the public employee unions start screaming and progressive congresspeople start screaming that they're going to obliterate the Postal Service, it will be the end of it. There will be no way to get mail, and it'll be a disaster unseen since the explosion of Mount Vesuvius.

[Joe Getty]

And I do get two pieces of mail per year that I need, so.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Oh yeah, it doesn't mean obliteration. I'm sorry. Take two. It doesn't mean obliteration, he writes. It means innovation, allowing new ideas in to enter the chat, preferably ones not written on parchment or powered by oxen. I believe that is a shot at the antiquated and idiotic systems of the Postal Service. What's the difference between the public and private sectors, the answer is simple. In the private sector, if a business mismanages its operations, it goes belly up. In the public sector, if an organization fails, it's kept on life support with more taxpayer money. A lesson Tim the lawyer Tim Sandifer has been helping us understand here on the show and you good folks for many years, such as the case with the U.S. postal Service, which has lost over $100 billion since 2007. Over $100 billion. The number of pieces the U.S. postal Service handles has fallen 57% since 01. But the costly infrastructure needed to deliver every letter to every square inch of the country continues to hemorrhage money. So why? The Government Accountability Office added the USPS's unsustainable business model to its high risk list, noting that the office needed to take action to address its poor financial condition. There would probably be a hiccup or two. There are a couple of bills we still get via mail for various reasons that are not interesting enough to go into.

[Joe Getty]

I, I can, I don't get any bills through the mail. The only thing I can think of that I get in the mail, Christmas cards. That's the only thing. So in December, I need the post office. The rest of the year, I'm pretty sure I don't. I'm amazed that flyers of any kind are still worth sending. The junk mail that you get. I'm surprised it's still worth anything. I don't think young, if you're under 50, you're not looking at her. I mean, there's still grandmas looking through their junk mail every day to see if there's something important in there. But doesn't it all just go in the garbage?

[Unnamed Announcer]

You know, I glance at it. Well, I don't, call me crazy.

[Joe Getty]

I don't even look at it.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Shortly after Trump took office this year, he posited a blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Trump has been tinkering with the much more appealing idea of privatizing the postal service. It's an idea whose time came decades ago, especially with the Internet and fuel drop and physical mail. We're just a few years away from every grandma venmoing the kids their $1 birthday gift.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Which won't be as charming because, yeah, my, my, my mom still sends stuff to the kids for birthdays, Christmas, that sort of stuff, and they really, really enjoy it. But the, the post office is exactly like the IRS and a whole bunch of other government things where if they didn't exist and you were gonna start today this is not what you would create or anything even close.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Final note, there's a federal law that grants the Postal Service a government monopoly under which only its carriers have access to mailboxes. And there are a couple other things, but treasury analysis found that the per employee cost at the Postal Service averaged almost $86,000, compared to 76 at UPS and 54 at FedEx.

[Unnamed Financial Advisor]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

It's 86 grand per employee for the post office and almost half that for.

[Unnamed Announcer]

FedEx unionized government employees.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Phrase. That should shock.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Or if that's the highlight right there. Wow. God dang it. More on the way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Unnamed Racing Enthusiast]

You know how we're always talking about what's next? Well, I found it. It's called Formula E. Forget everything you think you know about racing. This isn't just cars going fast. It's like a supercomputer on wheels. The tech is insane, and the drivers, they're like chess grandmasters at 200 miles per hour. You've got to see it. Trust me. You'll be hooked. Follow Formula E live on Roku. Next race. Miami, April 12th.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Inside. Alleged local gang members accused of robbery, rape, murder. Crammed at least 80 to a prison cell. They all share two toilets. No visitors or books allowed. 30 minutes of exercise each day. The lights here don't turn off. Inmates are never allowed outside. And we're there as inmates are called out of their cells for an inspection.

[Joe Getty]

This is bleak. This is brutal.

[Unnamed Announcer]

It is difficult to watch, but the government of El Salvador says that these people are the worst of the worst.

[Joe Getty]

That may be true, but we don't keep the worst of our worst in conditions like that. Neither do most places, although, you know, you don't really know what's going on in China and Saudi Arabia and a lot of different countries. North Korea. But what's. What's the theory behind a prison? That. That is that awful. It's 40,000 dudes. 40,000. And they put. Think of the 80 in a cell, lights on all night long. That's. I mean, that's. I would think you'd rather be dead.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Yeah. Or go out in a blaze of killing guards. There's always a balance that's struck between, you know, punishment and keeping control of a prison. And if guys feel like the only reason I'm going to, you know, be obedient is to avoid death, at some point they think, to hell with it. So I don't. I don't know how it's run. I'd be fascinated to tour the place. I'll bet it's troubling. Like, oh, my God.

[Joe Getty]

Indicated came across this headline we got. You want to tease what you got.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Yeah, the. The five greatest challenges facing the United States. I think it's fantastic. Terrific. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And the way Weezer's basis wife got shot by LA cops yesterday. What a crazy story. In the middle of the afternoon. That got a lot of coverage in la, but the whole thing is nutty. We can get to that a little bit later. I mean, they're doing something else completely. When they happen across the Weezer basis wife with a gun in the driveway, that was just like an accidental thing. I don't know if she did that every day and there just weren't cops around or what. But I tell you what.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Keep an eye on Blur's rhythm guitarist's girlfriend.

[Joe Getty]

No kidding.

[Unnamed Announcer]

There's madness in the air.

[Joe Getty]

She's running with scissors. This from the New York Post today. Just eight drinks a week increases your chance of brain lesions by 133%.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Shut up.

[Joe Getty]

And ups your odds of a key sign of Alzheimer's. I don't want brain lesions. That doesn't seem like what I need criticizing my hobbies. But my main takeaway being between coffee stud alcohol studies and then pretty much everything around diet and exercise. Is there any point in paying any attention to any of these studies?

[Unnamed Announcer]

Oh, boy. Take them all with a grain of salt. Which drives up your heart rate. Of course.

[Joe Getty]

I'm not blood pressure. I'm not sure you need to take them at all.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Yeah, yeah, I hear you.

[Joe Getty]

They're almost always preliminary studies that the media blows up into. Like this is the latest knowledge. And it's not at all. It's just preliminary study that often gets reversed by the scientists who came up with it. And they. And they say. Because I know some scientists who have had this happen before. They say the media shouldn't have printed that at all. It's just one preliminary study. It's not worth shouting about.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Right, right. Or even noticing in particular. Yeah, you know what? In longtime listeners will appreciate this reference. The. The. The third of the big three of the three legged stool, if you will, is where is their fecal matter? But that's kind of out of fashion.

[Joe Getty]

On your computer keyboard.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Well, yeah. The handle of the grocery car to your car steering wheel. There's more fecal matter in a hotel, blah, blah, blah, than you can. Yeah, but fecal matters out of fashion now for some reason.

[Unnamed Insurance Representative]

Fecal matter.

[Unnamed Announcer]

That's right. Johnny Depp. It had its day.

[Joe Getty]

Jack, how you getting it on the steering wheel?

[Unnamed Announcer]

What is your lifestyle? Boy, that reminds me. We ought to get to Jerry Nadler. Is the stinkiest member of Congress.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if I want to be around for that. So Trump paused the tariffs yesterday on everybody practically but China. That's the big deal. And the stock market rose a lot. Now it's dropped again today as everybody realized, oh yeah, China giant, practically everything is made in China and the 150% tariffs still exist on them or whatever that number is that Trump put out yesterday. So that's still a thing. Maybe more on that later.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Enormous degree of uncertainty.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I would say. Stay with us. If you missed a segment, get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Unnamed Financial Advisor]

Asking the right questions can greatly impact your future, especially when it comes to your finances. So if you're looking for a financial advisor you can trust, certified financial planner professionals are committed to acting in your best interest. That's why it's gotta be a CFP. Find your CFP [e-mail] hi, I'm Cindy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Crawford and I'm the founder of meaningful beauty. When Dr. Sabah and I decided to do a skincare line together, he said to me, we are going to give women meaningful beauty. And I said, that's exactly right. We want to give women meaningful beauty. Which means each and every product is meaningful. It has a, a reason to exist. It's efficacious. You're going to get results and then you just go out and live your life. Meaningful beauty Confidence is beautiful. Learn more@meaningful beauty.com.

[Unnamed Racing Enthusiast]

You know how we're always talking about what's next? Well, I found it. It's called Formula E. Forget everything you think you know about racing. This isn't just cars going fast. It's like a supercomputer on wheels. The tech is insane and the drivers, they're like chess grandmasters at 200 miles per hour. You've got to see it. Trust me, you'll be hooked. Follow Formula E live on Roku next race. Miami, April 12th.

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You know Israel is still under attack. Missile fire has resumed from the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas enemies seeking Israel's destruction. This is the reality since October 7, 2023. Parents now taking their kids to school, falling to the ground to lay on top of their small children to protect them because sirens are blaring because of incoming rocket attacks. The next attack against Israel is happening right now. That's why your generosity is critical. That's why we have partnered with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews to help provide not only humanitarian assistance, but life saving aid and security essentials. Your urgently needed gift Today will help provide security essentials. It will provide bomb shelters, flak jackets, bulletproof vests for first responders, and so much more. Call now 888-488-IFCJ 888-488-IFCj or one word, supportifcj.org that's one word. Supportifcj.org or 888-488-IFCJD at Ameca Insurance, we.

[Unnamed Insurance Representative]

Know it's more than just a house. It's your home. The place that's filled with memories. The early days of figuring it out, to the later years of still figuring.

[Joe Getty]

It out.

[Unnamed Insurance Representative]

For the place you've put down roots. Trust. Amica Home insurance. Amica Empathy is our best policy.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Ladies and gents, I give you the pride of Texas, Representative Jasmine Crockett.

[Joe Getty]

So I had to go around the country and educate people about what immigrants do for this country or the fact that we are a country of immigrants.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Right? Right.

[Joe Getty]

The fact is, ain't none of y'all trying to go and farm right now. Okay, so I'm lying.

[Walton Goggins]

Raise.

[Joe Getty]

Raise your hands. You're not. You're not. We done picking cotton? We are. You can't pay us enough to find a plantation.

[Unnamed Announcer]

So just to get it straight, the progressive view is black people are now too good to quote, unquote, pick cotton. Therefore, medium brown people should do it. If you ever got these people to flesh out their arguments, it would be pretty entertaining.

[Joe Getty]

I find the whole thing troubling that we have all kinds of jobs we've decided are beneath us. Manufacturing jobs, farm jobs. Regular Americans shouldn't have to do those.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Let's import a brown underclass. Says a black woman. It's an odd circumstance. Dan McLaughlin is a brilliant writer. He pens pieces for the National Review, among other places. And he busted out a piece the other day, the five biggest challenges facing America. That I thought, okay, I like a listicle. Everybody likes a listicle. I'll take a quick look. But I thought it was absolutely terrific. So here are the five issues that come to his mind. And some have kind of subcategories. And then, Jack, obviously you can jump in anytime you want. First, first challenge. Do we still believe in the American idea? And he says the largest single crisis we have today is whether or not the American people will remain committed to the American idea.

[Joe Getty]

What are they defining as the American idea?

[Unnamed Announcer]

He actually has kind of a five point description of it. He points out first that. And as I and philosophers far more wise than my. Than me have pointed out, if the principles just exist on paper, but not in the hearts of the people. They're done for. And if they're in the hearts of the people, we can change the paper or have a revolution or whatever. But he's talking about a democratic republic in which the government responds to the commands of the people and has no permanent privileged class immune to popular pressure.

[Joe Getty]

Hmm. Okay, this is more specific. I was just gonna go with work hard, get ahead.

[Unnamed Announcer]

That's in it too. Yeah. The constitutional rule of written law in which everyone is bound by the same rules and agrees to abide by the outcomes of the political system. Civil liberties for all on equal terms, including free speech, freedom of religious conscience and due process of law. Free markets, and the right and responsibility of every individual to live off the fruits of his or her own labor and improve his or her own lot in life. And finally, a baseline of pluralism by which we tolerate disagreement, manage to live with people who have fundamentally different worldviews, and accept the common rules of the political game that is Americans. Sticking by the American idea.

[Joe Getty]

I got my tax bill yesterday. It would seem that I am supporting many people off the fruits of my labor.

[Unnamed Announcer]

So yes, I would appreciate a thank you note. Maybe just at the holidays or something like that, or as we've said many times, show me, show me the aircraft carrier I helped pay for. I'd like to at least tore it, but.

[Joe Getty]

So a bunch of those, you can be somewhat cynical about or. Or a lot of people are cynical about a lot of those. Is that cynicism? Well placed, well earned.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Yeah, it's. It's funny. Cynicism, or being a cynic is an interesting word that I think is sometimes misinterpreted, but not to quibble, legitimate being pissed off and a little bit bitter that people aren't living by those ideas. That's healthy. We need more shame, not less. So you see Nancy Pelosi and the folks on the Republican side of the aisle too, getting rich in Congress and that sort of thing. Yeah, I'm pretty cynical about committee hearings, blah, blah, blah.

[Joe Getty]

I'm beyond cynical about the idea that there's not a privileged class that gets treated differently and everything like that.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Right, right. But that bitterness is healthy. That's good. We lose that, we're doomed. So anyway, that's point number one. And then Dan says the gravest threat to these values continues to be progressivism and its dissemination through our schools and Hollywood and the media. As you know, this is my jihad. The schools especially woke ideology and its variance. Deicrt cancel culture. All the rest of it attack the assembly, essential props of a society that's based on equality and liberty of the individual. And he goes into a little more scholarly discussion of living constitutionalism. We can interpret the Constitution however we want to solve our problems these days. No, you can't. Um. And Democrats for the past quarter century have been attacking the legitimacy of our entire political system, including the completely reasonable Supreme Court. So, anyway. And he takes a couple of shots at Trump for refusing to concede the election in 2020. Fair enough. Okay, so that's number one. Do Americans continue to believe in the idea of America?

[Joe Getty]

I'm a yes, despite the things I.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Said, I do fervently and will go down fighting till the day I die. It's one of the reasons I'm so conflicted about the idea of ever retiring from this job. I just. As long as we have any audience, thank you for listening. It's hard to not be in the fight anyway. Number two of the five greatest challenges facing America, do we still have enough Americans? Are American ideas only useful as long as there are people to believe it? And he points out great periods of growth in our wealth, power, standard of living, cultural influence have typically been times when our population was growing, usually by high birth rates and relatively high immigration. Yet birth rates are collapsing around the developed world. America is not immune. Declining rates of family formation, resurgent rates of abortion. An era of population decline would undermine all of the fiscal and financial assumptions behind our entitlement state as well as our free market economy. And he doesn't really get into this, but the antidote to that is to import millions of young people from around the world who may or may not give a crap about concern. Number one, Do Americans still believe in America? So that's. That's a big one. I'm realizing this is a little heavy as segments go, but it's worth considering. Number three, are we going broke? Yes. Well, that one's settled. I mean, we could go into detail, but come on now. Nearly a quarter of our GDP is now spent on just the federal government, never mind the cost of state and local governments. I warned of this years and years ago. I should have written a quickie talk show host book. When the most important lobbyist of government becomes the government itself, we're doomed. And we might be there, and it's not sustainable. The level of spending, the debt, the deficits, blah, blah, blah. We all know that, right? This one's interesting. Fourth, is the world getting away from us. Foreign enemies will likely always be with us, but we should be alarmed by the prospect that they are united, that uniting their causes and expanding their spheres of influence. This is the axis of a holes. China, Russia, Iran represent a block of resistance to the American ideas and they are trying to expand and send its tentacles anywhere it can. This requires a brand of grand strategic thinking on our part to strengthen the alliances of the free world against them. It now appears, however, that the Trump Vance team wants our strategic posture to move in precisely the opposite direction. This is a debate that will go on and on and should. That's an oversimplification of a handful of things, but that's number four in his list and fifth, the hardest one to pin down. Have we lost our American character of resilience and flexibility? And he points out America used to not only build things quickly, you know, physical things and institutions, but also rebuild them quickly. And he's quoting himself, in wartime, time is a vital factor. The Union's victory over the Confederacy, the American victory over Imperial Japan were heavily dependent on our capacity to turn out warships at a speed and volume unmatched by our adversaries. He goes into the history. In the past, a complacent America could afford on to skimp on armaments in peacetime because it could ramp up quickly at need. But today's America is a jungle of red tape in which the going in any project a building is slow and laborious. The Ukraine war has illustrated the dangers to the army of the perilously slow pace of production for ammunitions. And it's not just war fighting, he points out. It's being tested in the rebuilding of California after the devastating wildfires. And even progressives like Ezra Klein have recently been discussing how red tape and constituency politics make it impossible to build things quickly in America.

[Joe Getty]

I saw the other day, what is it? They're like, they've been like two permits granted so far or something. I mean, some shockingly low number.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

They're in the Palisades area.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Yeah, I think it's at 4. So it's twice as many as you said, you cynic. Four people have gotten permits out of tens of thousands. And then he also mentions that you bundle woke politics into that which not only doesn't, you know, recognize the beauty of meritocracy, it poops on it and more broadly, the unresponsive and decay of many of the institutions. We're hurting, we're hurting. And it all goes back to the fundamental principles of America. And being an American. Don't apologize for those principles or think they don't mean anything or. Well, I Don't want to get into the culture wars or anything like that. No, that is the only thing that matters because everything, everything rests on it. The principles that made this country great.

[Joe Getty]

So inflation's inflation numbers are out today and they're a little lower than they expected. So that's good news. Eggs hit an all time high.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Up five chickens. Bye.

[Joe Getty]

Chickens up 5.6% from last month when they were already at an all time high. I'm glad I don't eat a lot of eggs, I guess. I mean, again, my wife does and.

[Unnamed Announcer]

I gotta have a word with her.

[Joe Getty]

Like how. How many eggs did. Does. If you eat a lot of eggs.

[Unnamed Announcer]

How many eggs Scrambling us broke. Honey, even if you eat a lot.

[Joe Getty]

How many do you eat? Three a day? Does anybody.

[Unnamed Announcer]

That would be a huge number. Well, right. Including baking and such.

[Joe Getty]

That's.

[Unnamed Announcer]

That's pretty aggressive.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. So I just. I don't know.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Back to the whole. It was a little lower than expected. Expected by whom? What is their methodology? What the hell do I care what they expected? Just wait for the number to come out.

[Joe Getty]

So Los Angeles loves a good police chase thing. And it happened in the middle of the day and you had all the helicopters around and everybody was watching it. And it was a weird one. Lots of weird stuff. The guy who stripped down to his underwear, jumped a fence and got into a family's backyard pool to try to seem like I'm just a guy in a pool. What are you talking about?

[Unnamed Announcer]

Before it's last day today, isn't it? Hey, officer.

[Joe Getty]

Before the police captured him, for instance. There's a lot to this story, including the bass players. The bass player of Weezer's wife getting shot. There's a lot here. Stay tuned.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Unnamed Financial Advisor]

Asking the right questions can greatly impact your future, especially when it comes to your finances. So if you're looking for a financial advisor you can trust, certified financial planner professionals are committed to acting in your best interest. That's why it's gotta be a CFP. Find your CFP [e-mail] hi, I'm Cindy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Crawford and I'm the founder of Meaningful Beauty. Well, I don't know about you, but, like, I never liked being told, oh, wow, you look so good for your age. Like, why even bother saying that? Why don't you just say you look great at any age? Every age. That's what Meaningful Beauty is all about. We create products that make you feel confident in your skin at the age you are now. Meaningful Beauty, beautiful skin at every age. Learn [e-mail].

[Unnamed Racing Enthusiast]

You know how we're always talking about what's next? Well, I found it. It's called Formula E. Forget everything you think you know about racing. This isn't just cars going fast. It's like a supercomputer on wheels. The tech is insane. And the drivers, they're like chess grandmasters at 200 miles per hour. You've got to see it. Trust me, you'll be hooked. Follow Formula E live on Roku next race. Miami, April 12th.

[Unnamed News Anchor]

You know Israel is still under attack. Missile fire has resumed from the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas enemies seeking Israel's destruction. This is the reality since October 7, 2023. Parents now taking their kids to school, falling to the ground to lay on top of their small children to protect them because sirens are blaring because of incoming rocket attacks. The next attack against Israel is happening right now. That's why your generosity is critical. That's why we have partnered with the international Fellowship of Christians and Jews to help provide not only humanitarian assistance, but life saving aid and security essentials. Your urgently needed gift today will help provide security essentials. It will provide bomb shelters, flak jackets, bulletproof vests for first responders and so much more. Call now 888-488-IFCJ, 888-488-IFCj or one word, supportifcj.org that's one word. Supportifcj.org or 88488 ifcj at Ameca Insurance.

[Unnamed Insurance Representative]

We know it's more than just a house. It's your home. The place that's filled with memories. The early days of figuring it out to the later years of still figuring.

[Joe Getty]

It out.

[Unnamed Insurance Representative]

For the place you've put down roots. Trust Amica. Home insurance. Ameca. Empathy is our best policy.

[Joe Getty]

Will you be able to enjoy Weezer hits like this one this weekend at Coachella, where Weezer is expected to play now that their bass player's wife is in jail charged with attempted murder.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Oh my. That is upsetting.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Yep, yep. It'd be hard to pay attention. You're playing the bass, your wife's in jail, attempted murder, huh?

[Unnamed Announcer]

You start singing your yips out of place, blown chord changes, what then? The crowd could go wild.

[Joe Getty]

This is how the whole thing goes down yesterday. It's just kind of interesting in a number of different levels. So it's middle of the afternoon. It's like 3:30. There is a hit and run on the Ventura Freeway. Some guys, there's a. There's a crash and they decide to run from the scene, which you're not allowed to do. Three dudes take off running. For whatever reason, a number of like regular citizens decide to chase these dudes. I've never done that, but I mean, like, I'm like a really bad guy. I might. But like just somebody who was involved in a car wreck running from it. I. I'm not gonna.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Depends, I suppose.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know. Anyway, they started chasing these. These guys. And so they're on the run. Then cops get there with backup. And the cops are running through the Eagle Rock neighborhood chasing dudes. One of the dudes, well, one dude falls down as he's being chased. And he's all bloody. So he's laying on the street bloody, so cops got attend to him. Then one of the other guys runs, climbs over a fence, takes off his clothes down to his boxer shorts, jumps in the pool and starts watering plants to try to seem like he lives there. Which is pretty clever. It didn't work. They apprehended him too.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Worth a try.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, it turns out to be the neighborhood. And this part I just figured out. Now, as TMZ is reporting it this morning, one of the houses in the neighborhood belongs to the bass player from Weezer. That's the band we just played. They're very popular band from back in the day. And she hears all the commotion. I wonder if maybe she was watching about the high speed chase and all that sort of stuff on tv. Maybe even, I don't know, realized it was her neighborhood. She comes out of the house with a gun because there's craziness going on in her neighborhood. So she's standing in the driveway with the gun. Cops come running down the street around the corner, there's a woman with a gun. You know, they don't know what all is going on. And they start yelling, drop the gun. Drop the gun. The cops say they drop. They yell, drop the gun. Repeatedly. Will let body cams determine that? I don't have any reason to think they didn't. I just always remember that scene and Better Call Saul, where the cop, when he's testifying as to how he shot the dude. His story is way different than what happened. But anyway, I don't think that happens very often.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Test a lying.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. The cops come around the corner. There's a woman with a gun. They yell for her to drop the gun. Drop the gun. This is the bass player from Weezer's wife.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Who is a gun enthusiast and might have just been doing what any of Us with guns would do if we think something really bad is going on in the neighborhood. I wouldn't do this. However, she turns around, she does not. She not only does not drop the gun, she points the gun at the cops.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Were they uniformed?

[Joe Getty]

I believe so. I don't know that, but that's what I was picturing. But I don't know if I have any reason.

[Unnamed Announcer]

I'm pretty sure they come out on your driveway with.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, they're labd, LAPD patrol that. But yeah, I think they were just, you know. Yeah. I don't know why she pointed at the gun. That's where the attempted murder comes in. I'm looking up at the picture on the tv. All the cops that are pointing their. The gun at the guy in his shorts who jumped in the pool to try to pull off. I'm just trying to swimming. What are you doing? They're all regular uniformed cops. Anyway, she points a gun at the cops, which I guess gets you booked for attempted murder. They shoot her, but not very badly because she then goes in the house and hangs out in the house for quite a while with the babysitter. Then she comes out later with the babysitter and says that she's willing to surrender. So I'm kind of surprised that she's not dead. I'm glad she's not dead since it seems to be like a misunderstanding. But I'm surprised that if you got multiple cops, you're pointing gum at them that she's not dead. That's.

[Unnamed Announcer]

There's. There is something missing from this story.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Fundamentally.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

So according to tmz, she was only hitting the shoulder. They take her to the hospital, but she. She's fine in talking. She is a self described rock star wife. That's what she told the police. I'm a rock star wife.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Is that what she puts on her tax forms? That's fine.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know. She's got a bit of a wacky background, including this nugget. She wrote a book called Some girls My Life in a Harem in which she chronicles her time as a guest in quotes of the Prince of Brunei.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Oh my.

[Joe Getty]

So apparently.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Oh, I remember that book.

[Joe Getty]

Really?

[Unnamed Announcer]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

So she like, was a model sex toy for the Prince of Brunei, perhaps.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Or just arm candy. I don't know exactly how the, you know, the. The flowchart looks. And in the harem world, what. What sort of positions are available?

[Joe Getty]

Isn't it funny how many women they're. All their dating situations. Jeff Bezos's wife is A little bit like this. It's all like rock stars, super wealthy businessmen, princes of Brunei, you know that they just, they run in those circles.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Oh. Breaking news. The common law wife of the drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers was seen with a hatchet on Sunset Boulevard. We go to live. Team coverage has been.

[Joe Getty]

Has been maced by the cops. Is in custody.

[Unnamed Announcer]

I tell you what, it all feels like it's flying apart. Trade war with China, rock star wives with guns. Too much, man.

[Joe Getty]

You point a gun at multiple cops and you're not dead. And you're not even like badly wounded. That is amazing.

[Unnamed Announcer]

Gunshot wounds. Badly enough. But I see your point. Definitely. So speaking of trade wars with China, what's that going to look like? It. Everybody's got the feeling of who the a 90 day pause. It's all going to be okay. Oh, no. The poop show has just begun.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, okay. That's exciting. If you missed that segment, get podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with [e-mail] you know how we're.

[Unnamed Racing Enthusiast]

Always talking about what's next? Well, I found it. It's called Formula E. Forget everything you think you know about racing. This isn't just cars going fast. It's like a supercomputer on wheels. The tech is insane and the drivers, they're like chess grandmasters at 200 miles per hour. You've got to see it. Trust me, you'll be hooked. Follow Formula E live on Roku next race, Miami, April 12th.

[Walton Goggins]

So you want to start a business. You might think you need a team of people and fancy tech skills, but listen to me when I say you don't. You just need GoDaddy arrow. I'm Walton Goggins, an actor, and I like the sound of starting my own business. Walton Goggins goggle glasses. But I couldn't do this on my own. Godaddy Arrow uses AI to create everything you need to grow a business. It'll make you a unique logo, it'll create a custom website, it'll write social posts for you and even set you up with a social media calendar. How cool is that? Well, listen to this. For a limited time, you can get Arrow all access for just a dollar a week for 12 weeks. We're talking all the AI power of GoDaddy Aero plus a Domain E commerce store, payments, professional email, a unified inbox. All for less money than I spend on deep tanning lotion while sunbathing off the Amalfi coast. You know what? That sounds like a plan. Get [e-mail] terms apply.

[Unnamed Financial Advisor]

Asking the right questions can greatly impact your future, especially when it comes to your finances. So if you're looking for a financial advisor you can trust, certified financial planner professionals are committed to acting in your best interest. That's why it's gotta be a CFP. Find your CFP [e-mail] It's tax season.

[Cindy]

And by now I know we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's an important one you need to hear. $16.5 billion. That's how much money in refunds the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last year. Here's another 20%. That's the overall increase in identity theft related to tax fraud in 2024 alone. But it's not all grim news. Here's a good 100 million. That's how many data points Lifelock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, LifeLock's US based restoration specialists will fix it, backed by another good number, the million dollar protection plan. In fact, restoration is guaranteed or your money back. Don't face identity theft and financial losses alone. There's strength in numbers with Lifelock Identity theft protection for tax season and beyond. Join now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off. Terms apply.