I Am Ashamed!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "I Am Ashamed!" Episode Summary

Release Date: February 21, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Podcast Series: Armstrong & Getty On Demand by iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In the "I Am Ashamed!" episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into some of the most pressing political and social issues of early 2025. Skipping over the myriad of advertisements interspersed throughout the episode, the hosts focus on dissecting the actions of former President Donald Trump, domestic policy reforms, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The episode is rich with insightful commentary, sharp critiques, and engaging discussions, making it a must-listen for anyone keen on understanding the current political landscape.

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Trump’s Administration and Deregulatory Efforts

One of the central themes of this episode is former President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign to dismantle what he describes as the "giant, bloated administrative state." Jack Armstrong passionately refers to Trump's actions as the "chainsaw for bureaucracy," emphasizing the president's mission to reduce governmental overreach and restore constitutional integrity.

Notable Quote:
"I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced. This country will potentially find ourselves in a constitutional crisis."
— Joe Getty [06:05]

The hosts discuss a poignant article by Kim Strassel of the Wall Street Journal, which outlines Trump's strategy to challenge and overturn decades of federal regulations. According to Strassel, Trump's approach is not merely a reactionary measure but a calculated effort to provoke judicial reviews that could redefine the scope of executive, legislative, and judicial powers.

Notable Quote:
"The sheer volume of what Trump's doing makes it hard to sort out the merely aggressive and the truly striking."
— Jack Armstrong [10:00]

The conversation highlights specific instances, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarding $2 billion to Power Forward Communities—a newly established nonprofit with minimal revenue—under the Inflation Reduction Act. Armstrong criticizes the EPA’s allocation of funds, questioning the legitimacy and transparency of such decisions.

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Ukraine and Foreign Policy Concerns

Shifting focus to international affairs, Armstrong and Getty examine the complex situation in Ukraine. They express skepticism about President Trump's stance on Ukraine, suggesting that his approach could exacerbate tensions rather than lead to a peaceful resolution.

Notable Quote:
"I hate what Trump's saying about Ukraine. Couldn't hate it more. And it's getting worse."
— Jack Armstrong [18:46]

The hosts discuss the potential constitutional implications of Trump's foreign policy moves, contemplating whether these actions could lead to broader international repercussions and further destabilize the region.

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Constitutional Implications and Historical Context

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to exploring the constitutional ramifications of Trump's deregulation efforts. The hosts draw parallels to Abraham Lincoln’s philosophy, emphasizing that government institutions belong to the people and can be reformed or overhauled as needed.

Notable Quote:
"This country with its institutions belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it."
— Abraham Lincoln [11:35]

Armstrong and Getty argue that Trump's actions align with Lincoln's belief in the people's right to reform government structures, presenting Trump's efforts as a necessary corrective to centuries of bureaucratic expansion.

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Mailbag Segment: Listener Feedback and Perspectives

In the mailbag portion of the episode, listeners contribute their thoughts on the discussions. Ryan from Houston praises the hosts, stating, "You're my reason to see the morning," while Jashan expresses frustration over segment scheduling, humorously demanding, "You should be ashamed. I am ashamed." These interactions add a personal touch, showcasing the diverse array of opinions among the audience.

Notable Quote:
"I just wonder, what do you all do? It's all involved in trying to get chunks of money for whatever their thing is, whether necessary or not."
— Jack Armstrong [35:05]

Listeners also express concerns about the intricacies of political funding and the ease with which large sums are allocated to various initiatives, reflecting a common sentiment of skepticism towards governmental financial decisions.

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Conclusion

The "I Am Ashamed!" episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand presents a critical examination of Donald Trump's efforts to overhaul federal regulations and reduce bureaucratic excess. Through incisive analysis and historical references, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty articulate a vision of constitutional reform that challenges the status quo. While lauding Trump's intentions to restore governmental accountability, the hosts also voice apprehensions regarding the implications of these actions on both domestic policy and international relations, particularly concerning Ukraine.

This episode serves as a compelling narrative for listeners interested in the intersection of politics, governance, and constitutional law, offering a blend of informed commentary and engaging discourse.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced. This country will potentially find ourselves in a constitutional crisis."
  — Joe Getty [06:05]

• "The sheer volume of what Trump's doing makes it hard to sort out the merely aggressive and the truly striking."
  — Jack Armstrong [10:00]

• "I hate what Trump's saying about Ukraine. Couldn't hate it more. And it's getting worse."
  — Jack Armstrong [18:46]

• "This country with its institutions belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it."
  — Abraham Lincoln [11:35]

• "I just wonder, what do you all do? It's all involved in trying to get chunks of money for whatever their thing is, whether necessary or not."
  — Jack Armstrong [35:05]

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Final Thoughts

"I Am Ashamed!" encapsulates a fervent discussion on governmental reform, constitutional law, and political strategy. Armstrong and Getty provide their listeners with a thorough analysis of the current political climate, urging a reevaluation of long-standing administrative practices through the lens of constitutional fidelity. Their passionate delivery and critical insights make this episode a standout in the Armstrong & Getty On Demand series.

Transcript

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[Jenny Garth]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.

[Jack Armstrong]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here, Armstrong Gary Live from Studio C, Senor. Deep within the stinking bowels of the Armstrong and Getty Information complex, this is the Armstrong and Getty Show Live, 21st February, the year of our Lord 2025, the birthday of one Jack Armstrong, who has the day off to go do something for Jack, spent a little Jack time, which is lovely, but he will be checking in later on this hour because we can't help ourselves. Just like I did on my day off. Busy day today on the show. Great guests on all of the hot topics before us. You know, obviously it's going to be Trumpy at times. Both the increasingly troubling treatment of Ukraine or is that seven dimensional chess? Some of the domestic stuff. Doge and beyond. Is what Trump is doing what Peggy Noonan called? Was it Peggy Noonan? No, it was Kim Strassel called a constitutional cleanup. I'm so happy and excited about this. It's just absolutely terrific. We're gonna talk to Mike Lyons about NATO and national security in Ukraine and all sorts of good stuff and then can't wait to get into it with lan he Chen, who, if you don't know lan, he is absolutely brilliant mind, Stanford professor, policy advisor to talk about domestic policy and some of the things that Trump and Doge are doing domestically to clean up the sprawling, idiotic mess that is the federal government and bureaucracy. And then later, that's hour three. And then later in hour three and we're still working on the schedule, so don't sue me if this changes. But we're going to talk to our longtime tax authority advisor and guest Steven Moskowitz about everything that's relevant tax wise from last year and looking ahead this year for 2025 as we start to get closer to when everybody's frantically and miserably doing their paperwork. So good show today. Hope you can hang. Not as always. Grab the podcast later via wherever you'd like to get podcast Armstrong and getting on Demand. You probably ought to subscribe. Michael. I tell you what, why don't we start the show officially because I want to get right into something. So here we go, leaping into action according to FCC rules and regulations. Oh, I forgot to say the general manager. I tell you what, let's just Begin at Mark.

[Joe Getty]

We have to Trump Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, listen. I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has face. This country will potentially find ourselves in a constitutional crisis. This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy. Chainsaw. That's right. Ladies and gentlemen, our general manager today is Chainsaw. I want to hear that a thousand times today, Michael. Chainsaw. And here is why. Well, here's a for instance first from the free beacon. Doge finds $2 billion in taxpayer funds earmarked for Stacey Abrams linked group. Stacey Abrams, the perennial Georgia candidate woke activist gal. $2 billion were set aside for a fledgling nonprofit linked to Stacey Abraham. I mean, it's, it's fledgling, obviously. Well, I'll tell you more about it, then we'll analyze. The EPA under Biden awarded Power Forward Communities. What a great sounding organization that is. Power Forward Communities. It's got power, it's got forward, and it's got communities in it. It must be good. But that was part of the agency's Greenhouse Gas reduction Fund program. Power Forward Communities received the Green Energy grant despite the fact that it was founded just months prior and never managed anywhere near the grant's dollar figure. It had reported just $100 in total revenue during its first three months in operation, according to its latest tax filings. But the epa, under their grotesque authority, as outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act. Oh, oh, I vomited a little bit. Sorry. Even trying to call it that. Under that unholy act, they doled out incomprehensible amounts of money, as I always say to their cronies with the thinnest of COVID like naming your organization Power Forward Community and saying, this money, this enormous, incomprehensible pile of money will go toward green, socially equitable power community engagement. And then the money just goes out. Always remember, somebody got that money when you hear about these incredible expenditures. So I could talk about that all day. There's some more detail to the story, but it's absolutely obscene. But that brings us to this absolutely wonderful column I came across by Kim Strassel in the Wall Street Journal that really explains what's happening here with not just Doge and their headlines about eliminating transgender puppet shows for Ecuador or whatever the hell, but. But some of the regulatory reform that they're doing. And Kim writes, FDR fundamentally redefined the purpose of the federal government, which set off an era of ever expanding Washington scope and reach. Nearly a century later, Donald Trump's White House is taking it on itself to challenge the legitimacy of, of the foundations of that expansion. The left calls this a constitutional crisis. How about a constitutional cleanup then? She says the sheer volume of what Trump's doing, it makes it hard to sort out the merely aggressive and the truly striking. And she says it's the truly striking stuff that deserves note because some of the other stuff is gobbling up all the headlines, like I said, and it's great and it's fine and I'm happy it's happening, but this is the fundamental stuff that's a little bit lower, you know, in the national consciousness. It's the growing list of Trump actions deliberately designed to provoke a judicial review of the legality of long standing Washington features. Congress spent a century creating dozens, dozens of agencies that blur the boundaries between executive, legislative, and judicial power, while the administrative state produced thousands of rules that diverge from congressional intent. Constitutionalists have long disputed the legality of these actions. But over time, even most critics succumb to the status quo. And the White House is reviving that fight, audaciously questioning the foundations of the DC Architecture. And it's remarkable. And Trump unveiled the latest zinger this week, detonating rather, what the American Action Forum's Daniel Goldbeck labeled, quote, a thermo nuke deregulatory warhead that nobody's talking about. But this is the important stuff. The President ordered agency heads to scour every regulation and bit of guidance under their remit and make lists of those that either violate the Constitution, exceed legislative power, or go beyond the clear words of a statute or harm the national interest. Hey, Michael, would it be easy enough to just replay those two clips we started the show with? And then I'm going to jump the gun and go to our freedom loving quote of the day and wrap up this thought for now.

[Joe Getty]

We have to trump Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, listen, I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced. This country will potentially find ourselves in a constitutional crisis. This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy. Chainsaw, chainsaw, chainsaw. Which brings us to our freedom loving quote of the day. Michael, how to place. I'm sorry, you probably don't even have the theme music ready. Look at him. Grabbed his fife, picked up his, came through for us. So this is from Abraham Lincoln. This country with its institutions, belong to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it. I'm not calling for, you know, blood in the streets and revolution or anything like that, but compare that sentiment, if you will, to what the Democrats were bellowing in the preceding clip, which was every jot and tittle, as they say. I would never say that makes company, but every law, every regulation, every bureaucrat, every office, every scrap of paper, every memo, every regulation and every sub regulation and every sub, sub regulation must remain. Nothing can change or it's a constitutional crisis. When Abe Lincoln was saying exactly the opposite, he was saying, dudes, if he'd lived now, Lincoln absolutely would have said, dudes, dudes, keep an eye on your government. And if it's wonky, get rid of it or get rid of the wonky parts. Not only is that okay, that's what you're supposed to do, you lazy bastards. So far from shaking up the giant, bloated, lawless, accountable to no one regulatory, administrative state. Not a constitutional crisis. It's what we're supposed to do. And it's long overdue because Washington and or the government has become the most important lobbyist of the government. It's incredibly self protective for its own interests. We need to chuck that. So I hate what Trump's saying about Ukraine. Couldn't hate it more. And it's getting worse. But on the domestic side, oh, nobody wake me up because if this is a dream, it's a beautiful, beautiful dream. Katie's headlines coming up in moments. Stay with us.

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[Jack Armstrong]

We have a busy hour. Katie's standing by with the lead story. But first let's take a fond look back at the week that was. It's cow clips of the week. They need to tone it down. You grab your baby.

[Amica Insurance Representative]

Isn't that sound crazy?

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, I wanted to find somebody smarter than him. We settled in this well. Thanks for having me.

[J]

Me?

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm here to provide the president with technology support. We've got people that are taking faxes off fax machines.

[Lenovo Representative]

They had to leave the building and.

[Jack Armstrong]

They were never able to walk back in the building again. It comes down to two things. Competence and caring. You could be talking about saving over a trillion dollars if we don't solve the Deficit. America will go bankrupt if this is not done. President Trump sending shock waves throughout. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal. Doubling down and accusing the Ukrainian leader of being a dictator, A dictator without elections. Zelensky better move fast, or he's not going to have a country left. Got to move. Got to move fast. Zelensky, who's polling over 50%, calling Trump's accusation Russian disinformation. They need to tone it down and. And. And take a hard look and sign that deal. Putin is a war criminal and should be in jail for the rest if not executed.

[J]

I trust this guy like I trust gas station's sushi.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it's going very well.

[Jenny Garth]

Free speech needs boundaries.

[Jack Armstrong]

We say no. You have free speech as well, but it also has its limits. You might sue them. I might sue them? What? No democracy, American, German, or European will survive is telling millions of voters that their thoughts and concerns, their aspirations, their pleas for relief are invalid. Why would our allies or anybody be irritated by free speech and by someone giving their opinion?

[Cindy Crawford]

We are, after all, democracies.

[Jack Armstrong]

It didn't reach that level to me to say something terrible could happen and maybe you shouldn't have gone on a trip. Why didn't it happen to me? I don't know. I mean, I think that that's one of the things we need to look at. Bianca Censori and Kanye west have called it qu. I just hope this doesn't make Kanye do something stupid. Oh, great. We're in a brave new world. Not my Captain America. Okay. 50 years of the best times of our lives.

[J]

All right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. We will be giving you the freedom of. Of speech. You are free to say what we say is okay to say you. Here is the list of officially approved German things you can say. And then you have free speech. Oh, thank you. No. Let's figure out who's reporting what. It's linked story with Katie Green. Katie.

[Joe Getty]

Alrighty, let's start with the Associated Press. Israel identifies remains of child hostages, but says another body from Hamas was not their mother.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Horrifying from the Washington Post. Three empty buses explode in Israel in suspected terrorist attack. NBC Senate adopts $340 billion budget blueprint for Trump's agenda after marathon vote. O Rama.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I haven't dug into that whole legislative mess of the big beautiful bill and all. We'll let you folks fight it out and let us know what you come up with. You know, back to the bus explosions. That's just another example is Hamas and allied Islamic supremacists setting off those bombs to force Israel to come to the table to work toward a two state solution. No, they just want to wipe them off the face of the map.

[Joe Getty]

From abc. Gunshots fired into windows of Oregon Tesla dealership.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh boy.

[Joe Getty]

There have been protests. They did another. They did a big one in San Francisco as well, Elon.

[Jack Armstrong]

And of course if somebody squeezed off a couple of shots into a Planned Parenthood window, the world would come to a stop. The it would be the lead story of every paper in America. But no, it's. It's okay because it's something somewhat Trump aligned.

[Joe Getty]

From Breitbart.com President Trump gives Governor Trudeau an invite to join him to watch four nations final.

[Jack Armstrong]

No. Boy. Oh, not helping. Trudeau clapped back last night after the Canuckers won in overtime. I couldn't watch. I had a thing, but then I heard the score. But I probably will watch this afternoon because I love playoff and high level hockey. Anyway, Trudeau clapped back. He said you can't have our country and you can't have our game. All right, tough guy. Go. Go change your panties.

[Joe Getty]

From the New York Post. Woman with a rare phobia of popular condiment suffers panic attacks on sight. It's like being held at gunpoint.

[Jack Armstrong]

Do tell.

[Joe Getty]

His freakouts are caused by a major phobia of ketchup.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

They did a video of it and they put it in front of her and she freaks out. Very strange.

[Jack Armstrong]

I. I have ketchup Philia. I mean, I can't eat fries without ketchup. I love it.

[Joe Getty]

And finally, the Babylon Be Delta adds a little hanging tennis ball to the end of the Runway for female pilots.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh no. Oh, Katie. Even worse coming out of your mouth. That's terrible. It's improper and I don't approve. Jack's gonna be calling in in a moment or two. Then we've got great mailbag later on in the hour. It's gonna be a good show. Hang around.

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[Jenny Garth]

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[Jack Armstrong]

This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy. Chainsaw, Chainsaw. Ladies and gentlemen, here he is, more a belt sander than a chainsaw. The co host calling in on his birthday. Jack Armstrong. Jack, what's up?

[J]

Waiting for this million degree cup of coffee to cool down enough to drink.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is it this the buck of stars?

[J]

No, comes with the room I'm staying at. I'm in Los Angeles. Downtown Los Angeles. Beautiful, in a nice hotel. I ate at Spago's last night.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, the famous.

[J]

Well, yeah, yeah. I text, I texted somebody and said cool if it's 1985.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, we had dinner at. Was it the Brown Derby? The legendary Brown Derby with Eric, our agent once. That, that also was like wow, time machine. Yeah.

[J]

Yeah. I thought man, if I was here, you know, waiting to see Cyndi Lauper. And the stars of Knott's Landing walk in. It would be really cool.

[Jack Armstrong]

But it's a beautiful dream.

[J]

Here am I myself in an empty restaurant.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, well, yeah. Yeah. Well, that's nice. So you're just gonna, you got specific plans you're just gonna kick around or what? Not that it's our business, you know, share what you want.

[J]

A couple museums I'm gonna go to. There's a. One of the best bookstores in America. It's a couple blocks from here. I'm gonna go to a couple big giant churches I'm gonna, for childcare reasons, can't be anywhere where I can't get home really fast. So I could jet home on like an hour's notice from where I am. I have a competent sitter at home. But I still. Long time listeners know I have a unique childcare situation and so that's part of. I can't get too far away. So I'm only going to be gone for like 36 hours.

[Jack Armstrong]

But I'm a little surprised that there are churches in Los Angeles at this point. Are they for worship of Satan or illegals or what? What?

[J]

Well, yeah, you're close. What would drive big giant Catholic churches having a pretty good membership in Los Angeles.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Comprende? Si, senor.

[J]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So very active church community in Los Angeles.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, that's great. That's all. Yeah, that's fine. It's fine. Hard working, God loving people. Just fill out the paperwork, please. We have laws.

[J]

So Spago is in Beverly Hills. It's just like right off Rodeo Drive. I didn't know where it was. I was just like, I was walking around doing some shopping yesterday and I get hungry and I just, you know, restaurants near me and there was Spago a couple blocks away. So sorry I went, but boy, the people are hilarious in the Rodeo Drive area. Just hilarious. I mean, you see people that you think are like Saturday Night Live creations that couldn't possibly be real human beings, but they're real human beings with their weird clothes in their, and their, their, you know, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers faces and everything. It's just amazing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, it's funny. It reminds me in a weird way of my son, the Oregon hippie and some of his friends. If you're going to like stand out in Oregon, not that Deco is a freak or anything like that. He's just a musician and an Oregonian. But if you're going to stand, if you're gonna stand out, say in the streets of Portland, you gotta Go full on freak. And then, you know, you'd go to Lincoln, Nebraska, and people think you've descended from a spaceship. I mean, you don't, you don't have to try very hard to be a little bit of a non conformist in certain parts of the country. But in the same way, if you want to send the message, I have lots of money and I'm very stylish in Beverly Hills, you gotta go freaking nuts.

[J]

Oh. Oh, yeah. And, you know, just crazy, like tight leather pants and furs and, and just insane shoes and then they, you know, they get in and out of a Lamborghini or whatever and their faces are giant lips.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh. The size of queen size pillows. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[J]

It's just, it's so crazy. You can't believe they're actual human beings. It's, I mean, it's as, it's, it says everybody should stop and stare and, and talk about them as if you were in some, you know, far off tribe in Africa that has never seen electricity or something. I mean, it's just, it's a very.

[Jack Armstrong]

Interesting, it's an extremely rich freak show, like a roadside stand in 1930. But everybody is a zillionaire. Yeah.

[J]

And, yeah, it's, it's something. And it's, it's, you know, you can't, you can't parody it enough. You can't go far enough to be outside of what actually is true.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. It's been ages since I've done that walk, but I should. That's funny. Well, you do the new and I will do me, which is laughing at you. Yes.

[J]

Sorry, I haven't paid any attention to the news today. What is the story of the day?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my gosh. You know, it's funny. It's kind of the angel and devil of the Trump administration. Some of the domestic stuff. And I talked about this in the opening segment, and Kim Strassel wrote a great column in the Wall Street Journal about how Trump, Trump has declared thermonuclear war on the giant, bloated administrative state in a way that people aren't even paying attention to because they're not aware of two things. He ordered agency heads to scour every regulation and bit of guidance and make lists of those that violated the Constitution, exceed legislative powers, and go beyond the clear words of a statute or harm the national interest. And they're laying the groundwork for going straight to the Supreme Court on a lot of this stuff. But the other thing that nobody is talking about is he issued an executive order taking aim at agencies that Congress created to perform executive functions but are free of executive control. Instead, they report to Congress. It's the quasi executive branch barely under the control of Congress and it's now more than 100 congressionally mandated agencies. And he's trying to dismantle that and decide on its constitutionality, which is just. The people who've wanted administrative reform in D.C. are wild with joy.

[J]

If he has much success, he is going to be historic in the way that he wants and not in the way that his detractors were expecting him to be.

[Jack Armstrong]

The historic, yeah, very much an anti fdr, FDR who ushered in the age of the gigantic in charge of everything federal government. Trump could well be the hero that pairs it back even as he says and does things that are unconscionable in my mind on the international scene. Hey, let me squeeze this in real quick Jack, and then you can comment as you like. A word from our friends at Simplisafe Home Security who reminds us that every 26 seconds a burglary takes place in the US so many scumbags and junkies running around they want to take your stuff. That's why you get Simplisafe and it's active guard outdoor protection helps prevent break ins before they happen. You got your AI powered cameras backed by live professional monitoring agents monitoring your property. And if they see one of the aforementioned scumbags lurking around, those agents can see and talk to them in real time. Activate spotlights, call the cops, all before they've broken into your home. No long term contracts, cancellations, monitoring plans start affordably. Just around a buck a day. 60 day satisfaction guaranteed. You need to look into this. It's peace of mind friends. Visit simplisafe.com Armstrong get 50% off a new system with a professional monitoring plan. Your first month is free. Again. That's simplisafe.com Armstrong there's no safe like simply safe.

[J]

So I got on a plane in Sacramento yesterday, middle of the afternoon, which is Sacramento is the capital of California for people who don't know. And California's economy is would be the fifth biggest country in the world. So it's like, you know, it's like the capital of the fifth biggest country in the world. And the plane was full of, I don't know they were involved in somehow but it was just full like the plane was, it was full in the middle of the day on a Thursday. All guys in suits and women in business suit and a lot of them knew each other and a lot of them Were like introducing themselves to each other and networking and stuff like that. They were all involved in government somehow and I was listening to their conversations. They weren't politicians and I just thought that was interesting. There were just so many people and I just wondered, what do you all do? And it's. And you know what, it's all involved in trying to get chunks of money for whatever their thing is, whether, you know, necessary or not. They're just trying to get their chunk of a giant pie like you've been talking about all week long. That's what the whole thing is. It's just, it's a ton of money flowing through and then people trying to get their hands on it for various things. Some of them worth worthwhile, many of them not.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. We kicked off the discussion of the Kim Strassel piece by citing the Free Beacon who are reporting that Doge Foundation $2 billion B with a B, $2 billion in taxpayer funds earmarked for this flimsy hastily constructed. Stacey Abrams linked Empowering Energy through Community Energy Group. I mean, not clear at all what they do. And they got siphoned ginormous amounts of money, just unthinkable amounts of money during the unholy so called inflation Reduction Act.

[J]

Right. I'll bet if you're good at it, it is so much easier than you would like it to be to come up with some sort of program or idea or something that gets many millions of dollars shoveled to it on an annual basis. But it's just shocking how easy that is to do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I'm reminded your description of your flight reminds me of a couple of the flights to and fro the political conventions last summer. Especially flying to Chicago for the DNC when I was surround by Democratic activists of various ethnic groups and that sort of thing. But they all either knew each other or were anxious to know each other. They all had a look in a sound and a manner of behavior. Yes, you're right. Very subculture.

[J]

Yeah, you're absolutely right. The way they looked. I mean, you could have, you could have looked across the whole plane and said, okay, you're one of them. You're one of them. You're one of them. They just had a look and a way of talking and a facial expression almost. It was just, they're a kind of people.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. And it was very striking how distinct that subculture was. I mean, you didn't have to look for it. It was just so in your face and that experience. More people should have it because when we're ranting and raving about how the Beltway culture is so unique and exists for the Beltway culture. They throw us bones now and again because they know they have to. That's the business they're in. But in terms of their day to day consciousness, no, they are for them.

[J]

And they would, they would be amused. They're probably aware of it, but they'd be amused by how naive we are about that. But how you just, you don't understand how this all works.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I was, I was about to. You read my mind. Their air of superiority was unmistakable too.

[J]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. We're the movers, we're the shakers. We're the people who get things done. We're the people who control what you need. So be polite, little boy.

[J]

Yeah. I actually tried to engage a guy sitting in my row in conversation and he was like, yeah, I don't know, he kind of come up with a way to like turn the other direction and get back to his conversation with the other masters of the universe.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. Keep it in mind, friends. Keep it in mind. Well, have a lovely day wandering about la. I will. Excellent. And to keep, you know, keeps those observations handy. And we'll, we'll talk to you Monday. I'll be there. All right. Mailbag is a blockbuster. It's moments away. Stay with us.

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[Jack Armstrong]

Thanks for tuning in. Happy Friday. Let's reset the Freedom Loving quote of the day we it earlier this hour, but I love it so much and it's so apropos for May Blinken.

[Joe Getty]

We have to trump Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, listen, I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced. This country will potentially find ourselves in a constitutional crisis. This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy. Chainsaw, Chainsaw. Here's your freedom loving quote of the day from Lincoln. This is a continuation of the conversation with Jack in the last segment. This country with its institutions belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it. Now, I have no intention of bloody revolution, as I said earlier, but the idea that to threaten any of the giant bloated bureaucracy is a constitutional crisis. That is the cry of the people we were describing in the last segment. People whose entire ego and existence and professional life and fortune is tied up in the gigantic federal government. They act as if any threat to that is a horrifyingly unpatriotic thing to do. Whereas Lincoln would say exactly the opposite. Exactly. Exactly. We're tasked with constantly reining the government in if we can. More on that to come. Mailbag drop us know at any time you like [e-mail] Again mailbagarmstrongandgetti.com Boy, the volume has been unbelievable lately. Trying not to or it's it's easy to get bogged down in it, honestly. But you know, we appreciate you staying in touch and offering your thoughts and agreements and disagreements. Anyway, Ryan from Houston writes. Just wanted to say thank you, Jack, Joe, Michelangelo, Katie Hansen, you're my reason to see the morning. Thank you. You're welcome, Ryan. Nice of you to write. Joe, you dirty bastard. Oh, that's a bit of a contrast there. Jashan writes, why don't you just admit why you've been moving the first hour segments around, you filthy bastard. You're doing it so you don't forget cow and get buzzed on Fridays. You're trying to kill the only joy Michael has. So sad. You should be ashamed. I am ashamed. I do enjoy it. Then this from Tim from Puyallup, Washington. I'm reading this email for a couple of reasons. Number one, it's quirky and secondly, to show off that I know how to pronounce Puyallup as my Tacoma area daughter has coached me. It looks like pooh yallup, but it's not. You see. Anyway writes hey, just wondering what you think of the Traveling Wilbur's. Just recently listened to their end of the line and I love it. I didn't appreciate it when I was little, but now that I'm 45, I really love it. It's maybe the ideal sound for a band of that type. Anyway, love the show. Yes, Tim from Puyallup, I do like the Traveling Wilburies and that is a fine song. Thank you for asking. For some reason I'm happy to geek out on music all day, but that was. That's just funny. Speaking of music. Oh my Lord. As mailbag takes a dark turn, Kathy said please find a clip and I didn't ask the guys to find it. It's enough to describe it of when the Israeli baby hostages bodies are being transferred by Hamas. In the background they're playing dance music and passing out candy as the coffins of the babies are moving through the terrorists. No commentary needed. I would agree. I would agree. And it turns out the body that they turned over is not of the mom of those little kids, all of whom were perfectly healthy when Hamas snatched them. They claim they died in Israeli airstrikes. Even if that were true, and according to the Israelis, there's no evidence from the autopsies that that is true. Even if that were true, that would still be 100% the responsibility of the abductors according to every law rule. Any basic human sentiment. Anyway, moving along, I thought this was interesting analysis from Jeff and I think he's absolutely right. I believe the four years, Jeff writes, Trump had to build a coalition and process the things he would do, and seeing how inept the Biden regime was all played, a humongous reason. What's being done now? While not many of us will agree with 100% or even 90% of what Trump does these next four years, it is unimaginably better than four years under Harris. Yeah, that's absolutely true. I am worried about the foreign policy stuff, but we'll talk about that more later. Later. Trump losing in 2020 supplied him time to properly proceed or process rather how screwed up government is and how he should plot a plan to fix or work situationally for his ideal outcome. The left forcing Trump out in 2020 in hindsight may be a blessing in disguise for all conservative and center right leaning voters. Yeah, I would agree with that to a large extent. Also, the never ending lawfare was such a mistake Take let's see, side Job writes Doesn't anyone remember oh, on the concept of Doge checks. Doesn't anyone remember that sending checks out to everyone was how we got started down this inflationary path in the first place? Seems like I'm the only one in my memory sucks. Just ask my wife. What's her name? That's a funny, funny joke. Yeah, I would I would differentiate the two, Bob though, in that the the ridiculous spreading of trillions of dollars around the country was in addition to current spending, which is already in the deficit zone, whereas this is sharing part of a cut in spending with taxpayers now. Not sharing it would be less inflationary, you're right. But I just think it's a brilliant political ploy to continue and to grow the support for the program. Drop us a note anytime you like. Mailbagarmstrongandgetty.com Looking forward to talking to Mike Lyons next hour. Stay with us if you can.

[Ashley Iaconetti]

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