I Don't Know... Maybe Have Some Cereal Or A Ham Sandwich?

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "I Don't Know... Maybe Have Some Cereal Or A Ham Sandwich?" – Detailed Summary

Release Date: March 24, 2025
Host/Authors: Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts

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1. Tribute to George Foreman

Timestamps: 00:02 – 02:17

The episode opens with Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty paying homage to the legendary boxer George Foreman following his recent passing. They reminisce about Foreman's illustrious career, highlighting his triumphs in the boxing ring and his successful foray into the business world with the George Foreman Grill.

• George Foreman's Boxing Legacy:
  Jack Armstrong recounts Foreman's dominance in the ring, referencing his iconic match against Joe Frazier:

  "Down goes Frazier. Down goes Frazier. Down goes Frazier. Foreman is all over Joe Frazier. Frazier is down again." (00:02)

• Entrepreneurial Success:
  Transitioning from boxing, Joe Getty underscores Foreman's business acumen:

  "The George Foreman grill... it sold over 100 million." (01:28)

• Personal Transformation:
  The hosts discuss Foreman's personal growth, particularly his religious conversion, which they credit for his cheerful demeanor in later years:

  "George Foreman was a bad person and an angry person... he found Jesus in a locker room and became a completely different human being." (02:17)

2. The Rise of AI as Personal Therapists

Timestamps: 04:00 – 10:18

Armstrong and Getty delve into the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool for personal therapy, expressing concern over its societal implications.

• Women Using AI for Relationship Advice:
  Joe Getty shares observations about women leveraging AI to formulate responses during marital disputes:

  "They got screen captures of a group conversation online from women who are using AI as therapists... what should I say?" (04:00)

• Potential Risks:
  The hosts debate the ramifications of replacing human interaction with AI, questioning the authenticity and effectiveness of AI-mediated communication:

  "What if your husband's asking AI how to respond... it's really just two computers talking to each other." (05:14)

• Depersonalization of Support Systems:
  Jack Armstrong warns against the erosion of genuine human relationships:

  "As opposed to talking to a friend, calling your mom... it's evil. It's horrifying. We should be terrified." (09:34)

3. Political Polling and President Trump's Enduring Popularity

Timestamps: 12:07 – 18:20

The discussion shifts to the current political landscape, focusing on recent polling data about former President Donald Trump and the Democratic Party's declining ratings.

• Trump's Approval Ratings:
  Joe Getty highlights Trump's robust support base despite low economic approval:

  "President Trump matching or exceeding any previous positive rating for his job approval... He's still at the high water mark in all of those." (14:00)

• Comparisons to Barack Obama:
  Armstrong draws parallels between Trump's persistent popularity and Obama's enduring approval:

  "It reminds me of Barack Obama... Trump's personal popularity... is ever high." (15:47)

• Impact on Democratic Party:
  The hosts note a historical decline in Democratic ratings, emphasizing the Republican advantage:

  "A historic drop in the ratings of the Democratic Party... Republicans have the edge over the beleaguered Democrats." (14:03)

4. Universities Under Political Pressure: Columbia Case Study

Timestamps: 18:20 – 36:25

Armstrong and Getty examine the increasing political pressures on higher education institutions, using Columbia University as a primary example of universities capitulating to conservative demands to retain federal funding.

• Funding Threats and Concessions:
  The hosts discuss how Columbia University and others are altering their policies under the threat of losing substantial federal funds:

  "Columbia agreed... to overhaul its protest policies, its security practices... a remarkable concession to the Trump administration." (20:15)

• Impact on Academic Freedom:
  Concerns are raised about the erosion of free speech and academic independence due to these political pressures:

  "They will incorporate into formal policy the definition of antisemitism... universities should listen to their most vocal critics." (24:03)

• Graduate Programs Expansion:
  Armstrong criticizes universities for expanding graduate programs in social sciences and humanities, suggesting it's a strategy to attract more federal dollars rather than fostering genuine academic growth:

  "Adding master's programs... in social work, humanitarian community development... costing six figures to rake in more federal dollars." (35:15)

• Financial Strain and Bureaucracy:
  Discussion about budgetary issues faced by universities like Brown, attributing financial strain to the expansion of non-academic positions:

  "Brown University warned it has a $90 million budget hole... likely DEI positions and crap." (34:56)

5. Concluding Thoughts: The Future of Education and Society

Timestamps: 36:25 – End

In the concluding segment, Armstrong and Getty reflect on the broader implications of political interference in education and the potential long-term effects on society.

• Federal Funding and Campus Radicalism:
  They argue that federal subsidies not only sustain universities but also promote campus radicalism by supporting departments focused on left-wing causes:

  "These subsidies... fuel campus radicalism by encouraging the growth of graduate programs... whose primary goals are to promote left-wing political causes." (32:43)

• Societal Consequences:
  The hosts express apprehension about the future workforce and societal values, fearing that indoctrinated graduates will perpetuate anti-American sentiments:

  "They are becoming schoolteachers and indoctrinating your little kids is horrifying enough." (34:59)

• Call to Action:
  Armstrong emphasizes the need to address these educational and societal shifts to preserve Western civilization and counteract Marxist influences:

  "It's all about overthrowing Western civilization... We gotta break through this." (36:13)

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Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong:

  "When mankind dies out, what do you think? I've always tended to think it'll be a planet of the beavers, the apes in second place." (11:40)

• Joe Getty:

  "I'm not okay with this at all. Taking out the human element. I just think it's awful." (07:18)

• Jack Armstrong on AI Therapy:

  "It's getting pretty specific... it's, it's very funky to me." (09:19)

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Conclusion

In this episode of "Armstrong & Getty On Demand," hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty cover a spectrum of topics ranging from the legacy of George Foreman to the unsettling rise of AI as personal therapists, and the shifting political tides impacting higher education institutions. They express deep concerns about the erosion of authentic human interactions, the strengthening of President Trump's political base despite economic challenges, and the capitulation of universities under political pressures, which they believe jeopardizes academic freedom and societal values. The hosts call for vigilance and action to counteract these trends, emphasizing the importance of preserving Western civilization and genuine human connections in an increasingly polarized world.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty. Oh, Foreman connected. I think he hurt Joe Frazier. Down goes Frazier. Down goes Frazier. Down goes Frazier. Foreman is all over Joe Frazier. Frazier is down again. Angie Dundee is screaming. Stop it. It is over. It is over in the second round.

[Joe Getty]

George Foreman becoming heavyweight champion of the world back in. What year was that? 73. Something like that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Something like that, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And Howard Cosell making the call. George Foreman died over the weekend. The reason we're playing that, if you don't know boxing, you know him from the grill. The George Foreman girl turned it into a gazillion dollar empire.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was just going to ask Michael to repeat his touching and thorough. What do you call it? Biography? No, it's autography. No eulogy. Dies, you'll know that's not it either. Anyway, you're touching. Preview tribute to George Foreman. Michael, great boxer and a better grill salesman. Yeah. Looking at me like, what are you talking about? That's what you want to hear.

[Joe Getty]

Clip 12.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure. It's really good.

[George Foreman]

A friend of mine said, george, you're making all these other companies wealthy. Why don't you get your own product? And we looked around and found the grill. No one wanted to be bothered with it at all. They had names for it, jokes for it, and the grease really rolled off, and it's still tender. I ate it. I said, boy, let's do it. I never expected it to be so successful. And then all of a sudden, the checks just started rolling in. This thing sold over 100 million.

[Jack Armstrong]

Obituary. That's the word I was looking for.

[Joe Getty]

100 million George Foreman grills.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. You know, such an interesting guy. Making it to 76. Is that right? Having major living, getting punched in the head for a number of years is. Is pretty impressive. But he. He had such a cheerful attitude about.

[Joe Getty]

Life once he made the Christian turn. Before that, he did not. I don't know if you've ever watched the documentary When We Were Kings, which won an Oscar. Fantastic movie if you like the whole thing. It's all about Foreman and Ali and that particular fight. But George Foreman was a bad person and an angry person with never a smile on his face up until the point that he. He found Jesus in a locker room and became a completely different human being, which is its own amazing story.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. Indeed. Yeah. Boy. If you're old enough to remember the heyday of boxing in the early 70s, when it was Foreman, Ali and Frazier trading the crown back and forth and just great fights.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, man, I can remember because when George Foreman knocked out George Joe Frazier there to become the heavyweight champion of the world, it was such a big deal at that time. I remember asking my mom before I left the house to get on the bus one more time, what is the name? Because I needed to know the name of who the new heavyweight champion of the world was to be. You know, part of the cool crowd is like an 8 year old or whatever, because that's just something you had to know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Can you imagine that these days?

[Joe Getty]

No, no, no, my kids.

[Jack Armstrong]

You got to know Mr. Beast's latest contest or giveaway, right?

[Joe Getty]

Couple of.

[Jack Armstrong]

George Foreman could have whooped Mr. Beast's ass, by the way.

[Joe Getty]

Even. Even in his 40s. Because George Foreman came back and won the heavyweight title again when he was 44 or something like that.

[Jack Armstrong]

45. Fairly sad fight, as I recall, but.

[Joe Getty]

He took a lot of punches. So a couple of things I want to get to later that have nothing to do with politics. Before I launch into this political polling, I listened to a podcast about, from an astrophysicist about life in outer space and that sort of stuff that was so flipping interesting. And I learned a bunch of things I didn't know. I want to talk about that later. And then this person I know, boy, I got to be really vague. I don't want to get them in trouble because this is not particularly cool. I got a bunch of screen captures of a group conversation online from women who are using AI as therapists and. And particularly advice on how to talk to their husband about various things. Like in an argument, like, hey, I. My husband said this. What should I say? And then the AI lays it out for him and then they go tell their husband that. Now, is this a good thing or a bad thing or a weird thing? Because to me, obviously, the weird thing is what if your husband's asking AI how to respond to this and it's really just two computers talking to each other and you're like, barely involved?

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know, it's like you're watching a show or reading a column, an advice column, and you kind of recognize yourself in it. It's all about the, you know, the output, how's the adv?

[Joe Getty]

Well, who knows, who knows?

[Jack Armstrong]

You look at some of the hallucinations the AI has these days, or inventing court cases, I guess that is a hallucination. Or, or, my God, some of the stories we've heard about teenagers who have had Quote, unquote, relationships with some AI somewhere that's like, told them, you know, some teens your age cut themselves to show people that they're not happy. So, I mean, terrible advice.

[Joe Getty]

These women were talking about the great comfort they get, you know, when they've had a rough day to talk to their AI therapist. And it just feels like, you know, the AI really listens and. And that's who they like talking. I think we're going down a really weird freaking road, man.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And it's. It's already happened to an extent. I didn't realize. That's what. That's what I got from reading all these messages. It's already going on. It's. I've been presenting it as, you know, in the future people might. No, no, it's already happening way more than I realized.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And these are like very regular salt of the earth normal people type people. Not. This isn't, you know, weirdos who work at a university or something.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I'm fully on board and pretty aware of how sideways this sort of thing can go these days. Especially at the same time, though. I mean, I'm picturing like, I'll just use my wife, who's retired at this point, but. And. And living off of my largess, by the way. Anyway, the lifestyle to which she's become accustomed.

[Joe Getty]

Do you think it's okay that she's living off my large sai.

[Jack Armstrong]

So anyway. But, you know, there may have been a time or two in her past where she had a really challenging co worker, for instance. I mean, just kind of a pain in the arse and would come home and she'd ask her AI, oh, AI advice column thingy, counselor daily, my co workers, you know, very bitchy and negative all the time and blah, blah, blah. How should I deal with it? I could he getting some decent advice about how to navigate through that sort of thing.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. I am not okay with this at all. I'm surprised you are, and maybe you're right, but I am not okay with this at all. Taking out the human element. I just think it's awful.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, well, hang on now, hang on. I say there are books, there are magazines written by people. Well, AI is written by people. It's just plagiarizing those people without paying them. Well, it can be. I mean, it's. It's theoretically synthesizing everything it has read into a coherent answer. I'm not saying it's without danger. I just don't think it's automatically bad.

[Joe Getty]

So this is what the AI told one person, for instance, you're used to managing his emotions, and now that he's upset, or at least quiet, it's triggling your guilt. But you're right. You shouldn't feel guilty. You didn't do anything wrong. You were thoughtful in your message, and it's okay to want a day to yourself after explaining to the AI what went wrong.

[Jack Armstrong]

I just find this very weird. That's getting pretty specific.

[Joe Getty]

If he chooses to be upset, that's on him. You're allowed to take care of yourself, even if it doesn't match his unspoken expertise.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, that's getting very, very specific. Okay. It's not. You know, some people have negative energy and it's best to see around them. I mean, that's okay. That's like in this situation which you have described, you're the good guy, he's the a hole. Oh, boy.

[Joe Getty]

Which. Well, it fits in with therapy. That's what therapists do almost always. That's why like 90 of therapy is worthless. That's what a therapy does. They co. Sign your BS A therapist. Most of the time you're, you're right and downtrodden and they are awful human beings and need to adjust to you. That's, that's what you get almost always from therapy. So it's not surprising that AI therapy would be feeding people that. But it's just, I don't know, the companionship, the, the, the leaning on the chat bot for these conversations. And at some point, you're gonna stop talking to your friends about it. You'll only talk to the computer about it.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's the problem. It's the. As opposed to talking to a friend, calling your mom, you know, talking it out with your husband, trying not, you know. Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'm on board. It's evil. It's horrifying. We should be terrified.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if evil's the right word, but. And like I said, it's already happening. I've got many, many examples that I was given by someone who just wanted to let me know this is how much it's happening. Like in my friend group already.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Evil implies intent. I just think it's corrosive.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, so corrosive. Yeah, the, the, the tentacles of. Especially if AI is going to lean toward, you know, you're the victim. You definitely want that more than maybe if you talk to a friend and says, I don't know, it sounds like he's got a good point.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. I. As you know, I think of myself as an optimistic cynic. I don't.

[Joe Getty]

I'm a cynical cynic. I'm. I'm a. I'm a nihilist cynic.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Wow. How pleasant to be around. I would. I need to see a serious inflection point or. I do believe humanity is on the path to giant drops in population. Huge change in the trajectory of human occupation of the earth. We are not getting together with our friends. We are not getting together with lovers. We are not making babies. We are not forming families. AI could be about to put a zillion people out of work or reduce certainly the need for them to be around. I just. It feels very, very funky to me. How many teenage sea change. Ish.

[Joe Getty]

How many teenage girls. Teenage boys too, but girls more prone to this than boys I think are gonna type into the AI chat bodice that my mom told me I can't this do this and that. What do you think? I think your mom is being overly protective.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. Well. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. No country for old men. Glad I might. I Wish I was 80. I wish I was on death's door. I don't think I can handle the modern world, Michael.

[Jack Armstrong]

When mankind dies out, what do you think? I've. I've always tended to think it'll be a planet of the beavers, the apes in second place. In spite of their better priority. A planet of the apes and. And maybe the ants. What's your. Your pick? I'm gonna go with the beavers. Well, you like beavers. They're hardworking, they're industrious.

[Joe Getty]

A non fun real life cynical nihilist. Answer is who will take over is the people that populate third world countries who aren't doing all this crap and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are having kids like crazy and are probably fundamentalist Muslims. Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly right. I never got prefer the beavers frankly.

[Joe Getty]

I never got to the sea political polling which is really, really good. Among other things. On the way State, Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

The President of the United States, Donald Trump in attendance tonight at the Wells Fargo Center.

[Joe Getty]

So that's at the NCAA wrestling finals that Donald Trump showed up to watch and crowd pretty excited for him to be there it would seem.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would say. You know those. Those audio tapes you sometimes hear the President was booed and you hear kind of some booze and a lot of cheers and stuff. No, that was unequivocal.

[Joe Getty]

In my lifetime in modern politics, the only people that have ever gotten chance like that. Barack Obama, Bernie Trump. Nope, never anything Close to that from anybody else.

[Jack Armstrong]

Bernie on the concert circuit right now, drawing huge crowds. More on that to come. Bernard Sanders, that's the guy.

[Joe Getty]

Bill McInterp, he's the head pollster for NBC and Wall Street Journal, which team up for whatever reason, for polling. I'm not exactly sure what that's all about. Anyway, this is like his internal on polling that Mark Halpern put out today. In less than 20 slides, we cover the following major storylines. Bill McInterf. Right. You don't see this every day. What the first slides have in common is how unique they are with the surge in Right Direction. It's the first time at Right direction is over 40% and 147 months. So that's 14, 120 would be 10 years. Then he got another 27 months for a couple more years. So that's a long time since Right direction has been over 40%.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

And, and historic drop in the ratings of the Democratic Party. So we had that last week in other polling, but NBC's polling has the same thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

As Karl Rove pointed out, the Republicans are not exactly on super great ground polling wise either, but, you know, clearly have the edge over the beleaguered hated Democrats.

[Joe Getty]

The survey finds President Trump matching or exceeding any previous positive rating for his job approval, personal rating and the percentage of voters saying they identify as MAGA supporters. He is still at the high water mark in all of those.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, no, no, I know. I heard that the, the tariffs are terrifying everybody and he just announced the, he's tightened those up, by the way. They're not going to be as broad and everybody is afraid of the economy and these deportations are crazy and the doge is out of control. That's what I heard.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, well, I'll get to that in just a second. These positive changes are basically are because Trump enjoys exceptionally strong ratings among Republicans and his political base. A majority of voters approve of President Trump's job handling of border security and immigration, so he's above water on that. Conversely, President Trump's job rating on the economy is the lowest he's ever had. So it's interesting that his economic numbers are so low, yet he has his highest approval, personal popularity, etc. Etc. He's ever had. It reminds me of Barack Obama. You know, speaking of crowds cheering, when you get into the whole cult of personality thing, I mean, after Obama had been president for a while, there were a number of issues that he did not poll very well on, but his overall number stayed high. And I could see Trump being like that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure. Yeah, absolutely. And I've long maintained, if he can avoid being too quick and haphazard with the economic stuff, that gives us a hell of a lot more time and leeway to do the really important, you know, other things that are priorities, including cleaning up the universities. More to come on that between a.

[Joe Getty]

Plurality and a majority of voters say President Trump is making, quote, the right kind of change rather than the wrong kind of change on seven different policy areas. The consistent 40 plus saying the right kind of change once again represents a hardened Trump political base.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think when you have 147 consecutive months of wrong track and then somebody offers actual substantive change. Change as opposed to lip service and no actual change which has made all of us very cynical about those. Those promises. Yeah. You're gonna have a hell of a lot of people say, hey, let's give it a try. Let's see what happens. That's what these poll numbers feel like to me.

[Joe Getty]

And then on this, since it's such a hot topic and it gets covered negatively in the news all day, every day, a plurality of voters say Doge is a good idea. More tellingly, more than 60% of voters say Doge should continue. Either continue as is or slow down, but continue. So pretty solid ground on Doge.

[Jack Armstrong]

Still the epicenter of the woke mind virus. Our universities are finally getting cleaned up. The details coming up in a moment. Stay with us. Armstrong and Getty dribbling left, big step down the lane. Runner for the win.

[Joe Getty]

Baked it in. He banked it in. He banked it in. And Maryland is one.

[Jack Armstrong]

Maryland is going to the Sweet 16.

[Joe Getty]

That was an exciting game. I. I didn't watch the game, but I just saw the last three minutes on a YouTube video. It went. It was like the. The game winning shot, like five times in a row is one of those. It was one of the. He makes the three pointer and you thought the game was over, but then there's a couple seconds left and the other team makes it, and then there's a foul in a timeout, and then another one, and it just kept going back and forth like five times in the last minute. Very exciting.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's very gracious of me to call for that clip, Jack. Is my fighting in a line. I lost in a humiliating defeat to the hated Kentuckians last night.

[Joe Getty]

Hated because they turned the button.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, Kentuckians with their weird Kentucky ways. You know what turnovers equal, Jack? You know what they equal? They equal a loss. You protect the rock or you lose. They fail to and they lost fire.

[Joe Getty]

Some good place right there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Now I don't have to stay up watching games. Anyway, so speaking of colleges, if you're familiar with the show, you understand that we believe firmly, because it's 100% correct, that the real. I'm trying to steer clear of my infection metaphor because it's disgusting. How about we say the where the Rebel alliance is strongest and not the good Rebel alliance from Star wars, the bad ones, the evil doers, where they're clustered most densely, where the power of the woke mind virus is strongest and where it radiates outward from is education in the country, especially the colleges and universities. But elementary education is terrible, too. Anyway, so if we are going to get rid of or at least weaken the neo Marxism that the woke thing represents, because remember, friends, it's all about overthrowing Western civilization. Has a dozen different excuses of why you have to because the patriarchy, because of transphobia, because of, you know, racism, systemic racism, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's all about overthrowing Western civilization. But anyway, so the Trump administration is coming hard for that sort of thing. And you probably heard that they threatened to yank $400 million of funding away from Colombia, which might be the, you know, the, the center of the center of this sort of thing, along with.

[Joe Getty]

Harvard and the fact that Columbia relented on a couple of things. The coverage of this over the weekend has been from like op EDS in the New York Times of a dark day for freedom of speech in universities and how hilarious freedom has been attacked and how we all should shudder of the chill wind that is blowing with the evil Trump people putting their finger on the scale and colleges versus thanks.

[Jack Armstrong]

For sharing your opinion. Thanks.

[Joe Getty]

Versus after the Biden administration allowing gazillions of taxpayer dollars to go to these universities where they have Jews shouldn't be allowed on campus festivals and saying nothing.

[Jack Armstrong]

About it and preaching hatred of the United States and its constitution, if you can.

[Joe Getty]

Finally, somebody did something.

[Jack Armstrong]

So here's what happened. First, I was going to lead with this headline, Wall Street Journal Universities sprint from we will not cower to appeasing Trump. With much of their funding at stake, schools are quietly hiring lobbyists and reaching out to politicians amid Washington's quest to reign in academia. And they give a bunch of examples. University of Michigan president sat down for breakfast with a group of lawmakers from his home state and the message was clear. The school was ready to play ball with Trump's Washington. It's time for universities to wake up and start addressing the reasons why they've Lost so much trust, President Ono told the bipartisan group at a hotel conference room. Ono added that universities should listen to their most vocal critics. Well, that is refreshing. Then they mentioned Columbia University. They name check Stanford and Duke and Wake Forest and Harvard and Vanderbilt, who've all hired lobbyists to put in a good word in Washington D.C. so, yeah, here's why. Coming up, there is.

[Joe Getty]

Some believe some people have written that this gave various university administrations the COVID they needed to do what they wanted to do and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Blame exactly where I was going, blame.

[Joe Getty]

It on Trump so that they don't get attacked by their own students. I don't know how much I believe that or not, or if a lot of the those universities, they were in more agreement with the students than Trump. So I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think it probably varies case by case, president by president. As we were saying last week, they have created a monster. I'd say universities, collectively, they have created a monster of a faculty and student body that is so wildly radical left that they are terrified of them university presidents. And I think some of them are thinking, oh, God, yes, thank you. You gave me cover to rain in these maniacs.

[Joe Getty]

It's like if you let your kids run the show in your house, I mean, at some point when you put that down, there's gonna be great resistance. They've done that. It's these college campuses. I mean, just none of us have been able to understand why you just don't. When the students something say, yeah, good for you, get back to class, get out of my room, my office, or you're demanding something. You don't demand anything. You pay, you come here, you take classes, you leave with the degree. If you don't like it, go somewhere else. I don't know. What are you demanding?

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, the Armstrong doctrine, folks. You just heard it. Simple, effective, love it. So here's what happened on Friday, and this is no accident that Columbia made this announcement Friday afternoon. Where, you know, unpopular news goes to die. Columbia agreed on Friday to overhaul its protest policies, its security practices and its Middle Eastern studies department in what the New York Times called a remarkable concession to the Trump administration, which refused to consider restoring, which has refused to consider restoring $400 million in federal funds without major changes. The agreement, which stunned and dismayed many, many members of the faculty, I'm sure it did, they were running the place, could signal a new stage in the university's escalating clash with elite universities and colleges. And they name check Harvard, Stanford, University of Michigan and others facing similar threats and probably Making similar moves now. I thought this might be instructive. Go ahead, you got a comment. Fire away.

[Joe Getty]

I hope they realize that this was so good for their graduates who are going to go out into the world with Columbia University on the resume and this gives them some chance that the employer they run into will think, okay, it's not as crazy as it used to be because otherwise there's no way I would hire somebody from Columbia.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

Who graduated Columbia recently.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh no, I'd run in the other direction. Yeah. Unless they proved that they were not, you know, woke mind virus captured. I think we're back to the university president's case by case. I think some of them, Jack, are absolutely thinking that. Thinking that. Oh, thank God. Because I tell you what I'm hearing from all of my friends on Wall street or you know, in business around the country that they're terrified of our graduates, not attracted to them, but some again are so captured a part of it that they don't care. So here I wanted to illustrate. Here are the shocking, disillusioning concessions that Columbia University made which has the New York Times all in a lather. Oh, many in academia calling this an act of surrender. Many of the steps Columbia is promising should have been made long ago in its own best interests. Restricting masks during protests means rule breakers will have to take responsibility for their actions.

[Joe Getty]

Oh no, who could disagree with that?

[Jack Armstrong]

Clear rules clearly enforced about time, place and manner. Restrictions on campus speech will raise the cost for those who want to block speakers they dislike. Oh no. Ending the heckler's veto at a college. What a terrible thing to do. That's sarcasm for those who are just waking up. The school will also incorporate into the formal policy. Listen to this incredible concession Columbia has been beaten into taking. They will incorporate into formal policy the definition of antisemitism recommended by their own anti Semitism task force. And it will adopt the so called institutional neutrality institution wide. That means the school itself and its departments won't take sides on political controversies of the day. Now that principle which is associated with the University of Chicago, well, used to be associated with universities everywhere, all the time, because, pardon me, that's what they're effing supposed to be doing. Teaching kids how to think, not what to think. And so dragging them back even a couple of feet towards sanity is seen as outrageous in a lot of the college campuses. And of course they mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, the editorial board, and they're quite correct. The test will be whether it's enforced throughout the institutions. All of these Reforms will be controversial only among those who think a university is an ivory foxhole. Oh, that's a great phrase. Who wrote that? The board. An ivory foxhole, love. That is an ivory foxhole from which to launch political movements or indoctrinate students. All perfectly reasonable. I love this. I love this. Oh, one more note.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. I hadn't looked into it this much. That's what they're describing as some sort of unholy surrender to maga.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes. Wow. Those are the main, you know, changes. Now they want some sort of audit of the Middle Eastern studies department because it's so flamingly anti Semitic. You know, that's the devil's in the details there.

[Joe Getty]

Sure.

[Jack Armstrong]

Of course, we'll have to see how that plays out. But in the main, it's wonderful. One more note, and this is the part that you definitely want to know. What do you and your tax dollars have to do with all of this? A lot, as it turns out. Speaking of dollars well spent or foolishly spent. I'm sorry, Michael. Is it simply safe right now?

[Joe Getty]

Yes, yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Simply safe Home security. Oh, what a great idea. And money brilliantly spent.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I talk about it all the time. How when I drive away from my house, I just feel better. I look at that little sign I got in front of the door. This house protected by simply safe. Knowing I got the cameras set up and all that sort of stuff going on. You can feel that level of comfort too. Millions of Americans enjoy greater security and peace of mind every time they arm their system like I do.

[Jack Armstrong]

And listen to this. Simplisafe's Active Outdoor. Active Guard. Outdoor protection can help prevent break ins before they happen. You got your AI powered cameras and live professional monitoring agents monitoring your property. Anybody starts lurking around acting suspiciously, the agents can see and talk to them in real time. Turn on your spotlights, call the cops, whatever's necessary before you get your window smashed in. No long term contracts or cancellation monitoring plans start affordably around a buck a day. How much better is that than the old timey security Systems? Unbelievable. Visit SimpliSafe.com Armstrong. You get 50 off a new system with a professional monitoring plan in your first first month is free again. That's simply safe.com Armstrong. There's no safe like simply safe.

[Joe Getty]

For some reason that reminded me I wanted to talk about how my neighbors are making me feel bad about myself unintentionally. Not on purpose, but it just. Just like kind of a comparison between me and my kids and them and their kids on a daily basis. I'm falling way short in it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ask. Ask your AI counselor for a comfort and succor. You know, we could either rush through this like maniacs, or I could pay off. What do your tax dollars have to do with all of this college campus madness? After a quick break, I. I advocate.

[Joe Getty]

The latter plan and I will pay off. How my neighbors are making me feel bad about myself. It's got more to do with me than them. But yeah, maybe I need to move to a neighborhood everybody's like, doing meth and has pit bulls so I could.

[Jack Armstrong]

Feel better about myself, you know, graded on a cur.

[Joe Getty]

We got more on the way. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Michael]

You need fresh eggs straight from the chicken. Next, you need pickling lime. Next you need a scale. In your jar of choice, you're gonna take an ounce of pickling lime to one quart of water. You're gonna place your eggs, point down when you got your jar full, take your ounce of pickle lime to 1 quart of water and pour it in. And make sure they're completely covering the eggs. We got my lid and ring. You're gonna put those on tight and there you'll have it. You just preserved eggs for as long as two years.

[Joe Getty]

There you go with the ongoing tips for eggs. Because apparently all of us eat a hundred eggs per day and it's the most important thing in the world, the cost of eggs.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, in a rise of 30% in the price of eggs is 30% in our cost of living. Because all I do is eat eggs all the time. Bill, every month, every credit card bill, eggs, it says. It is kind of funny. I mean, they are very expensive thanks to the inflation bird flu. But have cereal. I don't know, have like a ham sandwich for breakfast. It's actually pretty enjoyable. Anyway, so I wanted to pay this off for you. We've been talking about how the. A lot of the major universities are actually now bowing to the pressure from the Trump administration to stop being Marxist hives of anti American hate and perversion. And flamingly anti Semitic, by the way, even as you swear you're tolerant and welcome all folks, just not the evil Jews at Columbia University, for instance, or ucla. We never forget. Anyway, so what does your tax money have to do with this? Now, you might not need to, you know, consider that angle because the way the universities are pumping out America hating Marxist graduates and many of them are becoming schoolteachers and indoctrinating your little kids is horrifying enough. But wait, there's more. So, as Alicia Finley writes, She's a brilliant writer. Like most colleges, Columbia, who we were just talking about, relies on federal funds and tax exemptions. These subsidies not only allow colleges to exist, they fuel campus radicalism by encouraging the growth of graduate programs and academic departments in social sciences and humanities, whose primary goals are to promote left wing political causes rather than like turn loose useful people to society. It's entirely self serving.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, we gotta, we gotta break through this because for forever the whole idea he's going to graduate school, she's going to graduate school was such, you know, a good thing, obviously.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yeah, gotta break out of that. They're very accomplished.

[Joe Getty]

It's not clearly a good thing at all anymore.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh no, no. I'd say in the vast majority of cases it's a time and a waste of time and money. Start with unlimited federal borrowing for grad students. Here's your tax dollars at work. The Education Department caps the total amount of federal loans for undergrads. The loan limit has helped keep a lid on college costs. As you know, I've said many times through the years and people don't. When you flood a market for a particular good or service with money or incredibly cheap loans, say your, your, your local car dealer is offering 84 month loans at 1.5%. You look at that payment, you think, I don't give a crap what the price is. That payment's too good to pass up. So my, whether my F150 just went from 70 grand to 93 grand, I don't care. And universities get that. So you got this unlimited spigot of federal money. The loans are backed and then Joe Biden tries to forgive them. Glad that mummy is out of the White House. And so they just have carte blanche to raise tuition or whatever they want anyway. So the loan limit has helped keep a lid on college costs, but that's just for undergrads. The net cost of attendance at public and nonprofit colleges after discounts has been flat over the last 15 years, partly because inflation's been so high it's just kind of kept up. But colleges being the resourceful for profit businesses they are. Don't tell me. Well, no, Joe, they're non profits. No, you've got thousands and thousands and thousands of people profiting from their business salaries, pensions. Anyway, they boosted revenue by adding pricey graduate programs and enrolling more grad students. Brown University December warned it has a $90 million budget hole owing in part to quote, rapid growth in faculty and staff positions. With staff growth outpacing growth in faculty.

[Joe Getty]

How could that possibly be?

[Jack Armstrong]

So it's probably DEI positions and crap. All right, so it's just bureaucracy. It's not even teachers. So what are you going to do at Brown University? One planned budget solution. Double the number of residential master's students. Double it.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

And. And in what, Jack? Bioscience, computer engineering, Women's colleges around. Exactly. Colleges around the country are adding master's programs in such fields as social work, humanitarian, community development, and Middle Eastern studies, often costing six figures to rake in more federal dollars. I love this. Columbia offers master's degrees in negotiating and conflict resolution. Sustainability management. You got a master's in sustainability management? Nobody even knows what that is. And human capital management, the last being a fancy term for hr. And then Alicia asks, hey, where were all those graduate peacemakers when the protesters were tearing Columbia apart and occupying building? You should have enlisted their help. So most research universities enroll two to three times as many grad students as undergrads. Now you know why, man. And it's our tax dollars financing that Mark Marxist hellhole. Boo. I say boo.

[Joe Getty]

60 Minutes took a look last night at the Canadian border and said, yeah, there are people and drugs coming across. I was surprised by that. We'll get to that now. Or three if you miss it. Get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.