The A&G Replay Monday Hour One

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand – Episode: The A&G Replay Monday Hour One Release Date: May 26, 2025

---

Introduction

In this episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a mix of true crime, local politics, and social commentary, delivering their signature blend of humor and critical analysis. Skipping over the usual advertisements and intros, the hosts focus on dissecting the notorious Sherry Papini kidnapping hoax, critiquing California Governor Gavin Newsom's handling of the homelessness crisis, and exploring the complexities of Medicaid spending and poverty definitions in the United States.

---

1. The Sherry Papini Kidnapping Hoax

The episode opens with a deep dive into the controversial case of Sherry Papini, a former supermom whose alleged kidnapping captivated national attention.

Key Points:

• Sherry Papini was found near Jack Armstrong's residence, sparking widespread media coverage.
• Initially celebrated as a victim, later revelations exposed the incident as a hoax orchestrated by Papini herself.
• Papini pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators, admitting to planning her own abduction.

Notable Quotes:

• Sherry Papini (Documentarian Clip at [04:21]): "There was no master plan. There was no hoax kidnapping. There was a cover-up of what happened and I participated in the COVID hoax."
• Jack Armstrong ([04:44]): “She didn’t just go halfway on her made-up story, she went all the way.”
• Joe Getty ([05:42]): "You're a convicted liar, so tell me why we should believe you now."

Insights: The hosts express strong disdain for Papini, highlighting the lengths she went to fabricate her story, including branding herself. They criticize the media's role in perpetuating her narrative and question the rationales behind her deceitful actions.

---

2. Social Comparison and Neighborhood Dynamics

Shifting gears, Armstrong and Getty discuss the common human tendency to compare oneself to seemingly perfect neighbors, leading to feelings of inadequacy and resentment.

Key Points:

• Jack Armstrong shares his discomfort with neighbors who appear overly perfect and productive.
• The conversation humorously explores the idea of undermining others' efforts as a coping mechanism.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong ([15:12]): "I've only had a couple of conversations with them. Really nice. But my picture of them from my driveway is like seeing their Facebook page with all the achievements."
• Joe Getty ([16:41]): "What can you do to undermine that family, their good habits and their happiness."

Insights: The hosts use self-deprecating humor to address the universal issue of social comparison, suggesting that rather than fostering envy, embracing one's own lifestyle may lead to greater satisfaction.

---

3. The Arrest of a Democratic Congresswoman

A brief segment touches upon the arrest of a Democratic congresswoman, emphasizing the polarized political climate.

Key Points:

• Discussion centers around the congresswoman’s alleged misconduct involving federal agents.
• The hosts draw parallels to broader themes of law and order.

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Getty ([19:35]): "I have no idea who she is. That woman was out of control."
• Jack Armstrong ([19:59]): “If you actually believe that, that's the reason...”

Insights: While details are sparse, the conversation reflects the hosts' critical stance towards political figures they perceive as behaving erratically or unlawfully, maintaining their consistent advocacy for law and order.

---

4. Critique of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Homelessness Policies

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to scrutinizing California Governor Gavin Newsom's strategies to combat the state's homelessness crisis.

Key Points:

• The hosts reference Will Swaim’s article in the National Review, criticizing Newsom’s allocation of funds.
• Specific attention is given to the mayor of Turlock, Amy Bublak, and her refusal to accept state funds under certain conditions.
• Newsom’s allocation of billions without effective accountability measures is heavily criticized.

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Getty ([23:21]): “Spending on Medicaid, cash welfare payments... have grown by 671%, 1,463%, and 290% respectively since 1990.”
• Jack Armstrong ([24:59]): “California has invested billions to combat homelessness... without anybody paying attention to whether it did any good or not.”

Insights: Armstrong and Getty argue that Newsom's approach to homelessness is ineffective and mismanaged, pointing out the lack of accountability in spending and the continual growth in expenditure without tangible results. They highlight local resistance to state mandates and portray Newsom’s actions as politically motivated maneuvers aimed at higher office rather than genuine problem-solving.

---

5. Medicaid Spending and Poverty Definitions

The hosts transition to a macroeconomic discussion on Medicaid spending and the governmental definitions of poverty.

Key Points:

• Joe Getty presents alarming statistics on Medicaid spending compared to Social Security and Medicare.
• The conversation delves into how poverty rates are defined and the exclusion of government transfers from these calculations.
• Phil Graham’s analysis in the National Review is cited to emphasize flaws in poverty measurement.

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Getty ([34:12]): “Medicaid absorbs seven times as much general revenue as Social Security.”
• Jack Armstrong ([37:46]): “We have talked about this for years. That needs to be straightened out.”

Insights: The hosts highlight the unsustainable growth of Medicaid spending, criticizing the lack of public discourse on this issue. They argue that the current definitions of poverty are misleading, as they do not account for government assistance, thereby painting an inaccurate picture of economic need and hindering effective policy-making.

---

Conclusion

Armstrong & Getty On Demand effectively combines investigative commentary with sharp humor, providing listeners with a critical examination of high-profile scandals and systemic issues. From debunking the Sherry Papini hoax to challenging the efficacy of California’s homelessness initiatives and scrutinizing federal spending on Medicaid, Armstrong and Getty offer incisive perspectives aimed at holding powerful figures accountable and uncovering underlying societal problems.

Notable Final Quote:

• Joe Getty ([38:38]): “The Armstrong and Getty show gets more Jack, more Joe podcasts and our hot [e-mail].”

Listeners are left with a call to remain informed and critically engaged with the topics that shape their communities and the nation at large.

---

References:

• For more insights and detailed discussions, visit Armstrong & Getty's official website and subscribe to their podcast on iHeartRadio.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

You're listening to an I Heart podcast.

[Advertiser]

Sick of face serums that promise the world and deliver nothing? Meet Power Trip by Verify Skincare. Say goodbye to dullness, blackheads and fine lines. This biotech powered serum with lactic acid, fruit ahas and phytospherics doesn't just exfoliate, it hydrates, smooths and visibly transforms your skin. Because when it comes to skincare, results speak louder than hype. Try Powertrip today. Visit us online at Verify Skincare.com and enjoy free gifts with purchase. Verify Skincare clean, proven and unapologetically effective.

[Joe Getty]

Now 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 is Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not live from Studio C. Armstrong and Getty. We're off for taking a break. Come on.

[Joe Getty]

Enjoy this carefully curated Armstrong and Getty replay. And as long as we're off, perhaps you'd like to catch up on podcasts. Subscribe to Armstrong and Getty on Demand. Or one more thing. We think you'll enjoy it. Certainly.

[Sherry Papini]

The Sherry Papini that's out there there, it's not me. She's not real. It's just this version of me that has been created to fit the narrative for the media's version of what happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, dang. Sherry Papini is a victim of the media.

[Joe Getty]

I was afraid of the media.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know if you remember the Sherry Papini story. We're gonna kind of lay that out for you again. We talked about it a lot when it happened here in the Armstrong and Getty show for one reason, because when she was found, it was like a mile from my house on County Road 17, north of Woodland, California near I5. I mean, it was really close to me. So it was like, what? This abducted woman got dropped off by my house, held by casters for four.

[Joe Getty]

Days or however long it was, including two Hispanic women.

[Jack Armstrong]

So let's hear a little more. There's. I guess there's a documentary coming out. I'm guessing the documentary does not treat her well. This is the documentarian and Sherry Papini.

[Documentarian]

In the ID series. Sherry Papini caught in the lie, the so called supermom sharing another version of that infamous 2016 kidnapping hoax that captivated the country.

[Sherry Papini]

The story that the world thinks they know is that I am a master manipulator who's fooled everyone.

[Joe Getty]

That's my magic wand.

[Sherry Papini]

Sorry, I'm gonna do ridiculous things because some of this is ridiculous.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, we're listening to a crazy person.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, gesticulating for the camera and like being overdramatic then admitting she was faking it. Yeah, no, we don't think you're a master manipulator. We think you're a pinhead who thought she could get away with something dumb.

[Jack Armstrong]

Like within moments of you showing up in the ditch near my house, the story came out with the details and everybod that, that don't sound right.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, the cops were like, wait a minute.

[Jack Armstrong]

So called super mom, she married with two kids. Let's roll on.

[Documentarian]

In April of 2022, Papini pleading guilty to lying to federal investigators about her disappearance. She signed a plea deal saying she knowingly planned and participated in her own hoax kidnapping. Now Papiti changing her story yet again, claiming she really was abducted and assaulted by James Reyes.

[Sherry Papini]

There was no master plan. There was no hoax kidnapping. There was a cover up of what happened and I participated in the COVID up.

[Documentarian]

Reyes had previously told investigators that Papini caused her own injuries and that at her request, he branded her with a wood burning tool. Investigators say he passed a polygraph test and was duped by Papini.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. If you don't know this story and the details are being filled in and I'll get to a little some of the background here in a segment. Yeah, she, she, her hair was cut, she'd been branded, which she did herself or she's claiming this guy did or whatever at her request. I mean, that's some, that's some commitment to your hoax, branding yourself. You gotta admire that, huh?

[Joe Getty]

Do I? Do I?

[Jack Armstrong]

She didn't just go halfway on her made up story, she went all the way. And then. A pretty decent question. Why would we believe you now?

[Joe Getty]

I was gonna just for the plot that, that's her ex boyfriend who she went to spend a couple of days with because she was tired of being wife and mom.

[Jack Armstrong]

Super mom.

[Joe Getty]

Right. And, and he let her in because it was his hot ex girlfriend. He was thinking, you know, I don't know, maybe she's back. Or not, who knows? But yeah, but now she's saying, I.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don'T know, maybe she's back. She's kind of crazy, but you know, I'm a little lonely, so what the.

[Joe Getty]

Hell, it was pretty good when it lasted. And now two years, however many years later, she's saying, no, wait a minute, wait a minute. Now here's the real truth. He abducted me, damn it. Wow. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's hear her explain herself.

[Joe Getty]

You're a convicted liar, so tell me why we should believe you now.

[Sherry Papini]

Haven't you ever lied? Have you ever lied in your history of existence? And then has that lie been blown up and broadcasted around the world? It's so much more complex than just pointing the finger and saying you're a liar. And I wish, I wish more than anything I could have been more truthful.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my God. It was worth it. It was worth it. Bringing it up, bringing this up to play that clip. I gotta play that for my kids at home. Don't ever get up with a chick who sounds like this.

[Joe Getty]

That's your takeaway? It's a good takeaway.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my God.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

A hot mess.

[Joe Getty]

So, yeah, no kidding.

A turd sandwich.

Well, that's another one. So I'm guessing she got some money out of this or was convinced by these filmmakers that this is your chance to set the record straight, because that's how you dupe somebody into doing this. But from the department of Stop digging. Right. Yet another round with this gal.

[Jack Armstrong]

She's crazy, though. She's like the Olympics.

[Joe Getty]

Every four years she comes around and entertains us with her. Her craziness.

[Jack Armstrong]

She's like the Olympics. Every four years we get an update.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Oh, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

I like gymnastics. Oh, yeah. The Sherry Papini story.

[Joe Getty]

The real story is I wasn't. This is, you know, date 2029. I was not abducted by my ex boyfriend. It was space aliens and they probed my anus. That'll be the hook. All right, so let me read a.

[Jack Armstrong]

Little from the Wikipedia. Sherry's husband, Keith Papini, first became concerned when he returned from his job at Best Buy.

[Joe Getty]

Poor son of a gun and his kids. Let's not forget that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, two kids. November 2, 2016. So this is shortly before Thanksgiving, which plays a role in this. And could not find his wife at home. He eventually used the Find My iPhone application to locate her cell phone and earbuds at the intersection of Sunrise Drive and Old Oregon Trail, about a mile from their home. Okay, that's up by Reading California, if you knew where that is. Which is like a two and a half hour drive from where she ended up, according to Shasta County Sheriff. In interviews, Papini said she was held by two Hispanic women who took steps to keep their faces hidden from her, either by wearing masks or keeping Papini's head covered. Papini was branded on her right shoulder during her purported captivity with the word Exodus. When investigators questioned Sherry at a later date, she claimed that it looked like a verse from the book of Exodus. According to a statement by her husband, Sherry was physically abused during her captivity. Had her nose broken and her hair cut off, and weighed 87 pounds when she was released. Well, she was only gone for four days. How much weight can you lose in four days?

[Joe Getty]

Was it just four days?

[Jack Armstrong]

Wasn't that long, was it? Was Thanksgiving. Maybe it was longer. Okay, I'll keep reading. Even that's something. At the time, the sheriff said it was still an active investigation and authorities were looking for a dark colored SUV with two Hispanic females armed with a handgun. I remember when we were talking about this all the time.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Detectives had authored close to 20 search warrants, including some in Michigan, and said they were examining cell phone records, bank accounts, emails, social media profiles. The FBI was involved. Papini was found with both male and female DNA on her, neither of which matched her or her husband. The FBI ran the samples, blah, blah, blah. In March, the. Oh, the DNA found on her clothing, they eventually figured out matched her ex boyfriend, James Reese, who she now says is the guy that branded her and held her. Who confirmed that Papini stayed with him at his residence in Southern California during the time she was allegedly kidnapped. Have we heard much from him about what that was like? The. The week or so that they spent together? Was that just, you know, loving bliss with sex, holding hands and watching Netflix, or was she as crazy as she seems to be that whole time? And he was like, how do I get her out of here?

[Joe Getty]

I'm guessing the second, because everybody said they did not have sex at the time.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. What did they do there the whole time?

[Joe Getty]

Netflix.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, In March of 2022, she was arrested by the FBI, accused of lying to federal agents, faking her kidnapping to spend time with her ex boyfriend away from her husband and family. Which makes you a very, very bad person. Although I think she is completely crazy. Got 33 counts of mail fraud and all kinds of different things because of, you know, the way the law works. In September 22, this is probably all in the documentary. She apologized and accepted full responsibility at her sentencing hearing. Except full responsibility, as opposed to who else, really? You're taking responsibility for the whole. Disappearing on your family, cutting your hair, branding yourself, claiming some Hispanic women abducted you. You're taking responsibility.

[Joe Getty]

Good. Name of Hispanic women everywhere. You monster.

[Jack Armstrong]

Did we ever believe this had happened or we were we.

[Joe Getty]

At first, yeah. But as soon as the facts of her abduction came out, it was like, come on. Which is how that poor couple in Petaluma, so many people suspected them. If you remember this case in Petaluma, California, who were alleging this bizarre, utterly illogical, really stupid kidnapping. And it turns out it was a mentally ill former marine who did all the. Exactly what they claimed he did. But it was so stupid and illogical, it sounded like the Sherry Papini thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, okay. At the time of her kidnapping, her disappearance was featured extensively in national news, true crime programs, the front cover of People magazine. The outlets continued to cover the story after the hoax was confirmed, including multiple true crime documentaries, News Mike is news, magazine episode, whooping cough, and podcasts. There have been lifetime shows, there have been Netflix shows. There have been.

[Joe Getty]

This crazy biatch is a cottage industry.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hulu's limited documentary series, Perfect Wife. The mysterious disappearance of Sherry Papini. Not that mysterious. Eminem references the kidnapping hoax in his song Houdini. That's funny. I heard that on the radio just the other day and I heard that and I thought, I wonder how many people get that line with the line, caught sleeping and see the kidnap and never did happen. Like Sherry Papini, Harry Houdini, I vanish into thin air as I'm leaving. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

So, all right.

[Jack Armstrong]

I heard that just the other day and I thought, how many people get that?

[Joe Getty]

I understand we have a new cut. That's the husband in an interview from last year when he first saw her at the hospital.

[Documentarian]

When you first encountered her in the hospital, what was your first instinct?

[Keith Papini]

I saw the look in her eyes. I felt in that moment that she was lying. And it wasn't until when I really got close and I could just see the amount of injuries, bruises, burns to her body. And it was a shock to me. And I remember thinking, how horrible of me to even think that she could have done this to herself.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. I wonder how quickly he got to reality. And then if he was ever in like a period of jealous anger over the fact that she went to see an ex boyfriend or if he just immediately was able to go to. She's completely mentally ill. I can't be angry at a mentally ill person. She's completely crazy. I mean, to brand yourself, give yourself bruises, I mean, you're completely crazy.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I don't. You're making a bigger deal of the branding yourself. Because somebody like that, I mean, you press something hot to yourself, it will scar you immediately and it'll hurt. But I mean, it's not like it's a sizzling cattle brand or something, you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Know, Joe, soft pedaling self branding is a. Well, the work of nut jobs.

[Joe Getty]

And I think it. I think it could have been Harder for this guy because, I mean, as you said, she's completely crazy. Now. She's not a babbling psychotic. She's a manipulative narcissist. And that's a slower road to travel than. Oh, my God. My wife has lost a grip of on reality because she hasn't. She's not psychotic. She's just. You know, back in the day, they call would have called her extremely neurotic. She's borderline personality disorder.

[Jack Armstrong]

Again. I'm going to play that one clip for my kids. If you ever meet a woman who sounds anything like this. No. No.

[Joe Getty]

What if she's hot, dad? Doesn't matter.

[Jack Armstrong]

In fact, extra. No.

[Joe Getty]

Yes. Yes. Run, run, run. Get us 35 again, Michael, to wrap it up and we'll go to break.

[Sherry Papini]

The sherry papini that's out there. It's not me. She's not real. It's just this version of me that has been created to fit the narrative for the media's version of what happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right. Cuckoo.

[Joe Getty]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. The Armstrong and Getty Show. The Armstrong and Getty Show.

[Jack Armstrong]

I mentioned earlier, my neighbors are making me feel bad about myself and super, super nice people in this new neighborhood that I live in. But my picture of them from my driveway is. I've only had a couple of conversations with them. Few conversations, mentor kids, that sort of stuff. Really nice. But my picture of them for my driveway, it's like. It's like seeing their Facebook page with all the achievements and everything that all the time, they're always up earlier than my. Me and my kids, they're always out exercising, like with the kids, bike rides and all this different sort of stuff. On Sundays, they're up early and the kids are all dressed up and they get to church. Every time I go to the gym, he's there. It's like, are there two of you? How do you do this? I don't understand how you do this. Washing their cars in the drive. It's just like they're constantly doing productive things and. And like being a. Just so in productive and happy. And it's just. It's. I need to move somewhere where the people are, like, just laying around. They're in super fit. I need. I need. I need to live. I need to live next to people who are, like, obese, laying around and eating crap. Their cars are dirty. Their kids look unruly.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Well, you have. You have three choices to me. All right? Number one, there's that choice. Very attractive. Number two, Number two, you could up your game and be as good or better than your neighbors. Let's just put that one aside right now.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's table that at best.

[Joe Getty]

Third, undermine their efforts. Now, here's the option I'm interested in exploring. What can you do to undermine that family, their good habits and their happiness. Right. The best offense is a good defense. You'll know that watching the NCAA tournament, Jack.

[Jack Armstrong]

Got to admit, I'm looking for some downside to make myself feel better. It's like, there's got to be something going on over there that's not perfect. Because it looks perfect.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I feel like they're doing it just to mock me. That's their main motivation.

[Joe Getty]

Well, that's. Yeah, that's the key, is to take it personally. Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

It only makes sense.

[Joe Getty]

Their excellence is an insult to you. Yeah. That's a very productive, great attitude to have.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. When I. When I walk out and I see them with their kids all dressed up, headed to Sunday school, and I think my kids are still in bed, and I just got up myself. Oh, my God.

[Joe Getty]

Right? You've got to resent them for that.

[Jack Armstrong]

You're going to come home from church and then wash your cars and then you're going to the gym. Okay, that's not exactly what my plan is.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Wow. Have you read Hillbilly Elegy? You really should. Or we're going to read it.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're going to eat too much bad food and go back to sleep is sort of our plan.

[Joe Getty]

But to each their own.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand?

[Jack Armstrong]

We're not boring. A lot of news is boring and tedious and depressing and makes you angry.

[Joe Getty]

You don't want to live your life like that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong.

[Joe Getty]

He's Joe Getty. We're Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

We try to bring you the truth.

[Joe Getty]

And help you figure out this crazy modern world about something about a comedic tone. We have a winner. Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Listen to Armstrong. You get it on Demand on the.

[Joe Getty]

Iheartradio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unknown]

This podcast is supported by Talkspace.

When my husband came home from his military deployment, readjusting was hard for all of us. Thankfully, I found Talkspace.

Talkspace provides professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatric providers online. Military members, veterans and their dependents ages 13 and older can get fast access to providers, all from the privacy of their computers or smartphones.

I just answered a few questions online, and Talkspace matched me With a therapist. We meet when it's convenient for me and I can message her anytime. It was so easy to set up. And they accept Tricare. Therapy was going so well. My husband and I started seeing a couples therapist through Talkspace too.

Talkspace works with most major insurers, including Tricare. Match with a licensed therapist [e-mail] military go to talkspace.com military to get started today. That's talkspace.com military.

[Joe Getty]

The Armstrong and Getty show.

[Jack Armstrong]

The arrest of a congresswoman.

[Unknown]

Democratic congressman. I'll. Give me a break. Did you see her? She was out of control. Those days are over. The days of woke. The days of woke. No, I did the days of woke around that woman.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't.

[Unknown]

I have no idea who she is. That woman was out of control. She was shoving federal agents. She was out of control. The days of that crap are over in this country. We're going to have law and order.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, that reminds me. I can't let go of this topic. I will in a second, but we got a text from somebody. How come you guys gloss over Trump's obvious decline? Why aren't you talking about that? You know, that was one of the big pushbacks during the whole Biden thing. Look at Trump's rambling. Or when he gets things wrong, which he does, and he does ramble in very thing. But you just heard him. They're not even in the same ballpark of mental decline. It's apples and Volkswagens in terms of mental decline.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And if you. And if you. But if you actually believe that. That's the. Why I wanted to bring this up. If you actually believe that you have the same level of lying to yourself delusion that allowed all this to happen. Because you're so wrong.

[Joe Getty]

Because you want it so badly to be true. Yeah. Take a long look at yourself. I don't. I don't know what else to suggest.

[Jack Armstrong]

What? Is it something you always say about looking in the mirror?

[Joe Getty]

If you don't know what introspection is, take a long, hard look at yourself. That was Trump commenting on the arrest of Democratic New Jersey Congress gal Lamonica McIver.

[Jack Armstrong]

What a crazy story.

[Joe Getty]

Assaulted cops and ICE officials and stuff like that. Then tried to hide behind race and whatever else.

[Jack Armstrong]

Lunatic.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. The charges against me are purely political. You're a hack. You're a liar. You assaulted a cop. Enjoy the criminal justice process. I hope it's long and arduous, all.

[Jack Armstrong]

In the name of protecting illegal criminals.

[Joe Getty]

What? Yeah. Well, keep going. Good luck in that next election. So slightly different topic, but oddly connected. There's a great piece by Will Swaim in the National Review who's been following California Politics and Gavin Newsom's absurdities and the rest of that. He's also the president of the California Policy center and is Californian. And Will does great work. We ought to talk to him someday. I don't think we have, but so he's talking about, as so many people have, the California Globe has done a good job on this, too. Gavin Newsom's just shameless gaslighting on the homeless crisis or shameless dodge on the homeless price crisis, as Will Swain puts it, and how Gavi boy had the audacity and just, I mean, you almost have to have a sense of humor to try to say the real problem that caused California's homeless crisis as it exists right now is Trump's tariffs.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

I mean, like, wow, wow. The guy's been governor and you know, vice governor or whatever since was it 2013, 2012. It sits in here somewhere. It's quite a while. And Trump's just, I mean, I can't even, it's not worth the time to shoot that down. It's patently ridiculous. But I mean, he's just trying so hard to come off as a moderate, as he said the other day. I have, I've been always a hard headed pragmatist, he told reporters. The hard headed pragmatist did not mention that he has increased the state's budget by 50% since 2018.

[Jack Armstrong]

I didn't know that.

[Joe Getty]

Funding an array of boutique progressive programs, his green energy initiatives have killed the state's oil industry while jacking up the price of gasoline to the highest in the nation. He remains the state's cheerleader for a high speed rail project that five years after it was supposed to be done, hasn't laid a foot of track, but has burned through at least $33 billion and probably more.

[Jack Armstrong]

Nothing screams pragmatist like the high speed rail.

[Joe Getty]

And most recently, he spent a budget busting $10 billion to extend Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants. He has also spent, and this brings us to our main topic, $24 billion more than the annual budget of 22 states in a feckless effort to solve California's worst in the nation homeless crisis. That is where Amy Bublak comes in. Amy is the mayor of Turlock, California, which is not terribly far from the Radio Ranch. And we and the crew are very, very well acquainted with, with Turlockians and And spent many fine hours there and have many, many listeners there. And we greet you and thank you for listening. But she's the mayor of Turlock, which nobody has heard of around the country. But in the hours leading up to his horrific budget performance, which was when he was talking to reporters and said, I'm a hard headed pragmatist. Newsom, I'm quoting Swaim here. Newsom seems to have had a kind of 19th nervous breakdown. Attempting to explain his high profile failure to eliminate homelessness despite spending billions, he blamed local officials. As a taxpayer, not just governor, I'm not interested in funding failure anymore.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm not. I won't.

[Joe Getty]

Time to do your job. This is so rich. Californians are vomiting even as they listen. People are dying on their watch. Dying on their. I don't know. How do these people get reelected? Ooh, that's close to home. Wow, look at these encampments. They're a disgrace. They've been there for years and years and years. I've heard that same rhetoric for years. People are dying. Kids are being born.

[Jack Armstrong]

They have been there for years and years while you've been governor for years and years.

[Joe Getty]

Right? As Red State reporter pointed out, it's almost if he hadn't been either governor or lieutenant governor since 2012. But here's the crazy part. Newsom decides that somebody needs a kick in and it's going to be Amy Bublak of beautiful Turlock, California Central Valley. He reserved his most lethal ammo for Bublak in a letter that his office leaked to reporters. She first learned of the governor's letter from a political reporter 30 or 40 minutes before I got it in my email. Once she read it, I thought, quote, this is crazy. This man knows nothing about homelessness. Homelessness. He's going to talk to me of all people. Newsom said to Booblack in the letter. It is imperative that the city reconsider its priorities and demonstrate the kind of collaborative, accountable and solution oriented leadership that this crisis demands.

[Jack Armstrong]

Enough.

[Joe Getty]

Do your job. Here's what brought that on. The mayor's sin and the action that brought her to Gavi Boy's attention. Her refusal to spend the symbolic sum of $1 that would have unlocked a county homelessness homelessness grant of $267,000 in state money. Now reporters of course dutifully conveyor belted the governor's letter into the state's largest news outlets. And Newsom then promoted their stories on X. Truly a lack of ridiculous lack of local leadership. An absolute moral Failure, he declared, throwing the Amy booblacks of the state under the bus for his policies. California has invested billions to combat homelessness in Sherlock. Their only shelter is at risk over a single dollar. The state has done its part. Local leaders need to step up. So why would this monstrous woman not spend a dollar? Well, she explained that that $267,000 of California taxpayer money laundered through the county and then to We Care, a homeless shelter in Turlock would have come with no accountability. People who live in the homes near the center have complained for months about the shelter's residents who are not supposed to be in the facility during the day. They pee and poop and shoot up in the neighborhood. They steal from people's garages and the rest of it. And so the mayor says, quote, turlock City Council requested a simple, reasonable condition that we, we care, expand access to bathrooms 24 hours a day. Despite multiple discussions, Where We Care appeared amenable to this condition, they refused to make the commitment. Instead, they chose to attend two council meetings and publicly attacked the council majority, believing public press and threats would override thoughtful decision makings. And we respect their efforts in addressing homelessness, but it's clear that a change in direction was needed. We could not in good conscience support a grant that did not address core community concerns or deliver greater accountability. In other words, no more unaccountable quarters of a million dollars. These people don't listen. They're not accountable. This is obscene, and it's not helping the homeless people, quote, unquote, who actually need help. I'm. I'm blowing the whistle on this.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, as we found out, for that.

[Joe Getty]

Gavin Newsom attacked her.

[Jack Armstrong]

As we found out last year, the. The tens and tens and tens of gazillions of dollars have been spent all over the state without anybody paying any attention to whether it did any good or not. There wasn't even a mechanism for it.

[Joe Getty]

That's right. When they tried to figure out whether there had been any results, Gavin Newsom had to admit, no, we don't even have a way to figure that out. Yeah. And. And Amy said, no, we're not going to continue down the same path that's ruining our town. I'm calling this out. And for that, Gavi, whose naked lust for the Oval Office is just embarrassing, decided to go ahead and punch way down to stomp Amy Bublak to support his presidential aspirations.

[Jack Armstrong]

Man, he's in a tough place. Given the state of California over the last several years. I don't. I don't know how he. I don't know how he runs away from it. I don't think he can.

[Joe Getty]

So, no, he's. He's a clever son of a gun for sure, and he will try very hard. But I just think there, there's too much weight. You know, I tweeted a great picture of a bunch of junkies laying in their own filth and garbage everywhere with the California State Capitol in the. In the background. It was taken on Capitol Avenue. Capitol Street.

[Jack Armstrong]

Very easy to do.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, yeah. And, and, and I, I captioned it. I think, you know, Gavin Newsom for president in 2028. All 50 states can live the California dream. There's no way he can run away from his record. He'll try, but he will fail miserably. And it will be bitterly enjoyable to watch. I'm. I'm looking forward to it. I hope the good Lord grants me enough years that I witness it personally.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why are you trying to 86. 48.

[Joe Getty]

So did the Secret Service actually go see James Comey?

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know. He did an interview this morning. Was there anything interesting Hanson there? Comey? I. I feel like that really revealed to Comey being even more of a dip s than I thought. Why'd you do that for you? Wow. You have no judgment whatsoever. I always thought his judgment was poor, but it's incredibly poor.

[Joe Getty]

I think if Comey thought he could get away with it, he would go around in a crown and a long.

[Jack Armstrong]

Purple road.

[Joe Getty]

Trimmed in. In. In white and black. Ermine.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm gonna read this tweet I came across, and if you're. You have to be a certain sort of person to even get it, but it's pretty good. Tapper's book is like all the President's Men, if it didn't name any of the men and was written by John Ehrlichman. That is pretty good. If you know, you know.

[Joe Getty]

That's really good.

[Jack Armstrong]

More on the way.

[Joe Getty]

Stay here the Armstrong and get show. Get more Jack more Joe podcasts and.

[Unknown]

Our hot [e-mail] this podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is telling everyone, let's face it, in therapy, by talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist at Talkspace, you can face whatever is holding you back. Whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, bad habits, or another challenge that you need support to work through, it's easy to sign up. Just go to talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus, talkspace is in network with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by Insurance, get $80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. That's S, P A C E80. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to talkspace.com and Enter promo code SPACE80.

[Joe Getty]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty the Armstrong and Getty Show.

Back to the big Beautiful Bill. I have announced my departure not only from the Republican Party but all politics. I've given up, throwing up my hands. I will be moving to Uruguay or Paraguay. I can never remember which one. Get it right because I have forgotten. Well, because I've given up. But I found this very, very interesting. Part of my, my despair is that the Republican Party has abandoned any pretense at taming the budget, reducing the deficit, reducing the debt, reigning in wildly out of control entitlement programs. And so, you know, I, I've got no home, I'm a homeless man, I have no port in which to pull my little boat to safety. But I found this really, really interesting and this is the reason why, you know, you ought to be on my side. The Trump administration recently promised that it will not cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits. Now I'm going to quote Phil Graham.

[Jack Armstrong]

The great Phil Graham was quoting last week.

[Joe Getty]

Fiscal conservative, sane guy of the past. Anyway, the determination not to reform retire retirement benefit entitlements is politically understandable. Third rail, blah blah blah. But there is no reason to include Medicaid, the nation's most abused welfare program, in that pledge. Means tested welfare or welfare tied to a person's income level or means is the main driver of the budget deficit. It is not Social Security, which is almost 90% self funded by its dedicated payroll tax.

[Jack Armstrong]

Interesting.

[Joe Getty]

Almost 90% self funded. Or Medicare, which is 50% funded by premiums and payroll taxes. Spending on Medicaid, IRS cash welfare payments and supplemental. The SNAP program, food stamps has grown in inflation adjusted dollars. Those three things, spending on Medicaid, cash welfare payments, that's a refundable tax credits and SNAP have grown inflation adjusted by saving 671%, 1,463% and 290% respectively. Since 1990, by contrast, total real Medicare, Social Security, and defense expenditures have grown by 383, 186% and 38%, respectively.

[Jack Armstrong]

Medicaid.

[Joe Getty]

Those numbers are horrifying. Yeah, they are, actually. But Medicaid absorbs seven times as much general revenue as Social Security.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

More than Social Security and Medicare combined.

[Jack Armstrong]

I did not know that.

[Joe Getty]

I know. Nobody's talking about this. Medicaid is this gigantic monster. It's like Frankenstein if it was the site of Godzilla, you know, just stomping across the countryside, crushing entire villages.

[Jack Armstrong]

So when we talk about people, you know, able bodied people leeching off US Taxpayers, this is the program where they're doing a lot of it, correct?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, correct. And it has to do. And, you know, part of me wishes we had time. Part of me is glad that we don't. To explain the bizarre, states intentionally tax hospitals and doctors so then they can spend more than they can bill the federal government more for Medicaid than the federal government gives them more money for Medicaid, which they then give back to the doctors and hospitals and the stupid, stupid federal taxpayer pays for all of it. It's just this giant scam slash scheme.

[Jack Armstrong]

We actually have the great Craig Gotwell's on tomorrow to probably explain some of this.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, he did. Yeah. He's a perfect guy to ask about this, but it all has to do with Obamacare and the Medicaid expansion. Do you remember that? And a lot of red states said, no, we don't want this money. And they were criticized. How dare you deny medical care to.

[Jack Armstrong]

Payable, blah, blah, blah.

[Joe Getty]

And the blue states accepted it. Well, now, as has been discussed at least somewhat lately, federal taxpayers pay for 90% of the bills of healthy working age men who get Medicaid. Poor pregnant ladies get. I think it's a third. It's so perverse and upside down. One final point, and this is actually the main point of Phil Graham's article, which I found really interesting. The title is the Census defines the Poverty Rate Up. And Jack, this is something you have hit many times through the years. But during the war on poverty, the government adopted a common sense definition of poverty having resources that are not enough to meet basic needs. The problem is they didn't scale a lot of this to inflation. Some of it they did, but they've begun not counting government transfers. 88% of government transfers that poor, quote, unquote, poor people get are not counted when you ask, all right, is this person poor? Do they need more stuff, more aid? That sort of thing, they pretend that all the rest of the government aid hadn't happened, Right?

[Jack Armstrong]

So if you're living on using my finger quotes, living on $28,000 a year, somehow they only count that for political purposes. When they're making arguments, they don't count the maybe another $80,000 you might be getting in all kinds of transfer payments, all kinds of different stuff. Housing subsidies, food help, medical help, all kinds of stuff. Doesn't count.

[Joe Getty]

And adjusted for inflation, now those classified as poor have almost 20 times the purchasing power they had when the War on poverty began. Yet they're still called poor people for the purposes of growing these programs.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, we have talked about this for years. That needs to be straightened out. That would be a huge change in our politics if we could let more.

[Joe Getty]

People know that Armstrong and Getty the Armstrong and Getty show get more Jack, more Joe podcasts and our hot [e-mail].

[Unknown]

This podcast is supported by Talkspace.

When my husband came home from his military deployment, readjusting was hard for all of us. Thankfully, I found Talkspace.

Talkspace provides professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatric providers online. Military members, veterans and their dependents ages 13 and older can get fast access to providers, all from the privacy of their computers or smartphones.

I just answered a few questions online and Talkspace matched me with a therapist. We meet when it's convenient for me and I can message her anytime. It was so easy to set up and they accept Tricare. Therapy was going so well, my husband and I started seeing a couple's therapist through Talkspace too.

Talkspace works with most major insurers, including Tricare. Match with a licensed therapist [e-mail] military go to talkspace.com military to get started today. That's talkspace.com military you're listening to an iHeart podcast.