The Extraction Method & the Oysterman

Summary

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Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: The Extraction Method & the Oysterman

Date: June 8, 2026
Podcast: Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Host: iHeartPodcasts

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Overview

This episode dives into breaking news from the Middle East, the realities and rituals of international travel, modern American political tribalism, and the curious candidacy of Graham Platner—dubbed “the Oysterman”—in Maine. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty weave through satire and serious commentary, especially focusing on political culture, bureaucracy, and the unintended consequences of government invention, notably federal tax withholding. The episode is peppered with offbeat humor, pointed barbs at America’s political class, and signature Armstrong & Getty banter.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Middle East Escalation: Ceasefire’s End and Trump’s Diplomacy

Timestamps: 02:25 – 05:44

• Recent attacks between Iran and Israel, with Hezbollah entering the fray.
• U.S. involvement via CENTCOM, retaliating against Iranian radar sites after drone threats.
• President Trump reportedly intervened, urging Israel’s Netanyahu to hold off on further retaliation.
• Contradictory signals: Israel’s right-wing leaders pushing for more aggressive action.
  Quote:

“I suspect that Netanyahu and Israel are just waiting for the next provocation because it’s coming, and then they’ll…respond to that with a good hard whacking.” — Joe Getty (05:22)

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2. Adulting Tales: Global Entry Hassles & Bureaucratic Absurdity

Timestamps: 05:44 – 12:01

• Joe’s odyssey renewing his lapsed Global Entry for easier overseas travel re-entry.
• Observation of online dating profiles using “Global Entry” as a litmus test for potential mates.
• Satirical take on post-9/11 security theater and redundant interviews for low-risk citizens. Quote:

“You got my effing fingerprints. I gave them to you a while ago. Here’s a hint: They’re the same. That’s why fingerprints are a thing.” — Joe Getty (10:28)

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3. Graham Platner: The “Oysterman” and Democratic Politics in Maine

Timestamps: 12:01 – 29:02

• Platner’s rise despite mountains of baggage: Nazi tattoo, financial dependency, a murky professional past as an “oyster farmer,” and recent controversies regarding social media conduct.
• Analysis on political tribalism: Voters supporting “their guy” regardless of allegations, comparing the Democratic embrace of Platner to Republican defense of Trump.
• Commentary on national Dem figures (Carville, Fetterman, Sonny Hostin) reluctantly backing Platner over a moderate Republican.
• Satirical rundown of Platner’s credentials: elite upbringing, mom as his only oyster customer, living off disability and family money. Quote:

“He’s all shell and no belly, all fringe and no gills, if you know what I mean. … Your mom made the lemonade and you’re standing out there pretending to sell it and acting like you have a business.” — Jack Armstrong referencing Nellie Bowles (19:55)

• Critique of the handling of Platner’s scandals vs. media’s treatment of Trump.
• Platner’s response to Fetterman’s challenge regarding inappropriate messaging, turning it into an attack about Israel and AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee).

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4. Tax Withholding: “The Extraction Method”

Timestamps: 30:15 – 36:57

• Revisiting Milton Friedman’s regret about inventing payroll tax withholding during WWII as an “emergency” measure.
• Discussion on how withholding masks the pain of taxation, inflates government, and erodes voter accountability. Quote:

“The treasury collects your money throughout the year, spends it immediately, then returns your own cash and receives gratitude. This system enables the explosion in government spending that you witness today.” — Jack Armstrong (32:39)
“It’s one of the great ironies of political history that it was the great Milton Friedman who came up with this insidious idea that went so wrong.” — Joe Getty (34:12)

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5. Driverless Trucks and the Beverage/Delivery Future

Timestamps: 39:40 – 42:09

• Pepsi running driverless, autonomous trucks with their partner Gatik, currently in Arizona, Texas, and Arkansas.
• Contrast between regulatory allowances for driverless vehicles vs. the aggressive standards for driver-assisted automation in cars.
• Jack and Joe speculate about the societal changes full automation could bring, joking about "snoozing, drinking, and sex in self-driving cars." Quote:

“If the appeal is you get in your car, you can snooze, have sex, drink, whatever you want to do… All three if you’re having a good night.” — Joe Getty (42:09)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Political Tribalism:
  “That is one of the greatest distillations of modern American politics you could hope for, right?” — Joe Getty (12:53)

• Milton Friedman’s Regret:
  “Free market economists recognize that the psychological pain of direct taxation creates political pressure for fiscal restraint. The temporary always becomes permanent in government hands.” — Jack Armstrong quoting Twitter thread (32:39)

• Platner’s Alleged Credentials:
  “He’s a hobbyist… Well, call me a professional golfer then.” — Joe Getty on Platner’s oyster business (27:27)

• On Satirical Progressivism:
  “Neighbors with uteruses. Which is bizarre.” — Joe Getty, referencing progressive rhetoric (29:49)

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Additional Highlights

• Humor & Satire: Frequent playfulness, including “chimp sushi” jokes and euphemistic references to body cavity searches during airport security interviews.
• Societal Critique: The hosts’ frustration with bureaucracy, political purity tests, performative wokeness, and the lack of substantive debate on candidate character.
• Cultural Moment: Reflection on America's “extraction method” in taxation and the psychological implications for citizen awareness and government growth.

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Middle East News & Trump Diplomacy: 02:25 – 05:44
• Joe’s Medical and Global Entry Adventures: 05:44 – 12:01
• Graham Platner & Political Loyalty: 12:01 – 29:02
• Tax Withholding — History and Effects: 30:15 – 36:57
• Driverless Trucking & Automation: 39:40 – 42:09

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Tone & Style

Jack and Joe maintain their trademark sardonic, irreverent delivery, blending sharp political analysis with offbeat, self-deprecating humor. Their exchanges are rapid, energetic, and laced with cultural references, making pointed critiques palatable through comedy.

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Useful for Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This summary captures the essential news, commentary, cultural critique, and the comic asides that make Armstrong & Getty’s commentary distinctive. Through key discussion breakdowns, memorable quotes, and segment timestamps, listeners can easily navigate the main topics—especially the intersection of politics, bureaucracy, and the unintended effects of modern governance and culture.

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Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human

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[Joe Getty]

Broadcasting

[Jack Armstrong]

live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio

[Tamara Judge]

at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty.

[News Reporter]

The Iranian attacks on Israel coming after the US Military and Iran exchanged volleys of fire this weekend near to the Strait of Hormuz. Centcom saying it struck Iranian radar sites Saturday after it intercepted Iranian drones which were threatening ships. Iran then firing missiles at US Allies Kuwait and Bahrain. But in a sign of the pressure Netanyahu will now face Domestically and from within his own government. His far right security minister Itamar Ben gvir, posting in Hebrew on X tonight, Tehran must burn.

[Jack Armstrong]

What the heck is going on in the Middle East? So middle of the day yesterday, Iran is attacking and Hezbollah is attacking Israel. Then Israel hits Iran pretty hard. Iran strikes back. Then President Trump jumps in. I can hit you with some of the actual verbiage of what Trump said in the last 24 hours, but most of the media is still acting like the ceasefire is in place. Trey Yanks was watching Fox earlier today. He's a reporter that's in Iran or in Israel rather, for Fox. He said the ceasefire is over. He said, make no mistake, the ceasefire is over. The war is back on. I don't know if he's officially backed off of that. But like some of his most recent tweets have says the IRGC says they are halting attacks on Israel. And then there is the open source intelligence has out a post saying that Netanyahu is told everybody to stand down on what was supposed to be an imminent attack on southern Lebanon, but he's saying putting a halt to it. After Donald Trump got a hold of Netanyahu and said, you got to stop. I got more close to peace here. You got to stop. And apparently Netanyahu went along with it,

[Joe Getty]

at least temporarily. Yeah, who knows? He's a clever devil. He's got stuff going on behind the scenes. But yeah, it appears both sides have said, all right, this round is over. There's going to be no more, we're fine. I can't believe we're going to spend another week hearing about the soon to be achieved peace talks or soon to be successful peace talks.

[Jack Armstrong]

According to Axios, quoting people that were listening to the phone conversation between Trump and Netanyahu. Trump asked him not to respond to the Iranian missile attack, ballistic missiles fired at the capital of their country, their tiny little country, and to wait a few days for the negotiations, claiming that something good in terms of a deal was close. To which Netanyahu kind of agreed, though he reiterated his call for strikes against Iran. That was yesterday. Most recent is this. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel appeared to be moving to de escalate after the pushback from President Trump halting preparations for another attack on Iran today. I'm surprised that he's doing that.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I am too, honestly. As the one clip made clear, the the right wing in Israel is calling for we've got to defeat them now. I happen to agree with him. Yeah. I suspect that Netanyahu and Israel are just waiting for the next provocation because it's coming, and then. Then they'll. Excuse me. Respond to that with a good hard whacking.

[Jack Armstrong]

You were in the Congo over the weekend, weren't you?

[Joe Getty]

I was. I was enjoying a delicious chimp sushi buffet. Raw chimp. It was more tender than you might imagine. But I am bleeding from all of my horrified. So I'm thinking of going to the doc in a box. The chimp sushi was good, but I

[Jack Armstrong]

am now bleeding from all my orifice.

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

So connecting the dots, yada, yada, yada, Ebola.

[Joe Getty]

I mentioned Friday that I had a couple of those adulting things I had to do. I had to go to the dock in the box for my. The thing. My infected finger. It's a good thing I did, too. It came out of nowhere. No trauma, no nothing. Just in the part where your nail meets your skin that's prone to getting various infections. And sure enough, there was talk of draining. You don't want to hear the word draining, but I'm on, like, crazy powerful antibiotics now, like the kind where everything else has failed. So anyway, I did that and then the next day, because.

[Jack Armstrong]

Did they do. Did they jab any needles in you or anything? No, no, no, no.

[Joe Getty]

It might not be necessary. In fact, I don't think it is, because the antibiotic is working. But this is like the crazy strong. It's a combination of two antibiotics.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm like, what the hell? Now's the time, though. Now's the time to just let loose, do whatever you want.

[Joe Getty]

You could get any sort of disease

[Jack Armstrong]

or bad infection, and you're set.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Go to the Congo. Oh, that's a virus. Never mind. That's not how that works. Yeah, yeah, I know. I mean, is there any bacteria that. That could affect me?

[Jack Armstrong]

God, you could. You could walk through a South American brothel and just, you know, have the time of your life, and no problems.

[Joe Getty]

I laugh in the face of gonorrhea.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are you kidding me? Oh, my God.

[Joe Getty]

Then the next day, my adulting task was because I had let my global entry. It's like tsa. If you travel overseas at all, when you come back into the country, instead of having to wait in the longest lines you've ever seen in your life to say, no, I have nothing to declare. Yeah, I'm a freaking citizen. Look at my passport.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, great. Thanks.

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[Joe Getty]

Good to be home. Instead of doing that, you just go to a kiosk and you punch a couple of buttons and you walk back into The United States of America. It's called the Global Entry thing. It's like glorified TSA PreCheck. And you get a TSA PreCheck out of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

I didn't actually know what it was, but I do know this. When I was briefly in the world of online dating, there were a lot of women who would say, only interested in people that have Global Entry access or something like that.

[Joe Getty]

And I was like, really?

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know what that is, but I don't. And I'm not traveling, so doesn't matter. And I would just.

[Joe Getty]

You know, you may be, like a wonderful companion and I find you sexually attractive, but if I have to wait in line at customs, we're not together.

[Podcast Host]

That's.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's a lot of. That's one of the reasons that I left the world of online dating quickly. There's a lot of, like, black and white ultimatum stuff over stuff. Like, really, That's a deal breaker for you.

[Joe Getty]

I wonder if Global Entry is seen as some sort of status thing. I mean, I don't know. I just got it because I hate lines. But so anyway, it expires after five years, and if you renew.

[Jack Armstrong]

Because you're likely to become a terrorist.

[Joe Getty]

Five years later, you decide you hate the country. No, if you renew it, you just renew it. But I'd let it lapse, barely. I mean, it was a few weeks, but because of that, all of a sudden you're presumed to be in Al Qaeda or be a Marxist or. So there's Marxists in every university. But I gotta get my passport and proof of address and drive a couple hours to the local regional airport, the international airport, and go in person. Were the nice fellas with uniforms, and I think they may have guns and everything that they usher you in.

[Jack Armstrong]

Was there a bcs? A BCS Body cavity search?

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, I insisted. Yeah, absolutely.

[Jack Armstrong]

They said, we don't do that.

[Joe Getty]

They said, no, no, please, nah, let's be safe. This is our country we're talking about. I'm ready.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'll give you a honey. Here. Here's $100. Do a body cavity search. Take your time, but

[Joe Getty]

let's not rush through this, huh? But. So the.

[Jack Armstrong]

The.

[Joe Getty]

The nice Department of Homeland Security guy, very serious. He got a flat jacket on and everything sitting at the desk.

[Jack Armstrong]

Really?

[Joe Getty]

What's your.

[Jack Armstrong]

What's your name?

[Joe Getty]

What's your birth date? Where were you born? Your place of birth?

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay.

[Joe Getty]

You ever been committed? You ever been convicted of any crime? Ever been? All the stuff that I'd already Oh. Have you ever been investigated for any crime in this or any other country?

[Jack Armstrong]

Blah, blah, blah.

[Joe Getty]

And I've already filled this out online. But they want to look you in the eye as you give these answers. Then they fingerprint me. You got my effing fingerprints. I gave them to you a while ago. Here's a hint. They're the same. That's why fingerprints are a thing. All right, you can have them again if you want. Here they are. There you go. Guy said.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right.

[Joe Getty]

Great. Clickity click.

[Jack Armstrong]

Approve. You'll be getting your card.

[Joe Getty]

Three and a half minutes. Three and a half minutes. Two hours from my house to go through this rigmarole. So I guess the guy could look me in the eye and make sure what I was me or.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, studies have shown that every five years people are likely to join Al Qaeda.

[Joe Getty]

Right, Right. It's the five year itch. You know, I've always been a, A Christian, B, A patriot. But God, the violent overthrow my country in the name of Allah. You know, some days I think maybe

[Jack Armstrong]

it has a poll.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, God.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I.

[Joe Getty]

Government.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, Government.

[Joe Getty]

The irs. What my address is. They know. Trust me, they know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. No bureaucracy, paperwork, checking boxes. All those phrases are what they are for a reason. Checking boxes. Yeah. So the number of women out there who really wanted the global entry thing or have your passport ready or I don't want to date you or whatever. Just. Okay. That's a very common thing.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. Did any of them mention if they're attracted to Nazi communazi. Faux oysterman in general? We got a bit of a Graham Platner update for you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, kind of. Sorta. And they vote tomorrow.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. And boy, his fans and devotees, they don't care about any of the allegations. He's their man.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, beyond that.

[Joe Getty]

Clearly a cult of personality. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Even more than that was the people who are willing to say out loud, loud. And I've got the quotes. I'll get to them like old what's his name? James Carville said.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

He might be a Nazi, Might be. This all sorts of stuff. A terrible person, but still better than the alternative. Like, wow, really? Better than a moderate Republican, Collins, who's

[Joe Getty]

barely a Republican and will vote to impeach Trump. Impeach Trump, no matter the charge. She can't wait to. But you're going to elect a woman abusing, drunk, troubled Nazi. Okay. Because it's your party that is one of the greatest distillations of modern American politics you could. You could hope for. Right?

[Jack Armstrong]

And I heard somebody making the national dispatch was making the argument how this is Trumpism winning. If you want to describe Trumpism as, you know, our side, right or wrong, no matter what, the Democrats are using the same playbook. Okay, so you thought it was just awful that some Republicans stood by Trump through no matter what. Now you're going to do this with Graham Platon Platner. Okay, so I guess that's the new law of the land. That's a good place to be.

[Joe Getty]

Well, they just called Trump a Nazi. He doesn't have a giant Totenkopf on

[Jack Armstrong]

his chest, for God's sake. Okay, so we'll get to that. Update that that voting will be interesting tomorrow. Coming up, Stay here.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

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supplies last Democrat lawmakers are complaining that employers are not providing paid leave for women on their periods. Also complaining the male employees.

[Joe Getty]

Oh boy. Oh, Greg.

[Jack Armstrong]

So tomorrow is election Day in Maine. You don't live in Maine, probably, but it's gotten a lot of attention because of this Graham Platner dude that is running away with gonna win the nomination for the Democratic Party to run against Susan Collins, who has been the senator there as a Republican for a very long time. But this Platner's got a lot of baggage and there was a lot of controversy. Are Democrats even really going to support this guy or not? But they have the elections tomorrow and he's going to win.

[Joe Getty]

Let's put the oysterman on ice over there by the cocktail shrimp Jack for just a second. We'll get back to him on this buffet of progressive goodness in a moment. But first, I wanted to mention the fabulous Nellie Bowles writing in the Free Press, talking about Tom Steyer in California who spent over half a billion dollars trying to buy himself a couple of different elections. And she mentions Psychot Chakra Body, who's a very handsome tech guy, beautiful hair. He ran for Congress in California as another ultra rich far left guy. She comments. Fascinating that some of the richest candidates were the ones running on the far left and he lost. The best part is that he tanked after spending $10 million of his own money on the race. 10 million to win in San Francisco. And he but he blamed the loss on the $7 million of AI crypto and APAC money that were put into this race. That's a quote. He probably didn't mean his own big money. And he was smoked by Scott Wiener and San Francisco supervisor Connie Chan. But then she writes, I don't know why this made me laugh so much. But here's progressive influencer Hassan Piker on the losses. And I'm quoting, it's just effing rich liberals who just want homo fascism in this country.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's it.

[Joe Getty]

They want gay fascism. And Nelly says, but Hassan, the candidates who lost were the rich ones. How do we square this, my sweet communist? And just for. And just for my own records, what is gay fascism? Connie Chan is the manifestation of homo fascism. Whatever that is, is really funny to me. Funny to me. Scott Wiener, I guess, really is. Love to all the homo fascists. Happy pride to you all. But then she gets into Graham Platner. First, the part about him that people love most. He put a huge Nazi tattoo on his chest, the one that honors only the finest concentration camp cards. At this stage in the anti Semitism cycle, that's a plus for the average voter. Now, the negatives. According to his financial disclosures, our oysterman as well. Let's just say he's all shell and no belly. He's all fringe and no gills, if you know what I mean. Wow, that's some good oyster talk. According to last year's disclosure, he made only $3,000 from his stipend as town harbor master, which sounds more like a position in a frat house. As far as his oyster farm, for which he does not take a salary, his biggest client is his mom. Cute. And almost all of his income seems to come from disability checks. He said he bought his house thanks to the va, but it was actually thanks to a few hundred thousand dollars from his rich dad. I mean, the guy went to Hotchkiss, which, unless you're a Northeastern or you don't know, that's like the most expensive boarding school.

[Jack Armstrong]

I didn't know that.

[Joe Getty]

Super elite boarding school in the Northeast. And he did the richest thing ever, which is to stop going to class. He was subsequently expelled. Just because he grew a beard and talked like a burly man instead of gay like, does not mean he isn't still one of your oysterman's. A debutante with a lemonade stand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, that's fantastic. It's just a very, very wealthy lemonade stand. Your. Your mom made the lemonade and you're standing out there pretending to sell it and acting like you have a business.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. And then the fact that he had an account on Kick, which is a platform that's been notorious for like, child seduction and that sort of thing. And she talks about how he's been messaging with up to six women prior to launching his campaign, which is kind of weird way to phrases like some sort of quoted like he's putting up infidelity numbers in the 6 range. And his Kik account was still active three days ago.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, Federman said. John Fetterman, Senator, Democratic Senator from Pennsylvania, said if Platner can prove all of the people he was chatting with on Kick and sending penis pics to were adults and not minors, he will wear a suit every day from here on out.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Heck of a thing to challenge another Democrat who wants to be one of your colleagues.

[Joe Getty]

But he held a town hall the other day. There was not a single hard question about any of this. Just chance of don't let the bastards get you down and we're your family, Graham. We've got your back. Stay strong. One day at a time. Everyone has a past.

[Jack Armstrong]

Got a couple more comments on this coming upstairs.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and getty

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[Jack Armstrong]

more things about this whole Graham Platner situation before we get to a panacea. Oh, finally been looking for a panacea. So this is really an interesting development. And I do think to a certain extent I agree with the Dispatch that this is the trumpification of politics in a certain way. In that for a variety of reasons we got into a state where, you know, we'll ride or die with our side because our side's better than the other side ultimately. So any individual, they can have all kinds of baggage or say or do awful things. It's better than the alternative, which sometimes is true, but didn't. That's not the way we used to run politics. There used to be like you had to have a certain level of character. You just couldn't be in the running. We've maybe since dispensed with that on both sides. For instance, James Carville, who was campaign manager for Bill Clinton back in the day, called Graham Platner and called him effed up and compared him to Stalin. Sonny Hosten, Is that the way you pronounce her name of the I never watched the View called Platner a liar, a racist, an anti Semite and a homophobe, yet both of them have said they would vote for him over the moderate Republican woman. Yeah, so that's where we are currently on that whole thing. It's interesting to me that John Fetterman, a Democrat who might be serving alongside Graham Platner in the Senate at some point, said of Graham Platner being on Kick, that's one of your. Apps that you can go on to look for sex like Tinder or Grindr or whatever it is for different people. Kick is supposed to be a particularly wild one, I guess. Anyway, Fetterman said that if first of all he has a press conference and he says, I suppose you guys all want to ask me about P. What's he called himself? I forgot the term now already.

[Joe Getty]

Hustle.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, I suppose you guys want to ask me about P Hustle. They said what? P Hustle. Don't you want to ask about P Hustle? Who's P Hustle? Graham Platner. Why do you call him that? No, that's what he calls himself on Kick. P Hustle. And so he only Referred to him as P. Hustle through the whole time they're having the conversation. And he said.

[Joe Getty]

And he said, new Fetterman post stroke. Fetterman is amazing for.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, Democrat. He said, if P. Hustle can prove that all the people he was chatting with on Kick and sending dick pics to were adults and not miners, I'll wear a suit every day. Wow, that's a heck of a thing. So, P. Hustle, Graham Platner. I'll use his official oyster farmer name, which is just, as we just learned, is so made up. Really, it shouldn't even be part of his description.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

It's.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's the shorthand they use for him in any news story. Oyster farmer Graham, Punter, oyster farmer Glenn. But sounds like. From what you described, that's just. It's like practically saying NBA player Jack Armstrong. I mean, it's just not a thing, really.

[Joe Getty]

Well, he has a little patch of water where he or somebody raises a few oysters. He takes no salary. His mom is his only client. I mean, it's a.

[Jack Armstrong]

He's a hobbyist.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway.

[Joe Getty]

Well, call me a professional golfer then. I won the other day on the course and I got money.

[Jack Armstrong]

There you go. So that'd be a good example.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And I've taken a tour, so call me tour player Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

But to show you where the Democratic Party is. In response to Senator Fetterman challenging him to prove that he didn't send naked pictures to women or minors, Platner posted that Fetterman is a tool of apac.

[Joe Getty]

Ah, it's the Jews again, Right? Damn it. I should have known. Good Lord.

[Jack Armstrong]

Vote for Fetterman, who backs Israel and is a tool of a pack. So the worst thing you can be as a Democrat now is not having a Nazi tattoo, but it's being at the least bit friendly to Israel. So that's where we are in that whole thing. He's going to win tomorrow. But then the knives really come out, right? Yeah. From the Republic. The re. The Democrats. Some Democrats have been training fire on him. I don't know. It's all confusing because we have that whole New York Times story from last week that was clearly watered down for some reason. So what was behind that? I have no idea.

[Joe Getty]

They'll coin the term a vaccination story.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Weak practically dead version of the story. So people think, oh, I've heard this before.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And not pay attention anymore. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, the Republicans have been holding fire because they want Platner as the opposition against Susan Collins, and they're going to bring forth any Apple research they've got starting tomorrow night probably.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

So that's that story. Did I have any more on that? Maybe not. I'm sure we'll be talking about tomorrow. It's going to be the biggest political story in the country tomorrow.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, you know, speaking of that sort of person, I was just reading how James Talarico, who's the toast of progressive Texas, where is that? He is report she. He is repeatedly referring to women as our neighbors because that's like a progressive thing. Our undocumented neighbors are unhoused neighbors. It's a catchphrase. They use neighbors all the time. He's referring to women as neighbors with uteruses. He won't say women.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's wacky.

[Joe Getty]

Neighbors with uteruses. Which is bizarre.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wasn't the belief that he would tack toward the center once the race was started? Yeah, you'd think that's not tacking toward the center. That's not even tacking toward the center of the Democratic Party.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Where is that? I can't find the article, but take my word, I wouldn't make that up. I couldn't. It's too strange.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wanted to revisit this apropos of nothing out of nowhere, just because I came across it on Twitter. We've talked about it before. It's better around tax time. But when is tax time? I don't know about you, but it's tax time every day. In my world, you don't, you know, write your check or deal with it paperwork wise. But taxes are getting taken out all the time. Milton Freeman, the great libertarian economist from back in the day that all Republicans and libertarians love. Milton Friedman. What was his greatest regret? As we've said many times, he is the guy that unfortunately invented withholding on your check. Who was I talking to just yesterday? They got, yeah, I was talking to a friend yesterday, got out of graduate school, got his first check and was talking about. He said, I knew, you know, he said it's not my first job. This is first job that like has paid well, though. And he said, I knew, you know, I know about tech, stuff like that, but I didn't know how much it was going to be from the number that I, you know, I'm telling people I make to what I'm actually getting withholding. The federal government discovered the perfect crime in 1943. Make employers collect taxes before workers ever see their paychecks. You think you earn 60,000 per year. You actually earn 75,000 per year. You hand over 15,000 to the politicians without ever touching it. The psychological difference is enormous. Of course. Before payroll withholding, Americans wrote quarterly checks directly to the Treasury. I don't think I knew that before they withheld every quarter you wrote a check. Picture yourself sitting at your kitchen table writing a check for $4,000 or $40,000 or whatever it would be depending on how much money you make to the IRS every three months. The pain was immediate and visceral. Politicians faced constant pressure to justify every dollar because citizens felt the extraction in real time. Withholding, where they take it out ahead of time, transforms this concrete loss into an abstract accounting entry. Your employer becomes an unpaid tax collector and you never experience the actual cost of government. Worse, most people celebrate their tax refund. This is the thing I About every April 15, most people celebrate their tax refunds as government generosity rather than recognizing them as interest free loans they provided to politicians.

[Joe Getty]

Slaps forehead.

[Jack Armstrong]

The treasury collects your money throughout the year, spends it immediately, then returns your own cash and receives gratitude. This system enables the explosion in government spending that you witness today. Defense contractors billing $640 for toilet seats, Agricultural subsidies for corn syrup. Congressional salaries for 535 people who rarely show up to work. When taxation feels painless, voters stop demanding accountability for how their money gets spent. Milton Friedman helped to design withholdings as a wartime emergency measure and later called it his greatest regret. Free market economists recognize that the psychological pain of direct taxation creates political pressure for fiscal restraint. The temporary always becomes permanent in government hands and the emergency justification, justification disappears when the extraction mechanism remains forever. I've been saying this for years, long before I thought of it, before I even read this Milton Friedman thing, I thought, imagine if people had to sit down every year and write down the full amount of taxes they paid. How different our country would be. Every would be. Everybody would be talking about we spent how much on solar panels or, or you know, you'd lean left, maybe that fighter plane or whatever homeless program. Imagine people would be outraged if they had to sit down and actually write out the amount of tax. But because it's withholded ahead of time, you just don't feel it. So you don't pay attention. Nothing could change our country more, I don't think, than that one move.

[Joe Getty]

And it's even more than you were describing because every buying decision you made that quarter, you'd have to think, remember honey, we've got to have approximately X in the bank to write a check to the government for our taxes. So you would think about it constantly proper conservative stewardship of your tax dollars. Constantly. It's one of the great ironies of political history that it. The great Milton Friedman who came up with this insidious idea that went so wrong.

[Jack Armstrong]

Everybody would know their exact tax rate. You know, currently most people don't have the slightest idea what their tax rate is. Everybody would know exactly what it is and argue about what it should be if you had to actually sit down and write a check every quarter.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Wow. And nobody ever thinks about it. Or they think the government is so good to them because it gave them a little money back.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, I can't even take too much irony.

[Jack Armstrong]

I've never heard anybody run on repealing that though. Make a big noise out of it. God, every Republican should. Of course there are no fiscal restraint fiscal conservatives anymore.

[Joe Getty]

It was the gateway to gigantic metastasizing government. It was the necessary element without which it wouldn't have happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm trying to think of a. You know you like metaphors for everything. I'm trying to think I do works.

[Joe Getty]

What if I like metaphors more than a bear likes honey? I wonder.

[Jack Armstrong]

Like, how would you eat if you didn't gain weight as you ate but like compounded through to the end of the year and then shows up then maybe

[Joe Getty]

30 pounds heavier.

[Jack Armstrong]

You only get the extra weight at the end of a decade. How much different? I don't know if that works. But the. The idea of not being able to feel little by little the pain of something makes you react completely differently or hiding it completely.

[Joe Getty]

I mean because. Or making it painless. That's the insidious part. You're not even. You're only dimly aware of it when you look at your pay stub. And let's not leave this out because nobody knows this. Certainly progressive voters don't know that. Know this. The government taxes your employer for hiring you. A payroll tax they have to pay. Tax you cost your employer. In some cases twice what your salary is. Double. You're only getting half the money because the government is getting so much of it. I can remember. I give up.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you didn't have withholding, we would not have a $35 trillion debt. Not a chance.

[Joe Getty]

Nope.

[Jack Armstrong]

We'll finish strong.

[Joe Getty]

Next Armstrong and Getty.

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[Tamara Judge]

This is Tamara Judge from Two T's in a Pod with Teddy Mellencamp and Tamara Judge. Can we take a moment to talk about Chewy? I get everything for rugby from Chewy. His food, the treats I'm constantly reordering, the toys he destroys in minutes, even his supplements, and it always shows up fast. Chewy also handles the serious stuff. Prescriptions, pet insurance, telehealth, vet visits, and they're even rolling out vet clinics across the country. They're 24? 7 customer service actually understands dog moms like me and cat moms, bird moms, reptile moms, all of us. And with Chewy's one year satisfaction guarantee, trying something new is never stressful for life with pets, the answer is chewy. Save $20 on your first order with free shipping at chew panions.chewy.com teapod this

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[Jack Armstrong]

to get off the hedonistic treadmill. We're Armstrong and Getty. If you don't know what that means, listen to more of the show.

[Joe Getty]

Yep, buy a podcast Armstrong and gettyondemand subscribe. You get all the stuff we do. So a couple of stories from the fascinating world of beverages. First of all, this is beverages and snacks. The Pepsi company is running 35 driverless trucks in Arizona. Also many of them in Texas and Arkansas. 26,000 pound box trucks loaded with Doritos, Frito Lay chips and soft drinks, etc. Heading for your local convenience store or Walmart or whatever. No one at the wheel.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are they the Tesla version or they have their own version or what?

[Joe Getty]

You know what, that's funny. I don't remember the. The architecture. It's. They've got multiple cameras plus the lidar and like multiple state of the art things. Does it say? Oh, the medium and heavy duty box trucks are manufactured by Isuzu Motors collaborating with Gatik G A T I K in design and production.

[Jack Armstrong]

So I. I know this is happening some places. I'm a little confused why Tesla has not been able to announce we're going, whatever they call it full driverless so you don't have to pay attention. That is not. That leap has not been made yet. Yet you have completely driverless semi trucks out there. Which seems more dangerous to me.

[Joe Getty]

It says like you get more leeway

[Jack Armstrong]

if there's no driver at all than if there's a driver. If there's a driver there. Well, they got to be paying attention sometimes. But if there's not a driver at all. Yeah, I don't.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's ironic. It's ridiculous. Yeah. PepsiCo's operation using trucks outfitted with sensors and computers from an autonomous truck company called Gatic Step beyond on pair on par with the technical hurdles being cleared by much smaller, lighter, driverless passenger taxis from Waymo, Tesla and other. But they are running them in three different states right now, making deliveries and a human being meets the truck there and does the sales pitch and all and then. And unloads it if necessary. I guess I can't. I'm not sure how it works at the very end, but anyway, they're running those trucks is the point.

[Jack Armstrong]

I thought the liability would always be the issue with not having to pay attention when you drive a car. But if we surmount that hurdle, do you think that revitalizes electric cars? If the appeal is not I'm doing it just because I'm green or I'm doing this so I don't have to buy gas. If the appeal is you get in your car, you can snooze, have sex, drink, whatever you want to do.

[Joe Getty]

All three if you're having a good night. Yeah, drink, have sex, fall asleep. I didn't get to the story.

[Jack Armstrong]

I really wanted to get to Crap. Glad we have a show tomorrow. Jesus.

[Joe Getty]

Branded energy drinks.

[Jack Armstrong]

What the.

[Joe Getty]

These companies. Here's the key phrase. Are they just treating Jesus like an uncopyrighted Mickey Mouse? Thought that was good. Jesus is mascot for consumer products. Yuck.

[Jack Armstrong]

Jesus, my Heart's palpitating. Armstrong and Getty wrapping up their show as they always do with final thoughts. Anyway, Owen 2. Okay, thank you for that. Here's your host for final thoughts, Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Let's get a final thought thought from everybody on the truncated crew this morning. Katie on maternity leave, Michelangelo on vacation. Mike Hansen, what's your final thought?

[Jack Armstrong]

Hey, just some good vibes for my friend Kathy and the entire o' Donnell family. She unexpectedly went in for some surgery this morning and just wishing her a quick and speedy recovery. Cool.

[Joe Getty]

All right, shout out to Kathy. Jack, a final thought for us just

[Jack Armstrong]

in case this is a crime. I'll say I know somebody who looks much like me and drives me a very similar vehicle to me who fell asleep for a full 25 minutes the other day on the way home and it was fine. Guard Robin Mow.

[Joe Getty]

That's amazing.

[Jack Armstrong]

I know, it's awesome.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. My final thought is just to remind you of the phrase neighbor with uterus, the new progressive term for women. Except if you have a dick and you just say you're a woman, then you're a woman woman.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. That's funny, right? That's a good point.

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong, Getty wrapping up another grueling four hour work day.

[Joe Getty]

So many people. Thanks a little time. Go to armstrongandgetty.com Many pleasures await you there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, we will see tomorrow. Well, there'll be a lot of news tomorrow whether it's the war in Iran or Platner in Maine. Do you think there's a last day final moment surprise on the whole Platner thing? I wonder.

[Joe Getty]

We'll see. God bless America.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty de Loco. It's a little too much donkey dog.

[Joe Getty]

We work together and continue to work together and to work together.

[Jack Armstrong]

Get out of here, you. You hippies. And I haven't said a word. So stop yelling at me.

[News Reporter]

So let's go out with a bang.

[Joe Getty]

If your brother slept with your wife,

[Jack Armstrong]

what are we with the Biden family?

[Joe Getty]

And you later reconciled with him, Would you name your next kid after him? But I'm trying here. I don't know on that high note. Thank you all very much. Armstrong, any getty

[America 250 Announcer]

this July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration at america250.org

[Joybox Advertiser]

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[Tamara Judge]

This is Tamara Judge from Two T's in a Pod with Teddy Mellencamp and Tamara Judge. Tamara here as you know, my dog Rugby is like one of my kids and I don't play around when it comes to taking care of him. Chewy is where I get everything he needs. He loves food, so always stocking up on treats and toys from Chewy, which my husband Eddie likes to buy for him. It always shows up fast, which is exactly how I like things. Chewy also handles the serious stuff, prescriptions, pet insurance and the telehealth vet visits. And now they're opening up vet clinics across the country and they're 24? 7 customer service. They just understand pet people. Plus, with Chewy's one year satisfaction guarantee, trying new things is never stressful. Chewy just makes caring for rugby easier and that matters to me. For life with pets, the answer is chewy. Save $20 on your first order with free shipping at chewpanions.chewy.com teapot.