You Can "Ho Ho" All You Want

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand — “You Can ‘Ho Ho’ All You Want”

Release Date: December 3, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty, with Katie Green
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into several current event topics with the Armstrong & Getty show’s signature irreverence and insight. The main themes include large-scale fraud committed by Somali immigrants in Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic, cultural expectations around welfare and assimilation, economic trends in holiday spending, and a discussion of a major philanthropic initiative from the Dell family. The hour is filled with spirited debate, social commentary, and comic interludes, such as a news item involving an intoxicated raccoon.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Somali Fraudsters and COVID Relief Theft

(02:58–04:32 | 06:21–07:37 | 10:11–12:22)

• Armstrong & Getty spotlight a massive fraud perpetrated during COVID relief by a network of Somali immigrants in Minneapolis, estimating losses over a billion dollars.
• Joe Getty:

  “Perhaps the most egregious, enormous theft of funds during the unforgivable spraying of taxpayer dollars during COVID by the Biden administration was the theft of a billion plus dollars by Somali immigrants and those who were working with them in the Minnesota area.” (07:07)

• They criticize the media for underreporting such stories, with Getty lamenting the “moronic, woke, stupid media” for failing to pay attention.
• The hosts expand into a discussion about changes in American cultural norms, specifically the erosion of shame in seeking or abusing government assistance.
• Jack Armstrong:

  "We eliminated shame in this country and a lot of people thought that was a good idea. ... No, you should be. You should be very ashamed that you can't raise your kids, you can't support yourself." (05:36)

• They relate this to difficulties facing the American welfare state, especially when integrating immigrants from countries with different cultural attitudes toward fraud and government.

2. Cultural Norms, Assimilation, and Immigration Policy

(06:21–07:37 | 11:02–13:58)

• Using the Somali case as a springboard, the hosts question the effectiveness and direction of assimilation for new arrivals.
• Armstrong points out the challenge of integrating people from societies where scamming the government is normalized.
• Both hosts discuss whether the U.S. should expect immigrants to adopt American norms or if it’s now seen as bigoted to insist on assimilation.
• Jack Armstrong:

  "The mainstream media version is that I'm supposed to assimilate to them as opposed to the other way around, right?" (13:52)

• The segment includes a comparison to historical immigration patterns and how drastically different American expectations are now.

Notable Quote

• Joe Getty:

  “If we're going to be that dumb and soft, we deserve to disappear as a republic. Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas, everyone.” (07:34)

3. Economic Outlook & Holiday Spending

(08:04–09:14 | 17:03–17:09)

• The hosts puzzle over the apparent disconnect between pessimistic consumer sentiment and robust holiday spending numbers.
• They note that the top 10% of earners account for 50% of consumer spending, which may skew impressions of economic health.

  "So whenever you hear any amount of money about Black Friday or whatever, that might just be that tiny slice of people that have money and the rest of people are holding back." (08:38)

• Katie Green’s headlines segment brings up related news:
  • “Holiday shoppers are opting to buy now and pay later.” (17:03, NPR)

4. Dell Family Philanthropy: 'Trump Accounts' for Kids

(09:20–25:12)

• The Dell family, made wealthy by Dell Computers, announces a $6.25 billion donation to seed accounts for children in low income zip codes—a program distinct from but complementary to a new federal initiative providing $1,000 accounts for children born between 2025 and 2028.
• The accounts are called "Trump Accounts," a branding touch the hosts note will be controversial for some.

  "I feel like having Donald Trump's name attached to it automatically makes it controversial for some people." (19:26; Jack Armstrong)

• The initiative aims to encourage savings, investment, and financial literacy from an early age; only accessible to the child upon turning 18 (excepting rare circumstances).
• Getty lauds the approach as a needed alternative to traditional government-run welfare:

  “I love this idea... privatized savings, privatized investments, privatized, even retirement planning, as opposed to letting the government squander a bunch of money.” (19:43)

• They compare Michael Dell's philosophy to that of historic philanthropists like Rockefeller, noting the complexity of giving away wealth effectively.

Notable Quote

• Michael Dell (via Getty):

  “By the time a child turns 18, ... their account could be worth thousands. And that balance can open up real options, like paying for school, entering a job training program, putting a down payment on a home, or continuing to invest.” (24:45)

5. Financial Literacy and Compound Interest

(25:09–26:13)

• Armstrong and Getty passionately argue that understanding compound interest is a vital skill, lamenting the failure of schools to deliver this basic financial education.

  “How can any kid get out of high school not being able to explain how compound interest works, what an egregious failure that is.” (25:31, Joe Getty)

6. Comic Relief: Drunken Raccoon

(27:50–32:16)

• The hosts riff on a viral, oddball news story of a raccoon breaking into a Virginia liquor store and passing out in the bathroom after drinking from bottom-shelf bottles.
• They read two different comedic news reports on the incident, question why the second has odd grammar and a strange accent, and use it as a running joke about raccoon domestication, evolution, and quality of booze.
  • “You know, raccoons look like criminals to start with. They got that mask on.” (27:56, Jack Armstrong)

7. Listener Feedback, Mailbag, and Rapid-Fire Commentary

(32:19–38:10)

• The episode ends with their “mailbag” segment:
  • Discussion about U.S.–Venezuela policy, energy geopolitics, and the relevance of Chinese influence.
  • A mention of the limits of expert predictions, referencing Marvin Minsky and AI development.
  • Debate over the risks and hopes associated with artificial intelligence.
  • Tease of further discussion on the “billion dollar Somali rip off in Minnesota” next hour.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Shame is a great driver... maybe the biggest influence in my life was shame.”
  — Joe Getty (05:51)

• “If we're going to be that dumb and soft, we deserve to disappear as a republic. Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas, everyone.”
  — Joe Getty (07:34)

• “You can ho ho all you want. I'm here to guard the nation.”
  — Joe Getty (07:53)

• “We eliminated shame in this country and a lot of people thought that was a good idea... No, you should be.”
  — Jack Armstrong (05:36)

• “By the time a child turns 18, their account could be worth thousands. And that balance can open up real options.”
  — Michael Dell, quote via Joe Getty (24:45)

• “It is really hard to give money away in a, in a way that is going to do any good. You have to, like, constantly keep your eye on whatever project you came up with or idea you came up with to make sure... it's instituted the way you want, you get the results you actually wanted. People aren't stealing from you...”
  — Jack Armstrong on philanthropy (23:15)

• “If raccoons are grabbing a cocktail now and again, getting a little hammered and passing out by the toilet, I mean, that's pretty domesticated.”
  — Jack Armstrong (31:06)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:58–08:04: Somali COVID fraud, cultural expectations, and welfare state critique
• 08:04–09:14: Holiday spending insights; income disparity in consumer activity
• 09:20–25:12: Dell family donation, "Trump Accounts", and financial education
• 27:50–32:16: Drunken raccoon story, discussion on animal domestication
• 32:19–38:10: Listener mail highlights; Venezuela, China, AI, and future episode tease

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Tone & Style

The hosts maintain their trademark blend of pointed social criticism, banter, and dark comedy throughout, with Armstrong cracking wry jokes and Getty playing both the straight man and the policy hawk. They alternate between earnest concern for America's future and lampooning both the media and the absurdities of current events.

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For New Listeners

This episode is representative of Armstrong & Getty’s style: a mixture of sharp political/cultural analysis, libertarian skepticism of big government, concern over changing social values, mixed with frequent detours into oddball news and classic dad-joke humor. Whether dissecting welfare fraud, debating assimilation, or riffing about drunken raccoons, the hosts keep the energy up and the conversation lively.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

Guaranteed Human wishing the holidays could come early.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you own or manage your business, they can.

[Joe Getty]

With help from iHeartradio. People are already shopping for their loved.

[Katie Green]

Ones and hunting for deals wherever they can find them, including right here. They're listening to the radio. They're listening to podcasts. They could be listening to you.

[Joe Getty]

Don't wait for everyone else to kick off the holidays. Get your best season of the year up and running today. Call 844-844-IHeart or visit iheartadvert. Tis the season for all your holiday favorites like a very Jonah's Christmas movie and Home Alone on Disney plus. Did I burn down the joy? I don't think so. Then Hulu has National Lampoon's Christmas vacation.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're all in for a very big Christmas treat.

[Joe Getty]

All of these and more streaming this holiday season and right now, say big with our special Black Friday offer bundle Disney plus and Hulu for just 4.99amonth for one year savings compared to current regular monthly price. Ends 121 offer for ad supported Disney Plus Hulu bundle only then 12.99amonth or then current regular month 18 plus terms apply.

[Katie Green]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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

[Joe Getty]

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

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, boy. That's a guy.

[Joe Getty]

Oh.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh.

[Joe Getty]

Is anybody hurt?

[Jack Armstrong]

That was a bad start. Can I get a. Can I get a squeegee in here?

[Joe Getty]

Oh, boy. I'm gonna just let it drop.

[Jack Armstrong]

I need a sponge.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, Lord. Live from Studio C. Senor Ad.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, Katie.

[Katie Green]

Oh, it's just so bad.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, so bad.

[Joe Getty]

Hard to imagine worse unless he vomited mid sentence. It couldn't be any worse.

[Jack Armstrong]

I need a squeegee.

[Joe Getty]

Some towels.

[Jack Armstrong]

A sponge.

[Joe Getty]

That was a. That was a low moment.

[Katie Green]

We all need umbrellas apparently.

[Jack Armstrong]

Might want to wear a rain jacket.

[Joe Getty]

Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Live from Studio C, a dimly lit room. He put them in the ball. Bowels. Balls of the studios. Something or other.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, just keeps getting better.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, today we're under the tutelage of our general manager, Somali Fraudsters. Yeah, it's a good story.

[Joe Getty]

It's a good story. It's been a good story. It's a story we've been on and it is finally getting a little bit of attention. I can't wait to get started on this. But I tell you what, even I, Joe Getty, Cold Warrior, which has nothing to do with this hardcore critic of the utterly dishonest, moronic, woke, stupid media. I think that was too stupid, more or less. Sometimes I fall prey to the. This is a giant story. Why is nobody talking about it? Gosh, maybe it's not that important. I don't know. I mean, I don't wobble like that much, but I've got to admit, there are times there are stories that are of gargantuan significance that get ignored by the mainstream media. And after a while you start to think, well, I don't know, maybe never mind.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, what's the. The long. And I mean the short version of it, just to let people know and then we can get into details later.

[Joe Getty]

Perhaps the most egregious, enormous theft of funds during the unforgivable spraying of taxpayer dollars during COVID by the Biden administration was the theft of a billion plus dollars by Somali immigrants and those who were working with them in the Minnesota area, the Minneapolis area.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I think the bigger picture question is super interesting of how the whole welfare state idea works. If you've got. If you've got a citizenry that, you know, everybody's trying hard and believes they should do their best and ripping and.

[Joe Getty]

Has cultural norms of honesty and cooperation.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, well, we don't even. My point is we don't even have that in our own country anymore to the same extent that we used to, where. You know, it's funny, my kids were on this topic the other day. We. We saw somebody begging in Santa Fe, New Mexico. And my oldest son, and I'm happy he said this, he said, I would starve to death before I would beg somebody for money for food. I'm the same way. I can't. But there are plenty of people that I got money. I just need more money to buy booze. They're perfectly okay with pretending they're broke to take your money. They have no shame. We eliminated shame in this country and a lot of people thought that was a good idea. You shouldn't be ashamed of this and that. No, you should be. You should be very ashamed that you can't raise your kids, you can't support yourself. I want you to be ashamed.

[Joe Getty]

Shame. The bell Baby Shame.

[Jack Armstrong]

Shame is a great driver. It makes.

[Joe Getty]

It makes.

[Jack Armstrong]

It makes lots of people do the right. That makes me do the right thing.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, heck, that's maybe the biggest influence in my life was shame.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. And so we already are moving that way with our own citizenry where people are perfectly okay with getting on the government dole and not working, and they think other people are punks for supporting them and going out and working every day. Now we're importing a whole groups of people from various parts of the world where they think, I'm not part of this. I don't care if I take government money and lie about it. Why would I care?

[Joe Getty]

Well, right. And I want to talk about this all day, and I can't wait to. The power of cultural norms. And we became aware of this years and years and years ago. Russian emigres to the United States, many of whom had grown up under the Soviet Union, just like the Somalis that we're talking about. They came from a society in which ripping off the government was not only in the norm and encouraged and everybody.

[Jack Armstrong]

Did it, but that was more or.

[Joe Getty]

Less the only way to get by or at least get beyond kind of a very, very modest standard of living. That's what you do. Of course. That's what you do. And the fact that we as Americans, led by the just the politically correct intellectual lightweights in our media, the fact that we can't reckon with that and say, okay, we're importing a bunch of people who have a completely different idea of the relationship with the government and fraud and theft than we have traditionally as a society, how are we going to confront that? The fact that we can't even reckon with that question, much less answer it in an intelligent way? I mean, it's yet another example of if we're going to be that dumb and soft, we deserve to disappear as a republic. Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas, everyone.

[Jack Armstrong]

Throw a little Christmas cheer.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, that's right. A lot of people hate Christianity, too. They'd wipe out Christians if they they could. We haven't even gotten to the M word.

[Jack Armstrong]

Once again, ho ho ho. As I throw in some more Christmas cheer.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, you can ho ho all you want. I'm here to guard the nation. Joe Getty, Cold Warrior. Which again, Joe Getty. Right, Cold Warrior. And only tangentially involved.

[Jack Armstrong]

We are 22 days from Christmas Day, and we're gonna take a little look at where the spending is and some of the theories around that, because the whole thing is not matching up consumer attitudes and reality doesn't seem to be matching up with spending. What the hell is that all about? Is a big question out there.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I just. Yeah, I am intrigued. I just don't know that I can trust the spending numbers. I think there are so many reasons to spin. Well, the this or that number, I.

[Jack Armstrong]

Think the spending number that it doesn't get enough attention. We had this couple months ago when it came out 10% of earners, the top 10% are doing 50% of the consumer spending. So whenever you hear any amount of money about Black Friday or whatever, that might just be that tiny slice of people that have money and the rest of people are holding back because they're paycheck to paycheck and behind on their car payment and worried about their health care costs and all those stats that we keep hearing. So it's a little misleading to make it seem like everybody's out shopping when it's just the top 10%.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, maybe. You got a hedge fund guy buys each one of his alienated kids a half million dollar Mercedes. You don't know that's enough to tweak them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, speaking of half million dollar Mercedes, that's a nice Mercedes. We need to talk about that Dell thing that the, the Dell family and the big computer and the billions of dollars the, the Trump bucks that they gave out that lots of kids across the country are going to be getting for years. It's quite an interesting.

[Joe Getty]

I love this idea. Yeah. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, some pretty impressive philanthropy going on right there. I don't know about.

[Joe Getty]

But there's a risk, Jack. I'll tell you about the risk. Stay with us.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay. Gotta throw in a risk.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, there's a risk. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's start the show officially just because I want to hear the clip and then we can discuss that. I'm Jack Armstrong. Heeds Joe Getty on this. It is already Wednesday, December 3rd. Man, Christmas is sneaking up on me. The year 2025. We're Armstrong and Get in. We approve of this program.

[Joe Getty]

Let's begin then. Officially. According to FCC rules and regulations, the show starts officially at mark.

[Jack Armstrong]

These are people that work. These aren't people that say let's go, come on, let's make this place great. These are people that do nothing but complain. But when they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don't want them in our country talking about Somalians. The president.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, but you're whining what complaining probably.

[Jack Armstrong]

Do won't have it.

[Joe Getty]

I don't care. You're gonna join in you're gonna grab the rope and start pulling. You know, put on your helmet and get in the game. Mount up on that horse. What?

[Jack Armstrong]

Huh? I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

You're gonna.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't like the idea of someone for some coming here from some other country and complaining and bitching. But it's not really my concern. My main concern is whether or not you're gonna get on board with the way we do things around here. That's the, that's the crux of the matter.

[Joe Getty]

Here's another question for you. Answer this one for me. You're a refugee from the hellhole that is your country, war torn Somalia. And it is a hellhole. But other than a brief military presence, the nightmarish Black Hawk down incident, perhaps you recall it. Aside from a fairly minor military presence for a fairly short time, hoping to help that warned torn land, the United States of America does not have a real like relationship with Somalia. It's not one of those we broke it, we bought it things or they're a longtime ally or the long history between our peoples. What the hell are those people doing in Minneapolis? Why aren't they settling in a country? Well, yeah, that too. But why aren't they settling in a country near Africa where they might have a common language or certainly a common faith, a common understanding of culture and government and that sort of thing. What the hell did they come to the United States just because we have lots and lots and lots of money and they wanted some let's. Is that the policy that we ought to have? Oh, you're a bigot. No, you can't fall for those stupid knee jerk arguments anymore. It's not bigotry, it's practicality.

[Jack Armstrong]

It'd be tough. I heard somebody bring up the idea that crazy person, scumbag murderer who shot the two National Guards people from Afghanistan. So he comes from Afghanistan, ends up in suburb of Seattle somewhere, somewhere in Washington. Can you imagine how difficult that would be? Somebody put the example of doing the reverse, moving from, you know, suburbia United States to Afghanistan. You don't speak the language, you just land there all of a sudden, good luck, make a go of it. Can you imagine? Obviously be easier to make a godly difficult. Yeah, obviously it'd be easier to make a go of it in the United States than Afghanistan. Just flat out, period.

[Joe Getty]

But they're a welcome wagon as they shoot you.

[Jack Armstrong]

But they there's the cultural difference and everything like that. We just be completely different universe and every way.

[Joe Getty]

Only language. It would be so hard. Yeah. Oh, I have enormous sympathy for those people. It's terrible.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

You don't get to shoot our National Guardsmen.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, of course not.

[Joe Getty]

The guy went nuts or got radicalized or something.

[Jack Armstrong]

But we need to, we need to figure out this whole assimilation thing. How many, how fast from where and.

[Joe Getty]

In what way do we assimilate them? It's seen as somehow, you know, bigoted or wrong or nationalist to A, insist that they be assimilated and B, design a system for doing that. Well, I feel like just trusting like charities. Although I hate to put it in the hands of government because they'll squander zillions of dollars.

[Jack Armstrong]

The mainstream media version of is that I'm supposed to assimilate to them as opposed to the other way around, right?

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah. Learn to speak Spanish, for instance.

[Jack Armstrong]

So we get a lot on that. Coming up, Katie's headlines in just a little bit.

[Joe Getty]

Stay here. Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

So somebody sent this joke and it is. My grandpa said that when one door closes, another one opens. Smart man, but a horrible cabinet maker. Which reminds of we're at a hotel. We're at a hotel where you had to, you had to close one door to be able to open another door or something like that. It's like I thought, how did this happen?

[Katie Green]

You know, it's a bad design.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I guess. But you wouldn't think that happened. It's somebody designing a hotel.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's a funny joke. It takes a minute to land though. You got to do it like a laugh. Pause there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly.

[Joe Getty]

Good. Hey, let's figure out who's reporting what. It's the lead story with Katie Green. Katie. Right.

[Katie Green]

The Hegseth stories at the top of all the Alphabet networks.

[Joe Getty]

So here we go.

[Katie Green]

NBC. Pete Hegseth said he didn't see survivors in the September boat strike because the quote, fog of war. Cnn, Trump and Hegseth insist they didn't know of follow up strike that killed survivors on suspected drug boat. And ABC family of Colombian Fishermen killed in U.S. boat strike files a complaint alleging he was murdered.

[Joe Getty]

We are absolutely in the flogging this to get at Trump Zone. It's an interesting story and an important one. Inquiries are being held. Move on.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was watching that yesterday. If you've seen the video where Hegseth is answering questions and Trump sitting there. I felt like Trump had a look on his face of I'm not sure I'm buying this. That's what I read from the way he looked like. I don't know if I'm think you're on the wrong.

[Katie Green]

Well, speaking of the meeting, New York Times, Trump appears to fight sleep during Cabinet meeting.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, they're on this weak narrative. I read their quote unquote big story about how Trump is getting older and showing signs and it would there was no meat in the stew.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I haven't seen this. I haven't seen the supposed video where he looks like he's asleep during some meeting. I haven't seen that. Have you seen that?

[Katie Green]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. It kind of looks naughty offy a little bit.

[Jack Armstrong]

But what drink what drives me crazy and this is was going through the entire when Biden was president, people would point out when Trump started, stumbled over a word or whatever like that, say Trump's Come on. Are you really trying to claim that Trump is anywhere in the same zip code as where Biden was mentally? Come on.

[Katie Green]

Right from the Wall Street Journal marathon, Russia, US Meeting yields no Ukraine peace deal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I am. I just, I find it hard to believe that Putin has any interest whatsoever in this, that it's not just him, as Trump once said, tapping me along, that he's just going through the motions so he can continue to persecute his war.

[Joe Getty]

We'll see.

[Katie Green]

From npr, Holiday shoppers are opting to buy now and pay later.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's part of the statistics that I'm worried about. We'll get into that later.

[Katie Green]

USA Today Is college worthwhile? Two thirds of Americans say no.

[Jack Armstrong]

Two thirds is right. And the other third needs to get on board. Or that other third has kids who are like, you know, engineers or some other like specific thing that does make sense. Small area.

[Joe Getty]

And there are a certain number of Americans who haven't caught on to the fact that a quote unquote college education is different than it used to be. A gallon of milk. If a gallon of milk all of a sudden meant like a couple of quarts and a few more drops, you shouldn't call that a gallon of milk anymore. Kids showing up to some institution and occasionally going to class and doing very little work for professors don't give a crap and give everybody A's. That's not the same gallon of milk it was 20, 30, 40 years ago.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. It's interesting though. Like in, in high school, the teachers are just constantly when you're in college, you're going to need to blah, blah, blah, as if that's you're not going.

[Joe Getty]

To get away with this. Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

As if that's what everybody's path is. And you got two thirds of Americans saying I'm not sending My kid to college. We might have to rethink this.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Katie Green]

The New York Post men are getting breast reductions, and it's now the most most popular plastic surgery among guys in the U. S. Really?

[Joe Getty]

Well, it goes along with the whole obesity thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

The weight gain, surely.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah.

[Katie Green]

And finally, the Babylon Bee. Chicago kicks off the holiday season by unveiling festive red and green crime scene tape.

[Joe Getty]

That's pretty good. There's a little twist at the end.

[Jack Armstrong]

There, if you haven't heard. This donation, this philanthropy from the Dell family, the Dell computer family, it's really quite something. Among other things we've got for you.

[Katie Green]

Coming up, Armstrong and Getty, an extraordinary gift. The family behind Dell Computers donating a massive $6.25 billion directly to 25 million American children. The Dell donation will build on what's being called Trump accounts, which will give $1,000 in federal money to every baby born between January 1, 2025 and the end of 2028.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's an interesting idea. I feel like having Donald Trump's name attached to it automatically makes it controversial for some people.

[Joe Getty]

Of course. Yeah. This is in a small way what we desperately needed to happen under George W. Bush. And you remember, virtually everybody on the left and in the media teamed up to say it was a terrible idea, which is the idea of encouraging privatized savings, privatized investments, privatized, even retirement planning, as opposed to letting the government squander a bunch of money, pretend to keep it for you, and just continue the pyramid scheme. I love this idea.

[Jack Armstrong]

How do you know whether your child is eligible to get to $250 from the Dell family? For now, the money will go in to children who were born in 2016 through 2024. You have to live in zip codes where the median household incomes are below $150,000 per year. Obviously, the problem with that is that those national numbers for poverty don't make any sense. Depends on where you live.

[Joe Getty]

And even within a zip code, there's going to be a lot of variation. I think that's probably just a very smart guy's effort to come as close as you can without getting buried and paralyzed by the paperwork. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

According to the New York Times, the Dell foundation does not yet have a tool that potential recipients can use to determine if their neighborhood qualifies. So I guess there is a little more to it than that. To figure out the poverty level or low income level wherever you live to get a rough sense of where you might. Whether you qualify or not, you'll need to open a Trump account, because that's what it's actually called. You need to open a Trump account before you can get the money from the Dells. And they're working with the Treasury Department to make things seamless. After that, they intend to have the $250 deposited automatically so account holders do not have to opt in or request the money. It just automatically goes in. Then what about the $1,000 that the government will deposit in some accounts? The government will make a one time contribution of $1,000 to each account for US citizens born between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2028. The money will come via a tax credit and there's no income restriction with this deposit. The Dell deposit is for older children. So there's a couple of different things going on at the same time.

[Joe Getty]

Right. I think the Dell's and I just was reading a piece by Michael Dell explaining why he did this. He knows that program is going to start soon, the thousand dollars, and he just thought, all right, how about all the other kids who are already here? I've got zillions of dollars I can't possibly spend. What do I want to do? And he was extra enthusiastic about this because when he was six or seven years old, his parents encouraged him to order or to open a passbook savings account. I think a lot of us had that experience with the little blue book that they would stamp when he went into the bank and he would watch the balance grow. The compounding interest, even if it was a few cents, fascinated him and caught his imagination. He grew an enthusiasm for business, commerce, the free market, which I vastly prefer to the term capitalism. And part of what he's trying to do is help kids understand, hey, to save and invest and work is cool and it's fun. I love the spirit of this.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, oh sure, what's not to like? That's fantastic.

[Joe Getty]

It's, it reminds me because kids are in school all the time being told, capitalism is evil, we need socialism. Oh my God, what a horror. Sorry, back to you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. It reminds me of when I read the biography of J.D. rockefeller, which is a really good book titan. It's called he got crazy wealthy, like among the wealthiest people that have ever lived on earth really fast. So he retired at a fairly young age, middle age, and went into full on trying to give his money away. And it was a harder job than the job was to make the money in the first place. It is really hard to give money away in a, in a way that is going to do any Good. You have to. You have to work, like, constantly to keep your eye on whatever project you came up with or idea you came up with to make sure one, it's instituted the way you want, you get the results you actually wanted. People aren't stealing from you, either your own people or the people on the receiving end.

[Joe Getty]

Well, and as we're about to discuss next hour, as we go a little deeper into the giant Somali theft ring story, where there are large pools of money, there will be theft and fraud and greed. It's just absolutely inevitable.

[Jack Armstrong]

By the way, if you're wondering if people are just going to take the money out right away and spend it, no, you generally can't take the money out until the child is 18. On this new Dell family plane. There are exception if the child dies or various other things. Okay, well, let's not get into that. But, yeah, in general, I like the whole idea. That's cool. So greedy, greedy billionaires who need to be taxed out of existence.

[Joe Getty]

Please, please, yeah. Give the money to the government. They will administer it fairly and generously. Good Lord. People are fools. By the time a child turns 18, writes Mr. Dell, their account could be worth thousands. And that balance can open up real options, like paying for school, entering a job training program, putting a down payment on a home, or continuing to invest. This isn't just about unlocking potential. It's about creating tangible pathways.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tangible pathways, you say?

[Joe Getty]

Yes. Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Now, learning anything about compound interest is a good idea. The way it can work for you and the way it works against you, which is just as extraordinary.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's just as extraordinary the way it works against you. See your credit card bill?

[Joe Getty]

Now, putting aside, like, dumb or lazy or. No, no kid's too dumb to understand this. Or her kids are just smoking pot all the time. How can any kid get out of high school not being able to explain how compound interest works, what an egregious failure that is.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I remember learning it, like, learning how to calculate it. It was basically a math problem, but, like, fully understanding in reality how it works for you. Yeah, I don't think I had that when I got out of high school.

[Joe Getty]

Well, you could teach kids in an hour. I mean, the upside and the downside to compound interest. I mean, in fact, an hour is probably overkill and do it in half an hour.

[Jack Armstrong]

Do we have an ad here, Michael? Okay, after. After this ad, we're going to shift gears in a way that is just unimaginable. We're gonna. We're gonna take a A look from various angles of the menace of drunken raccoons.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

In just a moment. Wow. But first.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Boozed up trash pandas who saw this coming. Yeah, Jack, you say ad I prefer to think of it as fabulous opportunity. An opportunity to protect your home, your family. Everything you've worked so hard to accumulate with Simplisafe home security. It is so smart, so great. Double layer of defense. And it protects your home before criminals smashing your windows or knocking your door. The AI cameras detect the threats early. Then they alert the live agents, real people who speak directly. Directly to the intruders. Hey, what are you doing? Get away from the house. We're watching you. The cops are on their way. I ought to kick you right in your. Oh boy. They probably don't say stuff like that. Yeah, a hole. Anyway, Simply Safe is unbelievable. And it's less expensive than the old systems. Are you kidding me? No long term contracts or hidden fees. You can cancel anytime.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I got the cameras, the sensors. I'm a Simply Safe guy. I love it. And the fact that they try to catch people before they break in is really, really awesome.

[Joe Getty]

Them, but we grabbed them by their shirts. We said, you got to give our folks a great discount. They said, all right, all right. This month, only take 50% off any new system. One of the best prices you'll ever see for Simply Safe. Don't miss it. Hit simplysafe.com Armstrong again. Simply safe.com Armstrong lock in your discount. There's no safe like Simply Safe.

[Jack Armstrong]

We've got two different versions of this story. You know, raccoons look like criminals to start with. They got that mask on. I mean, you got it.

[Joe Getty]

What are they hiding?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right, right. What are you up to? I mean, you look at a raccoon, the first thing you think is what are you up to? So apparently this raccoon breaks into a liquor store, gets drunk and makes a mess. Let's hear version of one call at.

[Joe Getty]

An ABC store in central Virginia. It happened Saturday in Ashland. And according to social media posts, a raccoon broke into the store the night of Black Friday and ransacked several shelves. The animal became intoxicated, then passed out.

[Katie Green]

In the bathroom, head right near the toilet.

[Joe Getty]

An officer brought the mass bandit back to the county animal shelter to recover. Officers release the raccoon back into the wild. That story hit a little close to home.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I haven't broken into a liquor store, but other than that, it's the similarities.

[Joe Getty]

That's chapter right out of my autobiography. Never want to see yourself in A.

[Jack Armstrong]

News story I can cut. Yeah, I can relate. Mr. Raccoon, the question is, how much fun did you have? Was it a good time? That's the question you gotta ask the raccoon. Did he wake up the next morning, say, that was awesome. I don't feel so good, but that was awesome. Or, you know, decide to take a long. A long look at your tail and. And decide whether or not you're living a life the way you want to live it.

[Joe Getty]

Right, right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here's yet another angle of the same story.

[Katie Green]

A raccoon broke into a closed Virginia liquor store and drank alcohol from the bottom shelves over the weekend. An animal control officer says the raccoon was found Saturday passed out next to the store's toilet. The officer says the ra sober up after a few hours. Official says they release him back into the wild.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, okay. So many questions. Number one, why is a Indian accented AI girl telling me the story over weird Oompa music.

[Jack Armstrong]

With kind of weird grammar? Officers say, raccoon sober up.

[Joe Getty]

Says officer says, raccoon sober up. Okay, great. Katie, I want to know if they.

[Katie Green]

Gave the raccoon, like, a big greasy cheeseburger afterwards.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Exactly.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. A nice big mug of coffee. Yeah, yeah. And I need this.

[Jack Armstrong]

You point to the raccoon and say, that was your companion last night. And the raccoon says, oh, wow, that's not the way I remember it.

[Joe Getty]

Some hedgehog. Right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly.

[Joe Getty]

Oh. Oh, is that a possum?

[Jack Armstrong]

What was I thinking?

[Joe Getty]

Oh, that explains why it was like she was playing dead. Anyway, let's. Perhaps we just move on. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

We've got mail.

[Joe Getty]

We were discussing last week, you remember, and. Or the week before. And it was funny. People brought this up in real life over and over and over again. The notion that raccoons are becoming domesticated and talking about how dogs became domesticated over many thousands of years and. And that sort of thing. I mean, if raccoons are grabbing a cocktail now and again, getting a little hammered and passing out by the toilet, I mean, that's. That's pretty domesticated.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, yeah. So we got into this conversation, actually, my whole family, while we were going for our family walk. Me, my brothers and my dad all go for a walk after Thanksgiving meal on the whole evolution raccoon thing. And somebody brought up, evolution happens very slowly. There's no way the raccoons are getting, you know, changing that quickly. And then my dad brought up, and he actually studied this in college. It can happen very quickly. I mean, if you take two very short People, they have a kid that's probably going to be short in one generation. I mean it happens immediately. So.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, well, and the raccoons for instance, are the dogs. In the case of the proto dogs way back in the day, those who were not made to venture close to campfire and maybe be friendly to the humans, they're off in the woods. We're not talking about every raccoon on earth, sober or drunk. We're talking about the ones we observe in urban settings.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyways, too bad that raccoons being short, had to drink the low shelf stuff and couldn't reach. They couldn't get some Johnny Walker Blue.

[Joe Getty]

Right?

[Jack Armstrong]

You're drinking gut down there in the bottom. You're getting a completely distorted view of what booze can be. We've got Mailbag on the way. Stay here.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

I am wearing an Armstrong and Getty hat which I will wear to work. I do not wear it in my own personal life. I do not advertise myself when I'm out and about. It makes me feel weird. But I am wearing an Armstrong and Getty hat which you can [e-mail] at our store. Am I correct?

[Joe Getty]

Absolutely. Yeah. Order today to get it in time for Christmas. Angie swag for your favorite Angie fan. Perhaps it's you yourself, man. Some of the stuff's super popular. The KFTC barbecue apron. Love it. The ruin the entire country Newsome 2028 T shirt. People are loving that. Armstrongandgetty.com here's your freedom loving quote of the day. Continuing on with the man from Ohio, James A. Garfield. Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained. Gotta have an educated populace. And yet we've allowed kids to get indoctrinated to hate their country. It may be the most important issue in America.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, you need some, I don't know, quotes or parentheses or something around the word educated because it means different things.

[Joe Getty]

To different people, right? Indeed. And every despot, fascist, communist and progressive postmodernist in the world has thought, hey, get into the kids. That's the key. Don't let it happen anymore. Mailbag, become an activist on this. Join drop us note mailbag@armstrong and getty.com like this from Paulo in Santa Cruz. Just going to do a few topics today, guys. The more I listen to you, the more the Venezuelan story doesn't add up. The drug cartel justification doesn't add up. Talking about the giant military buildup everyone agrees we shouldn't allow narcotics to pour into the U.S. but that alone doesn't explain the massive display of military buildup, regional standoff, etc. Maduro's sketchy election humanitarian angle don't fully explain it even either though. I'm sorry, don't explain it either. Even with the Nobel Peace winner on board with Trump's pushing for Maduro's ouster, what does fit is a mix of oil and geopolitics. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves. America will need far more energy to power AI and industry long term and short term address the cost of living challenges. China has been creeping into our hemisphere for years, securing influence over that oil. Either Maduro or his successor while pushing Beijing out makes strategic sense. This fits with Trump's usual hardball first approach to negotiations.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would agree that there's got to be more to it than just they're sending drugs here. So we're going to send an aircraft carrier and 50,000 troops and the Marines and everything.

[Joe Getty]

What? Yeah, it seems really clear that with Marco Rubio's able assistance and advice, Trump has really embraced a Monroe Doctrine 2.0 where we will be in charge of our neighborhood. We are not going to let communists and narco states move in next door. Uncomfortably enough, we actually have one next door. It's called Mexico, but yeah, a much more assertive presence in our region. China might be taking advantage of that in certain ways, but that would complicate the story. Yeah, I think you're right, Paolo. Let's see, here's another note about.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, what is Venezuela doing that Mexico isn't?

[Joe Getty]

Right? Well, yeah, the difference is Venezuela is a problem we might be able to solve and Mexico probably not. But anyway, we can talk more about that in a bit. Here's a different Paolo. Interestingly enough, Jack was talking about AI experts not being able to predict things so well. Great example from Marvin Minsky, the American cognitive and computer science often called the Father of AI. He received many accolades and honors, including the 1969 Turing Award. He said this in a 1970 Life magazine interview. Famously, in three to eight years we'll have a machine with the general intelligence of an average human being. Fifty plus years later, here we are. Maybe he was too busy with underage girls. Turns out he was tied to the whole Epstein thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, really?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah. Anyway, okay, on the topic of taming AI as well. Well, guys, you seem to be leaning hard into AI will be the end of us. Why? Not that it mightn't be true, but it certainly isn't. A fait accompli. If you're willing to believe that AI can do scary things, that will be the end of us. Why can't you believe that it can do good things? That will be our salvation. That's what we need to strive for.

[Jack Armstrong]

What I don't get in. Lots of your leading AI people say that very thing. Okay, great. So it cures every cancer and blah blah blah blah blah, and wipes out mankind. Curing cancer doesn't really matter at that point.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I think our best hope with AI is to tame it. Learn as much as we can as fast as we can to use that knowledge to form an intelligence that serves us. Our brains have gotten us to where we are today. It's what we do. I'd rather we go down with what got us here, our brains, than to wimp out because we're afraid to make a mistake. Well, and China's not going to wimp out anyway, so that's an image. That's a red herring. If we eff it up, so what? We've had a pretty good run. Nature will start over and try again.

[Jack Armstrong]

You are way more blase about the extinction of humankind than I am.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

We've had a good run.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, good run. And? And Joe the Marine wants to weigh in on the drug boat attack and he has a really important point of view. We'll squeeze that in next hour. From a fighting man. Not an armchair tussle, you know, moose haired media chair, but a fighting man.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly. Somebody who's had skin in the game. We're talking about something important. An hour too. I don't remember what it is, but we'll talk about it.

[Joe Getty]

Billion dollar Somali rip off in Minnesota. Stay with us, Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.