Your Brain Juice Dried Up

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "Your Brain Juice Dried Up" – Detailed Summary

Release Date: November 18, 2024
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Description: The official, On-Demand podcast of The Armstrong & Getty Show! Accept no substitutes!

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1. Opening Banter and Mike Tyson Discussion ([00:21] – [05:26])

The episode kicks off with Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty engaging in their signature humorous banter. They reminisce about a hypothetical fight between themselves, setting a lighthearted tone before delving into more substantive topics.

Mike Tyson's Popularity and Decline: Jack initiates a discussion about Mike Tyson, highlighting his complex legacy. Despite Tyson's tumultuous past, including multiple arrests by the age of 16 and a conviction for rape, Armstrong notes his enduring popularity:

"Mike Tyson... he'd been arrested 30 good times already. He had a rough life, sure." ([01:43])

Joe Getty draws parallels to the "Snoop Dogg syndrome," suggesting Tyson's shift towards more marketable ventures as he ages:

"He's got to find an alternative to getting hit in the head for a way to make money." ([02:18])

They explore the physical toll of aging on a boxer, debating whether Tyson's performance in recent fights reflects diminished capabilities. Jack remarks on Tyson's lack of competitiveness in his latest bout:

"He was not competitive in any way whatsoever." ([04:09])

Jake Paul Comparison: The hosts transition to comparing Tyson with modern fighters like Jake Paul. They express a desire to see Paul face a more seasoned opponent:

"Love to see him get punched in the face more." ([05:14])

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2. Political Commentary: Matt Gaetz and House Ethics Committee ([05:26] – [09:15])

The conversation shifts to political matters, specifically focusing on Matt Gaetz's resignation and the surrounding controversy.

Matt Gaetz's Resignation: Jack Armstrong discusses Gaetz's unexpected resignation from his position:

"Matt Gaetz resigned on Wednesday, just a coincidence, and doesn't want the report released because he thinks it'd be a bad precedent." ([06:10])

Joe Getty defends Gaetz, praising his intellect and potential as a reformer within Washington:

"Matt Gaetz is one of the brightest minds in Washington... he will be a reformer." ([06:29])

House Ethics Committee Report: Armstrong mentions leaked allegations against Gaetz involving underage relationships:

"They did talk to a girl who testified to the House committee that she saw Matt Gaetz have sex with an underage girl..." ([07:28])

Joe Getty highlights Speaker Johnson's stance on the report, emphasizing a respectful approach towards the Senate's vetting process:

"Johnson... recognizes, this is an incredibly bright guy... And then let's let the process continue." ([07:52])

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3. Shifts in American Politics: From Race to Class ([09:15] – [23:55])

A substantial portion of the episode is dedicated to analyzing the evolving dynamics of American politics, particularly the transition from race-based to class-based political alignments.

Decline of Racial Politics: Joe Getty expresses optimism about the diminishing emphasis on racial politics, citing a Wall Street Journal article that underscores a shift towards economic class:

"It's much less and less about race... It's about class in a way that's really interesting." ([12:17])

Jack Armstrong supports this view by referencing commentators like Peter Thiel and Ian Bremmer, who argue that economic concerns are overtaking identity politics:

"Peter Thiel... tweeted out over the weekend that Trump's win exploded the lie of identity politics." ([19:07])

Economic Disparities and Education: The hosts delve into the statistics surrounding education and wealth distribution. Jack questions the value of a college degree in the current economic climate:

"A person with a college education makes a lot more money than a person who doesn't have it." ([21:30])

Joe Getty adds that the proliferation of college graduates may lead to diminishing returns on degrees, predicting future economic challenges:

"When was it that the boom in number of people getting college educations really took off... a lot of people are college graduates and they'll have taken useless degrees." ([22:02])

Real-Life Implications: They discuss real-world examples, such as Alfredo Ramirez and Aaron Waters, who cite economic concerns over racial ones as driving their political choices:

"He says economic concerns, not race, largely drove his vote." ([26:01])

Jack highlights the ineffectiveness of HUD's spending by pointing out that despite $4 trillion since 1965, home ownership hasn't significantly increased:

"$4 trillion... adjusted for inflation, nothing has changed." ([28:15])

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4. Current Events and Social Commentary ([23:55] – [35:35])

The discussion broadens to include various current events and social observations, intertwined with the hosts' characteristic humor and critiques.

UFC and Political Figures: Jack and Joe humorously speculate on potential fights involving Elon Musk and Donald Trump, blending sports with politics:

"How about Bob? He's walking around in his bathing suit." ([12:20])

They mock the spectacle of high-profile individuals engaging in public bouts, reflecting on the intersection of entertainment and politics.

Inflation and Economic Struggles: Reiterating economic themes, Joe Getty reminisces about historical inflation and its impact:

"What is inflation? They would try to explain it to me... 18% mortgage." ([24:33])

Jack counters claims that wages have kept pace with inflation, asserting that personal experiences contradict such statistics:

"Do you know anybody walking around saying I've gotten such a giant raise since pre-pandemic?" ([27:21])

Housing and Federal Bureaucracy: Armstrong criticizes the effectiveness of federal departments like HUD, questioning the tangible benefits of government spending:

"HUD... has not increased home ownership as a percentage, making homes more affordable or reducing rents." ([28:15])

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5. Cultural Observations and Humor ([35:35] – [36:30])

As the episode nears its conclusion, Armstrong and Getty blend cultural commentary with playful humor.

Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks: The hosts reflect on the loss of communal events centered around major happenings like Friday night fights, lamenting the decline of shared cultural experiences:

"When you get to have a communal thing about, but we don't anymore." ([35:35])

Joe Getty emphasizes the importance of avoiding sectarian politics, drawing lessons from international examples:

"Whatever it takes for this country to avoid sectarian politics, that is a good thing." ([35:35])

Humorous Sign-Off: The episode wraps up with light-hearted jokes about political figures and cultural phenomena, maintaining the show's signature blend of humor and critique:

"Puff daddy, puppy Daddy, Daddy riding on a pony, calling macaroni." ([36:30])

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Conclusion

In "Your Brain Juice Dried Up," Armstrong and Getty navigate a landscape of political intrigue, economic disparities, and cultural shifts with their trademark wit and insightful analysis. From dissecting Matt Gaetz's political maneuvers to exploring the transformation of American political priorities from race to class, the hosts provide listeners with a comprehensive and engaging discussion. Their ability to intertwine humor with serious commentary ensures that both casual listeners and dedicated fans find value and entertainment in their conversations.

Notable Quotes:

• "Mike Tyson... he'd been arrested 30 good times already. He had a rough life, sure." – Jack Armstrong ([01:43])
• "Matt Gaetz is one of the brightest minds in Washington... he will be a reformer." – Joe Getty ([06:29])
• "It's much less and less about race... It's about class in a way that's really interesting." – Joe Getty ([12:17])
• "HUD... has not increased home ownership as a percentage, making homes more affordable or reducing rents." – Jack Armstrong ([28:15])

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For more insightful discussions and engaging content, subscribe to Armstrong & Getty On Demand and stay updated with the latest episodes!

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

After investing billions to light up our network, T Mobile is America's largest 5G network. Plus right now you can switch keep.

[Joe Getty]

Your phone and we'll pay it off up to $800. See how you can save on every plan versus Verizon and AT&T. @t mobile.com Keep and switch up to.

[Jack Armstrong]

Four lines via virtual prepaid card.

[Joe Getty]

Allow 15 days qualifying unlocked device credit service ported 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months. Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now he's Armstrong and Getty. You gotta remember this, he got off easy. I think we both know if I was in the race, I would have beat you like a drum. Joe, that's one of the craziest things.

[Jack Armstrong]

Things I've ever heard anyone say.

[Joe Getty]

And for that reason I'd like to offer you a position in my cabinet. No can do, Jack. Need to make take a little time off from this place. What do you think you'll do next, Joe? Will you retire? I'll do what every worn down old guy does.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm going to fight Jack.

[Joe Getty]

Paul.

[Jack Armstrong]

That was pretty good cold open. I thought, I thought that was pretty funny.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. We were discussing off the air how like everywhere we went everybody was talking about that fight.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yeah, Kids, old women. No matter who I came in contact with, people were talking about the.

[Joe Getty]

Mike captured America's imagination, Jack.

[Jack Armstrong]

It did. Why do you think that was really? And it's interesting, Mike Tyson, who was a villain, ish. At least in his prime, I mean he needed to go to prison for rape and you know, big guy's ear off and all that sort of stuff. He'd been arrested. He'd been arrested 30 good list already. 35 times by the time he was 16 or something like that. He had a rough life, sure.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

But now he needs to get a grill going like George Foreman. He needs to have some sort of the thing to cook hot dogs or something because he seems to be somewhat beloved for whatever reason.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, Kind of the Snoop Dogg syndrome, I guess.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

He's got to find an alternative to getting hit in the head for a way to make money.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, man, he got punched in the face several times and afterwards and they asked him if he fight again, I thought surely he would say no way because he looked to me like when he sat down after that first round, the look on his face to me was this was A terrible idea. I don't know what I was thinking. He was so tired even after the first two minutes he was just shot. And his.

[Joe Getty]

Well, I don't care if you're Mike Tyson. Getting hit in the head is different at age 60 than it was at age 25.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's an interesting point. It's funny, I hadn't even thought about that because like when I fall off my kids skateboard or whatever, the way it rocks your world versus, you know, falling off your bike when you're younger, it's completely different. I don't know if the like juice that keeps your brain safe gets stiff.

[Joe Getty]

Or what happens, but your, your brain juice dries. That's exactly what happens.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's what happens. Your brain juice, it just coagulates. It just doesn't work the same way.

[Joe Getty]

I grew up playing hockey, played in college and stuff like that. Not college hockey, but I was playing club hockey and college and, and you know, you get bonked in the head and fall on the ice, whatever. I was skating and this was probably 15 years ago, Glattus and, and I was doing some of the fancier skating stuff you do as a hockey player, you know, changing direction, going from forward to backward and back again real fast. And I got my skates tied up and I fell and bonked my head. Medium is hard on the ice. And that was my first reaction. Oh my God. That was different.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

So, yeah, anyway, getting slugged in the head can have been enjoyable. Enjoyable. Has Tyson ever done a one man show?

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't. Yeah, he did.

[Joe Getty]

He did half a memory of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

He had a Tyson show for a while, I think in Vegas. Yeah, well, he, he had $400 million at the peak of his career. He, through a combination of being stolen from, which is the history of boxing and really bad life decisions, he ended up 20 some million dollars in debt, which he's climbed out of. And then he had a big payday the other night, somewhere between 20 and 40 million dollars. So I would, I'd get punched in the head quite a few. I mean, if he could get anywhere close to that kind of money for one more head punching, I would do it.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. Ooh.

[Jack Armstrong]

But he looked, he did. He was not competitive in any way whatsoever.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, well, I hesitate to give it any more time or attention, but I think the reason it was so compelling is you got the question of can a incredibly tough, strong, capable boxer still show some of that as he ages? Because we all want to not age. And so you've got that, like, very basic human instinct. Then you got a guy in Jake Paul who really needs to get punched in the face.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah. Love to see him get punched in the face more. Unfortunately, Tyson landed 17 total punches by.

[Joe Getty]

Whomever in whatever setting. Yeah. Just so he gets punched. So, yeah. Interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

When Jake Paul came riding out in that car with his brother, whatever his brother's name is, who made the prime energy drink, the crack dealer that got every kid hooked on that horrible drink.

[Joe Getty]

Just.

[Jack Armstrong]

He couldn't hate those two more. Oh, anyway, speaking of people to hate, some of you hate Matt Gates. Some of you love Matt Gaetz as the new Attorney general. As from what I can tell from social media, uh, Speaker Johnson, who does not want the Ethics Committee report to be released. It was supposed to come out last Friday. Matt Gaetz resigned on Wednesday, just a coincidence, and doesn't want the report released because he thinks it'd be a bad precedent. Had this to say about Matt Gaetz yesterday.

[Joe Getty]

Matt Gaetz is a colleague of mine. We've been serving together for more than eight years. He's one of the brightest minds in Washington, or anywhere for that matter. And he knows everything about how the Department of Justice has been weaponized and m. And he will be a reformer. And I think that's why the establishment in Washington is so shaken up about this pick.

[Jack Armstrong]

Maybe at least three Republican senators that I've seen. I don't know how many on the record, but at least three Republican senators I've seen said they want that House Ethics Committee report to be part of the hearing. They want to see it, even if it doesn't is not made public reporting over the weekend. So the whole thing is not leaked out yet. I thought it would leak out Friday, but it has not yet. But little nuggets have leaked out. Like they did talk to a girl who testified to the House committee that she saw Matt Gates have sex with an underage girl and then some other girl who may have been of age, but he had sex with two different women at that party who were like 17 and 19. So, I mean, that's a certain lifestyle right there. Sex with two different girls in one night at a party. Both of them barely teenagers. Yeah, I mean, they're still teenagers, but yeah.

[Joe Getty]

To the House Ethics Committee question, Johnson went on to say, look, we don't put out reports on private citizens who are not members of Congress. So, no, we're not going to put that out.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's justifiable.

[Joe Getty]

Right. On the other hand, it's been pointed out that if you're going for ag, the investigation into you, the. What's the background term? Background check. Right. Yeah, of course. Is incredibly rigorous.

[Jack Armstrong]

It should be.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, absolutely. As it should be. But Johnson's strategy there, in which he recognizes, all right, this is an incredibly bright guy who the quote was, he knows how the Justice Department has been weaponized. That may or may not be true. Um, that was respectful to Donald J's selection of the guy. And then let's let the process continue. He says knowing that the senators who jealously guard the powers of the Senate as Congress ought to start doing, is going to vet the guy good and thoroughly. So there's no reason for Johnson to say, I don't know, he seems like kind of a perv to me. I want him to stay away from my wife. There's no need for that. The Senate will do the tough work, but be respectful to Trump.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, after bouncing around a fair amount of MAGA social media over the weekend, I see that many of you believe all this stuff about FM and sex with a teenage girl is just the deep state doing what they do with fake news and bringing people down. So that's not going to have any effect on you.

[Joe Getty]

This reporting and the deep state forced him to go on the House floor and show videos of girls he'd coupled with to colleagues who didn't want to see them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I guess you'd believe Mullen is part of the deep state.

[Joe Getty]

I guess who said Wayne Mullen.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. All right. Ran into some folks who were of that mind over the weekend. Super supportive of all the picks. Um, all it took was very little gentle bit of pushback in, in some cases, uh, because you get bubbled. I mean, for instance, the whole Rick Scott should be the leader of the Senate, not John Thomas. John Thune is a Rhino, which I still think is a really odd accusation because he's like a complete central casting Republican. He's exactly what a Republican has been for 25 years. Trump is not. So to call Thune a Republican in name only is. I get what you're trying to say, but it's an odd epithet to hit him with. But it was pointed out that soon voted in favor or with Trump a significantly higher percentage of the time than Rick Scott did. Both was an overwhelming majority of the time. But. And you know, the people I talked to had no idea of that. Um, so, I don't know. These are interesting times.

[Jack Armstrong]

We have a result in the Pennsylvania Senate race. It took till now for them to finally count all the votes. Votes, man, this is a close race. Thank God the presidential election didn't go down the way a lot of people were predicting it would. Where it would come down to Pennsylvania or we would be finding out today. Well, no, we wouldn't because there'd be way more lawsuits. We would still be in the midst of lawsuits and all kinds of claims of vote voter fraud and everything else because it was so close. But they've called it for the Republican McCormick over the Democrat Casey, who ran ads about how friendly he was with Trump to try to win. But 48.8% to 48.6%. Wow, that's a close race.

[Joe Getty]

Doesn't that trigger an automatic recall or not recall, a recount?

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

The automatic thinking of a difference is.

[Jack Armstrong]

A very tiny amount of percentage in money. So, yeah, I don't know. I don't know. We'll see. I'm glad. I'm glad the presidential race didn't go down like that. We would be living in a different world right now.

[Joe Getty]

So. Oh, yeah. Oh, oh, it'd be horrible. Absolutely horrible. We really dodged yet another bullet. So speaking of the election, putting the results aside, one of the things that made me really, really happy is the trend is absolutely clear. It's much less and less about race because racial politics, Balkanization. We want to end up like Lebanon, for instance. Oy vey. It's the worst thing. It's about class in a way that's really interesting. Some of the statistics about the why the working class is saying the Democrats. Yeah, we tried you. We want something different. We'll have for you in a moment.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's interesting. Realignment. Something to watch. Stay with us.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Mattel has apologized after mistakenly printing the web address of a porn site on the packaging of its new Wicked dolls. And it was actually a simple mistake. You see, the box was supposed to read wicked movie.com, but instead they printed Choke me, Jeff Goldblum. It's a mistake.

[Joe Getty]

That's an odd.

[Jack Armstrong]

So after Friday night, are we going to get our Elon Musk Zuckerberg fight? Seems like that'd be the next good Netflix. Everybody gather around. As kind of a national Friday night thing. Watch a couple of billionaires beat each other up.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I think Elon's a little busy reigning in the federal government at this point.

[Jack Armstrong]

No kidding.

[Joe Getty]

2.3 million employees.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would love to follow him around. So he seems to be constantly working on his rocket company. He's got 12 kids. I don't know if that plays a role in his life at all.

[Joe Getty]

I get the idea. Not a huge one.

[Jack Armstrong]

He's on Twitter constantly also. And then he's at the fight with Trump and in Mar a Lago for days, and I just can't even imagine.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah. Well, he famously. His mind never slows down. He's made it clear this would make most people crazy, and I think it has made him a little crazy. But anyway, so the. The big change in the election that will be talked about for years and years is not just the winners and losers, but the fact that black American, Hispanic America moved significantly rightward. I mean, the Democrats still get the majority of the black vote, for instance, but it's changing, and it's changing pretty quickly. And, you know, it's easy for us and people like us to forget that most people don't think about politics that much. I've been yelling for black America to reconsider this unholy alliance with the Democratic Party, which has just exploited the black vote, assumed the black vote, and given you nothing but empty promises and government dependence for decades and decades. Well, it appears that, I don't know, perhaps people are starting to connect elections with policies with outcomes in a way that, you know, is too slow for me, but I get it. And the Journal with the Wall Street Journal with some pretty interesting analysis of the fact that it's now about class and not race. If you're working class, you are swinging way toward the Republicans, and it doesn't matter what hue your skin is. Thank God. I'm so happy about that. And not just because it's Republican. I mean, it could be Democrat, too. Let's just not have, like, hugely important racial politics in this country, please.

[Jack Armstrong]

For a number of reasons, including, I think you're much more likely to get policy discussions if you're talking about people of different income situations than their skin color.

[Joe Getty]

Well. Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

You can't make the claim a racism is so easily.

[Joe Getty]

Right. And they quote Aaron Waters, who's the first gent they quote in this article, who's a black construction worker, union member in Chicago who voted for Trump. Trump after voting for Biden and Obama in past elections. And he says, race is not an issue for me. It's about what you can do for each and every one of us as a whole as a US Citizen. Now, the reason that's important, getting back to my berating, you know, quote, unquote, black America, is that guys like Aaron are saying, no, you can't say, I'm down with the black folks, so vote for me. What are you Gonna do? What are your policies? That's phony. He's realized it's. Well, it's phony. It's putting you in a pen. And I've always hated that. But I came across a couple of interesting statistics about this question, and here's a associate professor of political science at the University of South Carolina. He says, quote, this is the shock of the early 21st century. This. This big move. 30 years ago, Americans with a college degree was 20% of the population. 20% this 30 years ago now. And held the same percentage of household wealth as those without a degree. So outsized. But it was like 50, 50 the wealth. So 20% had college degrees and they had half the wealth. Now it's 38% of the population has college degrees. It's almost doubled in 30 years. Many of them useless. But anyway, and 73% of the household wealth. So the, you know, other 62% of the population that has 27% of the household wealth is starting to think, hey, this system isn't really set up for me, regardless of color.

[Jack Armstrong]

I want to talk a little more about that. I have several things to say on that topic and a couple other examples of the changing world for the way we look at, you know, what we want out of government and whether it's serving me or you or 1% or whoever that we will get to. So I hope you can stick around. If you can stick around, you can always grab the podcasts Armstrong and Getty on demand. You should subscribe.

[Joe Getty]

Is the word Armstrong and Getty. Come on, let's be real, man. This place is great. I have so many wonderful memories here. Dr. Gill hosting foreign leaders, my dog attacking every single one. I brought my party together so much, they teamed up and kicked me out. Wait a minute. Maybe I hate it here, too.

[Jack Armstrong]

No joke.

[Joe Getty]

I know it's awful, but I can't go back to Mar a Lago Joe.

[Jack Armstrong]

Because Elon is there and he will not leave.

[Joe Getty]

It's like, what about Bob? He's walking around in his bathing suit.

[Jack Armstrong]

Showing me videos of rockets and monkeys with computers in their heads.

[Joe Getty]

This guy's cringe af.

[Jack Armstrong]

That guy's trope is so good. I thought I really liked the Saturday Night Live. I thought it was pretty good. It was just equal opportunity making fun of the whole thing. And I also liked during the news because I like stupid sketch comedy. And having Peanut the Squirrel's widow on I thought was fantastic.

[Joe Getty]

I didn't see that yet. Oh, man.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sarah Sherman is Peanut the Squirrel's widow. So you Were. What were you just talking about? You were talking about what?

[Joe Getty]

How race has been deemphasized in a big hurry in American politics. I mean, it'd still be an emphasis because it's semi useful, but it's all about class and all about economic aspiration. Really?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. So a couple of things on that. Peter Thiel, the billionaire, interesting dude, if you know who he is, tweeted out over the weekend that Trump's win exploded the lie of identity politics. If you believe that people cannot listen to reason and it's all subject to these subrational factors like your race or your gender or your sex or your sexual orientation or something like this, then nobody would ever be able to change their mind. You exploded the lie of identity politics with this election. I hope so. I don't know. They're almost. Well, not always. Almost always. Always. It's always overstated. After every election of my life, every presidential election, of how. How things have changed permanently in some way. But this has got to be a nod toward the right direction. I thought it was interesting Ian Bremmer tweeted this out and I think it factors in. Also, globalism has been an abject failure benefiting a small group of elites at the expense of broader populations across the West.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

How it varies from country to country, but that's certainly the way it feels to the average person. So you're being, you know, taught this whole Tom Friedman the world is flat, isn't this great for everybody thing, but that's certainly not what it feels and looks like.

[Joe Getty]

Well, right. Yeah. And it's, it's, it's a complicated set of interactions. But yeah, if the manufacturing jobs can be done more cheaply over there and you become the paper shuffling people, because you're really good at shuffling paper, dealing with data, whatever. Well, those jobs don't pay nearly as much. And as the. Well, a rising tide lifts all ships. Well, it runs the guys running the ships, mostly, it rises their financial wellbeing.

[Jack Armstrong]

And Ian Bremmer said, and it's true. Citizens and democracies all around the world are punishing the proponents of globalism. The United States is not unique. Explaining why people abandon some of their race politics for just, you know, my own pocketbook.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And it's a delicate balance. If you go very far at all down the road of industrial planning and government control and that sort of thing, it's a miserable failure. But to completely ignore the question of, A, your people's standard of living and B, your national security.

[Jack Armstrong]

But here's an honest here's an honest question.

[Joe Getty]

I mean, because we're relying on China for our pharmaceuticals and computer chips or whatever is an idiotic thing to do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here's a question about. You're talking about college graduates having so much bigger chunk of the national wealth and it's always been true, but that you made way more money with a college education than without. But they have a bigger chunk now than they ever had before. So I don't quite understand this because so much real life evidence around is that a college degree is worth less than it's ever been before. They're learning less than they've ever been before. Are these stats just lagging indicators?

[Joe Getty]

They're paying more anyway. Go ahead.

[Jack Armstrong]

But are they. Yeah, but they're paying way more, but getting less. So are these, all these stats, the Wall Street Journal article over the weekend, how an Ivy League degree helps you, hurts you more than helps you now. But so are all these stats about income and wealth lagging indicators. It's just, it's gonna, all this is gonna catch up to those numbers at some point because like I'm, yes, I'm not super big on pushing my kids to go to college in the way that I, I got started the whole college fund, like a lot of parents, as soon as they were born with just the assumption, of course they're going to go to college, over my dead body, would they not? But now, now I'm like, why would you go to college unless you have these specific things you want, need to learn to do whatever it is you want to do in the world. But again, these, all the stats out there show on average a person with a college education makes a lot more money than a person who doesn't have it.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I think part of that is that the, when was it that the boom in number of people getting college educations really took off? I don't know. But the people who were at the earlier edge of that are now in their 50s and 60s and in many cases in their peak earning years, peak wealth accumulation years. Let's take another snapshot in 30 years when a large number of college graduates will be in a world where a lot of people are college graduates and they'll have taken useless degrees where they didn't learn anything.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's a definite example of how it could be way a lagging an indicator because if you're going to go with lifetime earnings, well, obviously people have to be, you know, 60 to come up with a, in their 60s to come up with lifetime earnings that late. So yeah, yeah. Way lagging into. Because it. There's just no way that's still going to be true. I don't think that you make significantly more money with a college education than without.

[Joe Getty]

It just can't be, particularly given how rapidly everything changes now, economically, technically, technologically, I mean. So a quick thought for you, and then getting back to the piece in the Wall Street Journal about how it's less and less about race, thank God, and more and more about policy and opportunity. I was a kid in the 1970s, mostly, you know, late teens in the 80s, but the three. And I was a weird little kid. Not a surprise we got Time magazine. We're not like any of you Newsweek perverts. We weren't either.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good Lord. I walk into somebody's house, they got Newsweek. What does. What else goes on here that I know, right?

[Joe Getty]

Devil worship, animal sacrifice, God knows, anyway. But we would get Time magazine every week, and I would read it cover to cover every week, unless there was some particularly dry thing that I just couldn't get through. But I remember three news stories from the 70s distinctly now. One, Vietnam, unavoidable. Two, Watergate, watching that unfold. And three, inflation. I remember the whip, inflation, now buttons. I remember it being the major story in Time magazine, the Chicago Tribune, which we got at least on Sundays, as I recall, all about inflation. Asking my parents, what is inflation? They would try to explain it to me. And. And we've talked since about what the mortgage rates were when they were trying to crush inflation by raising interest rates so high that mortgages were 16, 17, 18% a year. 18% mortgage. Can you believe that?

[Jack Armstrong]

Like putting your house on your credit card.

[Joe Getty]

But getting back to the piece in the Journal, then I'll bring it all together, as is my style, the weave. They quote Chicago and Alfredo Ramirez, who voted for Barack twice, Hillary in 2016. Last two elections, he's backed Trump. He said economic concerns, not race, largely drove his vote. This time, he and his wife are raising three kids on his $25,000 a year job at Target.

[Jack Armstrong]

Whoa.

[Joe Getty]

He remembers the economy being better before the pandemic, when eggs and everything else cost less. Trump has done more for the American people, he says, as opposed to the Democrats. They are only caring about themselves. He also said being Latino didn't affect his vote. Quote, it really doesn't matter as long as we are out here fighting for our freedom. And the reason I brought up the stories I remembered as a kid, in particular in inflation, particularly inflation, is if inflation is high, as I've said many times, Nothing else matters. And they mentioned where is that? I thought it was pretty well written. They mentioned that all sorts of alleged experts were in all sorts of media. There it is. Democrats at times tried to use statistics. He said this is a college guy explained down to the decimal point to argue that inflation wasn't really hurting people and that voters concerns about immigration were unfounded. Explain that to Mr. Ramirez. Explain that to the black construction worker Aaron Waters who we talked about before. What a load of crap.

[Jack Armstrong]

I you're not scared at the grocery.

[Joe Getty]

Store when you see the bill and think how the hell am I going to pay my rent? You think you are. Oh, and I keep reading that wages have actually caught up to inflation. Do you know anybody walking around saying I've gotten such a giant raise since a pre pandemic, I'm making 20% more.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's no way. You got to be making almost 30% more.

[Joe Getty]

There's just no way like average out including hedge fund guys.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know how you twist the statistics to get that but I don't think I know a single person who would say that that was true for them.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I know, I know and I've seen it in a couple of publications so including the Wall Street Journal which surprised me. But everybody they talked to in this story, every single damn one of them talks about the economy and their job and inflation. That's what it takes to take the gasoline out of the engine of its all about race. Halle Fre. Hallelujah.

[Jack Armstrong]

One more kind of economics thing I came across that I thought was interesting from the Wall Street Journal. What does HUD have to show for trillions of dollars of taxpayer money? Housing and Urban Development with this quote in there, add it all up and since 1965 the US has spent $4 trillion but it has not increased home ownership as a percentage, making homes more affordable or reducing rents. Adjusted for inflation, Nothing has changed. $4 trillion.

[Joe Getty]

Tomorrow during the show I want to go down a checklist of this learned person knows all about the federal bureaucracy and how it works and how to reform it and all going through a checklist of the various departments and how expendable they are. You know, I don't know if Elon and Vivek can pull off what their promising but boy they could do a lot of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

I just, I just saw this headline. I might have to find the audio. CNN Morning Crew cracks up at RFK on Trump Plane Being forced to eat poison in hostage video that's the picture, if you haven't seen it, of them all eating McDonald's. You got on Trump's plane, you got Trump and Elon Trump Jr. Mike Johnson's there, and RFK Jr. With a big Mac in his hand. Kind of looking like, I guess I gotta do this.

[Joe Getty]

He absolutely looks like a guy who's nodding on the joke.

[Jack Armstrong]

It must have happened so fast, like he didn't have time to think through, do I want to be a part of this or not? Which I've had happen to me before.

[Joe Getty]

So we played the audio of Trump entering the UFC Arena, Madison Square Garden, and the place going just absolutely wild. My second favorite pro wrestling clip of the weekend. Well worth staying tuned for.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, cool. Believe it or not, that's on the way.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

A Spirit Airlines flight was forced to divert after it was struck by gunfire from gangs while trying to land in Haiti. A rare setback for people who fly Spirit to Haiti. That's. That's a dang good joke right there.

[Joe Getty]

That is a funny joke indeed. Came across this over the weekend. The big U.S. uFC fight, the pro wrestling. Why don't we play 17 again? Or I have we even played this one? I don't know. Go ahead.

[Jack Armstrong]

And ladies and gentlemen, look who is.

[Joe Getty]

Now making his way to the world famous Octagon, flanked by the FC CEO.

[Jack Armstrong]

Dana White, 45, soon to be 47. President elect Donald Trump. I wish the people that go home could hear the sound in this room.

[Joe Getty]

It's so loud in here.

[Jack Armstrong]

It is so loud. It's always loud when he comes here. But now that he's won, now that he's the president again.

[Joe Getty]

Yes. Oh, my God. As Kid Rock inevitably jams in the background.

[Jack Armstrong]

Elon.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. Crazy. And Tulsi.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And RFK Jr. Yep. But no Matt Gates. Interesting. So after he won one of the big matches, UFC fighter Jim Miller said the following 18. Michael. It feels amazing.

[Jack Armstrong]

New York.

[Joe Getty]

I got one thing to say first. We need justice for Peanut. Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Like, you know, and it's not just a squirrel.

[Joe Getty]

It's all the kids that went hungry that night and all the other things that the money and resources could have been put through.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hopefully that Doge cleans things up at the same level.

[Joe Getty]

I like how you use victory. Speaks for a political rally. Justice for Peanut.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

I'm not sure how many kids, quote unquote, went hungry that night because the state of New York didn't have resources because they were hunting down Peanut.

[Jack Armstrong]

But assassinating a famous squirrel.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. I do appreciate him bringing it up and just the whole, like, cultural thing. I'm sorry, thing is never the best word, but the whole cultural milieu, which is French for thing, but you got the sense of humor, the unapologetic masculinity, the loud rocking music, and Trump not embracing it because he thinks he's. He should, but that's kind of his thing. What an interesting character. Rich since birth, billionaire developer, Absolutely gets normal people for whatever reason.

[Jack Armstrong]

And there are lots of people that come from normal beginnings who end up successful and rich who just can't. Don't have the common touch like that at all. They just can't make it happen, even though that's their background.

[Joe Getty]

Like, Mitt Romney became very, very wealthy, but he was very. Not wealthy as a young man, a.

[Jack Armstrong]

Young husband, he could not pull off working people thing.

[Joe Getty]

No, no. And I still think it's because Trump, especially early in his career, and I don't know the chapter in verse of this, but he spent a tremendous amount of time at the work sites for the buildings he was developing, working with the. The foreman and talking to the workers and that sort of thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tesla's stock up 7% because of the belief that Trump's going to deregulate the electric car industry to a certain extent.

[Joe Getty]

Well, there's Jack and there's Joe, and it's time to close the show with the help of Katie Green and Michelangelo.

[Jack Armstrong]

So creepy.

[Joe Getty]

Radio. So let's hear their final thoughts before they have to go. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why is that so disturbing?

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Hey, how about you get back in the sewer and quit menacing me?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Was that supposed to be disturbing when he made it?

[Joe Getty]

Dabby the Clown? I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here's your host for final thoughts, Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap things up for the day. There he is, pressing the buttons, our technical director, Michael Angelo. Michael, I'm just picturing the White House and Trump ordering cheeseburgers just to irritate rfk like they're having a meeting and just a whole bunch of cheeseburgers come into the room from McDonald's. You know, Katie Green, a final thought for us. I would take a lot of joy.

[Jack Armstrong]

In some professional boxers around the age of Jake Paul challenging him to a fight. Yes. Knocking him out. I agree, I agree.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, he so needs to be punched. But that's part of his thing, isn't it? Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Being you love to hate him.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Jack, final thought for us.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I really enjoyed the communal thing. That was the Friday night fight during the day. The people talking about when you gonna watch, you're gonna watch what time, who you having over. And then the next day everybody talking about, I miss that, that we used to have all the time, you know, a TV show or an event that we could well have a communal thing about, but we don't anymore. It's very rare.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that one was great and profound. Mine is silly following that. So I don't, I, I'm not even going to bother. Okay, my final thought ain't worth crap now. My final thought is whatever it takes for this country to avoid sectarian politics, that is a good thing. Again, look up the history of Lebanon, do a little reading. And to the modern day, Armstrong and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Getty wrapping up another grueling four hour workday.

[Joe Getty]

So many people who thank so little time. Go to armstrong getty.com check out the hot links, drop us a note if there's something we ought to be talking about. Mail bag@armstrong getty.com pick up a T shirt. Why not?

[Jack Armstrong]

We'll see you tomorrow. God bless America.

[Joe Getty]

There's some of the most dynamic free thinking animal killing, sexually criminal, medically crazy.

[Jack Armstrong]

People in the country.

[Joe Getty]

Who are you thinking about? Armstrong and Getty. And you know what? Everyone knows it.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's not what I was told.

[Joe Getty]

Time to do something different. And that time is every day. So say it with me. Puff daddy, puppy Daddy, Daddy riding on a pony, calling macaroni. And on that possibly nightmare inducing note, bye bye Armstrong and Getty.