You're A Fake Egg Fan

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "You're A Fake Egg Fan" – Episode Summary

Release Date: March 12, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty
Podcast: Armstrong & Getty On Demand by iHeartPodcasts

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1. Opening Remarks and Current Events Overview

Timeframe: 00:11 – 05:50

In the opening segment, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty kick off the episode from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio, humorously referencing their operational base within the "Armstrong and Getty Communications compound." They swiftly delve into recent significant developments:

• Department of Education Shakeup: "In the last 20 hours since we last talked to you, they've fired half the Department of Education." (00:51)

• Ukraine Ceasefire Agreement: "Ukraine has agreed to a ceasefire." (00:49) This announcement is met with skepticism regarding Russia’s commitment, given their historical stance on negotiations. Jack highlights the complexities surrounding Russia’s economic struggles, noting "Russia currently has something like 40% inflation." (02:35)

• Tariffs Implementation: "Tariffs kicked in at midnight and Trump bought a red, bright red S plaid Tesla." (01:04) The hosts discuss the immediate impacts of these tariffs on American businesses and the broader economy, with Jack expressing concern over the unpredictability they introduce: "Whipsawing American business back and forth is just, it's not a good thing." (05:18)

2. Political Commentary and Economic Insights

Timeframe: 05:50 – 16:03

The discussion transitions into a critique of President Trump's policies and their reception in the media:

• Wall Street Journal Editorials: Joe highlights an unprecedented unity in the Wall Street Journal's editorials against Trump: "Every single Wall Street Journal editorial. They think that's the first time that's ever happened." (01:39) Jack concurs, expressing "I join with, you know, the... sympathetic to the Wall Street Journal editorial board." (05:50)

• Impact on Conservative Initiatives: Jack voices his concern that "the not so great stuff is going to derail our ability to conservative America to do the really, really, really good stuff." (05:50) indicating potential setbacks for conservative policies amid economic turbulence.

• Russia’s Economic Pressures: The hosts explore Russia’s debilitating economic conditions exacerbated by prolonged conflict, with Joe stating, "Russia currently has something like 40% inflation." (02:35) and Jack emphasizing the unpredictability of Putin’s decisions: "It's a complex stew of, of what ifs." (03:05)

3. Consumer Culture and Corporate Practices

Timeframe: 05:50 – 10:08

Transitioning to consumer topics, Armstrong and Getty discuss the omnipresence of McDonald's in the United States:

• McDonald’s Dominance: Joe reveals, "Eggs are up 60% since last year." (05:50) leading to a humorous conversation about the affordability and frequency of egg consumption. They delve into McDonald's staggering presence with "13,500 McDonald's in the United States." (06:36)

• Technological Shifts in Fast Food: The hosts critique the move towards automated ordering systems, highlighting generational divides: "Some of your states, like Wyoming's got 30 people. So how many. How many McDonald's do you need?" (07:01) and "The screen thing is that driven by the minimum wage." (09:59)

• Starbucks Layoffs: A brief mention of Starbucks undergoing restructuring and significant layoffs is addressed, with Jack criticizing the lack of media attention: "I don't see Congress on the steps of the Capitol whining and moaning and crying about those layoffs." (27:35)

4. Political Strategy and International Relations

Timeframe: 16:03 – 22:16

The discussion returns to international politics and trade:

• Canada as the 51st State Proposal: Rosie O'Donnell humorously proposes, "Canada should honestly become our 51st state." (17:28) The hosts debate the plausibility and underlying motives behind Trump’s insinuations, with Joe speculating, "There's nobody. Actually. It's just trolling, isn't it?" (18:20)

• Tariffs and Trade Wars: They analyze the recent $28 billion EU countermeasures to Trump's steel tariffs, emphasizing the potential for escalating trade tensions: "In the short term, this will drive up the costs for every American manufacturer." (21:21) Jack remains skeptical about the long-term benefits, fearing immediate economic strain.

5. Inflation and Economic Forecasts

Timeframe: 22:16 – 24:38

The hosts examine the latest inflation data and market reactions:

• Consumer Price Index (CPI): Joe reports, "Consumer prices rose 2.8% in the year through February, a slightly better result than economists had expected." (22:16) Jack compares this to hoping for accurate weight measurements: "Like every morning I'm about to get on the scale and you got physicians who say, we expect a weight of 197.4." (23:05)

• Market Implications: They discuss the stock market's positive reaction to the CPI report, with Jack noting, "That's like every morning I'm about to get on the scale and you got physicians who say, we expect a weight of 197.4." (23:05) and expressing concern over the long-term economic stability.

6. Listener Mailbag and Community Feedback

Timeframe: 25:18 – 35:27

Engaging with their audience, Armstrong and Getty address various listener messages and comments:

• Trump’s Policies and Zelensky: A listener questions the alignment with Zelensky amidst Russian aggression: "Are you finally ready to listen to the red tie of power and give up shilling for Zelinsky?" (25:47) Jack and Joe debate the motivations and potential benefits of Ukraine's ceasefire agreement.

• McDonald's Franchise Critique: Another listener highlights the perceived poor business decision by McDonald's to entrust Ray Kroc with the franchise: "Ray Kroc sold the thing for only a couple of million dollars and it's considered the worst business decision in world history." (27:03) The hosts discuss the long-term impacts of franchising decisions on corporate success.

• Social Issues and Media Bias: Listeners express frustration over media coverage of social issues, specifically regarding attacks and political biases. Jack emphasizes selective reporting based on political affiliations: "If it had been an attack by someone in a MAGA hat would have led the news nationwide, even internationally." (34:02)

• Freedom-Loving Quotes and Humor: The episode features humorous and satirical quotes, including Theodore Roosevelt-inspired sayings and playful listener anecdotes about cyber trucks and cryptocurrency: "When they called the role in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer present or not guilty." (29:00)

7. Concluding Thoughts and Final Remarks

Timeframe: 35:15 – End

In their concluding segments, Armstrong and Getty wrap up with reflections on societal trends and government efficiency:

• Trend Overload and Social Media: The hosts express concern over the rapid pace of societal changes driven by technology: "The rapid fired pleasures of the Internet, social media, smartphones, et cetera are just... too much among young people." (32:35)

• Government Spending and Taxation: Jack critiques leftist policies aimed at taxing the wealthy, advocating for broadening the tax base instead: "Independent study says the way to make government more efficient and spend money more efficiently and more answerable to the people is to broaden the tax base." (34:04)

• Final Reflections: The episode closes with a blend of humor and critique, urging listeners to stay informed and engaged: "If you miss the segment, get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on demand." (35:27)

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Notable Quotes

• Joe Getty: "Every single Wall Street Journal editorial. They think that's the first time that's ever happened." (01:39)

• Jack Armstrong: "Whipsawing American business back and forth is just, it's not a good thing." (05:18)

• Joe Getty: "There are 13,000 McDonald's in the United States. That's an extraordinary number." (06:36)

• Jack Armstrong: "The adoption of automated screens is driven by the minimum wage and cost reductions." (09:59)

• Rosie O'Donnell: "Canada should honestly become our 51st state." (17:28)

• Joe Getty: "The consumer price index was up 2.8% from a year earlier." (22:16)

• Jack Armstrong: "The idea of limiting those that care about wasteful spending is the great leftist plot." (34:02)

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Conclusion

In "You're A Fake Egg Fan," Armstrong and Getty navigate a whirlwind of current events, political debates, and consumer culture with their characteristic blend of humor and critical analysis. From scrutinizing Trump's latest policies and their economic ramifications to dissecting the omnipresence of fast-food giants like McDonald's, the hosts provide listeners with a comprehensive and engaging overview of the news landscape. Their interactions with listeners' feedback add depth and relatability, making the episode both informative and entertaining for those seeking insights into the tumultuous events of early 2025.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and.

[Joe Getty]

Get it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Live from Studio C. We senior.

[Joe Getty]

Hey. We're in a dimly lit room deep.

[Jack Armstrong]

Within the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty Communications compound. And on a busy news Wednesday, we're.

[Joe Getty]

Under the tutelage of our general manager. Who else?

[Jack Armstrong]

Trump. Trumpety.

[Joe Getty]

Trump.

[Jack Armstrong]

Trump.

[Joe Getty]

So in the last 20 hours since we last talked to you, they've fired half the Department of Education. Ukraine has agreed to a ceasefire.

[Jack Armstrong]

The tariffs tarif begun. That's right, yes.

[Joe Getty]

Tariffs kicked in at midnight and Trump bought a red, bright red S plaid Tesla. All that's happened in the last 20 hours.

[Jack Armstrong]

There you go. You're up to date.

[Joe Getty]

There you go. You need to know. Wowzers. I was just reading a morning newsletter that I like to read every day in what might be a first ever. Literally every Wall Street Journal editorial today is critical of Trump's policies. Every single Wall Street Journal editorial. They think that's the first time that's ever happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

Fairly devastating. Yes. Depending on your. Your take.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, doesn't mean they're right, but. And then you've got the, the thing I mentioned about Ukraine has agreed to the ceasefire plan. No idea if Russia has any interest whatsoever in this. I guess we'll find out, hopefully.

[Jack Armstrong]

And they are a counterpart that has never, ever argued in good faith. So that should be spicy, right?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Hopefully we're about to see the other side of this where they pressure the Russians to come to the table and here's what will happen to you if you don't play ball. Hopefully we're about to see that. I'm not sure that's what's going to happen. Did see a business report about Russia's economy that we're going to play later, but Russia currently has something like 40% inflation.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, that's inconvenient.

[Joe Getty]

And like, if you want to buy a house, it's 35% interest. That sort of thing is going on in Russia. And so there's some belief that they can't, you know, he can't hold out forever on this war with that economic reality. And so perhaps he's feeling the pressure. I don't know. Who knows? I've been hearing that, I feel like for three years that their economy was devastated and there's no way they could continue.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's a complex stew of, of what ifs, because it's, it's A difficult country to get a grip on the various dynamics that would be at play, whether it's popular support or the actual economic realities. And to what extent are the oligarchs pissed off? Because Putin's control depends on the loyalty of the oligarchs mostly. You know, to what extent are his security forces effective and loyal? There are just tons and tons of question marks. That's why they, you know, they talk about Kremlin ologists who are able to, you know, gaze through the swirling mists of Russian politics to figure out what the heck's actually going on.

[Joe Getty]

Looking up at the headline on cbs, Education Department slashing workforce.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, no, there's going to be no education in America.

[Joe Getty]

Kids won't learn to read or write.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. They aren't anyway.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, exactly. Here's, here's a secret. They're not.

[Jack Armstrong]

Now, part of education just doles out piles of money for people, for districts that comply with whatever federal whim comes down the pike.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. So that's something. Well, we'll see how well, yeah, you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Know, it's such an interesting mixed bag. And for new listeners, first of all, welcome. Whether you love Trump or hate him or somewhere in between, we will give you an update on how things are going. I, for one, am thrilled with 98% of the immigration stuff. And any of the stuff that's a little excessive or a little fast, the courts will deal with, it'll be fine. Just love that, love that Doge stuff. Love the reigning in the Department of Education, which barely needs to exist. There's so many things I love, but I join with, you know, the. Now, I don't join with exactly, but I'm sympathetic to the Wall Street Journal editorial board and other folks who are saying, not just that I think these tariffs are a mistake because not everybody's saying that, but they're saying we don't know what he's doing and he won't tell us. Right. And whipsawing American business back and forth is just, it's not a good thing. And I am concerned. Color me concerned, but not certain, which makes me a bad talk show host. You have to be 100% certain about every topic every second. Anyway, I am afraid that the not so great stuff is going to derail our ability to conservative America to do the really, really, really good stuff. And some of it seems a little quick and unnecessary, but we will all find out together.

[Joe Getty]

Friends, eggs are up 60% since last year.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, no. My omelet cost a hundred dollars.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if I eat an egg a month, so maybe I'm the wrong person to be commenting on the egg situation.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, I do love eggs.

[Joe Getty]

I like them too.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not enough. If you're eating them once a month, you're a. You're a fake egg fan. You're. Please.

[Joe Getty]

You know what I had yesterday that was good. Michael, I know you're not supposed to eat stuff like this with your diabetes. You had a McFlurry. I did have a McFlurry, but before I had the McFlurry.

[Jack Armstrong]

That wasn't even the headline, Michael.

[Joe Getty]

I had a quarter pounder with cheese. I took a. I hadn't had one in a while. I took a bite of that. Dang, that's a good sandwich.

[Jack Armstrong]

Woo.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know what they put in that crack or whatever, but that is a good sandwich.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let me jot this down real quickly. What's that restaurant you're recommending? McDaniel's. McDonald's.

[Joe Getty]

So my son and I got into a conversation about it and I started googling some stuff. There are 13,000 McDonald's in the United States. That's an extraordinary number because obviously, if you had.

[Jack Armstrong]

It is nearly ubiquitous. Keep the revelations coming.

[Joe Getty]

But if you had a hundred per state, you'd only have 5,000. I mean, that's a stunning number.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right.

[Joe Getty]

And some of your states, like Wyoming's got 30 people. So how many. How many McDonald's do you need? I mean, I realize seven in a big state, like. But that's a lot of McDonald's. And it's just incredible. And I was doing the math and it's so much bigger than all the other joints. Like, I looked up Burger King's, like a third of that. That's the closest competitor. Wendy's is a fourth of that. So nobody's even close. And I was in there and we're eating and they play the. They got the music that I assume that some corporate genius chooses to try to please the clientele. And the 70s classic hit Raindrops keep falling on your head came on. And I thought, who is the audience for this? Who's. Who's eating at McDonald's? That's when I started doing the research and everything like that is. You got to be at least my age to know that song.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's. Well, it's. It's a classic, Jack. People know it. I mean, Katie walk around the truck clock and I wasn't around.

[Joe Getty]

Katie, are you familiar with Raindrops keep falling on your head? Are you familiar with that?

[Jack Armstrong]

On my head. But they're falling on somebody. They're falling.

[Joe Getty]

They're falling on head.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

It's not nitpicked. That's not the point of the conversation. Whose paint is getting rain on it? It's not the point.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's not the key question. Right.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, Katie, but go ahead. Did you have more.

[Jack Armstrong]

Did you know that song? Did you say I was. I was. Yes. Cracking wise. Okay, sorry.

[Joe Getty]

But I was just thinking, that is such a good dang sandwich. It doesn't taste anything like a hamburger as well.

[Jack Armstrong]

Back to the burger.

[Joe Getty]

Now, as we mentioned many times over the years, it doesn't taste anything like a hamburger, and that's what it allegedly is.

[Jack Armstrong]

But it's so delicious.

[Joe Getty]

And then we both had Shamrock McFlurries, also a delicious dessert.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is very much like President Trump flogging Teslas on the South Lawn. This is untoward. This is unethical. Have you been paid by the Burger Giant? What's happening here?

[Joe Getty]

But they are driving everybody to the automated screen when you walk in the door. They want everybody to do that. They still have a clerk there. You know, see the podcast from yesterday? They haven't gone Silicon Valley and just immediately abandoned having a human being there. So everybody's standing around trying to get the menu to work, and I order from the person there.

[Jack Armstrong]

I still do that.

[Joe Getty]

And I said, is there anybody like that's not my age that doesn't order up here? And they said, no. All the young people use the. The screen. So it's only old people that walk up and talk to a human being and say they want their Quarter Pounder with cheese with no onions.

[Jack Armstrong]

So lame.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

I just hope Trump's tariffs don't affect those weird little onions. I think we import those from Belgium.

[Joe Getty]

That killed a bunch of people a couple of weeks back.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hey, hey, hey. Everybody makes mistakes.

[Joe Getty]

But the screen thing is that driven by the minimum wage, that's what the. That technology getting cheaper. But yeah, yeah, yeah, 100%. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a question of one cost is decreasing while the other is artificially, through government fiat, increasing. Yes. So, as we mentioned earlier, in fact, Katie, I was going to urge you to bring that story back. What the latest study says, how many fast food jobs have been lost in California since the. The gift, the blatant gift to the union, that Gavi Newsom's law was 16,000. 16,000 people are now out of work. And it's worth pointing out that these are the oft mentioned most vulnerable.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, well, you probably don't have a lot of other job opportunities. If you're working at McDonald's, probably right.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's not your first choice. You could have, you know, been a programmer, executive vp at IBM, but you chose to go to McDonald's. No. And, and it's worth driving this point home.

[Joe Getty]

Thousand people that were willing to show up to work for that wage prior the old wage, and state of California forces a new wage and now they don't have a job at all.

[Jack Armstrong]

It is worth driving home if you're feeling groggy or, or slow of wit. That, that illustrates so beautifully the cruel hypocrisy of a Gavin Newsom who, who, who jabbers on and on about standing up for the little guy and bipoc people and, and the poor and whatever. But if he could do something to shovel more power toward the powerful unions. He sacrificed those 16, 000 poor people and laughed while he did it. He said he's a piece of garb. Wow, you laugh. Yeah. Shut up. How. How else would you describe who's that blatantly, cruelly hypocritical piece of crap? Is the on air version. That's the PG version. Trust me. There's more.

[Joe Getty]

We got to start the show officially. What the hell is going on? Things have gotten out of control. I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this. It is Wednesday, March 12, year 2025. We're Armstrong and Yeti and we approve of this program.

[Jack Armstrong]

He is a cruel, rich monster. He makes Trump look like Mother Teresa.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, let's begin the show officially. Now, according to FCC rules and regulations. Here we go at Mark.

[Joe Getty]

I'm here in Ireland and it's beautiful and warm. Not physically. It's actually quite cold. Moved here on January 15th and it's been pretty wonderful. And when, you know it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that's when we will consider coming back. We should have said we had breaking news, ladies, and we should have said, please sit down first.

[Katie Green]

Rosie, this is not an airport. There's no need to announce your departure.

[Joe Getty]

Rosie O'Donnell moved to Ireland because of Trump and Rosie.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hey. Hey. Bad news. Totally unsafe. I mean, really crazy unsafe here in America. Probably will be for 15, I mean, 20 years.

[Joe Getty]

You might want to give it a little longer there in Ireland. Yeah, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't rush back.

[Joe Getty]

So we got Katie's headline.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Bye bye.

[Joe Getty]

Katie's headlines on the way and a bunch of other stuff. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

I was born in 1989. Says this texter we sang raindrops keep falling on your head at our eighth grade graduation. So there you go.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Katie Green]

Also born in 1989.

[Joe Getty]

All right.

[Katie Green]

It was a hit.

[Jack Armstrong]

Speaking of Katie, who's speaking? Let's figure out who's reporting what. It's the lead story with Katie Green. Hello.

[Katie Green]

Hey, Katie Breen here, New York Post. Russia launches deadly missile attack on Zelinsky's hometown just hours after Ukraine agreed to a cease fire proposal.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I think the interesting part is, is there any way Putin's going to agree to a cease fire as long as there are 10,000 Ukrainian troops in that one chunk of Russia that they took?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it's going to take a hell of a long time to eject them.

[Katie Green]

From ABC. EU announces $28 billion in countermeasures to Trump's steel tariffs.

[Joe Getty]

We're at war with Canada. Finally. I've been waiting for this my whole life.

[Jack Armstrong]

Trade war.

[Katie Green]

From the New York Times. EPA plans to close all environmental justice offices.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know anything about that, but it sure sounds good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good, yeah. Environmental justice, please. That could be anything. You could do anything in those offices.

[Katie Green]

As long as it's spent money from Breitbart, Doge. More than 200,000 federal government credit cards deactivated.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. I know some people with government credit cards and they don't care much how they spend their money.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's surprising.

[Katie Green]

USA Today House passes GOP funding bill backed by Trump. Now a showdown looms in the Senate.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, not another Senate showdown. Boy, I tell you, one thing I do not have a lot of patience for is following the early stages of these big budget bill negotiations. I mean, it's just you've got to be obsessed with the Beltway. Just let me know when you got something you're ready to vote on it.

[Katie Green]

From the Free Beacon. Anti Israel agitators arrested in New York amid nationwide walkouts protesting pro Hamas activists. ICE arrest.

[Joe Getty]

We got to talk about that more later.

[Jack Armstrong]

I tell you what, how about every college instructor and professor across America walks out and stays out and we start again and rebuild the greatest university system on earth.

[Katie Green]

From cnn, Cargo ship captain arrested in North Sea collision with US Flagged tanker Is a Russian national Go arrested?

[Joe Getty]

I hadn't heard that. I'll have to dig into that story.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, he's been arrested for reckless killing people by being a bad ship's captain.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

I believe that's the charge from Fox News.

[Katie Green]

Man caught with live turtle in his pants at Newark Airport leaving TSA agents shell shocked.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't get it.

[Joe Getty]

That actually hurts.

[Katie Green]

It's painful to say, don't judge until.

[Joe Getty]

You'Ve had a turtle in your pants. It's more fun than it sounds.

[Jack Armstrong]

As a matter of fact, I do have a turtle in my pants. And I'm glad to see you. It's a false choice.

[Katie Green]

And finally, the Babylon Bee ISIS claims responsibility for Megan Markle Netflix show.

[Joe Getty]

Is there some place, is there some place I can sign up to never hear about Meghan Markle again? Is there, is there an algorithm for that?

[Katie Green]

If you find it, let me.

[Joe Getty]

That would filter that out of my newsfeed or something like that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Although I sense, and certainly I can stand guard since you're so horrified and I get that it feels like it's moving towards so bad. It's good territory. Definitely could be so mockable. It's enjoyable.

[Joe Getty]

Where are we with the tariffs and whatnot? And how do we feel about buying cars in the White House lawn? I think I'm fine with it. Among other things on the way. Stay tuned.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

So we spend $200 billion a year subsidizing Canada. We don't have to do that. And frankly, the way that gets solved is Canada should honestly become our 51st state. We wouldn't have a northern border problem. We wouldn't have a tariff problem. Canada would be great as our cherished 51st state. You wouldn't have to worry about borders. You wouldn't have to worry about anything. And by the way, Canada is very highly taxed and we're very low tax. Were considered a low tax nation because of me, because I cut the taxes so low so the people of Canada would pay much less tax. It makes a lot of sense.

[Joe Getty]

Now, all the behind the scenes reporting is Trump's serious about trying to get Greenland. That's a. That's an actual. But not Canada being a 51st state. There's nobody. Actually. It's just trolling, isn't it?

[Jack Armstrong]

I guess.

[Joe Getty]

And I heard some Democrats.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why is he just going on and on about it, though, repeating it over the course of weeks and weeks? I mean, that didn't sound like trolling.

[Joe Getty]

Well, some believe he drove Trudeau out of office by making him look so weak and pathetic. Trolling him in so little pushback, maybe.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, but he fired up the Liberals when it looked like they were gonna lose and now they're back in power.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, well, sometimes having the way. The way extreme of your other party in charge doesn't, you know, does you some good. See, see, the Democrats in the United States but what was I going to say? Become 51st state? Oh, I heard some prominent Democrats say, yes, Dana, I'm surprised Democrats aren't keeping their mouths shut. They should be quietly saying, yeah, yeah, that I agree. I mean, I rarely agree with Trump, but Canada being the 51st state, I mean, why not? It's only fairness or something. Because as one prominent Democrat said yesterday, Republicans will never win another presidential election. If Canada is the 51st state, then you have two California's with the same amount of delegates that will always vote Democrat.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. For the foreseeable future. Yeah, yeah. Like I say, I have no idea what he's doing. I understand the intent of rebuilding American manufacturing to whatever extent it's possible. I get that. And you can find a few people who say, yeah, in the long term this will pan out. You can find, you know, an infinite multiple of that of people who say, either this won't work or there's a different crowd that says, I just don't know what he's doing.

[Joe Getty]

Well, let's, let's hear, let's hear 51 a little more on this topic and then we can get to the latest. Because Canada was threatening a 25% surcharge on electricity yesterday. But here's, here's Trump and Elon on the White House lawn.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

When you take away that artificial line that looks like it was done with a ruler and that's what it was. Some guy sat there years ago and they said, well, when you take away that and you look at that beautiful formation of Canada and the United States, there is no place anywhere on in the world that looks like that's Greenland. And then if you add Greenland, that's.

[Jack Armstrong]

Even, I mean, that's pretty, gonna look beautiful.

[Joe Getty]

So anyway, okay, Canada threatened 25% surcharge on electricity and then backed off it later in the day. So the, the rhetoric and the real stuff continues. Yeah, but the extra 25 tariffs on steel and aluminum took effect at midnight last night. Yeah. Then we'll see what happens.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, we absolutely will see what happens. The estimates of, you know. Well, I'll just, you know what, I won't get into the, the statistics and the technical crap, but the long and short of it is, in the short term, this will drive up the costs for every American manufacturer virtually and make goods more expensive and cut down on their share of any market until the great transition happens and we've restored our manufacturing might. That's the idea. I'm highly skeptical.

[Joe Getty]

So Trump walked back a little bit or revised his answer somewhat on the Whole recession thing. And then we've got some breaking news. First this.

[Jack Armstrong]

Do you think there will be a recession?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I don't see it at all. I think this country is going to boom.

[Joe Getty]

So after saying could be, you don't know. I don't like to predict those things. And the market and everybody reacting to that, you know, yesterday he was more positive. I think the markets are going to boom. So here's your breaking news. The inflation numbers are out. For the most recent stats from last month, consumer prices rose 2.8% in the year through February, a slightly better result than economists had expected. I'll never understand because I'm not an economist, why it's all based on what economists expected. What if they were wrong.

[Jack Armstrong]

In the first place and just not wait a few days and get the actual statistic.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway? Slightly better than economists had expected.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's like every morning I'm about to get on the scale and you got physicians who say, we expect a weight of 197.4.

[Joe Getty]

That's a good point.

[Jack Armstrong]

Then when it's not 198.4.1, it's like, oh, exceeded expectations.

[Joe Getty]

That's a good point. Why don't you just wait till I get on the scale?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's pretty funny. All the market is reacting is Joe weighed more than expectations or less.

[Joe Getty]

That's funny.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no, no more lately, trust me.

[Joe Getty]

So the consumer price index was up 2.8% from a year earlier after rising another 0.2% on a monthly basis basis. That was a step down from January's surprisingly large 0.5% increase. So stocks are up based on that. The wall of the New York Times version of this anyway, says analysts are worried that tariffs could add to future price pressures. Of course, that's what we. Joe is just talking about and that'll have to play out.

[Jack Armstrong]

But I will say in Trump's defense that if this is merely a brutal and whipsaw y for a short time period to move toward more reciprocal tariffs, which is a theme he has sounded over and over again because Canada's. Canada does have some fairly stiff tariffs against various agricultural stuff like dairy and that sort of thing. Okay, But I just. And there's another piece in the Journal where even Trump advisers and loyal business leaders are saying, just tell us what you're trying to do.

[Joe Getty]

The different headlines, Fox has stubborn inflation cools. Okay. And Wall Street Journal has inflation cooled to 2.8% in February, lower than expected. So that's got to be some news that the White House will tout and we'll see what that does to the stock market and the endless discussion of what your 401k is doing, as if you're about to start pulling from your 401k today. And again, I apologize to anyone around the country who actually did retire last week. You know, we're not talking about you, but for most of us, you know, whatever, it'll be back by the time I'm ready to use it.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right? Right. And honestly, even that kind of under or oversells it because not taking it all out. Well. Right. You're not going to take it all out at once. That's not the way it works. And you've probably beat been tapering off your risk as you get closer to retirement.

[Joe Getty]

I want to go through a couple of texts we got real quick before we take a break and we can leave plenty of time for mailbag. First of all, we got this text. Are you finally ready to listen to the red tie of power and give up shilling for Zelinsky? So, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, that's a, that's a sort of intelligent and well reasoned argument.

[Joe Getty]

Thank you for offering it. Zelensky has agreed to the cease fire yet to see if Russia is going to agree to the ceasefire. And there's also the criticism that if they do agree to it, it's just because they'd love to have a break and be able to rearm and, and.

[Jack Armstrong]

And get their newest crop of North Korean cannon fodder or prisoners.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. So might only be to their advantage. Back to my McDonald's stats. As I was eating a McDonald's, just a 13,000. Some McDonald's. 13,500 McDonald's in the United States, which, if you do the quick math that, that's 270 per state. Obviously they're not evenly dispersed because like I said, Wyoming needs three. But there are, according to this texter, a stunning 570 McDonald's in New York. 570 just in New York. However, while I was talking about how dominant McDonald's is, another person pointed out there are 17,000 milkshake locations known as Starbucks. 17,000. Of course, if you live in an urban area at all, there's one you can stand outside on the corner. There's one there, there's one there and there's one there you can all see from one corner.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, Starbucks undergoing a giant restructuring right now. I was just reading about, they got a new CEO who's paring back the menus and cutting step. Oh, he laid off how Many. I don't have the story in front of me. He laid off well into four figures worth of folks working at their headquarters in Seattle and working remotely. And I don't see Congress on the steps of the Capitol whining and moaning and crying about those layoffs. I don't see the New York Times bemoaning what a human tragedy it is that a bunch of private sector people.

[Joe Getty]

Got laid off talking to some Starbucks employee who says I just moved here for this job.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Former Starbucks employees find a difficult labor market. You're just not seeing that.

[Joe Getty]

We actually got into this conversation, my son and I, about somehow. I don't remember how it started. He was studying something and franchises and how those work and owner operated versus not and all that sort of stuff. It was actually kind of an interesting conversation. And he also told me, he said, did you realize Ray Kroc sold the thing for only a couple of million dollars and it's considered the worst business decision in world history? That's what my son said. So I don't know. I guess he saw that somewhere.

[Jack Armstrong]

Arguably, sure. Maybe Ray was like, I'm tired of flipping burgers. I'm just going to go to my ranch and have fun. And he lived every day of the rest of his life. Enjoy and serenity. I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

Probably not eating McDonald's. We have got Joe's Mailbag and a whole bunch of this stuff on the way. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Doing the research. I think I misunderstood the story that my son was telling me. The worst business decision was the McDonald's brothers selling to Ray Kroc.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ah.

[Joe Getty]

And that was, you know, that was my misunderstanding. But yeah, well, but they did that. That doesn't make any sense though.

[Jack Armstrong]

Just because you have a Scotsman, just.

[Joe Getty]

Because you have a successful burger milkshake stand, that doesn't mean you could have become the franchisee's genius.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, right.

[Joe Getty]

That's the, that's the key to the thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. That's kind of a silly assertion. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here's your freedom loving quote of the day. Getting back to our series from Theodore Roosevelt. 2. Two freedom loving quotes of the day from Roosevelt today. Number one, the unforgivable crime is soft hitting. Do not hit it all if it can be avoided, but never hit softly.

[Joe Getty]

Interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. And then this. I love this. When they called the role in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer present or not guilty. You tell them. Teddy. Mailbag, feel free to drop us a note. The email address is [e-mail] Jack talking about his desire to buy one of Elon Musk's cyber trucks, specifically the ultra powerful Cyber Beast and put a plate on it that says Doge.

[Joe Getty]

Absolutely right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Got this from Joe. Anonymous so two of my kids are home from college for spring break. We drove from the Bay Area to Tahoe to ski today listening to you on the way. And we were rolling with laughter listening to Jack talking about his cybertruck with the Doge license plate as we approached the ski resort. What did we see? I kid you not, the below photo is not AI altered a cyber truck with a Bitcoin 1 license plate. Wow. Not exactly the same, but still, what are the odds? Bitcoin dogecoin. And of course you need to get your cybertruck with the Doge plates and drive it all around your college town bike circles every day blasting Proud to be an American in ymca. I've mixed in a little Kid Rock too, but your playlist is up to you. Thanks Joe. Anonymous that is funny. Let's see Jim on the topic of Kamala Harris for Governor of Cal Unicornia and stick with it. It includes one of my favorite sign offs lately. Kamala is beginning to contemplate what needs to be done in terms of recognizing the importance of understanding the steps she must to seriously consider thinking about running for governor in 26 and expects the passage of time required to unburden what that entails to extend until the end of summer. Wow, that's pretty good. Kamala. Then he signs off. KLT O T B B DB Keep launching torpedoes of truth, but don't over egg the pudding. Jim we'll try not to. Jim Paolo with a brief note. A good sign in the trans sports debate. Most people on both sides seem to have come down to common sense side of this issue. The common sense side. That's encouraging. Another encouraging thing. To my recollection, everybody involved at least tacitly acknowledges that we're talking about men and women's sports, not trans women and women's sports. And best of all, no more annoying incantations of trans women are women. I was just wearing my hot Dogs Our Dogs T shirt yesterday. Progress indeed. Now somebody just needs to tell the great majority of Democratic politicians about it. Damn, they're dopes on this issue. Maybe they're suffering from that new Gen Z malady trend overload. And he helpfully included a link to an article about trend overload, which we can maybe talk about in a little bit. I think it's more Interesting than it even knows.

[Joe Getty]

I'm guessing it's the idea that trends come to fast and furious. Now you can't keep up with them. You always feel pressure.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, yeah. And the greater significance of it, I think is understanding that the rapid fired pleasures of the Internet, social media, smartphones, et cetera are just. It's too much, too much, too much, too much among young people.

[Joe Getty]

Something has got to change on that front.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would agree. Sideshow Bob writes a tale of two countries. I absolutely love the direction the administration is taking with Hamas, but for the life of me, I don't understand why they don't see the similarities with Ukraine. In one case, terrorist scumbags cross the border to kill innocent civilians. And then the same thing happened in Israel.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I see your point.

[Jack Armstrong]

I see it much more like Bob does than a lot of people do these days. But that's fine. Let's continue the debate. Al, none of us writes on the topic of millionaires and billionaires. The idea of limiting those that care about wasteful spending. Yeah, that's, that's the great leftist plot is to narrow the tax base and prattle on about how the rich need to pay their fair share to the point that they're among the actual high taxpayers. There aren't nearly enough votes to defeat horrific wasteful spending. It's a specific strategy and it's been pretty successful. And every independent study that's ever been done says the way to make government more efficient and spend money more efficiently and more answerable to the people is to broaden the tax base. But nobody wants to do that anyway. He writes, the idea of limiting those that care about wasteful spending. Whenever my socialist friends talk about spending, I ask them if they itemize their tax returns, followed by why would you want to pay less in taxes and have me pay more? In fact, why don't you donate more money to the wonderful government and their efficient project? They no longer bring up the idea of spending and or taxes. Probably just not to you.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is interesting and troubling. Yesterday, John writes, my son witnessed an unprovoked attack by a, he says homeless person. I say transient drug addict. On a non binary or trans person. A man deluded into thinking he was a woman in San Francisco. It was a brutal beating that could have killed a victim. Victim. Multiple punches to the back of the head. The only reason my son could think of the victim wasn't killed is that he didn't fight back or offer any resistance at all. Haven't seen anything about it in the news if it had been an attack by someone in a MAGA hat would have led the news nationwide, even internationally.

[Joe Getty]

Absolutely.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. And then Angie writes, and we'll get to this next hour. This is dovetailing beautifully with our discussion of the University of California, Berkeley lecture series on the dreaming of water or whatever the hell. Oh my God, the intersectionality of neo colonialism, feminist queerness. She sent along an actual published university study that she thought it's got to have been written as a joke by James Lindsay. I have dug into it. It may be the crowning glory of soft science self mockery.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. And that's saying something. So that's a good case. By that statement, I was gonna go home, but I'm gonna stick. If you miss the segment, get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.