Allie Beth Stuckey (16:49)
Okay, so we want Republicans to be on the side of the family. We want women to have children. That is absolutely true. And I want the White House to be on the side of more children and stronger families and all of that. Is that what a $5,000 baby bonus would accomplish? Well, I've got thoughts on it. Let me go ahead and tell you about our first sponsor, though. It's Sweetheart Nutrition, y'all. I absolute love we hard nutrition. I take their supplements every single day without fail. Doesn't matter if I'm traveling or at home. I never compromise on this because it has really changed how I feel for the better. It has improved my skin, my hair, my nails, my ability to fight sickness. I take their magnesium, their postnatal vitamin. I take their omega threes. I take their iron supplement, which has really helped my iron levels. I've always kind of been borderline anemic and it's helped me there. 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White House press Secretary Caroline Levitt said in a statement to the New York Times regarding this proposal that Trump is proudly implementing policies to uplift American families. It's not clear if the $5,000 baby bonus is a part of his policy plan. We don't know. But the Heritage foundation did have something to say about this. The policy analyst, a policy analyst at Heritage, Emma Waters, said that, quote, our ultimate goal is not just more babies, but more families formed. According to the New York Times, the Heritage foundation has been researching how to increase the birth rate for over two years and is preparing to release a report in the coming weeks on how it believes the administration and Congress should counter declining birth and marriage rates. This is legitimately a problem. Um, the issue is, however, that we don't just need more babies. That's not the biggest issue. The biggest issue is not the depopulation crisis. Uh, I believe the biggest issue is the dissolution of the family. And a much deeper issue is the lack of desire to have children. And that is something that is spiritual, that is cultural, that is moral, it is not economic. I don't care what people say. People say, oh, well, people can't afford housing today. People feel like they're so stretched thin with their budget. And all of that may be true. I'm not discounting that. And of course, financial problems can weigh heavily on a person and can and should to some degree, determine the decisions we make. However, there have been much more difficult economic times where families have said, you know what? We are going to trust the Lord and we feel that it is our obligation and we desire to have children, and we are going to figure it out in much more turbulent times than today, not only throughout history, but in other countries right now. And I'm not just talking about women who get pregnant because they don't have any way to prevent pregnancy. I'm talking about people who say, no, we're going to get married, we're going to have children, because this is the right thing to do. And because we want to do this, it's the most natural thing in the world. It's literally what makes the world go round. And so if you don't desire to do that, don't kid yourself that it's because you're too stressed out or you have too much going on or you are just going to wait until you're more stable when you're 35 or until you have more money. It really is, because ultimately, ultimately, for the most part, and if something, if this doesn't apply to you, then it's not about you. But for the most part, married people aren't having children because they don't want to. And in large part, people are not getting married because they don't want to get married. That doesn't apply to the related bells out there who want to have kids and want to get married and just haven't been able to do those things yet. But I'm talking about in the culture in general, that is true. And so until we address why people don't want to commit and why people don't want to have children, and I honestly think the government cannot do that, I don't think the depopulation crisis is going to solve itself because, look, I don't want millions of more children who don't have present fathers and mothers, okay? I don't think that that's actually better for the world or better for society. I'm not saying that those who don't have parents aren't innately valuable because of course, they have just as much inherent worth as anyone else. And of course they can be very productive members of society and add so much to the world. But ultimately, the building block, the foundation for any free society is the stable family. And children need a mom and a dad. That is the ideal situation for every child to have a loving presentation mom and dad that is best for them. That creates the highest likelihood possible that they are healthy and mature and developing and productive people who will go on and to contribute positive things to their communities and to society as a whole. And so, yes, I think that policy can speak to that in some way. And I am again open to proposals for that, but I'm not open to proposals that just reward people for having more kids, no matter their marital status. I'm just not like, I actually don't think that we should be rewarding that. I think that actually could incentivize very bad and destructive behavior. Bethany Mandel wrote an op ed in the New York Post criticizing the $5,000 incentive. She said a one time payout of $5,000, an amount that wouldn't even cover the cost of one of my births. If you don't know Bethany, she's got six kids. Isn't a life raft. She says the $5,000 isn't a life raft, but a pat on the head as families struggle to stay afloat. And amid rising costs, child care shortages, and a culture that undervalues parenthood, American families need tax reform rooted in research, reflecting the real needs of modern mothers and fathers, and support that empowers families to dream bigger, not just survive. The problem isn't just a drop in babies. It's a drop in marriages. Since 1970, the US marriage rate has fallen by 60%. While married couples, especially religious ones, still do have children and statistically have more sex than singletons do, there is simply far fewer of them today. So maybe Instead of a $5,000 baby bonus, Trump should consider a one time tax break for newlyweds. And I think that that's, I think that that's a good idea. I'm not saying that the $5,000 proposal has absolutely no place, but indiscriminately giving that out to anyone who has a baby again, I actually just don't think that that would be a net positive. Something that I've been thinking about. I mentioned that I'm listening to this book, your Brain on birth control and just how much not ovulating, because when you're on the birth control pill, you're not ovulating. How much not ovulating has an effect on you as a woman and how you think and what you are attracted to and the feelings that you have. Because God created our bodies to have a cycle that includes ovulation. It is not a coincidence that when you physically can get pregnant, because there are only a few days a month when you can do that, when you physically can get pregnant, you also find yourself wanting to get pregnant. Like you want to have a baby, you're thinking about babies. Or maybe you find yourself wanting to be intimate with your spouse during that time. God created our bodies for that. And so when you take away ovulation, you also take away that surge of hormone that makes you start thinking about wanting to get pregnant. And so you have all these women on the birth control pill who are not ovulating who think, oh yeah, I'm just a go getter boss, babe, and I don't want kids. That's just naturally how I am. I'll never want kids. No, you're Just not ovulating. You're just not ovulating. You think you don't want kids. You think this is just a part of your personality. You think that this is just like innate drive. No, you're just not ovulating. And because you're not ovulating, you are suppressing the very real natural, God given instinct you have to commit to a strong man who wants to make babies with you. Okay? So the birth control pill has really suppressed, like, a core part of what it means to be a woman. And I think it is a huge reason why the birth rate has declined. Not because it is preventing pregnancy, but because it is preventing the desire to get pregnant. It is. Has such a psychological impact on women, and it is such. I mean, it is such a negative. One of the testimonies in this book was a woman who. She was. She was in grad school and she was chasing her career and everything was going great. And she decided to get off the birth control pill. Pill. Because she wanted to see how she felt off of it. She said as soon as she got off the birth control pill, she started having these feelings once a month. She started thinking about newborns. She started thinking about marriage, she started thinking about commitment. She started thinking about having babies. And she was mortified. And she said, this is going to sidetrack me. I'm not going to be able to pursue my career anymore. So what did she do? She got back on the pill. She got back on the pill so she could suppress those very real instincts. Oh, my goodness. And how many women is that true for? So there's so much going on here. I mean, it's pharmaceutical as well as spiritual and emotional and mental. Our priorities are simply out of whack. Is there a place for policy? Yes. But, Lord, give us an awakening. Give us a revival. Because it is so much deeper than just like an economic need. And it's going to take hearts of stone turning into hearts of flesh. And for us to prioritize marriage and selflessness and sacrifice and commitment and all of those things again. And those are, like, really, really deep issues. All right, we've got a few more things to talk about. Let me pause and tell you about our next sponsor. It's Fellowship Home Loans, y'all. I'm so excited to work with Fellowship Home Loans. I always am hoping to partner with companies that share my values, that are unapologetic about their faith, that offer a service or a product that is in alignment with our faith. If you are making a huge purchase, like a purchase of A home. You want to make sure that the people handling your treasure, like handling your money, are aligned with your values. They're going to prioritize things like honesty and integrity, hard work, that they care about the quality of the service that they are offering you. And I can guarantee that when you work with Mike and Brian and all of the people at Fellowship Home Loans that you will get exactly that. And you will feel like you are working with people who are on your team because they have the same goal that you do, and that is to glorify God. So if you are looking to refinance, if you are looking to purchase a home loan, before you talk to anyone else, I encourage you just reach out to Fellowship Home Loans. If you go to fellowship homeloans.com Alli they're adding a 500 credit at closing. When you use my link, go to Fellowship Home Loans.com Alli to talk to them and to take advantage of that awesome deal nationwide. Mortgage Bankers DBA Fellowship Home Loans Equal Housing Lender in MLS Number 819382 all right, we're about to get into our segment with Phoenix. If you missed our last Gen Z segment that we did a few weeks ago with Phoenix where she walked us through a trend that was happening on TikTok that she thought was troubling you, this will be your first time being introduced to our Gen Z muse and we're going to talk about Matcha and all kinds of fun stuff. But I did want to say, because I forgot to say this at the top of the episode, my Canadian friends, we were praying for you. We were, we were praying for the election yesterday and it did not go the way that we wanted it to. And I know a lot of people out there are mad about Trump because Trump made some comments and people thought that he inappropriately interfered and that it caused more people to vote for the Liberal Party and Liberal leadership there in Canada. And yeah, okay, I get it. But if you, not you conservatives out there, but the people who voted liberal, if you were voting based on what the president of another country says, if you are that emotional, you are that flippant like, then you don't need to be voting. You don't. That's not how an adult thinks. That's not how an adult functions. Why would you allow President Trump to affect how you vote? That's just silly. Okay? The fact of the matter is, is that Canada is the capital of nicer than God. Toxic empathy. Okay? And so they believe, despite all the evidence before them, that being progressive makes You a good person, despite the fact that Canada in so many ways is in shambles economically, certainly socially, in a lot of ways. And so I am sorry to all of you who voted the correct way, who were praying so hard. We do understand that God is on his throne, that he is totally sovereign, that nothing surprises him or takes him aback, that nothing is too difficult for him, that nothing can thwart his will. Job 42:2 that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8. That he loves you and sees you and that you are placed exactly where you are on this speck of the universe, on this tiny spot of eternity by God who does nothing accidentally or arbitrarily. And I know all of you Christians up there in Canada know that I've talked to many of you and your hope and your strength and your resolve is so admirable to me. But I just want you to know that I'm sorry that I went that direction and I am continuing to to pray for y'all. Okay, we're gonna go ahead and get into this fun segment with Phoenix, but I do want to just make a little announcement, a fun announcement for Blaze tv. So my interview with Nicole Shanahan, you'll remember when I talked to her, went to California, had a chat with her just about all things RFK campaign, the things she saw, the truth about Silicon Valley. It was an incredible, a revelatory conversation. If you haven't watched it, go watch it. But she's now joined as a host of Blaze tv. Like what a blessing to have someone like Nicole on our side at this network. I am so pumped about this. This show is going to be amazing. You can go to YouTube.com nicole-shanahan that's where her her show will live. Or you can subscribe to blazetv.com ali you'll get access to all of the content that she is producing. She is awesome. I'm so excited about her show. All right, without further ado, here is Phoenix. Mother's Day is almost here and I just really encourage you as a mom to not only think about, okay, what are, what do you want for Mother's Day? What are you going to get your mom? What are you going to get your mother's mother in law. Those are all good things to think about. But think about what you can give to other moms, maybe moms who are in need, moms who might be in crisis, pregnancies, first time moms who don't know how they are going to take care of the baby that they have. Preborn is a network of clinics across the country that helps take care of those moms. When a pregnant mom walks into the doors of preborn, they feel loved, they feel cared for, they feel seen. They are given a free pregnancy test, free ultrasound. And we know through data that women are so much more likely to choose life for the baby inside their womb when they see that baby on the ultrasound, when they hear that beating heart. And so preborn is offering them truth and a true choice and a life affirming choice is the direction that we hope they go in. And preborn does everything they possibly can to help women make that decision. So I encourage you donate to preborn today. $28 covers the cost of a life saving ultrasound. But whatever you can donate, maybe it's $2 and 80 cents, maybe it's $28,000. Whatever you can donate that goes towards saving the life of these image bearers of God and serving their moms and dads. Go to preborn.comalli to make that impactful donation today. That's preborn.comalli okay y'all. Somehow I have found myself with a matcha latte right next to me. This matcha latte was made by our Gen Z Muse, Phoenix. And she has seen my rants about matcha tasting like grass and my disbelief that anyone likes matcha, that it's all just made from lawn. And she has said, okay, I am going to make you a matcha latte and convince you that it is good. So I haven't tried it yet, but tell me what is, what is matcha? Take us to the roots.
