Nickel and Dimed to Debt

[00:00:30] Greetings! This is the Long in the Boot podcast, the podcast coming to you from the heel of the boot of southwest Louisiana. I am your host, G-Long, and sitting across the way from me, as always, is Deb.

[00:00:42] As always.

[00:00:43] Hello, Deb.

[00:00:44] Hello.

[00:00:44] Yeah, as always.

[00:00:45] Hello, all.

[00:00:46] And hey, if you'd like to reach the Long in the Boot podcast, you know how to do it. It's longintheboot at gmail.com, and you can call 337-502-9011.

[00:00:58] And for all the past episodes, you can use the handy Buzzsprout link, or you can just go to longintheboot.com, and all of the past episodes, all of them, including the ones with the H word, are there.

[00:01:11] More than 100.

[00:01:13] Yeah, more than 100 of them.

[00:01:15] More than 100.

[00:01:15] Isn't that weird?

[00:01:15] Yeah.

[00:01:16] It's very strange.

[00:01:16] Getting up there in the more than 11 now.

[00:01:19] Makes me feel old.

[00:01:20] Oh, well, I don't know that it should.

[00:01:22] It's only three years of your life.

[00:01:23] I am old.

[00:01:23] Wait a minute.

[00:01:24] What am I saying?

[00:01:24] It's only three years of your life.

[00:01:25] I feel old.

[00:01:27] Four?

[00:01:28] No, no.

[00:01:28] Three, I said.

[00:01:30] No, no.

[00:01:30] We're in the fourth year.

[00:01:31] Are we in the fourth year?

[00:01:32] Yeah.

[00:01:32] I thought June or July we start.

[00:01:34] 2020.

[00:01:35] Oh, yeah.

[00:01:36] Damn.

[00:01:37] Oh, my God.

[00:01:38] We are old.

[00:01:39] Plague year.

[00:01:39] Okay.

[00:01:40] Plague year.

[00:01:41] It has started.

[00:01:42] So, here we go.

[00:01:43] Well, there you are.

[00:01:46] And she's wrong.

[00:01:47] She wasn't even around then.

[00:01:49] No.

[00:01:50] She was just a newbie.

[00:01:53] A noob.

[00:01:54] Yes.

[00:01:54] She was a noob.

[00:01:55] And now she's got Otto barking.

[00:01:56] He doesn't need to bark.

[00:01:57] The listeners, Otto has been feeling poorly.

[00:02:00] He has.

[00:02:01] He's taking meds.

[00:02:03] He's back.

[00:02:04] I don't know.

[00:02:05] He's 13.

[00:02:06] He did some kind of death stare yesterday in his kennel.

[00:02:09] I thought he was dead.

[00:02:09] I thought he was dead.

[00:02:10] I had to climb in the kennel and cradle him out because he wouldn't see it.

[00:02:15] Feel his little wrist to make sure he was breathing.

[00:02:17] It was scary.

[00:02:18] It was scary.

[00:02:19] And I'm sick.

[00:02:20] And you're sick, too.

[00:02:22] However, I think the technology is working today.

[00:02:25] So, sick or not.

[00:02:25] Yeah, there should be no buzz.

[00:02:27] Sick or not.

[00:02:27] I replaced the lousy Chinese cord.

[00:02:30] With mucus?

[00:02:31] With mucus.

[00:02:32] Yeah.

[00:02:32] I fixed it with mucus.

[00:02:34] There you go.

[00:02:35] And if you don't know what mucus is, it's a Roman soldier.

[00:02:39] Anyway.

[00:02:40] Sure.

[00:02:41] Mucus.

[00:02:41] All right, Mel Brooks.

[00:02:43] We'll let that one go.

[00:02:44] Our audience may not be old enough for that.

[00:02:46] So, last week, we went and saw music.

[00:02:50] We did.

[00:02:50] We went out of town.

[00:02:51] Before we came back and fiddled with our podcast cord.

[00:02:55] Recorded something that was unlistenable.

[00:02:58] Oh, man.

[00:02:58] God, it was horrible.

[00:02:59] But anyway, we went and saw the Avett Brothers.

[00:03:01] And if you ever get a chance, I cannot encourage you enough.

[00:03:05] It's a fun show.

[00:03:06] It's a feel-good show.

[00:03:07] It's a feel-good show.

[00:03:08] It's also, they play their hearts out, man.

[00:03:10] They really do.

[00:03:11] It's an hour and 30, hour and 45 straight of just, man, just darn good music.

[00:03:16] And the guys that opened for them are pretty good, too.

[00:03:18] Houston Band, the Jamestown Revival.

[00:03:20] Yeah, yeah.

[00:03:21] Very good.

[00:03:22] It was a diverse repertoire.

[00:03:25] And we stayed, actually, in Kima and found a pizza place that, oof.

[00:03:31] Oh, my God.

[00:03:32] Dan's.

[00:03:32] Dan's.

[00:03:33] Dan's.

[00:03:33] Next to the Marriott.

[00:03:34] It's near the lighthouse.

[00:03:35] It is near the lighthouse.

[00:03:36] You see a lighthouse in Kima?

[00:03:38] Wings and chicken wings.

[00:03:39] Go ahead.

[00:03:39] I mean, pizza and chicken wings were.

[00:03:41] At an excellent price.

[00:03:43] Oh, the wings were.

[00:03:44] Yeah.

[00:03:44] And I am a connoisseur of wings.

[00:03:46] I know you are.

[00:03:47] We'll drive to Westlake at the drop of a hat.

[00:03:50] Less than a dollar a wing.

[00:03:51] Yeah.

[00:03:52] There you go.

[00:03:52] So there.

[00:03:53] And they were full-size wings, as you said.

[00:03:55] They were big.

[00:03:56] They were monster wings.

[00:03:57] I ate on those for a while.

[00:03:59] You did.

[00:03:59] We brought them home.

[00:04:00] It was.

[00:04:00] It was a.

[00:04:01] And they have like 24 flavors.

[00:04:03] Fun was had by them.

[00:04:04] Okay.

[00:04:04] So we did that.

[00:04:05] And I am happy to report that now that we have seen the Avett Brothers over the last decade,

[00:04:11] I guess for the fourth time, that only 50% of the time do you attempt to get into fisticuffs

[00:04:19] at an Avett Brothers concert.

[00:04:21] Well, that's true.

[00:04:22] This time we had seats where no one was in front of us.

[00:04:25] And we were high enough up.

[00:04:26] And so there was no danger of anyone standing up in front of us.

[00:04:29] Although there was a lady down on the floor who kept standing up, blocking the people

[00:04:33] behind her.

[00:04:34] And I thought about going and starting a fight with her husband.

[00:04:36] Just to.

[00:04:37] Just to, you know, help out those people.

[00:04:39] To sit her down and help them.

[00:04:39] Because she was doing it.

[00:04:40] She was doing that thing where they were playing a ballad.

[00:04:43] And she's standing up, waving her arm up in the air.

[00:04:46] Like everybody wants to see.

[00:04:48] Nobody else standing.

[00:04:49] Just her.

[00:04:49] So we know the people behind her were unable to see during that time.

[00:04:52] But they didn't have the guts to kick her in the ass and make her sit down.

[00:04:56] There you go.

[00:04:56] Well, she was feeling the music.

[00:04:58] I guess maybe they were.

[00:04:59] Oh, no.

[00:04:59] No excuse.

[00:05:00] There was plenty of places to go stand.

[00:05:02] If you want to stand up, it's not about you.

[00:05:05] I paid for a seat.

[00:05:06] Sit your big ass down.

[00:05:07] We have heard this complaint from you before.

[00:05:10] And I'm going to keep making it.

[00:05:11] Well, I was just pleased that we went on unscathed.

[00:05:14] Yes.

[00:05:14] However, it did add to the topic that we have for this week.

[00:05:21] It did.

[00:05:22] It did.

[00:05:22] In some minor effect.

[00:05:23] It did.

[00:05:23] Well, actually, two things started that.

[00:05:25] Well, actually, we were going to come back and do it last week.

[00:05:27] This is sort of like.

[00:05:28] It's a continuation.

[00:05:28] We're kind of repeating the podcast, I guess.

[00:05:31] Well, surveys is what started my, I guess, rabbit hole of.

[00:05:38] It's my time.

[00:05:40] Surveys are taking my time.

[00:05:42] And I said it was like one drip at a time.

[00:05:45] And it's for everything.

[00:05:47] You can't walk out of a store without, if you have any kind of contact with them at

[00:05:52] all, you're going to get an email, you're going to get a text.

[00:05:56] And it's just constant.

[00:05:58] Doctor's offices, buy an appliance and you're going to be getting cars, anything.

[00:06:03] Every single aspect of our life is surveyed to.

[00:06:08] Surveys.

[00:06:09] Yeah.

[00:06:09] And in every possible way to their forms.

[00:06:12] Sometimes their forms.

[00:06:13] Yes.

[00:06:13] Work.

[00:06:14] I had left out work.

[00:06:14] Sometimes their phone calls where people actually want to talk to you.

[00:06:17] Oh, dear God.

[00:06:18] I know.

[00:06:19] And then, of course, you get the, literally two steps out of your doctor's office.

[00:06:24] How was your visit today?

[00:06:26] How was your visit?

[00:06:26] I'm visiting you.

[00:06:27] I'm giving you money.

[00:06:28] What do you mean, how was my visit?

[00:06:30] I'm not dead.

[00:06:31] Stop asking me for that.

[00:06:32] I'm not dead.

[00:06:33] So I guess it's a pretty good doctor's visit.

[00:06:34] And then, of course, we have a new boss at work, a new superintendent.

[00:06:38] And he does what most bosses do is he wants to survey us and find out, you know, our feelings.

[00:06:45] What we're thinking.

[00:06:45] Our feelings.

[00:06:45] And I get it.

[00:06:46] He seems like a swell fellow.

[00:06:48] But it was like 25 questions.

[00:06:50] But it was.

[00:06:51] And that was only one.

[00:06:52] No, no.

[00:06:52] They trick you.

[00:06:53] That's the one that really gets you.

[00:06:54] They'll say, well, it's only 10 questions.

[00:06:56] Yeah, but they're four part questions.

[00:06:58] Exactly.

[00:06:58] A, B, C, and D.

[00:07:00] That's some crap I would do to my students.

[00:07:02] Yes.

[00:07:02] Exactly.

[00:07:03] When they go.

[00:07:03] How many questions on this test, Michelle?

[00:07:05] Three.

[00:07:06] There are only three.

[00:07:06] There are only three.

[00:07:07] Wait a minute.

[00:07:08] There's 12 questions per number.

[00:07:09] Oh, yeah.

[00:07:10] Yeah.

[00:07:10] But there are only three.

[00:07:12] Those are all subs.

[00:07:13] All right.

[00:07:13] Sorry.

[00:07:13] 36.

[00:07:14] Sub questions.

[00:07:16] So actually, I didn't answer that one.

[00:07:18] The text one.

[00:07:19] I do the ones at school when they come in my email.

[00:07:21] But just stop.

[00:07:22] I do some of them now.

[00:07:24] Stop.

[00:07:25] But you know, it even happens with special ed when I was doing special education.

[00:07:29] When you send out the little, when you have to have a meeting with parents to evaluate

[00:07:34] or whatever, we have to send a form to every teacher that basically is a survey of that

[00:07:39] student.

[00:07:40] So that's my time.

[00:07:41] So that really was what started my, I was feeling overwhelmed.

[00:07:45] I had a lot of stuff happening at work and just, you know, things going on.

[00:07:49] And I just felt like I couldn't catch up.

[00:07:51] And then that survey comes in.

[00:07:53] Another one.

[00:07:54] Another one.

[00:07:54] I was like, I don't have time for that.

[00:07:55] I wonder if prison sends one out when somebody gets released, like they've been in prison

[00:07:59] for like a year.

[00:08:00] Well, they have to track them for data.

[00:08:01] How was your stay?

[00:08:03] No, they have to track them for data for very serious reasons.

[00:08:06] So yes, I'm sure they do.

[00:08:08] But that's somebody is assigned to do that.

[00:08:10] That's their parole officer.

[00:08:11] Yeah, probably so.

[00:08:12] He's a glorified survey taker.

[00:08:14] Yeah, he's taking surveys.

[00:08:15] He's tracking them down.

[00:08:16] He's finding out what he's doing.

[00:08:17] Have you looked for work today?

[00:08:19] Do you plan to look for work?

[00:08:20] Do you plan to look for work?

[00:08:21] No, I'm going to sleep on my ex-girlfriend's couch.

[00:08:24] I don't know.

[00:08:25] I went downtown to look for a job.

[00:08:28] So that began my, okay, I feel out of balance, right?

[00:08:31] As soon as I started feeling stressed about that and that I realized I didn't get to that

[00:08:35] survey, I didn't answer those questions, and that one was actually my job.

[00:08:39] So I realized, oh my God, there's too much happening right now and I need to cut something

[00:08:45] out and find some balance.

[00:08:46] So we went to a concert.

[00:08:48] So we went to a concert.

[00:08:49] I felt a little better.

[00:08:50] Yeah.

[00:08:51] And then we...

[00:08:51] We got out.

[00:08:52] We got there.

[00:08:53] Oh, yes.

[00:08:54] Wait, we paid tolls to get there because we didn't want to ride on the regular roads

[00:08:58] of Houston.

[00:08:58] Yes.

[00:08:58] And they set it up so that when you pay the E-ZPass that you make sure that you have $20

[00:09:04] on your E-ZPass.

[00:09:05] Yeah.

[00:09:05] If you go below, it will rebill you another $20.

[00:09:08] Automatically.

[00:09:09] Automatically.

[00:09:09] And you have no control over that.

[00:09:11] And we don't go to Houston that often.

[00:09:13] But I like to have that charged.

[00:09:15] But that's my money sitting there being used by them, not accessible for me, and I have

[00:09:20] to go someplace in order to use that money.

[00:09:23] I'm surprised they don't take it after a certain amount of time.

[00:09:26] I'm wondering when that's going to happen.

[00:09:27] Like if you spent three years and then go to Houston.

[00:09:28] Because that $20 had been in there for years.

[00:09:31] Yeah.

[00:09:31] And so.

[00:09:33] Okay.

[00:09:33] So that's one aspect.

[00:09:35] But then we get to the venue.

[00:09:36] We have to continue putting money on the E-ZPass so that we make sure we don't fall under

[00:09:40] the minimum $20.

[00:09:41] Exactly.

[00:09:42] So I don't know actually how much was on there because we weren't able to check it while

[00:09:45] we were out and about.

[00:09:46] Well, you can, but it's a hassle.

[00:09:48] It was a hassle.

[00:09:49] As I've said, we are tired of hassles.

[00:09:51] And so, and before we went to the venue, we went to Galveston.

[00:09:55] And it used to be during the day in Galveston down by the Strand, you could just park on

[00:10:00] the street.

[00:10:01] Well, no, on the side streets.

[00:10:02] On the side streets.

[00:10:03] The ones closest, you might have to walk a little, but you could get easy, you know,

[00:10:07] you could just take a little trip.

[00:10:08] But there were places you could park where you'd have to pay a dime.

[00:10:11] Yes.

[00:10:11] Those are gone.

[00:10:12] No, there's none of that now.

[00:10:13] None of that.

[00:10:14] During the day.

[00:10:15] Yes.

[00:10:16] At night for the bands and the bars and such, you can go after six and you can park free.

[00:10:21] Right.

[00:10:22] But they don't want, I think they don't want you getting drunk and hanging out during the

[00:10:24] day.

[00:10:25] I think that's what's.

[00:10:26] Well, but all those people who are getting ready to get on their cruise ship.

[00:10:29] Yeah.

[00:10:30] Of which there were many.

[00:10:31] Yeah.

[00:10:31] That's all they're doing.

[00:10:33] Is drinking.

[00:10:33] I watch people drink bacon Bloody Marys.

[00:10:36] Like they were two fisting them.

[00:10:38] Yeah.

[00:10:38] They were slamming them down.

[00:10:40] Yeah.

[00:10:40] And oh, by the way.

[00:10:41] We were sitting at the bar ourselves.

[00:10:43] Yeah.

[00:10:43] But I wasn't slamming them down.

[00:10:44] I was having a nice.

[00:10:45] We had only two hours because it's two 50 an hour.

[00:10:49] An hour to work.

[00:10:50] Two 50 an hour to park.

[00:10:52] Yes.

[00:10:52] For the privilege of spending money.

[00:10:54] Now think about that economically because had we had a little more time, maybe say three

[00:10:58] hours is not costing me quite as much.

[00:11:01] I would have stayed a little longer and maybe spent more.

[00:11:03] Maybe spent more money.

[00:11:04] Oh.

[00:11:04] And speaking of.

[00:11:05] You thought of another one.

[00:11:07] Well, while we were there, we didn't get, we should have had a half price on parking because

[00:11:11] half the stores were closed.

[00:11:13] Oh yeah.

[00:11:13] Because it was Yom Kippur.

[00:11:15] Yes.

[00:11:15] So now I know where all the Jewish owned stores are in Galveston on the Strand because they

[00:11:22] were all in one area and all closed.

[00:11:25] And now I know that there are Jews in Galveston.

[00:11:28] Well, you got to figure.

[00:11:30] I do.

[00:11:30] I figure they're everywhere.

[00:11:32] They are.

[00:11:32] Because they're people.

[00:11:33] They were dispersed.

[00:11:34] Yes.

[00:11:35] And they moved about.

[00:11:36] So there are a lot of.

[00:11:37] Actually, that's, you know, the story.

[00:11:39] I mean, think about it.

[00:11:40] The Holocaust Museum is in Houston.

[00:11:42] Yeah.

[00:11:42] I know.

[00:11:43] No, that was an escape for a lot of.

[00:11:45] Yeah.

[00:11:45] That were smart enough to get out ahead of time.

[00:11:47] But you know what?

[00:11:48] If you've got a store and you're Jewish, hire some non-Jews to run your store.

[00:11:53] Yeah.

[00:11:54] During those days.

[00:11:55] Because, you know, you are Jewish.

[00:11:56] Don't you want to make the money?

[00:11:57] Oh.

[00:11:58] Oh.

[00:11:59] Oh.

[00:12:00] I don't know you.

[00:12:01] Send your complaints to D-Long.

[00:12:04] To Bella.

[00:12:05] Bella will field all your complaints.

[00:12:07] Not Otto.

[00:12:08] He's feeling rough right now.

[00:12:09] So we're not stressing him with work.

[00:12:12] Okay.

[00:12:12] So.

[00:12:13] With anti-Semitism.

[00:12:14] He's already German.

[00:12:15] He has enough baggage.

[00:12:18] Now we're going to take the other side.

[00:12:20] Okay.

[00:12:20] Well, I guess that's fair.

[00:12:22] He criticized both sides.

[00:12:24] Okay.

[00:12:25] Was it a critique?

[00:12:26] I don't know that it was a critique.

[00:12:27] I don't know.

[00:12:27] I think it's a positive thing that you're known for wanting to make it.

[00:12:30] While we were there in Galveston, I got a hat that smells like French fries.

[00:12:33] Yeah, you did.

[00:12:34] And it still smells like French fries.

[00:12:35] It still smells like French fries.

[00:12:36] Don't ask me.

[00:12:36] I don't know.

[00:12:37] Maybe they dipped the fibers in.

[00:12:39] Maybe they deep fried the hat.

[00:12:40] I'm not sure.

[00:12:42] It's a nice hat and it looks lovely on you.

[00:12:43] One day we'll get a photo.

[00:12:45] It smells like French fries.

[00:12:46] So for the community, because you need to focus here.

[00:12:49] Okay.

[00:12:49] And I thought you were sick.

[00:12:51] I am sick.

[00:12:51] Like be quiet.

[00:12:53] I'm trying.

[00:12:54] I think last episode.

[00:12:55] We haven't even got to the venue.

[00:12:56] We talked about the times that you just need to shut up.

[00:12:59] That was last episode.

[00:13:00] Yeah.

[00:13:01] I can't.

[00:13:01] I can't.

[00:13:02] So we go from the surveys that suck all of our time and take our happiness away.

[00:13:10] We get to the venue.

[00:13:11] I have read.

[00:13:12] You have read everything.

[00:13:14] The website.

[00:13:15] The ticket site.

[00:13:15] Everything.

[00:13:17] So we get there.

[00:13:17] Smart Financial Center.

[00:13:18] Sugar Land.

[00:13:19] We turn in, there's the VIP parking and we're not really VIP.

[00:13:23] So we don't go that way because we know that's wrong.

[00:13:25] We're not VIPs.

[00:13:26] We go to the regular parking side.

[00:13:28] We get in line.

[00:13:29] There are little cones and a bunch of people in little, you know, shiny clothes that tell

[00:13:34] us their orange vests.

[00:13:36] And the first guy waves us on.

[00:13:38] And then all of a sudden the second guy starts screaming at us.

[00:13:41] Yep.

[00:13:42] So I assume they read our license plate.

[00:13:44] No.

[00:13:44] Anyway, I don't know how they knew.

[00:13:46] But apparently the parking for that evening was going to be $21.50 or $21.45.

[00:13:51] It was some random.

[00:13:52] It was $21.60.

[00:13:56] There you go.

[00:13:57] That's an odd number.

[00:13:58] And we were not informed of that.

[00:14:00] In nowhere.

[00:14:01] I never.

[00:14:02] And I went back and looked and it's still not there.

[00:14:04] So apparently these contracts, it's a contract company and they just stand around with cones.

[00:14:10] I would like to point out that the place can only hold 6,000 people.

[00:14:14] All right.

[00:14:15] That's the number of people that can fit in that venue.

[00:14:18] There was no way.

[00:14:19] And that parking lot has more spaces than seats.

[00:14:22] Yes.

[00:14:23] So there's no need.

[00:14:24] It's not like parking is a premium.

[00:14:26] It's a need because you have somebody who has contracted with the venue and maybe the

[00:14:31] city in order to just show up and say, we're in charge of parking.

[00:14:35] Yeah.

[00:14:36] Because I don't need help.

[00:14:39] Right.

[00:14:39] I can go find a spot, but they're like 12 people on our side.

[00:14:44] All with those cool little flashlights with the red thing on the end.

[00:14:47] Well, that's just like at the airport when I had to bring a plane in.

[00:14:49] That's what they look like.

[00:14:50] Yes.

[00:14:50] That is exactly what they are.

[00:14:52] It's just a cap on there.

[00:14:53] It's a cone on top of your flashlight.

[00:14:55] Yeah.

[00:14:55] So you have to pull out your card and.

[00:14:58] Oh, and they don't take cash.

[00:14:59] No, they don't take cash.

[00:15:00] And at the venue, everybody here knows because they go out more than we do.

[00:15:04] Right.

[00:15:04] So I guess there's a lot of places now that don't take cash, which we'll get to in a

[00:15:08] moment.

[00:15:09] Yeah.

[00:15:09] So here we are in on the spot, people behind us waiting.

[00:15:13] There's nothing to be done except give them your card and their little handheld device.

[00:15:18] And he could just be some rando.

[00:15:19] We don't know.

[00:15:20] Yes.

[00:15:21] This is my point.

[00:15:22] So it's a business.

[00:15:23] And then as you delved into it, we were actually we got off cheap that night for 21.

[00:15:28] Judas Priest was going to be more the next night.

[00:15:30] Yeah.

[00:15:30] Judas Priest.

[00:15:31] And it was like $30.

[00:15:32] Yeah.

[00:15:33] To park that.

[00:15:34] So 70 year old men in leather.

[00:15:36] Yeah.

[00:15:37] OK.

[00:15:37] Which led us to the next topic, which is the fact of how they're nickeling and diming us

[00:15:44] to debt.

[00:15:45] Yes.

[00:15:46] Not to death anymore.

[00:15:47] It's just into debt until death until death.

[00:15:50] And then you have debt after your death.

[00:15:53] Debt.

[00:15:53] And then we began to delve down into that rabbit hole of costs and how they really are nickel

[00:16:01] and diming us to death.

[00:16:03] You know, when the first subscription service was started.

[00:16:06] When was the Bible put together?

[00:16:08] Well, printing press.

[00:16:09] Exactly.

[00:16:10] That was the.

[00:16:11] So, you know, 15th century, 1400s.

[00:16:13] The invention of the printing press led to the first subscription service.

[00:16:17] Well, I was thinking tithe.

[00:16:18] Well, they were.

[00:16:19] Well, no, I looked at that to see.

[00:16:22] And they actually said subscriptions are predate religion.

[00:16:27] Now, they didn't elaborate on that.

[00:16:30] And I don't think that's true.

[00:16:31] I think that was an AI generated.

[00:16:32] I think that's in fact, I'm going to go on the record right now saying that's completely

[00:16:37] bullshit.

[00:16:37] That is just bullshit.

[00:16:38] I know.

[00:16:38] That's why I didn't didn't try it any harder after I read that.

[00:16:42] The term actually, the idiom nickel and dime first showed up in the late 1800s.

[00:16:49] The Iowa Statesman newspaper used that phrase.

[00:16:52] And that was like 1890s, which falls right into the 1900s and 1920s with the rise of advertising,

[00:17:00] the rise of billboards, products where you can pay a fee, pay a month.

[00:17:05] Installment fees.

[00:17:06] Installments.

[00:17:06] Exactly.

[00:17:07] So really, consumerism just shot up at that moment.

[00:17:11] And then if you look at the at the range of that phrase nickel and dimed by the 1980s,

[00:17:17] it really took off.

[00:17:19] But nickel and dime to death is a 1960s American phrase.

[00:17:24] In stores, five and dimes.

[00:17:25] Exactly.

[00:17:26] So we're going to five and dime you.

[00:17:28] Yep.

[00:17:28] But that didn't have a negative connotation.

[00:17:30] And think about two installments.

[00:17:32] When you were making installment payments, you owned what you had when you were done.

[00:17:37] Yes.

[00:17:37] But actually, I got I have some stories about that.

[00:17:42] And it was the end of software signals the start of a new era because Oracle and those

[00:17:47] companies that was all about their software.

[00:17:50] But a company B2B software was just a booming business.

[00:17:54] And then Salesforce dot com comes in in ninety nine.

[00:17:57] And they said, we're going to put an end to software.

[00:18:00] Yeah.

[00:18:00] And they did.

[00:18:01] They have.

[00:18:02] They have.

[00:18:03] Well, no, they put an end to you owning.

[00:18:06] Yes.

[00:18:06] You don't own it anymore.

[00:18:07] Now you never did.

[00:18:09] Well, that's true.

[00:18:10] That's that's absolutely true.

[00:18:12] But companies had started having issues because, you know, I can't pay for licensing

[00:18:16] for Microsoft for every single computer in this in this office if I have, you know, 500

[00:18:21] employees.

[00:18:22] Right.

[00:18:22] So companies.

[00:18:23] Adobe was another big one.

[00:18:25] Adobe is one of the worst because Adobe was the really, truly the only good software

[00:18:31] where you could manipulate photographs.

[00:18:34] That was the big thing.

[00:18:35] Yes.

[00:18:35] PDFs are bad enough.

[00:18:36] We won't even get into the horror that is PDF files.

[00:18:40] Everybody that's listening has faced that at some point.

[00:18:42] But Adobe, Adobe used to sell Photoshop and it was expensive.

[00:18:49] I mean, to buy it was expensive.

[00:18:50] You had to pay an installment.

[00:18:52] I mean, you're talking for five hundred dollars.

[00:18:54] Yes.

[00:18:55] Back in the early 90s, you know, and it was expensive.

[00:18:58] There were some other versions of software that you could do things with, but nothing like

[00:19:03] Adobe.

[00:19:04] And, and of course now everybody knows you can't buy Adobe products at all now.

[00:19:10] Yeah.

[00:19:10] You have to, you have to pay a monthly fee.

[00:19:13] Yes.

[00:19:13] It's always a, it's always, it's always your rent.

[00:19:14] It's renting.

[00:19:15] Yeah.

[00:19:16] And, and of course they've manipulated it because they have marketers who hire psychologists

[00:19:21] to game the system.

[00:19:22] So with Adobe, you know, if all you want is Photoshop, you're going to pay 30 bucks a month.

[00:19:27] Yes.

[00:19:27] But for just $60 a month, you can have everything.

[00:19:31] And that's a bunch of programs.

[00:19:33] Well, and that's, and that all obviously led to the death of Blockbuster and businesses

[00:19:38] like that.

[00:19:39] Redbox now is another victim of streaming services.

[00:19:42] It's done.

[00:19:42] Oh, while we're on that.

[00:19:43] Subscriptions.

[00:19:43] While we're on that subject.

[00:19:44] It'd be nice if Redbox to go pick up all those crappy red boxes that are everywhere

[00:19:48] I see them.

[00:19:49] That one out in front of Walgreens and Moss Bluff is just sad.

[00:19:51] It is sad.

[00:19:52] It's just sad.

[00:19:53] Well, it's like a bygone era already.

[00:19:55] It's, it's, it's, you know, it's a tiny little slum in front of Walgreens.

[00:19:58] Exactly.

[00:19:58] It's a different time.

[00:20:00] It's like seeing a pay phone sitting there.

[00:20:02] Oh, I remember.

[00:20:03] I remember.

[00:20:04] In 2010, you started to have the birth of these subscription boxes.

[00:20:08] The first one was Birchbox where they, it's a monthly beauty box.

[00:20:12] Right.

[00:20:12] So they, they, they, they hit on the beauty thing for women and, and, you know, put together

[00:20:17] that way you don't have to compare because they're offering you your time back.

[00:20:21] Do you see you subscribe?

[00:20:23] Now I don't have to go out and search for these products.

[00:20:26] I don't have to, they just send them to me.

[00:20:28] Sure.

[00:20:29] I try everything and then I know what I want and I can just buy that.

[00:20:34] So you're vetting products for your customers and I'm paying for that convenience.

[00:20:38] Right.

[00:20:39] Chewy came along and started that for dogs.

[00:20:41] You can buy subscription.

[00:20:42] How about the boxes that are, you don't even know what's in them.

[00:20:45] You don't know their mystery box.

[00:20:46] Mystery boxes.

[00:20:47] And some people love that shit.

[00:20:48] But you can, you can subscribe and get your cat litter delivered to you.

[00:20:53] Everything can be a subscription.

[00:20:55] I wonder if you can buy it with cat shit already in it.

[00:20:59] It's, it's beautiful cat litter.

[00:21:01] Have you seen the commercials with Martha Stewart?

[00:21:03] Is that the one that changes color depending on what's killing your cat?

[00:21:05] Yes.

[00:21:06] So it's not.

[00:21:06] So you're also saving your cat.

[00:21:08] Well, who's not going to pay a subscription for that?

[00:21:10] I don't know how much that shit is a month.

[00:21:12] I don't either.

[00:21:13] But I am telling you.

[00:21:14] It's glorified sand.

[00:21:15] They have done studies on this.

[00:21:17] You know what I have learned?

[00:21:18] What?

[00:21:18] That the best cat litter in the world is the stuff that comes out of your lawn mower when

[00:21:22] you go mow your grass.

[00:21:23] Yeah, because.

[00:21:24] Because they hide it under there.

[00:21:25] My cats love that.

[00:21:26] They leave it for the dogs.

[00:21:27] And then Otto likes to come along.

[00:21:28] Well, Bella doesn't do that.

[00:21:30] Jelly beans.

[00:21:30] It's something about those German dogs.

[00:21:32] I don't know.

[00:21:33] Well, we've known that Germans have a Scheisse complex.

[00:21:38] That's been.

[00:21:38] Oh, Freud did talk about that.

[00:21:40] Yes, absolutely.

[00:21:41] Absolutely.

[00:21:41] Where did Martin Luther come up with his greatest ideas for the Reformation?

[00:21:46] While he was in the bathroom.

[00:21:47] While he was on the toilet.

[00:21:48] That's absolutely true.

[00:21:49] Look it up.

[00:21:50] Churchill.

[00:21:51] Hey.

[00:21:52] Toilet in the tub.

[00:21:53] I understand the tub.

[00:21:54] Well, he didn't like to wear clothes.

[00:21:56] He was always in bathrobes and stuff.

[00:21:58] He wasn't always nude.

[00:21:59] Well, no, he wasn't nude, but he liked to wear jammies and silks and silk robes and stay

[00:22:04] in bed all day.

[00:22:05] Who doesn't like that against their skin?

[00:22:06] Well, that's true.

[00:22:07] I mean, come on.

[00:22:08] I get it.

[00:22:08] So here they are.

[00:22:11] They're nickel and diming our time.

[00:22:13] And then it's our money.

[00:22:15] And if you actually start to sit down, and I know that we probably are scared to do it,

[00:22:19] but they have done the research because the data, right?

[00:22:23] Well, yeah.

[00:22:23] Remember when we all paid that money for Dish, right?

[00:22:28] Yes.

[00:22:28] We had Dish.

[00:22:29] Everybody had Dish or the other one.

[00:22:30] I had DirecTV.

[00:22:31] Payment and sold that.

[00:22:32] DirecTV.

[00:22:32] And we were like, oh, this is so awesome.

[00:22:34] And when we first got it, it was like 50 bucks a month.

[00:22:36] And we're like, sure, that's cheaper than cable.

[00:22:38] Yes.

[00:22:39] And then eventually it was no longer cheaper than cable.

[00:22:41] And cable is now going away.

[00:22:44] Actually, it's more often used for internet.

[00:22:46] Internet service depending on where you live.

[00:22:48] And then suddenly we had streaming.

[00:22:51] And we were all watching stuff without having to pay anything.

[00:22:55] Woo, this is awesome.

[00:22:57] Internet's free.

[00:22:58] And of course now.

[00:22:59] Entertainment's free.

[00:23:00] Now they've figured out how to game that.

[00:23:03] Well, they hire psychologists and marketers to figure us out.

[00:23:07] They follow our data like crazy because they want to know what we think.

[00:23:11] So the surveys and the subscriptions are all tied together.

[00:23:15] Yes.

[00:23:15] That's them trying to find out every minor minuscule thing about what you like, what you want.

[00:23:22] What's your price level point?

[00:23:24] Where will you not go above?

[00:23:26] Right.

[00:23:26] And they have figured all these things out.

[00:23:29] Marketers are the devil.

[00:23:31] According to CNR Research, the average American, one single American, not a family of four,

[00:23:37] spends $219 a month on subscription services.

[00:23:41] Now, if you think about the apps you pay for, along with the things that are big,

[00:23:46] they know that our price point is about $19.99.

[00:23:50] If it's over $20, we're more likely to cancel.

[00:23:53] If it's under $20, people generally just, it's convenience.

[00:23:57] And we don't think about it.

[00:23:59] And so we just don't bother with it.

[00:24:00] Think about people who smoke.

[00:24:01] They're paying a subscription fee to get cancer.

[00:24:05] I guess they are.

[00:24:07] Little by little, puff by puff.

[00:24:10] Tough.

[00:24:10] Of course, you know, he said even subscriptions can hurt your actual credit score.

[00:24:16] Oh, yeah.

[00:24:17] They know how much you're spending a month on subscriptions.

[00:24:20] You may not go in.

[00:24:21] He said, go in and check your credit card statements.

[00:24:24] And he said, part of the problem is most people have more than one.

[00:24:28] And they don't go in and look because they want to live in denial.

[00:24:31] So they don't want to think about it.

[00:24:33] So they're Egyptian.

[00:24:34] Exactly.

[00:24:35] So they don't look at it.

[00:24:36] And those subscriptions just continue charging, charging.

[00:24:39] So at $20 a month, it's more likely to go uncanceled.

[00:24:42] So that just benefits the businesses, of course.

[00:24:46] And they know that.

[00:24:47] So they are going to set the price point at something that, you know, people go, oh, that's

[00:24:52] no big deal.

[00:24:52] That's not much.

[00:24:53] That's $18 a month.

[00:24:54] Well, think about it.

[00:24:55] That's $1.50.

[00:24:56] I'm paying three bucks for this app.

[00:24:58] It's no big deal.

[00:24:59] Think about how many people got hammered with debit cards when we first got, when they first

[00:25:03] came out, debit cards.

[00:25:04] And people started using those instead of cash.

[00:25:07] I know this for a fact because kids, when they got them, they went off to college and

[00:25:14] mom would say, here's a debit card now.

[00:25:15] Only use it, you know, for emergencies, whatever.

[00:25:17] Yeah.

[00:25:18] And those kids would go and get like a Coke and use the debit card.

[00:25:21] A little bit.

[00:25:22] And then a Coke.

[00:25:23] Use the debit card.

[00:25:24] And they did not conceive of what they were actually spending until the bill came in and

[00:25:30] mom gets it and it's $140 and it's like 7-Eleven trips.

[00:25:35] Yeah.

[00:25:35] A thousand of them.

[00:25:36] Yeah.

[00:25:36] And then you have to go, are you getting high?

[00:25:38] Yeah.

[00:25:39] Look at all these snacks.

[00:25:41] You must be getting high.

[00:25:41] Well, your kids can't use your debit card to buy drugs.

[00:25:44] I guess they can now in some states.

[00:25:46] Yeah.

[00:25:46] Some states you can use your debit card to buy drugs.

[00:25:48] Well, it's not your kids.

[00:25:48] The parents will go get it.

[00:25:50] Yeah.

[00:25:51] Okay.

[00:25:51] You know, I didn't even think about the subscription services for your food, right?

[00:25:55] Blue apron.

[00:25:56] I don't want to cook.

[00:25:56] I can't go to the grocery store.

[00:25:58] I don't know what to do.

[00:26:00] I can't even portion.

[00:26:02] Some people need that kind of control in their life.

[00:26:04] So your debt is out of control.

[00:26:08] Oh, better health.

[00:26:09] Talk to a psychologist today for a monthly fee.

[00:26:13] Yes, online.

[00:26:13] You can have one at you.

[00:26:14] And they can prescribe medication.

[00:26:17] Can they really?

[00:26:18] Yes, they can.

[00:26:19] No, you have to have a paper prescription just to go to the actual pain meds.

[00:26:23] They are connected.

[00:26:24] They are connected to real psychologists who can, in fact, prescribe medication.

[00:26:31] Yes.

[00:26:32] Not pain.

[00:26:32] Psychotropic.

[00:26:33] Psychotropic drugs.

[00:26:34] Not pain.

[00:26:35] Pain medication, no.

[00:26:37] So mother's little helper now has turned to an app.

[00:26:40] But anything for anxiety.

[00:26:41] I mean, think about it.

[00:26:42] Like, you know, Xanax is for anxiety.

[00:26:45] Well, if you're contacting them on an app, then chances are you're pretty anxious.

[00:26:49] Even one of my blood pressure medicines actually was originally developed for anxiety.

[00:26:56] And it turns out it's quite effective for keeping blood pressure under control.

[00:27:01] Balanced?

[00:27:02] Hey, 117 over 70 the other day.

[00:27:06] Oh, hey, that's like my rank.

[00:27:08] Well, yeah, that's good.

[00:27:09] Well, 117 is kind of high for me.

[00:27:10] But 117 is not high.

[00:27:12] Well, but I always have.

[00:27:14] Well, I know you're nearly dead.

[00:27:16] But I get it.

[00:27:17] Shut up.

[00:27:18] That is not true.

[00:27:19] Such low pressure.

[00:27:20] I'm surprised you bleed.

[00:27:23] Well, not anymore.

[00:27:27] Menopause humor.

[00:27:28] You set that up.

[00:27:29] I'm sorry to you younger listeners out there who are in no way close to that time frame.

[00:27:34] You don't want it.

[00:27:36] Well, it's not bad when it's over.

[00:27:38] Yeah, when it's over.

[00:27:39] Yeah, when it's over.

[00:27:40] They're out there still raising kids.

[00:27:41] They're at a different time.

[00:27:42] Yeah, yeah.

[00:27:43] You've got other problems.

[00:27:44] But they are being nickel and dimed to debt.

[00:27:46] With kids too.

[00:27:48] Absolutely.

[00:27:48] And of course, we're talking about spending money money.

[00:27:51] What about charges now?

[00:27:55] Oh, yes.

[00:27:56] All of the charges.

[00:27:57] Scarlett and I were talking about the demise of the waiter business because they got into it

[00:28:03] Oh, they got into it with the businesses because they upped the fees and started charging much higher rates.

[00:28:11] The smaller the business was, the more they charged.

[00:28:14] And ultimately, bad will.

[00:28:15] Well, I think that's what's happened, honestly, with all of the fast food becoming so expensive.

[00:28:20] Yeah.

[00:28:20] I think they were testing to see how far they could go before.

[00:28:25] Because it's not like if a bunch of people stopped going to McDonald's for a short time, McDonald's is going to suffer.

[00:28:30] They're not.

[00:28:31] So you're saying they're pushing for a tipping point.

[00:28:33] They're trying to establish that tipping point.

[00:28:35] Yeah, just like the subscription services have done.

[00:28:38] The television.

[00:28:39] And now the bundle.

[00:28:40] That's the new trick.

[00:28:41] Yes, yes.

[00:28:41] Now.

[00:28:41] They're going to bundle.

[00:28:42] Well, then are they going to do that for all of the things that you like?

[00:28:45] And look at Prime.

[00:28:47] Prime is the worst.

[00:28:48] Speaking of which, Prime's motto, they just need to go ahead and put it on their thing right above the little smirk that Prime has.

[00:28:56] A little check.

[00:28:56] And it should say, bend over, we'll drive.

[00:28:59] Is that their official motto?

[00:29:02] It should be.

[00:29:03] Because think about what they've done now.

[00:29:05] I thought that was Tesla.

[00:29:06] We all paid for free shipping.

[00:29:08] That's what you pay Amazon for, right?

[00:29:11] Free shipping.

[00:29:11] When you hire, yes, when you pay Prime.

[00:29:13] And then they came out with their video service and said it comes free with your Amazon Prime membership.

[00:29:19] But we all know nothing's free.

[00:29:21] And we're like, okay, that's great.

[00:29:24] Now, so we pay a subscription fee to not have to pay shipping.

[00:29:28] Yes.

[00:29:29] And if you order from Amazon a lot, that's worth it.

[00:29:32] Then we get the video thing as a bonus.

[00:29:34] We're like, hey, good deal.

[00:29:36] Now, oh, we're going to go ahead and stick commercials in your stuff.

[00:29:40] But if you want no commercials, only $3 a month.

[00:29:45] But I'll bet it's $5 a month in a year.

[00:29:48] They may wait a little bit longer.

[00:29:50] But yeah, that'll be another.

[00:29:51] So now you subscribe, but then you have to pay to unsubscribe to certain things.

[00:29:57] Because they need, you know what that is, though?

[00:29:59] They need our eyeballs so they can try to figure out more about what we're going to buy.

[00:30:04] Yeah, what we want.

[00:30:05] Because that's what the commercials really do.

[00:30:08] Yes.

[00:30:08] Is they effectively allow them to see what you're interested in.

[00:30:13] Yes.

[00:30:13] Because if you stayed on it, you sat and watched the commercial versus you got up and you weren't even in the room.

[00:30:19] Right.

[00:30:19] And little do they know.

[00:30:20] And somehow they haven't figured out yet that a lot of the American people over a certain age, commercials don't affect them anymore.

[00:30:28] Like a commercial comes out for a new product, you're not likely to use that product.

[00:30:33] No, I'm not.

[00:30:33] We're over product already.

[00:30:35] I may still sit there, but I'm not actually watching it.

[00:30:38] Like if somebody came out with a brand new, I don't know what, mayonnaise, no amount of advertising is going to get somebody to go,

[00:30:43] you know, I'm going to try that new mayonnaise instead of the Dukes that I've been using for 25 years.

[00:30:47] Well, I don't know.

[00:30:47] I think they're Gen Z.

[00:30:48] I don't know.

[00:30:50] Good God, baby.

[00:30:52] Influencers.

[00:30:52] There are people who make money just trying to sell crap.

[00:30:55] That's young people.

[00:30:56] I'm talking about old people.

[00:30:57] Oh, the older.

[00:30:58] Older people.

[00:30:59] No, the baby boomers.

[00:31:00] Young people are just susceptible to it because they've been inundated with it since birth.

[00:31:04] Yeah, the Gen Zers, they're completely awash.

[00:31:08] Oh, subverted.

[00:31:08] And their information is fully known.

[00:31:11] Oh, yeah.

[00:31:12] They have no.

[00:31:13] Literally since childhood.

[00:31:14] You know, one of the other names that they give the Gen Z is Homelanders.

[00:31:21] Oh, that's not good.

[00:31:22] I know.

[00:31:23] I know.

[00:31:23] Because, you know, they call them the I generation or post-millennials or Homelanders.

[00:31:28] I don't even.

[00:31:28] I thought it was kind of a funny.

[00:31:30] Yeah.

[00:31:31] That sounds kind of fascistic.

[00:31:32] Well, all I can think is Homelander.

[00:31:35] Yeah.

[00:31:35] Homelander.

[00:31:36] Homelander.

[00:31:36] So here you are then in a day to day.

[00:31:39] You may not spend anything.

[00:31:42] Like, right?

[00:31:43] Like, I remember a couple years back they said, let's do a no spend November.

[00:31:47] Right.

[00:31:48] The entire month of November.

[00:31:49] Pay your bills and nothing else.

[00:31:51] Right.

[00:31:52] But you can't do it.

[00:31:53] Well, you can't do it.

[00:31:54] Even if all you're doing is buying your groceries and paying your bills, all these other things

[00:31:59] are happening without you doing anything because you've subscribed.

[00:32:04] Correct.

[00:32:06] And, like, I need Office.

[00:32:07] I have to have Office.

[00:32:09] I need Windows Office.

[00:32:10] Yes.

[00:32:11] So now they've created the subscription service for that.

[00:32:13] Because it doesn't come with your computer.

[00:32:15] No, you have to.

[00:32:16] You get Windows, whatever it is.

[00:32:18] I forget.

[00:32:19] The cloud services.

[00:32:20] When they got us to accept buying a dryer and having to buy an electrical cord separately.

[00:32:26] Or that little valve for dishwashers.

[00:32:29] What the hell?

[00:32:30] You have to have that.

[00:32:32] Right.

[00:32:33] That's my favorite.

[00:32:34] It's the little valve for dishwashers.

[00:32:36] Yeah.

[00:32:37] I have to have that.

[00:32:37] Oh, that doesn't come with your dishwasher.

[00:32:38] Why?

[00:32:40] It's the only way to make it work.

[00:32:42] And my dryer, the only way to make it work is to have an electrical cord.

[00:32:46] Yeah.

[00:32:46] Can you just, like, attach it?

[00:32:48] Everything else I buy has a cord.

[00:32:49] I fully believe, I absolutely believe that the idea of leasing a car is going to go away

[00:32:56] because what's going to happen is you're going to just simply rent a car.

[00:33:01] Yes.

[00:33:01] No one's going to own it because what they'll do is they'll copyright all the software.

[00:33:07] So you can't actually own the car.

[00:33:09] Well, like they can shut it down if the all-star can turn a car off.

[00:33:14] So we know that we don't actually have control.

[00:33:16] Well, all cars today, if you buy a new car, they can turn it off.

[00:33:18] That was my point about Tesla.

[00:33:19] You know, it's like Prime isn't the bend over will drive.

[00:33:22] It's Tesla.

[00:33:23] It'll be the car industry.

[00:33:24] Yeah, but Tesla's limp.

[00:33:27] They are now.

[00:33:27] They didn't start out that way.

[00:33:29] Their rockets keep going down.

[00:33:31] And he is still the richest American.

[00:33:34] Yeah.

[00:33:35] You know, I don't know that if I believe that.

[00:33:38] Well, AI says it.

[00:33:39] I know.

[00:33:40] So who controls AI?

[00:33:42] And I don't know what that even means.

[00:33:43] The richest man in the world.

[00:33:45] Oh, in the world or just in America?

[00:33:47] No, no.

[00:33:47] They said the richest man in the world the other day.

[00:33:49] Oh, okay.

[00:33:50] Because see, I would argue that one.

[00:33:51] In America, I could say, yeah, all right.

[00:33:53] I could buy that.

[00:33:54] But in the world?

[00:33:55] And truly, spiritually speaking, the richest man in the world probably is out in the middle

[00:33:59] of nowhere in a nice little just no neighbors, no noise.

[00:34:04] No subscription services.

[00:34:05] No subscription services.

[00:34:06] No.

[00:34:06] No.

[00:34:07] Sits on his porch all day drinking coffee and reading, listening to music.

[00:34:10] No, no.

[00:34:11] You still have to work.

[00:34:12] You know that whole thing?

[00:34:13] No, no.

[00:34:13] He's already worked.

[00:34:14] He's got all his money.

[00:34:15] He is the richest man in the world.

[00:34:17] I would assume probably out gardening.

[00:34:20] And his neighbor is the most interesting man in the world.

[00:34:23] With his beer?

[00:34:24] With his Dos Equis.

[00:34:25] His Dos Equis.

[00:34:26] Yes.

[00:34:27] You have a fantasy.

[00:34:28] It's very specific.

[00:34:30] His neighbor needs to be far, far away.

[00:34:32] Yes.

[00:34:33] Yes.

[00:34:34] So there you go.

[00:34:35] But yeah, the fees are, it's getting ridiculous.

[00:34:38] And now we, so debit cards.

[00:34:41] Yes.

[00:34:42] Oh, that was the other one.

[00:34:43] Debit versus credit.

[00:34:44] Right.

[00:34:44] It must be, most of you remember going to a store and using your card and they would

[00:34:48] ask you, do you want debit or credit?

[00:34:50] And if you said debit, they would give you their little keypad and you had to punch in

[00:34:54] your pin.

[00:34:54] Right.

[00:34:55] Nobody asks me that anymore.

[00:34:57] Nope.

[00:34:57] They don't even question debit or credit and they certainly don't ask me for my pin.

[00:35:01] Very, very seldom do I go to a purchase and have that happen.

[00:35:04] And there is a very specific reason for that.

[00:35:07] It is illegal for a business to charge you a processing fee for using your debit card.

[00:35:14] Your debit card.

[00:35:16] Period.

[00:35:17] And that's a plus.

[00:35:18] Even if you're using your debit card as a credit card, it is still illegal to charge

[00:35:23] you a processing fee.

[00:35:27] But it's happening.

[00:35:28] But it's happening.

[00:35:29] And it's been illegal since 2010?

[00:35:32] Since 2010.

[00:35:32] That has been illegal.

[00:35:34] Okay.

[00:35:35] And the way it, what killed me is like when we went to the venue, we couldn't buy our

[00:35:40] beer and our margarita and our chips.

[00:35:44] Oh, those chips.

[00:35:45] Oh, those uglies.

[00:35:46] Oh, so good.

[00:35:47] The uglies were delicious chips.

[00:35:49] But I digress.

[00:35:51] I'm sorry.

[00:35:51] I got off track.

[00:35:52] You have to order them from Amazon.

[00:35:53] I can't find it.

[00:35:54] I call it the weave.

[00:35:56] Anyway, anyway, there was a processing fee, but there is a reason.

[00:36:03] You just have to word it right.

[00:36:07] Oh, so they get away with it with the language.

[00:36:10] For instance, you get a cash discount.

[00:36:12] Yes.

[00:36:12] That's one way they overcome that.

[00:36:14] So when you have gas stations that give you the cash price and the credit price, that's

[00:36:20] taking care of that fee.

[00:36:21] Even if you use a debit card, you're paying the credit price.

[00:36:25] Yes.

[00:36:26] But you get a discount if you use cash.

[00:36:29] If you walk inside.

[00:36:31] But you've got to walk inside.

[00:36:32] There's where the language changes again, because then we also have convenience fees.

[00:36:36] And then we have to give up our time to walk inside.

[00:36:38] Yes, and that's inconvenient.

[00:36:40] And the chances that you might buy something else while you go inside is also an issue.

[00:36:47] Yes.

[00:36:47] Because that's human nature.

[00:36:47] Well, that's what they're trying to do.

[00:36:48] That's absolutely what they're trying to do.

[00:36:50] So they keep studying us because we're little, you know.

[00:36:55] Little experiments.

[00:36:55] Little experimental mice here.

[00:36:58] And they're stealing from us.

[00:37:01] That's how I see it.

[00:37:03] Yes.

[00:37:03] Because used to be when we were young and the kids were smaller and we were so money conscious

[00:37:10] because we had none.

[00:37:12] Everything was cash.

[00:37:14] The kids had to share a Happy Meal for a couple of years there.

[00:37:18] Like they would literally split the nuggets and fries.

[00:37:20] Well, it was enough.

[00:37:21] It was enough when they were smaller and you could get away with that.

[00:37:23] But now, because we don't actually see our own money, it goes into the bank.

[00:37:29] We have decent jobs.

[00:37:30] You know.

[00:37:31] Yeah.

[00:37:31] I know teachers complain about their pay.

[00:37:33] No, I don't complain about my pay.

[00:37:34] We have decent jobs.

[00:37:35] And so we don't really think about paying a little extra here, paying a little extra there.

[00:37:40] But if the experts have studied this and will tell you that one individual in America is paying about $219 on subscription services and extra fees every month.

[00:37:53] Well, that's the reason we're drowning in debt.

[00:37:56] I mean.

[00:37:56] That's part of it.

[00:37:58] And the reason this was all done, by the way, is because with the Internet and the ability to make payments on credit cards online, no one was late anymore.

[00:38:07] You weren't late and they were losing that money.

[00:38:08] And credit card companies were losing billions of dollars.

[00:38:11] They had to come up with other ways to do this.

[00:38:13] And the thing is, if you get charged a processing fee, if you look at your receipt, speaking of which, get all your receipts.

[00:38:20] Get your receipts.

[00:38:21] Usually we say no.

[00:38:22] I say no now.

[00:38:23] I'm not going to say no anymore.

[00:38:24] I know.

[00:38:25] I want my receipt.

[00:38:26] Country Gardens, the nursery up there, upcharges me when I use my card.

[00:38:29] There you go.

[00:38:30] So I know that.

[00:38:31] And you can complain to Visa or MasterCard, whoever has your debit card, and they will slap a big old hefty fine on the business or the business will lose their ability to accept Visa or MasterCard.

[00:38:42] But for that, you have to make it a habit to monthly actually go look at your credit card bill.

[00:38:48] So the ways businesses get past it is one is a minimum.

[00:38:52] You have a sign.

[00:38:53] It has to be prominently displayed.

[00:38:55] You have to tell them anything under $10.

[00:38:57] There's a fee.

[00:38:58] Incurs a fee.

[00:38:59] Right.

[00:39:00] Convenience fees, you can't really do anything about.

[00:39:03] Oh, like tickets, concert tickets.

[00:39:04] Well, movies is a good example.

[00:39:06] And I looked up why movie theaters were able to charge this $1.80 convenience fee when you buy tickets online.

[00:39:12] They said, oh, that's the convenience fee for saving your seat.

[00:39:17] Oh, they've reserved your seat.

[00:39:19] And we like the fact that we can pick our seats.

[00:39:21] Yes.

[00:39:21] So we are willing to pay that.

[00:39:23] I don't like the term convenience fee because it's not necessarily convenient.

[00:39:28] Well, that I don't have to get there and get into fisticuffs with somebody over where they sit.

[00:39:32] But by saying it's a convenience fee, then it's perfectly legal to charge you a fee when you use your debit card.

[00:39:40] Okay.

[00:39:40] It's not a processing fee.

[00:39:42] It's not a processing fee.

[00:39:43] It's a convenience fee.

[00:39:43] It's just a convenience fee.

[00:39:45] And Lord knows Americans like convenience and they know that.

[00:39:49] So...

[00:39:49] Concert tickets.

[00:39:50] $25 convenience fee.

[00:39:52] $25.

[00:39:53] And the artist gets none of that.

[00:39:56] No.

[00:39:57] No.

[00:39:57] No, they don't get that part.

[00:39:58] No.

[00:39:58] So from 2008 to 2020, the software business became...

[00:40:06] I mean, sorry, the streaming, the subscription for software, $200 billion market.

[00:40:12] Oh, yeah.

[00:40:12] $200 billion.

[00:40:14] Well, think about, too...

[00:40:15] By switching to that.

[00:40:17] Video games for cell phones.

[00:40:20] The games that kids play now.

[00:40:22] Because really, truly, kids are playing so many games on their phones.

[00:40:26] And even if a game is free, it'll say with in-ad purchase, you know, in-ad purchases available.

[00:40:33] Uh-huh.

[00:40:34] Because that's really what they want.

[00:40:35] So what's your phone?

[00:40:36] So, like, if you want to upgrade your whatever it is, your tank.

[00:40:40] Yeah.

[00:40:40] Well, you can upgrade it.

[00:40:41] And if you don't have the whatever you need, diamonds or whatever, you can buy them.

[00:40:46] You can just purchase them.

[00:40:47] Yeah.

[00:40:48] So your phone is also being a consumer.

[00:40:51] Yeah.

[00:40:52] Even if you're not doing anything sometimes.

[00:40:53] It's pay-to-play.

[00:40:55] I mean, you can still play the game.

[00:40:57] But it will take you much longer to get to a level if you don't cough up a few bucks every

[00:41:02] now and then.

[00:41:03] Mm-hmm.

[00:41:04] Yes, indeed.

[00:41:05] So even that.

[00:41:06] Yep.

[00:41:06] So your technology is taking your money.

[00:41:10] You're spending your money.

[00:41:11] Look, and I'm as bad as anybody.

[00:41:13] Oh, I know.

[00:41:14] We're doing it.

[00:41:14] I pay my subscription fee for my PlayStation.

[00:41:16] I know.

[00:41:17] But for that subscription fee, I feel like I'm getting something because otherwise I'd

[00:41:22] buy games.

[00:41:24] And really, truly, I'd rather do it this way.

[00:41:26] Because when I buy a game...

[00:41:27] Then it just sits right here in this game box.

[00:41:29] And doesn't get played.

[00:41:30] And doesn't get played at all.

[00:41:32] That's right.

[00:41:32] So if you continually pay for it, you feel like you get more out of it.

[00:41:35] And with PlayStation, their entire catalog is available for you to play pretty much.

[00:41:39] Well, right now.

[00:41:40] No, I think that'll stick.

[00:41:42] They're making enough money off of that.

[00:41:44] Okay, well...

[00:41:44] Because it doesn't cost them anything.

[00:41:46] That day might come where they don't.

[00:41:48] Well, the games have already made all their money.

[00:41:51] So now it's all just gravy money.

[00:41:54] Because nobody's going to go out and buy a PlayStation 3 game, but they'll play it on a PlayStation

[00:41:58] 5.

[00:41:59] And they'll continue playing it.

[00:42:00] Yeah.

[00:42:01] Maybe so.

[00:42:02] Maybe so.

[00:42:02] So they really are.

[00:42:04] The country, the marketers.

[00:42:07] We've complained about marketers.

[00:42:08] No, they're the devil.

[00:42:09] They are the devil.

[00:42:10] Yes.

[00:42:10] And they're nickel and diming us to death.

[00:42:12] We need Bill Hicks back.

[00:42:13] They blame Alexander Graham Bell for the first telecommunications industry, you know.

[00:42:19] Jerk.

[00:42:21] That's it.

[00:42:21] And you couldn't even find a bullet in a president.

[00:42:23] Well, AT&T started in 1885, so...

[00:42:26] Yep.

[00:42:27] There you go.

[00:42:28] So anyway, check how much you're spending.

[00:42:30] Just go ahead.

[00:42:31] Yeah, especially if you're a young couple.

[00:42:33] Keep your receipts.

[00:42:34] If you're...

[00:42:35] Well, everybody needs to do it.

[00:42:36] But, you know, if every little bit matters...

[00:42:39] Every monthly fee.

[00:42:40] In your home.

[00:42:42] Because some of them are tiny.

[00:42:43] Like, the Microsoft was like seven bucks a month.

[00:42:46] Yeah, and it's going to be good.

[00:42:46] You don't think about that.

[00:42:47] Well, look, I canceled the subscription to Sirius, and it was only like $6 a month.

[00:42:52] But I just am so aggravated with them every year that I have to call.

[00:42:56] They want to charge more.

[00:42:57] But if I call and talk to somebody, they keep knocking down the price.

[00:43:01] Right.

[00:43:02] They take your time then.

[00:43:03] Then they take my time, yes.

[00:43:05] And now Mojo Nixon is dead, so Outlaw Country sucks.

[00:43:08] Yeah.

[00:43:08] Get a man.

[00:43:09] Outlaw Country.

[00:43:10] Get a male to do drive time, please.

[00:43:13] You don't like...

[00:43:13] No, we like Paula Nelson.

[00:43:14] I like Paula Nelson.

[00:43:15] I do not care for Sweeney.

[00:43:17] She's just not interesting.

[00:43:20] Okay.

[00:43:20] There.

[00:43:21] What about Elizabeth Cook and her apron?

[00:43:22] Elizabeth Cook?

[00:43:23] Oh, she's fine.

[00:43:24] All right.

[00:43:25] She's all right, because it's lunchtime.

[00:43:27] Oh.

[00:43:27] So you don't listen to Elizabeth all that long?

[00:43:30] No, no.

[00:43:30] Oh, okay.

[00:43:31] But Sweeney is...

[00:43:32] I'm sure she's a perfectly nice individual.

[00:43:35] Yeah.

[00:43:35] But from going from Mojo Nixon to that is like going from bourbon and Coke to water.

[00:43:43] Perhaps they surveyed their clientele and have discovered that more women are listening at

[00:43:47] that time of day.

[00:43:48] And you're just one old gray-haired white man.

[00:43:51] Nope.

[00:43:52] And they don't really give a crap about you.

[00:43:53] Not to country music.

[00:43:54] Nope.

[00:43:55] There you go.

[00:43:55] You don't know.

[00:43:56] I do know.

[00:43:57] You don't know.

[00:43:57] I guarantee it.

[00:43:58] Did you answer the survey?

[00:44:00] Guarantee you.

[00:44:01] No, I did not answer the survey.

[00:44:02] Well, I don't know about all that, but we need to find balance and we need to get

[00:44:06] our affairs back in order.

[00:44:08] And I think that when they recognize that we recognize, and I'm going to say it, I'm

[00:44:14] just going to say it.

[00:44:15] We have like 16 days till this damn election and whatever circus is going to happen is

[00:44:21] going to go.

[00:44:22] I don't know if it's going to be a fire kind of circus or if it's going to be just the

[00:44:27] three ring chaos kind.

[00:44:28] I don't know what's going to happen.

[00:44:29] Well, I think I may have a clue how the next 16 days are going to go.

[00:44:34] Can I just finish?

[00:44:35] Oh yeah, I'm sorry.

[00:44:36] Okay, but I want to ask every single one of you that's listening out there.

[00:44:39] I know it's not going to be enough people, but if we could get all voting Americans and

[00:44:44] you just need to spread the word exponentially now, you got 16 days.

[00:44:47] When you walk into that booth, you don't vote for either one of those.

[00:44:52] Don't vote for either one of them.

[00:44:53] And then the two parties will say, oh, they won't take our shit.

[00:44:59] Go in and say, I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.

[00:45:04] If everybody would just do it, I'm not throwing my vote away.

[00:45:08] I am.

[00:45:09] I am asking that you all join me so that we can send a message just like platform.

[00:45:16] Not like platform too, because that sucked.

[00:45:17] But just like platform, we need to send a message and it needs to be a serious one.

[00:45:22] And I'm saying to not vote for either of the major party candidates is a serious message

[00:45:27] that we're not going to take their shit anymore.

[00:45:29] And they need to offer us some good candidates.

[00:45:33] Well, I think we may have found a good candidate.

[00:45:35] His name is Donald Trump.

[00:45:37] I feel better about just saying it.

[00:45:38] And he was in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

[00:45:41] Oh, no.

[00:45:42] Do you know who was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania?

[00:45:45] No.

[00:45:45] Arnold Palmer, the golfer.

[00:45:47] The golfer.

[00:45:48] Oh, yeah, yeah.

[00:45:48] Okay.

[00:45:49] He passed away in 2016.

[00:45:50] Okay.

[00:45:50] But he's still that town.

[00:45:52] Famous.

[00:45:52] Famous.

[00:45:53] Claim to fame for them.

[00:45:53] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:45:55] And so Trump spent 12 minutes at the top of his speech suggesting how much more fun the

[00:46:01] night would have been if Palmer could be there.

[00:46:03] Have been alive.

[00:46:05] And then he said, Arnold Palmer was all man.

[00:46:08] And I say that and I'll do respect to women.

[00:46:10] He was.

[00:46:12] What?

[00:46:13] This is a guy that was all man.

[00:46:15] That was all man.

[00:46:16] Okay.

[00:46:16] When he took the showers with the other pros, they came out there and said, oh, my God,

[00:46:20] that thing's unbelievable.

[00:46:22] Is that what the pros?

[00:46:23] I had to say.

[00:46:24] We have women that are highly sophisticated here, but they used to look at Arnold as a

[00:46:27] man.

[00:46:28] Oh, wow.

[00:46:29] He said that.

[00:46:30] Those were his words.

[00:46:31] At a convention, a rally.

[00:46:34] Okay.

[00:46:36] So what he's saying then is that golf pros had to shower together?

[00:46:41] Well, first of all, yeah, I don't think golf pros actually shower together.

[00:46:43] I don't think they do.

[00:46:44] Aren't those country clubs?

[00:46:45] Are they looking at each other's junk?

[00:46:46] Apparently.

[00:46:47] Their clubs?

[00:46:48] Are they looking at each other's clubs?

[00:46:50] Donald, I need some support on that.

[00:46:52] Who exactly told you of his bigness, his largesse?

[00:46:58] Okay.

[00:46:59] Oh, my Lord.

[00:47:00] Okay.

[00:47:01] That's neither here nor there to me.

[00:47:03] I want the country to come together and bridge the gap of foolishness and just vote for somebody

[00:47:11] else.

[00:47:11] Correct.

[00:47:12] Off, right in.

[00:47:13] I don't know.

[00:47:14] I don't know what's going to be the option when I get in there.

[00:47:16] I don't either.

[00:47:16] But I have to try.

[00:47:17] I think RFK might still be on the ballot.

[00:47:19] Well, then maybe he's going to be the one.

[00:47:21] It doesn't have to be anybody.

[00:47:23] It just doesn't have to be either one of them.

[00:47:25] Well, you know, I think maybe.

[00:47:27] It's a powerful message.

[00:47:29] Powerful.

[00:47:30] Well, I think.

[00:47:30] I don't know, though.

[00:47:31] You know, like women.

[00:47:34] The media is telling us who which side is getting the women vote, the black vote.

[00:47:40] I have made no no secret of the fact that I do not like Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, Kamala, Kamala, Kamala.

[00:47:48] Not as our leader.

[00:47:49] Sure.

[00:47:50] And that's my problem.

[00:47:51] It's the choice that I'm given.

[00:47:53] That's that.

[00:47:54] And in America, the binary choice thing is just stupid.

[00:47:58] So you're one of those trans people.

[00:48:00] No, no.

[00:48:01] That has nothing to do with that.

[00:48:02] I'm sorry.

[00:48:03] I'm sorry.

[00:48:04] I'm talking actual binary.

[00:48:06] No, I understand.

[00:48:07] Two choices.

[00:48:07] As Leibniz created it.

[00:48:09] Zeros and ones, baby.

[00:48:10] Zeros and ones.

[00:48:12] On off.

[00:48:14] But I think other people are getting really tired of it.

[00:48:16] And I have a final kind of a closing story.

[00:48:18] You do have a final closing story?

[00:48:20] Okay.

[00:48:20] And it's about women.

[00:48:21] Because women are important in this election.

[00:48:23] Well, absolutely.

[00:48:24] And they're actually participating.

[00:48:27] It turns out that across America, middle class women are tripping balls.

[00:48:33] Arnold Palmer balls?

[00:48:35] I don't know.

[00:48:36] Are they that big?

[00:48:38] Across America, women are using hallucinogenics to improve their marriages and their mental

[00:48:42] health in these stressful days.

[00:48:45] They are collectively known as the mushroom mommies.

[00:48:49] All right.

[00:48:50] What age range does it say?

[00:48:52] The younger mothers?

[00:48:53] Well, the story covers people in their 30s and 40s and 50s.

[00:48:57] Okay.

[00:48:57] Well, by that, by 40s, your kids are pretty much grown.

[00:49:01] I like this.

[00:49:02] The way this story starts cracks me up.

[00:49:05] Picture the platonic ideal of the millennial woman.

[00:49:07] And you're probably thinking of someone like Rachel.

[00:49:09] Rachel's 42.

[00:49:10] She has enviable, unblemished skin and a nose piercing.

[00:49:15] Nostril, not septum.

[00:49:16] Oh.

[00:49:17] In which she sports a delicate gold hoop.

[00:49:19] She's been married for two decades to her college sweetheart, with whom she has three

[00:49:23] kids all under the age of 13.

[00:49:24] She worked for 10 years in the healthcare industry before becoming a full-time trad mom.

[00:49:30] Oh.

[00:49:31] Stay at home.

[00:49:31] She rides her Peloton every morning.

[00:49:33] Okay.

[00:49:34] She attends PTA meetings.

[00:49:35] And in her spare time, knits sweaters that look like the kind of garment that Gwyneth Paltrow

[00:49:40] would wear.

[00:49:40] Aw.

[00:49:41] But she also has another hobby, one that makes her a bit different than the moms in her Texas

[00:49:45] suburb.

[00:49:47] She doesn't talk about it with them, of course.

[00:49:49] Once a month or so, after she and her husband put the kids to bed, Rachel texts her in-laws

[00:49:52] who live down the street to make sure they're home and available in the event of an emergency.

[00:49:56] And then Rachel takes a big, giant dose of magic mushrooms, or sometimes MDMA, and then

[00:50:02] spends the next four to five hours tripping balls.

[00:50:05] Oh, so that's her vacation.

[00:50:07] She's getting her stress relief.

[00:50:09] She says, everything feels incredible.

[00:50:11] Everything tastes incredible.

[00:50:12] All your sensory experiences are really intense.

[00:50:14] Sex is crazy.

[00:50:17] She says, if you take MDMA with a partner, it feels almost like you can accomplish what

[00:50:21] you would in like five years of couples counseling in one night.

[00:50:26] So Rachel's happy.

[00:50:28] Rachel is very happy.

[00:50:29] And it turns out that lots of women across the country are actually doing this.

[00:50:34] They are taking mushrooms.

[00:50:36] It has become, well, it's become very standard in celebrity circles.

[00:50:43] Yes.

[00:50:43] Well, we know that from our former friend, you know, who drowned in his, I can't think of

[00:50:50] his name now.

[00:50:52] I like the term mushroom mommies.

[00:50:54] There we go.

[00:50:55] Most mushroom mommies are in fact not tripping balls.

[00:50:58] They are microdosing.

[00:50:59] They are taking a sub tripping amount each day.

[00:51:05] To maintain.

[00:51:06] Yeah.

[00:51:06] And, but when they want to take more, they go, there are these resorts now that are popping

[00:51:12] up in various places called spirit journey resorts.

[00:51:14] So they're banking on the experience vacation.

[00:51:17] Well, they have sprung up to serve.

[00:51:20] And I quote the bougie drug user, the high end drug users.

[00:51:26] Yeah.

[00:51:27] I'm not dirty like a, like a abandoned house, you know, doing meth on the floor kind of guy.

[00:51:33] So this woman went to one of these places and found out that the women, when she walked

[00:51:38] in, there were so the range of types of women were so different.

[00:51:42] She was blown away.

[00:51:43] She was expecting all liberal women, not the case.

[00:51:46] There were, there were very religious women in there.

[00:51:50] There were very free spirit, you know, hippie types and everything in between.

[00:51:54] You know what that means?

[00:51:54] Those are all thinking people and they, and they're just being who they are and not conforming

[00:52:00] to the.

[00:52:02] One of the things that they all had in common was they had all been prescribed pharmaceutical

[00:52:07] medication for their anxieties.

[00:52:09] And they didn't like it.

[00:52:10] And not only did they not like it, many of them got addicted and all of them that everybody

[00:52:17] there had that experience.

[00:52:18] And now none of them in this group are taking pharmaceutical medication.

[00:52:24] And if they don't get their mushrooms, they don't freak out.

[00:52:26] So yeah, it's not an addiction.

[00:52:29] There are however keenly aware that their zeal is shared neither by the federal government nor

[00:52:33] the average HR department, which is why everybody featured in this story has been given a fake

[00:52:37] name to protect their privacy.

[00:52:39] As Rachel put it, I like having custody of my kids.

[00:52:43] Yeah, no doubt.

[00:52:44] And I don't want the state telling me.

[00:52:46] Yeah, well, that's true.

[00:52:47] But you can see the other side, right?

[00:52:49] I mean.

[00:52:49] But she said, you know, I really actually until this until she discovered the use of psychedelics,

[00:52:56] she thought she was going to be stuck trying to find a drug that would work for her.

[00:53:02] And now she says it's not necessary.

[00:53:05] The pharmaceutical industry.

[00:53:06] We've also talked about that over the years.

[00:53:09] Yes.

[00:53:09] As is out of control as well.

[00:53:12] And let's God, you know, it's going to happen, though, because it's happening in Florida right

[00:53:15] now.

[00:53:15] You get this big battle.

[00:53:16] They're going to legalize weed in Florida in the next election, most likely.

[00:53:20] Yeah.

[00:53:21] And it's a battle now about licensing because the governor says, well, if we're going to

[00:53:27] legalize this, then only the the organizations that are running our medical marijuana system

[00:53:34] should be licensed.

[00:53:35] Like in Louisiana, it was LSU and Southern.

[00:53:38] And there are mom and pop operations in Florida that they want.

[00:53:42] Well, they want the license.

[00:53:44] They want to be able to compete for the license.

[00:53:45] That's part of the American dream.

[00:53:46] You start a business, you make your way, you make your money.

[00:53:49] Yeah.

[00:53:49] And so that's that's the battle now in Florida.

[00:53:52] It should not be monopolized.

[00:53:54] It's weird.

[00:53:54] In a state that's about to legalize weed, there's also a big battle going on because

[00:53:58] Florida has told TV stations across the state before the election, because there's a ballot

[00:54:03] initiative that will tell the Florida government they can't fiddle with abortion.

[00:54:07] They're not allowed to even deal with it.

[00:54:08] Whoa.

[00:54:09] And the government has told all the television stations, if you run those commercials, we're

[00:54:14] going to charge you with attempting to subvert the law.

[00:54:18] The government can't.

[00:54:19] Well, exactly.

[00:54:20] That's what the federal judge said.

[00:54:22] That's censorship.

[00:54:23] I'm sorry.

[00:54:24] That's their right to speak.

[00:54:25] Federal judge was not impressed.

[00:54:27] He said, quote, to keep it simple for the state of Florida, let me say this.

[00:54:31] It's the First Amendment, stupid.

[00:54:34] That's a federal judge.

[00:54:35] Wow.

[00:54:36] But they are they are attempting to do it.

[00:54:39] They are trying to gag TV stations to prevent them from running commercials that are supporting

[00:54:45] this issue in the election.

[00:54:47] Wow.

[00:54:47] There you go.

[00:54:48] That's supposed to be everybody's free speech.

[00:54:50] The other side can.

[00:54:52] Oh, OK.

[00:54:53] They say it's basically encouraging women.

[00:54:55] It's encouraging that the commercials encourage behavior that could be dangerous, blah, blah,

[00:55:00] blah, blah, blah.

[00:55:01] You're inciting a riot.

[00:55:03] Think about all the weird stuff we heard this week.

[00:55:05] Yeah.

[00:55:06] Mississippi is training drug dogs to sniff out abortion medication.

[00:55:10] Abortion pills.

[00:55:11] Don't try to bring that into this state.

[00:55:13] No.

[00:55:14] A dog.

[00:55:14] Poor babies.

[00:55:15] It's a pill.

[00:55:17] Do you think dogs make fun of other dogs?

[00:55:18] Like it's like.

[00:55:19] What's your job?

[00:55:20] What do you do, man?

[00:55:21] I sniff out bombs, man.

[00:55:22] I sniff out.

[00:55:22] I save people's lives.

[00:55:23] What do you do?

[00:55:24] I sniff out heroin and cocaine.

[00:55:28] You know, I keep people from dying.

[00:55:29] I smell cancer on patients.

[00:55:31] Yeah, I smell cancer on patients.

[00:55:32] What about you, man?

[00:55:34] I sniff out abortion pills.

[00:55:37] What?

[00:55:39] Yeah.

[00:55:39] Poor babies.

[00:55:40] All right.

[00:55:41] Good Lord.

[00:55:42] We really are out of balance.

[00:55:43] The whole country.

[00:55:44] See?

[00:55:44] See?

[00:55:44] And I don't think it's going to help.

[00:55:46] I don't think either one of these.

[00:55:47] No, no.

[00:55:48] Neither one of these people are going to help.

[00:55:49] Icons that they're putting up for our choice.

[00:55:52] Well, apparently it's all going to come crashing down soon anyway because the whole world is in debt.

[00:55:56] I don't know who they owe the money to.

[00:55:57] I thought we owed it to somebody.

[00:55:59] But everybody's in debt.

[00:55:59] Well, right now it's all in play.

[00:56:01] Yeah.

[00:56:01] Every minute of every second our money is in play.

[00:56:04] The debt load of the industrial world is insane.

[00:56:12] Yeah, I don't even – do we actually have a number for that?

[00:56:14] I mean, it's past trillion.

[00:56:16] In excess of $100 trillion.

[00:56:19] Yeah, I don't know that it even makes any logical sense.

[00:56:22] It's driven largely by China.

[00:56:25] China's going into debt.

[00:56:28] If China can't make a buck on their cheap crap, well, God knows they can't make audio cables.

[00:56:32] If governments can't balance their budgets, then we know that there's no hope, right?

[00:56:38] Well, they're talking about insolvency is a real thing.

[00:56:41] I'm just trying to figure out if everybody owes money –

[00:56:44] Yes, if everything comes crashing down, how does it matter?

[00:56:47] Yeah.

[00:56:48] What does it matter?

[00:56:48] It's all smoke and mirrors anyway.

[00:56:50] It's all just dust.

[00:56:52] Okay, we can't leave our listeners like that.

[00:56:54] I know.

[00:56:55] Go take your magic mushrooms.

[00:56:57] Go take – yes, that's right.

[00:56:58] Get out there and take some magic mushrooms.

[00:57:00] Find you somebody and pay their fee.

[00:57:02] You don't want to do that.

[00:57:03] Oh, that's it.

[00:57:04] Have a shot of bourbon.

[00:57:05] We need a subscription service.

[00:57:06] For mushrooms.

[00:57:07] And weed and gummies and all of your –

[00:57:10] Hang on.

[00:57:11] It's coming.

[00:57:11] I mean, we already have it for our medications.

[00:57:14] They send us –

[00:57:14] I'm sure we'll have it.

[00:57:15] Every month they send us our medications.

[00:57:17] When they can figure out how to make our brains trip with an image on a screen –

[00:57:22] As opposed to –

[00:57:23] Where if you stare at it, you actually start to hallucinate.

[00:57:25] Well, there'll be an app for that.

[00:57:27] And there'll be a fee.

[00:57:28] Yeah, and there'll be a fee for it.

[00:57:30] Yep.

[00:57:30] There you go.

[00:57:30] Hang on.

[00:57:31] I'm going to cough again.

[00:57:32] Oh, poor baby.

[00:57:34] Yep.

[00:57:35] All right.

[00:57:35] I think we need to wrap it up for that very reason.

[00:57:36] I think that's the signal.

[00:57:38] It's starting to hurt.

[00:57:40] Our people need to scour their –

[00:57:43] Yeah, look at your bills.

[00:57:45] Look at your receipts.

[00:57:46] Check that out.

[00:57:47] And check out how –

[00:57:47] See where you can cut.

[00:57:48] And what do you really not need.

[00:57:51] And look close because you might want to get some lube first.

[00:57:55] And allow yourself to not do all those surveys.

[00:57:58] Especially the surveys.

[00:57:59] That's your time, man.

[00:58:00] Your time has value.

[00:58:02] Your time – the value of your time is at least equal to what you get paid to do your job.

[00:58:09] Yes.

[00:58:10] So if you're not being paid to take these surveys, do not take them.

[00:58:14] You don't need to do it.

[00:58:14] Or do what I do, which is I answer the surveys, but I totally make up my answers.

[00:58:20] Well, see, that's still my time.

[00:58:21] I don't even bother with it.

[00:58:21] Oh, I do it quick.

[00:58:22] It's fast.

[00:58:23] No, I don't even bother.

[00:58:23] Sucked.

[00:58:24] It sucked.

[00:58:24] And they go, why?

[00:58:25] Because it did.

[00:58:27] I'm a troll.

[00:58:28] I'm a troll.

[00:58:29] Okay.

[00:58:29] Yeah.

[00:58:30] This will be a troll?

[00:58:31] Arr.

[00:58:32] No, I want you to feel good.

[00:58:40] It's going to happen.

[00:58:40] It's going to happen.

[00:58:41] It's so true.

[00:58:42] All right.

[00:58:42] Your joy is portable.

[00:58:43] Bring it with you.

[00:58:44] Take it into the election booth.

[00:58:46] Have fun, people.

[00:58:47] Is that happening before our next podcast?

[00:58:49] No, I think because we're a week off, so I don't know.

[00:58:53] Well, we're not doing another one for two weeks.

[00:58:55] There you go.

[00:58:57] Spoken.

[00:58:58] I have spoken.

[00:59:00] All right.

[00:59:00] Let it go, G.

[00:59:01] I will.

[00:59:02] Bye.

[00:59:02] Y'all have a good couple of weeks.

[00:59:04] We'll see you in two.