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A recent Gallup poll found that confidence in United States institutions is falling to new lows. The poll asked participants about their level of confidence in public schools, the military, small business, big business, the police and more. In all participants were asked about 16 separate institutions. Gallup has been conducting this same poll since 1993, and this year's average was a new low. This year's poll found that Americans are less confident in U.S. institutions than they were last year, with significant declines in 11 of the 16 institutions tested. No institution in the test improved in confidence from the year prior. The institution in the test with the least amount of confidence is the United States Congress, and right above them is television news. Print news is also in the bottom 5 institutions that Americans have confidence in, meaning that Americans have almost no confidence in our news. It also seems that confidence in our news is on a rapid decline. This is a serious problem. Why do so many Americans have so little faith in our news, and what are the potential problems that can arise from this? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #123.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Confidence in U.S. Institutions Down; Average at New Low
2) More people are avoiding the news, and trusting it less, report says
3) 4chan explodes after user allegedly cracks Hunter Biden’s iCloud
4) Secret Service says it's 'aware' of alleged Hunter Biden iCloud hack
5) House Republican says Treasury won't hand over Hunter Biden documents unless Democrats join request
6) Biden: I never talked to son Hunter about overseas business dealings
7) ‘Pedo Pete’: Massive 4Chan Hack Of Hunter Biden’s Explicit Texts, Images, Videos Rocks The Internet
8) A one-source story about a 10-year-old and an abortion goes viral
9) Ohio 10-year-old's alleged rapist is Guatemalan illegal immigrant
Episode #122: 'Liberal World Order'
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In a CNN interview a few days ago a representative from the Biden administration was asked about inflation, rising fuel prices, and the fact that Americans are struggling to cope with these issues. His answer has gone viral and it has shocked many people who can't believe the Biden representative said the quiet part out loud. The question he was asked was in relation to the war in Ukraine, since the Biden administration has blamed inflation and rising fuel prices on Russia's actions in Ukraine. The Biden representative said that it was necessary for the American people to suffer under the crippling inflation because what was at stake was, "the future of the liberal world order." Many Americans have no idea what the liberal world order even is, let alone do they care enough about it to justify paying higher prices. This answer from the Biden representative only confirmed that the American people are not President Biden's highest priority, and that there are influences outside of the United States that are a greater concern for him. What exactly is the liberal world order, and why is it so important that Americans must suffer for its survival? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #122.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Wall Street Says a Recession Is Coming. Consumers Say It's Already Here
2) Americans Pawning Items to Buy Gas, Survive Inflation
3) Supreme Court rules Biden administration can end “remain in Mexico” policy
4) Trump's 'Economic Nationalist Agenda'
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The United States of America is a Constitutional Republic, meaning we are a collection of states and commonwealths that are united by a federation. However, the debates about the size and role of the federal government in relation to the states has been a consistent battle going back to the inception of this nation. Alexander Hamilton, who was a staunch federalist, argued for a large powerful federal government that played a large role in the happenings of the individual states. Other men, such as Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams argued for a small federal government, with a limited role in the states. In 1829 Andrew Jackson created the Democratic Party in opposition to a large powerful central government. He said it was the enemy of individual liberty. It is ironic that today so many democrats are upset by the recent Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade. How does this ruling give more power to the people in individual states, and how is the Democratic Party spreading fear and disinformation about this ruling to increase voter turnout in the fall? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #121.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) 51 migrants found dead inside sweltering semitruck in San Antonio
2) Republicans flip U.S. House seat in South Texas, historically a Democratic stronghold
3) Arizona Legislature ends its session amid protests, tear gas
4) Vermont Statehouse struck by abortion-related vandalism
5) Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Offers Critique of Roe v. Wade During Law School Visit
6) When Joe Biden Voted to Let States Overturn Roe v. Wade
7) 2008 California Proposition 8
8) Nancy Pelosi Shoves Daughter Of Mayra Flores
9) Half of Voters Approve Supreme Court Ruling
10) Pro-Life Women Celebrate End of Roe
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Money has changed a lot throughout the millennia of human civilization. It's evolved from clay tablets, to metal coins, to papers notes and even digital currency. One thing that has not changed in those thousands of years is what makes money work, and how it is valued. That one thing is trust. Without trust money is nothing more than clay, metal, paper and digits. The only thing that makes those items money is that a group of people have agreed it is money and they are willing to trade their labor, products, and services for those items. However, on the flip side, if a civilization loses trust in their money it can cause an economic catastrophe that can destroy nations. This is something that is worrying economist like Lawrence (Larry) Summers who believes some Americans are losing faith in our institutions, and thereby losing trust in our money. He believes this loss of trust is contributing to inflation and the overall economic downturn. Are these concerns supported by facts? Are Americans and other nations losing trust in the dollar, and if so, why? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #120.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
2) What If We Paid Off The Debt? The Secret Government Report
3) CNN fact checker slams Biden’s claim that he reduced federal deficit
4) Man on the street questions
5) Man on the street questions
6) Man on the street questions
7) Republican senators present Biden with smaller Covid stimulus proposal, call for compromise
8) Russia Envoy Says Biden Sanctions Backfire, Hurting U.S. Economy and Power
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The committee investigating the January 6th riot at the Capitol doesn’t seem to be interested in why security at the Capitol was so poor that day. They haven’t addressed questions of why Capitol Police were so ill-equipped, or why they were ordered not to use their most sophisticated tools for crowd control. They haven’t shown videos of Capitol Police opening doors, or of the police standing around while demonstrators loitered inside the Capitol. The committee thus far has been singularly focused on one issue, and one issue only: President Trump’s culpability in the riot. The committee has been biased to say the least. They’ve used selectively edited video of Trump’s speech at the Ellipse, leaving out the part where he told the crowd to be “peaceful and patriotic”. They’ve also failed to mention that the Trump administration offered to deploy the National Guard to the Capitol days before the riot, but were turned down. These hearings are just the latest episode in the Trump impeachment trilogy. How are these hearings like the two Trump impeachment hearings, and what is different about this 3rd episode? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #119.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) High fence erected outside Supreme Court as abortion-related protests continue
2) Kavanaugh assassination attempt
3) Trump "FLED" to bunker as protests over George Floyd raged outside White House
4) Bonus Army
5) Weather Underground Bombings
6) Protests as Kavanaugh arrives for swearing in
7) Violence Breaks Out at Seattle WTO Meeting
9) Underestimating the Threat, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser Ordered Up Unarmed Guards
10) Ex-Capitol Police Chief Says Requests For National Guard Denied 6 Times In Riots
11) Pentagon approves DC mayor's request to deploy National Guard for upcoming demonstrations
12) Memo: Trump Pentagon Offered National Guard to Capitol Four Days Before Jan. 6 Riots
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We have been studying hurricanes for over a hundred years and we have learned quite a bit about these tropical cyclones. We can forecast the time of year they are most likely to form. We can also measure their size and strength before they reach land. We can even chart the course of the storm to predict where it is most likely to make landfall. With all of these advancements there are still limitations to fully understanding hurricanes. For example, it is not possible to predict exactly when or where a hurricane will make landfall, and there is no way to determine how much damage they will cause when they do. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgon & Chase, is the latest economic forecaster predicting an economic hurricane heading for the United States, and he is not the only one making such predictions. Many people have been predicting this storm for much longer, however no one can tell when or where it will hit us, or how much damage it will cause when it does, but everyone knows it's coming. What is the cause of the coming economic hurricane, and is it a natural disaster or manmade? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #118.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Procter & Gamble Sues Bankers Trust Over Derivatives
2) THE WARNING
3) The Repo Market and the Start of the Financial Crisis
4) What If We Paid Off The Debt? The Secret Government Report
6) LATEST FALSE FACT-CHECKS ON JOE BIDEN
7) Officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes
8) CNN fact checker slams Biden’s claim that he reduced federal deficit
Episode #117: 'Wedge Politics'
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All signs are pointing to the Democratic Party getting destroyed in the Congressional elections this fall. Republicans need to pick up half a dozen seats in the House of Representatives to control that chamber, and a single Senate seat will give them control of that body. Even the Democrats own polling tells them this is a strong probability, and that they could possibly lose a lot more than that. The leader of the party, Joe Biden, has an approval rating in the 30's that continues to fall. The economy is likely to be in recession by fall, and inflation and shortages are likely to persist. Democrats have failed to get their most popular legislation passed despite controlling both houses of Congress for the past two years. This is mostly because Joe Manchin would not agree to eliminate the filibuster, but it still has had an effect on the lack of motivation and enthusiasm of their voters. Seeking to minimize their loses this fall, Democrats have seize on other ways to motivate their voters this summer, 'wedge issues'! How can keeping the country divided on wedge issues help Democrats this fall, and how are they planning to use these issues to maintain their power, even if it tears the country apart? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #117.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Biden job disapproval among Hispanics hits 60%, just 26% approve: poll
2) Democrats Losing Some Support from Black voters ahead of midterms
3) Biden repeats FALSE claim that you couldn't buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was ratified
5) Bay Area homicides were up slightly in 2021, driven by Oakland and San Francisco
6) Mexico was second deadliest country in 2016
8) Uvalde shooting's evolving narrative: Here are the details police have walked back
10) Uvalde teacher did not leave door propped open that gunman used to get in
11) Uvalde locals grapple with the school police chief's role
12) Parents Support One Another Outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde
Episode #116: 'Great Replacement'
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President Biden started branding his political enemies with a new moniker last week: "Ultra MAGA". Many believed that he had come up with this new label on his own, and that it was created off the cuff. However, it was later reported that Biden's use of this new label was not impromptu at all. It was a talking point that was paid for and created through weeks of focus groups. This got me thinking about another talking point that has sprung up just as the campaigning begins for the fall elections: "Great Replacement Theory". This talking point arose after the tragic mass murder in Buffalo, where the killer made reference to it in his 181 page manifesto. Biden and the media seized on this one part of the manifesto and amplified it! They immediately started blaming the Great Replacement Theory and Republicans for the tragedy, insinuating that the murderer was 'Ultra MAGA'. What is the strategy of the Democratic Party to turn out voters in November, and how far are they willing to go to maintain power? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #116.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US
2) High fence erected outside Supreme Court as abortion-related protests continue
3) The Buffalo suspect had threatened his high school last year, police say
4) Buffalo shooter let some people see plans just before attack
5) From across the Pacific, Taiwan's president castigates California shooting
6) Biden's new 'ultra-MAGA' label came after six months of liberal-funded focus group research
7) Biden’s Approval Rating Dips to 39%
9) 'It has to do with immigration. The Browning of California,' Newsom said
10) The Cloward-Piven Strategy
Episode #115: Interview with the Politics & Punk Rock Podcast
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Episode #114: 'The Execution'
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It is impossible to really understand the housing crisis that lead to the Great Recession without understanding the three phases of the crisis: the setup, the execution, and the coverup. This is the story of the execution. I tell the first part of the story in episode #79, and this is the part two of the three phases of the plot. In part one I show how the foundations of the financial structure that would eventually collapse were laid in the 1990’s during the Clinton administration. This foundation was deregulation, and in this episode I tell the story of the actual structure that was built on that foundation. The structure was a house of cards, a housing bubble that threatened the economy of the entire world. This was no accident! This was a well planned scheme that was used to show that the economy was growing despite waging two wars, massive increases in federal deficit spending, and 3 rounds of tax cuts. The economy was growing, but it wasn’t real growth. It was the bubble, and for many it all vanished when the bubble popped. How did George Bush purposefully initiate the housing bubble, and how did it help give him cover for his disastrous policies? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #114.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
2) George Herbert Walker Bush; The Accidental Vice President
6) Rumsfeld says $2.3 TRILLION Missing from Pentagon
7) American Dream Downpayment Assistance Act
8) Bush drive for home ownership fueled housing bubble
Episode #113: 'The 1980's called'
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We all remember the jab that President Obama took at Mitt Romney in a debate in the 2012 election. He said, "Governor Romney, I'm glad that you recognize that al Qaeda is a threat, because a few months ago, when you were asked what's the biggest geopolitical threat facing America you said Russia, not al Qaeda. You said Russia, and the 1980's are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back." In recent years, and especially over the past few weeks, many commentators have reflected on this jab and stated that Romney was correct in his assessment that Russia was our biggest threat. It seems that we are indeed returning to the foreign policy of the 1980's. However, the recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) numbers suggests that it's not only the foreign policy from the 1980's that we are returning too. The numbers show inflation at a 40 year high, and rising costs on everything from food, to energy, and almost everything that we use or consume. It seems that the 1980's not only called for its foreign policy back, but its economic policy as well. How is America's current economic policy actually much worse than the economic policies of the 1980's, and why are we in a much more volatile situation at this time in our history? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #113.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
2) Inflation Is Surging And That Means A Recession Is Coming
3) Rising Interest Rates and Record Inflation Creating Perfect Storm of Unaffordability
4) Obama on economy: U.S. built from bottom up
5) Hope fades on Obama's vow to bring troops home before he leaves office
6) Russian halt to fertilizer exports expected to boost prices, spur shortfalls