Podcast 361

Baltimore. Riots in Baltimore overtake the national consciousness. Despite not wanting to talk about a story with facts that may change minute by minute, sometimes the ‘elephant in the room’ is the best conversation. What are the facts about the 25 year old Baltimore citizen who died in police custody? Did outrage cause the riot or was it outside agitators. While many blame Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, was she cautious because she did not want to make the same mistake the mayor and police chief of Ferguson, Missouri made when they deployed ‘militarized’ police? Meanwhile, the President can’t resist ‘weighing in’, suggesting that the whole nation has to do some soul searching. Maybe President Obama is the one who should do some soul searching. With so much government to be upset about in this country, disrespect for government and law is becoming a feature of life today. In some places, under extreme circumstances, it reaches a breaking point. Besides, there is little President Obama can do about Baltimore, even though he is just an hour away. It’s a city, and state problem. As nearly two thousand national guard deploy to the city streets (and not for the first time in history, either) calm appears to have been restored, for now. Will free college, minimum wage laws and more programs solve this problem? How much is race a problem in a city with a majority black population, mayor, police commissioner, and police force? And specifically, how much is race a factor in the death of Freddie Gray, the young man who died? Or, is it a problem of criminals pushing for and maybe winning a double standard for law enforcement. These questions remain to be answered. One thing is clear; As Baltimore burned, the President and the Washington Press corps, sipped champagne and fiddled at the Correspondent’s dinner, where both politico and news reporter feed each other’s ego. Politicians are out of touch, either running for high office to enrich themselves, and the media doesn’t report fact as much as it pursues the lurid, and tragic. The wake of the weak politician and selfish media is despair, frustration and anger. The dark side of America is the only America it sees. Who’s fault is it? Think about it. We’re at a low point in politics and leadership in this country. It seems more and more that we are on the verge of a seminal and unpleasant event, after which nothing is ever the same. And our leaders don’t seem to be interested in doing anything about it. Sponsored by Baklund R&D. (Editor’s Note: In this podcast I refer to Jon Baklund’s Webinar and have the date wrong. It is June 2nd, 2015).

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Podcast 358

Back In The Bunker. Another special announcement concerning more distribution of the The Bob Davis Podcasts. Plus, a discussion of what it’s like to be back in the studio after weeks on the road in the Mobile Podcast Command Unit. This weekend – in podcast time – is Earth Day, 2015. It is, essentially, a secular, if not pagan Easter; a celebration of mother earth and spring, with political overtones. In truth, environmentalism has become a religion for some. Some environmental policy is good, and some — most of it — has been not so good. We start with California’s water problem, which could be solved with desalinization, but the state is spending billions more on a bullet train to nowhere. Desalinization actually costs less than the bullet train. Meanwhile Californians are talking about billions of gallons of fresh water poured into San Francisco Bay to save the Smelt Fish. Federal and State Governments in the US offer thousands of dollars in subsidies and tax credits if consumers buy electric cars. When gas was more expensive some calculated it would take five years to make up the difference in costs for a gas versus electric car. Now that gas prices have plunged it will take even longer. What are consumers doing? They are trading their electric cars in on SUV’s at the highest rate in years. Despite the prediction of the President that there would be millions of electric cars on the road by the end of his presidency. Continuing along the lines of government engineering. We’ve been seeing a lot of policy devoted to subsidized growth in major cities to create ‘Hipster Havens’ where the ‘creative class’ will collaborate and create thousands of new jobs. Suddenly though, not only are millennials starting to move into first ring suburbs, but exurbs are starting to grow again as well. Pretty hard to raise your baby in Hipster Heaven. This podcast also includes a list of 13 predictions, on Earth Day, that sounded really ominous in 1970, but which ended up being hopelessly wrong, as a reminder that just because ‘scientists agree’ doesn’t always mean you can take it to the bank. Do you think buying food at the farmer’s market — another feature of every Hipster Heaven — helps the environment. A new study says maybe not. Find out why. Finally, the media has discovered that the economy just isn’t growing fast enough. Where is the consumer? If the media isn’t spreading disinformation in its quest to focus on personalities and not issues for the presidential cycle of 2016 (which hasn’t even started yet) it’s spreading disinformation about the ‘growing’, ‘booming’ and ‘recovering’ economy. It’s just that the rosy scenario story line isn’t materializing. What might people think about the economy as an issue, heading into 2016. Will there be an economic crisis, and how will that impact the presidential race? Sponsored by Baklund R&D.

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Podcast 355

Nevada and Utah. Live from Park City, Utah in Mobile Podcast Command Unit 8, the Road Trip continues, leaving California and heading into Nevada, and Utah. Thursday was a tough day for the Mobile Unit. Damage was sustained after the driver — tired and hungry — attempted to enter a mall parking lot which inexplicably featured those concrete and steel ‘height regulators’. With damage nominally repaired, the Mobile Unit soldiers on, battered but unbroken. Updates for your weekend. Are you already sick of the Presidential campaign of 2016? What about Hillary’s bags? Is Rand Paul really crazy? Is Marco Rubio’s tax plan really a good idea? It’s Iowa’s fault. Iowa, that has no other reason for anyone to pay attention to it. Iowa, drenched in wind power and ethanol subsides, forcing the whole country to watch as these politicians traverse one end of it to another, just because Iowa has to have the ‘first in the nation primary’ in 2016. As a result, the media valve cannot be turned off. The result? People may just be burned out on political news and coverage, and one wonders whether by the actual election in November of 2016, anyone will have any stomach left for any of it. Is it possible too much coverage will suppress the vote? And, if it isn’t gyrocopters landing on the Capitol steps, its DEA agents who can’t be fired for having orgies, with prostitutes supplied by the cartels. Shouldn’t people who do these sorts of things be fired? Unfortunately, as the head of the DEA testified this week, the civil service employment laws prevent them from even being disciplined. And people say the government is efficient. Tax Day has come and gone, and at the same time one wonders whether the same anti-tax fervor that existed a few years ago, still exists. Touring the country shows people adapting. In spite of a moribund economy, and poor leadership in Washington, they seem to be doing pretty good. (Editor’s Note: Except for Reno, Nevada. They don’t seem to be doing pretty good on the East Side of Reno.) Plus some tips on camping out in Unit 8, emails and one more donation thank you. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. Also join me April 25th for the SD48 Annual Freedom Dinner. Follow the links for more info.

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