Shownotes
From the rising tide of women's sports to the challenging waves shaking up the commercial real estate market, we've covered it all.
We've also eyed energy planning, examined puzzling IRS audit choices, and the complexities at our border security. Remember, real change is about action, from fostering women's basketball to rethinking loan forgiveness with a pinch of service.
Thanks to our sponsor, Harper CPA Plus, for supporting this journey towards practical wisdom!
Top Takeaways
Women's Sports Growth - Recognizing the increasing popularity and investment potential in women's sports, which benefits athletes, fans, and communities.
Real Estate Market Shifts - Understanding how remote work and changing corporate practices impact commercial real estate and city landscapes, offering new challenges and opportunities for urban planning.
Energy and Infrastructure - The importance of proactive energy contingency planning for essential services and looking to a mix of power sources, including nuclear, for future energy needs.
Fair Taxation and Regulation - Discussing the implications of IRS audit focuses and new LLC regulations, reinforcing the need for equitable and reasonable taxation policies.
National Security & Immigration - Highlighting the issues at the border, showcasing the necessity for effective border control, and a robust vetting process for national security.
Debt Forgiveness Alternatives - Debating the merit of various approaches to college debt, such as service-based forgiveness programs and other options to forgive or offset student loans.
Evolving Power Demands - Analyzing the increasing demand for electricity against the backdrop of energy resource retirement, underscores the challenge and need for strategic planning in energy supply.
Memorable Moments
00:00 Harper and Company, CPA's - Your go-to firm.
07:08 State laws prevent unauthorized access to funds.
18:26 WNBA overcoming prejudice
22:55 Lima Company memorial unit plans interactive experience.
28:04 Families find comfort in fallen marine's exhibit.
36:10 Central Ohio seeing increased power demand from data centers.
47:20 Safest, cleanest energy options
57:32 Renewed FISA Act allows illegal surveillance on Americans.
01:06:02 Man promotes illegal activities, arrested by ICE.
Recorded at the 511 Studios, in the Brewery District in downtown Columbus, OH.
info@commonsenseohioshow.com
Copyright 2024 Common Sense Ohio
Stephen Palmer is the Managing Partner for the law firm, Palmer Legal Defense. He has specialized almost exclusively in criminal defense for over 26 years. Steve is also a partner in Criminal Defense Consultants, a firm focused wholly on helping criminal defense attorneys design winning strategies for their clients.
Norm Murdock is an automobile racing driver and owner of a high-performance and restoration car parts company. He earned undergraduate degrees in literature and journalism and graduated with a Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1985. He worked in the IT industry for two years before launching a career in government relations in Columbus, Ohio. Norm has assisted clients in the Transportation, Education, Healthcare, and Public Infrastructure sectors.
Brett Johnson is an award-winning podcast consultant and small business owner for nearly 10 years, leaving a long career in radio. He is passionate about helping small businesses tell their story through podcasts, and he believes podcasting is a great opportunity for different voices to speak and be heard.
Transcripts
It's Common Sense Ohio time. And, yeah. Like I said in previous episodes, you hear my voice first. You know that, Steve is on the road making some money, which is good. We like that. But, Brett's here. Norm's here. We've got 2 legs of the table, but we're gonna do great with, this week because we we wanna thank Sheree for being a part of, the episode last week.
Brett Johnson [:We had some really great response. We were very happy, and overjoyed that she was able to join us. If you didn't get to hear that episode, go back, to last week's episode and, I get to hear her story. It was heartfelt and heartwarming, as well as some very some positive news, positive stuff
Norm Murdock [:Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:That that we get to cover occasionally. We usually kinda harp and go down the negative road. Do it, you know, to a certain degree, but that was that was really good. I I was very proud of her being able to make it through the episode the way she did because it's, her her situation's difficult.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. She, is part of a group going to DC, hopefully, to meet with president Biden who also, suffered a tragic family loss in in a in a traffic accident that may or may not, I don't know, had to do with distracted driving. Probably did. So, Sheree, hopefully, when she goes to DC with that group of parents and relatives, we'll be able to get the word out about, hey, you know, don't don't please, don't pick up the phone. Don't do makeup. Don't eat a cheeseburger. When you're driving that, you know, 3 ton or or or more, SUV with your children in the back or or by yourself or or with your spouse or significant other. Please think of other people on the road.
Norm Murdock [:Think of the people in your car. And it's it's pretty obvious. You can't type a letter. You can't type a letter and drive at the same time. I it's just it's crazy that people think they can text and drive. I
Brett Johnson [:I I And and we are all guilty of it. We're not we're not being, we are greater than thou situation. We've all done it and you kinda realize that you can't. You've done it. You know you can't. Oh, come on. So now
Norm Murdock [:Pull over. Yeah. You know, hit a rest stop at Mickey D's. Park it park your car for 30 seconds or or a couple minutes and and do your text and then, get back on the road. Exactly.
Brett Johnson [:Exactly. Yep. As always, we are sponsored by Harper and Company, CPA's, Harper Plus. You just went through tax season and if you didn't like let's let's let's just not even say the outcome. Let's say, who you're working with. They just didn't answer questions, they waited to the last minute to really help you get through this season or the results were a big surprise because they didn't talk to you ahead of time. Harper and Company, CPAs, Harper Plus, that's the company you gotta go to. For your business, personal as well, if you if you just didn't like how last year came together for you beyond the the numbers and just want a better relationship with your your CPA firm, Harper and Company, Harper Plus CPA.
Brett Johnson [:They're they're the firm. It's harpercpaplus.com. They're mine. They can be yours. They do a great job with with, my my personal and business. You will Glenn and and and company just do a fantastic job. Harpercpapplus.com. So with last week's episode, we we, you know, our our focus was with with Sheree, but, oh my gosh, a boatload of news going on, that we didn't cover.
Brett Johnson [:We covered a few things with her, but boy, it didn't stop because we had her on the show.
Norm Murdock [:No. No. Things in Ohio are just, like, really crazy.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Well, you got it.
Norm Murdock [:Well, the one that takes the cake, let me just start out with the the weekend at Bernie's case up in Ashtabula, Ohio. So so I I I don't know if these ladies killed this guy or if he died of natural causes. I I don't know. They're still investigating. But these 2 ladies, 5563 years old, living with an 80 year old man on the same house. He died of something. Right? We don't know yet. The police are still investigating.
Norm Murdock [:They propped him up in the front seat of a car. Oh my god. I mean, come on, man. They they propped him up in the car, drove him through the drive thru bank that they normally went to, you know, back when he was alive. And he would tell the teller, you know, the the lady driving the car, she can she can sign for me, and she can withdraw money. I'm here in the car. I'm nodding my head. It's okay.
Norm Murdock [:You know? And and so this was a regular way for them to get money from the bank. Well, he's dead. They throw him in the car, a a corpse. Right? They put him in the car, go to the bank, withdraw $900 using the same kind of technique that they had used, you know, when he was alive. And then they took his body and dumped it at the Ashtabula County Medical Center and left. They they didn't identify them. They just left. And how they thought it would not revert back on them is is quite beyond me.
Norm Murdock [:But, obviously, the police, you know, went to his house, found the 2 ladies. They're now charged with theft and abuse of a corpse. And, could
Brett Johnson [:you imagine the relationship that those 3 had? Oh, for god's sake. They must have been like cats and dogs I mean in that house. Okay. There's no other there is no other way to think about this. He, you know, he may have been the biggest d in the world and those 2 and those 2 were, you know, no no prize winners themselves are no prize winners themselves. No. That just takes
Norm Murdock [:I mean, it's unreal.
Brett Johnson [:I I I it is.
Norm Murdock [:It's unreal. I mean, it that you could make a movie. Wow. So these 2 ladies, as you say, Brett, they're not cupcakes. They their priors include assault, trespass, DUI, theft, drugs, soliciting. You know what soliciting means. So yeah. They're they're not, you know, lilies of the field.
Norm Murdock [:So No. That's just They they've been
Brett Johnson [:they've been around the field a few times. Exactly.
Norm Murdock [:That's right. Wow. Are they were
Brett Johnson [:they relatives, or is it just caretaker situation?
Norm Murdock [:I do not think they're related Okay. To mister the the the deceased person is Douglas Laymon, 80 years old. So, I mean, I guess what happens in Ashtabula definitely doesn't stay there.
Brett Johnson [:No. It doesn't.
Norm Murdock [:I mean, you know, I mean so so here's the thing. Now now maybe maybe they're just dumb. It could be that they're Well I mean, it could be that they're understatement, I think. It could be they're not nefarious, but here's the thing that people may not know. So if your dad or your mom or your uncle Joe kicks off or your brother or your wife or it it doesn't matter. If they have an account to which you're not named a secondary or, you know, you're you're not also named on the account as an or, like, you know, either Norm or Brett can withdraw money from this account. If you're not named on the account, you when somebody dies, the state laws in Ohio, and I'm sure in every other state, are that you are not allowed to take out any funds. You're not allowed to take money out of the person's wallet.
Norm Murdock [:You're not allowed to go to the bank. You're not allowed to take his car even if that was left to you in the will. There has to there has got to be a process, a legal process, to bestow these things on you. You so these ladies I mean, maybe hours before he died, he said, I'm not feeling so well. We should go to the bank and get $900 out. And these 2 dumb ladies could have thought, well, we're just doing what Doug said we could do. So so now we're desperate because he's dead, but we're just carrying out his wishes. No.
Norm Murdock [:No. No. No. No. You can't do that. That's called theft. You definitely can't take a dead person and and and animate them. This is not Disneyland, you know, the presidential theater thing with animatronics.
Norm Murdock [:Well, you know, in the end of the
Brett Johnson [:story that they're dumping him off
Norm Murdock [:Oh, come on.
Brett Johnson [:Even if you just at least kept him at home and reported that he passed away
Norm Murdock [:Yes.
Brett Johnson [:They might have gotten away with it.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. So the thing Maybe. So if they were honest people and if they were smart. The thing is if somebody dies, you know, you call 911. You have an ambulance, and and then the undertaker shows up or the county, you know, coroner, however the police decide it should be resolved. And then if Doug if this mister Lehman left these women money, then, you know, there's a process for that. There there there be a will or some kind of,
Brett Johnson [:Well, there you would think there'd have to be at least $900 worth of stuff there they could have stolen taken to the bank. I I don't know.
Norm Murdock [:It's so off the hook.
Brett Johnson [:I I So it exactly. It's just they were not yeah.
Norm Murdock [:So for me, that's the story of the week, and we can go downhill from here.
Brett Johnson [:Oh, yeah. Right. Exactly. Exactly. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So, I let me I'm gonna we can go back forth, whatever.
Brett Johnson [:But, Sure. I'd like you know, this is driving me kinda crazy. I I I am so proud and so great. This is Caitlin Clark. Getting into the WNBA, Indiana Fever. She has Oh,
Norm Murdock [:she's been drafted.
Brett Johnson [:She's been drafted.
Norm Murdock [:I'm not a sports fan. Yes. I've thought we're not a round ball
Brett Johnson [:guy. This week this week drafted. She, she has an a great opportunity to do some groundbreaking for for women.
Norm Murdock [:Is that in Indianapolis, that franchise? Yeah. It's the Indianapolis? It's, Indiana Fever.
Brett Johnson [:Indiana Fever. Indiana Fever. So, you know, a lot's on her shoulders, but same time, she could do a lot for that for the woman's sport. I think it's fantastic. Yeah. And so, but the, you know, the lead story though you keep seeing is that, you know, she her initial salary of $76,000 and that's the story. People keep talking about that over and over and over. Now, folks, she's gonna do fine because she has endorsements over 3 $1,000,000.
Norm Murdock [:I mean, can you imagine?
Brett Johnson [:She'll be okay. She'll be okay. Now, she's probably in the minority of players in NBA that in the WNBA that have salary plus endorsements, but
Norm Murdock [:Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:Give her the grace that she got it. I mean, let's look at Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift is kicking butt in the music arena. She's breaking ground as did a lot of women back in the eighties breaking ground for women in music. Like, it's Caitlin's time. I I I I'm I'm I'm I'm overjoyed. I I think, you know, and and hopefully, she will do well in the WNBA. Hopefully, she will.
Brett Johnson [:I think she will. I'm not that big of a sports person, but it's always interesting to hear the and see the stories around when something groundbreaking like this is that what really is the focus? Yeah. Oh, she's only making 76,000. Well, well, plus she's got the 3,000,000 in endorsements like that's where of course, yes. You're gonna make money playing. Of course, I I get that. But it's the endorsements. You live the right life, do the right stuff.
Brett Johnson [:You're gonna you're gonna do fine.
Norm Murdock [:Oh, yeah. I mean
Brett Johnson [:You're gonna do fine.
Norm Murdock [:So think of back in And it's less work. It's it's less
Brett Johnson [:work on her body. She just has to make some commercials. I mean, who who who's the female, IndyCar driver? Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:Thinking of her? Oh, come on. Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:She made more money from GoDaddy No
Norm Murdock [:doubt.
Brett Johnson [:And the endorsements she did than racing
Norm Murdock [:Exactly.
Brett Johnson [:Ever did and good for her.
Norm Murdock [:Well and, Brett, think of all of the Olympic athletes back when, you could not be a pro. Mhmm. Right? So think of, like, Bruce Jenner. Yeah. Right? Yeah. So, you know, he wins the decathlon and all these events and multiple gold medals. And and, of course, the Olympics, other than the medal, you don't get money. So his entire career was endorsements.
Norm Murdock [:Right. You know? Yeah. Exactly. I mean, you know, that's just the you you know? And it can be and I think even early on, some of the Ohio State football coaches, for example, like, I'm trying to think of, like, maybe John Cooper, his endorsement package as coach of Ohio State was bigger than his salary. Yeah. So it's not this is not like an unusual situation.
Brett Johnson [:Right. No. It's not at all. And and
Norm Murdock [:Or Tiger Woods. Even even the top guys Yeah. In sports, what he earned as a golfer Mhmm. Was eclipsed by his Nike and others. Sponsors. Exactly.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. So I mean and and and that's hopefully, that's where she's breaking ground that more and more sponsors will look at these players and go, you know what?
Norm Murdock [:Oh, they will. This is
Brett Johnson [:a good deal.
Norm Murdock [:This is
Brett Johnson [:a good deal that she you know, that this person's a good person. We think that she'll or he, it doesn't matter, you know, the endorsement situation Right. Is that they're gonna, you know, be a good representative for the company, at least during the term of the contract. Let's pay them some money. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's fantastic. So congratulations to her, and and and hopefully that will, start to peel off on other players, in the WNBA.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. I mean, it seems like interest in, women's basketball is nothing but on the upswing.
Brett Johnson [:Sounds like it.
Norm Murdock [:It's really seems I would it used to be you would look at college games when the ladies played and it would be empty. And now it's it those stands are full. Mhmm. I mean, clearly, the tide has risen for that sport. And, the jokes about the WNBA, I don't know, folks. You know, I I think it's starting to be real. You know? I think I think it's, it was the the
Brett Johnson [:thing There's money there to be had for sponsors Well because that women's sports have a huge following. Well You know, it's it's it's a die hard audience.
Norm Murdock [:Well, here here's the thing. And so as a non round ball, sports guy So I'm a racer. I like round things, but they're called tires. So and steering wheels. So so I don't know Jack, really, about about basketball. But what I hear from people who do know a lot about basketball is that unlike the men's games in the NBA where, you know, they pretty much the ref's pretty I mean, they they can travel. They don't have to dribble. You know, they they can basically just stand under the basket and sky crane a ball right in the hoop.
Norm Murdock [:The ladies' basketball what I hear from guys is that they find it really enjoyable watching people remember basketball from people remember basketball from 30 years or 40 years ago. Like, when it was when the refs were really fussy about enforcing dribbling and traveling and all of these other infractions that the the ladies' version of basketball is more real to the sport if it it that's what I hear. And and and and I think maybe that's driving interest. Yeah. You know? It's very relatable. Yeah. You know, like For sure. Wow.
Norm Murdock [:Look at her.
Brett Johnson [:You know? Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:You know?
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Because they're they're playing some amazing ball.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. I I guess they must be. They're back in the stadium.
Brett Johnson [:Exactly. Exactly.
Norm Murdock [:They must be. So, you know
Brett Johnson [:Then it's bleeding over to,
Norm Murdock [:God bless them. I couldn't you know, Brett, I could not dribble. I you I can't chew gum and dribble at the same time. So, like, you know, I had no coordination. That's probably why I never followed basketball. But I get to see Nate Archibald, who was a really short basketball player, and he he's in the Hall of Fame for the Cincinnati Royal. So he he and Oscar Robertson were teammates. And Nate Archibald was fairly short.
Norm Murdock [:Is and I understand Caitlin is not the tallest person on the court.
Brett Johnson [:Probably not, but she's tall.
Norm Murdock [:She she is tall. Yeah. Okay.
Brett Johnson [:But I don't think she I don't know though. Is she WNBA tall? I don't I'm assuming so.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. Okay.
Brett Johnson [:I don't know. Cool. That's a good point. I don't know. I don't know. You know? Plus, I mean, the woman is I don't know how old she is, but, really, we don't stop growing until she's probably got a Oh, good point. A year is so to you know what I
Norm Murdock [:mean? Oh, yeah. Definitely.
Brett Johnson [:You know, I I I don't know, though. I don't I don't know enough, with that to know she's too small or, you know, she's smaller. That's where
Norm Murdock [:Some of these players coming in from, like, Estonia and, Yugo former Yugoslavia. Some of these players are, like, 8 feet.
Brett Johnson [:Wow. I know. I know.
Norm Murdock [:It blows me away.
Brett Johnson [:And what's kinda fun to watch too is that, you know, you're starting to see this upsurge in women's volleyball too. I mean, it's starting to get prime time coverage on the CBS's of the world and such. So, you know, here locally, we've got the Columbus Fury. This is their 1st season. And so, you know, it was huge excitement that, you know, that this this league is getting prime time airtime on Yeah. You know, a CBS. I believe what CBS is is carrying it. So it's not just a cable.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. Or a sub cable
Brett Johnson [:of the ESPN 2 or 3. You know, that sort of thing. So or YouTube live or whatever the case may be.
Norm Murdock [:I just remember again, you know, and this is at a as a non fan, but just as a person involved in the culture, I just remember a lot of pejorative talk about women's basketball for years now. Like, you know, you know, nobody goes to the games. Nobody cares. You would hear this on, talk radio and that kind of stuff all the time. And I'm really glad that these ladies you know, there was all that talk about how the NBA really subsidized the WNBA, and it wouldn't exist if it all of that. So it it it is exciting to see that they are on the way to being self supporting, self sufficient, and their own league truly independent of the men's league. Right. And the other thing I like about it frankly, I like this too and and this may sound political, but I also like the fact that this underscores the need to protect women's sports.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. That's yeah. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:You know? Yeah. There should not be so so so Magic Johnson and Mike, you know, Michael Jordan and, you know, and the current, obviously awesome players in the NBA, LeBron, you know, these guys can't roll out of bed in the morning and say, you know, I think I'll go mess with the WNBA and say I feel like a lady today and go play in that league. No. This is for women. This this you know, we we as a society need to have women's sports for women. Yeah. And, you know, not have dudes pretending to be women go going in and ruining women's sports, which if LeBron wanted to play in the WNBA and if he pushed that issue, he would destroy the entire ethos behind the league. And and it I hope that never happens.
Norm Murdock [:Obviously, LeBron would never do that. But, I mean, I hope that kind of showdown with, you know, the trans movement does not happen. It it it shouldn't happen in in the Olympics, and it shouldn't happen in the WNBA or in women's collegiate swimming or any of that. And I think the success of of Caitlin Clark, it excites everybody because she's doing incredible for women's sports, and that's all positive news. And I want it to stay positive.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Exactly. So I I know there was I forgot to mention this earlier and we'll we'll get off of of the Caitlin story, but, they were talking about how how little her salary was. And, it it was then stated, it's like, well, you know, the WNBA is only 26, 24 years old. You know, you know, that would be interesting to see so they're saying, you know, the the league is in its infancy. Give it time to grow.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:Because when the NBA started, probably same thing. That one, yeah. I need to go back and take a look. So, the NBA started back in 47. Okay. And, and the players then made $4,000 which is equivalent today to $55,000.
Norm Murdock [:There you go.
Brett Johnson [:So, yes. Give it time to grow. It there may not be parity yet, but it it has to support itself. And it's getting there. It's getting there. It's getting there.
Norm Murdock [:So It eventually will get there. Yeah. Yeah. The, I believe this is correct. The women, for the US soccer team, make more than the men.
Brett Johnson [:I think I heard that too. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. So, hey, you know, let the open market work.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. It will and
Norm Murdock [:it will.
Brett Johnson [:And it will.
Norm Murdock [:And I also think of it this way. Hey. And you're gonna have the
Brett Johnson [:Caitlin Clarks of the world that just push it up for
Norm Murdock [:you. Exactly.
Brett Johnson [:They just do.
Norm Murdock [:And and the thing is, hey, Caitlin. It's your first job out of college. You're making 75 k. You're doing way better than your cohorts probably.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. A lot of them. And and For your first job. Right?
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. Most most college graduates, you know, if they if you waive 75 k at them, they'd be like, oh, hell yeah.
Brett Johnson [:Oh, yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. And and and another piece of advice, start saving. Yes. Put some money away because you never know when you're gonna get injured. Just have fun, but save.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Absolutely. What's up next?
Norm Murdock [:Well, so I was invited by one of our guests here on the show, the people who, keep the flame, lit for Lima Company, the marine reserve unit, where, 22 marines and 1 navy corpsman in that unit were were slain, in Iraq, serving the United States. And they had a symposium. It was over in Gahanna, and, the keynote speaker was astronaut and, COSI, former COSI president, Kathy Sullivan, who is a veteran of 3 space missions, including on the Challenger. You know, prior to, the loss of the Challenger, she was on a mission, with the Challenger, and she was the first, American woman to walk in space. She also is a geologist, and she is the only American who has been both to the highest place, space, and also the lowest place on earth, the Marianas Trench, in one of those bathysphere, you know, all the way at the bottom of the ocean. So she was fascinating to talk to, and, we hope to get her on the show. But but more importantly, the Lima Company unit, the memorial unit, eyes of freedom, they are planning they're rolling out sometime in the coming year an interactive experience for us civilians, to see what service in the military is like. They they have contracted with, an architect who is, creating a dome.
Norm Murdock [:And so I think around 20 to 25 people at a time will go in, have a 12 minute multi kind of angle, like 3 d experience in this dome, to learn about what, service in a combat situation, and, you know, serving your country, what what that's like. And then after that, kind of a decompression, counseling room where you can talk to people about what you've just seen and learn more about, serving your country and what it's like. So it's very exciting, and this will travel around, the country. Lima Company, also the display for Eyes Eyes of Freedom is gonna be featured at the Reagan Presidential Library. So they're gonna do, like, a 3 month, stay out there with the full size sculptures and, the paintings of the 23 marines, or 22 and 1 navy corpsman. So that is that was really cool. And, again, you know, for young girls, looking up for role models, Kathy Sullivan, you could do no no better than Kathy Sullivan, NASA astronaut, president of COSA. I think she was here for 3 years
Brett Johnson [:Wasn't that long?
Norm Murdock [:As president. Yeah. So, a great lady gave a nice little speech about service and, you know, boys or girls. She's a hero to me. I don't think of her as a lady astronaut. I think of her as an astronaut. Right. Exactly.
Norm Murdock [:Period. Period. She's to to me, she's just as, just as, astronaut y as, you know, Neil Armstrong or John Glenn. She's an astronaut.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Wow. That's fantastic. Really cool. Yeah. I think when when when we had them on the show, there there was something being hush-hush when they were talking. So I can't really talk about it yet. If I remember correctly, maybe that was what they were talking.
Norm Murdock [:It could have been that. Could
Brett Johnson [:have been maybe. I don't know. But anyway, that's fantastic. So, are they looking at that? Did you get the feel of maybe a recruiting tool as well or just the reality of what these men and women Yeah. Potentially can go through and did go through.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. Not recruiting. Okay. It so it's not about joining the marines. It's about serving your country in whatever capacity.
Brett Johnson [:It is just it this is the life. Yeah. This is the life, which is good, which is great because I think, we don't well, none of us has have a grasp of what what it's like.
Norm Murdock [:Nobody. There was one parent of 1 of the, marines, killed in attendance at the symposium. And I just thought to myself, that that mother over there, how how brave and and on other occasions, other parents have have come to these events. And it lends an immediacy to the event
Brett Johnson [:Mhmm.
Norm Murdock [:That this isn't theoretical loss. There's a mom or a dad over there or a brother or a sister or a child. You know, in one of the videos, they just got back from New Mexico. And in one of the videos, there's now like, he's he's 22 years old. One of the sons of a fallen one of the Lima Company Marines was talking about how meaningful it was that the exhibit was taken out to this small town in New Mexico where this, marine had come from. And now the son and his and his, you know, his grandmother and his sister, they they can see how much their the missing marine is loved by his country and people have not forgotten him, and and people care about what happens to his family. And so it was, you know, your eyes watered when you saw that. You know, it was it was heavy duty.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. So, And that's
Brett Johnson [:so great they can take it on the road.
Norm Murdock [:It's so cool.
Brett Johnson [:It it it it that that was the most impressive part that I maybe not the most, but when they were talking, I was like, wow. You guys are all over the place with this thing. Holy cow.
Norm Murdock [:And props to, so an Ohio company, R&L Trucking, donates the drivers, and I think they have 5 trucks decorated that haul the exhibit. You know, any of the 5 trucks are a part of the fleet, and they'll use one of those trucks to haul the exhibit and, you know, all the lighting, everything to set it up, to places like New Mexico or Alaska or wherever, they just donate that. Can you imagine the 100 of 1,000 of dollars Yeah. That company a good Ohio company. Yeah. God bless them.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Amazing. Amazing. Yeah. Amazing. And
Norm Murdock [:call them out. You know? That's not a commercial for them. That's just factual about what they do. Yeah. So, you know, let that let the chips fall. You know, I thought I'd talk a little bit about this this, this is a staggering statistic. We have a few staggering statistics here that I've that I've observed in the last week. So commercial real estate foreclosures are up a 117% over last year.
Norm Murdock [:And I think it's a trend, and we're certainly seeing it in Ohio. And I think it comes out of COVID and and the the idea that people were working at home. Mhmm. That downtowns are kinda cratering.
Brett Johnson [:A little bit.
Norm Murdock [:You know? A little bit. And even the support company, like the coffee shops and the little restaurants and the maybe, you know, places that support businesses, office supply, people. As more people work off-site and don't come downtown, it's starting to look a little thin. I mean, I noticed a lot of empty storefronts just coming down High Street today Mhmm. To the taping of our our podcast. A lot of empty buildings and, you know, we all we all were very proud in in Columbus to note that our downtown, as opposed to, like, Cincinnati or or Cleveland, Columbus always had a very vital downtown. Yeah. Busy culture.
Norm Murdock [:And it's It's hollowing out
Brett Johnson [:a little. A little bit. Yeah. And I think we'll we'll probably always have the busyness because of, you know, the state capital being here. So, you know, there's always that you know, they're in session most of the year versus, Indiana that has 3 months of session.
Norm Murdock [:Well, all Yes. You know, it's
Brett Johnson [:in Which are 3.65. Yeah. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:But I I I think it's a new reality
Brett Johnson [:that, that
Norm Murdock [:you've got
Brett Johnson [:this this job situation. And my daughter just walked into it. She's, is now living in Colorado. But the job she has is that, she's in office 2 days a week and she can work from home for 3. Yes. You know, and and Very common though. And those 2 days are team meetings. You know, it's not just that bed check situation.
Brett Johnson [:They, you know, like, well, we wanna see you sort of thing. It's like, well, no. You're here for a reason. We need you here because we're having team meetings and they're much they they come off much better than being on Zoom. Yes. Which is which is fine. She loves it. She because it's funny how she, she had 2 weeks on of just, coming in every day, and she was hating it.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. You're hating. It's like, oh my god. It's that everyday dredge of going in where she was really looking forward to next week, like, okay. Good. I can work from home
Norm Murdock [:2 or
Brett Johnson [:3 days a week starting next week. Right. You know? And and it's just starting to to be that. It's to be that.
Norm Murdock [:So I Think think of the savings for these corporations. They don't have to heat those office buildings. They don't have to air condition them. Yeah. They don't have to have janitorial staff. They don't have to pay
Brett Johnson [:Or at least less than them that they don't have to come in, but maybe 2 days a week versus 5 to clean up a whole, you know, 20 story building or something.
Norm Murdock [:I mean, the you know, and if they can give up the entire footprint, you know, and and have the whole company working from home, Oh my gosh. Think of the savings in rental.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:And you know? But it's it's hurting it's hurting the real estate market. Yeah. And, you know, they're converting. I know in New York, it's become a thing now where they're converting offices, office buildings into condos.
Brett Johnson [:That's what I was my mind was gonna go, like, okay. If we have this trend of moving back in downtown to live, here's a grand opportunity for it.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:Let's rehab what we have.
Norm Murdock [:Repurposing building.
Brett Johnson [:It and do it the right thing versus or if it has to be torn down, torn down, whatever. But in case the space is there to use again, why not? It's create a different looking kind of downtown that it's not just all corporate, but it's kind of what would you call mixed use Yeah. Downtown Right. Which is great. You know?
Norm Murdock [:It's just these these foreclosures. You know, we always think of foreclosures as, you know, somebody head of household loses his or her job and and and, you know, they can't pay the mortgage and and, you know, they get kicked out of their house. But to to think that now this is hitting commercial real estate owners in the same way. There could be repercussions of this that we're not even thinking of yet.
Brett Johnson [:Probably so. I I guess I've I've not dived into that that deeply, but I'm sure of it. Obviously, we'll feel it on the the restaurant and retail end of it. Yeah. Like you said, that's probably the first we'll see
Norm Murdock [:Which is quality of life thing. Quality
Brett Johnson [:of life thing. So, you know, you you as we had Shereen last week, she's a waitress at First Watch. She's gonna feel it.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:If you know, she's so she says that that location is still pretty darn busy. It's a good, you know, good location near downtown. But, as it starts to block by block out.
Norm Murdock [:Oh, wow. Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:It it it so, yeah. You know, you get the Dayton Ohio's of the world that never really, you know, they were bad off downtown prior to COVID. Yo,
Norm Murdock [:big time.
Brett Johnson [:And they're trying to rebuild that Right. But it's that it's that look of what kind of entertainment can you create down there? How can you make it safe? Yeah. You know, because that's that's a big worry. All of a sudden now, I'm hearing stories of of Easton now being a problem
Norm Murdock [:Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:With crime.
Norm Murdock [:I mean.
Brett Johnson [:Open straight out
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. Crime. Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:And and that's a very heavily mixed use scenario out there of restaurants and corporate. Yeah. And corporate starting to move away.
Norm Murdock [:And people have caused those. Because of that. And then apartments there. You know, big big big Big. Housing
Brett Johnson [:investments. Yeah. It's gotta you gotta look at the crime piece.
Norm Murdock [:I mean, anyway and we lost City Center in Columbus Yep. You know, because of 1 or 2 really notorious criminal, situations and then people are like, well, you know, if there's gonna be a shooting, I'm not coming down anymore.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:So Yeah. Yep. So Well, your turn if you
Brett Johnson [:got that.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. Sure.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was interested So it just came out that, you know, Central Ohio has a ton of data centers that are, you know, being built Mhmm. And the demand for electricity. AEP is predicting a doubling of power demand between 2018 and 2028 largely due to the new data centers. It's attributed to the growing use of artificial intelligence, which if you don't know this artificial intelligence does use a lot more power than, just the traditional computing tasks. So which I what I I what I think is kind of odd is that the most recent forecast from, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in 2021 predicted that future demand for electricity to be mostly flat, which I'm thinking, 2021, you know, all these data centers are being built.
Brett Johnson [:How would you predict it going to be flat?
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. I don't know either.
Brett Johnson [:How do you how do you how do you not see? Yeah. So so, you know, now now we've got the opportunity for AEP to kind of, you know, we're gonna build some new infrastructure. We're gonna need some money, blah blah blah blah blah. You know, there's the so PJM interconnect is warning a potential future electricity shortages due to the retirement of power plants and increasing demand from data centers, manufacturing, and guess what else?
Norm Murdock [:EVs. EVs. For God's sakes.
Brett Johnson [:So folks, just because you think you're saving some money Yeah. You're becoming a pain in the ass for everybody else. A little bit. Right. You know? So but I but I thought it was kind of odd because the data center growth began in Central Ohio in 2014. Yeah. So how does Puco not
Norm Murdock [:see Right.
Brett Johnson [:That we're adding 7, 8 different data centers around the central Ohio that we're not gonna get some kind of suck on electricity?
Norm Murdock [:Well, we are How do they not see that?
Brett Johnson [:How did they predict flat 2 years ago?
Norm Murdock [:We are, as a country and as a state, we are on a collision course with electric electrical need and electrical supply.
Brett Johnson [:Mhmm.
Norm Murdock [:And, you know, you only need to to observe California as the laboratory. So if you observe California, they have rolling brownouts all the darn time.
Brett Johnson [:I think we're gonna see that this year.
Norm Murdock [:I do. Yeah. I mean, because you can't you can't compel people to use more electricity, which they are in states like California. They are saying you cannot buy an internal combustion engine car. You can't mow your lawn with a a gas mower. You can't use a propane grill. You've gotta use electricity for all of these things and then they wanna tell you when you should use the electricity, like off hours. But the problem is everybody's using their EV during the day so they're all plugging in at the same time in the evening to charge overnight so they can commute again in the morning.
Norm Murdock [:And so the demand the demand is gonna go up and down based on human scheduling and human needs and human habits and there is not enough in California, because we're not licensing new nuclear power plants or anything else innovative, we are the
Brett Johnson [:the electrical needs are not being met. Right. So, I guess that begs the question, why are there so many data centers in Columbus or in Central Ohio is it is because electric's cheap. Yeah. So Right. It's not going to number 1, that's gonna change.
Norm Murdock [:And we give away the store. Right. We give away the state. True. Right. We we the tax incentives are crazy.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. So number 1, that's gonna change. Or if it doesn't change, we need to start to keep our eyes on what deals are being made in the back door. Like like what, you know, in regards to keeping I think We just went through this with householder.
Norm Murdock [:I think so. Yes, we did. They're not 1st energy.
Brett Johnson [:They're not gonna give this stuff up. We made some big deals with Amazon and
Norm Murdock [:and and 3 Mile Island, which 3 Mile Island and, the meltdown movie whose name is Susqueh.
Brett Johnson [:Oh, yeah.
Norm Murdock [:You know that. But whatever. Jack Jack, whatever his name was in there, with with Jane Fonda. At at any rate, the scare with 3 Mile Island, which did not melt down but, you know, could have, is is receding into the distant past. And I think push comes to shove when people no longer when they flip on the switch or when when they lose groceries in the refrigerator because the refrigerator is not running and we have that kind of decline, I think nuclear power plants are gonna come back into vogue.
Brett Johnson [:I think so too. But it's but you can't do that overnight.
Norm Murdock [:You can't do it overnight.
Brett Johnson [:I I I thought I maybe you brought it up one time, but, you know, this that how long it takes to build one of these to get them online. We're probably talking a decade. Right. I I if I remember right, 5 to 7 years or something like that, then that's not that's
Norm Murdock [:Well, that's if everything goes okay.
Brett Johnson [:You can start digging in the hole in the ground before the regulations work can be placed and all that sort of thing.
Norm Murdock [:If the green religionists come out against nuclear power again, you know, the the which there was the whole no nukes movement right after, the Fonda movie and 3 Mile Island. And basically, that's when they killed the nuclear, energy movement in America. And you had, like, you know, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and Bruce Springsteen, and all these big stars come out against nuclear energy and make a big deal about it. And, you know, in America being infatuated with celebrities, we tend to, like, lemming like you know, we wanna be cool and signal how virtuous we are and go along with, hey, whatever the cool kids are doing. But we we should've listened to, like, president Carter who who was who was a nuclear engineer in the Navy, and he had this idea for using nuclear waste as fuel for what he called breeder reactors. They would take the waste coming out of the older type nuclear power plants and rather than bury the waste or put it on rockets and send it into the sun, he he's like, you know, this stuff is radioactive. It can still be used to make steam. Steam then turns the turbines.
Norm Murdock [:The turbines then create electricity. And no. No. Because it involves atoms and because of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the stupid movie and 3 Mile Island, everybody's afraid of nuclear. But it happens to be the cleanest and the safest way. It's certainly better than burning coal.
Brett Johnson [:Oh, for sure.
Norm Murdock [:I mean, my gosh. For sure. You know? Yeah. We just need to have like a standard design that the experts in nuclear power say that's a safe design. Build all the plants like this and standardize that so that we have great safety, great inspections, and the lowest possible, byproducts.
Brett Johnson [:And the government not part of one step of that process. Right. Stay the hell out of it.
Norm Murdock [:Right. Just You can you can look at it. Inspections.
Brett Johnson [:That's fine. Know what's going on.
Norm Murdock [:Do the licensing.
Brett Johnson [:Stay the that they're not because there's too much money to be involved. They're gonna stick their nose into it. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:But, you
Brett Johnson [:know, and then we have the other issue of, you're gonna hear that, no, not in my backyard. No. Not in my backyard. So where do you put these things? Right. Because again Yeah. With generations, it's in the back of my mind. Sure. I mean, I'm on the cusp of that, and, you know, a a a an older Gen X that sure.
Brett Johnson [:I remember all that stuff. I mean, now we're better informed.
Norm Murdock [:The movie, The China Syndrome.
Brett Johnson [:The China Syndrome. Thank you. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:So, you know, we're better informed. We have better opportunities to do research and to hear things versus, you know, acting like a lemming and, you know, following your your most popular, singer at the at the moment in time on AM radio.
Norm Murdock [:Oh, for god's sake.
Brett Johnson [:You know? Right. So but it is that where do these things exist? Where do you put them? I actually And then it's that not in my backyard syndrome. Like, you you have with solar and wind right now. Yes. And so it's gonna follow suit. So it there are a lot of problems to discuss. So this isn't gonna fix itself.
Norm Murdock [:I
Brett Johnson [:remember. Sadly, maybe in every in our generation. Maybe not till we're dead and gone.
Norm Murdock [:Well, it's got it's got to hit this is a nuclear term.
Brett Johnson [:It's sad.
Norm Murdock [:It's got to hit critical mass. Exactly.
Brett Johnson [:Well, what's gonna get yeah. It's what's gonna happen is you're gonna have all these EV owners. When they when they can't charge their car overnight Right. That's when the shit would hit the fan. Oh, absolutely. That's, oh, you know it.
Norm Murdock [:Or when it's a 110 degrees out in Dallas, Texas, and and the air conditioners aren't running.
Brett Johnson [:Exactly. That's when you have the mass movement going, we're done. We're done. We're done.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. And people will say, hey. Build the damn nuclear power plant and and, you know, and build it out by the air. I don't care where you know, just build it safely. Yep. Don't build it like that one in Japan on the on the coast because then if if you do have a meltdown, all that nuclear waste goes right out in the ocean, for god's sake.
Brett Johnson [:So, you
Norm Murdock [:know, like, let's build these smart. It doesn't have to be like Chernobyl. It can be it can be done smart.
Brett Johnson [:Right.
Norm Murdock [:When when I was the arts editor for the university, newspaper at in in Cincinnati, I got to interview Graham Nash, at the at the height of the No Nukes Movement, and he thought I was coming back just to talk about his concert. And I I mainly wanted to talk about why are you a Brit? Why are you so worried about American Energy Sourcing? Because they killed off the Zimmer Power Plant down in Cincinnati. That was gonna be a nuclear power plant. Yeah. And instead, it became a coal gasification plant.
Brett Johnson [:So so But his answer was
Norm Murdock [:it sells
Brett Johnson [:it sells it sells records, records.
Norm Murdock [:He didn't really he just said, well, you know, all it takes is one bad accident. It's like, well, Graham, you know Yeah. What, you know, what? Yeah. So yes. Anything human can fail. Yes. But at the same time, if the green energy people really want a green, clean planet, if they if their if their motivations are pure and not bullshit, Right? They you can't have us go back and live in a no energy way like like, Neanderthals, you know, like like cavemen. We have to have energy.
Norm Murdock [:And, you know, the safest, cleanest way. I mean, if it's not nuclear, you tell us what it ought to be. It can't be solar because they've already said if you solarized every square foot in America, you would still be 2 thirds short of energy needs. It can't be windmills. You're you're chopping up whales and and and birds and there's not enough reliable wind. We saw that in Texas last winter when Texas all the power went out in Texas that was, wind driven because they froze solid in a, in a Oh, an ice storm? In the ice
Brett Johnson [:storm. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:So yeah. So, you know Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:I mean and I I'm I'm a believer in there could be a mixture of it, but, but but each one can stand alone. Yeah. Yeah. I think I think it could it could, you know, and then lessen our need for, for coal. But again, you know, every industry you start to say, nope. We don't need that anymore. You're gonna have to say, okay. You have these coal miners now.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. That, they they have a living to be made. So how does that fit in the scheme of things? Just saying, okay. You're out of a job tomorrow. And Brett You can't do that either.
Norm Murdock [:And Brett, political things happen. So because, Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany was no longer buying gas, I mean, natural gas from Russia, of course. Because, you know, they they cut them off because, you know, you you invaded a a sovereign country, Ukraine. So Germany had to reopen its coal energy power plants and reopen the coal mines, which they under Merkel, they had closed all those. And so, yes, as you say, you have to have contingencies in the energy business. If if one plant goes offline, you know, like Davis Besse up there near Toledo in Ohio, if that plant were to go offline, there has to be a plant somewhere else to be able to supply that energy, whether that's a political problem or a mechanical breakdown or, you know, whatever, an accident. And so this is this is not for simpletons. This
Brett Johnson [:No. Well and we're not talking about conveniences either for backup. We're talking about hospitals need power. Yes. Correct. Emergency services need power. Exact schools.
Norm Murdock [:Schools. Things that matter.
Brett Johnson [:That that that have to have power. We don't have to have the Internet or our computers Yeah. Or even lights during the day compared to somebody that's on life support.
Norm Murdock [:Exactly.
Brett Johnson [:You know, so we gotta figure this out. Right. That that's yeah. The brownouts can't happen.
Norm Murdock [:It can't happen.
Brett Johnson [:It can't happen. Yeah. Yep. Oh, well. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:Something about, you know, a a year ago, in the budget, the Biden administration, and the congress, you know, blessed the IRS with, this huge number of additional agents. And at the time, White House Biden pledged that they would not target, earners under $400,000 with, with audits that they were mainly gonna go over at Target, people and households making more than 400,000 a year. It has come out via the IRS that the main targets of their audits are people making or households, I should say, making under 200,000. So How? You know, with all Well, that's
Brett Johnson [:just a freaking easy target. With all the I'm sorry. That's just easy targeting.
Norm Murdock [:With all the corporations cheating and and and all of the games that people play with off shore accounts and all of those kinds of please, would you go after the big boys?
Brett Johnson [:Leave us the hell alone.
Norm Murdock [:For god's sakes.
Brett Johnson [:You know, especially well, okay. So so even taken into the fact that this, this new, new regulations going on for LLCs. It's a transparency act basically. That you've gotta go through this anal probe that has very limited scope in regards to who has to do this. And, I'm talking about those that are exactly who you're talking about. LLCs, corporations less than 12 or 15 employees, I believe it is.
Norm Murdock [:Oh, gosh.
Brett Johnson [:There there are some limits. There are some, guardrails on this. If you have this, if you have this, if you're a nonprofit, you don't have to do this sort of thing.
Norm Murdock [:Of
Brett Johnson [:course. It affects this this this, segment of the population exactly. Those that are in that kind of earning range. Yeah. They have to go through this probe that basically they have the information already. And I get it. They're trying to stop the money laundering. Totally understand this.
Brett Johnson [:I totally understand where they're coming from this. And it has some teeth to it. Is it's it's, it's basically come through Homeland Security. So it's kinda not gonna go away, but I think it's gonna go through the courts to kinda figure out. But what in the world? Uh-huh. You know, how many people in that earning range of $200,000 a year are cheating the government of that much money if they are at all. Right. We're talking, okay, I forgot to give you a list of the of the business lunches that I I had.
Norm Murdock [:Right. I mean,
Brett Johnson [:it's It's easy target. This is ridiculous. Yeah. It's
Norm Murdock [:I I don't know. I Unbelievable. The the the so to to show that we're bipartisan here. Right? I'm gonna crab a little bit about the current speaker of the house who only has a one vote majority right now, Mike Johnson. So people wanna say that it's super right wing, super MAGA, whatever, that that is who his problem is. So I'm not super MAGA. I'm not super right wing. I'm common sense.
Norm Murdock [:I'm in the middle. And here's the thing. Here here's the 3 big crimes that Mike Johnson is doing. Oh, he we might as well have kept Kevin McCarthy as speaker, honestly, because he's just doing the same thing. He abandoned his position with the White House about if we're going to protect the borders of the Ukraine, of Taiwan, and Israel, which we should. We should help them. I'm not arguing that we shouldn't help them. He his argument was in that package to defend the borders of foreign countries, I want to see a step up enforcement of our own border, you know, of our country, you know, like the constitution provides.
Norm Murdock [:And he abandoned that. And he has struck this deal for foreign aid that's now at up at the senate. The senate is now gonna argue all this. He abandoned his position. And he had maintained that position with dealing with Biden at the White House and then just this past week, he gave up on that and he caved in. And so that's not a MAGA thing. That's just I mean, the the border patrol said as of March of of 2024, we already have more Chinese nationals of military age, mainly men, have come across the southern border and been apprehended by the border patrol and then cut loose, you know, catch and release. 25,000, which is the number of all of 2023.
Norm Murdock [:So if that holds, we're on we're we're on a we're on a path for 3 to 4 times the number of Chinese nationals, single military age men coming across the southern border in 2024. Because we're already at the number of 2023, and we're only 1 fourth of the way through the year, 1 third.
Brett Johnson [:So how does that sink in? So we we don't border China. We border Mexico. No. So that's kind of that's kind of an odd way of coming into the country, isn't it?
Norm Murdock [:And it has nothing about race or brown or black or yellow or red or green or purple people. This is just basic you've got to maintain your border
Brett Johnson [:and know who these people are. You're vetting people coming into the country, making sure we're okay.
Norm Murdock [:So so crime number 2. Mike, what are you doing with these continual resolutions instead of curbing spending. At some point, an adult has to come into to the process, because we're talking taxes that are now unaffordable for the middle class. I mean, it's the burden of taxes in this country is getting off the hook. And we're giving away things, you know, to this segment, to that segment, to whatever segment. And there's no real, like, discipline anymore. You know, if you're gonna forgive a $150,000,000,000 in student debt that the Supreme Court has told you now you can't do, but you're gonna do it anyway, That burden falls on the middle class. It falls on regular, you know, blue collar and white collar middle class families for generations, their grandchildren, etcetera, will be paying this off.
Norm Murdock [:And and, Mike, at some point, you have to simply have the guts to say, listen. Maybe you're gonna vote the Republicans out of congress over this, but we are gonna put our foot down and not approve a budget. And if the government gets shut down for a month or a week or or 2 months, you know, at some point, we have to get back to what president Clinton and Newt Gingrich did, which is a balanced budget. And that was bipartisan. And they did it. And Bill Clinton in his State of the Union said the era of big government is over. But that didn't last. Mike, we need to get back to that Republicans and Democrats working together because they both parties represent the middle class.
Norm Murdock [:You've got to you've got to help the middle class. And then 3rd, and then I'll be quiet. The third thing that you did this past week is you renewed section 702 of the FISA Act. And what does that that sounds real technical. But what it what it means is director of the FBI, Ray, came in and testified that on 300,000 occasions, Americans' social media and telephone records were obtained illegally because of this section where you don't have to present a warrant to get that information. So so we know it's happening illegally. We know the FBI and other agencies are illegally obtaining this information on Americans. Section 702 is is is an act to spy on foreigners in the United States, but they are picking up Americans and using that act without warrants, which is in the constitution, the 4th amendment, you have to get a warrant And and and you you renewed this act.
Norm Murdock [:So, yeah, I'm mad at you. I'm not a MAGA guy. I'm not a Trumper. I'm I'm not a radical right hand right wing guy. These are just common sense. This is just middle of the road Americans. You gotta get a warrant to search me. You you you you gotta cut the budget.
Norm Murdock [:You gotta balance the budget. And and you gotta protect our border.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. I mean
Norm Murdock [:It it's I mean, is that radical?
Brett Johnson [:I don't think it is. I mean, in my opinion Obviously, there's there's devil in the details to get it done, but those are the goals that pushes it over the the the end line of okay we're successful. Yeah. Get it done. Gone. Get get it done. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:For god's sake.
Brett Johnson [:Well, and and and you know, I think, from what I gather, you know, the budget thing is is gonna it's it's gotta hit, as you mentioned earlier, critical mass. It's never gonna be addressed until it's critical mass and we may not be able to turn around. Did you And I'm not I'm trying to be doomsday
Norm Murdock [:ish here,
Brett Johnson [:but it's there's no incentive. There's, you know, the the
Norm Murdock [:Spend, spend, spend. Make everybody happy. Just get, you know, Uncle Sam is like Santa Claus. Right. You know, hey, college kids that signed a loan agreement, guess what? You don't have to.
Brett Johnson [:You don't have to do it, you know.
Norm Murdock [:But what about the college kid who just paid his off or her off? Right. Why why are you picking certain people that get these And gifts.
Brett Johnson [:And they portray the, the the loaning company as evil. It's like,
Norm Murdock [:dude, you're the loaning company. Right.
Brett Johnson [:You're the ones that loaned it out. That's right. So maybe you wanna take a look at yourself mirror.
Norm Murdock [:Right. If it's so evil of what you're doing Correct. Maybe change what you're doing. How about working on
Brett Johnson [:the cost of college? That would help.
Norm Murdock [:How about how about telling the colleges and universities, hey. You know, like, a 100,000 a year to get, you know, some liberal arts degree, that ain't flying anymore. Yeah. We're not gonna pay for that as a government.
Brett Johnson [:No. Yeah. Yeah. And that may come down to the state level too that, you know, states have been pulling back their support on, you know, state universities too that now maybe 10 to 15% of their budgets come from the state. That's changed things as well too. It's changed the cost of college. So, may it. It might have to go macro versus macro, in regards to how to address it.
Brett Johnson [:But, yeah, I think there are other ways of looking at this going than just wiping away a debt. Yeah. That somebody's held on to for 20 years. But in my I see I hear that and it's going you held on to a loan and you're paying off a lot. And again Yeah. I I have empathy. I have sympathy. But it's like, you've been paying this for 20 years? So what What the hell have you been doing? For 20 years, you haven't paid off a loan.
Brett Johnson [:I I know life happens. I I know.
Norm Murdock [:I get that.
Brett Johnson [:It's a sweep So so the sweeping generalization to say that, but what the hell? Is he not alone in 20 years? So there is work
Norm Murdock [:to be done in this country. And when when a when the depression happened, FDR FDR didn't just give away money. Right. You so there was a Civilian Conservation Corps. There was a National Recovery Agency. There were all of these different things where the men and women had to work and they got paid. Yeah. So maybe if you want your student debt forgiven, maybe president Biden and and congress, maybe what you could do is is pass some kind of program where people can pay off their student loan by maybe working for the government at home at night, maybe doing programming, or maybe doing data entry.
Brett Johnson [:Or if you're a doctor, you work you if you're a doctor, you go work in the Appalachian states for 2 or 3 years.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. Right. Because those areas
Brett Johnson [:those areas need a doctor or
Norm Murdock [:a lawyer or whatever. Society should be getting paid back somehow.
Brett Johnson [:Something. Give it back. Come on.
Norm Murdock [:Not just you can't just forgive.
Brett Johnson [:You're not not forcing them not to work, but you're kind of saying, okay. If you want this forgiven Here's
Norm Murdock [:a way to do it.
Brett Johnson [:Asking you to go do this. It's already exists for paying off some medical loans if you work for the VA. Right. They will wipe away loans. Or maybe But we're working specific areas for
Norm Murdock [:a while. You reverse a GI bill thing. So the GI Bill would be after you're a soldier, then you get a college benefit. Maybe we say to somebody who's built up college debt, you know what? If you if you enlist in the military for for 5, 8, 10 years, whatever, that all goes away. Could do that too. It's a it's a pre GI bill.
Brett Johnson [:And it's it's an opportunity. You
Norm Murdock [:don't have to do it.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. But here's an opportunity.
Norm Murdock [:Here's a way to wipe it out. Serve your country.
Brett Johnson [:7 or 8 different options. 1 is military. 1 is you go work in this area.
Norm Murdock [:Exactly.
Brett Johnson [:You are whatever the case might be.
Norm Murdock [:Whatever the case may be.
Brett Johnson [:But we're not forcing you to.
Norm Murdock [:We know we have work to be done.
Brett Johnson [:Right. There
Norm Murdock [:are areas this country needs.
Brett Johnson [:There is areas of this country that need your help in your profession. Exactly. We're asking you if you want to really progressively get that loan down
Norm Murdock [:Right.
Brett Johnson [:To go here and work for 2 or 3 years and we'll wipe it gone.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:That's nothing in the compared to your whole career.
Norm Murdock [:Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:And you know what? You might find out that you love the area. Right. And you may wanna stay because Exactly. You're serving. It's pretty amazing what things can happen.
Norm Murdock [:You can roll your shoulders back and take some pride that you paid back your loan somehow instead of this I mean, dude, I'd I I would be ashamed of myself. I really would.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. And I really would. But that's our I think it's a generational thing. I I don't know. And I hate I hate when people carve it. To the generations. I because that's not because it's not fair to individuals and that individual in in that But
Norm Murdock [:we have done this to our our young our young people. Yeah. We've created this babysitter mentality Yeah. Where they expect unrealistic things. I mean, I know kids, my my own kids' age, that think, hey. When I
Brett Johnson [:graduate from college, I
Norm Murdock [:should be able to buy a house just like my parents
Brett Johnson [:Mhmm.
Norm Murdock [:And earn what my parents make. And I'm like, wait a minute. You just graduated. Yeah. Their expectations are totally out of control.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. And it's and it's it's being fed in multiple ways.
Norm Murdock [:It's fed in multiple ways.
Brett Johnson [:We got, I'll talk about well, gosh. We're wrapping up here in an hour. You had one final thing you wanna talk about?
Norm Murdock [:Yeah. I think this is an interesting way to kind of wrap up several things. So have you heard of this Venezuelan illegal immigrant that got arrested in Ohio over he lived in Gahanna. No. His name is Lionel Moreno. No relation to Bernie. Okay.
Brett Johnson [:It's probably a very, but George Johnson is
Norm Murdock [:a very prominent. Exactly. So this fellow was a social media TikTok, Facebook sensation. He's the guy you may have seen this, Brett. He's the guy that he lives all over the news that would hold wads of $100 bills in front of the social media camera, his his camera, and say, look. I don't work for this money. You guys who work he would literally say, you people who work like slaves to support people like me, I don't work and I live like a king and you work like a slave and you're you're a victim and I'm taking it. He would literally say I'm taking advantage of the American largess in the system.
Norm Murdock [:And he was promoting right from his laptop in Gahanna. He was promoting squatting in unoccupied homes. He was promoting living off the system using the benefits for new arrivals, which is the new term for illegal immigrants. And he was promoting fleecing the government by having babies. And he 40 $1,000 a year of benefits for for this baby, and you are all suckers. You could be doing you're like, you're all going to work and and well, anyway, ICE came in on March 29th to Ohio. They came down from Detroit, the the ICE agents and arrested him and took him away because I think he had 500,000 followers on TikTok. I think they viewed this guy as a real danger to the country because he was he was basically doing how to videos on working the system Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:Taking advantage of our social safety net.
Brett Johnson [:Right. And and what he was purporting is was legit. You could do these things
Norm Murdock [:Well or As you know, the squatting laws are complicated
Brett Johnson [:Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:Because you it's called adverse possession or there's also landlord tenant law that gives somebody who has established a household, even if they did it illegally, some rights against the owners of the real estate. And some states like Florida have now closed those loopholes. But it was meant to address things like tenant farmers. So so, you know, a guy, you know, in the Deep South, a guy would get a farmer on his land. The farmer would bring in the crop. And maybe it would go to an auction, and he wouldn't get what he thought he was gonna get for the corn or the beans or the cotton and couldn't pay. Right? Okay. And it was meant to protect that kind of a situation that you couldn't just kick this tenant farmer off the land immediately.
Norm Murdock [:Like, there were weeks months of hearings and court procedures before you could just kick him out k. And take all his take all take all his work that he did and say, I get to keep that and I get to kick him out, not have to pay him. I mean, it was you know, predator landlords Right. Could take advantage of somebody like that. Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:So Kinda reversed up then. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:It's reversed up. And it's being used, like so in Atlanta, this has been a thing. And in New York, it's been a thing.
Brett Johnson [:So just kinda flipping what's there and
Norm Murdock [:And using it for not what it was intended. Right. Like, he was basically saying, hey. Break a window. Go in. Stay stay there. Get a little mail coming to the mailbox. And now it's it's your residence.
Norm Murdock [:It'll take months for them to kick you out, and the police will not do it generally because they say it's a civil matter. It's not a criminal matter. Well, they've changed that in Florida. Now it's a criminal.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. You know, it's kind of interesting though and it will end on this, but, you know, what you kind of need these people to show the holes.
Norm Murdock [:How crazy it is.
Brett Johnson [:Ain't it ain't it funny?
Norm Murdock [:It's crazy.
Brett Johnson [:That that okay. But but, you know, maybe you just kinda let him do it to a certain degree. I mean, how many people are really gonna do what he's doing? You know, the 400,000 followers, come on.
Norm Murdock [:500 or 500, you know Just on TikTok.
Brett Johnson [:They they're watching the craziness of it more than anything else or not necessarily,
Norm Murdock [:it's so in your face. Thing.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Right.
Norm Murdock [:So in your face.
Brett Johnson [:It's like, okay. He's piece he's actually showing us holes in the system that we ought to fix.
Norm Murdock [:So he crossed over in Texas in April of 2022, and then he immediately skipped his 60 day report. He had to report back in after he got apprehended because they wanna get apprehended. I mean, they're not trying most of them are not trying to avoid the border patrol. They want to get in the system because there's many benefits of the system, health care, etcetera. Right. So he skipped his report in date and, you know, it also shows the weakness of this whole catch and release thing. Right. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:You know, whereas, you know, what what Trump had was, okay, Venezuelans, you have to wait on the Mexican side of the border for your hearing. So that's really how he got the crossings to go down Mhmm. Was was getting the Mexican government to agree that, no, you don't cross into the the US and then trigger a court hearing. You apply while you're still in Mexico and you stay you remain in Mexico until your court hearing date.
Brett Johnson [:Right. Yeah.
Norm Murdock [:So Wow. Wow.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. A good way to wrap it up. Good grief. Okay. Well, I'm sure Steve will be back next week. You'll have the 3 legged table back. So, anyway yeah. And and don't forget, thank our sponsor, Harper CPA Plus.
Brett Johnson [:Catch them at harpercpaplus.com. And until next week, we'll talk to you then.
