This is Busted Pencils, fully-ledded education talk.
Here are your hosts, Dr. Tim Slecker and Dr. Johnny Lupinacci, educated educators talking
education.
There it is, Friday Busted Pencils, fully-ledded education talk, educated educators talking.
Education, the numbers 8557524842, we want you to talk education with us, well, mostly
though debate, yeah, we'll do a little bit of talking first before we get into that, but
just so anybody, if you're ready, you want to call in, yes, tonight is going to be about
the debate.
Absolutely, give us a call because we're going to chop it up and talk about it, but Tim,
come on, man, what day is it, my guy?
It's TGIBPF, man, thank God, it's Busted Pencils, Friday.
That's what I'm looking for because I look forward to it every day on Busted Pencils.
You can listen to us here on Civic Media, or if you're downloading the podcast, you can
get that at the Civic Media website, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Tim, I always look forward to our chopping it up, talking about the week, and man, I'm
with you.
It would be bonkers, and not be talking about what was bonkers last night, before we even
get into that, hopefully, if you're local to Madison, or maybe you are up north, and
the great state of Wisconsin, then you got to maybe kick it today, or even yesterday
during the debates.
You got to throw back some Bruce and Monaco Brewing Company, big time advocates for public
education and strong advocates for democracy, back in the Democrats, but I'd love to hear
what Kirk at Monaco Brewing Company and the Monaco Brewing Company crew are all thinking
about today, too.
But anyways, they're the most sued brewery in America.
Why?
Because they stand up for democracy, because they back the Democrats, they're right or
die over there.
I love them.
Monaco Brewing Company.
It's making Wisconsin great again.
Don't be here at the time.
Check them out at Monaco Brewing Company dot com to see where you can buy their progressive
beer.
Tim, a couple of progressives, I mean, I don't know if I like that label too much, but I like
it better than liberal.
I like it better than liberal, for sure, progressive, whatever it is.
It's, man, but I tell you what, last night, though, wow, wow, wow, yeah, the debate,
public education.
Hey, Johnny, we had two bets, though, going into, we did have eight bets, like two
bets.
You, I think, I think you're being a little lenient on giving me a little bit on one.
I mean, yeah, so one of them was, we, you know, because we had a great guest on this
week, Alan, from student loan forgiveness and, you know, Alan's also around for president.
So we have a president to debate.
Why not have our boy, Alan on, but regardless, we had some great discussion around student
loan forgiveness and the bump in the road that the Biden administration hit this week.
Right, with, with steadfast, a lot of forgiveness that they were really working out.
So that hit a bump in the road and we were talking about it because I was bummed because
I got the letter and like the email says, you know, we've been in line for this, for
some forgiveness and you're more than eligible, but hang on because there's a bump in a
road and there might not be any more forgiveness.
So I was bummed, we talked about it related to it because we said, hey, there's a presidential
debate this week.
We're looking forward to what happens.
It's kind of like saying, look at forward to see car crash, but, you know, we talked about
it and we had made a bet over under, I went with the under, there would be no discussion
of student loan.
You said, come on.
I think that they're going to talk about it and lo and behold, yeah, they, they, they
mentioned the month ago, sliver, tiny, tiny sliver, yeah, and then the other one though
too is I said, there is no way that this debate will not have a very specific education
topic.
Yeah.
Like, you know, it's like there's got to be, you know, the moderators are going to hit
them with an education question because there's been so much going on, particularly round
education, particularly Trump and the, you know, the, the 2025 agenda doing away with
the Department of Education.
I thought that would have been a really rich question to ask, Johnny, you said, no, they're
not even going to touch it.
Oh, man.
What do I owe you now, dude?
No, I mean, I think we're even.
I mean, I think you're giving me, you're giving me a little on the student loan.
So I'm a kind, I'm a kind bookie.
If I'm the arranger of this, this political betting ring that we've created here are busted
pencils.
Place your bets here, right, text them in to civic media, right?
The books are open.
But the under was that they wouldn't talk about student loans and loan behold on to Joe
brought it up kind of kind of coherently in connection with inflation, which is not
far off on.
That's what I'm going to give it to you because if we're going to piece together, you know,
his contributions, which sadly is what we have to do, but to piece together a real slow
start and a kind of like, okay, I got what you're saying.
I wasn't very spirited and it wasn't very encouraging in terms of like, hey, we got a Democrat
here who's who's a strong advocate for democracy.
I believe he has that in them, but I don't know, man.
I don't know.
I believe he might have had that in him, maybe that's what I put it.
I mean, I'm not saying anything like he doesn't know what he's doing or he's not here.
It's just that the open enthusiasm that I would have hoped a candidate would have to go
up against somebody like he who shall remain the nameless as often as like to not say that
dude's name.
Fee.
G, man.
Yeah.
I would have hoped for like, you know, Uncle Joe, like 15 years ago, maybe even 10 years
ago, you know, Uncle Joe from the cookout.
The guy who is like, let me tell you, we got this like, give me in there, give me in
there.
Scrapper from Scranton.
Right.
But he, you know, he did bring it up in connection.
And I believe this is true because we talked about it with Alan and we, you and I have talked
about it on here that the economy is rough for most people right now.
Unless you're like, you know, a multimillionaire billionaire or, you know, international corporation,
multinational corporation.
Multinational.
You're feeling the squeeze, right?
It's not, it's not strong economic times.
And so, you know, Joe's talking about that.
And then, and then in connection, he did bring up student loan because as Alan reminds,
does 85 million, some folks cannot pay, cannot loans currently.
That's not how many are in debt from student loans.
That's just how many people are currently, you know, under water and underwire, right?
And, and some of the reasons why you can go back and grab that podcast from earlier this
week or any of the ones where we have Alan on and we talk about, let's get down into
the nuts and bolts of student loan forgiveness and specifically student loan debt.
So they brought it, he brought it up, so I'll give you that because I think the intention
is there.
And intentions are a starting point.
I would hope for more, but intentions are a starting point.
And then my big victory, they didn't bring up anything kick K 12, but I told you absolute
certainty to bet on the bet on the under on that, you've looked over because you are optimistic
and I love that optimism.
But you know, sadly for Republicans or Democrats, education is never really a big issue that
that swings or determines an election.
And that's part of what grinds your gears, Tim and mine and why we have this show and
why we hammer away at it is because it ought to be, it ought to be the number one driver
that not one driver.
Yeah.
Johnny, let's just, Sherry, Sherry from Horkon got to say, he's like, hey guys, I'm riding
with Biden.
And he has been doing a great job.
Okay, Sherry, you might be a little upset with me by the end of today's show, but you
know, he maybe, and then L.A. Tom, he did say something about student loan forgiveness
that they saved so much money on the debt.
Yeah, I don't really remember the comment that much that Biden made around the student
loans, Johnny.
But yeah, well, I mean, we can pull it up.
We got it on cue because he did say, oh, you want to play it for us?
Just play for the listeners on us.
Yeah.
All those black families and those black individuals provided to have to take out student loans that
were polloning that if they were in great gays and nursing, Dr. and anything happened
to do with volunteerism, if they paid their bills for 10 years under student debt, all
the rest is you're given after 10 years, millions have benefited from that.
And we're going to do a whole lot more.
Okay.
That's why I'm gay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
Yeah.
I must have somewhere in the, in the hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, just shut down and stop
listening because I was like, oh, man, I hear that all the time, Sherry's like, never
Republican.
Sherry, and I definitely am with you, I'm not going in that direction for sure.
And Donald Trump from LA Tom is lying over 30 times and no one could push back because
they muted the microphone.
But even that LA Tom, I know you're listening, nobody's surprised by that.
Like that wasn't something that people went, oh, my God, can you believe Trump lied?
It's like, no, that was what he was going to do when he was coming in.
You know, so it's not a shocker that Trump was Trump.
I mean, nobody should be like, can you believe that he lied?
Yes.
I can't believe that he lied.
That's what he does.
He does it all the time.
So I'm not shocked.
Yeah.
Timon, overall, you know, just a low moment for American politics.
I can say, yeah.
We shouldn't be here.
We are.
And I'm not going to lament it, right?
And I agree with Sherry and LA, like LA Tom, right?
We're in it.
So we got to be figuring out how to strengthen this democracy.
And if that's Joe Biden, then let's get Joe Biden working to strengthen this democracy.
Personally, I mean, I don't have any problem with Joe Biden.
I actually also don't mind that he sounds like one of my great uncles, right?
Like, I don't mind it.
I was like, can somebody just pass that man a hard candy?
Like his voice, like, just get, you know, like have him ready.
Like, who's that man a record?
Yeah, record.
I'm not nearly as veteran as Joe Biden.
And I know for class, I need to have some hard candies in my pocket.
I mean, that's old man knowledge.
I'm not.
I got to have some hard candies ready to go.
Right?
And I know that it's not the best on the mic because, you know, clank surround on my teeth.
But we're familiar with that, right?
We're familiar with with with Uncle Joe, with Joe, the man of the people.
And you know, I saw a presidential candidate held to a kind of standard that didn't, it
didn't feel like it fit him to me.
It didn't feel like it fit him.
And that's all to say, like, man, I can't even he who shall remain nameless.
I cannot even fathom for a moment.
And in fact, I've heard a lot of energy and compassion and empathy into lots of chat
some men, lots of discussion boards, lots of spaces where I'm talking to people who are
really excited about Donald Trump running for president.
And I have to say to him, like, how and one of those points to him, one of those points
is absolutely that how could we have a leader?
We can't trust.
And then I have to ask them, do you trust people who lie to you?
And they say, no.
So I'm trying to figure out with compassion and empathy, where the Donald Trump supporter
logic is, and having a leader you can't trust.
And that means do you trust people who repeatedly lie to you?
And this is a big sticking point for me, regardless of the other 15 reasons at the top of my
head.
This is an awful candidate.
I can't get myself to trust someone who lies.
And then more, when we come back, listeners give us a call, busted pencils.
I wish I could play the drums like that.
And busted pencils fully let it education talk.
Educated educators, talking education and talking presidential debates last night.
Yeah, TFG, as they call them, and Uncle Joe last night, trying to have a conversation
that it was supposed to inspire us about the future of democracy.
And I was saying, doing the break and just wanting a little bit further, but I, Johnny,
10 minutes in and, you know, I was texting you, you know it.
And like my heart sank, gruey into my head down to the bottoms of my feet.
And I just went, this is over.
And I don't mean the debate.
I meant that I absolutely went, this is over.
People see this tonight and anybody who was on the fence, I'm saying this, on the fence,
all of the rabid Trump voters, they're doing what they're going to do, okay?
So doesn't matter, you know, if Biden would have came in 30 years younger and all in that
fighting Joe, it wouldn't have mattered, doesn't matter, okay?
So, you know, because that's not going to change.
But the ability for Biden to inspire some people who might be on the fence with Trump,
he needed to do that last night for me.
He needed to be able to pull some of those people who are going, I'm not sure, I don't
know what to do.
Which is kind of a weird thing to admit that people are out there going, I don't know
what to do because it's like really, but I just saw that and saw those voters just
going, they're not going to vote for TFG, but they're not going to vote.
And then to me, so I then catastrophize this.
I say, you know, dealing with the anxiety issues that I have my whole life, I automatically
took what felt like a punch in the gut and then turned it into a diagnosis of doom and
was like, this is the end of public education, man, and I'm watching it right in front of
me.
Johnny Lupinacci.
So I started getting really sad because to me, you know, people are like, dude, you're
weird, you have that much sense or something, passionate about school, not school about
public education.
First of all, public education, man, when I see the end of public education, people you
know where I'm coming from, I see public education as the foundation of democracy.
And so it's not just about Friday night football, not going to be around.
That's a be a problem, but it's about public education because that's the end of democracy.
And if Uncle Joe was going to be the advocate for democracy, man, he just didn't do it
at all.
And I got really, really sad last night.
Well, Tim, I mean, I've told you, not going to say, and one of the hopefuls for me is
I, and why so, so with such confidence said there would be nothing spoken about education
in this, in this debate.
Because one of the things we know is that education, sadly, has not been a major factor,
like policy about education has not been a big factor for determining presidential elections.
One of those reasons is because, and then come back to it to maybe, maybe have some sunshine
through the gloom for you, education is a state right.
By and large, the U.S. Department of Education plays a role, and it's played a different,
with different administrations, a larger role than others, and it's played a role in state
decisions about education.
And there are some really scary things to think about in terms of where Trump is situated
in his, his policy speaking to, you know, basically getting rid of the U.S. Department
of Education.
It's not really to me when I read Trump's plans for education, it's not really him, it's
the Heritage Foundation.
Right.
They're interested in really private, private charters everywhere, free market for education,
enterprise industry kind of thing.
Let's back up, education is a state right.
And this is why I'm like, again, a start, a harsh reminder last night that for those
of us very concerned about education, this is a divided moment across our union of states.
But it's so important that in our states, and we need to support other states too, but
in our states that we advocate, fiercely, we advocate strongly, we make sure that that
candidates speak truth to power when it comes to supporting public education.
Now, sad notes for either administration, more so with the Republican agenda for public
ed, right, is that we're going to likely, in worst case scenario, lose a lot of the
petite to civil rights being important in our public schools as they're underwritten
right now at the federal level, right, entitled one money that's really important to schools
that comes from the U.S. Department of Education.
Those things are ever important to states, right.
But to me, one of the really big things is I knew that they weren't going to discuss education.
I really did.
And I'll be frustrated with that.
We've been talking about that since the earliest presidential election I can remember.
But what I did here is really scary stuff on other things that are really important
to the kind of democratic citizenship good public schools teach in support of, right,
right.
I saw a blatant disregard for peace in this world.
I saw a blatant disregard for civil rights, for equality, for addressing all kinds of
ways that he has a country can be stronger and better.
I saw a flippant disregard from that from the former 45th president of the United States.
And that to me already was like, there's no way I can be won over by, you know, the support
of this individual.
I just can't see myself going there in any instance.
However, I did hope for more things from this debate that didn't deliver.
And there were some big takeaways for me coming out of it.
So there were some big takeaways.
But Tim, I'm there.
I'm with you.
Well, remember, listener and Tim, education is a state, right, I hate to say that because
I'm not saying so forget about Oklahoma, forget about Texas, forget it because we have strong
allyship with all public schools everywhere, but I get it.
I get it though, but I know and I know it to stay right in things.
But the whole idea too, then you're starting to really, you know, rely and it really is
again, it is.
There's no federal in the, in the US Constitution, no mention whatsoever of education.
Go to the state constitutions and every state constitution has public education in there.
So you're right.
I get that.
It's just the whole idea of the signaling.
And I said, I don't think that Trump, you know, gained any Biden supporters and brought
them over or anything like that.
It's just that myth that that the non participating people who might come out to vote.
If they were looking for a reason to be inspired to vote last night, and I would say people
going like Trump's lying wasn't enough to inspire you to get out there and vote against
him.
I think so.
But for other people, man, the mumbling Joe, not fighting Joe, but the mumbling Joe, this,
you know, kind of like, whoa, where are you going with that conversation, Joe, Joe, I think
you just answered three different questions at the same time.
I'm not sure that's the way it works.
It was rough.
And so T F G, you know, I don't think he won anybody over.
I'm concerned that Uncle Joe might have lost some people that matter.
And then those people that matter, and if Joe loses and T F G wins, oh, I don't know.
We'll talk more about it though.
Give us a call 8557524842.
Somebody call and tell me to calm down to him.
And here's, help me out, everybody.
Help me out.
Busted pencils want me to get back.
Yeah, that's for sure.
The American attraction, Busted pencils, they go together, yeah, fully let it education
talk.
Get it educators talking education, oh, this time tonight, Friday, T F T G I B P F, thank
God, it's Busted pencils Friday, but we've got to talk about the debate 8557524842 is
the number.
If you want to call, Johnny, you know, what happens with these debates and I guess at this
point now, if you, you know, listener knows that Tim was sad and, you know, tears and
all those things.
And I mean, I probably over dramatizing the pain that I felt that, you know, that's what
I do.
I catastrophize everything because that way when it actually turns out to be not so bad,
I feel better.
So I understand that there's a very dysfunctional way of dealing with my anxiety and I've learned
it at this point now and I do the catastrophe, but, you know, they always comes up though
after the end of a debate, you know, well, who won?
Who won?
Who won?
And you know what, nobody won, but I can tell you this, Johnny Lupinachi, I tell you
who lost the American people, the American people, we lost last night by, from both of them,
Johnny, both of them, big losers, the American people.
That's where I'm putting this, Johnny.
Well, it's a let down to the great American people.
I will say they're not losers.
They're winners out there.
No, okay.
You know, who constitute this democracy, they lost because they deserve more.
And that's what, like whether you're a Republican or your Democrat or you're another party,
those other parties don't even seem to exist at the presidential level right now or acknowledged
right in a way that ought to be.
But, you know, that's who loses out is that aspect, the core value of democracy, that
is popular sovereignty.
We the people are the government of this country.
And so we are let down by the presidential candidates by both sides.
You know, who else got on a, I feel kind of the bad end of the debate, alley cats, Tim,
alley cats, like the moral, some of the alley cat play, let's play, let's play, let's play
one again, some of the alley cat, come on, come on, like, for alley cats, I mean, like,
I would, I would prefer that an alley cat be running at this point, instead of, you know,
be who shall remain, nameless as little as often as I cannot have to say his name, you
know, an alley cat would be, you know, a big improvement, you know, and so those are,
those are things that stand out to me, Tim.
And you know, as we get into this, yeah, there it is, it's true as the bell rings, Tim,
you know, that means democracy and action, I was just thinking as we were having this
conversation and, you know, and you were sharing your sadness and you were talking about
this and we're chopping it up and we're being critical, our freedom and the important
civic responsibility we have to be critical, right, to speak truth to this, to say, hey,
you know, who's not served here as the people of the United States, right, that is democracy
and action, the fact that we are free and in fact protected to have these conversations,
this is really important, it's really important in connection to what some of, I'll say some
of your catastrophizing fears are, there's the rise of tyranny and a fundamentalist state
which I truly believe is the, is the interest of Trump's following.
I don't think it's Donald Trump's.
Yeah, that's a whole other interest that you're right, but I do believe there is like
a real push for a fundamentalist state forming here and authoritarian state that is not democracy
and I feel like if we're going to catastrophize it all, that's what that state here, when
there are, when we, when you hit a low point in your politics, it's a litmus test and
it's telling us that American politics have gotten really vulnerable to fascism and tyranny
and to the rise of a fundamentalist state and people from around the world who live the
horrors of being in a fundamentalist state can tell you, right, this is what it's like,
when at certain point, the no choice, but you have to make a choice and it's catastrophe
either way, that's a real indicator that we're vulnerable to the loss of that democracy
and action, Tim, that we're even expressing our right and our protected freedom to have
this as well as it being a responsibility for L.A. Tom to text in his political views
for Sherry and Horacan to say she's riding with Biden, these are all really important
things for Kirk at Monaco Brewing Company, you know, counter Sue, the people who have attacked
his business because of their progressive views, that freedom is at stake in these elections
and so that's, that's something I just want, I couldn't help but not, I like, that's
an awesome, yeah, that what a democracy and action point there, Johnny, because you point
this out and say, and I'll just bring it back to you and that is why it's so important
when we talk about public education, not schooling, not schooling, but public education
as you said, the preparation to be a citizen, to be a critical citizen, to engage in conversations
like you and I do here every night with Jess and on you with L.A. Tom, with, you know, with
Joanne calling in, you know, L.A. Tom always appreciated that all of those, you know, that
when we potentially lose a true commitment to formal, formal, and even that word, I'm
not sure I like using that word, but a commitment to public education, when you say and you
see that certain, I don't think Donald Trump himself is actually too an authoritarian
himself, I don't, but his people want, and I see those, those people being in that realm
of going, we need to shut down this critical thought. And so when you look at where we've
been, particularly over these past two years, with the attack and in fact, the legal, legally
going after teaching the truth, critical racer, people like, no, we're not going after the
truth and we're going after critical racer, no, that's going after the truth, sorry, okay,
you cannot, you know, and we're going to outlaw this stuff. There is truly, Johnny, what
you say, a rise of a push towards a totalitarian authoritarian state. And for me, the only, only
pushback on that is a thriving public education system that realizes its core is preparation
for democracy, understanding that. And maybe that's part of it too, is that I'm here
of going, and it doesn't do that right now. Public education falls really, really short
and actually doing what I'm trying to say. However, it still is the only possibility that
is charged with making that a potential reality. And so that's why I hold on to it with
such fun, my own fundamental kind of rigor. It's like, I can't let this one go, dude.
Yeah, man. And I'm with you. And I'm going to, I'm going to share, I'll go, so I'll do
it overview. And I'm just going to share like my big takeaways, overall to be. And then
I'm going to land on one that is the most troublesome to me, Tim, is the scariest, scariest
thing. And I, and I very rarely hyperboleize. And I'm, and I'm going on this one, big takeaways.
First, I can get over it. Joe was, man, not even mid for me in terms of things, but I can
get over that. That's, that's an issue in the Democrat party. That's for us to figure
out. Like, okay, is this our best? And that's not an attack on Joe. Is this our best representation
of where we're at or where we want to be as a, as a community? And, and, and answers know,
right? I don't want to see two old guys. And that's not me being agious. I don't want to
see two old white guys up there talking about the things they're talking about. Because
it doesn't need to culminate to a contest on our golf. And that's true. I mean, that couldn't
be more stereotypical than two old white guys. Right. Well, that's another big takeaways. Like,
this is what American politics is culminating to. The other big one is like I kind of was really
like cringing, but also experienced some sadness around insensitivity to the horror and tragedies
of war. I mean, we have some serious suffering going on in the world and in our own communities.
And it just kind of seemed like like an opportunity to attack one another on it rather than to
address, hey, like, there are some things we got to, we got to talk about the fact that, you know,
one candidate's calling the other candidate a bad Palestinian. It's like, this is, this is not
coherent. Nor is it respectful of diverse people around the world in their suffering. So that
really grounded my gears. The other thing was they both really floundered about abortion.
And this is a huge issue that my entire life has had a political debate about it around me.
And I'm thinking, man, I am 40 some years old in my entire life. This has been an issue
discussed by older white men. And that's not me jumping to beat into identity politics. It's like,
hey, it's this simple candidate. Just get up there and say, hey, this is not for me to decide.
Democracy is about decisions being made by those directly impacted by the decisions. This is a woman
or a person carrying a child's right and choice to their health. That is about democracy and
about freedom. It is also recognizing that the trust and the respect we put into medical professionals.
So unless you're a medical professional close to this or a person capable of or carrying
child, this is not a decision you get to weigh in on. So I was really kind of off put by both
their discussion of that important topic. And then it's that discussion about immigration.
I mean, this is huge. This is like this is the United States of America. This is where we are
supposed to be, you know, we talk about it sometimes as like a place for everybody in the
opportunity, a land of opportunity. So to speak so, I think insensitively and just really ignorant
to the experience and to the important role people from all over the world play as members of
our community was also a big takeaway. It's like, hey, neither these guys really show. But obviously,
I'm going to say Joe Moore, empathy and concern and care for them, then Donald Trump. But
neither really spoke to that in a way where I felt like, wow, this is going to strengthen our
community. It's going to bring peace to us, economic prosperity, and it's going to contribute to
the richness of the diversity of our country. The other thing is, and I'm going to hang on this one,
is that I lied over and over again. And I can't, I can't get over this. This acceptance of lies.
And the biggest one to me is lie by avoidance. And this one, I'm going to stick on, right? The
fact that he could not give a coherent response, like a definitive response to respecting elections.
This is big. This is also what I'm going to say. I'm going to use what sounds like some hyperbole,
but I'm going to, I reserve it for these things. This is in every way an admission of tyranny,
right? Just ignore the importance because I'm not happy with either candidate, but I'll tell you
what elections are important. And to say that I can't give a definitive answer on how I will handle
the results of an election. And I, and Trump utilized that debate to rewrite January 6th.
So I'm going to ask listeners out there, if you're thinking about this, or maybe you're in
conversations with people who are debating this and thinking about it, imagine anywhere we worker
any of our homes. And imagine that a few years ago, people came in against, against consent.
They ignored consent that came right in. They put poop on your walls, right? They used excessive
force and violence, blatant disregard for any law and order. And came in and, and you know, ran
a monk as a response to elect to elections. And then we're just saying a couple of years later,
well, yeah, let's give him another try. Hopefully we're just going to not, like I cannot, I do not know
a single person who says, it's okay that you came into our space. You used to work here. So you
have a right to come in here, use force, ignore consent, and put poop on my walls. This is where American
electoral politics are at. It's not a good look around the world. We can do better. We ought to
be doing better. I want to come back to that, Tim. Think about what you have to say in terms of
like January 6th and Trump's, like blatant disregard for elections. When we come back, listeners
give us a text or a call 855-752-4842 busted pencils. We get back.
Trump won't let anything ever kiss me. I'm not into your trap. Trump won't allow me to lie to lie to you.
Yeah!
Busted pencils fully. Let it education time. Yeah, it's the last segment. You know that coming
in there, seven dusts, schools out. 855-752-4842. Truly a democracy and action total episode
here tonight, Johnny. I mean, from the very beginning here, you know, truly putting on an incredible
display of what it means to be a citizen, to be actively participating in Johnny, man. You got some,
some admirers out there. You beautiful orator. You could not have put it better.
Somebody from out there putting that down. Johnny. Preach it, Johnny. Preach it, Johnny. Hey,
yeah, man, dude, you were dropping some real passion there and it came off and yeah, you really
laid it out. I appreciate you, man. I appreciate you too, Tim. And again, back to our
democracy and action point today, I hold high regard and value for our freedom and the protected
right to have this conversation. And I'm emphasizing that because that is one of the things
that is at risk. Tim, a couple of years from now, we could be in a lot trouble for having this
conversation. So that, I mean, I very rarely hyperboleize this, but that's the kind of thing.
Too much is at risk. We have to figure out how we can do better for one another, for ourselves
and for communities. And that's that's the better off of democracy where we learn to do that.
That's why we're here having this conversation. Yeah, we do this all the time. You know, people are like,
you know, it makes me think what people are kind of like, so you guys have like a daily talk show
about like school, like, no, no, we have a daily talk show about democracy that happens to be
contextualized within what we call public education in this country, where all of these issues about
what it means, you know, just say to be an American, to be a citizen, to have the critical capacity
to look at the way things are and to call them out and to say, that's not what's happening here.
And to say, I'm sorry, TFG, that's a lie because that was the other thing, Johnny, you put that out
there. I mean, the continued lies by TFG is just, it's enough to make you go, this is truly saying,
where, I'll come back to this from the education sampling, what a horrible, horrible, horrible,
horrible role model that we have right there in that. And I said, I've talked to this, you know,
you say, you know, the Thanksgiving, you know, somewhere in Thanksgiving, when you get around with
the family, the TFG has really turned families and I'll even admit to my family being one of those
that the split and the kind of disregard for any type of civility. In fact, kind of like a
now that I'm in charge, I'm going to deliver some pain to you because I haven't been in charge
for such a long time. And our guy, all the time, he's up there, he takes no prisoners and I like that.
He's the kind of mean SOB that I really want to be and now I can be. And he's just thinking,
going, it's like, this is, this is truly where you go, these are not role models. These are not
role models that we need to be putting out there. And so you say, what is our democracy turned into,
you know, and the whole idea that we had a debate last night with two people, a debate for two
people, for 300 million plus citizens, there are only two people who can represent the views nonsense.
And so the democracy has deteriorated from the standpoint of just the inclusion of other voices,
powerful voices, voices that actually, I'm going to tell you, my 24 year old son, my 21 year old
daughter did not hear a thing last night that had anything to do with them. They're alienated.
They're not part of the conversation. There are candidates out there who could be speaking
for them. There are, you know, the idea that we've reduced this to that guy and the other guy
is, and it's a real threat. That to me is an even bigger threat to democracy. So when you have
a two party system that has absolutely said, no, every other person who wants to be a part of this
debate. And yes, Alan Collins from Student Loan Justice is running for president. People
are like, oh, he doesn't have a chance. Of course, he doesn't have a chance. He was never given a
chance. He wouldn't even be, you know, and there are other people out there. So the whole closing
this off. And so in one way, what we got last night, hey, I'm actually not surprised because
when you only have two old white guys who are talking about golf, actually trying to be the
representatives of the voices of America, they ain't got it, man. Neither one of them have got it.
One's an incredible, compulsive liar. The other one, it's just, it's just too much anymore.
Oh, man, some good stuff going up. It's intentional lies. It's not, you know, this person's got
some problems. They don't really know right from wrong or truth from, you know, they don't know
reality from fiction. It's not, it's not a delusional thing. It's a manipulative thing. It's in every
way to say, you have one option. It's this and it's not the truth, right? And we've seen that work
in history. We have history to tell us what happens when we are told that this is the way it's going
to be. Generally, that means that it's not what's best for the majority or most people or even close
to that. It means like, I'm about to do something that you're going to be against, but you're not
going to have much opportunity to say anything or do anything about it. It is authoritarianism,
it is fascism. It is a rise of tyranny that ought to be intolerable to Republicans and Democrats
and any other folks who are trying to find some agreement and a party that represents them.
Because it's like, woo, this is, I said, a low point in American politics. I don't know where
I belong to be on it. I mean, you know, I know where, I know where for sure I am absolutely not.
And so in that sense, I've got, but who wants to talk about even me, and I'm 57 years old,
okay? I'm not a young guy either. But man, I feel like they're not talking about anything that
has to do with me. And maybe part of that, Johnny, is two is the other part is, you know, we
don't touch on it that much. The whole idea of oligarchy and the reality that both parties are
really, really owned. And this is where L.A. Tom comes in all the time, the money that comes from
corporations to own both of these candidates. Man, John, Friday, offering of the people of
this country. And so I could love you. Yeah, Friday. Yeah, Boston pencils on a Friday, man.
Truly, democracy and action every night, every night, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, check us out. Hey, everybody going into the weekend, coming up on a holiday week,
got some great stuff coming up next week. Boston pencils, check you out, have a great weekend.