Authentic Filters

We want to welcome you all back to Authentic Filters Season 2! Hopefully you’ve had a great Summer / Winter (depending on where in the world you're listening) and are feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of this year. If there’s anything our break taught us, it’s to be in the moment, live in the moment, and most importantly appreciate the moment. It’s natural to always be in a rush or just trying to get to the next thing; but we’ve got to realize, that once the day has passed, we will never get it back.

This week were talking about the 22 year old instagrammer “Gabby Petito” who went on a cross country road trip with her fiancé “Brian Laundrie”, in what has now become a grappling nightmare for the Petito family with their daughter missing. At the time of this recording, Gabby was still unaccounted for; sadly with new developments everyday and the outlook seemingly more grim with each day passing, her precious body was discovered Sunday September 19th after almost a month missing. Her estranged fiancé Brian on the other hand is still at large and yet to be located. 

On Part II, we diving deep into new developments with the IRS and what the Biden Administration in considering implementing. A policy that if approved by congress and put into place, will have lasting effects on the American people for years to come. While some of us may be going Old School with this one, and others considering a new country altogether, either way you should do your own research to get a full understanding of what may be headed down the pipeline.

We are super excited for the new format of Authentic Filters this Season where we’ll bring you two topics for the week and have open dialogue & opinions on both.  If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to hit that subscribe and leave us a 5-Star Review on Apple Podcast or wherever you listen. Share with your family & friends…Let’s get into it. 

A Squatter is a person who unlawfully occupies an uninhabited building or unused land. In America, Squatting on one’s property is illegal; however, Squatters do have rights believe it or not. And in some ways, they can game the system. 

Squatting actually goes back to medieval England and it’s common law. The King’s court would routinely rule in favor of individuals who occupied a property without permission, providing that the owner did not take action against them within a certain statute of limitations. Present day, it’s been on the rise in states such as California, Nevada and Florida. 

Back in March 2020, squatters were able to capitalize heavily on the rent mortarium program, casing vacant houses, those up for rent, and moving right in with no issues. Because the program protected them from being evicted during this pandemic. 

We’d like to welcome you to our final episode of Season 1:  Squatters | Gaming the System. There are many sensible ways in which to deter squatters from pursuing your property. From affordable security systems to motion lights, and even outlet timers that turn your house lights on at random times of day. It’s been an amazing journey so far and we appreciate all your support! If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to hit that subscribe and leave us a 5-Star Review on Apple Podcast or wherever you listen. 

There’s a few Governmental and Non-Governmental agencies that have been in the spotlight recently for issues they are having which in turn has affected and is affecting the American people. The SBA, Department of Labor, Credit Bureaus, and the IRS play a huge role in the American economy; and with the hit of the COVID-19 Pandemic, their presence was amplified even more so.

From changing the rules and criteria that were laid out to them by the Government to old outdated processes that are no longer able to meet the capacity and demand of today’s society, changes need to be made and these agencies need to be held accountable. 

We’d like to welcome you to Ep. 11 American Agencies | Writing Their Own Rules. We’re taking a deep dive into four of the most well-known agencies in America, detailing our experiences, and those of others that have had issues in one way or another. A good way to hold them accountable is to get the word out and talk about it. Please share this episode and lets keep the conversation going to create real change. Thank you so much for your support as we near the end of Season 1 of “Authentic Filters”. Be sure to head over to Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to share, like, and leave a 5-Star review. 

There was a time when selling or smoking marijuana was illegal across all states. If you got caught with the substance in your possession, it could lead up to prison time for some and maybe parole for others. Forbes.com ran an article that mentioned there is an estimated 40,000 Americans incarcerated for marijuana offenses while the cannabis business is booming. Cannabis is now legal in 34 states for either recreational purposes or medicinal use and more states continue to join in on the money-making phenomenon. Many Activists are asking, why are so many people still locked up if the state that convicted them has now made the drug legal to use?

According to USA Today, both white and black people use marijuana at the same rate; however, blacks are 6x more likely to be arrested for pot possession than whites in states with the largest disparities, which included Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Washington D.C.

We live in a world with a broken justice system. There are too many minorities behind bars with aggressive sentences for possession or distribution of marijuana. Something must change. It is morally inhuman to leave a person locked up for a crime that they were convicted of that is now allowing others to profit from?

We’d like to welcome you to our Tenth Episode of Authentic Filters: Injustice of Criminal Justice | Marijuana. There’s been a lot of uproar in protesting for those that are behind bars for what many others are doing today freely. If you or someone you know has been a victim of this situation, we’d like to hear from you.  If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to Share with others, subscribe, and leave a 5-star review.

America is one of the richest countries in the world, yet the current minimum wage of $7.25 is not enough to survive on. Let alone take care of others. Since the 1940’s, there have been clear gaps in the increase of this wage that have led to 5, 6 and 10+ year spans before any change was made.

There are so many positive outcomes that can come from raising the minimum wage which ultimately allows for people to make a comfortable living. Being able to afford housing, not having to choose between which bills to pay and which ones to hold off on, no longer living paycheck to paycheck, being able to save money even after expenses are paid, and much more.

Many people are protesting for a $15 minimum wage. However, with the cost of living rising, that amount still isn’t enough. One company however is taking the initiative and getting ready to shake up the whole system. 

We’d like to welcome you to our Ninth Episode of Authentic Filters: America’s Minimum Wage | Not Enough to Get By. We encourage you to educate yourself on the history of the minimum wage by heading to The Department of Labor’s website. There’s been many arguments made on why the wage should or shouldn’t be raised, but one thing is for sure, the current amount is not possible to survive on in most places. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to Share with others, subscribe, and leave a 5-star review.

The United States is one of the richest countries in the world and yet there are many people in America that are homeless or on the brink of becoming homeless. Per Census.Gov, there are an estimated half a million people that are homeless in America on any given night. There are many reasons on how a person can fall on hard times, whether it is due to job loss, lack of employment options, making at or below minimum wage, and a number of other factors. However, the abundance of resources in this country is too prevalent for anyone to be living on the streets and not knowing where their next meal will come from. Let alone, how they will survive the day. 

It’s estimated that 34 million Americans live in poverty. Extreme poverty can lead to homelessness because people will have to choose between housing and other necessities to survive. If the wealth in America was evenly distributed, there would be less people living below the poverty line and falling into the realm of homelessness.

There are a number of advocates with boots on the ground working to make change happen. Let’s stand with them and do our part as well to eradicate homelessness, poverty, and hunger.

We’d like to welcome you to our Eighth Episode of Authentic Filters: Homeless in America | How Can That Be? Let’s get the conversation going and the word out. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to Share with others, subscribe, and leave a 5-star review.

Did you know there are currently over 393 million guns in the United States? That’s more guns than the country’s human population. And for some reason, the NRA thinks we need more of them circulating around than what there already is. 

So far this year as of June 2021, there have been over 230 “mass shootings”. This is defined as shooting 4 or more people in a setting. To put that into perspective, there are only 52 full weeks in a year; How many shootings does that average out to each week? We should be tire of the violence. We should be tire of the pain. We should be tired of people in high-ranking positions with the ability to bring about change only offering their “thoughts and prayers”. While those are great, it’s been time for them to put action behind their words and work to stop the senseless killings. It’s time for us to hold them accountable, because Enough is Enough.

We’d like to welcome you to our Seventh Episode of Authentic Filters: Gun Violence | Enough is Enough. On this episode we are joined by our special guest "Preston Nelson". He has an educational background in Criminal Justice and is a legal Gun Owner.  If you’ve been impacted by gun violence or know someone who has been, our hearts go out to you. Our goal for this episode is to get the conversation going. There are so many sensible actions that can be put in place, but we as the American people have to demand, protest, and ultimately no let up on making these things happen. We’d appreciate you sharing this episode with family and friends, as well as heading over to Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to subscribe and leave a 5-star review. 

Another crisis is on the horizon and many of us are trying to figure out “How did we get here”. Why are so many people facing evictions and foreclosures around the country?  Back in March 2020, The Cares Act bill set aside $25 billion dollars for both the Rent & Mortgage Moratorium programs. Under the Biden Administration the American Rescue Plan Act passed, and additional funds of $21.55 billion were added to the bucket to fund both programs as well. The funds were sent to each State’s Housing Authority to manage and distribute accordingly per the direction provided by the government.

The program was extended several times to allow individuals that were affected by the pandemic the time needed to apply for assistance. CBS news recently reported a story about tenants getting evicted from their homes even though the government instructed landlords not to evict anyone since the program is active and not set to expire until June 30, 2021.

It is estimated that 40 million people will lose their homes this year; However, there is a $45 billion dollar fund to help people that are struggling to pay their rent, make their mortgage payment, and even pay their utilities. What is causing the delay with allocating this money out to the people that need it the most? Was the program executed properly by each state’s housing authority? These government agencies have been known to modify programs that later cause more harm than good. If the right adjustments are not made soon, we might find ourselves in a major housing crisis. 

We’d like to welcome you to our Sixth Episode of Authentic Filters: The Rent & Mortgage Moratorium | A Crisis is Looming. Let’s get the conversation going and the word out. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to Share with others, subscribe, and leave a 5-star review.

Sometimes you have to sit and wonder, what goes through one’s mind to be willing to risk it all for a package. A package that was not addressed to them, with items that were not bought by them, but for some reason they feel it’s okay to go on someone’s porch and take them. 

Just how serious is the Porch Pirate madness? Well, findings show thousands of packages are stolen each year and the valuation of the goods in those packages has well surpassed $1 Billion. With this being such a prevalent issue in the past year due to a good number of people falling on hard times, solutions are being implemented to deter this from happening further. From remote lockers to enhanced delivery instructions, changes are being made to better protect the consumer, the seller, and shipper.  

We’d like to welcome you to our Fifth Episode of Authentic Filters: Porch Pirates | Stop The Madness. If you’ve had packages stolen off your porch, we’d love to hear your story. Also, Let us know your thoughts below. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to Share with others, subscribe, and leave a 5-star review. 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Cases are on the rise and many experts are pointing to the CoronaVirus Pandemic as it’s amplifier. According to ADAA.org (The Anxiety & Depression Association of America) there are nearly 450 million people worldwide currently living with a mental illness of some sort and only two-thirds of those individuals seeking out help for their condition. How can we break the stigma around mental health issues? Let’s start by letting people know it is okay to acknowledge them and to talk about them with others. We want you to know you are not alone. When you seek help, you move one step closer to overcoming any shame and living a well-balanced life.

We must create a safe space for people to talk about mental health and be willing to share their stories with others. For decades, there has been a negative connotation around the phrase Mental Health, deeming those dealing with it as “Crazy”. We must learn to take care of our mental state, in order to take care of others, but more importantly ourselves.  We encourage anyone that is struggling with any type of mental condition to seek the help they need in order to live a purposeful life. Please visit: ADAA.org for some great additional resources.

Let us stand united on breaking the stigma around mental health.

We’d like to welcome you to our Fourth Episode of Authentic Filters: Mental Health | Breaking The Stigma. If you or someone you know is facing depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, or any other mental challenges, we want you to get the help you need. There are a # of great resources available online and those that can connect you with the right person. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to Share with others and leave a 5-star review.