Are young people actually less independent than previous generations — or are we just becoming the “back in my day” crowd?

After hearing the author of The Anxious Generation on The Daily Show, I can’t stop thinking about what I’m seeing in real life.

Today I talk about:

Countries like Australia banning social media for kids under 16

Schools limiting phone access

The growing research linking smartphones to teen anxiety

And real-world examples from my work as a wildlife biologist

When a young professional turns down a fully paid field job because he’s afraid to live without constant connection… what does that say?

When most summer interns quit because they can’t handle being out of cell service… what does that mean for resilience, risk-taking, and independence?

This isn’t about dunking on Gen Z. It’s about asking whether constant connectivity is quietly rewiring childhood — and what we can do about it.

Just a guy in a truck wondering if we’re raising an anxious generation — and how we help them reclaim confidence.

From the New Deal to 30-year mortgages and FHA-backed loans, government decisions helped create the modern American middle class. So why does it feel like it’s disappearing?

Today I talk about:

Why homeownership feels out of reach

Down payments, rent cycles, and generational wealth

The shrinking middle class and widening wealth gap

Why trickle-down economics isn’t working

And whether it’s time for a “New New Deal”

As an elder millennial who’s been fortunate in many ways, I still feel how fragile middle-class stability can be. If it’s this hard for those of us who’ve had advantages, what does that mean for everyone else?

Maybe the answer isn’t culture wars or partisan sound bites — maybe it’s rebuilding the middle class on purpose.

Just a guy in a truck trying to figure out how we make the American dream attainable again.

It’s State of the Union night — and I won’t be watching.

Not because it shouldn’t matter. It should. The president should lay out a real vision, real priorities, and a real path forward for the American people.

But lately, our politics feel more like campaigning than governing.

Today I’m talking about why so many Americans feel disconnected from Washington — rising healthcare costs, housing affordability, wage stagnation, the cost of education — and why it feels like politicians are chasing sound bites instead of solutions.

What should a State of the Union actually do? Inspire? Unite? Tell hard truths? Offer a real agenda?

Instead, many of us are just trying to get through swim lessons, mortgage payments, and another exhausting week.

Just a guy in a truck wondering whether the American dream is slipping away — and whether our leaders are even trying to fix it.

The Supreme Court just ruled 6–3 that the president does not have unilateral authority to impose sweeping tariffs under the law the administration was using. Most of the recent tariffs were struck down.

So what does that actually mean?

Today I break down:

What a tariff really is

Who actually pays for tariffs (hint: not foreign governments)

Whether trade deficits are actually “bad”

Why this ruling could have major midterm consequences

Tariffs function as a tax on imported goods — and that cost is often passed directly to American consumers. In the middle of an affordability crisis, that matters.

The Court may have handed the administration a political off-ramp. Instead, we’re seeing a doubling down — and now Congress may have to go on record.

Just a guy in a truck trying to make sense of trade policy, the Supreme Court, and who ultimately pays the bill

It’s Fun Friday, so we’re talking basketball.

The Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 for “tanking” — not playing their starters late in games as they position themselves for a better NBA draft pick. But is that really ruining the integrity of the league… or just smart business under the current rules?

Today I break down how the NBA draft lottery works, why teams have incentives to lose, and why the Jazz might actually be acting logically. If the system rewards worse records, can you really blame teams for optimizing?

I also share an idea from the Professional Women’s Hockey League that could fix tanking altogether — by rewarding wins after playoff elimination instead of losses.

Just a guy in a truck talking NBA strategy, draft reform, and why sometimes the rules — not the teams — are the real problem.

Driving home in a snowstorm today and trying to wrap my head around something that feels almost too wild to be real.

Donald Trump is suing the U.S. government — his own government — over the Mar-a-Lago classified documents raid and the leak of his tax returns. He’s asking for $10 billion.

That money would come from taxpayer funds. And the Department of Justice he oversees could ultimately decide whether to settle.

Is that normal? Is that a massive conflict of interest? Or is this just more grievance politics playing out in real time?

Today I’m talking about executive power, DOJ independence, partisan blinders, and why this feels like another example of the rich getting richer while regular Americans foot the bill.

Just a guy in a truck trying to make sense of lawsuits, loyalty, and whether accountability still matters

After a long weekend (and a broken toe), I’m back — and today I wanted to dig deeper into climate change.

The administration just rolled back the EPA’s long-standing authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions — a rule that’s guided climate policy for nearly two decades. What’s strange is… no one was really asking for this. Not automakers. Not even oil companies looking for long-term stability.

So who benefits?

We talk about deregulation, fuel economy standards, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and why clean energy isn’t just about “believing” in climate change — it’s about economics, public health, and long-term planning.

Even if you took climate change off the table entirely, why wouldn’t we want cleaner air, lower fuel costs, and more energy independence?

Just a regular guy in a (gas-powered) truck trying to make sense of EPA rollbacks, electric trucks, and why the future probably belongs to clean energy.

Today isn’t polished. It’s not organized. It’s just honest.

I’m tired. Tired from work. Tired from medical bills looming after my wife’s surgery. Tired from juggling kids, school, activities, and a 15-hour day. And tired from trying to process a world that feels like it’s on fire.

From the affordability crisis — housing, childcare, healthcare, groceries — to corporate power in politics, to climate change, to the nonstop outrage cycle… it all feels like too much.

How are regular families supposed to keep up? How are we supposed to care about long-term issues when we’re just trying to survive the week?

This one’s more of a venting session than a solution session. An exhausted guy in a truck trying to figure out how to balance real life, real bills, and really big problems — without losing his mind.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed too, you’re not alone.

Last episode I talked about being proud to be an American during the Olympics. But if I’m honest, sometimes “embarrassed” feels more accurate.

Today I’m unpacking that tension — why everything in our politics gets filtered through a partisan lens, why simple answers are often wrong, and how we’ve handed too much power to cults of personality instead of principles.

From the outrage over Olympic athletes speaking out, to corporate money flooding political campaigns, to gerrymandering and election reform — I’m trying to wrestle with what it means to love your country while still being deeply frustrated by it.

Is it possible to be patriotic and critical at the same time? I think it has to be.

Just a regular guy in a truck, trying to make sense of polarization, money in politics, and why embarrassment doesn’t mean you don’t care.

Quick life update to start: my wife’s surgery went well. Clean margins, no cancer left, and now it’s just recovery. We’re tired but incredibly grateful.

With everything going on in the world, I needed something a little lighter today — and for me, that’s the Winter Olympics.

There’s something special about watching regular people with extraordinary dedication represent their countries, chasing dreams in sports most of us only think about every four years. For a couple weeks, it feels like we’re united again.

So today I’m talking Olympics memories, underdog stories, Team USA pride, and why sports can sometimes remind us that we have more in common than cable news and social media want us to believe.

Just a regular guy in a truck, feeling thankful and trying to hold onto the good stuff.