The Jason Stapleton Program

For the first time in more than a decade, the House managed to pass a spending bill before the end of a budget year. The way you should read that is, "It took more than a decade, but the House finally did their job."

They've got plenty of money to spend. This year the government has taken in a record amount of money, besting the last record by a clean 8.4 billion. But that hasn't stopped the spending machine from finding new ways to spend all that loot.

Even with record taxes the government still spent 673 billion more than it brought in.

I've said it before, and I'll repeat it now. It will never be enough. There isn't enough money on the planet to satisfy society.

All that today PLUS if you've felt a little overly masculated lately, you might want to check out a new program from Duke to help put you in your place. All that and more on the show today.

Jason

This morning there was an attack in London. If you're at all up to speed on current affairs, you know that already.

North Korea also fired another missile over Japan.

The question I want to discuss today is, "What the heck do we do about it?"

Most people think we need to do "something." I'm not entirely convinced we do. Many wars could have been prevented by just not acting.

On the flip side, a lot of wars ended up being worse because someone was too cautious.

It's a delicate dance, and today we'll talk it through.

Jason

The New York Times published a piece today on rising inequality and the difference in opportunity between low-income workers today and the ones of the 1980's.

I read the article defensively at first. It is the New York Times after all. But after the first couple of pages, it was clear the author
was correct in his assessment.

If you choose to try and make it in America today using the same tactics your parents and grandparents used you're going to fail.

The entire economic landscape has changed. The middle class of my parent's generation is disappearing. Jobs are being outsourced or have simply been lost to technology.

You can't live in the past and expect to thrive in the future. What worked in 1980 will not work today. The days of getting hired by the factory after you graduate high school and working there for 30 years are over. That model is dead (at least for now), and you've got to accept it if you want to thrive in the 21st century.

Today I'll share some of my thoughts about the new economy and why I think it presents us with the greatest opportunity we've ever seen

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Americans spent more in taxes than they did on food and clothing combined in 2016. The percentage difference was roughly +14%.

If you can believe it, the same data shows that, in just three years, the average American tax bill increased by 41.13%.

Frustrating as it might be I feel the need to reiterate the most important truth about government one can commit to memory...

...Nobody is looking out for you.

Sure they say they have your best interest at heart but is it really in your best interest for the government to take more from you in taxes than what you spend to feed and clothe your family?

Is there no limit to the entitlement some in government have to your fruits of your labor? What should we consider a reasonable amount of theft?

This type of violation will never end until we decide to elect representatives rather than politicians. It will take a conscious effort on our part as individuals to carefully screen those we choose to support for political office. And if they turn out to be liars and cheats who deceived us then we have the responsibility to correct our mistake and seek new representation.

It's been a great week. Enjoy your weekend. I'll talk to you on Monday.

Jason

I have to say this is the most abrasive interview I've ever done. Nick, to his credit, asked to come on the show even after I warned him it was going to be a non-permissive environment.

Nick and I discuss the recent controversy with Tom Woods, the implications that Tom and others at the Mises Institute support white nationalism and the future of the Libertarian Party.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions as to who won this argument, but there's no question Nick and I differ on a host of issues.

Hope you enjoy the fireworks.

Jason