The Jason Stapleton Program

Does getting rich have more to do with luck rather than talent?

Certainly, you can have two people who work hard their whole lives, take chances and commit themselves fully to their own success yet one man may end up wealthy and the other in poverty.

What makes the difference? An article out of BBC.com claims getting rich isn't about hard work or talent at all. The author Danny Dorling claims it's all about luck...

...and that's why you aren't entitled to what you earn.

I think you know where I come down on this line of thinking but you may not know why.

More importantly, you may have trouble explaining your position to others without coming off sounding like a heartless, self-serving, elitist.

Today I'm going to walk you through the claims made by progressives and socialists that claim luck is the only reason people amass vast fortunes. It's nothing more than a clever way to disguise their own envy and greed.

Enjoy!

Jason

A newly declassified order from the FISA court reveals the Obama administration routinely conducted "widespread" illegal searches of American citizens and the FBI routinely shared "raw FISA information" on American citizens with "private contractors."

Comey was the head of the FBI at the time and had to be aware of the information sharing that was happening.

So what now? Don't hold your breath for a prosecution. Comey is part of the system, a system that loves illegally spying on American citizens. Comey needs to survive so the system can survive.

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Now that John Boehner is out of office he is apparently able, to tell the truth. At KPMG’s annual Global Energy Conference he said, "Tax reform is just a bunch of happy talk."

The market certainly wouldn't agree. They have priced in some major tax overhauls. What do you think is going to happen when those tax changes don't come through?

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I've also got a little Q&A session set up for today. I'll answer some of your most interesting questions in the back half of the show.

No show on Money, have a great Holiday.

Jason

There's an index that measures inflation. It's called the CPI or "Consumer Price Inflation" index. It's supposed to tell us how much inflation is making its way into our economy.

Problem is, it's not reliable. Like most of the indexes used to track the economy, (unemployment, jobless claims, PMI, GDP) the government has manipulated them to try and put the rosiest face possible on our economic situation.

A better measure of how much inflation is impacting our lives is the Buritto index. While not a government sanctioned measurement, it may be the most accurate way of determining the real effects inflation is having on your average American.

Today we'll talk about the effect all this money creation is having on our economy and more importantly how it's impacting you in ways you haven't fully appreciated.

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In another example of US intelligence failure, the UK is now refusing to share information about the recent Manchester bombing because of leaks withing the US intelligence services.

It can't be that hard to find the person(s) leaking this information and get them removed. I think this is evidence of a deeper problem inside the intelligence community. Is it a hatred for Trump, the administration in general or just poor management? We'll discuss today.

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Brazil is on fire after recent revelations over corruption sent the Real plummeting. My mother just returned from a Business trip to Brazil, and the report she gave me is disheartening. Everyone is looking for dollars.

It's a bit funny given the discussion we had today about dollar inflation, but we count our blessings where we can.

Former CIA Director John Brennan was on Capital Hill yesterday speaking in front of the House Intelligence Committee.

His comments about the Trump campaign (or people working for the campaign) raises concerns over possible collusion between Russia and the campaign.

But Brennan went far short of suggesting there was collusion or that Trump was in any way involved in the communications.

I've got the highlights of the hearing for you on today's show as well as some witty commentary.

The bottom line is, this is a waste of time. The Intelligence Committee has access to the information Brennan is referring to. The FBI also has that information, and they are the ones charged with investigating any possible wrongdoing.

So WHY is Congress wasting time on a hearing? If the Intelligence Committee is concerned about what they've seen and doesn't think the FBI can act impartially, then they should appoint a special prosecutor to take over.

As of today, the American public has seen ZERO evidence of any wrongdoing by anyone. Flynn is the one exception, but his problems are unrelated to the Russia probe.

So, again, a lot of time and media attention wasted on something that has little to no real impact on Americans. Let the investigations move forward. When there is actual news of corruption, collusion or treason (or absolution of the same) then report on it.

Until then we have bigger problems we should be addressing.

The headlines talk about TRILLIONS in spending cuts to social welfare programs. Is any of it true?

Today we'll discuss the Trump budget and separate the facts from the media hype.

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The latest terror attack in the UK leaves at least 22 dead, 60 wounded and many still missing. I'll tell you what I know.

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California just released the price tag for its universal healthcare plan. Let's just say it's bigger than their entire budget.

It's a great news day. Lots of stuff to discuss.

Jason