The Jason Stapleton Program

I'm going to warn you that this is going to be a difficult episode for those of you with delicate sensibilities. I've been frustrated over the last few weeks because I've realized that most of the blowback I get from my positions come not from progressives or conservatives but rather from libertarians.

That's somewhat disconcerting since I'm far more critical of both the left and the right, but it seems I just can't get away from the thin skinned libertarian who demands I conform to his narrow view of right and wrong.

What attracted me most to libertarianism was the "live and let live" philosophy that bedrock much of the work from great classical liberal and libertarian minds. What I have found after expressing my views openly is a culture of open hostility and in many cases narrowmindedness.

Maybe this is a venting day for me. Maybe I'll feel differently tomorrow, but when I started this show, I never imagined I'd be defending myself not from the progressives on the left of the neocons on the right but the libertarians who claim to want the same things I do.Support the show.

Ted Cruz got anther tepid endorsement, this time from Indiana Governor Mike Pence. It seems Ted has had a lot of trouble getting anyone to support his candidacy unequivocally. It clear something is amiss. He would like you to believe that it's because he's an outsider and anti-establishment candidate. But that's not really the case.

Cruz is very much a Washington insider and he's not all that different philosophically from his piers on capital hill. It's certainly no Thomas Massie. So why does everyone from both sides of the isle hate him so much?

Frankly I don't have an answer, but it calls into question the image many all have of Cruz being a faith-based, Reagan conservative.

From there we'll move over to the economy. In the JSP private FB group, we have someone who regularly posts financial commentary, and I happen to enjoy his point of view. Last night I read an intersting post he made that adds another layer to the current economic climate. I think you'll get a kick out of it.

Plus, I know a lot of you would love to see the Fed abolished and America move back to sound money, but most of you know this is probably just wishful thinking, well today there's hope. The states are starting to fight back in a way you'd probably not considered.

Great show to end the week. Share it with a friend!

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Yeah, I'm not ly'in. It's the creepiest moment of the campaign so far. Carly Fiorina stood on stage during her vice presidential announcement event and sang what can only be described as a "disturbing." children's song.

Had she been singing it to her grandchildren I don't think anyone would think twice about it but when you sing it to a group of adults...you're wrong.

In other news, Venezuela now doesn't have the money to pay for its money. It sounds stupid I know, but it's entirely accurate. Venezuela is now defaulting on the debt it owes to the companies it hires to print its money.

With inflation now projected to top 500% this year, we are witnessing the destruction of another socialist nation as it clings desperately to power. Nothing can stop it's destruction now. The only question is how long will it take.

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We've had some very intelligent people come out in recent years to talk about AI (artificial intelligence) and warn us of the dangers. Steven Hawkins being among the most notable. But are the fears justifiable? Are robots going to put all of us out of work?

The short answer is no; they are not. But with all the hype around this topic I thought it was time we talked a little about the economics of technology so today I'm going to drop some knowledge on you.

It's a great episode that debunks the fears of artificial intelligence and presents a compelling and bright future that is only possible if we allow technology to expand and improve our lives.

From there we move to the UK where I'll discuss the doctor strike and some of the damaging effects of socialized medicine. No matter what politicians tell you, rationing will take place. There's no way around it.

Finally, I'll share a story about a man who made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year while outsourcing his entire business. It's a perfect example of how technology can be used by anyone to improve their own condition.

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With another round of elections coming up today, Donald Trump is projected to win a majority of the 172 delegates up for grabs. As we discussed yesterday, Cruz and Kasich have decided to join forces in an attempt to deny Trump the outright nomination.

What's frustrating is listening to John Kasich talk about the decision. His relentless spin not only makes no sense, but it's also insulting to anyone who's watching.

In an interview, this morning on Good Morning America Kasich again made a fool of himself and insulted the audience when he refused to tell even his own voters to vote for him.

I'll play you the conversation on the show today but let's just say Kasich personifies why we distrust politicians. They play us for stupid and expect us to buy into the lie, then get mad when we challenge them.

From there I'll talk about a couple of stories related to the economy. I've said many times, "Journalism is dead" and it's apparent now more than ever that what passes as news is nothing more than commentary framed from a specific ideological perspective.

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Yes I know it's a crazy title, but Obama was speaking in the UK this weekend, and he had some interesting comments about the Black Lives Matter Movement, and I think we as libertarians can learn something from him.

But before we get to that we've got a full show. Ted Cruz has now joined forces with John Kasich to try and prevent Donald Trump from hitting the magic 1,237 number. As I said, this has never been about Cruz or Kasich winning. It's always been about preventing Trump from wining. Their only hope now is to win the nomination at the convention and to do that they need to deny Trump the delegates he needs to secure a victory.

From there we'll talk about Bernie Sanders and his difficulty in holding a principled position. On the one hand, he doesn't believe in a tax on soda, yet he questions the legality of cigarettes. It's tough for me to understand where progressives draw the line. It's a problem that arises from a political and social philosophy rooted in emotion and is not grounded in principle.

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I've seen a few people posting their public support for Donald Trump inside our FB group, and while I understand the draw and certainly believe you can support whomever you want, I cannot understand how someone could trust anything Donald Trump says.

Rather than try to explain my position in the show notes, just listen to the show and it will all make sense. But before we talk about Trump we're going to talk about Obama.

The big "O" was in the UK today throwing his support behind those that want to remain part of the EU. What I found funny was how open the reporters in Great Britan were in voicing their displeasure in our president weighing in on the debate. More on that in the show.

Then we'll finish up talking about the LGBT controversy in North Carolina. Now it looks like the NBA is threating to move the all-star game if the state does not change its recent law requiring people to use the bathroom of their own sex.

I've got my feelings on this, and I'm pretty open about it in today's show but what I found really hard to swallow is how hypocritical the NBA is being in making this threat.

It's a lighthearted show today. Don't forget to subscribe and share!Support the show.

This may be the first day that I legitimately lost my stuff (well almost). It all centers around an article a listener sent to me about a young girl in Colorado who decided she wanted to hold a protest to bring awareness to what she saw as an injustice that was causing teachers to leave her school district.

Once it became clear, she was serious she was contacted by two school board members who, without the consent of this young girls parents, put her in a room and questioned her for over an hour.

Had the questioning been designed to come to an amicable resolution one might be willing to overlook the blatant disregard for parental rights, and had this young girl not recorded the entire conversation we might not know what was said in that room. But she did, so we do!

I'm gong to play a portion of the conversation on the show but if you want to hear the entire recording you can do so here:

From there we'll move over to China and talk about their recent decision to create a gold fixing market denominated in Yuan. Now I know most of you don't understand what that means and truth be told not a lot of financial folks understand it. I'm going to tell you what I know and what I think it all means.

All that plus a story of price fixing, today on the JSP!Support the show.

I'll admit the headline for today's show would suggest the news is all over the place, and a lesser host might have trouble tieing in all of the different stories into something coherent. I, however, am NOT your typical host.

Listening to the Pundits talk about Trumps win in New York, and you'd think he already won the nomination. But Cruz isn't finished. It is true that he's not going to secure the delegates needed to win the nomination, but it was never about getting the 1,237 for Cruz. It was always about keeping Trump from getting there.

This has been the most exciting presidential election of my life, and yet I am already growing weary of the commentary. I'm ready to get to the convention and see what happens.

The rest of the show is dedicated to the current oil glut and the financial problems it's creating for welfare states like Saudi Arabia. All signs point to lower oil prices for the foreseeable future, and that's good for consumers.

Finally, I wanted to at least discuss the 12k layoffs at Intel. There are a lot of people waking up today and realizing they don't have a way to feed their families. If you're not sure how you would survive if you lost your job, it's time to start preparing for that potential outcome. The next recession will come whether you like it or not. Don't become a statistic.Support the show.

Who will pay for the roads is perhaps a better question than "Who will build the roads?" since it is the financing, not the actual construction that causes the most amount of anger and division in political discourse today.

Over the past several years we've seen large corporations make large investments to purchase naming rights to ballparks and arenas in an effort to expand their brand. Here in Kansas City, we have the Sprint Center, and the old Sandstone Amphitheater is now the Providence Medical Center Amphitheater.

No doubt this has caused some citizens to lament the corporate takeover of some old and well-known landmarks, but the truth is, some of these places still exist BECAUSE of these companies.

So, what if we did the same thing with our roads? In Missouri alone the cost to maintain public roads is about 2.2 billion a year. It's estimated that Missouri drivers spend and additional 4.5 billion a year in maintenance on their vehicles due to substandard streets and highways.

What if we sold off sections of highways to corporations? What if you could shoot across town on the Hilton Highway or the Overstock.com overpass? What if companies were willing to accept some if not all of the costs currently paid by taxpayers in exchange for naming rights to our roads? It's an interesting idea.

For there we're going to move to healthcare. UnitedHealth has announced it's pulling out of most of the ACA exchanges due to the estimated billion dollar loss they will have to cover.

The system was never going to work. I would argue it was destined to fail from the beginning. But that's not going to stop Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders from touting it as a success and arguing for more of the same. It's sad and the truth needs to be exposed.Support the show.