Welcome back to Between The Lies, where we celebrate the rare moments when government actually stops doing things to us. I'm Nicky P, and I'm joined by the truth-tellers at Perfect Spiral Capital - Luke Tatum and Rob Brayton. This week's headline confusion: Government shutdown is looming, and apparently Republicans and Democrats can't get their business together. But here's what nobody's asking - why is anyone upset when the government stops spending our money? What We Cover: • Why Luke literally bakes government shutdown cakes to celebrate • The shocking truth: government controls 23% of GDP but shutdowns only cost 0.4% • How the S&P 500 actually rises 4.4% on average during shutdowns • Why there were zero shutdowns before 1971 (hint: gold standard) • Trump's threat to make cuts permanent and why that terrifies the right people • The difference between "essential" and "non-essential" government workers • How 35 days of shutdown barely dented the economy Key Takeaways: Luke reveals his annual tradition of celebrating shutdowns while explaining why federal jobs come with known risks. Rob breaks down how shrinking government actually benefits everyone long-term, even if it doesn't feel like it immediately. And I expose the hypocrisy of politicians running victory laps on job numbers after forcing businesses closed. We also tackle the uncomfortable truth: The government employs 2-3% of Americans directly, but when you add contractors, that number explodes. Meanwhile, shutdowns historically show us how little we actually need them running. The Reality Check: Since 1977, we've had 20 funding deadline failures averaging 8 days each. Before 1977? Zero shutdowns. What changed? We abandoned sound money in 1971. See the connection? Perfect Spiral Capital Insight: Rob and Luke emphasize building financial systems that work whether government is open or closed. When you control your own capital through properly structured policies, DC dysfunction becomes irrelevant to your daily life. Ready to build wealth that doesn't depend on government competence? Visit PerfectSpiralCapital.com/podcast for their free toolkit on the future of your money.