[0:00] I was at my local watering hole the

[0:02] other day having a beer and a guy

[0:04] sitting next to me asked, "What can you

[0:06] tell me about property rights?" "What's

[0:08] the issue?" I said, "The issue is my

[0:11] [ __ ] neighbor is dumping on my

[0:14] property and the government won't do

[0:16] anything about it." I said, "That's

[0:18] because the problem isn't that the

[0:19] government won't do anything about it.

[0:22] It's that government is the problem." He

[0:25] responded with, "Oh, so you're decided

[0:28] to be an [ __ ] by making fun of my

[0:31] situation."

[0:33] No, sir. Hadn't decided that at all. I

[0:36] was just quoting Ronald Reagan.

[0:48] Hello folks, my name is Ernest. Thank

[0:50] you for being here. You wouldn't believe

[0:54] how much I hear of this kind of thing,

[0:57] especially from people at my local

[1:00] watering hole because they know about my

[1:03] show and I have the unofficial title of

[1:06] Mr. Knowit All.

[1:09] They're joking, of course, but every now

[1:12] and then someone unfamiliar reaches out

[1:14] to me and will strike up a conversation

[1:17] about government, namely their

[1:20] dissatisfaction with it.

[1:22] Now, if you don't know this, perhaps you

[1:26] haven't listened to very many of my

[1:28] episodes, or perhaps you're tuning in

[1:31] for the first time. I'm not exactly what

[1:34] you might call the shy or withdrawn

[1:37] introverted type. If you show up

[1:40] knocking on my door unexpected, for

[1:42] example, especially if you wake me out

[1:46] of a sound sleep, I will spring open the

[1:49] door and ask you who you are and what

[1:52] the [ __ ] do you want? And that's when

[1:55] I'm being pleasant.

[1:58] On the other hand, you will typically

[2:00] see a much better side of me when I'm in

[2:04] my element at my local watering hole

[2:07] drinking beer and engaging in

[2:10] interesting conversation, which I could

[2:13] do a lot more of if some of you stingy

[2:17] bastards out there would actually go to

[2:20] my website and buy one of my damn tote

[2:23] bags.

[2:25] Because I happen to agree with the late

[2:27] great poet and writer Charles Bukowski

[2:30] that the best cheap booze in the world

[2:34] is the booze that someone else pays for.

[2:38] Just a brief message, if you've already

[2:40] subscribed, I very much thank you. And

[2:43] if you haven't, please consider doing so

[2:45] because if you're enjoying this episode

[2:48] by clicking on the subscribe button as

[2:51] well as the notification bell is how the

[2:54] channel grows. And do feel free to

[2:57] comment because I'm an actual person. No

[3:01] AI. I read, respond, and appreciate all.

[3:05] Now, back to the episode.

[3:08] So, getting back to the often nauseating

[3:12] topic of government, it really does

[3:14] amaze me how anyone in America in the

] year: 2025

[3:19] actually has any expectation whatsoever

[3:23] that the government is in any way, shape

[3:26] or form here to actually do anything for

[3:30] them in any real caring capacity

[3:33] whatsoever.

[3:35] Going to the government hat in hand, for

[3:38] those of you old enough to know what

[3:40] that phrase means, is the equivalent of

[3:43] asking a longgone ex to [ __ ] you because

[3:48] you're extremely lonely just for old

[3:51] times sake.

[3:54] Actually, I admit I did totally do that

[3:57] once and it did actually work.

[4:01] But in all seriousness, if you are

[4:04] expecting any real functionality from

[4:07] the government, that [ __ ] basically

[4:09] ended in the Eisenhower administration.

[4:13] So you are very late for that party.

[4:16] Allow me to introduce you to the current

[4:20] reality.

[4:22] To put this as succinctly as I believe

[4:25] is possible,

[4:27] just take John F. Kennedy's famous

] inaugural speech in: 1961

[4:35] and put it in reverse.

[4:38] The energy, the faith, the devotion

[4:41] which we bring to this endeavor, a light

[4:44] our country and all who serve it and the

[4:47] glow from that fire can truly light the

[4:50] world. And so, my fellow Americans, ask

[4:55] not what you can do for your country,

[4:58] but ask what your country can do for

[5:01] you.

[5:04] I simply cannot understand how so many

[5:07] people in America don't understand the

[5:10] current social contract between

[5:12] themselves and their representatives in

[5:16] the US government. I don't understand,

[5:19] for example, why the vast majority of

[5:22] folks out there still actually expect

[5:25] the senator or congressman they voted

[5:28] for and subsequently put into office to

[5:32] represent their interest in the issues

[5:35] that affect their life the most. when

[5:38] there is a multitude of much more

[5:42] important issues that corporate

[5:44] lobbyists have paid a tremendous amount

[5:48] of money for that obviously need to be

[5:52] addressed first. There is the undeniable

[5:55] fact that the vast majority of

[5:58] consumers,

[5:59] sorry, but I have to be technically

[6:02] correct. America has not really had

[6:06] citizens since the Eisenhower

[6:09] administration.

[6:11] totally identify not only with corporate

[6:14] branding, but will defend that brand at

[6:17] all cost and the government andor any

[6:22] other outdated social representation

[6:26] of individual rights and/or freedoms is

[6:30] not only inherently wrong, but should be

[6:34] avoided at all cost.

[6:37] I'd like to wrap this up. So, I'll just

[6:40] say this.

[6:42] I simply cannot understand why in any

[6:45] way, shape, or form after senators

[6:48] and/or congressmen are elected that

[6:51] there is any expectation whatsoever that

[6:54] they would act in the best interest of

[6:57] the population that elected them and not

[7:01] instead do what is completely

[7:03] predictable. act in the best interest of

[7:06] the corporations and the corporate

[7:09] lobbyists that bankrolled their election

[7:12] in the first place.

[7:15] Yep. I just can't wrap my head around

[7:17] that. I can't understand why you simply

[7:22] won't keep acting and voting against

[7:25] your own and famil family's best

[7:28] interest.

[7:30] All you have to do is keep your favorite

[7:33] politicians elected and on the corporate

[7:36] payroll. Is that so much to ask?

[7:41] In all humility, I simply ask, would you

[7:45] please stop expecting the government and

[7:48] your representatives to actually do

[7:52] anything in your interest whatsoever?

[7:57] Please,

[7:59] please.

[8:04] Until next time, this is Ernest and

[8:07] that's all I've got for today.