WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.940 Join us on Now We Consume. Take in the knowledge. 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:07.240 Take in the laughs. Indulge in the topics with 00:00:07.240 --> 00:00:10.839 us. The Now We Consume podcast will take you 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:13.160 through the parts of your day you normally dread. 00:00:13.900 --> 00:00:16.579 Why suffer through the existential crisis of 00:00:16.579 --> 00:00:20.140 life alone when you can do it with us? And now 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:23.739 we consume. This is not meant to be a conspiracy 00:00:23.739 --> 00:00:25.820 episode or podcast, but we make over some topics 00:00:25.820 --> 00:00:27.059 that dance that line like a toddler dances on 00:00:27.059 --> 00:00:29.379 their mother's last nerve. This podcast is rated 00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:34.789 I. Welcome back to the Now We Consume podcast, 00:00:35.009 --> 00:00:38.369 everybody. I'm your host, Pip. And tonight, you're 00:00:38.369 --> 00:00:42.429 all locked in here with me. So Gibbs has had 00:00:42.429 --> 00:00:44.630 to step away for a little while. He's got a lot 00:00:44.630 --> 00:00:47.429 of life coming at him. So he is going to take 00:00:47.429 --> 00:00:51.630 a little break and handle all that. So I'm going 00:00:51.630 --> 00:00:53.549 to do what I can to kind of keep things going 00:00:53.549 --> 00:00:56.990 on my own. And in doing so, I hope you'll all 00:00:56.990 --> 00:01:00.070 stick with me while he's gone. And I'll do everything 00:01:00.070 --> 00:01:02.409 that I can to keep this from turning into me 00:01:02.409 --> 00:01:04.590 yelling into the mic for up to 45 minutes each 00:01:04.590 --> 00:01:09.090 week. So if we can agree on that, we can go ahead 00:01:09.090 --> 00:01:13.829 and just dive right into it. So tonight, we're 00:01:13.829 --> 00:01:15.950 going to try to get a little political. I know 00:01:15.950 --> 00:01:18.989 we try to refrain from that, but I saw some stuff 00:01:18.989 --> 00:01:21.230 that I thought would be really good to talk about. 00:01:22.090 --> 00:01:26.670 The recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill. that 00:01:26.670 --> 00:01:29.870 was signed into law just this month by President 00:01:29.870 --> 00:01:35.469 Orange Man Bad Trump. It's a massive, comprehensive 00:01:35.469 --> 00:01:40.010 bill, and it's pissed off a lot of people. It's 00:01:40.010 --> 00:01:42.390 even launched another round of Don Lon Bromance 00:01:42.390 --> 00:01:45.689 drama, and it's touching everything from myself 00:01:45.689 --> 00:01:50.489 and taxes to HHS and defense spending. But tonight, 00:01:50.670 --> 00:01:54.459 I wanted to focus squarely on the impact. on 00:01:54.459 --> 00:01:56.700 one of the more critical social safety nets, 00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:59.840 the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, 00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:03.379 or SNAP, more commonly known as food stamps. 00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:07.780 So first off, for those who might not be entirely 00:02:07.780 --> 00:02:12.680 familiar, the Big Beautiful Bill is pretty massive, 00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:16.319 like I said. Think of it more as a huge legislative 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:20.000 package that bundles together a lot of the administration's 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:24.360 policies and goals all into one. On the one hand, 00:02:24.419 --> 00:02:26.759 it includes things like permanent extensions 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:30.379 of the 2017 tax cuts, which did help a lot of 00:02:30.379 --> 00:02:33.840 families on both sides of the aisle. New tax 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:37.000 deductions for tips and overtime, which admittedly 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:41.500 was a good thing for a lot of people. Increased 00:02:41.500 --> 00:02:44.960 child tax credits, again, helps a lot of families 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:48.639 right there. And this was all aimed at stimulating 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:50.759 the economy and putting more money back into 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:54.919 people's pockets. On the other side of the ledger, 00:02:55.020 --> 00:02:58.580 it enacted some pretty significant changes to 00:02:58.580 --> 00:03:02.900 federal spending and social programs. Now, we're 00:03:02.900 --> 00:03:05.919 talking substantial new funding for things like 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:09.199 border security, which is also a hot topic, and 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:11.479 I may go back and touch on that in a different 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:15.520 episode. Increased defense spending, which I 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:17.800 know we've already got a pretty bloated defense 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:22.460 budget, but that's maybe another episode. and 00:03:22.460 --> 00:03:24.659 a new federally funded private school choice 00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:27.360 initiative. Personally, and I think we talked 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:30.699 about that in our education episode, that's a 00:03:30.699 --> 00:03:35.560 pretty awesome thing right there. More critically, 00:03:35.659 --> 00:03:38.719 though, for our discussion tonight, it also includes 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:42.580 some pretty major reform to programs like Medicaid 00:03:42.580 --> 00:03:47.259 and SNAP. Now, the White House has hailed it 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:51.120 as a driver of economic growth. and fiscal responsibility 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:54.300 while the people who are coming out against this 00:03:54.300 --> 00:03:56.680 are yelling about the long -term effects on the 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:59.719 budget and the people who would be counted as 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:05.199 the vulnerable population under the big beautiful 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:08.539 bill i might just refer this as to the big bill 00:04:08.539 --> 00:04:11.280 we have what are going to be considered the big 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:14.539 changes so we're going to zoom in on the snap 00:04:14.539 --> 00:04:18.279 for this right now the big bill fundamentally 00:04:18.279 --> 00:04:21.810 reshapes how this program operates. And here 00:04:21.810 --> 00:04:25.290 are some of the big ways. It's going to reintroduce 00:04:25.290 --> 00:04:28.310 strict work requirements. And this is probably 00:04:28.310 --> 00:04:32.230 one of the more massive ones. Back in the day, 00:04:32.269 --> 00:04:34.790 and I'm kind of dating myself here, if you were 00:04:34.790 --> 00:04:38.250 getting food stamps or what is now known as SNAP, 00:04:38.370 --> 00:04:40.689 you actually had to go out and work a certain 00:04:40.689 --> 00:04:43.370 number of hours each week to get your assistance. 00:04:44.329 --> 00:04:47.269 I want to say it was Clinton that did away with 00:04:47.269 --> 00:04:50.939 that. And that was a pretty big move because 00:04:50.939 --> 00:04:53.339 it just made it easier to get the help that you 00:04:53.339 --> 00:04:55.680 needed and you didn't have to worry about getting 00:04:55.680 --> 00:04:57.660 your time in. Because it was always kind of a 00:04:57.660 --> 00:05:03.240 joke situation anyways. Now, the bill will require 00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:07.480 individuals, including parents with slightly 00:05:07.480 --> 00:05:10.699 older children and older adults up to age 64, 00:05:10.939 --> 00:05:16.389 will now be expected to work, volunteer, or participate 00:05:16.389 --> 00:05:19.269 in training for at least 20 hours a week to keep 00:05:19.269 --> 00:05:23.250 their benefits. States will now also have less 00:05:23.250 --> 00:05:26.290 flexibility to waive these rules even in high 00:05:26.290 --> 00:05:37.230 unemployment areas. The cost shift to the states 00:05:37.230 --> 00:05:44.110 for the first time States will have to foot a 00:05:44.110 --> 00:05:47.269 portion of the actual food benefit costs, not 00:05:47.269 --> 00:05:50.389 just the administrative costs. This will help 00:05:50.389 --> 00:05:52.550 pressure the states to reduce or alter their 00:05:52.550 --> 00:05:57.149 programs to avoid financial burdens. The benefit 00:05:57.149 --> 00:06:01.709 amount limitations, which will increase SNAP 00:06:01.709 --> 00:06:05.370 benefits, which will be tied to the thrifty food 00:06:05.370 --> 00:06:08.069 plan, will be more restricted, potentially meaning 00:06:08.069 --> 00:06:12.139 smaller increases over time. they're going to 00:06:12.139 --> 00:06:15.459 introduce utility allowance cuts, which is a 00:06:15.459 --> 00:06:18.600 detail that impacts a lot of people. It'll be 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:21.339 changes to how utility expenses are calculated, 00:06:21.639 --> 00:06:24.100 which could mean reduced monthly benefits for 00:06:24.100 --> 00:06:26.959 hundreds of thousands of households. Now, whether 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:29.000 or not they'll have a different program that'll 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:31.779 come in under something else, I believe is the 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:33.899 plan. They're just getting it out from under 00:06:33.899 --> 00:06:37.439 the actual nutritional program is my understanding 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:43.399 of this. Significant funding cuts. Overall, the 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:46.060 Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill 00:06:46.060 --> 00:06:50.319 slashes federal funding for SNAP by $186 billion 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:53.540 over the next decade, which would amount to the 00:06:53.540 --> 00:06:57.319 largest food assistance cut in history. Now, 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:01.439 again, that's not to say other plans and other 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:04.360 benefit programs will not come in to supplement 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:08.110 some of these cuts, because... We're not just 00:07:08.110 --> 00:07:10.389 going to let people starve and go hungry in the 00:07:10.389 --> 00:07:14.089 street. I don't think we're that country. But 00:07:14.089 --> 00:07:17.410 as of right now, the way this sits, that's the 00:07:17.410 --> 00:07:23.149 current plan as it's been signed. I feel other 00:07:23.149 --> 00:07:27.230 entities will come in and put things in place 00:07:27.230 --> 00:07:30.889 to make sure people have what they need. So we'll 00:07:30.889 --> 00:07:35.389 see what happens. It's also important to remember... 00:07:35.769 --> 00:07:38.170 that many SNAP recipients also rely on Medicaid. 00:07:38.709 --> 00:07:41.709 And with the big bill, it's also bringing cuts 00:07:41.709 --> 00:07:44.930 and work requirements to Medicaid, which is also 00:07:44.930 --> 00:07:46.829 bringing about a situation where people could 00:07:46.829 --> 00:07:48.810 lose both food and health coverage simultaneously, 00:07:49.329 --> 00:07:52.610 which would be a pretty big smack in the face 00:07:52.610 --> 00:07:57.350 to a lot of people. I'm just going to revert 00:07:57.350 --> 00:07:59.610 back to what I just said. I think there's going 00:07:59.610 --> 00:08:03.410 to be other programs that come about and make 00:08:03.410 --> 00:08:06.250 sure people have what they need. But we're going 00:08:06.250 --> 00:08:08.610 to have to wait because this is the very, very 00:08:08.610 --> 00:08:13.870 early infancy of this whole program. So the real 00:08:13.870 --> 00:08:18.050 world impact and the misuse controversy. And 00:08:18.050 --> 00:08:22.029 I titled it like that because I'm sure some of 00:08:22.029 --> 00:08:24.449 you have seen a lot of these people that have 00:08:24.449 --> 00:08:27.009 been coming out and they've been going on social 00:08:27.009 --> 00:08:30.850 media and yelling and griping and crying about. 00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:34.500 How they've been going out and using their EBT 00:08:34.500 --> 00:08:38.740 cards for getting their nails and their lashes 00:08:38.740 --> 00:08:45.440 done or buying purses and paying for trips and 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:49.559 stuff. There was that one lady, I believe she 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:53.639 lives in Michigan. She, from what I remember, 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:55.879 does not have a set of upper teeth. And in the 00:08:55.879 --> 00:08:59.139 comments, she always gets drilled for that. She's 00:08:59.139 --> 00:09:03.559 got several kids. She makes money off of social 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:09.039 media. She got turned in to the Michigan offices 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:14.340 for assistance and lost a lot of her aid because 00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:17.679 she went out and bought a brand new Beamer. But 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:21.100 she's on assistance. So if she's making enough 00:09:21.100 --> 00:09:24.240 to go out and buy a brand new Beamer, why is 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:27.659 she on assistance? Those are the cases of misuse. 00:09:28.330 --> 00:09:30.830 that the Doge Department were identifying and 00:09:30.830 --> 00:09:33.789 trying to stomp out. And I think no matter what 00:09:33.789 --> 00:09:36.669 side of the aisle you're on, those are the cases 00:09:36.669 --> 00:09:40.110 of abuse and fraud that we can all agree need 00:09:40.110 --> 00:09:43.389 to go away and need to stop. Personally, I feel 00:09:43.389 --> 00:09:45.090 those are the cases that should be paying back 00:09:45.090 --> 00:09:49.429 to the system, but that's just me. Agree or disagree 00:09:49.429 --> 00:09:53.850 at will. But we're seeing a lot of fallout from 00:09:53.850 --> 00:09:56.840 the changes. A lot of individuals and different 00:09:56.840 --> 00:10:00.259 families are reporting a reduction or a complete 00:10:00.259 --> 00:10:04.500 loss to their SNAP benefits. This has sparked 00:10:04.500 --> 00:10:06.759 a lot of conversation and a lot of controversy. 00:10:07.419 --> 00:10:09.919 And like I just said, people have been openly 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:13.179 admitting to misusing their EBT cards for non 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:16.519 -food purchases, luxury beauty services, lashes, 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:20.039 nails, and whatnot. And things like that, these 00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:23.139 people coming out on social media and admitting 00:10:23.139 --> 00:10:27.509 to this openly. They don't even care. They have 00:10:27.509 --> 00:10:33.850 no sense of wrong. It fuels the argument for 00:10:33.850 --> 00:10:37.110 tighter control and stricter rules. And that 00:10:37.110 --> 00:10:39.129 just highlights the concerns about the program 00:10:39.129 --> 00:10:44.129 integrity. But beneath the surface of this, there 00:10:44.129 --> 00:10:47.309 are specific instances of misuse, like the lady 00:10:47.309 --> 00:10:49.889 up in Michigan, which shows that there's a much 00:10:49.889 --> 00:10:53.320 broader and more complex challenge. Many of the 00:10:53.320 --> 00:10:55.580 people losing their benefits are indeed able 00:10:55.580 --> 00:10:59.960 -bodied, but they face huge barriers to finding 00:10:59.960 --> 00:11:02.279 meaningful employment, whether it's where they 00:11:02.279 --> 00:11:07.379 live, mental issues, education, general skills. 00:11:07.940 --> 00:11:10.340 And that's one of the big points that I wanted 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:14.519 to talk about with this section. So lack of skills 00:11:14.519 --> 00:11:17.259 and education, they just simply might not have 00:11:17.259 --> 00:11:21.440 foundational literacy, vocational training. or 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:23.460 digital skills needed for today's job market. 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:26.000 There's a good chance that a lot of these people 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:28.720 just slipped through the cracks and got by with 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:32.000 D averages in school. And they are not the people 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:35.919 that can operate even basic registers at McDonald's 00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:39.740 or at a grocery store. And if we're going to 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:42.200 be forcing these people into the job market in 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:46.580 order to maintain that 20 hours of minimum work 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:50.490 requirement. We have to find more than just giving 00:11:50.490 --> 00:11:52.929 them a broom and expecting them to sweep streets 00:11:52.929 --> 00:11:56.950 and sweep floors and whatnot. There's got to 00:11:56.950 --> 00:11:59.649 be something more than just basic manual labor. 00:12:02.389 --> 00:12:04.169 There are things like caregiving responsibilities. 00:12:05.289 --> 00:12:08.309 Many parents or many of these people are parents. 00:12:09.110 --> 00:12:11.370 So you can't expect them to just walk away from 00:12:11.370 --> 00:12:15.480 their kids and leave them home alone. A lot of 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:17.200 these people are also caregivers for elderly 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:20.580 family members, which means finding consistent 00:12:20.580 --> 00:12:24.399 full -time work is incredibly difficult. They 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:26.139 might be on assistance because they're taking 00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:29.259 care of disabled children or disabled adults. 00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:33.080 A lot of these people may have hidden disabilities 00:12:33.080 --> 00:12:36.940 or severe mental challenges. We all know that 00:12:36.940 --> 00:12:38.980 there is a severe mental health crisis in America 00:12:38.980 --> 00:12:43.539 and, in fact, all over the world. So if they 00:12:43.539 --> 00:12:45.559 have undiagnosed conditions or mental health 00:12:45.559 --> 00:12:48.539 issues that severely affect their ability to 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:51.399 work consistently, that's something that cannot 00:12:51.399 --> 00:12:54.379 go unaddressed. We cannot put people with those 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:56.919 conditions out into the workforce, especially 00:12:56.919 --> 00:13:02.620 forced. Not only that, but what about logistics? 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:06.000 Some of these people may not even have reliable 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:09.120 transportation. There's a lot of people that 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:13.110 rely on public transportation. So we may not 00:13:13.110 --> 00:13:16.710 be able to expect them to get to or from a place 00:13:16.710 --> 00:13:19.350 that we're forcing them to go to unless we're 00:13:19.350 --> 00:13:23.009 providing some kind of leeway on transportation. 00:13:23.610 --> 00:13:26.470 And that that has to be paid for because if they're 00:13:26.470 --> 00:13:28.690 not working now, they probably don't have the 00:13:28.690 --> 00:13:30.950 money for the bus, which I know buses aren't 00:13:30.950 --> 00:13:34.909 exactly free or cheap. Sometimes we just talked 00:13:34.909 --> 00:13:37.649 about that the last episode for the housing or 00:13:37.649 --> 00:13:42.009 the cities of the future. there's going to be 00:13:42.009 --> 00:13:44.710 a lot of little things to think about because 00:13:44.710 --> 00:13:46.289 we're probably going to have to give vouchers 00:13:46.289 --> 00:13:48.269 for free transportation if you're in this program. 00:13:48.929 --> 00:13:50.750 And that's going to be another cost that's probably 00:13:50.750 --> 00:13:56.590 not figured into the bill right now. The job 00:13:56.590 --> 00:13:58.149 market for the area that some of these people 00:13:58.149 --> 00:14:02.049 that live in, that will be a huge thing. Because 00:14:02.049 --> 00:14:05.090 again, do you just give them brooms and tell 00:14:05.090 --> 00:14:07.230 them to sweep the streets? Go to a supermarket 00:14:07.230 --> 00:14:10.580 and sweep the floor? Or can you actually find 00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:14.220 a decent job for these people to work in? The 00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:17.600 job market is not hot everywhere. We're still 00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:20.299 in a little bit of a job recession. It's not 00:14:20.299 --> 00:14:26.620 just a housing. So what do you do? There are 00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:30.600 lists of jobs everywhere that can be submitted. 00:14:30.659 --> 00:14:34.440 Here in Ohio, we have Ohio Means Jobs that works 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:40.340 with the... unemployment agencies to help people 00:14:40.340 --> 00:14:44.019 find work and they work hand in hand. But some 00:14:44.019 --> 00:14:46.500 of those jobs actually do require skills and 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:49.059 not all the people who are coming off of the 00:14:49.059 --> 00:14:52.500 systems are going to have any of the skills really. 00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:59.700 So the big question becomes, how do we support 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:02.720 these people who are now losing critical benefits 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:06.759 without them becoming an even greater drain on 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:11.080 emergency services, local charities, or just 00:15:11.080 --> 00:15:14.419 keeping them from falling even deeper into massive 00:15:14.419 --> 00:15:18.559 poverty. I mean, we're taking the safety net 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:21.480 out from under them and expecting them to just 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:25.860 trudge forward. I mean, yeah, that's how a lot 00:15:25.860 --> 00:15:27.980 of us working folks do it, but we've already 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:31.480 got things in place. This is literally just yanking 00:15:31.480 --> 00:15:34.279 the rug out from under them and expecting them 00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:38.090 to just figure it out. We can't do that. We have 00:15:38.090 --> 00:15:39.970 to figure this out in a way that doesn't make 00:15:39.970 --> 00:15:45.169 it worse for everybody involved. So finding a 00:15:45.169 --> 00:15:48.230 pathway to self -sufficiency is finding a solution 00:15:48.230 --> 00:15:53.090 that allows people to transition, not just out 00:15:53.090 --> 00:15:58.250 of poverty, but into flourishing. So this is 00:15:58.250 --> 00:16:00.889 where we need to shift our thinking from simply 00:16:00.889 --> 00:16:03.950 cutting the benefits to actively building pathways 00:16:03.950 --> 00:16:08.750 and helping the people. better themselves. So 00:16:08.750 --> 00:16:11.549 if the goal is to get people off of assistance 00:16:11.549 --> 00:16:15.769 and into the workforce, we have to find a way 00:16:15.769 --> 00:16:19.750 to make robust support systems. Now, what does 00:16:19.750 --> 00:16:22.970 that actually look like? Things like targeted 00:16:22.970 --> 00:16:25.789 workforce development. So that's going to mean 00:16:25.789 --> 00:16:29.129 way more than just a job fair. You're going to 00:16:29.129 --> 00:16:31.710 have to sit down with these people, find out 00:16:31.710 --> 00:16:35.299 what, if any, skills they actually have, what 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:38.639 kind of educational needs that are going to need 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:42.440 to be met and start getting them reeducated, 00:16:42.519 --> 00:16:48.840 retrained, and then actually trained. So you're 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:51.299 going to need vocational training programs that 00:16:51.299 --> 00:16:53.759 are going to be linked with local job market 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:57.399 needs. Things like health care support, all of 00:16:57.399 --> 00:17:01.019 the trades. Good God. I mean, we know there's 00:17:01.019 --> 00:17:06.740 a massive trade deficit, not. but the trade jobs, 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:09.720 there's a big hole there. So a lot of these people 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:13.980 coming off could maybe be encouraged to work 00:17:13.980 --> 00:17:18.119 in the trades and even IT basics. I mean, with 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:21.380 all the AI jobs coming out, IT is going to be 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:24.660 an absolutely massive field. And that would be 00:17:24.660 --> 00:17:27.900 a huge way to fill some of the smaller jobs that 00:17:27.900 --> 00:17:30.099 could be an easier transition for some of these 00:17:30.099 --> 00:17:36.240 folks. And crucially, there needs to be, like 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:38.980 I said, basic literacy, digital skills, and even 00:17:38.980 --> 00:17:41.660 soft skills. And this is going to be a big one, 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:45.900 like communication. I think we can all agree, 00:17:46.059 --> 00:17:50.539 judging by the things that we see and read on 00:17:50.539 --> 00:17:55.460 social media and things like TikTok, communication 00:17:55.460 --> 00:18:01.700 is a bit lacking from a lot of people out there. 00:18:02.339 --> 00:18:04.519 communication, and even basic language skills. 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:07.099 So that would be a really good one to start with. 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:10.900 And then go into math. Doesn't have to be advanced 00:18:10.900 --> 00:18:12.759 math. We don't need these people learning trig, 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:17.640 but just the four, you know, addition, subtraction, 00:18:17.660 --> 00:18:20.420 multiplication, division. Get them, you know, 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:24.000 eighth, maybe tenth grade level, and that should 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:28.599 be sufficient for a lot of the basic stuff. The 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:33.109 big life barriers. You've got to take a look 00:18:33.109 --> 00:18:36.289 at the root causes that prevent work. Things 00:18:36.289 --> 00:18:40.869 that prevent access to affordable quality child 00:18:40.869 --> 00:18:44.670 care and elder care is an absolute non -negotiable. 00:18:45.230 --> 00:18:47.710 We have to invest in transportation solutions 00:18:47.710 --> 00:18:51.730 like subsidized passes or community carpooling. 00:18:52.769 --> 00:18:55.589 So people who are working together coming off 00:18:55.589 --> 00:18:58.250 these programs give them incentives to carpool. 00:19:00.379 --> 00:19:02.660 Bus passes, like I said a little bit ago, would 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:05.279 be great, but carpooling would be even better. 00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:10.299 Give them a reason to work together. Significantly 00:19:10.299 --> 00:19:12.559 increasing access to mental health and substance 00:19:12.559 --> 00:19:16.119 abuse services would be an absolute game changer 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:19.859 for so many people as well. A lot of these folks 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:24.099 have gotten addicted to things, and you've got 00:19:24.099 --> 00:19:27.990 to get them cleaned up and get them off. That'll 00:19:27.990 --> 00:19:34.210 go a long way with a lot of people. The benefit 00:19:34.210 --> 00:19:36.789 cliff mitigation. I saw this and I wanted to 00:19:36.789 --> 00:19:39.109 put this in here because I think that it's a 00:19:39.109 --> 00:19:42.930 big thing. When someone starts earning more, 00:19:43.069 --> 00:19:46.789 their benefits often drop sharply, sometimes 00:19:46.789 --> 00:19:49.190 making them worse off financially than they were 00:19:49.190 --> 00:19:53.250 when they weren't working. So there has to be 00:19:53.250 --> 00:19:57.079 a way to phase out the benefits. Or temporary 00:19:57.079 --> 00:20:00.240 support to make the transition to self -sufficiency 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:05.279 smoother and more logical. The age old thing 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:09.440 has been, I won't go to work because I'm getting 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:13.359 more on assistance than I will if I go to work 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:18.559 because I'll lose X, Y, Z. Well, if we keep that 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:22.140 coming while people are transitioning off, say 00:20:22.140 --> 00:20:26.200 six months, you lose 50%, but you're. earning 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:29.460 enough to make that transition. And then a year 00:20:29.460 --> 00:20:32.599 you go down to 25 % or something like that. That 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:35.440 makes it much easier for people to get into their 00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:38.619 job, get their life established and get things 00:20:38.619 --> 00:20:43.299 smoothed out. You cannot just yank the rug out, 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:45.640 like I had said, from the people who are trying 00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:48.240 to actually make this work. It's supposed to 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:52.279 be assistance, not a way of life. That's always 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:54.180 been one of the big gripes that people like me 00:20:54.180 --> 00:21:00.700 have had. Community collaboration. Government 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:03.920 cannot do this alone. We need public -private 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:06.299 partnerships. So a lot of businesses and nonprofits 00:21:06.299 --> 00:21:09.420 and even some of the community colleges have 00:21:09.420 --> 00:21:11.720 to come in together and find training programs 00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:15.519 and job placements. So you work with the people 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:17.720 who are going through these education programs 00:21:17.720 --> 00:21:20.799 and you find people who would be a good fit in 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:24.480 some of the jobs and some of the... different 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:26.960 businesses that are coming up and about. If you 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:30.740 need someone who can do a low end job that isn't 00:21:30.740 --> 00:21:33.680 going to pay a whole lot, work with these people 00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:36.440 coming up who just need something to put on a 00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:39.000 resume. Maybe it's only going to be a six month 00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:41.079 hire. Maybe it's going to be a 12 month deal. 00:21:42.299 --> 00:21:45.740 It's a win win for both people. If it's not going 00:21:45.740 --> 00:21:47.619 to be anything that's like high intensive training, 00:21:47.779 --> 00:21:50.660 but you just need a body for a while and these 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:53.210 people are going to get. extra benefits, as well 00:21:53.210 --> 00:21:56.609 as job training, it can be done. You can work 00:21:56.609 --> 00:22:03.210 together with it. Integrated services. Think 00:22:03.210 --> 00:22:05.529 about like a hub where someone can go to get 00:22:05.529 --> 00:22:08.950 job training, help with childcare and mental 00:22:08.950 --> 00:22:12.329 health support all in one place. And I want to 00:22:12.329 --> 00:22:14.769 kind of go off on a little tangent here. One 00:22:14.769 --> 00:22:19.170 thing that was put into the bill was Something 00:22:19.170 --> 00:22:21.589 about, and I didn't get it because when I was 00:22:21.589 --> 00:22:23.970 doing the research, I totally overlooked this. 00:22:24.329 --> 00:22:28.069 There was a business, I want to say subsidy, 00:22:28.309 --> 00:22:32.170 to provide money to businesses to help with child 00:22:32.170 --> 00:22:37.289 care costs. And it was not insignificant. I want 00:22:37.289 --> 00:22:39.230 to say it was something like over a half a million 00:22:39.230 --> 00:22:43.130 dollars for some level. And then I think it went 00:22:43.130 --> 00:22:45.529 up. I'll have to look into this for you guys. 00:22:45.650 --> 00:22:49.730 But that means. That some businesses can now 00:22:49.730 --> 00:22:54.049 provide things like on -site childcare for a 00:22:54.049 --> 00:22:57.009 lot of people and that they can get covered for 00:22:57.009 --> 00:22:59.150 it and reimbursed for it and tax breaks for it, 00:22:59.190 --> 00:23:04.630 which would eliminate a lot of overhead and a 00:23:04.630 --> 00:23:08.069 lot of bills for so many people. If more places 00:23:08.069 --> 00:23:11.130 do this, that then becomes a huge benefit to 00:23:11.130 --> 00:23:15.099 working there. So that's one thing that a lot 00:23:15.099 --> 00:23:17.160 of people, and I don't think many people know 00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:20.440 that that's in the bill, but that needs to be 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:22.420 pushed and that needs to be championed and that 00:23:22.420 --> 00:23:25.920 needs to be yelled about. Hey, this benefit is 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:29.039 out there. Let's look into it. Let's find people 00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:32.700 to do this. Let's use these subsidies to renovate 00:23:32.700 --> 00:23:36.839 these offices into a child center and people 00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:40.140 can bring their kids to work. That's like. 80 00:23:40.140 --> 00:23:42.359 % of the reasons that people have to call out 00:23:42.359 --> 00:23:45.019 half the time is because their kids are sick 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:48.940 or they got sick from their kids. If you eliminate 00:23:48.940 --> 00:23:52.819 that hurdle, you will do so much more for so 00:23:52.819 --> 00:23:58.640 many people. I guarantee it. So there's my little 00:23:58.640 --> 00:24:06.099 side tangent and rant. But yeah, the hub with 00:24:06.099 --> 00:24:07.339 the child care and the mental health service 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:10.099 is all in one. Rather than having to navigate 00:24:10.099 --> 00:24:13.579 the big maze of different agencies, if they're 00:24:13.579 --> 00:24:15.680 going to do this, they have to have it all under 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:19.039 one roof. Health and Human Services has to be 00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:23.440 reorganized to actually be Health and Human Services. 00:24:23.559 --> 00:24:26.680 It can't be 50 different buildings spread out 00:24:26.680 --> 00:24:29.299 across the city so that you go to this building 00:24:29.299 --> 00:24:31.019 for one thing and that building for another, 00:24:31.220 --> 00:24:33.339 and then this building across town for the other 00:24:33.339 --> 00:24:38.390 thing. It's got to be a one -stop shop. And if 00:24:38.390 --> 00:24:41.430 it can't be that, then this whole thing cannot 00:24:41.430 --> 00:24:45.470 be successful. Now, I'm just one weird guy in 00:24:45.470 --> 00:24:48.849 a basement trying to tell all this. I don't have 00:24:48.849 --> 00:24:51.670 all the answers. I want to hear from you guys. 00:24:53.430 --> 00:24:56.130 What are some of the things that you're seeing 00:24:56.130 --> 00:24:58.769 out and about? What are you hearing? Because 00:24:58.769 --> 00:25:01.950 this has set a lot of big things in motion with 00:25:01.950 --> 00:25:05.230 significant changes. That is like I've talked 00:25:05.230 --> 00:25:08.000 about tonight. especially for those relying on 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:12.599 food assistance and Medicare and Medicaid. So 00:25:12.599 --> 00:25:15.420 the challenge now is to ensure that while everything 00:25:15.420 --> 00:25:20.480 is being redone, the overall reach of the program 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:23.660 is to aim for fiscal responsibility and program 00:25:23.660 --> 00:25:27.960 integrity. But we also have to provide the necessary 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:31.779 tools and support for every American to thrive. 00:25:32.539 --> 00:25:35.740 This is not about... just cutting the lifeline, 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:39.099 but it's about building a bridge and helping 00:25:39.099 --> 00:25:46.019 people do better themselves. And that, ladies 00:25:46.019 --> 00:25:47.660 and gentlemen, brings me to the end of my rant 00:25:47.660 --> 00:25:50.880 for this evening. I was trying to stretch it 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:53.799 out a little bit, but I kind of got through everything 00:25:53.799 --> 00:25:56.599 because, well, I didn't have Gibbs to go back 00:25:56.599 --> 00:26:00.599 and forth with. So that was not as long as I 00:26:00.599 --> 00:26:05.160 intended, but well, that's what I told her. But 00:26:05.160 --> 00:26:10.799 I hope you've enjoyed our time together. I hope 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:12.759 that you still have some hair left on your head 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:16.519 because this topic can go much further down the 00:26:16.519 --> 00:26:19.880 foxhole, but that's where you got to come in. 00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:23.299 Let me know your thoughts. I'm hoping that Gibbs 00:26:23.299 --> 00:26:25.579 is going to weigh in on this episode. So we'll 00:26:25.579 --> 00:26:28.180 be looking forward to that. And then we can have 00:26:28.180 --> 00:26:31.099 a big discussion on all of that. Hopefully that'll 00:26:31.099 --> 00:26:33.460 be on discord or hopefully he'll do something 00:26:33.460 --> 00:26:36.349 to where, We can kind of go back and forth, maybe 00:26:36.349 --> 00:26:39.269 on YouTube or something. But that's the wonderful 00:26:39.269 --> 00:26:40.890 thing about this, because that's how this whole 00:26:40.890 --> 00:26:45.650 digital wonderland works. But anyways, thank 00:26:45.650 --> 00:26:49.369 you guys for hanging out with me tonight. And 00:26:49.369 --> 00:26:53.869 I love each and every one of you. And as always, 00:26:54.029 --> 00:26:56.150 I'll see you guys again next time.