Ready or Not Super Intelligence & How Politicians Win When They Lose

0:05 Thank you. Are you ready? Yeah. Okay, let's do it. Bill Martinez Live, a program about current events, our culture, our values, our politics, and our future. And now, Bill Martinez. Hey, good morning. Six minutes after the top of the hour, Bill Martinez is here, and he's back with us, Bill Walton, the Common Sense CEO, and He's the host of the Bill Walton Show, which is very appropriate, which focuses on in-depth conversations with leaders, entrepreneurs, and thinkers who offer deep insights into money culture and politics. It's all one big basket of joy and truth, and that's what we're all about in pursuing the truth no matter where it goes. Right, Bill?

0:57 That's absolutely right, even if it leads to strange and dark places like what's going to happen with the AI industry. Tsunami. Yeah. But let's talk AI. On one hand, I mean, like everything that comes our way, what I'm realizing these days is that there's a clear contrast. It's really a binary choice, whether we're in politics, whatever we're talking about, the culture. And here, AI, you've got a plus or minus. And the challenge is, can you manage the plus and understand the minus and manage the minus as well to where it's minimally detrimental. Let's put it that way.

1:38 Well, I think we can. I mean, we have to. But we're dealing with a technology here that's not one thing. It's many things. I mean, there's open source models, closed source models. There are two types of open source models. And China is pushing the open source model in the hopes of luring the rest of the world into their AI infrastructure. And so we've got a national security dimension here. And then we've also got the concern about data centers. We've got the concern about, you know, I think there was a recent report that, what is it, the Internet of Things, your toaster as an AI can be influenced by AI and you may lose control of your appliances.

2:20 I mean, and the scaremongers are out in full force right now. including the CEO of the biggest, I don't know the biggest, but the most prominent AI designer, Anthropic, which is selling Claude. Yeah. Kind of a sidebar here, Bill, when you bring up toasters, it reminded me of a comedy bit. I don't know if you heard it or not from Woody Allen. And he talked about that he was so frustrated with his appliances that he got them all in the living room to talk to them. And, I mean, this is a comedy bit that he did decades ago. It wasn't something he just did, you know, five, ten years ago. I mean, this is at least 20-plus years ago, talking about sitting there having a conversation with his appliances.

3:05 Well, you know, he's pretty– I don't want to go too off topic, but Woody's pretty smart about the future. Remember the one where he said, wouldn't it be great in the future if we discovered that Reuben sandwiches were good for you? And now we've discovered that beef and a lot of what's in the Reuben is, in fact, good for you. So– I didn't realize he'd also spotted the risk from appliances. Yeah, and we don't even want to talk about hard-boiled eggs, okay? So anyway, getting back on topic, the fact of the matter is that here it is. I mean, we're on the precipice of some incredible innovation and power. And it's up to us to find— I say us, you know, we the people— And this is why it's so important that the consent of the governed comes into place. This is where, to me, the brilliance of our Constitution can come into play if we follow the outline and the discipline that our Constitution has laid out for us. Well, I think you're right.

4:00 And I think it's very important that we let the market resolve most of the issues, both the threats and the opportunities. You know, the problem with this technology now is that they're probably 10, 20,000 people in the world who understand it. And even then, some of them are probably still trying to grasp pieces of it that they can't predict. So it's not a technology that's a known thing, which means the federal government, state government, or in particular, state legislatures would know almost nothing about how to regulate it. And I think the risk here is that we end up ossifying what the technology can do. And remember, This is something that could extend our lives as long as we want. What they can do with diagnostics and medicine and cancer treatments and everything you think of as human health and happiness. AI can have a very, very profound effect.

4:56 positive experience. And I'm not even including Elon Musk robots. Right, exactly. And I hope he does a good job with making them friendly and whatever. But anyway, the robots are there as well to deal with things in the physical world. So we've got this enormous positive technology for the benefit of humanity if we manage it properly. But managing is sort of the key word You want the people making decisions about how to deploy it that know something about it. And right now, the best idea that I think is good is if you put together a coalition of maybe the five to ten leading frontier lab model builders. It would be like OpenAI or Cloud. which owns Chachi PT or the Rock, which is Elon Musk's shop. Gemini is Google.

5:51 I mean, there's a whole list of these model builders. They know what they're doing, and they also know whether something jumped out of the sandbox, as they call it, and it's going to have to affect it. They know that, and if we set up an industry association where they can, in effect, manage each other because they all have an interest in making sure this technology is safe, And they're the ones who are best able to know whether the company that's got the problem is addressing it. And I think there's a council of industry leaders that could be very effective. What you don't want is something like the FTC or the FDA where they're trying to regulate things they do not understand. And that would be a catastrophe.

6:38 Right. The other thing I would recommend, Bill, is that, yes, you have proven leaders already, but you also have some younger people who are not there, you know, and by that, I. Mean, the CEOs of some of the lab companies. Well, you know, I'm talking, I'm talking, there's some young, brilliant minds that are there that may not have access because they don't know the secret handshake. And what's happened time and again, and scientists, modern scientists are realizing that We have always yielded to tradition and older people, more experienced people, but what it's delivered are older ideas at the expense of not checking into these young innovators that are there. They're in the field of play, but they don't have access to the advanced technology because They don't know the secret handshake, if you understand what I'm getting at here.

7:37 I do. But I think the way you can deal with that, it just springs to mind there are a lot of older venture capitalists. I was a private equity guy, not a venture capitalist, but I would qualify as older. But there are a lot of seasoned industry professionals in both the VC investing and in the technology. Industry, lots of grownups. And you could add to that industry coalition that I was talking about, these people who would bring maybe some more seasoned judgment to this and I think might balance out the, you know, the decision-making. I think we can solve that, but it's going to be, and fortunately, President Trump is providing some real leadership here. He's, you know, he's trying to make sure that this technology is deployed effectively and he sees it as one of the signature accomplishments of his administration if he can pull these forces together and make it, you know, make it what it could be.

8:31 Yeah. I guess what I'm saying here is, is there another Charlie Kirk in this genre, possibly, that is there that we don't know about? You know, we didn't know about Elon Musk, you know, not that many long years ago. And, you know, the cream rises to the top, I always believe. But you have to give... cream the opportunity to do that. And I'm just saying, look at, you know, we've got 350 million people, just Americans, not even around the world. You know what? We have to 8 billion people. I mean, there's geniuses out there waiting to be discovered. Anyway, we got to go to quick break. We'll come back. We got more from Bill Walton after this. Stay with us.

9:12 A new study finds a major increase in STEM learning in after-school programs, but gaps remain. Today, 92% of parents with children in after-school say STEM is available, up from 69% a decade ago. That's 6.4 million kids now getting STEM in after-school. Emma Binet, Overdeck Family Foundation. This study underscores the remarkable work out-of-school time programs do to help students discover the joy in learning while preparing them to succeed now and into the future. The study finds rural and low-income students are less likely to get frequent STEM opportunities, with rural programs also offering fewer opportunities in computer science and technology. Jody Grant, Executive Director of the After-School Alliance. STEM literacy is no longer optional. It's the foundation of nearly every aspect of our economy.

9:58 And our world. The next step is clear. Sponsored by Afterschool Alliance. If you're 65 or older and Medicare is your main source of insurance, pay close attention right now and listen for details on how you may save thousands of dollars on your health care costs. Did you know that Medicare can pay for things like dental visits, home delivery of drugs, even a gym membership? Call us right now and learn how to unlock all your Medicare benefits. Medicare and supplemental plans that we provide can even offer you drug coverage with zero co-pays and pay for transportation to your doctors.

10:40 Medicare plans can offer you wonderful money-saving benefits, but you've got to call now. We'll help you get the most out of your Medicare. Make this free, no-obligation call now. Save a ton of money on your health care costs and get the code to unlock all your earned Medicare benefits. Paid for by Senior Choice Plans. 800-796-3954. 800-796-3954. That's 800-796-3954. Have you written a book or do you have a manuscript ready and just need to find the right publisher? Christian Faith Publishing supports authors like yourself to bring their books to life. And right now we're offering you a free writer's guide designed to steer you towards book completion.

11:25 Christian Faith Publishing evaluates each manuscript we receive. If your book earns approval, we take care of everything. Editing, designing, printing, We'll be right back. and a free writer's guide today. 800-439-1588 800-439-1588 800-439-1588 800-439-1588.

12:11 Everything is expensive right now. Gas, food, you name it. You're spending more, you are making the same or less money. So, what do you do? You rack up credit card debt. That's what you do. It's not your fault. It's the economy. And guess what? If you rack up too much credit card debt like some of us, you can't pay your bills. Then the credit card companies, as nice as they are, start hounding you for money. Then you start your downward spiral. A smart thing for you to do is to call the Zero Debt. They can help you consolidate all your credit card bills into one affordable payment. Millions of people have done it. It works to make you debt-free. Make this free call right now. It costs you nothing to learn more.

12:57 800-284-1349 800-284-1349 800-284-1349 That's 800-284-1349. Hey, welcome back. Bill Walton is with us. I'm Bill Martinez. Bill is the Common Sense CEO. And we are untangling, you know, AI. I like what President Trump is calling it, superintelligence, as opposed to artificial intelligence. That rhymes with me. It rings in my spirit. Because this is, I mean, like you said, the discoveries and things that this could do are just incredible. Incredible. I think right now beyond our imagination.

13:44 Well, they are. Somebody just said to me this morning, why don't you use this phrase? We're climbing a hill that we can't see over. There are lots of metaphors, but we're going down a path that people can find pretty scary. I find it exciting, but we don't know exactly where this is going to lead. And consequently, that's going to cause a lot of people to try to shut it down just because, you know, America has become very risk averse in the last 50 years or so. And so there's lots of people that want to say, well, let's go slow. Let's not do too much. Well, the risk there is, A, we miss developing some incredible life-saving and life-enhancing technologies. And the other risk, as I said at the outset, is that China develops something and gets the rest of the world in their model. And that would be a big problem for us because the future of, you know, the kinetic future, future warfare is going to be very, very driven by AI.

14:49 Yeah. How many other things has America surrendered to China and to other countries? And now we're beholden and we're going, wait a minute, we don't even speak the same language. We don't think in the same terms of freedom that they do. And so, you know, here it is. Donald Trump comes in and is pulling things back, bringing back to the homeland. And look at the consequence of it. And this is just the beginning, I think, of what's ahead. if we continue on this course. There are antithetical forces within our government, and particularly with one party, that is so risk-averse that they will surrender assets. They've done this time and again. I mean, look, for example, what happened with the development of nuclear energy. And China said, thank you very much.

15:41 What's astonishing is that Germany had some nuclear power and they shut it down because of the green insanity. And now Germany is the economy shrinking and what used to be a manufacturing giant is a midget. And it's just all these bad ideas about renewables have really wrecked it. China, on the other hand, is building electric power coal plants to power electric power at the rate of two a week. And while they're also doing nuclear and the other advanced technologies, they're not going to wait for windmills to deliver. The goods. I think there's enough proof. It's almost like you have to just insist on stupidity to think that windmills and solar energy is the answer. When you think about the entire planet bill, how many trillions of dollars have been invested And this boondoggle, I mean, this is like Don Quixote's windmills, you know, and we've spent trillions of dollars.

16:48 And what have we got in return? Well, we've got some rusty windmills and some beautiful acreage that's covered with mirrors. And it doesn't really, you know, when the sun doesn't shine, it doesn't produce power. And we've got something that's going to be the ugliest white elephant ever. And because it will be eclipsed by other technologies, we're not going to be relying on oil and gas forever. There are guys working very hard right now to invent the next big thing to generate power. But the thing that's interesting, there's like a one-to-one correlation between the amount of power a society consumes, a country consumes, and its growth.

17:32 And one of the awful things that's happening is they're trying to get Africa, for example— to only use wind and solar. Well, they've been using wind and solar in their own form forever. And they don't want them to adapt any technologies which would require fossil fuels. And they're holding Africa back from development. And what the Africans are saying, take your green ideas, go do it somewhere else where we want to develop our economies and we need the energy to do that. And I think that's very encouraging. And that's common sense, Bill, right? I mean, the data is empirical. And so how do you fight that? I mean, you just have to insist on stupid, right? Well, they've got a lot of that. But, you know, you said one thing, freedom in China. It's not only we don't have the same concept of freedom. They don't have freedom in China, period. It's a Leninist state. And, you know, Lenin brought the Communist Party into China in the 1920s. And it's been morphed by that and Stalin, in fact. uh, uh, brought, brought Mao to power in 1939.

18:37 And so, and Mao loved Lenin's playbook. And so what we're seeing in communist China is a, is a totalitarian state now enabled by artificial intelligence and millions of cameras and facial recognition and all that. We need to be very, very, very concerned about China getting ahead of us. And that to me is the, uh, is the ultimate thing that we've got to consider that we need to do, develop AI to our maximum capabilities and have it do as much for as it can, can, and keep the playing field level with this, I think, mortal enemy, China. Right. Well, uh, I don't want to be level. I want to stay ahead, which is what you want too, Bill.

19:21 I was reaching for that. I could have said that. I was trying to do that. Yeah, no, no, no. I understand that. What's that other network, Fair and Balanced? Yeah, right. Yeah, right. Yeah, let's pretend. But no, we've got an opportunity here. We've worked hard. The assets that we have here, that Donald Trump is demonstrating to us, how we leverage those. And this is leadership. This is what leadership is all about. And like what you talked about with President Xi and China is doing, you know, in building all these, you know, these refineries and these energy generating, you know, fossil fuel production centers, they're setting up a foundation and infrastructure to support the growth of superintelligence.

20:09 And they already have it. I mean, they're, you know, they've divided into one of the pieces of it is the, is the power center piece and they have, they're, they're generating electricity in abundance and they've got enough power to support AI from here, from here to kingdom come. Yeah. Well, uh, the, uh, the centers, the data centers and those that are in charge and have been visioning this, uh, the visionaries, uh, you know, they've been accused of, uh, not handling the message very well in articulating. They were so excited. They were just so excited with this new toy. They just assumed that everybody would jump on board.

20:50 Well, in the first place, the leaders of these companies are not exactly central casting, make you feel comfortable CEOs. I mean, they're kids in their 30s and early 40s, and they're very cocky. And nobody really knew how fast this would explode. ChatGPT just came out four years ago And in the gold rush to get this thing developed, I think they just ran roughshod over communities and zoning, et cetera. And then you got the hyperscalers coming up against the electric utilities, which is one of the sleepiest industries around. And it's been a mess. Now, they can hit the reset button. I mean, one of the things they can do, they've got enough hyperscalers, got enough cash flow that they could subsidize people's electricity rates, and I think that would be very popular.

21:38 And they're talking about that. I think they've got some great examples. I mean, look what happened in Virginia. I mean, hey, electricity rates are down. I mean, they've got some good news there, but they need a crisis manager to come in and help them with messaging. I think they're beginning to figure that out, but it's, you know, they're hyper-competitive massive ego people that's hard to get them, you know, just to my earlier idea, creating an industry group to monitor the technology, that's going to be hard enough. But getting these guys to focus on developing data centers prudently, you know, we'll see. I think they're just going to have to figure it out, you know, separately.

22:22 But it's going to happen, I believe. Yeah. Well, to be continued, because if it does happen, it will be for the good of all concerned. So that's what's hanging in the balance here, Bill Walton, and you've expressed it perfectly here. So, you know, we just kind of hope that level minds, you know, rule the day here and that we're able to make the most of this technology that we've been gifted with. Bill Walton, he's the Common Sense CEO. Bill, how can people be in touch with you? It's pretty simple. Just type in The Bill Walton Show in your browser and we'll pop up on almost every platform. We're on YouTube, Rumble, Spotify, Facebook. x you know the old twitter.

23:03 Well thank thank you for making it easier for us to understand bill walton and for coming on the show take care thanks for having me you got it bye. As the workforce's most essential skill, but less than one-third of employees prioritize judgment. At the same time, 60% of employees worry AI is eroding their skills, with critical thinking cited most often as declining. Aparna Nair, Chief Talent, Leadership and Culture Officer, IBM.

23:48 AI is reshaping the way work gets done, but uniquely human capabilities remain essential. As routine tasks become increasingly automated, CHROs play a critical role in creating an environment where people can focus on more strategic work and apply their judgment correctly. creativity, and expertise in ways to drive meaningful impact. To learn more, visit ibm.com slash ibv. We call ourselves ASAP. Travel for one reason. We can help you book a ticket ASAP. For those of you that don't know, that means as soon as possible. That means no wait time. You get through right away. No searching online. Our specialty is the lowest available fares on the big name airlines.

24:28 You know them. We can't tell you their names. You can fly domestically or internationally and save more money than you could if you call the airlines directly. Our proprietary software goes underneath the hood of the major airline booking systems and finds you the best rates available. So if you're ready to make your travel plans right now, business or vacation travel, we have all the major airlines always at great rates. Call ASAP Trips and we'll have your ticket in your inbox in 15 minutes. Call this number now. 800-506-4885. 800-506-4885. 800-506-4885. That's 800-506-4885.

25:11 Do you have Medicare and do you use a CPAP machine? This is a national health care alert regarding your CPAP supplies. Using a clean CPAP mask and clean supplies is important to staying healthy. The best way to make sure your CPAP equipment is clean is to get new supplies. If you have Medicare, we have great news. Medicare will pay for you to have new clean supplies every 90 days. We'll even do all the paperwork for you to make sure that there's little to no out-of-pocket cost to you. And you don't even have to leave your home. We provide free in-home delivery. So if you're a CPAP user and you have Medicare, staying healthy with new CPAP equipment is easy. Just make this free phone call right now to get started.

25:54 Sponsored by Specialty Medical. 800-254-1421 800-254-1421 800-254-1421 That's 800-254-1421. Are you ready yeah okay let's do it bill martinez live a program about current events our culture our values our politics and our future and now bill martinez. Hey good morning welcome glad you could join us bill martinez here and we've got dr john samaric hey john how. We doing i'm doing well bill thanks Hey. Just having all kinds of fun here as we're on the fast lane to the midterms. And, uh, yeah, you know, the pollsters are doing their polling thing, trying to influence, uh, you know, you know, I just wish that there could be a filter. We could find a way, but, uh, you know, we believe in free speech. So the pollsters can lie as much as they want. And unfortunately we find out after the fact and actually during and, uh, You know, it's amazing how particularly the Democrats will talk about influencing the vote and interfering with the process and everything like that. But they say nothing whatsoever about these rather biased pollster agencies.

27:08 Well, remember, the Democrats are all for actually stealing the election. So don't get in my way. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, well, we need to encourage our friends to vote, however frustrated they are that they haven't gotten 100% of what they voted for with Donald Trump. Hey, Ronald Reagan didn't deliver 100% of what he said he would do. Every politician is going to be something of a disappointment, just like whoever you marry is going to age. Right. They're going to make mistakes, and they're going to get on your nerves. Right. Just stay in your house by yourself. That way no one could ever disappoint you. Exactly. Well, you know, the fact the fact that Donald Trump has not given people 100 percent of what they wanted proves, in fact, that he is not a king.

27:57 Right, right. Just saying. No king's rally. Okay, yeah, we don't have a king. Yeah, right, exactly. But you know, even kings, even dictators can't do everything they want to do because there's something called empirical reality and other people's wishes and political opponents and other countries that we don't control doing stuff that we didn't expect. Think of all the America firsters the day after Pearl Harbor. Oh, guess what? Other countries get to vote on whether we're in a war. It's not just an autonomous decision. Well, yeah, like here we are with dealing with Iran. We got the Houthis now. You know, they're causing all kinds of issues and trying.

28:40 To- They might topple the government of Saudi Arabia. I imagine- That would be enormous. That'd be as bad as when the Shah fell. Yes. Could you imagine? I mean, here's this crazy little group of yelling Houthis, and Hezbollah seems to be a little bit quiet and marginalized. And of course, Hamas is in about, what, 40% of the Gaza, and they seem to be quiet because I think that they sense, you know, there's a day of judgment coming for them. Yeah. Well, they've gotten a lot of judgment. Look at Gaza. Yeah. And deservedly so. So we. And we need to be fasting and praying that the lunatics cannot get control of the asylum after the midterms.

29:23 Because if you think Donald Trump is somewhat disappointing now, wait till there's a Democratic House that does nothing except impeach him every week. That will be really disappointing. That'll be extremely dispiriting. And of course, the rhinos want this. I think John Thune and Mitch McConnell want to lose the House. They might want to lose the Senate. They're more comfortable being in opposition where they don't have to take responsibility for anything and they just fundraise. Oh, we're going to overturn Obamacare. Yeah, and John McCain flew in to cast his last vote in the Senate to keep Obamacare, even though he'd been promising to repeal it and raising millions of dollars on that promise. These people are the Washington generals. They think it's the job, their job to go out every night and lose graciously to the Harlem Globetrotters.

30:14 And Donald Trump is the coach who said, no, no, we got to win this thing. I got money bet on this. Exactly. They go, what? When? What are you talking about? You know, you bring up something interesting here, John, because we talk a lot about following the money and it's all about the calculus here. And I really hadn't even thought about it until you just said this in terms of You know, there's the basic business premise that people will do that which they get rewarded for, right? So the. The Republicans look at this, and I'd like to see a study that says when the Republicans are out of the majority, how much more effective are they in fundraising?

30:55 Way more effective. No, this is an empirical fact. If you ask Grok, how does losing elections affect Republican congressional fundraisers? It'll give you an answer in like five seconds. Yes. And the answer, you want to do it? Real time? Yeah, let's do it. Let's do it. Here, let me ask, should I ask Grok or should I ask Chet GPT? I think Grok. Grok is less politically biased. Grok, we're doing this right. In real time. Real time here, ladies and gentlemen. How does losing elections affect Republican elections? fundraising in Congress.

31:38 Ara, tell me, how much more effective is it for Republicans when they lose an election when it comes to fundraising? Hard number comes from 2020. In the three weeks after Trump lost to Biden, his campaign and party pulled in about $ 207 million, more than four times the $ 45 million they'd raised in the 20 days before Election Day. And it was cheaper to raise, $ 22 million in fundraising costs versus $ 43. 5 million beforehand. So the loss itself became the pitch. Anger and grievance converted at a much higher rate than hope did. The pattern shows up again on the Democratic side after 2016. The DNC raised $ 40 million more coming off that loss than off 2012. Losing seems to unlock a donor psychology that winning doesn't.

32:24 People give to fight, not to celebrate. One wrinkle worth knowing, that 2020 surge was partly fueled by false fraud claims, which is its own story. But the mechanical effect, outrage as a fundraising multiplier, is real and documented across both parties. If you want, I can dig into whether that post-loss money actually buys anything electorally, or whether it mostly just funds the next cycle's infrastructure. Well, that's excellent. Thanks, Ara. We'll stop it from there. Thank you. Notice it had to throw in that there was no election fraud in 2020. That seems to be hardwired. I never see a mainstream media report about 2020 that doesn't say, which there is no evidence. There is no evidence of election fraud. There is no evidence. There is no evidence that the COVID vaccine causes heart attacks. Whenever the media pounds the table about something, you know to get very, very suspicious.

33:18 But we know, because we're critical thinkers, that that's exceptional and that stands out. And that's a good point, whether we're talking about election fraud or we're talking, you know. Right, right. But her broader point, they rake in the money when they lose. Yes. And they don't have to take responsibility for anything. You can blame the Democrats for everything because they're in power. The Republicans got in this mentality and it got ingrained in the party. And that's why I call them the Washington generals. Yeah, it's part of the game. It's part of the contest that you've been talking about here, John. And this is good to do. I'm glad we did this in a practical sense so people can see for themselves. But still, you have to maintain a discriminant perspective to go and own your own knowledge, do some deeper research. This is just a quick look-see here. And like you said, in seconds, we got an answer. But it seems to make sense, based on what you're saying, is that you can lose and still win.

34:20 Yeah, you personally win, the country loses. Yes. That's a very dangerous setup. Of course, in Europe, they imported all these Muslim immigrants. It devastates the countries. Some places, 70% of them are on welfare, but they vote reliably for the left. So the left is willing to bring them in and basically pay them for their votes. You can live here for free and you can take over the public square, take over the streets for public prayer. You can form rape gangs and prey on our native women. All you have to do is vote for the left.

35:01 That's literally all they care about. It goes back to the root of Marxism. Marxism is 100% about grabbing power by any means necessary and holding on to it to where it has to be pulled out of your cold, dead fingers. Right. How is it different than what's happening here in America? Well, there's a reason that the Democrats are more and more openly saying that they're socialists. The current issue, I think, of Newsweek magazine or Time has all the leading Democrats saying in little mousy tongue hats with red stars. It would be cute if he hadn't killed 60 to 80 million Chinese through concentration camps, executions, and starvation. I don't think totalitarian imagery, be it communist or Nazi, is funny.

35:55 I mean, unless you're watching Hogan's Heroes, but this is not in a spirit of satire. On a more positive note, I'd like to. I'll tell you what, before we go on the positive, let's go to quick break and then we'll pick it up on the other side. More from Dr. John after this. Stay with us. What if a trip to your mailbox could put you behind the wheel of a brand new automobile? Starting September 28th, Valpac Clip is giving one lucky winner a new vehicle valued at more than $ 40, 000. Entering is free. Visit valpac.com slash freeride or keep an eye on your mailbox for the giveaway in your blue envelope and clip magazine. The first opportunity of its kind to spam both, so make sure you take a good look inside. Entries will close at 8 a.m. Eastern on November 6, 2026, and the winner will be drawn on or about November 9, 2026.

36:48 In select markets, presenting partner Valvoline Instant Oil Change is also offering $ 25 off a premium oil change. No purchase necessary. Open to legal U.S. residents 18 and older. Check the mail. Enter for a chance to win. And start imagining where a brand new car. Could take you. This report is sponsored by Valpak Clip. Have you written a book or do you have a manuscript ready and just need to find the right publisher? Christian Faith Publishing supports authors like yourself to bring their books to life and right now we're offering you a free writer's guide designed to steer you towards book completion. Christian Faith Publishing evaluates each manuscript we receive. If your book earns approval, we take care of everything. Editing, designing, printing, promotion, and widespread online and in-store distribution. Picture your book gracing the shelves of specialty Christian bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and numerous other retail destinations. It's time to get that manuscript published and to work with a publisher who shares your values of integrity and honesty. You can get your book published. Get your manuscript reviewed and a free writer's guide today.

37:57 800-439-1588. 800-439-1588. 800-439-1588. That's 800-439-1588. Every 40 seconds, a child disappears. That's 2,000 children every single day. Find the Children is a nonprofit organization fighting to bring them home. But we can't do it without you. Your unwanted car, running or not, can help find missing kids, reunite families, and support the search and rescue efforts that protect children every day. We'll pick it up fast and free with a 24-hour response. And your donation may qualify for a tax deduction. Find the Children provides crucial resources to help locate missing children and educational programs to teach kids how to recognize and avoid predators before it's too late. Together, we can give families hope and bring children home where they belong. Donate your car today and help bring a child home. Find the Children, because every child deserves to come home.

38:58 800-547-5331. 800-547-5331. 800-547-5331. This advertisement was paid for in partnership with Cars R Us and Find the Children. Hi, everyone. If you've been injured in an accident that was not your fault, listen up. We have legal professionals standing by to answer your questions for free. Call now and find out if you have a case and how much it's potentially worth. Call 800-830-1050. Well, Maria, first off, thank you for having me here. It's always nice to answer the listeners' questions. Now, as far as who should call in.

39:43 Anyone who's been injured in an accident and think you deserve compensation, give us a call right now. 800-830-5050. You'll find out if you have a case and how much it's potentially worth. Thanks, John. You heard it, folks. Take advantage of this opportunity and call now. 800-830-5050. Advertisement sponsored by Legal Help Center. May not be available in all states. Not available in California. Hey, welcome back. Bill Martinez here with Dr. John Samaritan. John, just kind of put a ribbon on everything. I mean, we see what's going on. And then I'm going to talk about the positive note. But to kind of finish the thought here, we see what's happening in Europe. I mean, just as you laid out, they followed the formula, this Marxist formula, and they're bankrupt. You know, the left has gone overboard. Now the right is awakening, particularly in France and a couple of other, Belgium as well. And they're saying, hey, enough of this insanity. This doesn't make sense. You bankrupt us and it's time for us to think in nationalistic terms.

40:48 So what's wrong with that? We're paying Muslims to come and colonize the place and take it over and impose a real law. Right. What part of that makes any kind of sense? So you can't really argue for that position. So what you have to do is demonize anyone who takes it as a racist, as a Nazi, as a xenophobe, as an Islamophobe. I'll own to being an Islamophobe. I'm a cancerphobe, too. Yes, right. Exactly. Islam is a civilizational cancer. It is a totalitarian political movement that has a chapel in a shed out back. It's not about God. It's about power. A lot like Marxism.

41:29 But look at all these great things that they've brought to humanity, Barack Obama would say. Well, I'd like to change the subject and direct people. I write regularly for Chronicles magazine, which to my mind is the best conservative magazine in America. I've been writing there since 1992, I believe. I've got a piece there now. What we can learn about drag queens by studying the orcs. Now, that sounds kind of odd. What brings that to mind? Well, every year my girlfriend and I have a tradition. We watch the extended version of The Lord of the Rings. And we like to do it in a theater. Excuse me, like those dinner theaters. And there are two chains, Alamo Drafthouse and Studio Movie Grill. that every year show the films, like one a weekend. And it's the four-hour version, so it has all the good backstory and character notes, and it's a lot more like reading the book. Well, this year, I was looking at Alamo Drafthouse, and I saw, oh, they're showing the first of the Lord of the Rings movies. Oh, it's a special one. It's a drag queen brunch. So they're going to have a man dressed as a prostitute, because drag queens always look like hookers. They're going to have a man dressed like a female prostitute making fun of the Tolkien movies right there through the whole thing.

43:00 I can't begin to think why this seemed like a good idea. Why not show the TV series Roots and invite a Klansman? Right. And make slavery jokes all through the, all through the show. I'm sure that would go over really, really well. I am tempted to show up at this thing and let off a stink bomb so that they have to empty the theater. But, um, well, I probably shouldn't have said that in the air because now if I do it, I'll be caught. Okay. I guess I can't do it. I got it out of my system. Okay. So I wrote this piece of a piece about this in Chronicles explaining why I'm so outraged by this. You know, I don't get outraged when they do a feminist Jane Austen, or if they do a Shakespeare where they race swap the characters. So, you know, Romeo's black and Juliet's white.

43:55 That can be a bad, that's often a bad idea, but it's at least people sincerely trying to create something of their own that interprets some artwork that exists. They're interpreting the artwork. They're not mocking it. They're not sneering at it. This is like Hamas doing a comic showing of Schindler's List. It's disgusting. But it pointed me to something in Tolkien. Think about the orcs. The Dark Lord can't create anything real on his own, just as the devil can't create anything real. All he can do is torture and pervert what God actually created. Exactly. In The Lord of the Rings... The orcs are descended from elves who were captured by the Dark Lord and subjected to hideous genetic engineering and dark magic to turn them into these disgusting, twisted creatures of evil. And I thought, well, isn't that what the whole drag culture is? Isn't that what the trans movement is? Satan can't create a third gender.

45:08 much less the six biological sexes that our Senate candidate James Tallarico believes in. Satan can't create a third sex. All he can do is torture and pervert and corrupt the beautiful reality that there are two sexes who unite in love to create new immortal souls, to perpetuate the human race in the sacrament of marriage. Satan hates that the way he hates all of God's creation. So what can he do? He can mock it and twist it. And in the case of the trans movement, surgically castrate and mutilate small children with the support of the Democratic Party. Right. So I learned something about the Lord of the Rings.

45:52 I remembered an important theme in the Lord of the Rings, which connects, of course, to the Catholic theology that Tolkien believed in so fervently, that evil is parasitical on good. But there are also that there is personal evil that the devil is real and he is a real living parasite, like a tapeworm that's really living inside you, sucking away your, your nutrients and hastening you towards the grave. So remembering that evil is only destructive and parasitical, but it's personalized. We, If we have guardian angels, we also have appointed tempters.

46:37 And that's why it's so worthwhile to go read the book The Screwtape Letters by Tolkien's close friend C.S. Lewis. And of course, when he was composing The Screwtape Letters, he would read drafts of it aloud to his literary group, The Inklings. I think C.S. Lewis will not be happy with the Netflix adaptation of the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia. The Magician's Nephew. It's being made by Greta Gerwig, who made the appalling movie Barbie. So they gave her, they got the rights and they gave her the project. The thing is, she is a feminist Unitarian. And she made the voice of Aslan, the Christ figure in the movie, female. It's going to be Meryl Streep.

47:23 And she explained her reasoning that She doesn't feel comfortable with a male patriarchal god. It feels more welcoming for there to be a sort of divine cosmic mother. This is almost a direct quote. She really sounds that much like a liberal pothead. So that's kind of like hiring. a. Fundamentalist Christian who speaks in tongues to do a life of Muhammad, to adapt the Quran and making it a musical. So Netflix, the reviews on this, it hasn't, been shown yet, but reviews on the project are so bad that they're desperately doing reshoots and they've just fired the executive who gave the project to Greta Gerwig. Netflix is hemorrhaging money.

48:16 I hope this movie is the most catastrophic failure in the history of cinema. so that she doesn't get to make any more of them, and we can reboot it with an actual Christian director who's faithful to the text to make these wonderful, deeply Christian, beautifully composed, and really quite profound Chronicles of Narnia stories into the film projects, as good as the Lord of the Rings adaptation. Before you even got into all the details, I was just seeing, you know, just money being flushed down the toilet. Yeah. You know, you get something as iconic as this and you violate the brand. And that's I mean, you would think that's. What they did to Star Wars. It's what they did to Star Trek.

48:58 Yes, exactly. It's what they did to the Marvel Universe. They went woke. They went broke. Yeah. Nobody wants to watch a girl boss do a man's job. It was cute the first time. It's like the old joke. I think Samuel Johnson said about. Women fighting. He said, it's like watching a dog walk on its hind legs. It's good for a brief time, but it's not something you want them to make a habit of. Right. Exactly. Well, John, this is, like you said, it really is. I mean, it's the next manifestation of the screw tape letters. It's so pervasive. Again, people of faith especially have to be so discerning in these times because, you know, it seems that Satan has intensified his efforts because he, you know, as I say, he knows his time is drawing nigh, right?

49:53 Yeah, well, I'm not enjoying the intensity, are you? Well, but that's a hopeful spin to put on it that we may be reaching a climactic point. But you don't want to be a victim. You don't want to be a victim when you should know better, because God has warned us clearly that this would take place. And what you've drawn out of the orcs is so applicable here. And it makes so much sense. I mean, that, you know, Satan, you know, he can't create anything. So here he is. He's stealing. He's cheating.

50:33 He's destroying. He's killing. You know, that's what he does. And so look at he's not real happy because as, you know, a superior angel, you know, here he was in heaven. And God does this incredible creation. And Satan, you know, you almost sense that Satan is jealous that God has created this. It's 100% envy. I mean, atheists are envious of C.S. Lewis because they can't create myths that fascinate and delight people because theirs is a philosophy of despair. So what do they do? They take Christian projects like Chronicles of Narnia and try to turn them into feminist agitprop. And I hope they lose hundreds of millions of dollars. And I really hope that the people involved lose their jobs and end up selling pencils on 37th Street.

51:24 Well, there you are. Get your money out. There are cans out. Hoping for an arm or two, John. Dr. John Samaric has been our guest. John, remind everybody, Chronicles Magazine. Chronicles Magazine and my latest book, my recent book is No Second Amendment, No First. Hey, just a quick reminder, you can catch the show on all major podcast platforms, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever you listen. Be sure to download or subscribe so you don't miss any Bill Martinez live episodes. How would you like to save money on nearly all your prescription drugs? We've set up a special toll-free number for the RxOutreach program. They're a nonprofit company whose mission it is to make prescription drugs more affordable to the masses.

52:14 They don't take insurance, and in many cases, your prescriptions are even cheaper than your co-pays. They carry thousands of different prescription drugs, so whatever you're taking, there's a good chance they have it. No coupons are required, and this is not a discount card. It is pure savings on your prescription drugs. They specialize in generic meds for any chronic health needs you have. Call with your prescription and find out for free how little you can pay for your prescription drugs. Remember, we don't take insurance, so call right now. 800-705-6581 800-705-6581 800-705-6581 That's 800-705-6581.

53:01 Are you ready yeah okay let's do it bill martinez live a program about current events our culture our values our politics and our future and now bill martinez. Hey good morning six minutes after the top of the hour right now i'm bill martinez from atr he's the tax policy director mike palace joins us now hey mike good morning Good morning, Bill. Good to be with you. Hey, good to be here. Well, Taya, the thing that we're hearing from the left constantly seems to be their go-to. If it's not hate, hate Trump, it's Medicare for all, huh? That's exactly right. And that's what they like to call it. But the reality of what they're talking about is government-run health care, forcing everyone onto Medicare and stripping people of their private health insurance plans. And that's what we're seeing these Democratic countries, these Democratic members run across the country on right now. is moving towards a government-run healthcare system.

53:55 This is the DSA agenda. This is what we're seeing Senate Democrats like El-Sayed campaign on right now, and is what they are promising to bring to America should they take Congress next election. Is 50% of the country, roughly, that pays taxes realizes that they're going to carry the whole load for 100% of Americans? Well, that's right. That's the one thing they don't want to talk about is, well, how do we pay for Medicare for All? And it is a laundry list of tax increases that they would roll out on American workers. And this is usually in the form of payroll taxes. It's really taken right out of your paycheck. But things like a new 4% payroll tax on the employee side, a 7.5% employer tax, which might as well be applied directly towards you, eliminating health tax expenditures, and a 77% death tax. Democrats, El-Said in Michigan, he wants to lower the death tax exemption all the way down to $ 1 million, which is something that's before the Bush-era death tax, which is you're going to have millions of Americans impacted by that. That's your total life savings that you would pass on to the next generation.

55:04 So this is what these Democrats are rolling out, these tax increases, in order to pay for something like Medicare for All. The reality is you can't afford it. This is on top of existing payroll taxes. We're already taking over about 12.5% of Americans' paycheck for things like Social Security. That's before you have existing Medicare costs. And Democrats want to jack this up just for Medicare alone. And that's before they even start talking about things like increasing Social Security benefits, which Elizabeth Warren is out there talking about today. Right, exactly. Well, Mike, you'd think that we would have learned from Obamacare. I mean, it's on life support right now. And, you know, the people think that, OK, Medicare for all like that's going to be the savior of it all.

55:47 I mean, come on. Obamacare should give you an idea of what this looks like. And we're talking something worse than Obamacare. That's right. And think of what Democrats had to put in place to try to make Obamacare work. And, of course, it failed. But they had to move forward with the individual mandate tax. They had to come and punish you. just to be on the Obamacare exchanges and threaten you if you wouldn't join it. You would think if their plans were good that they were offering, that people would just want those health care plans. But the government had to step in and hit you with a stick and tax you if you wouldn't buy it. Thankfully, Republicans in the Trump administration repealed that harmful tax in the first Trump administration. But this is what Democrat health care plans always focus on. More government control, higher taxes, and they'll hit you with a stick if you don't comply.

56:36 And all kinds of deception. I mean, how long did we hear from Barack Obama that you could keep your same doctor, everything was going to be hunky-dory, all this good stuff, and you were going to be paying less? And everything that he said was just the opposite of what happened. That's exactly right. And of course, I'd add to that list that your health care premiums were going to come down. They've skyrocketed since Obamacare put in place. And you can see this in Democrats' own messaging. If Obamacare was going to solve the problem of high premiums, well, then how come they're so expensive now? How come Democrats are campaigning on, actually, we need more subsidies, we need further government control of health care? They've lied to the American public before, just within the last decade, Bill. And the fact that anyone would trust them and say, we're going to eliminate the private health insurance market, replace it with Medicare for everyone.

57:31 which is forcing people onto government-run Medicare. That's just a plan for disaster. We've seen this fail in countries across Europe. The reason America has such great medical innovation, the reason America leads, for example, in cancer treatments, is because of the medical innovation we have, because of the free market we have. And Democrats want to force everyone onto government instead. Well, here it is, our neighbor to the north, Canada. This is why they love coming south. their health care because in their home country it's terrible it's shared misery just like you said what's happening in europe same thing in canada i mean canada is to the point now that uh which we were warned about with obamacare hadn't gotten to that point but uh what happens with single-payer health care it will get there and that is that they're going to look at your um You know, at your viability. Okay, are we going to keep you alive?

58:27 Are we going to go through extra, you know, medical care for you when, you know, you're 80, 85 and we've, you know, we've determined that your life expectancy and your value to the greater good is less. So, you know, we'll offer, as Canada does, a very nice exit, right? And if we start behaving like the Canadians, if we adopt that model, the single payer model, you're talking about eliminating liability. Employer-based coverage for 180 million Americans. That's half our labor force, right? It's absolutely insane, yes, Bill. And it's sort of like polling for Congress where people will say, I hate Congress, but I like my congressman. 81% of people say that they like their health care plan. you'd be stripping 81% of people of the 180 million Americans who currently like their healthcare plan. You'd be taking that away and force them onto the Medicare payroll while taking more money out of their paychecks with drastically higher taxes. This is something we've seen Bernie Sanders plans for Medicare for All before, they jacked the payroll tax up to over 25%. So you're talking about taking a quarter before anyone even pays an income tax, taking 25% out of their paycheck just to force people onto Medicare for All and eliminate their private health care.

59:45 You see, Michael, we were talking about this last night, about polling and what has happened. And the difference in polling, it's very black and white. You have the moral issue that comes up with polling, which is What's the crowd? What's the wave? What's the energy? Where should we go? So we want to be with the crowd. So there are moral choices there and polling reflects that. But what happens is when people get home, they deal with the ethical part of that choice and they get conflicted. So this is what is driving pollsters nuts, because they'll say one thing in the polls and then they go and vote and say, my ethics, my in my heart and my soul and my conscience. I can't vote for that because I understand if they're, you know, have they intellectualized themselves?

1:00:34 and increase their knowledge on a particular topic, the ethics of the issue will cause them to vote rightly. And much to the disdain of the polls, they'll say, wait a minute, I had it all figured out, you know, it was supposed to be this way. And this is what's happening in our country. And I just want to... you know, encourage people to continue to hold on to your ethics. Don't deviate because that is the soul of America. That's what is the seed of this great American experiment. If we lose that and then we're, you know, we're back to majority rule. That's exactly right. And I think that's what elections are at the end of the day, right? People should be voting their values, voting what they think is going to impact their own personal situation most. When it comes to polling, you always have very interesting things where, you know, typically right now, people's own economic situation polls much better than they do when they look at how they view the overall economy right now. I've seen a bunch of people out there saying that their personal economic situation is better than their perception of the overall economy. On an aggregate, that doesn't make much sense. Which is why, at the end of the day, people, when they go to a voting booth, should be voting their values and asking how their own personal life will be impacted. Because we're looking down things like forcing people on to single-pay health care.

1:01:52 That's what this election is going to be about. It's about the policy choices. Right, exactly. Time for a quick break. More from Mike after this. Stay with us. This report is sponsored by IBM. As AI becomes more common in the workplace, HR leaders and employees have different views on the skills needed most. A new global study from the IBM Institute for Business Value finds that 71% of CHROs identify the ability to supervise, validate, and override AI outputs as the workforce's most essential skill. But less than one-third of employees prioritize judgment. At the same time, 60% of employees worry AI is eroding their skills, with critical thinking cited most often as declining. Aparna Nair, Chief Talent, Leadership and Culture Officer, IBM.

1:02:35 AI is reshaping the way work gets done, but uniquely human capabilities remain essential. As routine tasks become increasingly automated... CHROs play a critical role in creating an environment where people can focus on more strategic work and apply their judgment, creativity, and expertise in ways to drive meaningful impact. Timeshare owners listen to this you know it's coming your timeshare maintenance fee bill at rfa cancellations we've seen timeshare maintenance fees rising every year and i bet you have too most of our clients that we help get rid of their timeshares don't have that kind of free money laying around if you don't either call us when you hire our experts we'll do all the work for you to help you get out of your timeshare with zero money down with approved credit. If you haven't used your timeshare this past year and you want a legal way to get out of it, we can help you get out of your timeshare contract right now and stop paying all the maintenance fees. Plus, put more money back in your pocket every month. Your timeshare is not free, but this call is. Call us right now before time runs out. 800-245-1365.

1:03:45 800-245-1365. 800-245-1365. That's 800-245-1365. Everything is expensive right now. Gas, food, you name it. You're spending more, you are making the same or less money. So, what do you do? You rack up credit card debt. That's what you do. It's not your fault. It's the economy. And guess what? If you rack up too much credit card debt like some of us, you can't pay your bills. Then the credit card companies, as nice as they are, start hounding you for money. Then you start your downward spiral. A smart thing for you to do is to call the Zero Debt. They can help you consolidate all your credit card bills into one affordable payment. Millions of people have done it. It works to make you debt-free. Make this free call right now. It costs you nothing to learn more.

1:04:46 800-284-1349 800-284-1349 800-284-1349 That's 800-284-1349. If you're 65 or older and Medicare is your main source of insurance, pay close attention right now and listen for details on how you may save thousands of dollars on your health care costs. Did you know that Medicare can pay for things like dental visits, home delivery of drugs, even a gym membership? Call us right now and learn how to unlock all your Medicare benefits. Medicare and supplemental plans that we provide can even offer you drug coverage with zero co-pays and pay for transportation to your doctors.

1:05:28 Medicare plans can offer you wonderful money-saving benefits, but you've got to call now. We'll help you get the most out of your Medicare. Make this free, no-obligation call now. Save a ton of money on your health care costs and get the code to unlock all your earned Medicare benefits. Paid for by Senior Choice Plans. 800-796-3954. 800-796-3954. That's 800-796-3954. Hey, we're back with you. Glad you. Could join us. Bill Martinez here with Mike Pallitz, ATR's Tax Policy Director. You know, as you were saying, Mike, I mean, the Democrats know how to weaponize everything, whether it's cigarettes, whether it's the climate, You know, it's got there's got to be a boogeyman in there always with them.

1:06:18 And and it really, you know, and hopefully Americans are waking up. I get it. You have a tradition, a family tradition. You've been a Democrat all your life. But the Democrat right now is a party has been rebranding itself. And so you have people within the Democratic Party starting to look at this the way that we've been talking about on this show. It's not about Democrat, Republican, Independent. It's about either you're for America or you're really against America. And by that, I mean, are you for the founding principles? What are in our Constitution? What are founding fathers saying? envisioned for this country of ours 250 years ago? Or are you against those values to where you want to go along with what the DSA is proposing, which is outright socialism? Now, I get it. As you know, historically, this country has kind of danced around socialism. And we've really, you know, more than danced. I mean, we've cha-cha'd, we've slow danced with it. We've embraced it in certain areas of our government. And, you know, we kind of conditioned people, you know, whether it has to do with healthcare or social security. But even those policies and those, you know, those parts of our government need to be reviewed in such a way to say, are these policies today, are they consistent? Do they support the values of our Constitution and the American dream, or are they antithetical to it?

1:07:44 I think this rise of socialism we're seeing on the left, I think, of course, it stems from our failing education system to educate people on what socialism entails. And we were talking about polling before. It's actually fascinating when you look at this, where you see polling of Democrats, what they will say, It seems like a clear majority plurality, at least, of Democrats are now favorable towards socialism. But at the same time, those same Democrats, only about 8% will say that they're paying too little in taxes. So I don't think the good news is that they're not prepared to face the reality of what socialism entails. I think one of the core things, values Americans have always had, we've held since the revolution, of course, is that we've always been a low-tax country. And that is instinctive, I think, to the American culture. The idea that the government is going to come in with a heavy hand and take money out of your wallet has never been popular in this country. But you are seeing the rise of this progressive movement that wants to break from these American values, that is deeply ideological, that wants higher taxes, that used to want the United States to be the Soviet Union.

1:08:52 Now it wants us to be Europe. They want the high taxes of Europe, the government state, the welfare state of Europe. But Americans, I don't think, will ever be prepared to pay the high taxes of the middle class that that entails. And they will lie to you and they tell you that they can raise taxes on just the millionaires and billionaires. They haven't finished the sentence. They're coming for you next. It's just them first. And I don't think Americans will ever vote for those tax increases. Well, that's the way it started in 1913, right? Till then, we supported the country. We were able to live off of tariffs, which is a smart way to look at it, because here it is, though we represent 4% of the population, we probably represent maybe 67% of the GDP, because we're hardworking people. And we believe, you know, just what the Bible says, if you don't work, you don't eat, you know, that every person is worth their due and their merit and their hard work, and they should be, you know, rewarded. And, you know, and they malign billionaires. But look at what billionaires do. I mean, just for example, I mean, here recently, I mean, you look at what Dell, the Dell family have done. You know, with the Trump accounts. I mean, you know, they didn't have to do that. I mean, what, 70 million kids, Mike?

1:10:07 It's an amazing thing. 70 million kids with Trump accounts will now have automatically, they don't have to lift a finger, will have a saving account set up in their name that right now will have $ 1, 000 of seed funding provided from the Treasury Department. And we're seeing this fantastic charitable program. contributions from wealthy individuals like billionaires, like the Dell family, contributing directly to these Trump accounts, I think that's going to change the world and allow them to save tax advantage for their own retirement, for their own education. These are the things that change the world, letting people keep more of their money and increasing charitable contributions like that. James Tallarico, running for Senate in Texas just yesterday, had this ridiculous statement where he said, you know, I want a country with fewer trillionaires. I want to tax wealth uh...

1:10:53 you know we what we want more millionaires not trillionaires what one we have exactly one trillionaire in the country right now we have uh... i believe toward over twenty four thousand millionaires in the country not far more than that so it's a preposterous thing that to deal with but what he says he wants to penalize creation uh... he wants to penalize new innovation job growth things that you know raise the tide for everyone that lead to higher wages that's what democrats coming after the idea that they would move towards a system that It doesn't tax just your income, which they've done since 1913, as you said, but now it would go after your wealth, unearned income, unrealized capital gains, and the creation of a federal property tax. And, of course, they're saying it's just going to start with the billionaires.

1:11:38 Don't worry. We're not coming after you, but, of course, that's where they're going to end up. Taxes are tapeworms. They only grow. You should never swallow another tapeworm. Right, exactly. Exactly. Well, like you said, it's the DNA of the Democrats. That's what they think. They really, in their heart of hearts, I mean, they really believe this. I mean... You know, like any kind of religious, you know, fanatic. They believe that the American people don't deserve it. They believe it's America that gave it to them. You know, like Obama said, you didn't build this. Hillary said, you didn't build this. It takes a village, you know, kind of thing. I mean, please. I mean, I haven't seen Hillary Clinton in my village.

1:12:21 Has there been a Hillary Clinton sighting in your village? Thankfully not. I stay far away from New York for those purposes. But what they ultimately want, what they say out loud, is they want the welfare state of Europe. But what they lie to the American people are that the American people are not prepared to accept, and the Democrats know this, is the level of taxation on the middle class that Europe has. Europe has the VAT. This is a tax, you know, step by step, every transaction in the economy, you're paying it. And we see this at the state level where people hate the sales tax. The idea that you can move towards a federal VAT is ultimately what you would need to fund the level of spending in the welfare state the Democrats seek. And they will not be upfront about that. They're going to lie to you and tell you the whole burden can be carried by billionaires.

1:13:14 It can't. You could extract all of their wealth. It wouldn't cover the spending that they want to propose. You know, the thing that is so cool in some sense, and I feel for our European brothers and sisters right now that are in a lot of pain experiencing what we know that socialism brings, shared misery. I mean, Europe's on fire. People are upset. Young people are upset because they're realizing that, hey, look, they lied to us. And this is what the left does because it's a way for them to steal from you and use the power and pressure and leverage of their governments to steal from you without a mask and a gun. And so the people now are getting fed up and it's like, here it is, you've got the DSA proposing what they're doing in Europe and they're unraveling France's bankrupt, you know, England, Lord have mercy. I mean, it's like there's no good news economically coming out of Europe. And you've got these people, you know, the DSA and the Democratic Party wanting and offering what is failing in Europe already. How much more evidence do you need, Mike Pallitz?

1:14:24 And Bill, I'm so happy you connected this all back to values, because that really is what this is at the end of the day, where you are talking about what Democrats are offering is a politics of hate and envy. Yes. Envy is a sin. It should not be a political program. It is for an entire movement in this country for the Democratic Party. They are not running on improving your quality of life. They are running on punishing people that they think part of the public doesn't like. And they think that can motivate people to the polls. It's dividing Americans by class, by race, by gender for political gain. And that should be. That should be hateful to Americans. I think at the end of the day, I don't think they're going to win. I think they're going to fail on that. Because what people want when we trust voters, I think so long as they're voting on their own situation, what will be best for their life, I think that's where you see the conservative movement come through and deliver and win. That's what the Trump administration has done. It's creating new savings accounts for your children, putting more of your own money in your pocket, getting people back into the workforce, growing jobs in this country. That's what the administration has done. campaign on and deliver it on. And I think that is what we see on the ballot.

1:15:33 Those are the two choices Americans have before them. It's growth or a politics of heat and envy. Exactly. We got to leave it there. Mike Pallitz, the Americans for Tax Reforms Tax Policy Director. The website they need to go to, Mike. ATR.org for Americans for Tax Reforms. A new study finds a major increase in STEM learning in after-school programs, but gaps remain. Today, 92% of parents with children in after-school say STEM is available, up from 69% a decade ago. That's 6.4 million kids now getting STEM in after-school. Emma Binet, Overdeck Family Foundation.

1:16:18 This study underscores the remarkable work out-of-school time programs do to help students discover the joy in learning while preparing them to succeed now and into the future. The study finds rural and low-income students are less likely to get frequent STEM opportunities, with rural programs also offering fewer opportunities in computer science and technology. Jody Grant, Executive Director of the After-School Alliance. STEM literacy is no longer optional. It's the foundation of nearly every aspect of our economy and our world. The next step is clear. Invest more in after-school programs so every child in every community has access to STEM learning after school. To learn more, visit afterschoolalliance.org, sponsored by After School Alliance.

1:16:59 Have you written a book or do you have a manuscript ready and just need to find the right publisher? Christian Faith Publishing supports authors like yourself to bring their books to life. And right now, we're offering you a free writer's guide designed to steer you towards book completion. Christian Faith Publishing evaluates each manuscript we receive. If you're book earns approval we take care of everything editing designing printing promotion and widespread online and in-store distribution picture your book gracing the shelves of specialty christian bookstores amazon barnes and noble and numerous other retail destinations it's time to get that manuscript published and to work with a publisher who shares your values of integrity and honesty you can get your book published get your manuscript reviewed and a free writer's guide today 800-439-1588.

1:17:44 800-439-1588. 800-439-1588. That's 800-439-1588. Individuals and businesses with tax problems listen carefully do you feel like you're losing control of your finances if you owe over ten thousand dollars in back taxes or have unfiled tax returns we can help you take back control the irs is the largest and most aggressive collection agency in the world and they can seize your bank accounts, garnish your paycheck, close your business, and file criminal charges. Take control of your tax problem now by calling the experts at U.S. Tax Shield and take advantage of the Fresh Start program and new laws that may allow us to negotiate a settlement for the lowest amount possible. Our team of tax attorneys and enrolled agents can stop collections and get you protected so you can take control of your financial future.

1:18:40 U.S. Tax Shield offers a price protection guaranteed quote to get you protected today. us tax shield is a plus rated with the better business bureau so call now 800-536-4436 that's 800-536-4436 us tax shield 800-536-4436. Hey, we're back with you. I'm Bill Martinez and Wallace Marsh is going to be joining us in just a moment. He's the inaugural member of the American Heart Association's Nation of Lifesavers Class of 2026. That's interesting. A Lifesavers Class of 2020. I didn't realize the American Heart Association had such a thing. Wallace, tell us about it.

1:19:24 Well, the thing, when people go down, they need... CPR can save a life. And so many people are under the misconception that I can't do anything to help. There's nothing I can do. And so the point of the Nation of Lifesavers is we're trying to build an army of people equipped with the knowledge and the tools to save a life if somebody goes down. Heart.org slash nation is where your listeners can go to get some information. But that's the whole point of the Nation of Lifesavers is if we could just double the amount of people that know CPR, there's countless of lives that we can save. And I think most of us have gone through a CPR class, I would say, in a general sense, but it's been a while. But the fact of the matter is, is the proof's in the pudding. I mean, when somebody is nearby that knows CPR and can offer some emergency support, the survival rate increases incredibly, doesn't it? Yes, absolutely it does.

1:20:24 I was actually One of my dearest friends, Jeff Tupper, former NFL lineman, 6'7, we'd gone to an Oklahoma football game, and we were at our home after the game, and Jeff went down. And we immediately knew something wasn't right. And so we called 911, and I just immediately hopped in and started doing compressions. And I was not going to accept death. And as I was doing the compressions, I kept on telling myself, I'm pumping life into his heart. I'm pumping life into his heart. I'm pumping life into his heart. And I did the compressions for many minutes, four, six, eight minutes. And finally, Jeff opened his eyes and he stopped me. And that feeling of seeing him open his eyes was one of the most joyous feelings I've had in my life.

1:21:07 Yeah. And I bet the bystanders in your home that are watching this as well had to be moved by such a thing. And here it is. As you know, Wallace, I mean, CPR and going through this training and what you're able to do. It's not that complicated, is it? No, it's really not. All it is is just putting hands to chest and compressing, putting hands to chest and compressing. That's all it is. It's pretty simple if you have the confidence and you hop into action when you have to. When had you gone through training before? It had been a while or was just something you knew instinctively over the years of previous training? Well, there's actually a back story to that. I'd actually, about six months prior to that, had a heart attack myself about 4.30 in the morning. And my wife didn't choke.

1:21:55 She immediately got me to the hospital. And thank God that the surgeon on call was a world-class cardiologist. And six stints later, as I'm laying in the ICU, it occurred to me that when I had my heart attack, I wasn't in control of the situation. I was in the mercy of the people around me. And so I decided that I was going to get retrained. I'd had CPR many years ago, but I went and I was retrained in CPR myself just about six months prior to hopping into action and saving Jeff's life. There you go. Little did you know. Well, according to the American Heart Association, about two in three people believe only those with special training should perform CPR, right? Which is really a myth that is costing lives. Absolutely.

1:22:39 We all can learn CPR. Heart.org slash nation can help you. But if somebody goes down, don't just stand and don't do anything. Hop into action. You can't hurt somebody that is having a cardiac event. You can only help them. So please, if you see somebody that goes down, don't do nothing. Be somebody to save a life. Well, and to this end, the American Heart Association is focusing on a theme this year, World Restart a Heart Day. And this is a day of action and that should continue on beyond just a day of action and for it to come to the forefront of your mind and sense of urgency to say, I know you've been saying, hey, look, maybe I need to go take a CPR class, go to the local fire station and get certified. It's been a while since you've done that. But This is the time that we're encouraging you to go ahead and take it off your to-do list. Go make it happen and get recertified because you do not need medical credentials to save a life, do you? No, you don't.

1:23:45 And as a matter of fact, the 30 seconds or a minute or two of a delay could cost somebody their life because I just had the training and my wife was actually in the room and she yelled, start CPR. And we've We didn't waste a moment. And you never know, but maybe that 15, 20, 30 seconds that we saved by starting instantly might have been the 30 seconds that saved Jeff's life. Right. I mean, because often, as you say, the first responder is the person standing nearby, right? The first responder, when it comes to a heart event, if you know CPR, it's the person standing next to you.

1:24:25 And you could love that person or you could have just met them at a restaurant. It doesn't matter. When somebody goes down, you have to hop into action as quickly as possible. Well, we're talking with Wallace Marsh, the inaugural member of the Nation of Lifesavers class. Wallace is a Houston oil executive. And, you know, so, I mean, here you are. You're the inaugural member. How did this come about? Well, that's interesting. My identical twin brother had a major heart event. He coded for 15 minutes, and it was because of the people on location that did CPR instantly on him. That's the reason he's alive. And so. I decided that my brother and I, it was actually my dad. My dad said, after I had my heart attack and my twin brother had his, he said, Wallace, I think God's put me, he's put me through so much.

1:25:14 There has to be something good for what's happened to you and your brother. And so we decided together that we wanted to reach out to the American Heart Association and see as twins what we could do to inspire people to learn CPR. And I honestly believe, and my identical twin brother believes the same, that we were put on this earth to help save lives. and to tell the story. I saved a life. I put CPR on my friend Jeff. My brother, his life was saved because people did CPR on him. And so that's the goal. Go to heart.org slash nation, learn CPR. The life that you can save might be, for me, somebody saved my identical twin brother's life, and I will forever be grateful to them for not delaying hopping into action and saving my twin brother's life.

1:26:00 Of course, for you, what a difference impact it made on your life on so many levels to such a degree. Just like coming on this show to talk about it, you're saying, hey, we got to spread this news. We've got to empower people and help them realize that this is serious because like you said, it may be somebody you don't know, but if it's somebody you love and care for and you're the first responder, you're standing there. And because you didn't go and get you know, and get some CPR training, you were ill equipped and you're looking around for some, you know, is there a doctor in the house? Is there somebody that can help? And sometimes when things like this happen, you get people that get over analytical and you get, you know, they freeze up and they don't know what to do. And, you know, here, you know, in your particular case with your friend at your home and you're Your wife had this sense of urgency right away. Start CPR. And so you immediately go into emergency mode. And you go into emergency mode with the training that you're familiar with, right? Absolutely. The thing about it is it should be instinctive.

1:27:12 Whether you have the training or not, when somebody goes down, don't look at anybody else to be the person that hops on. take it amongst yourself. Think about it. Do the people listening to this right now, think about if I go home and somebody in my house goes down, what am I going to do? And if the answer is, I don't know, then please learn CPR heart.org slash nation, because that's the thing is, is if you and I are walking down the street and you go down, I'm the first responder because I'm right next to you. Exactly. And you say, whether, you know, we talk about home, but you know, This could happen at work. And you're taking this news and this motivation into the workplace, right? Yes, absolutely.

1:27:54 So what we did is I had the American Heart Association come to us. I was walking the halls and I thought, what if I went down right now? Would Juanita know what to do? And so we had the American Heart Association come to our office, trained all of our office employees, and then we took it to the field. And all of our field employees, they learned CPR. And right now, it just thrills me to know when that the American Heart Association has trained over 100 of our employees so that if somebody goes down, they can be the first responder. That's excellent. Well, Wallace Marsh, the inaugural member of the Nation of Lifesavers class, he is a Houston oil executive. As we wrap things up, Wallace, tell everybody where they can go for more information. Heart.org slash nation. The American Heart Association is trying to build a nation of lifesavers and please join us become a become a lifesaver heart.org slash nation.

1:28:45 Hey just a quick reminder you can catch the show on all major podcast platforms youtube spotify apple podcast wherever you listen be sure to download or subscribe so you don't miss any bill martinez live episodes. What if a trip to your mailbox could put you behind the wheel of a brand new automobile? Starting September 28th, Valpak Clip is giving one lucky winner a new vehicle valued at more than $ 40, 000. Entering is free. Visit valpak.com slash freeride or keep an eye on your mailbox for the giveaway in your blue envelope and clip magazine. The first opportunity of its kind to spam both, so make sure you take a good look inside. Entries will close at 8 a.m. Eastern on November 6, 2026, and the winner will be drawn on or about November 9, 2026.

1:29:36 In select markets, presenting partner Valvoline Instant Oil Change is also offering $ 25 off a premium oil change. No purchase necessary. Open to legal U.S. residents 18 and older. Check the mail. Enter for a chance to win. And start imagining where a brand new car. Could take you. This report is sponsored by Valpak Clip. Do you have Medicare and do you use a CPAP machine? This is a national health care alert regarding your CPAP supplies. Using a clean CPAP mask and clean supplies is important to staying healthy. The best way to make sure your CPAP equipment is clean is to get new supplies.

1:30:16 If you have Medicare, we have great news. Medicare will pay for you to have new clean supplies every 90 days. We'll even do all the paperwork for you to make sure that there's little to no out-of-pocket cost to you. And you don't even have to leave your home. We provide free in-home delivery. So if you're a CPAP user and you have Medicare, staying healthy with new CPAP equipment is easy. Just make this free phone call right now to get started. Sponsored by Specialty Medical. 800-254-1421 800-254-1421 800-254-1421 That's 800-254-1421.

1:30:59 We call ourselves ASAP Travel for one reason. We can help you book a ticket ASAP. For those of you that don't know, that means as soon as possible. That means no wait time. You get through right away. No searching online. Our specialty is the lowest available fares on the big name airlines. You know them. We can't tell you their names. You can fly domestically or internationally and save more money than you could if you call the airlines directly. Our proprietary software goes underneath the hood of the major airline booking systems and finds you the best rates available. So if you're ready to make your travel plans right now, business or vacation travel, we have all the major airlines. Always at great rates. Call ASAP Trips and we'll have your ticket in your inbox in 15 minutes.

1:31:43 Call this number now. 800-506-4885. What are you going to do with your old car? You can try selling it, you could junk it, or you could donate it to Heritage for the Blind. Your car will be towed away for free and your donation is tax deductible. Just call 1-800-785-9618. Heritage for the Blind accepts cars, vans, trucks, and boats. It doesn't matter if your vehicle runs or not. It will be towed away for free and you'll be supporting those that need help.

1:32:25 Heritage for the Blind is a nonprofit organization that helps the visually impaired live fuller lives. Call right now to donate your car. And as a special thank you for calling, you'll receive a free three-day vacation voucher to many exciting locations. Call Heritage for the Blind right now, 1-800-785-9618. Donating is easy and your vehicle is towed away for free. Plus, you'll get a free vacation voucher. Call now, 1-800-785-9618. That's 1-800-785-9618. Hey, welcome back. Bill Martinez here, along with Focus on the Families, Adam Holtz.

1:33:06 Mr. Adam, how are you feeling, buddy? I am doing better each day, Bill. Doing better each day. You look marvelous, I'm telling you. Well, thank you. You know, this is great. Thank you. I'm so excited to be talking to you. I mean, we've been, you know, praying for you. Thank you. You know, again, we're reminded that we serve such a mighty God that... takes care of us no matter where we are in the hospital, outside the hospital, having jello, hospital jello or not. But not only you, but your family as well. I know they were very concerned there for a minute. Yeah, yeah. For those who aren't in the know, I had a kidney tumor removed, and they do that with robots now.

1:33:46 So I had five incisions, and they got it. And the good news was it was benign. And only about a 10% chance of that happening. So that was great. And we balanced that with getting a septic infection four days later. So I spent four more days in the hospital being pumped full of nuclear antibiotics. And, uh, uh, you know, when you're laying in the hospital bed and they can't get your fever down and they're putting ice packs on you, you're like, huh? Well, this is an interesting experience, to say the least. It gives you some perspective on lots of things. Well, yeah, I bet it does. Thank God all is well in your healing. And, you know, we're just praising God for that. That's awesome.

1:34:36 Thanks, Bill. I appreciate it. Good to be back. This is way better than being in a hospital bed with two IVs in my arms. Yeah, without a doubt. So let's talk about movies. What's going on with Focus on the Family? So it's an interesting weekend. I think the first one I would want to talk about is Flywheel, Ignition of the Soul. And some of your folks who've been around for a while might say, Flywheel, wasn't that the Kendrick Brothers' first movie? It was, all the way back in 2003, so 23 years ago. And it makes me feel old to think Holy cow, we've had Kendrick Brothers movies for almost 25 years now.

1:35:18 Right, right. So what an impact, though, the Kendrick Brothers. They really kind of led the way into, you know, in my humble opinion, at least my perspective, in really upgrading and professionalizing Christian movies. Yeah. I mean, it was their first film. They made it with Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. And they made it for $ 20, 000. Wow. It only made $ 37, 000 in theaters, but it sold 300,000 copies on DVD, you know, back when people still bought DVDs. And that of course paved the way for facing the giants and fireproof and, you know, a long, long list of movies that they have done since then. So they have remade it. It's called a flywheel ignition of the soul.

1:36:06 So the title is a little bit different. The twist here, even though the story is pretty much the same about a, A really shady used car salesman who literally has a come to Jesus moment and realizes that he needs to overhaul his entire life. It's set in Brazil. And so the whole movie is in Portuguese. So if you like movies with subtitles, you'll love this. And if you don't, you probably won't. but it's pretty much the same film. And I don't know for sure, I don't have a quote from them, but my guess is that they're trying to take the same template that they have used in the US and moving that to another country and another culture and another language where they have the opportunity to really evangelize through the medium of film. And obviously Brazil is a, heavily Catholic culture and culturally Catholic, which in some places means that the gospel perhaps gets watered down a little bit. I'm not trying to take shots at Catholics, but I think that we can say that sometimes that has happened in places where Catholicism has been dominant. So a very evangelical message going to South America and we can watch it too, if that sounds interesting to you.

1:37:35 Well, the thing is, is that, you know, for the Kendrick brothers, and I assume this is still their, you know, their production company that's putting this together, you know, to repurpose, you know, all that, that asset and target it for a country that you would say that, you know, Jesus would say that the fields are ripe and ready for harvesting, right? No, that's exactly right. And I think it's a, I think it's a fascinating strategy just from a cultural and an entertainment standpoint. And I will, I'll look forward to hearing, you know, in the next few months, maybe some of the stories that come out of that. I remember after Facing the Giants, I think it was Facing the Giants. I read an article shortly after that, that they had received 3,000 letters from people who had come to Christ because of their move.

1:38:31 And so I think that with Christian movies in particular, sometimes they can be criticized for being too heavy handed or too much like a sermon. And I think that the Kendrick brothers would acknowledge that. And they would also acknowledge that they're really trying to deliver the gospel message. And for those who have ears to hear, you know, those fields that are white for harvest, like you said, this can be maybe, you know, what causes them to step across that threshold. So I think understanding what it is is really critically important.

1:39:11 Well, you know, and as you said, I think The challenge that we have, whether, you know, it's an organization, a faith organization or otherwise, you know, we've got the human element involved here. And, you know, it's like, do you really trust God to back his word? You know, we want to, you know, we're tempted to water it down because we don't want to be offensive, you know, and we want to be genteel. But, you know, this is when the Holy Spirit comes in and where you really have to lean in to say, OK, Spirit of God, what, how, what's the aptly spoken word here? Right. You know, give me the word that needs to be said. Now, some people will hear that word just like in Jesus's time and take offense to it. And they may see that it's very harsh. And I think to the level of indictability, like, for example, when Jesus confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees, they were highly indictable because they were messing up.

1:40:06 And not only were they messing up, but their position of leadership was so critical and they were failing at that position of leadership. And Jesus was calling him out. He wasn't watering it down. And, you know, at some point, you know, you even get the scribes going, hey, you know, you're... Hello, you're offending us too. Well, you know, it's like you wait for Jesus to say, well, if the shoe fits. Yep. Well, and sometimes there are those of us out there that the only thing that's going to get our attention is a ball peen hammer to the skull, you know, metaphorically speaking, my son and I were on the Santa Monica pier. Oh, it was probably a year or so ago. And there were two evangelists on the pier with, you know, microphones and amplifiers. One of them was, I would say, pretty, we might describe it as reasonable. The other one was fire and brimstone and turn or burn, essentially. And my son said, man, who's going to respond to that message?

1:41:07 And I said, well, you might be surprised. Sometimes the only thing that will get through to some people is that kind of message. And again, my point here is not to make apology for seemingly harsh evangelism, but God uses all sorts of expressions of His gospel to get people's attention. And part of the gospel is there's bad news before there's good news. And the bad news is you're a sinner and you can't save yourself. And so that message has to be dealt with at some level. And as you know, Bill, we live in a culture that it seems like increasingly wants to reject even the idea that you could do anything wrong ever, you know?

1:42:00 But we know that that's not true. Yeah. Well, that's man's idea. That's not God. Exactly. As you and I talked about, it's a contrast. So when do you want to deal with that contrast? Would you much rather deal with it now or when you're at the pearly gates? That's right. And I think, Most of us, if we're quiet in our souls, we realize, man, there's something lacking here. There's something I can't fix myself. And I remember when I was in college and was making bad choices and, you know, had the walk of shame home one morning and I thought, this is not working. I don't want to live this way.

1:42:42 I don't want to live an out of control life where I'm just making horribly selfish choices in the name of, you know, freedom and, you know, all the cliches, right? Because you're one of the cool people. You're part of the crowd now, right? Exactly. And it just leaves you empty. And so I think movies like this, you know, circling back, serve the purpose of perhaps planting seeds and perhaps being a moment where The growth that's happened gets reaped, you know, in spiritual terms. And somebody comes across that threshold and really places their faith in Christ. And I'm glad the Kendrick brothers continue to make those movies.

1:43:25 Exactly. You know, and you bring up a point here, and I wish we had more time to really unfold it. And so our listeners and viewers are going to have to take this with them and think about it, have a Salem moment over it. And that is that you talk about that time. We've all been there. things that crossroads in life where we say, I don't want to live this way. I can't live in this kind of world. And I think this is what we're being faced with right now in our culture is that there's so much stuff, whether it's gender confusion and the socialism and the things that are antithetical to God and his values and his character. And we are told that we need to swallow it down and just be like everybody else. Well, no, we are the sanctified ones. We're the called out ones to do something that's counter the culture so that the culture doesn't go off the cliff. 20 seconds left. I'm going to let you close it. Go ahead.

1:44:19 Well, those are the sorts of spiritual issues that we try to dive into with the entertainment. We review it plugged in. So we do movies, music, video games, TV, everything plugged in.com and warm ministry of focus on the family. Hey, just a quick reminder, you can catch the show on all major podcast platforms, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever you listen. Be sure to download or subscribe so you don't miss any Bill Martinez live episodes.