August 24, 2025 • 42 mins
The 9/11 Heroes Run 5K welcomes runners, ruckers, and walkers of all ages and fitness levels to honor the heroes of September 11th and those who stepped up to serve in the wars that followed. Here to talk about it is Alyssa Olguin, Travis Manion Foundation Central Region Coordinator, Greg Fremin, 9/11 Heroes Run Houston Race Director, and First Sergeant James Goolsby, U.S. ARMY.
Our next conversation is with Akilah Thomas, tax strategist, small business coach, and financial educator. She helps working families, entrepreneurs, and everyday hustlers understand how tax policy impacts their wallets and wealth-building goals. Today, she is breaking down President Trump’s “Big Beautiful” Tax Bill and what it mean to everyday people.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
From your local Houston BMW Center Studios. Welcome to the
public affairs podcast addressing local issues that affect our nation
and shape our world. I'm your host to KG Smooth
Studio Full and it's all for a great cause. As
we are closely approaching the twenty fourth year of the
(00:25):
nine eleven attacks. Twenty four years this crazy work. Wow,
I remember where. I think everybody remembers where they were
the morning that Tuesday morning of September eleventh, two thousand
and one. And there were some There were a lot
of heroes, some that we know, some that we don't.
(00:48):
But us here in Houston, we are going to honor
each and every one of them. So here today to
talk about the nine eleven Heroes Run. We've got a
house full welcoming the from the Travis Manuon Foundation Alyssa
ogon Ogean o Gean Ogean Welcome and here representing the
(01:12):
nine to Eleven's Heroes Run Houston. Mister Greg Freeman is
back once again, welcome, get to see you, and the
first Sergeant James Gouldsby from the US Army also here.
Good morning everyone on this Sunday. How are you feeling good?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Thank you for having us, billing great, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Good good, good, good good. Let's let's get to it. Well, first,
Alyssa with Travis Manyon Foundation. Am I seeing the last name?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Yes, Travis Mannon.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Manyon Foundation, the Travis Manyon Foundation. Please tell the folks
what it is that you all do. How long you've
been around the mission, all of the good stuff for
those we may not be familiar.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Of course, yeah, Travis Manion Foundation. What we do is
we empower veterans and family of the fallen, and we
inspire future generations by instilling character in them.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
And how long has the organization been around?
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Organization has been around for a while, But it started
out in two thousand and seven when Travis Mannon deployed
out into Iraq and in two thousand and seven he
was saving one of his injured teammates and is when
he was killed by a sniper.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
In the battlefield.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Wow, well and that started so you guys are slowly
approaching twenty years.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Yes, it started off with his mother, just a grieving
mother that wanted to remember his son, her son, and
from there it just turned into something nationwide. Our organization
is huge.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Absolutely, and so Greg mister Greg Freeman from the nine
to eleven Heroes Run Houston. Go ahead and get in
front of that mic there. Tell us about this run.
When did you start this?
Speaker 5 (02:56):
Yeah, well, first things first, thank you for having us here.
We feel very eastor to represent. I'm a retired captain
with Houston PD, and I retired in twenty seventeen, and
this is the fifteenth year that we've hosted this great
patriotic event in the city. And I was a police
captain in twenty ten and I was at the Airport Division,
and in short I got a phone call from a
(03:17):
colleague of mine that was an assistant chief from Philadelphia,
and he said, Hey, we got this really great race
called the nine eleven Heroes Run. We'd like to bring
it to Houston. And at the time, nine to eleven
was really truly in unfortunately, just another day in our city.
We had a moment of silence, but nothing was ever
done and saw, no, we didn't do anything to celebrate
(03:38):
nine to eleven or to commemorate it. There was nothing
on an official citywide basis. And they might have done
a ringing of the bell or something to that, but
nothing of a large scale nature. So I made some
phone calls to Philadelphia. I got to meet Colonel Manyon,
who was Travis's father. I got to know the whole family,
and I reached out to several of my other colleagues.
(03:59):
We presented this to the Mayor's office and also to
the Chief of Police. I thought this would be a
great venue for the city to commemorate our fallen victims
of nine to eleven and from the war since, and
the City of Houston has embraced this venue as their
own signatory vent for nine eleven ceremonies. This year, the race,
as Alyssa said, it is marphed. The Travis Mannon Foundation
(04:20):
has literally become one of the largest veteran support organizations
in the United States. And I was good at putting
things together. So we made this race an incredible venue.
It's not just a race, though, it's a community event
where we bring the community, first responders, our military, law enforcement,
everyday citizens into this one venue to commemorate the victims
(04:44):
of nine to eleven in the war. Since it's a
great patriotic event. It's a five k run, but it's
not just a run. It's a patriotic venue of remembrance
and reflecting. So We had it at Ellington for the
first seven years and then we moved it to downtown,
and we encourage everyone to come. We'll probably have one
of the largest races. Again, it is the largest race
(05:05):
so I think as we speak right now, the race
will be held in fifty nine cities this year and
it's a labor of love. But we and I say
this sincerely, we appreciate Radio one doing this. Y'all have
been our media partner from the very inception. The name
changed a couple of times, but y'all have always been
here promoting it. So and Houston's a very patriotic city.
(05:27):
We have like one of the largest veteran friendliest cities
in the United States. So we'll have all military branches represented,
We'll have dozens of law enforcement entities and first responders.
We'll have probably about three to four thousand in attendance
for this venue. So it's a great day. September sixth,
seven thirty Houston City Home.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
It is going to be great, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
And I come from a military family in a sense.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
My grandmother worked thirty years.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
I'm from Dayton, Ohio, so she worked at a right
pat Patterson Air Force Base for thirty plus years.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
My aunt was in the navy. My uncle was in
the army. I tried to go to the army. They
wouldn't take me. They dropped me like a hot potato
once they found out I had a heart condition. Like
I was like, man, I felt like I felt like
a girl going out on a date and then you know,
getting dumped at the end of the night.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
They had courted me.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
All nicely, came to the house, and then when they
found it, like, oh, I had overart surgery when I
was five by connginual heart disease.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
It was just like, yeah, you had another plan for it.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
That's it, and this is it right here, and that's
why we're here today.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
That is it.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Yeah, So Sergeant Goolsby, let's talk about the army. First
of all, you don't even look like you were around
when nine to eleven happened.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
You know, that's so young.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
That's the funny part. I was in middle school. I
remember that Tuesday, and that kind of sparked my interest
in here I am seventeen years later.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Wow, wow, So what made you want to join and serve?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
So for me, it was a multitude of things. I
lost my mother, when I was seventeen. Also the nine
eleven attacks, it just encouraged me to serve.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
I grew up on a.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Small farm town in Georgia, so it's always about service
to country and giving back.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, What would you say to someone who's thinking about serving?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
And you know, I would tell them first to of
course talk to their family, their influencers, you know, everybody
that they love, you know, much like you, their aunts
and uncles. I would also tell them to come talk
to one of our amazing recruiters. Let us show you
what's available.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Would love to have them.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Yeah, yeah, how is it today? I mean, we're still
fighting in We're still involved in some things, right, right,
we probably should not be involved in what is the
morale like nowadays? Because I haven't even heard anything. I
haven't heard anything, to be honest, from the military with
(07:54):
all of these changes in the world. But yet then again,
I also stay in my own little right vitty world
and only tap in when I need to.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Right, I'll tell you that the morales is higher than ever,
especially here in Houston. You know, our amazing recruiters are
out there every day looking for the next you know,
young man and young woman to come in and help
us innovate and move the Army forward in a positive position.
The things we offer is unprecedented, especially with education and
career opportunities, especially in the tech field and STEM.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Oh, so I'm glad that you mentioned that.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Can you talk about the different kinds of career fields
that could you Guys, everybody just.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Thinks it's like boots on the ground.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
I got my gun, I'm learning how to and I'm
going to go kill the bad guy. But there are
also like a plethora of other jobs that one can serve.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
There is We're talking over two hundred you know plus
jobs and more and more being invented every day. Most recently,
we upgraded our cyberdivision, so now we have basically professional
hackers added to our job field and career field. And
for me, I started off as a culinary specialist. I
love food. Right, it doesn't look like it, but I
(09:03):
love it.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I went here, doesn't look like I went.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, I went to culinary school. They taught me about
you know, wine tasting, ice carving, everything, and like I said,
coming from a small farm, you know, in town in Georgia,
it opened mys dramatically.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah, that's that's awesome. I love that you're listening to
the Public Affairs podcast. We are talking to the great
people at the Travis Manon Foundation for the nine to
eleven Heroes Run Houston, which is happening on Saturday, September
the sixth, downtown Houston.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
It is going to be one of those ones.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
I do want to ask you all, where were you
the morning of September eleventh, two thousand and one. Tuesday,
September eleventh, two thousand and one. Alyssa, I'll start with you.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Well, I was born in ninety eight, so I was.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
I was little but five years old.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
We were not living in Houston at the time. We
were actually living in Connecticut, so we were close enough
to where my mom had to pick me up from
school and well daycare. I was like three, yea three,
so maybe like pre K pre K one or two.
But yeah, and I just remember the story. I don't
(10:25):
physically remember, but I know from stories and growing up
when I you know, was asking her and everything. Uh,
the debris was hitting my mom's car on our way home.
It had reached all the way over to Connecticut. So yeah,
I was. I mean, I don't physically remember it, but
I know the stories and you know, we learned about
it and everything growing growing up. But I mean, yeah,
(10:48):
it's just even to this day, Like I make sure
and I watch all the documentaries about the night. I mean,
it's just and I watched. When I watch them, it's
like it's learning about it for the first time. It's
it's still like it gives me goosebumps and like it's
just horrific, honestly.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Like, yeah, and we've learned so much since.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Greg, can you of course you can remember Tuesday morning.
Speaker 5 (11:12):
I'm kind of the og of this group right here.
So I remembered it like it was yesterday. And I
was a sergeant on duty with the Houston Police Department,
and I was working the Southwest Division, which was the
beech Nut sub station, and I was inside the station
and they did breaking news all of a sudden, and
I remember Peter Jennings coming on television reporting that a
(11:33):
small small plane of some type it hit the World
Trade Center. And we had several volunteer firemen that were
policemen at the front desk and we were commenting. We
could see the whole and we didn't know what was happening.
We just thought it was an accident and as he
was reporting, we saw the second plane hit, and Peter
(11:53):
Jennings thought that it was a replay of the first
plane hitting, so he sang, we're now getting a shot
of the planet. But then he quickly realized within seconds
that it was a second plane that was hitting, and
so literally within about thirty minutes, our entire police department
went on mobilization. We saw what happened at the Pentagon
the Pentagon, so all this breaking news and we're getting
(12:16):
very we're getting very active, We're getting very nervous. I
had my oldest son is twenty five. He was in
daycare at the time, and we lived in Magnolia, so
all of us parents were kind of like panicking about
our children, you know, but we couldn't leave. And then
we soon realized within about an hour that we were
under attack. Our nation was under attack. So there was
a great fear that permeated throughout not just the city,
(12:39):
the state, but the nation at the time. And then
the president would President Bush would come and speak, so
it was a very challenging time. Our entire police department
was mobilized for weeks weeks, and then we just started
seeing the twenty four to seven coverage of the World
Trade Center, and I have friends who were NYPD and
then you start hearing all these stories. We thought there
(12:59):
might these survivors, you know that people rode the buildings down.
I mean, you're started hearing all these stories coming out,
but unfortunately we know at the end of the day
when it happened, and really the rest is history. So
it was a very it was a very traumatic event.
I literally remember it like it was yesterday. And I
don't like watching I've watched so many documentaries, but I
don't like watching anything about nine to eleven now because
(13:22):
it just said it just brings back a lot of
I love doing this, but I don't like watching television. Yeah,
the things about you. So it's like it just because
it's very it's still unsettling for me and almost etsd
in a way. I'm not saying I have that, but
it's just very unsettling to see all these four souls.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
And it just and it and every year it boggled
my mind as to why MSNBC, the cable news channel,
would replay that episode that.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Day of the Today Show when it happened.
Speaker 6 (13:57):
Every year on eleven, MSNBC replays the Today Show from Tuesday,
September eleventh, two thousand and one, and I'm like, why
do we keep over?
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Why? Very traumatic for me?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Why? Yeah, yeah, why sergeant, I know you tested on
a little bit.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
Yeah. Do you remember that day?
Speaker 2 (14:15):
I do, of course. I was in middle school. My
teacher actually had just got out of the Army. He
was in Desert Storm, Desert Shield, and I remember him
turning on the TV and explaining to us, you know
what was really happening, because we thought small plane accidents
New York City skyscrapers, you know, accidents happened. But he
(14:36):
started explaining to us like, no, we are under attack,
Like this is real life, and he started giving us
a history lesson right there. So I'm very thankful for him.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
That's where I was.
Speaker 5 (14:45):
If I could add just one of my colleagues, he
was a helicopter pilot with NYPD. He's since long been retired.
He was in the air of that day, and he
would share with me the fact that they actually saw
the second plane coming in the helicopters, so they all
when the first plane hit, a lot of the helicopters
started coming in. They had like five or six ships
in the air, and they wanted to go and land
(15:06):
on the roof to start pulling people off the roof,
because there were a lot of people that were on
the roof and they were told, giving emphatically direct orders,
do not land on the roof. And literally he said
that we had to sit there like two thousand feet
or however high they were and watch people literally burn
to death and jump off the jump off, jump off
the building. There were hundreds of people that jumped off
the building, I'm told, and so yeah, and he was
(15:28):
scard for life with that for a long time that
they were not allowed and the reasons being is that
if they did land, I mean it would be people
would rush the helicopter and in probably crash. So tough
time for many people and there's still so many people
that are in that area that live with that to
this day.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Yeah, I think about I think about a lot of things.
But for me me remembering that day, I was still
fresh in radio. I hadn't even been in radio for
a year yet, because I got hired no end of
November of two thousand and I was doing overnights at
my radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. So I had got
(16:06):
off the air at six am so I go home sleep.
I mean I slept with the television on, and it
just so happened to be on NBC because I remember
I remember waking up and hearing or seeing something, but
then uh, turning over, going back to sleep. Then my
(16:28):
phone rang. It was my coworker. I'm like hello. She
was like, uh, She's like, did you just see what happened?
I'm like, nah, I just got off the air a
couple of hours ago, Like I'm sleep. She was like,
I think we're under attack. A plane just hit of
the World Trade Center. And then I and I'm like what.
(16:48):
And then I said, oh, Sama Been Lawton and she
was like what. She was like, what is this name?
I keep hearing this name. Oh Sama Been Laton. My
grandmother was a news junkie, the news, listen talk radio,
like all of that, and so when I would be
with her, you know, I get educated on some things.
And then you know, she worked. She worked at the
(17:09):
Air Force base, so she stayed up on a lot
of stuff. And so I just remember her talking about
Osama bin Latten from the ninety six Olympic bombing in Atlanta,
that he had, you know, something to do with allegedly
so when she told me that, I was like, Osama
Bin Latton. She was like, I had never heard of
this name before. Like I was like, this is probably
(17:31):
what is going on. And then I turn and I
look and then they're talking about it. But this is
after the second plane had already hit. But I did
see it live when the World trip, when it collapsed,
when the buildings collapsed. Guys, I promise you me. Watching
that on TV, I was like, this doesn't make real
(17:51):
sense here.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Nobody thought it was going No, but who would have
thought that?
Speaker 1 (17:57):
And so I'm just, yeah, incredulous like everyone else. And
to me, that was the beginning of the fall of
legacy media because to your point, Greg, folks on television
(18:18):
reporting things. Are you talking to your folks in New York?
Them knowing some things, them coming back recanting some things,
not knowing. I was seeing that live in the media.
We had another radio station that was a talk station,
and so I'm back and forth between the FM and
the AM station. I remember the talk station had it
on Fox News station, the FM station, the hip hop
(18:39):
station had it on I don't know, it might have
been CNN. All I remember was them reporting things right
and then coming back and recanting what they reported. And
I saw this happen in real time like three times,
and I'm like, what is going on here?
Speaker 4 (18:56):
This is not how journalism works. You're supposed to it.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Don't make make sure that this is right, like triple
confirmation before you get on air to say something. And
it was just all over the place. And so for me,
that was the downfall or the or the beginning of
wanting to be first instead of right. Just get it
(19:22):
out as fast as when it came, you know, to journalism. So,
but we are going to commemorate and celebrate all of
these great heroes from nine to eleven. What is there
still time to register? Where can people go to sign
up get their teams and all the things.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Yeah, you can still register at the Travis Manen Foundation
website and there is a section for you to go
under for the nine to eleven Heroes Run and find
Houston and you can still register and volunteer es.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Registration will actually go all the way up to race days.
So registration will be all the way up till six
am on Saturday, September the sixth. So and like Alissa said,
just visit the website and let me just encourage everyone.
You do not have to pay to come to this venue.
You can just come and show up, but if you
(20:20):
want to get the race shirt, the bib, the swag
and all the night stuff, you have to register and
it's a thirty five dollars registration fee and there is
a military discount. And so we'll have thousands of runners
that will show up. We have a group of wheelchair
runners that will start the race off called Ainsley's Angels
and they have pink wheelchairs and it's a very moving site.
(20:42):
There's going to be a lot of static displays that
are there, a lot of military recruiting venues of all branches,
law enforcement venues, formation runs. We'll have food, drink, water,
and great music provided by Radio.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
One and all your comations, all of the Brandy three
Q Country, the Eagle one O six point five, one
oh seven point nine, Magic one O two point one,
ninety seven nine in the box, Praise Houston one O
two point one. So yeah, we uh, we cannot wait.
Sergeant Goulesby, how can people get in contact with the recruiter,
(21:17):
Like if they're looking to they're listening to you, they're like, hey, Mom,
I think I want to you know, sign up for
the Army.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
I mean social media is the easiest way now right
Instagram everybody's business card, Yeah, Instagram at you know, go
Army Houston. You can also look up. You'll see at
bay Brook Bulls recruiting here in Texas at the nine
to eleven Heroes Run, you'll see us there. I'll be
running sweating like everybody else, but we'll have a table
set up ready to invite anybody and have a conversation.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Cool Man, thank you all so much. Alyssa, Greg Sergeant
goulesby Man, thank you all. We will see you on Saturday,
September the sixth, downtown at City Hall for the nine
to eleven Heroes Run with the Travis Manyon Foundation and
the nine to eleven Heros Group and of course the
(22:02):
US Army. So thank you all so much for your time.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
Having thanks for having us, and.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
To everyone listen to the podcast. We'll be back after
this from your local Houston BMW Center Studios. Welcome back
to the Public Affairs podcast, addressing local issues that affect
our nation and shape our world. I'm your host, KG Smooth.
I don't know why I was about to say, I'm
(22:27):
your guest host.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
I am not.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
I've been the host of this show since well since
its inception, but before then when it was Access Houston.
So I've been doing this show since twenty fourteen, y'all
twenty fourteen. But I am here to welcome back. After
some years of being absent onto the public affairs podcast,
tax Strategists, small business coach, financial educator, all around dope,
(22:53):
individual ladies and gentlemen, the lovely Aquila Thomas is back
on with.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
This How you doing?
Speaker 7 (23:00):
How you doing? You did it right? You did say
guest host, because in this situation, I.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
Am the host. The host.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Excuse me? Yes, this is your secondment. You are a
So pull that mic on up so we can get it. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
just like that. Yes, Host, strategist, coach, How you been
doing well?
Speaker 7 (23:26):
Ready for uh this circle back?
Speaker 8 (23:29):
Trump is back at it again, reshaping our text industry here, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
To be totally honest and transparent. I don't pay attention
anymore like I used to. I mean, Amanda Edwards a
kind of got me, you know, back into you know,
paying attention, and you know I tried, and it's just
too much and and you know, what are the kids
(23:55):
saying nowadays? And the new buzzword now is being overstimulated. Absolutely,
you know, overstimulated.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
And so.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
I pay enough attention to entertain the folks at night
when I do the quiet storm, and then I may
give myself like one day to doom scroll. But the
first thing that I see that disturbs my spirit or
that's you know, something negative, like I'm swiping out of that,
(24:26):
like I'm I'm not continuing to scroll, you know, I'm
swiping out. And So when it comes to the madness
of legacy media and the lies they continue to tell
and how they you know, switch stuff.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Around, I just don't keep up.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
But I have heard, you know, I've been you know,
seeing the reactions to what Trump is doing in this
quote unquote big beautiful bill. From what I you know, overheard,
it is big.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
Definitely be definite.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
And I don't know how beautiful it is from what
everybody else is saying is it might be ugly. But
for some folks that're saying there's some good stuff in there.
They're so tricky with their language and how they you know,
secretly insert things into these bills that you know, said
(25:25):
congress person ends up voting for something that was snuck
in there and ends up being totally detrimental to you know,
their constituents, and you know, just the game. I'm just
you know, I'm over. I'm over these games with the
United States Corporation. Like, let's really get to it. Okay,
(25:46):
I'm all about let's let's call Black Americans what we are.
We are not African American. Let's drop the African. Okay,
we are the American Indian. Like, let's get to that.
That's why I want to get who are we? While
we keep getting reclassified and all that. That's the time
that I'm on right now. So you know, so i'
you know, the United States Corporation, Trump and all of them,
(26:08):
all of you, these nefarious folks that run this place.
Speaker 7 (26:13):
Nothing nefarious, not okay, you.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Know that's you know, that's that's what I'm on. So
the big beautiful BUILDO a Quila. How is this gonna
affect the working class? Because of the working class or
the working poor? I should say, you know what, I
don't know, I don't know what do we want?
Speaker 4 (26:37):
First? The good news are the bad news?
Speaker 8 (26:39):
I think I think we're gonna start with let me
let me just bring you back, you bring your back
up to speed, like you said, yes.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
Please bring because I don't know what's going on life.
Speaker 8 (26:47):
You know, from COVID to all kinds of changes. The
world has changed even before and after Trump took office.
So let me just give you the real thirty second
bring you up to speed. So this is not the
first time Trump has been in office, is not the
first time we've been under his presidential leadership.
Speaker 7 (27:05):
And when he came.
Speaker 8 (27:06):
Into office in twenty seventeen, he did something that has
not been done and a lot of president in any
president is and he actually said, I'm going to do
something about the tax bill. Every president wants to leave
a legacy, and we can reasonably assume that taxes, in legislation,
anything dealing with the dollar bill is going to be
(27:26):
something he leaves is his legacy. And so he started
with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts in twenty seventeen,
which we talked about prior to and this basically, the
Big and Beautiful Build is the finished baby product of that.
A lot of things he implemented in his first administration
way back in twenty seventeen.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
Oh boy, oh boy, was done. He wasn't done.
Speaker 8 (27:49):
And the Big and Beautiful Build is hey Now that
I'm reelected, now that I'm back into this position of power,
I can continue on pushing this piece of legacy.
Speaker 7 (27:59):
And this for us is a legacy of taxation.
Speaker 8 (28:03):
And even though it's not something that we're thinking about
all day every day, because the reality of it, I mean,
we work it.
Speaker 7 (28:11):
We are here working. We hear what's.
Speaker 8 (28:12):
Going on in the House to send it the Wages
and Means Committee. But the reality of it is we're
dealing with life. You know, We're dealing with paying the bills,
working the jobs, keeping the business together, how we gonna
make ends, me sending the kids to college. So I
get it. Taxation and big bills like this are usually
put on the afterthought until we really start talking about
(28:34):
some major things like snap Medicare, student loans and big,
big ticket items that affect a lot of people.
Speaker 7 (28:45):
It affects how much.
Speaker 8 (28:46):
Money we're bringing in, how we're feeding the kids, how
we're working on these jobs.
Speaker 7 (28:50):
So now it's a call to attention.
Speaker 8 (28:52):
And that's why the big and beautiful Bill is so
important for us to come back, you know, to our
remembrance and what it can do for us as taxpayers.
And so when I say taxpayer in case someone says, well,
what I don't know what that is. I don't know
who that is. If you're working on anybody's job, anybody's job,
whether you're working for yourself or working for somebody else,
(29:14):
and you get that chick and it's something that comes
out of there that says, federal, federal, I'm talking to you.
You are a taxpayer, whether you file your taxes or not,
because some of us are taxpayers, but we are not
tax filers.
Speaker 7 (29:26):
This still applies to these those individuals.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
If you heard that, you heard that. I like that difference.
Speaker 7 (29:33):
Oh it's a big difference. Now, don't don't. Yeah, we
ain't talking to everybody, but it applies to everybody.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
It applies everybody.
Speaker 8 (29:42):
So one of the main things with this bill is
one I say, it's a huge focus on A lot
of people want to say it's Trump. You know, a
lot of people want to bring race, a lot of
people want to bring color, a lot of people want
to bring a lot of different things into this bill.
Speaker 7 (29:58):
But I like to just say, in a nutshell.
Speaker 8 (30:00):
It is a clear description of the have and the
have nots. Right, it's something for everybody. It's something that
doesn't benefit everybody. It's not a one size fit all bill.
But from a tax perspective, being over fifteen years in
this industry watching which credits are commonly used from working
(30:21):
class people, you have a lot of tax credits. You know,
when you're hearing those tax commercials ten thousand deductions do
your deductions?
Speaker 7 (30:29):
Most of those.
Speaker 8 (30:29):
Deductions and credits don't apply to the average working family
that's making less than fifty five thousand dollars a year.
A lot of those deductions and credits you see it
as your income level is scaling above fifty five thousand
dollars a year and you're not in you're not eligible
for certain type of credits after that income phase out.
(30:50):
But a lot of deductions that people hear about, and
you know, you get to talking to your friends during
tax time, those deductions will be affected by this big
and beautiful bill because because it's going to broaden that.
So let me just scale it back a little bit,
because it's really four main areas of this big and
beautiful bill that I really really really want to make
sure that taxpayers understand. Because the bill is big. Oh
(31:13):
it's big, but it may eight hundred pages. You know,
you know, sit down, drink you a cup of tea,
and you know, we talk about it, but it's.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
Worth of read.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Not that's probably two seasons. That's the summer and the
fall worth of read.
Speaker 8 (31:26):
And only certain areas of it may be applicable to
certain taxpayers because everything in that bill ain't no part
of talking about capital gains and passive things if that
does not apply.
Speaker 7 (31:37):
So in this midst of this big beautiful bill.
Speaker 8 (31:40):
The main things that it's going to affect the mean use,
the using eyes, the grandmothers, the teachers, the educators.
Speaker 7 (31:48):
The people who you know, the working class people.
Speaker 8 (31:50):
These are some of the main areas of that bill
that I think everybody should take.
Speaker 7 (31:54):
The time out to at least at least educate.
Speaker 8 (31:57):
Don't wait till tax time, until the refund checks, or
worrying about if the refund check is gonna be bigger,
because there's a lot of things you can do to
position yourself for this big and beautiful bill.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Okay, before we get into that, let me do a reset.
You're listening to the Public Affairs podcast talking to tax
strategists and small business coach. She is a financial educator.
She's about to break this thing down. The Lovely Aquila.
Thomas Taxwrightway dot Com is her website if you want
to check out. So explain it to me like I
(32:32):
was a five year old.
Speaker 8 (32:34):
First things first, you make money, you pay taxes period,
whether you're working on the street or whether you're working
on a W two job. If you make money, the
government wants is cut now with the tax cutting Jobs Acts.
One of the biggest things that's causing the chitter chatter
and changes is tip in overtime money.
Speaker 7 (32:54):
Okay, we're gonna.
Speaker 8 (32:56):
Start with the good, with the big and beautiful bill.
We're gonna start with the good. So tips and over
time income. One of the main ways people make their
ends meet is working maybe second and third shift jobs,
or they're even working over time on their main jobs.
And if anybody know or had worked over time before that,
time and a half is not always as pretty as
(33:16):
it would it assayst to be.
Speaker 7 (33:17):
And what that is.
Speaker 8 (33:18):
Hey, if you work over your forty anything over that,
you're gonna get your hour l plate in hourly rting half.
So it's beautiful. But in the past, yeah, you're making
all these hours. But the more hours you make, the
more taxes that are coming out. The more taxes you
have to end up possibly on at the end of
the year because now your income you usually make fifty
thousand a year, now you're making seventy because you didn't
(33:40):
put in twenty thousand dollars worth the extra overtime hours.
So that kind of defeats the purpose when you're having
large amounts of taxes coming out the extra hours you're working.
You work in the extra hours to make the extra money,
and then it's taking your tax And so one of
Trump's campaign commitments, you know, I'm gonna hold them, i'ma
hold them right and I'm holding wrong. But one of
his major commitments was, hey, look it's not gonna be
(34:02):
taxes on overtime paying tips. So what that means is,
if you like to work overtime and you are a
single tax payer, yes, if you're a tax tax payer,
we would like people become a tax filer.
Speaker 7 (34:15):
Maybe you will.
Speaker 8 (34:15):
Now when you find out it's overtime, it's not taxed anymore.
Then that means a certain portion of your overtime income
it's not gonna be taxable up to twelve thousand, five
hundred dollars. So what that means is if you're working
over time and you get any hours added to your
annual salary and the resulted of increasing your income. Their
(34:38):
first twelve thousand, five hundred dollars worth of overtime hours,
that's not taxable. It's still gonna come on your W two,
it's still gonna show up, but now it's not gonna
be counted as your taxable income.
Speaker 7 (34:49):
So it's almost like, hey, you get to keep something.
Speaker 8 (34:51):
You get to keep twelve thousand, five hundred of your
overtime hours without them saying give.
Speaker 7 (34:56):
Me, give me something, give me a cut, give me,
give me a piece. For working class families, that's huge.
That's huge that one keep a little bit of your money.
Speaker 8 (35:06):
Now, that doesn't mean all overtime hours are going to
be tax read keyword, I.
Speaker 7 (35:10):
Said, only on a little bit on a little bit
of it.
Speaker 8 (35:13):
So the same work, the system numbers you usually had
to do with your overtime hours, it will still be there,
but now you've got a little whigger row, one little
runway to be able to do something with.
Speaker 7 (35:26):
So that's amazing.
Speaker 8 (35:27):
Another thing is the no taxes on tip income or
I would like to say gig income.
Speaker 7 (35:33):
A lot of people are making good money off of tips,
whether you're an uber driver, whether you are cashier, a waitress,
or anybody in hospitality.
Speaker 8 (35:44):
Anytime somebody tipping you, now twenty five the first twenty
five thousand dollars of that, Hey, that's your money, that's
your're your money. The first twenty five thousand, twenty five
thousand dollars for you, that money, that money is not
considered taxable. So a lot of times people in the past,
you know, they make they tip money.
Speaker 7 (36:06):
If the employer didn't report it, I'm gonna keep my cash.
Speaker 8 (36:09):
I'm gonna keep my tips to myself because they don't
want to pay taxes on it.
Speaker 7 (36:13):
Well, you know what, God ahead, be a tax filler.
Speaker 8 (36:16):
You know, show that you got some income, and now
you don't have to pay taxes on that first twenty
five thousand dollars worth of tip income. And that's huge,
especially for cash workers. You have a lot of people
in a lot of industry, service based industries, bartenders, workers, they.
Speaker 7 (36:32):
Derive a good amount of money from tips.
Speaker 8 (36:36):
And that right there in itself, could Okay, look the
first twenty five k and you got to worry about that.
Speaker 7 (36:41):
That's in the bag.
Speaker 8 (36:42):
That's going to encourage people to fire their taxes, And
I'm all about encouraging people to file their taxes because
that's one of the main reasons people don't file their taxes.
Speaker 7 (36:50):
Yeah, they don't want you taking their money.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
Listen to girl leaving a club right now, like oh man,
oh exactly.
Speaker 8 (36:58):
It's your time to shine if you or in any
type of hospitality, if you're a dancer, if you're a bartender,
if you're doing anything you get some.
Speaker 7 (37:05):
Change, it's your time to shine.
Speaker 8 (37:08):
Now, as employers, this can be very creative for small
business owners because hey, it's always willgarroom. What benefits one
benefits the other is well, if you're a small business owner,
being able to restructure the way you pay your employees
a lot of time, small business owners can afford to
pay w two employees. Yeah okay, and the people that
(37:30):
they are paying, oh well, they might not want that
income reported due to whatever different reasons. So now employers
have a way of employing their people without it being
such a tax burden. They're cash workers because now the
first twenty five thousand I pay you if it's tips, Yeah,
it's creative account and going a little bit. Don't dym
drop that in now, don't run with that now, right now.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
That makes sense. Okay, okay, you're right.
Speaker 8 (37:56):
And the main, biggest all these things drilling to the
SNAP benefits. I know every one is worried about work
requirements with the Snap benefits, this Big and Beautiful Bill.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
One really, all I'm saying is folks being mad that
they can't get chips and sodas off of their Snap car.
Speaker 7 (38:11):
One aspect of it too.
Speaker 8 (38:13):
And what I tell everybody, the Big and Beautiful Bill
is not necessarily the cause of a lot of these things.
It's a way of addressing and holding a lot of
these things accountable. The Big and Beautiful Bill a lot
of our spending within our government, healthcare, social Security, all
these different programs. This is where the government we spend
a bulk of our money. A lot of people think, oh,
(38:34):
we spending it at the border, We're spending in here.
Social Security is the US federal budget's biggests expense. And
all of these different programs we have SNAP, we have Medicare,
we have these different things. So it's a way, per
the Big and Beautiful Bill to have taxpayers accountable for
the spending that may be contributing, you know, to the Snap.
Speaker 7 (38:54):
So work requirements.
Speaker 8 (38:56):
To me, they've been the same with SNAP being able
to work and having the requirement of working at minimum
eighty hours per month. So those things haven't changed. The
enforcement of it now is what's going to be the heaviest.
Complying with it in the past, Hey, who was really
enforcing you to, you know, comply with eighty hours per month. Now,
(39:16):
with the big and beautiful bill, taxpayers in the States,
you're not gonna have any choice but to comply because
the government is saying we're not giving the states any
more money to pay for SNAP and addition this extra
benefits for your errors. So on an individual state level,
you're going to be responsible for making sure your people
are maintaining the work requirements needed to maintain these benefits.
(39:40):
So people have barriers as to why that could hurt
the taxpayer. But there's so many incentives now to go
to work meeting that eighty hours per month work or
volunteer keyword volunteer. You can go to your kids' school,
you can volunteer at your local church. You do not
just have to work to meet that eighty hours per
month requirement. Volunteer work consider two go ahead of fancy
(40:02):
the kids at the school that will suffice for it
as well, and so all these things. The Big Beautiful
Bill is to encourage people to work, work your overtime,
work your hours, self sufficiency, so that way SNAP benefits
as they do begin to phase out, the harder to
be able to qualify because they ain't gonna be approven everybody
because it's on eight dollar then it's on Nate Diamond dollars.
Speaker 7 (40:24):
So no, we just can't one for you, one for you.
Speaker 8 (40:27):
No do you meet the lgibuty requirements to need to
receive SNAP benefits. And so that's the controversy they're of
making it harder and them being able to service less
people with the SNAP program, with the Big and Beautiful
tax bill.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
A lot of stuff, a lot of stuff. And I
mean this, twenty minutes flew by. We got a minute
thirty left. If you got something.
Speaker 8 (40:49):
The main thing I say for people to prepare themselves
for it is, if you are a business owner, now
is the time to not go for the loss, go
for the win because right now, for the next ten years,
you have a window to make lots of money without
it being taxed as crazy as it would be if
you were receiving SNAP benefits, this is the perfect time
(41:10):
to look into the eb and T part of your benefits.
The EBT stands for Employment Benefits and Training. That means
you have free certification programs to you welding, cosmetology. You
were able to utilize your SNAP benefits not just for food,
but also to pay for job training and certification programs
that is funded by your EBT benefits.
Speaker 7 (41:32):
So my thing is just.
Speaker 8 (41:32):
Positioning people for self sufficiency, learning how to read your
tax returns, getting what a credible taxi pairer like oneself.
You can find more about me at Assequila on all
your social media platforms Instagram, TikTok Askequila or at tax
rightway dot com. Because this is the season to position yourself.
The tax bills are giving us the leeway, so all
(41:54):
the taxes, a little bit of self and know how
to take advantage of this huge opportunity and window.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Hey b ups, thank you so much, but coming on
breaking that down. That that was it at ask Aquila
and thank you for sharing your scholarship and breaking it
down for like a five year old can understand it. See, man,
my people, my people perish for a lack of knowledge
(42:23):
you have done it for so everybody just stop listening
to the propaganda on the news and do your own work,
do your own due diligence at homework when it comes
to things like these, and Aquila, we're gonna definitely have
you back to break down some more stuff.
Speaker 4 (42:38):
So thank you.
Speaker 7 (42:39):
You're welcome. Taxes, become tax filist.
Speaker 4 (42:42):
Become tax filers.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
Aquila Thomas, tax strategist, small business coach, and financial educator.
Speaker 4 (42:48):
That was dope.
Speaker 1 (42:49):
Thank you so much, and thank you for listening to
the Public Affairs podcast. I'm KG Smooth and we will
see you next week.
From your local Houston BMW Center Studios. Welcome to the
public affairs podcast addressing local issues that affect our nation
and shape our world. I'm your host to KG Smooth
Studio Full and it's all for a great cause. As
we are closely approaching the twenty fourth year of the
(00:25):
nine eleven attacks. Twenty four years this crazy work. Wow,
I remember where. I think everybody remembers where they were
the morning that Tuesday morning of September eleventh, two thousand
and one. And there were some There were a lot
of heroes, some that we know, some that we don't.
(00:48):
But us here in Houston, we are going to honor
each and every one of them. So here today to
talk about the nine eleven Heroes Run. We've got a
house full welcoming the from the Travis Manuon Foundation Alyssa
ogon Ogean o Gean Ogean Welcome and here representing the
(01:12):
nine to Eleven's Heroes Run Houston. Mister Greg Freeman is
back once again, welcome, get to see you, and the
first Sergeant James Gouldsby from the US Army also here.
Good morning everyone on this Sunday. How are you feeling good?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Thank you for having us, billing great, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Good good, good, good good. Let's let's get to it. Well, first,
Alyssa with Travis Manyon Foundation. Am I seeing the last name?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Yes, Travis Mannon.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Manyon Foundation, the Travis Manyon Foundation. Please tell the folks
what it is that you all do. How long you've
been around the mission, all of the good stuff for
those we may not be familiar.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Of course, yeah, Travis Manion Foundation. What we do is
we empower veterans and family of the fallen, and we
inspire future generations by instilling character in them.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
And how long has the organization been around?
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Organization has been around for a while, But it started
out in two thousand and seven when Travis Mannon deployed
out into Iraq and in two thousand and seven he
was saving one of his injured teammates and is when
he was killed by a sniper.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
In the battlefield.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Wow, well and that started so you guys are slowly
approaching twenty years.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Yes, it started off with his mother, just a grieving
mother that wanted to remember his son, her son, and
from there it just turned into something nationwide. Our organization
is huge.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Absolutely, and so Greg mister Greg Freeman from the nine
to eleven Heroes Run Houston. Go ahead and get in
front of that mic there. Tell us about this run.
When did you start this?
Speaker 5 (02:56):
Yeah, well, first things first, thank you for having us here.
We feel very eastor to represent. I'm a retired captain
with Houston PD, and I retired in twenty seventeen, and
this is the fifteenth year that we've hosted this great
patriotic event in the city. And I was a police
captain in twenty ten and I was at the Airport Division,
and in short I got a phone call from a
(03:17):
colleague of mine that was an assistant chief from Philadelphia,
and he said, Hey, we got this really great race
called the nine eleven Heroes Run. We'd like to bring
it to Houston. And at the time, nine to eleven
was really truly in unfortunately, just another day in our city.
We had a moment of silence, but nothing was ever
done and saw, no, we didn't do anything to celebrate
(03:38):
nine to eleven or to commemorate it. There was nothing
on an official citywide basis. And they might have done
a ringing of the bell or something to that, but
nothing of a large scale nature. So I made some
phone calls to Philadelphia. I got to meet Colonel Manyon,
who was Travis's father. I got to know the whole family,
and I reached out to several of my other colleagues.
(03:59):
We presented this to the Mayor's office and also to
the Chief of Police. I thought this would be a
great venue for the city to commemorate our fallen victims
of nine to eleven and from the war since, and
the City of Houston has embraced this venue as their
own signatory vent for nine eleven ceremonies. This year, the race,
as Alyssa said, it is marphed. The Travis Mannon Foundation
(04:20):
has literally become one of the largest veteran support organizations
in the United States. And I was good at putting
things together. So we made this race an incredible venue.
It's not just a race, though, it's a community event
where we bring the community, first responders, our military, law enforcement,
everyday citizens into this one venue to commemorate the victims
(04:44):
of nine to eleven in the war. Since it's a
great patriotic event. It's a five k run, but it's
not just a run. It's a patriotic venue of remembrance
and reflecting. So We had it at Ellington for the
first seven years and then we moved it to downtown,
and we encourage everyone to come. We'll probably have one
of the largest races. Again, it is the largest race
(05:05):
so I think as we speak right now, the race
will be held in fifty nine cities this year and
it's a labor of love. But we and I say
this sincerely, we appreciate Radio one doing this. Y'all have
been our media partner from the very inception. The name
changed a couple of times, but y'all have always been
here promoting it. So and Houston's a very patriotic city.
(05:27):
We have like one of the largest veteran friendliest cities
in the United States. So we'll have all military branches represented,
We'll have dozens of law enforcement entities and first responders.
We'll have probably about three to four thousand in attendance
for this venue. So it's a great day. September sixth,
seven thirty Houston City Home.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
It is going to be great, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
And I come from a military family in a sense.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
My grandmother worked thirty years.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
I'm from Dayton, Ohio, so she worked at a right
pat Patterson Air Force Base for thirty plus years.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
My aunt was in the navy. My uncle was in
the army. I tried to go to the army. They
wouldn't take me. They dropped me like a hot potato
once they found out I had a heart condition. Like
I was like, man, I felt like I felt like
a girl going out on a date and then you know,
getting dumped at the end of the night.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
They had courted me.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
All nicely, came to the house, and then when they
found it, like, oh, I had overart surgery when I
was five by connginual heart disease.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
It was just like, yeah, you had another plan for it.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
That's it, and this is it right here, and that's
why we're here today.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
That is it.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Yeah, So Sergeant Goolsby, let's talk about the army. First
of all, you don't even look like you were around
when nine to eleven happened.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
You know, that's so young.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
That's the funny part. I was in middle school. I
remember that Tuesday, and that kind of sparked my interest
in here I am seventeen years later.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Wow, wow, So what made you want to join and serve?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
So for me, it was a multitude of things. I
lost my mother, when I was seventeen. Also the nine
eleven attacks, it just encouraged me to serve.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
I grew up on a.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Small farm town in Georgia, so it's always about service
to country and giving back.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, What would you say to someone who's thinking about serving?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
And you know, I would tell them first to of
course talk to their family, their influencers, you know, everybody
that they love, you know, much like you, their aunts
and uncles. I would also tell them to come talk
to one of our amazing recruiters. Let us show you
what's available.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Would love to have them.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Yeah, yeah, how is it today? I mean, we're still
fighting in We're still involved in some things, right, right,
we probably should not be involved in what is the
morale like nowadays? Because I haven't even heard anything. I
haven't heard anything, to be honest, from the military with
(07:54):
all of these changes in the world. But yet then again,
I also stay in my own little right vitty world
and only tap in when I need to.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Right, I'll tell you that the morales is higher than ever,
especially here in Houston. You know, our amazing recruiters are
out there every day looking for the next you know,
young man and young woman to come in and help
us innovate and move the Army forward in a positive position.
The things we offer is unprecedented, especially with education and
career opportunities, especially in the tech field and STEM.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Oh, so I'm glad that you mentioned that.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Can you talk about the different kinds of career fields
that could you Guys, everybody just.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Thinks it's like boots on the ground.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
I got my gun, I'm learning how to and I'm
going to go kill the bad guy. But there are
also like a plethora of other jobs that one can serve.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
There is We're talking over two hundred you know plus
jobs and more and more being invented every day. Most recently,
we upgraded our cyberdivision, so now we have basically professional
hackers added to our job field and career field. And
for me, I started off as a culinary specialist. I
love food. Right, it doesn't look like it, but I
(09:03):
love it.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I went here, doesn't look like I went.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, I went to culinary school. They taught me about
you know, wine tasting, ice carving, everything, and like I said,
coming from a small farm, you know, in town in Georgia,
it opened mys dramatically.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah, that's that's awesome. I love that you're listening to
the Public Affairs podcast. We are talking to the great
people at the Travis Manon Foundation for the nine to
eleven Heroes Run Houston, which is happening on Saturday, September
the sixth, downtown Houston.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
It is going to be one of those ones.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
I do want to ask you all, where were you
the morning of September eleventh, two thousand and one. Tuesday,
September eleventh, two thousand and one. Alyssa, I'll start with you.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Well, I was born in ninety eight, so I was.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
I was little but five years old.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
We were not living in Houston at the time. We
were actually living in Connecticut, so we were close enough
to where my mom had to pick me up from
school and well daycare. I was like three, yea three,
so maybe like pre K pre K one or two.
But yeah, and I just remember the story. I don't
(10:25):
physically remember, but I know from stories and growing up
when I you know, was asking her and everything. Uh,
the debris was hitting my mom's car on our way home.
It had reached all the way over to Connecticut. So yeah,
I was. I mean, I don't physically remember it, but
I know the stories and you know, we learned about
it and everything growing growing up. But I mean, yeah,
(10:48):
it's just even to this day, Like I make sure
and I watch all the documentaries about the night. I mean,
it's just and I watched. When I watch them, it's
like it's learning about it for the first time. It's
it's still like it gives me goosebumps and like it's
just horrific, honestly.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Like, yeah, and we've learned so much since.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Greg, can you of course you can remember Tuesday morning.
Speaker 5 (11:12):
I'm kind of the og of this group right here.
So I remembered it like it was yesterday. And I
was a sergeant on duty with the Houston Police Department,
and I was working the Southwest Division, which was the
beech Nut sub station, and I was inside the station
and they did breaking news all of a sudden, and
I remember Peter Jennings coming on television reporting that a
(11:33):
small small plane of some type it hit the World
Trade Center. And we had several volunteer firemen that were
policemen at the front desk and we were commenting. We
could see the whole and we didn't know what was happening.
We just thought it was an accident and as he
was reporting, we saw the second plane hit, and Peter
(11:53):
Jennings thought that it was a replay of the first
plane hitting, so he sang, we're now getting a shot
of the planet. But then he quickly realized within seconds
that it was a second plane that was hitting, and
so literally within about thirty minutes, our entire police department
went on mobilization. We saw what happened at the Pentagon
the Pentagon, so all this breaking news and we're getting
(12:16):
very we're getting very active, We're getting very nervous. I
had my oldest son is twenty five. He was in
daycare at the time, and we lived in Magnolia, so
all of us parents were kind of like panicking about
our children, you know, but we couldn't leave. And then
we soon realized within about an hour that we were
under attack. Our nation was under attack. So there was
a great fear that permeated throughout not just the city,
(12:39):
the state, but the nation at the time. And then
the president would President Bush would come and speak, so
it was a very challenging time. Our entire police department
was mobilized for weeks weeks, and then we just started
seeing the twenty four to seven coverage of the World
Trade Center, and I have friends who were NYPD and
then you start hearing all these stories. We thought there
(12:59):
might these survivors, you know that people rode the buildings down.
I mean, you're started hearing all these stories coming out,
but unfortunately we know at the end of the day
when it happened, and really the rest is history. So
it was a very it was a very traumatic event.
I literally remember it like it was yesterday. And I
don't like watching I've watched so many documentaries, but I
don't like watching anything about nine to eleven now because
(13:22):
it just said it just brings back a lot of
I love doing this, but I don't like watching television. Yeah,
the things about you. So it's like it just because
it's very it's still unsettling for me and almost etsd
in a way. I'm not saying I have that, but
it's just very unsettling to see all these four souls.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
And it just and it and every year it boggled
my mind as to why MSNBC, the cable news channel,
would replay that episode that.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Day of the Today Show when it happened.
Speaker 6 (13:57):
Every year on eleven, MSNBC replays the Today Show from Tuesday,
September eleventh, two thousand and one, and I'm like, why
do we keep over?
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Why? Very traumatic for me?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Why? Yeah, yeah, why sergeant, I know you tested on
a little bit.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
Yeah. Do you remember that day?
Speaker 2 (14:15):
I do, of course. I was in middle school. My
teacher actually had just got out of the Army. He
was in Desert Storm, Desert Shield, and I remember him
turning on the TV and explaining to us, you know
what was really happening, because we thought small plane accidents
New York City skyscrapers, you know, accidents happened. But he
(14:36):
started explaining to us like, no, we are under attack,
Like this is real life, and he started giving us
a history lesson right there. So I'm very thankful for him.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
That's where I was.
Speaker 5 (14:45):
If I could add just one of my colleagues, he
was a helicopter pilot with NYPD. He's since long been retired.
He was in the air of that day, and he
would share with me the fact that they actually saw
the second plane coming in the helicopters, so they all
when the first plane hit, a lot of the helicopters
started coming in. They had like five or six ships
in the air, and they wanted to go and land
(15:06):
on the roof to start pulling people off the roof,
because there were a lot of people that were on
the roof and they were told, giving emphatically direct orders,
do not land on the roof. And literally he said
that we had to sit there like two thousand feet
or however high they were and watch people literally burn
to death and jump off the jump off, jump off
the building. There were hundreds of people that jumped off
the building, I'm told, and so yeah, and he was
(15:28):
scard for life with that for a long time that
they were not allowed and the reasons being is that
if they did land, I mean it would be people
would rush the helicopter and in probably crash. So tough
time for many people and there's still so many people
that are in that area that live with that to
this day.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Yeah, I think about I think about a lot of things.
But for me me remembering that day, I was still
fresh in radio. I hadn't even been in radio for
a year yet, because I got hired no end of
November of two thousand and I was doing overnights at
my radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. So I had got
(16:06):
off the air at six am so I go home sleep.
I mean I slept with the television on, and it
just so happened to be on NBC because I remember
I remember waking up and hearing or seeing something, but
then uh, turning over, going back to sleep. Then my
(16:28):
phone rang. It was my coworker. I'm like hello. She
was like, uh, She's like, did you just see what happened?
I'm like, nah, I just got off the air a
couple of hours ago, Like I'm sleep. She was like,
I think we're under attack. A plane just hit of
the World Trade Center. And then I and I'm like what.
(16:48):
And then I said, oh, Sama Been Lawton and she
was like what. She was like, what is this name?
I keep hearing this name. Oh Sama Been Laton. My
grandmother was a news junkie, the news, listen talk radio,
like all of that, and so when I would be
with her, you know, I get educated on some things.
And then you know, she worked. She worked at the
(17:09):
Air Force base, so she stayed up on a lot
of stuff. And so I just remember her talking about
Osama bin Latten from the ninety six Olympic bombing in Atlanta,
that he had, you know, something to do with allegedly
so when she told me that, I was like, Osama
Bin Latton. She was like, I had never heard of
this name before. Like I was like, this is probably
(17:31):
what is going on. And then I turn and I
look and then they're talking about it. But this is
after the second plane had already hit. But I did
see it live when the World trip, when it collapsed,
when the buildings collapsed. Guys, I promise you me. Watching
that on TV, I was like, this doesn't make real
(17:51):
sense here.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Nobody thought it was going No, but who would have
thought that?
Speaker 1 (17:57):
And so I'm just, yeah, incredulous like everyone else. And
to me, that was the beginning of the fall of
legacy media because to your point, Greg, folks on television
(18:18):
reporting things. Are you talking to your folks in New York?
Them knowing some things, them coming back recanting some things,
not knowing. I was seeing that live in the media.
We had another radio station that was a talk station,
and so I'm back and forth between the FM and
the AM station. I remember the talk station had it
on Fox News station, the FM station, the hip hop
(18:39):
station had it on I don't know, it might have
been CNN. All I remember was them reporting things right
and then coming back and recanting what they reported. And
I saw this happen in real time like three times,
and I'm like, what is going on here?
Speaker 4 (18:56):
This is not how journalism works. You're supposed to it.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Don't make make sure that this is right, like triple
confirmation before you get on air to say something. And
it was just all over the place. And so for me,
that was the downfall or the or the beginning of
wanting to be first instead of right. Just get it
(19:22):
out as fast as when it came, you know, to journalism. So,
but we are going to commemorate and celebrate all of
these great heroes from nine to eleven. What is there
still time to register? Where can people go to sign
up get their teams and all the things.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Yeah, you can still register at the Travis Manen Foundation
website and there is a section for you to go
under for the nine to eleven Heroes Run and find
Houston and you can still register and volunteer es.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Registration will actually go all the way up to race days.
So registration will be all the way up till six
am on Saturday, September the sixth. So and like Alissa said,
just visit the website and let me just encourage everyone.
You do not have to pay to come to this venue.
You can just come and show up, but if you
(20:20):
want to get the race shirt, the bib, the swag
and all the night stuff, you have to register and
it's a thirty five dollars registration fee and there is
a military discount. And so we'll have thousands of runners
that will show up. We have a group of wheelchair
runners that will start the race off called Ainsley's Angels
and they have pink wheelchairs and it's a very moving site.
(20:42):
There's going to be a lot of static displays that
are there, a lot of military recruiting venues of all branches,
law enforcement venues, formation runs. We'll have food, drink, water,
and great music provided by Radio.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
One and all your comations, all of the Brandy three
Q Country, the Eagle one O six point five, one
oh seven point nine, Magic one O two point one,
ninety seven nine in the box, Praise Houston one O
two point one. So yeah, we uh, we cannot wait.
Sergeant Goulesby, how can people get in contact with the recruiter,
(21:17):
Like if they're looking to they're listening to you, they're like, hey, Mom,
I think I want to you know, sign up for
the Army.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
I mean social media is the easiest way now right
Instagram everybody's business card, Yeah, Instagram at you know, go
Army Houston. You can also look up. You'll see at
bay Brook Bulls recruiting here in Texas at the nine
to eleven Heroes Run, you'll see us there. I'll be
running sweating like everybody else, but we'll have a table
set up ready to invite anybody and have a conversation.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Cool Man, thank you all so much. Alyssa, Greg Sergeant
goulesby Man, thank you all. We will see you on Saturday,
September the sixth, downtown at City Hall for the nine
to eleven Heroes Run with the Travis Manyon Foundation and
the nine to eleven Heros Group and of course the
(22:02):
US Army. So thank you all so much for your time.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
Having thanks for having us, and.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
To everyone listen to the podcast. We'll be back after
this from your local Houston BMW Center Studios. Welcome back
to the Public Affairs podcast, addressing local issues that affect
our nation and shape our world. I'm your host, KG Smooth.
I don't know why I was about to say, I'm
(22:27):
your guest host.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
I am not.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
I've been the host of this show since well since
its inception, but before then when it was Access Houston.
So I've been doing this show since twenty fourteen, y'all
twenty fourteen. But I am here to welcome back. After
some years of being absent onto the public affairs podcast,
tax Strategists, small business coach, financial educator, all around dope,
(22:53):
individual ladies and gentlemen, the lovely Aquila Thomas is back
on with.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
This How you doing?
Speaker 7 (23:00):
How you doing? You did it right? You did say
guest host, because in this situation, I.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
Am the host. The host.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Excuse me? Yes, this is your secondment. You are a
So pull that mic on up so we can get it. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
just like that. Yes, Host, strategist, coach, How you been
doing well?
Speaker 7 (23:26):
Ready for uh this circle back?
Speaker 8 (23:29):
Trump is back at it again, reshaping our text industry here, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
To be totally honest and transparent. I don't pay attention
anymore like I used to. I mean, Amanda Edwards a
kind of got me, you know, back into you know,
paying attention, and you know I tried, and it's just
too much and and you know, what are the kids
(23:55):
saying nowadays? And the new buzzword now is being overstimulated. Absolutely,
you know, overstimulated.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
And so.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
I pay enough attention to entertain the folks at night
when I do the quiet storm, and then I may
give myself like one day to doom scroll. But the
first thing that I see that disturbs my spirit or
that's you know, something negative, like I'm swiping out of that,
(24:26):
like I'm I'm not continuing to scroll, you know, I'm
swiping out. And So when it comes to the madness
of legacy media and the lies they continue to tell
and how they you know, switch stuff.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Around, I just don't keep up.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
But I have heard, you know, I've been you know,
seeing the reactions to what Trump is doing in this
quote unquote big beautiful bill. From what I you know, overheard,
it is big.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
Definitely be definite.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
And I don't know how beautiful it is from what
everybody else is saying is it might be ugly. But
for some folks that're saying there's some good stuff in there.
They're so tricky with their language and how they you know,
secretly insert things into these bills that you know, said
(25:25):
congress person ends up voting for something that was snuck
in there and ends up being totally detrimental to you know,
their constituents, and you know, just the game. I'm just
you know, I'm over. I'm over these games with the
United States Corporation. Like, let's really get to it. Okay,
(25:46):
I'm all about let's let's call Black Americans what we are.
We are not African American. Let's drop the African. Okay,
we are the American Indian. Like, let's get to that.
That's why I want to get who are we? While
we keep getting reclassified and all that. That's the time
that I'm on right now. So you know, so i'
you know, the United States Corporation, Trump and all of them,
(26:08):
all of you, these nefarious folks that run this place.
Speaker 7 (26:13):
Nothing nefarious, not okay, you.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Know that's you know, that's that's what I'm on. So
the big beautiful BUILDO a Quila. How is this gonna
affect the working class? Because of the working class or
the working poor? I should say, you know what, I
don't know, I don't know what do we want?
Speaker 4 (26:37):
First? The good news are the bad news?
Speaker 8 (26:39):
I think I think we're gonna start with let me
let me just bring you back, you bring your back
up to speed, like you said, yes.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
Please bring because I don't know what's going on life.
Speaker 8 (26:47):
You know, from COVID to all kinds of changes. The
world has changed even before and after Trump took office.
So let me just give you the real thirty second
bring you up to speed. So this is not the
first time Trump has been in office, is not the
first time we've been under his presidential leadership.
Speaker 7 (27:05):
And when he came.
Speaker 8 (27:06):
Into office in twenty seventeen, he did something that has
not been done and a lot of president in any
president is and he actually said, I'm going to do
something about the tax bill. Every president wants to leave
a legacy, and we can reasonably assume that taxes, in legislation,
anything dealing with the dollar bill is going to be
(27:26):
something he leaves is his legacy. And so he started
with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts in twenty seventeen,
which we talked about prior to and this basically, the
Big and Beautiful Build is the finished baby product of that.
A lot of things he implemented in his first administration
way back in twenty seventeen.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
Oh boy, oh boy, was done. He wasn't done.
Speaker 8 (27:49):
And the Big and Beautiful Build is hey Now that
I'm reelected, now that I'm back into this position of power,
I can continue on pushing this piece of legacy.
Speaker 7 (27:59):
And this for us is a legacy of taxation.
Speaker 8 (28:03):
And even though it's not something that we're thinking about
all day every day, because the reality of it, I mean,
we work it.
Speaker 7 (28:11):
We are here working. We hear what's.
Speaker 8 (28:12):
Going on in the House to send it the Wages
and Means Committee. But the reality of it is we're
dealing with life. You know, We're dealing with paying the bills,
working the jobs, keeping the business together, how we gonna
make ends, me sending the kids to college. So I
get it. Taxation and big bills like this are usually
put on the afterthought until we really start talking about
(28:34):
some major things like snap Medicare, student loans and big,
big ticket items that affect a lot of people.
Speaker 7 (28:45):
It affects how much.
Speaker 8 (28:46):
Money we're bringing in, how we're feeding the kids, how
we're working on these jobs.
Speaker 7 (28:50):
So now it's a call to attention.
Speaker 8 (28:52):
And that's why the big and beautiful Bill is so
important for us to come back, you know, to our
remembrance and what it can do for us as taxpayers.
And so when I say taxpayer in case someone says, well,
what I don't know what that is. I don't know
who that is. If you're working on anybody's job, anybody's job,
whether you're working for yourself or working for somebody else,
(29:14):
and you get that chick and it's something that comes
out of there that says, federal, federal, I'm talking to you.
You are a taxpayer, whether you file your taxes or not,
because some of us are taxpayers, but we are not
tax filers.
Speaker 7 (29:26):
This still applies to these those individuals.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
If you heard that, you heard that. I like that difference.
Speaker 7 (29:33):
Oh it's a big difference. Now, don't don't. Yeah, we
ain't talking to everybody, but it applies to everybody.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
It applies everybody.
Speaker 8 (29:42):
So one of the main things with this bill is
one I say, it's a huge focus on A lot
of people want to say it's Trump. You know, a
lot of people want to bring race, a lot of
people want to bring color, a lot of people want
to bring a lot of different things into this bill.
Speaker 7 (29:58):
But I like to just say, in a nutshell.
Speaker 8 (30:00):
It is a clear description of the have and the
have nots. Right, it's something for everybody. It's something that
doesn't benefit everybody. It's not a one size fit all bill.
But from a tax perspective, being over fifteen years in
this industry watching which credits are commonly used from working
(30:21):
class people, you have a lot of tax credits. You know,
when you're hearing those tax commercials ten thousand deductions do
your deductions?
Speaker 7 (30:29):
Most of those.
Speaker 8 (30:29):
Deductions and credits don't apply to the average working family
that's making less than fifty five thousand dollars a year.
A lot of those deductions and credits you see it
as your income level is scaling above fifty five thousand
dollars a year and you're not in you're not eligible
for certain type of credits after that income phase out.
(30:50):
But a lot of deductions that people hear about, and
you know, you get to talking to your friends during
tax time, those deductions will be affected by this big
and beautiful bill because because it's going to broaden that.
So let me just scale it back a little bit,
because it's really four main areas of this big and
beautiful bill that I really really really want to make
sure that taxpayers understand. Because the bill is big. Oh
(31:13):
it's big, but it may eight hundred pages. You know,
you know, sit down, drink you a cup of tea,
and you know, we talk about it, but it's.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
Worth of read.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Not that's probably two seasons. That's the summer and the
fall worth of read.
Speaker 8 (31:26):
And only certain areas of it may be applicable to
certain taxpayers because everything in that bill ain't no part
of talking about capital gains and passive things if that
does not apply.
Speaker 7 (31:37):
So in this midst of this big beautiful bill.
Speaker 8 (31:40):
The main things that it's going to affect the mean use,
the using eyes, the grandmothers, the teachers, the educators.
Speaker 7 (31:48):
The people who you know, the working class people.
Speaker 8 (31:50):
These are some of the main areas of that bill
that I think everybody should take.
Speaker 7 (31:54):
The time out to at least at least educate.
Speaker 8 (31:57):
Don't wait till tax time, until the refund checks, or
worrying about if the refund check is gonna be bigger,
because there's a lot of things you can do to
position yourself for this big and beautiful bill.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Okay, before we get into that, let me do a reset.
You're listening to the Public Affairs podcast talking to tax
strategists and small business coach. She is a financial educator.
She's about to break this thing down. The Lovely Aquila.
Thomas Taxwrightway dot Com is her website if you want
to check out. So explain it to me like I
(32:32):
was a five year old.
Speaker 8 (32:34):
First things first, you make money, you pay taxes period,
whether you're working on the street or whether you're working
on a W two job. If you make money, the
government wants is cut now with the tax cutting Jobs Acts.
One of the biggest things that's causing the chitter chatter
and changes is tip in overtime money.
Speaker 7 (32:54):
Okay, we're gonna.
Speaker 8 (32:56):
Start with the good, with the big and beautiful bill.
We're gonna start with the good. So tips and over
time income. One of the main ways people make their
ends meet is working maybe second and third shift jobs,
or they're even working over time on their main jobs.
And if anybody know or had worked over time before that,
time and a half is not always as pretty as
(33:16):
it would it assayst to be.
Speaker 7 (33:17):
And what that is.
Speaker 8 (33:18):
Hey, if you work over your forty anything over that,
you're gonna get your hour l plate in hourly rting half.
So it's beautiful. But in the past, yeah, you're making
all these hours. But the more hours you make, the
more taxes that are coming out. The more taxes you
have to end up possibly on at the end of
the year because now your income you usually make fifty
thousand a year, now you're making seventy because you didn't
(33:40):
put in twenty thousand dollars worth the extra overtime hours.
So that kind of defeats the purpose when you're having
large amounts of taxes coming out the extra hours you're working.
You work in the extra hours to make the extra money,
and then it's taking your tax And so one of
Trump's campaign commitments, you know, I'm gonna hold them, i'ma
hold them right and I'm holding wrong. But one of
his major commitments was, hey, look it's not gonna be
(34:02):
taxes on overtime paying tips. So what that means is,
if you like to work overtime and you are a
single tax payer, yes, if you're a tax tax payer,
we would like people become a tax filer.
Speaker 7 (34:15):
Maybe you will.
Speaker 8 (34:15):
Now when you find out it's overtime, it's not taxed anymore.
Then that means a certain portion of your overtime income
it's not gonna be taxable up to twelve thousand, five
hundred dollars. So what that means is if you're working
over time and you get any hours added to your
annual salary and the resulted of increasing your income. Their
(34:38):
first twelve thousand, five hundred dollars worth of overtime hours,
that's not taxable. It's still gonna come on your W two,
it's still gonna show up, but now it's not gonna
be counted as your taxable income.
Speaker 7 (34:49):
So it's almost like, hey, you get to keep something.
Speaker 8 (34:51):
You get to keep twelve thousand, five hundred of your
overtime hours without them saying give.
Speaker 7 (34:56):
Me, give me something, give me a cut, give me,
give me a piece. For working class families, that's huge.
That's huge that one keep a little bit of your money.
Speaker 8 (35:06):
Now, that doesn't mean all overtime hours are going to
be tax read keyword, I.
Speaker 7 (35:10):
Said, only on a little bit on a little bit
of it.
Speaker 8 (35:13):
So the same work, the system numbers you usually had
to do with your overtime hours, it will still be there,
but now you've got a little whigger row, one little
runway to be able to do something with.
Speaker 7 (35:26):
So that's amazing.
Speaker 8 (35:27):
Another thing is the no taxes on tip income or
I would like to say gig income.
Speaker 7 (35:33):
A lot of people are making good money off of tips,
whether you're an uber driver, whether you are cashier, a waitress,
or anybody in hospitality.
Speaker 8 (35:44):
Anytime somebody tipping you, now twenty five the first twenty
five thousand dollars of that, Hey, that's your money, that's
your're your money. The first twenty five thousand, twenty five
thousand dollars for you, that money, that money is not
considered taxable. So a lot of times people in the past,
you know, they make they tip money.
Speaker 7 (36:06):
If the employer didn't report it, I'm gonna keep my cash.
Speaker 8 (36:09):
I'm gonna keep my tips to myself because they don't
want to pay taxes on it.
Speaker 7 (36:13):
Well, you know what, God ahead, be a tax filler.
Speaker 8 (36:16):
You know, show that you got some income, and now
you don't have to pay taxes on that first twenty
five thousand dollars worth of tip income. And that's huge,
especially for cash workers. You have a lot of people
in a lot of industry, service based industries, bartenders, workers, they.
Speaker 7 (36:32):
Derive a good amount of money from tips.
Speaker 8 (36:36):
And that right there in itself, could Okay, look the
first twenty five k and you got to worry about that.
Speaker 7 (36:41):
That's in the bag.
Speaker 8 (36:42):
That's going to encourage people to fire their taxes, And
I'm all about encouraging people to file their taxes because
that's one of the main reasons people don't file their taxes.
Speaker 7 (36:50):
Yeah, they don't want you taking their money.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
Listen to girl leaving a club right now, like oh man,
oh exactly.
Speaker 8 (36:58):
It's your time to shine if you or in any
type of hospitality, if you're a dancer, if you're a bartender,
if you're doing anything you get some.
Speaker 7 (37:05):
Change, it's your time to shine.
Speaker 8 (37:08):
Now, as employers, this can be very creative for small
business owners because hey, it's always willgarroom. What benefits one
benefits the other is well, if you're a small business owner,
being able to restructure the way you pay your employees
a lot of time, small business owners can afford to
pay w two employees. Yeah okay, and the people that
(37:30):
they are paying, oh well, they might not want that
income reported due to whatever different reasons. So now employers
have a way of employing their people without it being
such a tax burden. They're cash workers because now the
first twenty five thousand I pay you if it's tips, Yeah,
it's creative account and going a little bit. Don't dym
drop that in now, don't run with that now, right now.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
That makes sense. Okay, okay, you're right.
Speaker 8 (37:56):
And the main, biggest all these things drilling to the
SNAP benefits. I know every one is worried about work
requirements with the Snap benefits, this Big and Beautiful Bill.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
One really, all I'm saying is folks being mad that
they can't get chips and sodas off of their Snap car.
Speaker 7 (38:11):
One aspect of it too.
Speaker 8 (38:13):
And what I tell everybody, the Big and Beautiful Bill
is not necessarily the cause of a lot of these things.
It's a way of addressing and holding a lot of
these things accountable. The Big and Beautiful Bill a lot
of our spending within our government, healthcare, social Security, all
these different programs. This is where the government we spend
a bulk of our money. A lot of people think, oh,
(38:34):
we spending it at the border, We're spending in here.
Social Security is the US federal budget's biggests expense. And
all of these different programs we have SNAP, we have Medicare,
we have these different things. So it's a way, per
the Big and Beautiful Bill to have taxpayers accountable for
the spending that may be contributing, you know, to the Snap.
Speaker 7 (38:54):
So work requirements.
Speaker 8 (38:56):
To me, they've been the same with SNAP being able
to work and having the requirement of working at minimum
eighty hours per month. So those things haven't changed. The
enforcement of it now is what's going to be the heaviest.
Complying with it in the past, Hey, who was really
enforcing you to, you know, comply with eighty hours per month. Now,
(39:16):
with the big and beautiful bill, taxpayers in the States,
you're not gonna have any choice but to comply because
the government is saying we're not giving the states any
more money to pay for SNAP and addition this extra
benefits for your errors. So on an individual state level,
you're going to be responsible for making sure your people
are maintaining the work requirements needed to maintain these benefits.
(39:40):
So people have barriers as to why that could hurt
the taxpayer. But there's so many incentives now to go
to work meeting that eighty hours per month work or
volunteer keyword volunteer. You can go to your kids' school,
you can volunteer at your local church. You do not
just have to work to meet that eighty hours per
month requirement. Volunteer work consider two go ahead of fancy
(40:02):
the kids at the school that will suffice for it
as well, and so all these things. The Big Beautiful
Bill is to encourage people to work, work your overtime,
work your hours, self sufficiency, so that way SNAP benefits
as they do begin to phase out, the harder to
be able to qualify because they ain't gonna be approven everybody
because it's on eight dollar then it's on Nate Diamond dollars.
Speaker 7 (40:24):
So no, we just can't one for you, one for you.
Speaker 8 (40:27):
No do you meet the lgibuty requirements to need to
receive SNAP benefits. And so that's the controversy they're of
making it harder and them being able to service less
people with the SNAP program, with the Big and Beautiful
tax bill.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
A lot of stuff, a lot of stuff. And I
mean this, twenty minutes flew by. We got a minute
thirty left. If you got something.
Speaker 8 (40:49):
The main thing I say for people to prepare themselves
for it is, if you are a business owner, now
is the time to not go for the loss, go
for the win because right now, for the next ten years,
you have a window to make lots of money without
it being taxed as crazy as it would be if
you were receiving SNAP benefits, this is the perfect time
(41:10):
to look into the eb and T part of your benefits.
The EBT stands for Employment Benefits and Training. That means
you have free certification programs to you welding, cosmetology. You
were able to utilize your SNAP benefits not just for food,
but also to pay for job training and certification programs
that is funded by your EBT benefits.
Speaker 7 (41:32):
So my thing is just.
Speaker 8 (41:32):
Positioning people for self sufficiency, learning how to read your
tax returns, getting what a credible taxi pairer like oneself.
You can find more about me at Assequila on all
your social media platforms Instagram, TikTok Askequila or at tax
rightway dot com. Because this is the season to position yourself.
The tax bills are giving us the leeway, so all
(41:54):
the taxes, a little bit of self and know how
to take advantage of this huge opportunity and window.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Hey b ups, thank you so much, but coming on
breaking that down. That that was it at ask Aquila
and thank you for sharing your scholarship and breaking it
down for like a five year old can understand it. See, man,
my people, my people perish for a lack of knowledge
(42:23):
you have done it for so everybody just stop listening
to the propaganda on the news and do your own work,
do your own due diligence at homework when it comes
to things like these, and Aquila, we're gonna definitely have
you back to break down some more stuff.
Speaker 4 (42:38):
So thank you.
Speaker 7 (42:39):
You're welcome. Taxes, become tax filist.
Speaker 4 (42:42):
Become tax filers.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
Aquila Thomas, tax strategist, small business coach, and financial educator.
Speaker 4 (42:48):
That was dope.
Speaker 1 (42:49):
Thank you so much, and thank you for listening to
the Public Affairs podcast. I'm KG Smooth and we will
see you next week.
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