Mike Allen in for Sloanie 12-30-25

Mike talks to Todd Sheets about the Trump National Defense Strategy. Dan Horn of the Enquirer reveals the findings of his study on religious activity in the Tri-State. And Mike talks to Christopher Smitherman about the state of the city.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Seven hundred WLW. Mike Allen in again for Scott Sloan.
Happy to do it.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
I don't want to be outdoors today, man, that is brutal.
I got here in the weather sheet eighteen degrees. I
don't know if that's the current temperature, but eighteen degrees
feels like four degrees. And if I'm not mistaken Sunday,
I mean we were like mid sixties. It's typical Cincinnati weather.

(00:31):
It's the reason why I think everybody gets sick here.
We got a great show for you today. I'm going
to talk a little bit again about the Minnesota situation.
It is the grift that keeps on giving. At nine
point thirty, we're going to talk to Todd Sheets. He's
going to talk about President Trump's National Security Survey. Really

(00:53):
raised a lot of eyes when that came out, and
Todd has done a deep dive on it, and we'll
talk to him.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
I'm looking forward to this.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Dan Horne, reporter, great reporter, longtime reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer,
did a really good piece on the kind of change
in religious feelings in the country, and it's also demographically
was able to break down Greater Cincinnati, so we'll see
how we compare with the rest of the country. At

(01:22):
eleven o'clock, Christopher Smithman, former Vice mayor of the City
of Cincinnati, always always has something interesting to say men.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
At eleven thirty J.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Ratliffe, aviation expert. We're going to talk to him, kind
of get an idea where we are travel wise, and
some other things that happened in the year twenty twenty
five in aviation. But first, the drum beat continues in Minnesota.
As I said, it is the grift that keeps on giving.
We have not heard the last of it.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
I know.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
I talk a lot about it. Reason I do, because
it's a big story, one of the biggest. I've ever
seen this thing already, and again I've probably about that
million times I've said this. We've only scratched the service already.
I think, without question. It is the biggest scandal money wise,
are probably otherwise in this country's history. And again it's

(02:17):
just the tip of the iceberg. Just a couple recent
developments federal funding pause. Boy, the federal government now the
Trump administration is kind of circling the wagons on this thing.
And the FBI yesterday Cashpateel, he confirmed that the bureau
has surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota. And I'll

(02:39):
tell you, the FBI's had their ups and downs, but
they are still, without questioning, the best law enforcement investigative
agency in the world in my humble opinion. So it's
not only me that says just the tip of the iceberg.
Cashpateel said, it's just the tip of a very large
iceberg and stated that the FBI began this surge even

(03:03):
before the issue gained widespread social media attention. The SBA administrator,
Kelly Leffler, she announced, I think it was yesterday pause
on annual funding to Minnesota.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
I think probably a smart move.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
This freeze includes over five point five million bucks in
annual support to resource partners while the agency investigates are
you ready for this and estimated four hundred and thirty
million dollars in suspected paycheck Protection Program PPP fraud across

(03:39):
the state. And you know, of all the COVID related giveaways,
this one seems to be the one that has the
most criminal problems. So they suspended money to that wisely so.
And Homeland Security agents were reported in Minneapolis yesterday conducting
a massive investigation into the rampant fraud. That includes reviewing

(04:04):
thousands of unanswered calls to welfare check hotlines from the
past two years.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
So it's going and it's going to keep continue.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Reports on December twenty ninth, just yesterday, I think, yeah,
it would have been yesterday, detailed claims from over Listen
to this four hundred and eighty Minnesota DHS workers who
alleged that Governor Walt's administration ignored or covered up years
of warnings regarding the exploding fraud schemes. That is beyond belief.

(04:42):
It really is how you're the governor of the state,
how you turn a blind eye to this? And you know,
I think we all know why he did it. He
didn't want to be labeled an islamophobe. God forbid, you'd
be called that or racist. And he's on his last leg. See,
you know we really I mean, and I'm just saying

(05:03):
it's because he's a Democrat and he's a boob. I mean,
I thought he was a boob long before this. But
he just needs to go. I mean, he needs to go.
He's running for his third term. At least, at a minimum,
take himself off the ballot. But again, that would take
a little courage. I don't see it coming.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
Okay. Indictment totals.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
As of late December twenty twenty five, at least ninety
two people have been charged in the years long investigation,
with at least sixty convictions secured to date. Tell you
the US Attorney's office, the trial lawyers that they have
some of the best in the country. They don't fool around.

(05:45):
But something that I heard yesterday, it's just unbelievable. I
about fell out of my chair. Okay, So we've got
this woman by the name of Marcia Gay. She is
an MSNBC Now. I guess they changed the name. They
probably picked up two three viewers on that Marcia Gay,

(06:07):
and I think she's also a New York Times columnist
or reporter. She was on MSNBC Now yesterday talking about this,
and just take a listen to what she had to say.

Speaker 1 (06:19):
If you could play that clip please.

Speaker 3 (06:21):
The question is, you know, why is this a priority?
In a different kind of way, the politicization of the
DOJ and the FBI is undeniable, So whether they are
reliable narrators is the big question. And this is what
happens when you weaponize and politicize federal agencies that are
not meant to be, you know, politicized. And I think

(06:45):
the American people are right to ask the question, well,
can we trust you? And that's a sad thing to
say as an American. Let's recall too that there's also
other scandals in other states, for example, the Mississippi welfare scandal,
and this is not unique to politics.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
Americans know that. Of course.

Speaker 3 (07:04):
The other factor here is that because it looks like
the Somali population in Minnesota, the Smali immigrant population may
have been at some involved in some way, these people
are being scapegoated, and that community is being scapegoaded in
a way that certainly serves the far right. And so
that's also something to keep an eye on, and that's inappropriate.

Speaker 2 (07:26):
Absolutely can you believe that? I mean really, can you?
I'm not going to use the word I want to use.
I like my job too much, but can you believe
that this woman gets on I think she was on
morning job that part of the MSNBC family, I guess,
and she says that that the Somali community are being scapegoaded.

Speaker 1 (07:54):
Unbelievable. Listen to this, Listen to this. Okay, so far
you have not.

Speaker 2 (08:00):
Ninety eight people charged in this thing, eighty five of
them are of Somali descent. So who's being scapegoated here?
It's just these people. I've always wondered, Still haven't gotten
the answer. Still haven't figured it out if they really
convince themselves of these things and they actually believe them,

(08:22):
or if they just bald face lie to the American
people scapegoating the Somali community. Ninety eight people charged, eighty
five of the ninety eight are of Somali descent. G
What does that tell you? Are you allowed to make
any assumptions from that? Well, the answer to that is yes,

(08:46):
I'm doing it. A lot of other people are doing
it too. Does it mean that every person of Somalian
descent in Minnesota is a crook? Absolutely not, and I'm
not saying that, and I don't think anybody else's. However,
there is a big, big problem. I mean, you know,

(09:07):
you got the situation in Columbus. People up there are
thinking that's gonna blow any minute now. I don't know
what specifically it is, but any number of people have
said stand by when that happens. But I don't know.
And she said, this is another one. You know, if
it were a Pinocchio deal, her nose would be growing.

(09:28):
She talks about weaponizing and politicizing the Department of Justice.
You know, I'd like to do some research on what
she has said, miss Gay publicly, to see if she
said that during the four years of the Biden administration.
By the way, the administration who invented and perfected weaponizing

(09:52):
the DOJ.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
You know, they seem to forget that.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
I would bet a chalkolate Sunday to anybody that she
probably remained silent while all of their the Biden administration's
weaponization happened. It's exhibit a, folks, really of just the
blatant bias of the mainstream media. I mean, for her
to sit there and say that the Somalian immigrants are

(10:21):
I think her quote was involved in some way. They're
involved in a pretty big way about it so far
in counting a nine billion dollar way. They just don't
get it. Well, I take that back, I think they
do get it. They just don't care. They have no
problem whatsoever with gaslighting the American people, and that's exactly

(10:44):
what they are doing. I'll tell you there's another story
that's brewing, and this thing is gonna bust at any minute.
I think that's the situation with the judge. One of
the judges in Minnesota, judged by the name of Joe
And no, that's somebody else, judge by the name of
Hennepin County Judge Sarah West. Okay, here's what she did.

(11:08):
And I know a little bit about this stuff. She
had a big, big, big trial recently. I think it
was a seven point two million dollars medicaid fraud case.
Shee's the trial judge there sitting in I guess it
was Minneapolis.

Speaker 1 (11:25):
And they have this case.

Speaker 2 (11:27):
I don't know how long it took, but my guess
is is that it probably was a lengthy case. Jury deliberates,
jury comes back, I don't know how long they were out.
Jury comes back with a finding of guilty, a unanimous
twelve person finding of guilty. In every criminal case in

(11:48):
this country, it has to be unanimous, not on civil cases,
but on criminal cases.

Speaker 1 (11:54):
Well, what does her honor do? I mean, what does
Judge Wes do?

Speaker 2 (12:00):
She does something that in all my years in the
criminal justice system, I've only seen a couple of times.
The amount of times I've seen it, I could count
on one hand. I wouldn't need all my fingers. It
is extremely rare for a judge to say, you know what,
ladies and gentlemen, the jury, all twelve of you, you

(12:22):
didn't get it. You know, you didn't get the right verdicts.
So by God, I'm gonna do it for you. Is
it legal? Yes in Minnesota, Yes, in Ohio, probably every state.
I'm not certain though, however, extremely rare that that happens.

Speaker 1 (12:40):
It should not have happened.

Speaker 2 (12:43):
And I hope someone is putting her under a microscope
because I don't have specifics. I don't know that there
are any specifics yet. She's kind of tied in with
these people, the Somalian community that might have been involved
in this in some way. But I don't want to
say anything more about that because I don't have any specifics. Okay,

(13:07):
you probably know who Andy McCarthy is. He's a former
US assistant attorney. He's always on Fox News. He said
the ruling her taking away the jury verdict. The ruling
veered far beyond what trial judges are normally permitted to do,
underscoring just what I just said, underscoring how exceptional the

(13:30):
move was. And here's what mister McCarthy said, verbatim, quote,
it is highly unusual for a judge to overturn a
jury verdict in a criminal case.

Speaker 1 (13:40):
Yeah, I'd say so.

Speaker 2 (13:41):
That's what he told Fox News, noting that a judge
who believes the evidence is legally insufficient supposed to stop
the case before it reaches a jury. There are things
in Ohio. It's rule twenty nine. After the government's case,
you can make a rule twenty nine. It's a motion
for judgment of a quid and the argument is, judge,

(14:02):
you know, it's just not there.

Speaker 1 (14:03):
It's just not there. Judge, you got to stop it now.

Speaker 2 (14:06):
And that that's still very infrequent, but it happens.

Speaker 1 (14:11):
It happens.

Speaker 2 (14:12):
But this judge, for whatever reason, let the jury deliberate,
and they did. And you know, jury verdicts in our
system are sacred.

Speaker 1 (14:22):
They really are.

Speaker 2 (14:23):
Twelve citizens listen to all of this stuff, and I'm
gonna find out how long they deliberated and came to
a conclusion on this. And the conclusion was that this
guy was guilty. But I guess the judge, I don't
know what her decision was, what it was based on.

Speaker 1 (14:41):
But here's another thing too. If I can find it.

Speaker 2 (14:46):
Okay, So the jury for person a person by the
name of Ben Walfut. What happens is with a jury,
they go back. The first thing that they do is
elect a four person. But anyway, this guy, the four
person of this jury, told the media there that he
was quote shocked close quote by West's decision and said

(15:07):
the jury's conclusion quote was not a difficult decision whatsoever.

Speaker 1 (15:13):
So I mean, there you go. What's going on there.

Speaker 2 (15:17):
I have no specifics other than what I just said,
but I think it still bears investigation.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
Stay tuned on this. I'm gonna keep talking about it.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
Not just this, but I'm gonna keep talking about it
on my Saturday show, especially because this thing is building
up to something that no one has ever seen before
in this country. How in God's name this could have
been going on and Waltz and the Attorney General sitting
on their butt doing nothing. Waltz, if he had any

(15:51):
kind of public feelings for his electorate, will just resign
and just say, look, you know this is a little
bit too much. People have lost faith and trust in me.
I'm out of here. But don't count on it. I
don't think that'll happen. Hey, we got to take a break.
But when we get back. And by the way, I've
got open lines from ten o'clock to ten thirty this morning.

(16:13):
Seven four nine, big one are the numbers if you
want to get involved. I do have an early guest though,
Boy he's a good one, Todd Sheets. Some of you
may have heard about President Trump unrolling rolling out I
guess the National Security Survey. It's a very important thing.
It's where the a document says where the United States

(16:35):
should be heading internationally. Todd did a deep dive on that.
Not a lot of people are happy about the outcome
of the National Security Survey. We're going to talk to
him when we get back. Mike Allen in for Slowey
seven hundred WLW slooney. You probably heard about this. If
you follow current events and world events, you would. President

(16:58):
Trump recently unveiled his national security strategy that changes years
of prior strip strategy and it focuses on guess what
America first imagine that, but not everyone likes it. My
next guest is Todd Sheets. Mister Sheets, author to report.

(17:19):
It was an op ed piece that and it was
titled Finally Political Consensus. Everyone hates the National Security Strategy.
Todd's the author of the newsletter on Wealth and Progress,
currently available free of charge on Substack, also available on YouTube.

Speaker 1 (17:39):
Spotify, and Apple.

Speaker 2 (17:41):
He is also the author of the acclaimed book two
thousand and eight, What Really Happened?

Speaker 1 (17:47):
Todd? Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

Speaker 4 (17:50):
Mike, it's a pleasure to be with you.

Speaker 2 (17:52):
Hey, let me ask you first if you could explain
to my listeners and me, really, what exactly is the
National Secure Already strategy? I know, standing alone, it kind
of speaks for herself, but I mean it's an actual document,
is it not.

Speaker 5 (18:08):
Yes, this year it was a report that was right
around thirty pages long. Okay, it's required by Congress. It's
supposed to come out every year. It doesn't necessarily come
out every year, but usually, you know, at least once
every couple of years in administration will put one out
that kind of, you know, sets the tone for what
their strategy is, you know, in the international arena.

Speaker 2 (18:31):
I think the Trump administration surprised some people on this,
maybe not because he hasn't had a lot good to
say about Europe, I guess since he started his second term.
But can you kind of explain what the issue is
and what the problem is. And you make the point
in your article that both the New York Times and
the Wall Street Journal criticized the report. I guess are

(18:53):
saying it's an abdication of our traditional role as the
world's policeman.

Speaker 1 (18:58):
Could you kind of expound on that, please.

Speaker 5 (19:01):
Yeah, that's kind of both the thinking I think reflected
in their perspectives and in general.

Speaker 6 (19:09):
You know, it reflects.

Speaker 5 (19:10):
Almost one hundred years of history in Europe and even
more if we go back to our founding ideals, but
if we focus on the twentieth century, and I'll try
and be very brief with this, you know, through World
War One, World War two, and the Cold War, you know,
we built up a coalition with Europe to try and
defend democracy in the arena where it was most relevant

(19:34):
obviously to Europe, but also to us because of the
threats to Western Europe and the need for the United
States to help step in and help them fight off
the Germans in the first two Wars and then the.

Speaker 7 (19:46):
Soviet Union in the Cold War.

Speaker 5 (19:49):
And you know, we developed a mentality out of that,
and Europe certainly did where there was this very you
know deeply connected alliance between the two sides that was
crucial to maintaining peace and balance throughout the world. And
I think the fact of the matter is which Trump
has recognized, but I think the traditionalists have not, and

(20:10):
you know, have a hard time letting go of on
both the left and the right. As you pointed out,
is that circumstances have changed dramatically, you know, since the
fall of the Soviet Union in the early nineteen nineties,
and it is time for us to look at all
of this from a very different perspective, taking those changes
into account.

Speaker 2 (20:29):
And I guess a big part of it is withdrawing
some of the troops from Europe over there. I know
we have done that throughout that I think the past
twenty or so years. My father was in the Air Force.
He was a civil engineer, and he was there in
Germany about five years from about nineteen fifty five to

(20:50):
nineteen sixty working on rebuilding. And you know, he said
that Americans, especially the.

Speaker 1 (20:56):
Troops, were everywhere.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
And I guess the thought is makes sense to me,
is that it's time to kind of shift focus to
perhaps the two bad guys, if you will, communists China
and Russia.

Speaker 1 (21:09):
Is that kind of the gist of it.

Speaker 5 (21:12):
Yeah, that's a very big part of it. And I
think one of the things that's very important to keep
in mind is Russia today is nowhere near the threat
that was posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
And that's one of the things I think that the
left and the right, you know, the critics haven't quite
fully accepted today.

Speaker 7 (21:31):
Russia's GDP, which is, you.

Speaker 5 (21:33):
Know, their gross domestic product, which determines how much economic
resources they can put into their military operations. Today they're
about the size of Italy or Canada, so they are
significantly smaller. Yes, back in the fifties and the sixties,
they were roughly two thirds you know, the GDP of
the United States, the Soviet Union i'm speaking of, they

(21:56):
were clearly the global threat. Today, the only country that
is even close to that is China, which you mentioned
is the place where we need to be shifting our
focus as well as to the you know, North and
South America to the Western hemisphere.

Speaker 7 (22:11):
And what's going on here and.

Speaker 6 (22:12):
So what's happened is Russia is so.

Speaker 5 (22:15):
Much smaller, you know, their lack of power and their
lack of a threat for example, to the United States
is reflected in what happened in the War with Ukraine
where they went in. Ukraine's even much smaller than.

Speaker 7 (22:28):
Russia is, and yet.

Speaker 4 (22:29):
Here we are four years later where.

Speaker 5 (22:32):
They're struggling to make advances. So that should be a
regional conflict that Europe should be responsible for dealing with.
And unfortunately, they have mismanaged themselves.

Speaker 4 (22:45):
So much that even countries like you.

Speaker 5 (22:48):
Know, Great Britain, France, Germany, who are much larger economically
than Russia is today multiples of what Russia is, you know,
they're basically kind of sitting back and waiting for the
United States to come in and play the leading role
in dealing with what is really a relatively it's not
minor to the people. I don't mean to diminish it

(23:08):
from that perspective, but from the global perspective and certainly
from the.

Speaker 7 (23:13):
United States' perspective, this.

Speaker 5 (23:15):
Should be a relatively minor conflict in Eastern Europe that
Western Europe should be responsible for dealing with.

Speaker 4 (23:23):
And I think that's what the Trump.

Speaker 5 (23:24):
Administration is driving at with, you know, with this new
strategy and with their approach to Europe. Is like, hey, guys,
it's time for you guys to deal with things like
this so we can focus on our own hemisphere and
today's real threat, which is China.

Speaker 7 (23:40):
You know what.

Speaker 2 (23:41):
And Trump say what you will about him, but the
guy says what he's going to do, and he does it.
And that was part of the campaign to kind of
take a new look at it, you know, in your
and you mentioned it just before.

Speaker 1 (23:54):
It's really it's staggering.

Speaker 2 (23:56):
Russia's economic resources, their GDP less than those of Italy
and Canada, and you know, no better indication of their
military decline. Now the one thing that Russia does have,
and you know, I think it's sickening. Apparently Vladimir Putin
could care less how many Russians he sends into battle

(24:18):
and are killed. I researched it a little bit. This
is from AI, which I find to be usually accurate.
Two hundred and forty three to three hundred and fifty
thousand people Russians soldiers died in that war that's not
even over yet, and some think as many as.

Speaker 1 (24:35):
Half a million.

Speaker 2 (24:36):
Doesn't that the fact that he can do that, can
get away with it kind of still make him a
threat and Russia by extension because he's not going anywhere
unless they throw him out.

Speaker 5 (24:48):
Yeah, I think they are a threat over time, and
they do have You're exactly right, that's very important what
you pointed out. There's this completely different attitude about the
importance of Indi visuals and citizens when you get into
these hostile regimes you know that are run by autocrats,
you know who basically almost at some point they have

(25:10):
to go to war because their own systems become so
inefficient and they're so incapable of helping their people live
a better life that they have to go off to
war to try and conquer somebody else's land and their resources,
and to try and make the people think that something
positive is happening within the country.

Speaker 4 (25:29):
So I do think their threat. It's not like we
should completely.

Speaker 7 (25:33):
Ignore what's happening over there. But but Trump has not
been ignoring it.

Speaker 5 (25:37):
You know, they've been selling rush weapons to Ukraine now
being purchased by Europe, which is appropriate. They've been willing
to make some long term security guarantees to Ukraine to
try and halt Russia in their tracks if we can
get a peace settlement, which I'm a little skeptical that
that Putin's going to be willing.

Speaker 7 (25:57):
To do that.

Speaker 6 (25:58):
But yeah, we need to be vigilant.

Speaker 5 (26:00):
And it's also very important, and this is something that
many critics have either missed or outright light about in
talking about the National Security strategy. The Strategy report specifically says,
we need to make sure that no hostile, aggressive company
or country excuse me, comes to dominate any of the

(26:21):
major regions of the world.

Speaker 7 (26:23):
We need to keep a.

Speaker 4 (26:24):
Balance of power.

Speaker 5 (26:25):
So they're effectively saying, we're not going to allow Russia
to go too far with this. You know, we can't
play the leading and the first responder role, but we
will pay play a role that prevents Russia from gradually
taking over too much of Europe.

Speaker 2 (26:41):
Yeah, I wanted to ask you. I mean, because you
pay attention to these things. Is there any thought that
the Russian citizens will say at some point enough and
get his ass out of there? Does anybody see that
or is that something that is just not going to happen.

Speaker 5 (26:58):
Yeah, you know, he has been able to maintain his
power for a long time.

Speaker 7 (27:03):
I think he's.

Speaker 5 (27:04):
Vastly overstepped his boundaries with the Ukraine War, and that's
one of the reasons why he is so unwilling to
back down and make a peaceful settlement. That doesn't give
him enough to be able to show his country that, yeah,
the last four years and these hundreds of thousands of
deaths were worth it, and that's the big problem. But

(27:27):
I have to think, you know, at some point, the
patience of the Russian people is going to give out.
Their economy is in a very bad shape, is in
very bad condition. They've lost all these people, they have
not been able to accomplish very much with the war,
and so you know, I'm actually of the opinion that
as long as Ukraine wants to continue fighting, you know,

(27:50):
and we're not putting our own people over there and
risking their lives, and we're selling weapons to help them
do it, I'm in favor of that because I think
at some point then, you know, Putin's going to have
to face up to his people. They can't go on
like this forever.

Speaker 6 (28:03):
You know.

Speaker 2 (28:03):
I saw those figures and just astounding. I mean, we
lost fifty thousand, I believe in the Vietnam War. I mean,
you're talking about some people's estimates ten times that we
only have a few minutes left. And I probably should
have asked you about this a little earlier because it's
extremely important communists China. Trump has been pretty good his

(28:24):
administration about beeping up Taiwan. I think we just sold
them a bunch of new jets. I mean, is that
the strategy with respect to China, or at least part
of it, make Taiwan, which is microscopic compared to red China.
You know in geography, is that pretty much as you
see a todd the strategy to make sure that we

(28:46):
take care of our ally Taiwan.

Speaker 4 (28:50):
Yeah, And I think the same thing we.

Speaker 5 (28:52):
Were just talking about, where we can't allow any hostile
country to dominate any region of the world world. It
applies even more so to China, Taiwan, and Asia than
it does to Europe at this point in time, given
the size and.

Speaker 7 (29:09):
Threat that China poses.

Speaker 6 (29:10):
And I think it's also very important to remember Trump in.

Speaker 5 (29:13):
His first term is the one who finally started dealing
with the rise of China by imposing the first round
of tariffs on them. So the first round of tariffs
and Trump one point zero, what he's proposing to the
increases that they're pushing through right now in Trump two
point zero, and the document very specifically states that, you know,
we cannot allow anyone to dominate the South China seas

(29:37):
and the shipping channels there, because too much of the
world's commerce needs to flow through those channels, and we
can't allow somebody like China to get to the point
where they have so much control over them that they
can shut down significant portions of the world economy. So yes,
that is definitely where they're shifting their focus. And they're

(29:57):
very you know, zeroed in the importance of all that.

Speaker 1 (30:01):
Well, which is obviously smart. Boy. Unfortunately we're out of time.
We could talk for hours about this.

Speaker 2 (30:07):
Really appreciate your point of view, Todd, and appreciate you
calling in this morning.

Speaker 4 (30:12):
Yeah, Mike, thanks so much.

Speaker 7 (30:13):
It was great to be.

Speaker 8 (30:13):
Back with you.

Speaker 2 (30:14):
Okay, you too. I'll tell you what. It's certainly food
for thought. And boy, I think he's right on the money,
and so is Donald Trump. I mean, you know, we,
I don't know, use the term babysat Europe for a
long long time time for them to kind of do
a little bit more for themselves as a continent. Hey,
you got to take a break, but we will be

(30:35):
back with open lines and phone calls for seven nine.
I'm sorry one eight hundred, the big one if you
want to be a part of this. Mike Allen in
for Sloaney seven hundred WLW WLW Mike Allen in for Sloaney.
As promised, I'm going to the phones, but just wanted
to read you one thing.

Speaker 1 (30:53):
I think it was yesterday Vice President jd.

Speaker 2 (30:56):
Vance weigh in on this thing, and boy, he just
hit the nail on the head. He called the Minnesota
situation quote a microcosm of the immigration fraud in our system.
He's stating that politicians like it because they get power,
welfared cheets like it because they get rich. I mean,

(31:17):
I think that pretty much says it all. And he's
damn accurate on it. Okay, let me go to the
phones here. Gabriel in Dayton has been holding on the longest. Hey,
good morning, Gabriel.

Speaker 9 (31:29):
Yeah, goodmore and Micah just want to say a couple
of things, yourself and the great American You all do.

Speaker 8 (31:35):
A great job there. Appreciate it, Thank you.

Speaker 9 (31:37):
But I thought i'd heard everything when a year or
so ago, Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, she
got on the national news and she said that there'd
been like one hundred and sixty smash and grab robbers
and eli to that point, and then she said, we're
going to put our foot down, We're going to stop this.

(31:57):
I'm thinking that the tenor smashing ground is.

Speaker 8 (32:00):
Why may something?

Speaker 9 (32:01):
And then the US mentioned JD Vans that that interview
with Martha raddits.

Speaker 6 (32:07):
Yo.

Speaker 9 (32:07):
You you're saying that, you know, do you recall that
there was nothing bad about the Venezuela and gang. You're
taking over parts of color rather, you know that, But
with what the with what the woman said you just
reported this morning, that probably takes the cakes hey and
the down playing this, this Minnesota fraud.

Speaker 8 (32:28):
Yes, that's all I've got to say.

Speaker 1 (32:29):
Okay, go ahead, thank you, Gaby.

Speaker 2 (32:31):
You know I mean, she says they're nitpicking and blaming
it all on the Somali people. And again I'll read
it again, ninety eight people charge eighty five of Somali descent.
I think you can infer whatever the heck you want
out of that. But appreciate the call. Gabriel. Oh he's gone. Okay,
let's see. Let's talk to Jay in Centerville. He wants

(32:54):
to talk about identity theft side of the fraud case,
and well, I didn't think about that, but it is
a part of the jay what you got.

Speaker 8 (33:02):
Hey, Mike, I've called it in a few times. I'm
the one. Let's see a refugee from the People's Republic
of Portland.

Speaker 6 (33:12):
Did you get a.

Speaker 8 (33:13):
Chance to watch the Nick Shirley recordings?

Speaker 1 (33:16):
You know what, I only saw one.

Speaker 2 (33:18):
As I understand that there's a compilation of four of
them on YouTube.

Speaker 1 (33:23):
I have not seen that one yet.

Speaker 8 (33:26):
They're absolutely amazing. He actually got physically a tackle in
time tells you that he is really sniffing up the
right tree. They are. They're coming after him physically, he's
really turning over some bad stuff.

Speaker 1 (33:39):
Well, but you know what, you.

Speaker 2 (33:41):
Look at him, he's one guy with a microphone and
a camera. In three or four days, he's found out
and done what the Minnesota officials couldn't do in years.

Speaker 1 (33:53):
I mean, it's it's incredible.

Speaker 8 (33:56):
Well, you think about Keith Ellison out there. He is
a radical Islamist. He supports care, he supports the Muslim Brotherhood.
He is not there for the good.

Speaker 1 (34:11):
He also supports.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
Interrupted, but he also supports Louis Farrakhan, the biggest anti
Semite in the world.

Speaker 1 (34:19):
I just wanted to point.

Speaker 8 (34:20):
Out he does. It's amazing and if it weren't for
the Somali immigrants coming into that state, he would have
never been elected to that position or to the Senate.
So tells you a little bit about the change in
demographics and the damage will do. But when you look
at the situation of totality, and I have some access
to data around this stuff through work, the majority of

(34:44):
the fraud is happening on the provider's side. So you
have these fake businesses out there. There was one that
they showed where there was a restaurant that was building
a state eighteen thousand meals a day for kids that
didn't have access to food, and the restaurant itself help
hold time. I'm thinking around twenty nine people, so somehow
they were able to have eighteen thousand kids a day

(35:05):
come through. They're never a single kid ever in that restaurant.
So it's on the provider side. But when you think
about the people that are getting the benefits, and there's
kickbacks and all kinds of crazy things going on there,
there's an identity theft element to this as well. We've
talked about this before. Nearly every illegal alien in the

(35:27):
country and This is where the bleeding hearts don't get it,
are using stone identity, and that does massive damage the
owners of those security numbers. And a lot of these
people that Trump is arresting and deporting, they're claiming that
there was no crime involved with these people. Reality is
most of them had either a criminal record, a crime

(35:52):
that they're in the process of being prosecuted for, or
they had previous orders of deportation either them or came back.

Speaker 2 (36:01):
Jay this morning. I don't mean to interrupt you, but
this morning I saw the figure. Oh it's been a
seven out of ten of them, and I'm sorry for
interrupt you.

Speaker 1 (36:11):
I just wanted to make sure people knew that.

Speaker 8 (36:15):
Yeah. Absolutely, So when I see all these whiny people
on Facebook and other places talking about kicking out the
poor immigrants, number one, they're not immigrants. I have friends
that are immigrants and they put a lot of work
into becoming American citizens. And number two, they do have
criminal records. The mainstream media chooses to pick what they

(36:39):
cherry pick what they share, and when they say that
they don't have criminal records, they're not talking about the
felonies that they have against them for re entering the country.
After they've been deported.

Speaker 1 (36:50):
Yep, that's what it is.

Speaker 2 (36:51):
And again seven out of ten, so that kind of
takes that argument away.

Speaker 1 (36:55):
And you don't even do that.

Speaker 2 (36:56):
I mean, if you trespassed into our country, you are
a criminal. You've committed a crime. You're not a citizen
of this country. You may be a temporary illegal resident.

Speaker 1 (37:08):
But I don't know.

Speaker 2 (37:09):
Maybe this thing in Minnesota will open people's eyes.

Speaker 1 (37:14):
I don't know. I mean it should.

Speaker 2 (37:16):
If it doesn't, I don't know why, but I appreciate
the call. Okay, thanks, Yeah, seven out of ten. So
you know, go figure, well, you know, when Joe Biden
lets what anywhere from latest figures fifteen million to twenty
million people in we're gonna be dealing with this stuff.

Speaker 1 (37:35):
Thank you, Joe Biden. And I'll tell you what.

Speaker 2 (37:38):
That guy has to go down as the worst president
in this country's history. You know, you talk about Jimmy Carter,
and I've not been charitable to him very much.

Speaker 1 (37:49):
I think I should now.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
But Jimmy Carter, he well, first of all, he wasn't
cognitively impaired, but I truly think he thought about him Americans.
Who the hell knows what Biden was thinking about anyway,
Let's talk to Will in northern Kentucky. He wants to
weigh in on what we talked about the National Security
Survey with Todd Sheets. Hey, Will, how you doing?

Speaker 10 (38:13):
Hey Mike, I always love your programs. I think you
wanted to call on Saturday about that.

Speaker 8 (38:18):
Anyway.

Speaker 10 (38:19):
You know, the GDP of a country really doesn't matter.
Think of what the al Qaeda did in ninety eleven.
Here they've called the world billions billions of dollars, and
they they did it with nothing. You know, Putin is
If you want to know the true nature of Putin,
Readill o'illy's relatively new book, Confronting Evil. Chapter nine is

(38:41):
dedicated to him. Okay, he's a death line. He's a
mass murderer. And that's what the United States always says
tried to do, is confront mass murderers and desktops. You know,
whether it's in South America or whether it's in you know,
Eastern Europe at the time, you know, the just it's
because Ukrainian now Ukrainian now, it doesn't mean Estonia or

(39:05):
Lafia or Finland won't be next or Poland.

Speaker 1 (39:09):
Oh no, no question.

Speaker 2 (39:10):
He gets away with what he did looks like maybe
they're coming close to some kind of agreement. I'm a
little skeptical, but he does to other countries what he's
done to Ukraine. I mean, I think a lot of
people think that that very well could happen. When I
saw the figure will of anywhere from three hundred and
fifty million to five hundred excuse me, five million people

(39:36):
killed or I'm sorry, five hundred thousand people killed. It's
just staggering. He doesn't care about human life. And you know,
he treats that his citizens like their bullets coming out
of a gun.

Speaker 1 (39:48):
I mean, that guy, I think he can boil it down.
He's a thug.

Speaker 6 (39:53):
He's a thug.

Speaker 10 (39:54):
And if you and you know they are, to you,
Russia is really just a one trick pony. Really have
two tricks on me. They have not natural resources coming
out to law zoom. Plus the military, the military is
really only second to the United States and icb ms
and fighters. They export a lot of that stuff to

(40:15):
bad actors all around the world. Obviously, give me a
perspective of that number, you know in the song and
World War One, just in a three months battle, the
British lost four.

Speaker 8 (40:26):
Hundred thousand dead.

Speaker 10 (40:28):
We lost four hundred thousand entire.

Speaker 8 (40:30):
World War two.

Speaker 10 (40:32):
Just put perspectives into you know, give you perspectives of
numbers of the help many people die.

Speaker 11 (40:38):
In these wars.

Speaker 10 (40:39):
But you know Ukraine his loss tens of thousands of people.

Speaker 7 (40:43):
Also you look that up.

Speaker 10 (40:45):
And may have died, and he targets civilians. Yeah, but anyway,
that's that's all I got to say about that. You've
got great shows.

Speaker 8 (40:54):
I like it.

Speaker 2 (40:54):
Thank you very much, Will, and thanks for asking a
question about that, because it is important. You know, it
doesn't raise your blood level. I think to the extent
that this the grift that keeps on giving in Minnesota.
But obviously extremely important. And once again, say what you
want about Trump, but he is right on the money

(41:16):
with this thing. It's not Eurocentric anymore. And I didn't
get a chance to talk to Todd about the situation
in South America, that hemisphere. What Trump's plans down there
are so also the strategic plan. As Todd pointed out,
people don't like it on the left, they don't like
it on the right. Usually that means there's something pretty

(41:39):
good in there. Hey, let's talk to Fred in Vansburg. Hey,
good morning, Fred.

Speaker 12 (41:44):
Good morning, thanks for taking my call.

Speaker 1 (41:46):
And my pleasure.

Speaker 12 (41:48):
Happy New Year to all of you at WLW.

Speaker 7 (41:50):
A longtime listener, thank you.

Speaker 13 (41:52):
Also, I want to tell you I'm a Christian conservative
okay years a somewhat disabled and living on a very
limited pitch income.

Speaker 12 (42:05):
And I'm actually I'm calling about the.

Speaker 10 (42:10):
Terror I mean the terror free by the situation there, the.

Speaker 13 (42:15):
Two thousand dollars payment.

Speaker 12 (42:17):
Is there any news on that.

Speaker 2 (42:19):
You know, Fred, as I sit here now, I don't know,
but I'm sure gonna look because he has said that,
he said it, and then I know it was him
or somebody else in it is in his administration backed
off of it a little bit. But you know, the
thing about Trump is he says he's going to do something,
I mean nine times out of ten, probably more than
that he does it.

Speaker 1 (42:39):
But I'll drill down on that. I don't because I'm
not sure.

Speaker 10 (42:43):
That's what I understand.

Speaker 4 (42:45):
And i want to tell you one other thing.

Speaker 12 (42:47):
And I guess in the winter or spring, winter or
early spring of twenty twenty two, you know, I'm a
tax payer, file a taxer, turn you know, the h
R block, And I was, I was of the understanding
that I my people were going to get uh a

(43:12):
fourteen dollars rebate when Biden. This is when Biden was
uh uh in in office, and Uh, I want to
tell you I never received any. I mean, I'm over
the understanding that some people were received the fourteen hundred dollars,
but I certainly did not. I received two form letters,

(43:32):
one from the U. S. Treasury and one form letter
from Biden himself saying that I was turned down.

Speaker 2 (43:39):
So I just wanted to did they let that they
say why?

Speaker 12 (43:44):
They said there was a mistake, Yeah, Biden that that
that that uh an hn R block uh and there
was no on the only the only mistake is that
I'm a conservative.

Speaker 1 (43:59):
Yeah, thank.

Speaker 12 (44:02):
And I want to I want to tell you another
thing I had. I was in a really bad direct
more than twenty years ago. Received a settlement investing money
in the stock market. And I really, I really lost
badge badly in the in the in the Biden years.

Speaker 6 (44:19):
I really I was.

Speaker 9 (44:20):
I was.

Speaker 12 (44:21):
I was wiped out uh by UH by UH August
the twenty twenty four I was worked out of the
stock market and UH and UH I was. I was
receiving income money transferred from the from the money market
account to my taking account. Uh and anyway, by August

(44:44):
of twenty twenty four, it was all gone uh and uh.

Speaker 8 (44:50):
Uh.

Speaker 12 (44:51):
Like I said, I'm I'm on a very limited texting
I'm for this year of twenty twenty five, I've had
more than five thousand dollars more going out of my
checond account than an incomp coming union.

Speaker 4 (45:04):
I welcome.

Speaker 10 (45:06):
I really use the two thousand dollars.

Speaker 2 (45:09):
It's the hangover, Fred. I think of the Biden administration.
Trump's turning things around. Hey, I appreciate the car.

Speaker 12 (45:14):
I know he's in the process of working, and I'm
I'm very thankful to hear. I guess this is true.
The seventeen hundred and seventy six dollars to uh after Milter,
Is that true?

Speaker 2 (45:29):
I don't know, but I'm going to drill down on
our Fred, but I do have to go. I got
some other callers, but thank you for that call. Let
me see what I can find out. Okay, I will
look at that. Hey, let's do this. Let's take a
short break, come back, and then we'll have a few
minutes before ten thirty.

Speaker 1 (45:45):
Dan Horn, it's hang around for this.

Speaker 2 (45:48):
It's about the change in religious feelings not only nationwide,
but in the greater Cincinnati area. We'll do that when
we get back Mike Allen's seven hundred WLW Sloaney. Hey,
we got some answers, I believe to the questions that
the previous caller post with respect.

Speaker 1 (46:05):
To the two thousand dollars tariff rebate checks.

Speaker 2 (46:09):
The Columbus Dispatch reports to that funding for President Donald
Trump's proposed two thousand dollars tar freebate checks would require
approval from Congress. White House Economic Advisor Ken Hassett said
the administration will likely bring a formal proposal to Congress
in the new year. The latest news comes after Trump

(46:31):
announced the Warrior dividends the seventeen seventy six bonus from
military members funded from the one Big, Beautiful Bill. I
want to tell you, right after that last caller called,
a caller called in and said that his son is
a service member. He did receive the one thousand, seven
hundred and seventy six bonus. I think that's pretty cool too.

(46:53):
How they did that set it up with seventeen seventy
six the only problem, And I got to think Trump
and his administration doped this out. I mean, one of
the reasons why. And I am not an economist by
any stretch of the imagination. I'm real good at one
thing with money, and that's spending it. But one of

(47:15):
the reasons I think for the inflation, or at least
it's been reported under the Biden administration, was Joe Biden
dumping all this money into the economy. And I don't
know the wiser wherefores as to why that would spike inflation.
But you know what, if I know Trump, he thought
it out. And I tell you, I don't have any

(47:36):
problem at all. Giving soldiers, active duty soldiers seven one,
seven hundred and seventy six bucks. They earn it, you
know people, and you know you'll get some people that'll say.

Speaker 1 (47:47):
Well you will, you know, why why would you do that?

Speaker 2 (47:50):
I mean they're already paid, and they're pretty pretty well paid.
You get up in the officer and I spent ten
years in the Army Reserve in the Jag Corps. The
officer ranks are pretty well paid, I think enlisted.

Speaker 1 (48:06):
Not so much.

Speaker 2 (48:07):
So this is something that can help those families around
Christmas time. I'm all for it. Hey, just a couple
of things I wanted to kind of pick up on that.
Various people said on this whole situation with the Minnesota deal,
the Speaker of the House weight on it, and if
I could only find it, I would tell you what

(48:29):
he said.

Speaker 1 (48:30):
Well, I'll have to do that later. Let's go back
to mar Gay.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
She is the person from MSNBC now analyst and again,
and I should check this. A New York Times reporter,
which you know, what she said, would certainly indicate that
that's true. And we heard that clip of her, but
I still scratched my head on it. She claimed that
the Somali community in Minnesota is being her words, scapegoaded

(48:59):
in response to recent federal fraud cases related to Here
we Go pandemic relief funding. The statement was made in
the context of President Trump targeting the community.

Speaker 1 (49:11):
That's what she says. He hasn't you know, he really
hasn't said much on it.

Speaker 2 (49:16):
Is an administration has and is doing something about it
generated significant news coverage. See that's what you get with
these people. They gaslight you, or I mean, they lie
to you. A gaslight, I think is a little bit less.
I don't really understand the word that much, but not
as strong as a blatant lie.

Speaker 1 (49:35):
Either way. Either way.

Speaker 2 (49:37):
And I've always wondered, do they do this knowing what
they're doing or they actually believe the garbage. I guess
it doesn't matter either way. Hey, we got to break
for the news. When we come back, you're gonna want
to hear this. This is going to be good. Dan Horne,
a long time reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer, did a
piece about a about I think it's about a week ago,

(49:59):
about the change in religious feelings both nationally and in
the Tri state area. And we are going to talk
to Dan about that when we get back.

Speaker 1 (50:08):
Mike Allen in.

Speaker 2 (50:09):
For Slowey, seven hundred WLW. It's ten thirty eight News Radio,
seven hundred WLW. Mike Allen in for Slowey. Well, I
kind of gave you a preview of it a little
bit this morning. Dan Horne of the Cincinnati Inquirer, who
is a true journalist, he wrote a great article about

(50:29):
a week ago titled poll finds Cincinnatians believe in Heaven
and Hell but skip services and he's here to talk
about it with us now. Thanks so much for joining us.
Dan really appreciate it.

Speaker 6 (50:44):
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 8 (50:44):
Mike.

Speaker 2 (50:45):
Hey, according to AI, which I don't know, if you're
using I'm starting to use it pretty much. Recent data
from late twenty twenty four and going into twenty twenty
five seems to indicate a rise in religious influence in
the United States. Is that what you found? And if
you want to just kind of expound on what you

(51:07):
found in the piece that you.

Speaker 14 (51:09):
Wrote, Yeah, there, and there is some recent data out
there suggesting there's been an uptick, particularly among young men in.

Speaker 11 (51:18):
Some religious faith.

Speaker 14 (51:20):
But the data I looked at looked at kind of
the long game on some of this stuff. This is
the data I looked at was a Pew Research Center survey,
which is a periodic survey they do every half decade
or so, and basically they asked people across the country
about their religious beliefs, about, you know, their attendance services,

(51:43):
how often they pray, do they believe in heaven and Hell,
that kind of thing, and they can compare that over
time to past results, and that trend line is pretty
much shown that attendance at mass or at any religious
service is down generally, but the importance of religion and

(52:05):
people's lives is sixty four percent of people said it
was very or somewhat important and only about a quarter
of the people surveyed said that they attend religious services regularly.

Speaker 2 (52:16):
You know, and it seems too like the Greater Cincinnati area,
which demographically, I guess Pugh broke that down pretty much
dovetails in most cases with the national poll. Just a paragraph, short,
couple sentences out of your story. Pew found sixty six
percent of those surveyed here were Christians, with about two

(52:38):
thirds identifying as Protestant and about one third as Catholic.
About seven percent were members of other faiths faiths including Judaism, Islam,
and Hinduism. The rest said they didn't identify with any
organized religion. And you make the point, then, Dan, that
compared with the rest of the country, Greater Cincinnatians of

(52:58):
all faiths felt more strongly that religion was an important
part of their lives, with forty two percent saying that
it was very important, compared to thirty eight percent for
the country. Overall, it seems like we in the Greaterst.
Cincinnati area are kind of paralleling what the country's saying.

Speaker 14 (53:18):
Yeah, there wasn't much variation from Greater Cincinnati.

Speaker 7 (53:22):
To the national numbers.

Speaker 14 (53:24):
A little bit here or there, but the most part
as you said, they doved heiled pretty closely.

Speaker 2 (53:31):
And belief in God, that's one that obviously many people
find very important. What did you find out about that
both nationally and in the Tri State area?

Speaker 8 (53:44):
Right?

Speaker 14 (53:44):
So you know that's obviously the foundation of most religious faiths,
as a belief in the Supreme Being or in God.
And you know, this survey found fifty seven percent of
people in Cincinnati and fifty four percent nationally were certain
in their belief in God, confident that God was real.
There were another twenty eight twenty nine percent who said

(54:08):
they believe, but they're not certain. So that's a huge
number that says they are either certain or they believe
that God is real. And yet you see the numbers
for people who actually put that belief into action by
attending weekly services is still about one in four.

Speaker 11 (54:26):
Of people who say they are part of the religious faith.

Speaker 2 (54:30):
Here's a big one too that you looked at, do
you believe in heaven or Hell? Can you kind of
tell us what you found on that one both locally
and nationally that Pew.

Speaker 14 (54:41):
Put out, Yeah, here are Cincinnatians actually are a little
less likely to believe in heaven.

Speaker 6 (54:48):
They have sixty.

Speaker 14 (54:48):
Percent and national responders were sixty seven percent saying that
they believed. I don't know if this is the optimism
and Cincinnatians or not, but few of them believe in
hell two percent that they believe in hell fifty five
percent nationally. So they're more confident that there's something awaiting
you if you do good in your life, and a

(55:11):
little less confident that there's some eternal punishment.

Speaker 11 (55:14):
For you if you don't.

Speaker 1 (55:15):
Sure you know.

Speaker 2 (55:16):
One of the things they left out, I guess that
for Catholics is the concept of purgatory, which we were
taught that, you know, if you're not perfect, you may
have to do a stretch in purgatory. And I always
thought I'll do a couple hundred years in purgatory if
I eventually get to having for eternity. I don't know,
I think there are some Catholics that actually feel that way.

Speaker 1 (55:39):
Were you surprised?

Speaker 14 (55:40):
I'm a number of skipping math That might be true.

Speaker 2 (55:46):
Man, What else did you find interesting in this thing?
It's all interesting? But I guess did any of this
stuff surprise you?

Speaker 6 (55:56):
Not? Really?

Speaker 14 (55:57):
This is part of kind of a decade on trend
line that you're seeing in any number of polls. Gallop
does semi annual pulling on this, and you see the
numbers showing some consistency and belief, but a less consistency
and religious affiliation with organized faith, more people they don't

(56:18):
follow any particular faith, newer people attending services. There is
some variation in that. But you know, just the most
recent Gallup poll found across the board declines and religious
service attendance among or among Christian faiths over the last
twenty five years. And just from you know, Protestant mainline Protestants, Presbyterians, Methodists,

(56:38):
that sort of thing, Evangelicals and Catholics. You know, it's
part of a trend that we've seen for some time.

Speaker 2 (56:46):
Yeah, and you know, it boils down to, according to
what you write and according to the numbers, that the
importance of religion has risen a little bit, but not
necessarily attending the services. I know, for the Katholic Mass,
I mean, you know, when I was a kid growing up,
I mean, those those churches were packed.

Speaker 1 (57:06):
Not so much now. But it does seem to me, based.

Speaker 2 (57:10):
On what I've read independently and what you report, that
at least at least a feeling that there is a
supreme being in that person. That being is important. Is
that kind of what you're thinking to and what you found.

Speaker 6 (57:26):
Yeah, I think.

Speaker 14 (57:27):
You know, people will say that, they tend to say
that they believe, but I think what we're seeing is
a decline and the belief in the institutional aspects of
religion and traditional religious belief. You know that in far
as far as organized faith, attending mass, regularly identifying with
a particular faith, that's the thing that's declined. And you

(57:48):
know some of the reasons for that, I mean, no
one knows for sure. I mean, the surveys are all
over the place on some of that, but you know,
among mainline Protestants you see some splintering over issues like
gay maryorg. Among Catholics certainly still see struggling from the
fallout from the clergy abuse scandal, and some of the
faith in the institutions. You know that that created and

(58:10):
then just you know, politics in general has become more
and it kind of infused with religion, religious beliefs, and
whether it's abortion or immigration or any other culture war issues.
Sometimes people get turned off by some of that. So
you know, no one knows for certain why it's happening,
but you know, there does seem to be some consistency
in the belief in the Supreme Being, but less consistency

(58:32):
in attaching that belief to a particular faith.

Speaker 2 (58:35):
Got it, And I think that's the takeaway too. Hey,
I really appreciate you talking about this thing. I was
fascinated by it. I would assume Dan, that you're going
to follow it and maybe at some point kind of
take a look at it again.

Speaker 6 (58:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 14 (58:50):
Well, we'll see as these surveys come out, and it's
always interesting to kind of see what people believe in
why they believe it. And you know, we followed you
know some you know, issues on how religious feel locally
is shifting, and we'll continue to look at that as well.

Speaker 2 (59:03):
All Right, really appreciate it, Dan, have a happy new
Year and thank you.

Speaker 7 (59:09):
Thanks Mike, you too, Okay, all right.

Speaker 2 (59:12):
Dan Horne of the Cincinnati Inquire. I don't know, maybe
it's just me, but I'm interested in this and it
just seems like it's trending upwards. But as Dan pointed out,
both nationally and locally here, while I forget how the
question was asked, I think is religion important in your life?

Speaker 11 (59:34):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (59:34):
How important is religion in your life, those numbers increase. However,
attendance at services has decreased, and you know that kind
of goes along with what I have seen in you know,
you try to get young people interested in going either
to mass or to service, and you know, sometimes it's

(59:56):
it's like talking to a rock. But bottom line is
it would seem like it's trending upward. And again, really
appreciate Dan doing the article to begin with and filling
us in with it. Hey, we'll take a short break,
but we'll be back. Mike Gallen in for Slowey seven
hundred WLW WLW Mike Allen in for Sloaney today, tomorrow

(01:00:18):
and Friday.

Speaker 1 (01:00:20):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (01:00:21):
I learned something from that last segment with Dan Horne
and also from reading his article. And again, like I said,
it does seem like at least interest in religion is
trending upward slightly. As far as going to services for
all faiths, that's kind of down. I went and looked
at the poll nationally that Pugh does, and I've always

(01:00:43):
found their stuff to be pretty good if you look
at it United States. This is in the United States
United States figures, sixty two percent identify as Christians seven
percent identify with other religions. Then you got a big
group twenty nine percent identify as religiously I don't know

(01:01:06):
if I said that right, unaffiliated, And you look at
it and the others when you talk about that, the
religiously unaffiliated atheist five percent. Again, this is nationally atheist
five percent, agnostic six percent, nothing in particular nineteen percent.

Speaker 1 (01:01:28):
And you know, you're never too old to learn something.

Speaker 2 (01:01:31):
And I did not know that there was any difference
between an agnostic and an atheist. Apparently there is. Again,
if AI is correct, and I've found it to be reliable.
An atheists just flat out lacks belief in God, whereas
an agnostic they believe that it's impossible to know God,

(01:01:57):
which I mean is really sad you think about it.
So there is that difference, I guess. But when you
break down the religions, the sixty two percent that I
was just talking about nationwide, Evangelical Protestants make up twenty
three percent of that mainline Protestants eleven percent, historically Black Protestants,

(01:02:20):
five percent, Catholic nineteen percent. Now I would have thought
that would have been a little bit more in your
countries in South America and Mexico, those kind of countries.
I think the Catholic numbers would be way up there.
And actually they even have some Mormon Latter day Saints
two percent, Orthodox Christian one percent, Jehovah's Witnessed one percent,

(01:02:43):
and other Christian one percent. So anyway, I do think
it's impossible. It makes sense to go and to keep
track of those things at least stay interested in it.
So thanks to Dan for doing that. Hey, we got
a few minutes here and I got a call. Let's
talk to Warren in Dayton. Hey, good morning Warren.

Speaker 6 (01:03:06):
Hey Mike, you do a good job. Thank you on there.

Speaker 1 (01:03:10):
Thanks.

Speaker 6 (01:03:10):
Just wonder what difference it would make the crime if
we had stronger prosecutors and more governmental officials, state, local
and another that would do their job be formal. Yeah,
how much the crime would go down if we had
tougher prosecution.

Speaker 2 (01:03:33):
That's a really good CLIs really really good question. And
you know, historically in this county, in this area, we
have had strong prosecutors.

Speaker 1 (01:03:44):
We really have.

Speaker 2 (01:03:45):
Hamil County is changing though, and you know, some of
my Republican friends give me grief about it, but I
think our current prosecutor Countie Pillet. She's a Democrat. I
think she's doing a pretty darn good job. Not everybody
locally would agree with that. Yeah, I'm glad to hear that,
as far as it's a real kind of simple proposition.
In my humble opinion, having been county prosecutor, the stronger

(01:04:09):
the prosecutor is, the more crime is going to get
punished like it should get punished. This whole concept of
the George Soros prosecutor where he just flooded these liberal
lawyers running for prosecutor, that has done i think, not
irreparable damage but close to it to the criminal justice system.

(01:04:32):
I mean, you know, and I've been involved in it
in one way, shape or form now for fifty one years,
and it's just such a basic concept. And you know,
you put law enforcement in there too. The more cops
you have on the street, the less crime you have.
But the proviso being, you let those cops do their job,

(01:04:55):
and if for some reason they get in the jackpot,
if you will, you back them up if it's not
something that's egregious. And until we have that, I think
we're going to continue to have the problems. And you know,
in Hamilton, County, and I hope I'm not veering too
far off from what you're talking about.

Speaker 1 (01:05:14):
In Hamilton County, I go down to court.

Speaker 2 (01:05:17):
I'm retired now, but I've gone down a couple of
There are not the same amount of people in those
courtrooms as there was when you know, back in my heyday,
if you will, in the late eighties, early nineties.

Speaker 1 (01:05:30):
Going into two thousand, it's about half.

Speaker 2 (01:05:33):
And I believe, and I've talked to Ken Kobra FOP
president Dan Hills, it is because cops ain't sticking their
nose out because they don't think they'll get back from
the administration. And yeah, it sure seems like they're right
about that. The stronger the prosecutor, the less crime you have.
I firmly believe that. And if you take the handcuffs

(01:05:55):
off the cops, if you will, that makes a lot
of difference too. I hope I at least partially. Oh
my goodness, if I.

Speaker 6 (01:06:05):
Thought these guys come out. How about the bail, Yeah,
it should be in jail while they're awaiting sentencing or
awaiting the legal action.

Speaker 1 (01:06:17):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (01:06:18):
Yeah, And you're right about that, and that has trended upwards.
I mean, I was a municipal court judge for about
three years. And one of the main jobs you have
there is arraignment and setting bail.

Speaker 1 (01:06:27):
And I'll tell you what.

Speaker 2 (01:06:29):
And finally it was codified by the Supreme Court. And
I believe by an election that if one of the
things that the court can consider is the danger to
the public in setting bail, I think some of these
judges don't get it.

Speaker 1 (01:06:46):
Unfortunately, I am.

Speaker 2 (01:06:47):
Out of time, warn and I got a break for
the news, But thank you for the call. I really
appreciate it. I hope I at least came close to
answering it. Hey, we got to take a break. But
when we get back, looking forward to this too, we're
going to talk to former Vice Mayor Christopher Smithman.

Speaker 1 (01:07:03):
We talked about a lot of things with Christopher.

Speaker 2 (01:07:05):
I'm going to ask him if you could just do
kind of an informal year in review for the City
of Cincinnati from his perspective, and I'm sure lots of
interesting things to say. We'll do that when we get back.
Mike Allen in for Slowey seven hundred WLW.

Speaker 1 (01:07:25):
Hey, we're back.

Speaker 2 (01:07:26):
Mike Allen In for Sloaney will be tomorrow Thursday and
Friday as well.

Speaker 1 (01:07:33):
I think it was a good time.

Speaker 2 (01:07:35):
It is a good time to check in with Christopher Smithman,
former vice mayor of the City of Cincinnati, knows what's
going on in this city. Just kind of want to
see what he's thinking. Christopher, thanks so much for taking
time out and calling in with us.

Speaker 11 (01:07:50):
Hey, thanks, Mike, I appreciate it.

Speaker 15 (01:07:52):
You know, the same things that are happening unfortunately and
Cincinnati are happening, you know, across a lot of our
major cities.

Speaker 8 (01:07:59):
Yep.

Speaker 11 (01:08:00):
And you know that you see it.

Speaker 15 (01:08:03):
You know, we're going to have to get our head
around crime no matter where you live. You know, people
are tired of seeing their cars taken or we're talking
about petty crimes or people breaking into their homes. You know,
we're tired of the murders and the fighting in malls,
you know, where people are shopping. You know, we're starting

(01:08:24):
to see this craziness and this lack of accountability and
judges who are failing to hold the criminals accountable, and
then anybody who speaks out against it.

Speaker 11 (01:08:33):
You know, we're there's an attempt.

Speaker 15 (01:08:35):
To marginalize us sure as sexist, are racist, are too
conservative or disconnected I've never seen anything like it, This
effort to protect criminals. Well, you know, I mean, I
think twenty twenty six is going to be about resetting,
you know, our conversation around how we manage crime and
all of our major cities across Ohio.

Speaker 2 (01:08:55):
I think you have to and I think exhibit A
of what you just described is Minnesota. It just blows
my mind, Christopher, and I'm sure you're following it to
the extent and the depth of the corruption in this thing.
And you know, you scratch your head and ask yourself why,
and you also ask yourself why there's been very very
scant media coverage. What it seems to be is these

(01:09:19):
elected officials, appointed officials and media people are they're afraid
to call it out because they're going to get the
big R racism label or the big I islamophobic And
that's really a prescription for disaster. I think, thankfully it's
not here. I don't think Christopher yet, obviously not to

(01:09:40):
that degree. But it's something that's a problem. Would you agree.

Speaker 15 (01:09:45):
I mean, you know, it's like every time rational people
with common sense start saying, you can't steal nine billion
dollars and I go away, We don't even know the
size of the corruption and in I mean, we just
know that it's really big. We know that it's medicaid fraud,
which you and I support. It supports veterans, it supports

(01:10:09):
older people, it supports children with disabilities. I mean, these
are real dollars that support Americans who need safety net services.
And I think it's important to not lose sight of
if this money had not been stolen, it would have
impacted Americans who really needed it. Yeah, and so that's
what blows me away from seeing Democrats who will say

(01:10:32):
this is their brand, but they seem to be okay, right,
unwilling to report on whether it's CNN, ABC, MSNBC, CNBC,
they're just not doing this deep God. And by the way,
if Elon Musk had not purchased X, we wouldn't even
have the depth of the information we're having right now,

(01:10:53):
because we know that those social media platforms, whether it
was Facebook that's now called Meta, whether it's.

Speaker 11 (01:10:58):
Google, whether it's YouTube, they were.

Speaker 15 (01:11:01):
All out there not allowing information like let's say during COVID,
to fluently go out there those different opinions. So when
Elon Musk purchased X and created you know created when
we bought Twitter and created X, we now are actually
getting information how I think it was one hundred and
and seven million views on that twenty three year old

(01:11:25):
who went to Minnesota and went door to door.

Speaker 1 (01:11:28):
Oh yeah, Why.

Speaker 15 (01:11:28):
Didn't any of the mainstream media do any of that
type of basic journalism? So journalism is dead in America
right now. And so this young man with an iPhone
did more work than ABC, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News
all of them did with just like a forty five

(01:11:49):
minute video that he that he that he did, put
it up on YouTube or put it up on X
and allowed the public to view it.

Speaker 2 (01:11:56):
It's unbelievable. I mean, and we talked about this on
the show earlier today. That young man did what all
of those organizations that you just talked about didn't do
in forty five minutes with a cell phone camera. I
think he actually had a real camera for one of them.
It's staggering. Let me ask you this, you and I

(01:12:18):
get it. Do you think the majority of people out there,
normal people that you know, go to work, get paid,
come home, take.

Speaker 1 (01:12:26):
Care of their kids.

Speaker 2 (01:12:27):
Do you think they are as a guest as we
are as to what's happening out there.

Speaker 15 (01:12:36):
I think they are, and I the problem is that
so many Americans like you and I look at this
and for us it fires us up. Well, for some
people it breeds. It breeds this lack of I don't like,
I don't I can't do anything about it. And so
what we've got to do is educate people, saying, look,

(01:12:58):
we have a mid from life. Come it up in
twenty twenty six. It's really really big. And what all
of us should be doing over the holidays is talking
to our eighteen year olds or those who are going
to turn eighteen, like my daughter in February, saying it's
important to register to vote, it's important to participate in
the process. I mean, we need to make sure that
our young people are being indoctrinated at these college institutions

(01:13:21):
that hey, these things don't matter, because you and I
know that when we look at our federal taxes, they
continue to go higher.

Speaker 11 (01:13:28):
We continue to send money away, whether people.

Speaker 15 (01:13:30):
Are doing r and ds out of their retirement accounts,
whether they're doing distributions from their pensions, whether they're doing
distributions from rollover IRA accounts, they see those federal taxes
coming out. We don't want to see ninety eleven billion.

Speaker 11 (01:13:43):
Dollars of federal dollars wasted in Minnesota. That's just there.

Speaker 15 (01:13:47):
You and I know that the medicaid fraud right is
probably in many different states. Right, We're we're just touching
the kind of the scratching the surface. And so how
do we get voters engaged and ready for twenty twenty
six as an action and that this doesn't breed empathy?
I mean apathy, excuse me, apathy where someone says I

(01:14:09):
really can't do anything about it, Mike Allen, when they
really can. It's that individual voter.

Speaker 11 (01:14:14):
Out there that says, enough enough. I'm not going to
get caught up in race. I'm not going to get.

Speaker 15 (01:14:20):
Caught up in sexuality and gender and all of these
things that divide us and distract us. I'm going to
focus on what matters crime. How can I be safe?
How can I go to my car, start my car
on a winter morning, think about this and that, comeback
and in my drive in my car is still sitting there.
People know that if they go out and start their
car now, in some parts of our country, their car

(01:14:42):
can be stolen. Their car can be taken away from them,
driven away just within the five minutes of it being
warmed up. Or you go to a mall or a
home depot, or you go into a store and you
see people just snatching iPhones off the table and running
out of the store with clothes and and electronics, and
they're not being held accountable by these judges. Judges are

(01:15:05):
all elected, as you know, prosecutors are all elected. Yeah,
so what are we going to do as a country,
Mike Allen? Making sure that we're focused and not getting distracted,
and we're getting ready to participate in the twenty twenty
sixth election. That is the penophilic that's what we have
to do. And we cannot let these other politicians distract
us who are wanting to.

Speaker 11 (01:15:24):
Hold on the power.

Speaker 2 (01:15:26):
You know, you mentioned the twenty twenty sixth election, the
midterms yesterday, I believe it was. I talked to Alex
Tchant to feel you who you know, he's the chair
of the state Ohio Republican Party, And I asked him
exactly that and said, you know, with the midterms coming up,
Trump ain't on the ballot. If these mega people, if

(01:15:49):
these Trump supporters do not get out to vote, we're dead.

Speaker 1 (01:15:54):
We're dead.

Speaker 2 (01:15:55):
And man, he latched onto that like a dog with
a bone and made it very clear that they know
that at the Ohio Republican Party, and he didn't want
to tell me what they're gonna do.

Speaker 1 (01:16:07):
I get that, and they're gonna do what they got
to do to get those.

Speaker 2 (01:16:10):
People out because if they don't, Christopher, we're going to
lose the House. We potentially could lose the Senate. Trump
is a lame duck, a real lame duck for the
rest of his term, and stuff's not gonna get done.

Speaker 1 (01:16:24):
Do you agree?

Speaker 11 (01:16:26):
I agree?

Speaker 15 (01:16:27):
I mean we have to say that the election is
not about talkie talkie. It's a Dewey Dewey. So people
who are talking around bars and restaurants about how frustrated
they are, but they're not willing to show up the vote, right,
you're just talking. You're not Dewey Dewey's right, And so
you know elections are about Dewey Dewey's I mean showing

(01:16:47):
up on election day and actually casting a vote and
making sure that you're protecting your community from fraud, that
you're protecting your community from crime. You're saying you want
to make sure you're infrastrate ructure, like your bridges. You
want to make sure that your school systems are properly funded.
Like these are the things that.

Speaker 11 (01:17:07):
We're voting on.

Speaker 15 (01:17:08):
I mean, remember, Ohio is about to elect the many
states are about to elect governors. So vik Ramaswami, who
I'm endorsing and I support, to be the next governor
of the state of Ohio.

Speaker 11 (01:17:18):
It's critical.

Speaker 15 (01:17:19):
But when you talk to Democrats and the challenger on
the other side, who was involved with shutting down schools,
however keeping bars and liquor stores open, I mean Democrats,
there are a lot of Democrats out there who don't care
about that.

Speaker 11 (01:17:35):
They're so partisan ye that they're just going to still
vote for her no matter what her record is. So
the election, I would say to Alex trumph and Felo
if he was listening to this, it really, unfortunately, is
not going to come down to it's going to be bad.
It's not going to come down to public policy. It's
going to come down to getting your voters out and

(01:17:58):
making sure that they participate. And so if the Republicans.

Speaker 15 (01:18:01):
Across the state don't have a ground game, they're gonna
lose the election. Yep, this is about organizing door to door,
walking list, making sure your precinct executive executives are organized,
making sure that every precinct is covered on election day,
making sure that you don't turn your nose up to
early voting.

Speaker 11 (01:18:17):
That's the new world we live in. And so if you.

Speaker 15 (01:18:20):
Walk away from early voting and you're not stacking up
those votes during early voting, the Democrats will absolutely be
victorious in the state of Ohio.

Speaker 11 (01:18:27):
And across the country.

Speaker 15 (01:18:28):
But if the Republican parties wake up and say, hey,
we're gonna we're gonna have a conversation about not talkie talkie,
but dow we do we and put people on the
ground and run a very strong ground game. Whether it's
the individual kendidate or whether it's the party themselves. Hey,
they're gonna be victorious because it's about getting your voter
to the ballot, I mean, to the to the polling

(01:18:50):
location and that they actually.

Speaker 7 (01:18:51):
Cast a vote, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:18:53):
And as I said after talking to him yesterday, I mean,
he got really animated about that question. And there is
no doubt in my mind that he knows how important
that is and is going to do what he can
do to get the people out and you know what, Chrisopher,
I mean, it's not all that difficult to understand. I mean,
if we don't keep the House, if we don't keep

(01:19:14):
the Senate, Donald J.

Speaker 1 (01:19:16):
Trump ain't gonna be able to do much.

Speaker 2 (01:19:18):
I mean, the only thing he could do, I guess
is executive orders, and those things, as we all know,
get tied up in court. But I did want to
ask you this too, because this really blew me away.
I had Ken Koberra on I think it was the
Saturday Show and we're talking and he said that they
have money, and they have funding. I forget what the

(01:19:38):
number was, maybe thirty or fifty new cops. And he
said they're not filled, that those things aren't filled.

Speaker 1 (01:19:46):
I asked him why. He said, they can't.

Speaker 2 (01:19:49):
Find people that want to do that, which is just
it's the mirror opposite of a million years ago when
I was involved in that Hell, they give a police test,
they filled the convention center with people that wanted to
do it. I mean, is that something that you're hearing
about too? And what would you say is the solution

(01:20:09):
to that? Because it's really hard to believe. I mean,
I believe Ken, but man, it's people used to be
lining up for that job.

Speaker 11 (01:20:19):
Well, President Kober is right, and we also have to.

Speaker 15 (01:20:21):
Know that the you know, police officers in Cincinnati have
a really great contract, so they're also you know, paid well,
great overtime benefits, great off duty detailed benefits. So like,
even with great contracts, it's been difficult for our Sinnaty

(01:20:41):
Police Department and police departments across the country to do
the kind of recruitment that they have to do. And
the reason is the elected in those areas. I mean,
they act as if we, you and I the public
are crazy, Like you understand that if an officer out
there makes a split second decision, it could be the
not just the end of their job, but the end

(01:21:02):
of their families. I mean, because people show up to
your house, they try to destroy your whole life. They
put your information out on the internet, you know, they
put you up like you're this this terrible person, and
you're like, hey, I was in a dark alley, I
was chasing a guy. He turned around and he had
a pellet gun. It looked real. I couldn't see the orange.
Pity I fired, took a life, and now you got

(01:21:25):
a jury of its peer saying you made it. You
made a bad decision.

Speaker 11 (01:21:29):
That's the reality that we live in. And it's a
nightmare out there.

Speaker 15 (01:21:32):
And now you have states like Ohio talking about they
want to take away immunity. Right, don't think that the
person out there, you know, like, I'm not going to
put my entire life on the line. So what happens
here is that elections have consequences. Mike Allix, we just
elected the mayor, all these members of of of city
council in our city. We did it, you know, we

(01:21:52):
did it in Anderson Township. We did it across the county,
We did it across the states here where we had
a we had a shut down, you had you know,
King's Day and all that kind of stuff. And Democrats
really knew what they were doing. They were getting up,
organizing their base and getting them the early vote. The
reality of it is is we have elected people Mike
Allen who won a defund and reimagine the police department.

Speaker 11 (01:22:15):
That's that's where we are. And the president knows it.
And guess what, I know it. So if I got
a son he says, hey, I want to be a
police officer, Right, I go, I don't know, maybe not
a police officer. Maybe you choose the military because son,
you could get out there and make a bad decision
and it ended up destroying your whole life.

Speaker 2 (01:22:32):
And we're about out of time. But that is a shame.
I'm sorry that and finish your thought there. But you
are absolutely one hundred percent right, and that's a damn
shame because that's not the way it used to be.

Speaker 15 (01:22:47):
No, and we have so many the police department, let
me remind everybody, is the most diverse city department that
Cincinnati has. And that's true, like you know, with women.

Speaker 2 (01:23:00):
You know what I think I lost, Christopher. Well, we
are almost out of time anyway, so let's take a break.
When we get back, we are going to check in
with I Heart Aviation Expert Jay Ratliffe, going to see
what the travel situation is. We'll do that when we
get back. Mike Allen in for Slowey, seven hundred WLW

(01:23:23):
News Radio seven hundred WLW. Mike Allen in for Sloaney. Well,
I'll tell you what. We're still in the holiday season,
have a few more days left of it, obviously, big
holiday coming up New Year's Day. Wanted to check in
with iHeart Aviation Expert Jay Ratliffe, to see how it's
all going.

Speaker 1 (01:23:43):
Jay, thank you so much for calling in.

Speaker 16 (01:23:46):
It's a convenient time, brother, so always fun to talk.
And the deal is you work, I work. That's been
the forever and ever and ever.

Speaker 2 (01:23:54):
Brother, You're a good man. Hey, before we get into aviation,
I wanted to ask you. Every time I talk to you,
I like to get an update.

Speaker 1 (01:24:00):
How are your day? Trading students doing?

Speaker 7 (01:24:03):
Been a pretty lonely day.

Speaker 16 (01:24:04):
The opening bout range at nine thirty with a stock
that dropped doubled twice, So I had students putting five six,
seven hundred bucks on a stock that walked away with
about three thousand dollars. And after five or eight eight
minutes they're done, they hit their goal and leave. So
you know, I'm sitting back here twelve of my thumbs thinking, wow,
today was supposed to be a pretty busy day and
I'm working and everybody else's leaving. But you know, you know, Mike,

(01:24:27):
I look at I read a report the other day
that forty seven out of fifty states have underfunded pensions.
These are state pitchons where eight hundred and thirty two
billion dollars underfunded, And this is what people are counting
on for the retirement. And when we see the mess
that's going on in Minneapolis or Minnesota, and you know
what's going on across the country, the idea that people

(01:24:50):
are counting on those kinds of things for retirement, knowing
what states are doing, that's one of the reasons that
when you know Northwest Airlines kicking me to the curb
all those years ago, I wanted to find a way
that I didn't have to count on those people. So yeah,
Lord willing, as long as I've got my right brain
about me, I'll be I'll be flipping stocks because I'm
through waiting on other people to take care of me.

Speaker 2 (01:25:11):
No, And I hear you, well, I'm one of the
ones that you're talking about with respect to the pensions.
I mean, I've had a lot of years in public
service and I'm getting a pretty good pension.

Speaker 16 (01:25:20):
But you're right, I was thinking of you when I
when I was saying.

Speaker 8 (01:25:24):
That, right.

Speaker 16 (01:25:25):
You know, mostly it's like the looming storm of social security.
People know, six seven years, we're not going to have
as many people contributing as taking something's got to be done.
But people are just skipping along blindly like it's okay.
The national debt. Who cares if it's thirty eight trillion?

Speaker 7 (01:25:40):
Yeah?

Speaker 16 (01:25:41):
Again, people just oblivious to, you know, some of the
coming financial storms that we're looking at, and it's it's scary.

Speaker 2 (01:25:47):
Let me ask you this, and it's not aviation related,
but I want to hear your thoughts on it. What
are your thoughts on this absolutely wild, crazy and pathetic
thing going on out in minnes I mean, are you
as blown away by that as I am?

Speaker 8 (01:26:04):
Mike?

Speaker 16 (01:26:04):
When I saw you could vouch for people to sign
them up to vote vouch, are you kidding me? I
there's no way. You know, when you and I do
do shows and different things and reports, we always like, okay,
we got to verify this to make sure it's sure.
It's not a you know, some sort of a satirical
piece where people are having fun with us. And the

(01:26:25):
more you look at it, the more just just incredulous
it becomes. And you know, it's just like in New York,
where people are going to vote for and did for
somebody that says I'm gonna give, give, give, without the
first thought of where there's all this money coming from.
You've got states like Minnesota with a governor who's either
clueless or so arrogant. I don't know which that all

(01:26:46):
of these billions of dollars are going out the door.
It takes some kid that's I don't know how old
of you is that does that investigative video that's you know,
nine ten million views. Where's the state state representatives? Where's
where's the congressman and senators? Where's the elected officials that
you count on to oversee this from stepping forward and

(01:27:07):
saying wait, you know, bull whistle time out. Something's going
on here. And Mike and I are old enough to
know that when you start to see something like this,
it's like an iceberg. There's a whole lot more there
than what you see, and it just makes you wonder
not only there, but how many other states are guilty
of this, and just how bad has it been?

Speaker 1 (01:27:24):
It's the tip of the iceberg.

Speaker 2 (01:27:26):
Jay and I've talked to a number of people both
on the air and off the air this week, and
actually a state senator too who called in that there's
some something that a lot of people believe is brewing
up in Columbus with the Somalian community, and it's pretty
much stay tuned, you know, But I guess we'll see.

Speaker 16 (01:27:46):
I'm glad you're on top of it, Mike, I really am,
because the only way we're going to know about it
is that people like you continue to keep us updated
because you know, all of us have busy lives doing
a g bazillion different things, and you know, sometimes we're
guilty just skimming across the headlines and picking out what
affects us or doesn't affect us, and it's another state,
doesn't really affect me. But as you point out, yeah,

(01:28:08):
it very well could. It's our money. Hey, Before we
do the twenty twenty five year in review aviation wise.

Speaker 1 (01:28:14):
Let me ask you.

Speaker 2 (01:28:15):
I mean, people are still a lot of people are
still traveling. Any tips, any warnings, anything you want to
say to those people that'll help them.

Speaker 16 (01:28:22):
We're getting through the Christmas end of year travel season
pretty good. The TSA is reporting two point eight two
point nine million people flying every day as we expect
through this week up until next Monday, Tuesday and so on.
The weather's been decent, it's not been horrific. We've not
had any computer meltdowns like we had with the Southwest,

(01:28:43):
you know three or four years ago, when the entire
week of Christmas their computers were down the toilet, and
most people seem to be showing up at the airports
on time. The TSA is doing a good job of
moving people through. No viral stories there. So yeah, I'm
just kind of hoping for the next week we can
continue to have decent not perfect, I mean it's weather,

(01:29:04):
it's winter weather, but you know, decent enough weather that
we can kind of sneak through this without any great problems,
because we got through the week of Thanksgiving other than
that last weekend with issues, and that's the busiest travel
week of the year, followed by the last two weeks
of December, and so far, so good. We just wanted
to continue once we get January first, second, third right

(01:29:24):
in there. That begins the slower January typical travel season
that a lot of people that are looking for a
bargain will travel because it's where you know, airfares are
cheaper and you've got cheaper car rentals, cheaper hotels. It's
like May in September months that very few people travel,
and it's where you get the best deals and if
you're flexible, yeah, save money and travel when other people aren't.

Speaker 2 (01:29:47):
You know, twenty twenty five looking at the Year in Review.
One story that's obviously not a good one are the
plane crashes. I mean, wow, what it was is a situation.
Is there any reason that people are forth as to
why that's happening?

Speaker 16 (01:30:03):
You know, Mike, we went from February of two thousand
and nine until this last this January without a single
accident as far as an airplane disaster. Now, we did
have a passenger that died I think it was Jennifer
reared In on a Southwest flight where the engine fell apart, decompressed,

(01:30:24):
and you know, she died as a result of that happening.
But as far as the last commercial jet accident where
a life was lost was sixteen years ago. So we
get real complacent in thinking, Okay, it's routine, it's a
routine routine, and then all of a sudden in January,
we had sixty seven people dying that DC plane crash
on January twenty ninth. Then we have just days later

(01:30:46):
February six that the Baring flight four forty five in
Alaska where ten people were killed. And then days later
in Toronto we had that airplane land short of a runway,
rolls down the runway. You know, nobody died, but eighteen
people injured, and you're thinking, oh my gosh, what's going on.
And of course the idiots in DC were like, well,
ever since President Trump's been elected blob.

Speaker 7 (01:31:06):
I mean, just please, yeh, that's.

Speaker 16 (01:31:08):
Beyond asenine, so just shut up. But the point is
that we have gone so long, so far that the
FAA typically will confuse the idea that we have had
no accidents as we're as safe as we need to be,
and that is so dangerous. I remember talking with a
lot of FAA and airline officials prior to nine to

(01:31:29):
eleven about the fact we weren't screening check luggage and
the huge security implications that were existing domestically when you
had you know, two million people a day flying and
not a single piece of luggage was being X rayed
at the time, and there was a time before positive
passenger bag match, which means if you didn't get on
the plane your bags, then you can actually check in

(01:31:50):
for a flight and go home and your bags are
on the plane unscreened. And the FA officials that I
constantly were battling, said Jake, the fact that people think
they're being screened is enough, because we really can't screen
bags because then you'd have to have passengers showing up
five hours in advance. The lines would be horrific. It
would impact aviation to a way that it would change

(01:32:12):
things where we could not manage it. So we're not
going to do it. And I was holding my breath
anytime there was a plane crash thinking is this the
first of fifty to come out of the sky.

Speaker 8 (01:32:22):
Now took the.

Speaker 16 (01:32:22):
Attacks of nine to eleven before the FAA decided, Okay,
we've really got to do something. Now we're going to
start screening luggage. But even after the bombing of Panem
one or three over lockerby Scotland, all those lives were lost,
the National Transportation Safety Board, the all star team who
I cannot speak highly enough of, comes out and says
we need to start screening check bags. And the FAA said, well,

(01:32:47):
we'll take it under advisement. We're not going to but
here's what we're going to do. Instead of screening bags
like we should. This is the perception of let's do
something versus doing something. We're going to ask passengers three
very probing questions. Did you pack the bag yourself? Has
it been in your possession? The whole time, has anybody
unknown to you come up and given you anything to

(01:33:08):
put in your bag like some terrasts is going to
absolutely say every single thing, honestly, And that's that's how
we responded with the perception of doing something versus making
things safer. And thank god now we do screen check bags.
But Mike, when it comes to the DC plane crash,
we knew for years that the military traffic in the

(01:33:29):
commercial air traffic was so entwined that we were on
borrow time. The fact that you had airplanes that were
landing with aircraft coming across the water, there a lot
of them shuttling important so to speak, congressmen and women
back and forth to where they needed to be. That
even though pilots said, this is one of the worst

(01:33:51):
airports to land in, it's one we've got to divert
more at the last minute than any other airport. You
had the situation where you know, this helicopter is not
where it should be. Get a pilot that wasn't really
responding to the instructor trainer that was with her at
the time, and you end up having an aircraft that's
not where it should be, impacting an arriving American Airlines

(01:34:12):
Regional Jet, and you have sixty seven lives lost in
an airport that we knew we had problems with. Then
they come out with the big beautiful bill that President
Trump has put forward. Mike was in there, there's a provision.
This is a three thousand page thing that's landed on
the desk and cucked within.

Speaker 1 (01:34:31):
There our actual.

Speaker 7 (01:34:34):
Wording.

Speaker 16 (01:34:35):
It's hard for me to even think this that's going
to reduce the restrictions even more. In DC, it was
so bad the National Transportation Safety Board chair came out
and said, time out, this is wrong.

Speaker 8 (01:34:48):
Mike.

Speaker 16 (01:34:49):
I can't tell you that anytime I ever remembered in
the last thirty to forty years that an NTSB sitting
chair has come out to comment on something legislatively that's
taking place. But she did, saying this can't happen. And
I really hope that we don't allow the airlines or
airports to tell the government what to do the other

(01:35:10):
way around, because we simply can't be put in a
position where we're going to make things worse than what
they've been. There's just no issues for that.

Speaker 2 (01:35:18):
Not a good idea, Jay, I know, you know that
the one thing that I'm hearing a lot just from
people that travel, and I know the airlines continue to
make frequent flyer programs harder. Do you think we're headed
towards where they just get rid of them?

Speaker 16 (01:35:35):
Well, they don't. They can't get rid of them. They
make so much money. Mike, you ahead of time when
airlines couldn't make money at all. Then in twenty twelve
they start these ancillary fees where we're going to now
start forging you to check a bag and seating all this,
And then they started up with the credit cards and
kind of became banks where you know every dollar you
charge it's a frequent flyer mile. And airlines are starting

(01:35:56):
to make so much money. You'd Delta Airlines United last
year that within a single quarter reporting a profit.

Speaker 1 (01:36:05):
Of a billion dollars.

Speaker 16 (01:36:09):
Now they don't get that by hauling us from here
to Orlando and back. They're getting that from a lot
of these other types of things that are connected with
these freekom flyer programs. Now, airlines are the most arrogance
entity that you can think of, and they've continued to
make things harder and harder to achieve the upper status
that so many frequent travelers have been able to achieve

(01:36:31):
over the years. And what it used to be is
if you are a top top top frekome flyer and
you booked a coach ticket, you could show up and
because of your status and how much money you give
the airlines every year, if there's a seat in first class,
they will complementarily put you there as they thank you
for being a loyal, top top frequent flyer. But not anymore.

(01:36:52):
Now the airlines are boarding these individuals. They're getting on
a plane after being told they can't be upgraded. They
sit down and coach and see empty seats in first class,
and airlines are saying, no, no, no, You've got to
pay for those. Either burn some miles or pay extra
bucks to sit in a seat that we used to
give you for free. Airlines are taking off. Airlines at

(01:37:13):
customers so much, making it harder to get the miles,
harder to use them. And Mike, we're filling up their planes.
I mean eighty half percent of the flights are filled.
There's zero incentive for airlines to stop treating us like crap.
So as long as we keep showing up, I mean,
they're laughing at us. And that's why when these surveys
on customer service come out ranking the world's top twenty airlines.

(01:37:36):
From a customer service standpoint, I laugh when people say, hey,
did any US carriers make that top twenty on how
many did? I'm like, we're nowhere near the top twenty
because the customer service means you're going to be treated
like you're appreciated, and Mike, they don't do it, and
it just aggravates me to no end. And that's why
I tell people, if you've got to complaint with an airline,

(01:37:58):
don't you dare complain to the airline. Go to dot
dot gov in the upper box at the top, just
type in airline complaint. Very easy to fill out online
forum appears takes just a couple of minutes, put in
your confirmation number and briefly explain what happened. Then your
complaint goes to the Department of Transportation, who then goes
to the airline on our behalf. Now, I'm on national

(01:38:19):
shows all the time and I mentioned this, and I
hear from airline friends all over the country saying, Jay,
shut up. Stop telling people that there's too much paperwork involved.
And my response is, stop treating us like crap and
I'll stop talking about it, but as long as you do, yes,
dot dot gov is the place you need to go.

Speaker 1 (01:38:36):
There you go.

Speaker 2 (01:38:37):
Hey, we're out of time, man, I appreciate this. It's
been very helpful. Thank you so much time. Good to
talk to you. Okay, thank you you too. Yeah, I
tell you what. It's an adventure anymore flying. Although I've
had some pretty good luck lately.

Speaker 1 (01:38:53):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:38:53):
It just seems like they're just they're out to get
your money anyway they can coming up, like Jay said,
with these things. Oh we got a charge of this
much for this bag. And I'll tell you I'm old enough.
You remember when flying was a big deal, man, People
got dressed up for it, the stewardess as if you will.
I know they don't like that. And there's some men

(01:39:15):
now were very complimentary and they did their job too.
Times have changed. That's not the only thing. But it's
just a good idea. The service has been cut in
so many things. Hey, speaking of cutting, I'm going to
cut out of here. We're done. I will be back tomorrow.
Mike Allen in for slowly seven hundred WLW