September 29, 2025 • 28 mins
(September 29,2025)
Shutdown nears as Democrats, Republicans remain divided on funding. California remains world’s 4th largest economy. Is raising the retirement age in the US inevitable? Why many young adults turn on subtitles, according to a new poll.
Shutdown nears as Democrats, Republicans remain divided on funding. California remains world’s 4th largest economy. Is raising the retirement age in the US inevitable? Why many young adults turn on subtitles, according to a new poll.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listenings KFI AM six forty the Bill Handle Show
on demand on the iHeartRadio f you.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Are listening to the Bill Handle Show, you know it's
a shutdown.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Downtimei Handle here on a Monday morning, September twenty nine,
last day of September. Were officially in the fall, although
the weather has been pretty terrific, they tell me because
I was gone. As a matter of fact, coming up
at eight o'clock, I'm going to talk about how I
was gone, not necessarily how the vacation went, but I
(00:34):
was on a cruise ship and talk to people from
all over the world and asked, what do you think
of what's going on? And man that I get some opinions,
and it broke down into two different ways, and I'll
share that with you, coming up at eight o'clock. In
the meantime, coming up at twelve oh one Wednesday morning,
(00:56):
that's the end of Tuesday. Last I heard the government
shuts down. And here we go again, another government shut down,
and of course it always has to do with politics.
The Senate returns to Washington today. No clear path how
to avoid a federal shut down. Both parties blame each other,
(01:16):
They're appointing to each other. Now, traditionally the Republicans have
been blamed for this, and they've gotten hit pretty badly
politically speaking. I got to tell you this time maybe
a different animal. If Congress fails to approve an extension
by the end of Tuesday, the spending laws expire. The
government cannot spend money unless it passes congressional approval to
(01:41):
spend money, and if it doesn't, no money is spent,
or relatively little money is spent. US government becomes a
bare bones operation continuing functions that are necessary to protect
life or public property.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
And what does that mean.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well, airport security continues, air traffic can troll continues, the
military continues. They're still working, but without pay. They're not
getting the checks and they have to work. Ice agents well,
they're working. Parks are closed, as you would think, Federal
(02:18):
contractors will not work. And by the way, unlike all
these other agencies who usually get back pay, they go
back to work and they get reinstated because the government
functions again and they get back pay. Federal contract contractors say,
(02:39):
I know or may not be back pay. The government says.
Here's also what's different on this one is the Trump
administration is saying, once this shuts down, we're gonna basically
find out who we don't need and they'll be mass layoffs.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Whoops. Yeah, that's no fun.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
And do you think the Denver ccrowds are going to
lose some votes if they are blamed? You think the
Republicans are going to lose some votes if they are paid?
Come up with a midterm So there are two proposals,
and this is where I think the Republicans shine on this.
Usually these continuing resolutions just say let's keep the government
the same while we figure out what the new budget is.
(03:22):
In other words, we're just going to extend, in this case,
another month and we then sit down and really deal
with a budget.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Democrats are saying, nope.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
In order for us to pass a budget bill, and
remember sixty senators have to pass this thing, the Democrats
are saying, unless you incorporate the changes we want in
the healthcare system, policy changes including a trillion dollars for Medicaid,
reversing cuts from the Tax and Spending bill that was
(03:57):
already in place, a permanence extension of subsidies for people
receiving healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, which everybody lost,
and restrictions on the president's ability to claw back spending
that has already been approved of Congress, which is going
through the courts. And this is I have to tell you.
The Republicans are saying, you know what, let's just keep
(04:18):
on going.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
We've got some negotiation to do.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
This is what legislatures do, and what's going to happen.
I think the Democrats going to get blamed, and I agree,
I think they should get blamed. Republicans' position is, you know,
while we sit down, let's keep it going. Democrats, Oh no, no,
we're going to make it. The extension, which keeps the
government running temporarily, is now part of the negotiations, and
(04:43):
that's where there is.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
They're not coming to any agreement.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
The President's scheduled to meet with leaders of both parties
today now. He canceled a similar meeting last week, and
he said the Democrats had unseerious and ridiculous demands. So
the meeting is a first step, only a first step.
We need a serious negotiation. Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader Democrats,
said there's going to be a huge pressure on Republican senators.
(05:14):
Congressman even Trump to do something about this horrible health
care crisis.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
And that's the other side of the coin. We all
agree that our healthcare.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
System is completely broken, and frankly, the Republicans have no
answer and the Democrats have no answer short of what
I've been advocating for years. Ever since I started broadcasting
one hundred and fifty years ago, I've been arguing for
national health. We are one of two industrialized countries and
(05:48):
the planet that do not have a national health care
single payer that's what they call it, is national health.
Of what it is with medicare we do once you
hit sixty five. It's the government that taste for everything.
And so what you have the Democrats saying is they
won't use the word national health. It's Medicare for all.
(06:10):
It's like liberals are not liberals anymore. They're now progressive.
You know, I'm not bald anymore, or Nora is neil.
We are follicularly challenged. Small dwarfs aren't dwarfs, but they're
not midgets either, are they small people?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
What are they? I don't even know people. I think
you can use little people or dwarf.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Well, dwarf is I prefer aerodynamic by the way for
ye aerodynamically challenged. Yeah, no more aerodynamic.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
And homeless people, of course are not homeless. They're simply
without homes. They're home challenged, Yes they are. How about this,
they are pro tent.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
No.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
In any case, we're digressed. See and we'll see what happens.
Are they going to come to terms?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
It is a real problem this time around, where the
politics of this thing are completely crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
All right, California.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
It's often been said that California is the fourth largest
economy in the world. If you spin off California as
a separate country.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
That hasn't changed. A matter of fact.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
The latest figure show it's exactly the same.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
We are our GDP, and that's.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
The GDP is the cost or the sale of all
goods and services that any region experiences or produces. That's
the national production of sales, manufacturing services, et cetera, sort
of all encompassing. So the latest figures we're producing goods
(07:57):
and services as a nation, leading four point two trillion
dollars annual pace in the second quarter. That's unbelievable. Well,
actually is believable because we are massive. We're forty million
people and we have extraordinary ability to manufacture, and we
have the biggest agricultural part of the United States, and
(08:20):
we have aerospace, and of course we have Hollywood, and
it goes on and on.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
So we're in pretty good shape.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
And these are the latest estimates of the GDP Gross
National Product by the Bureau of Economic Analysis just released
and we are growing at a four point three annual rate.
That is very healthy. Four point three growth is really healthy.
(08:46):
So the next major twist in this what new numbers
are going to get this autumn is fresh IMF International
Monetary Fund numbers and that could sort of shuffle things
around in which country India. India is probably going to
break through next year and it may move into our spot. Now,
(09:14):
the global economy, well, it goes up and it goes down,
It ebbs and it flows. But twenty twenty five, man,
we really don't know the numbers yet. And why is that?
Why is there such a wild card? Well read Donald
Trump into that, whether positive or negative, and a couple
of things I believe, and I'm not a big fan
(09:36):
of Donald Trump, but his long game, even iso medium
game with the tariffs, we have no idea if those
tariffs are going to work or not the way he
as a matter of fact, perceives and he is planning.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
One thing is happening as a result of those tariffs.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Is forcing major manufacturers to move manufacture facilities here in
the United States, and I mean in the trillion dollar range.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
That is working. The rest of it, we don't know
at this point.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
So it looks like India is on its way up
and we don't know what's happening. Why don't we know
what's happening, Well, mainly the tariffs. It's all kinds of uncertainty.
Forecasting becomes almost impossible. Now we're at four point three
trillion growth. The Indian economy is seven point eight annual
(10:34):
GDP growth. However, see there's always a however on the
other side. How is all of this measured in US dollars?
India has the rupee. It also has the rupee is
by the way, very spicy. It's a spicy rupee. It's
the Vindalou rupee. Vindalou, I don't know what's new with you.
(10:58):
And the rupee has in fact declined in value, so
that is something else that's going up.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
It's lost four percent of its value to the dollar.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
India sells to American consumers well up to fifty percent
of what India does sell, which is enormous. That's a
fifty percent slow down economy. In Japan, the economy always sucks.
It used to be Japan which had the going economy
and the world watched how the Japanese economy worked and
(11:33):
manufacturing that's been in the toilet, and Japan is going
to get worse and worse.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Why is that.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
I'm going to talk about a little bit later on
the next segment about raising the retirement age in Japan.
Everybody is old. They have no kids being born in Japan.
Everybody is old. And what happens to old people, Well,
they stay old and as a matter of fact, if
they don't die, they get older. See how that works.
(12:01):
You can do the numbers, figure all that out. And
how do you support old people? Well, you have people
that work, and who works younger people than older people.
Back we go to the equation. So the fewer younger people,
that is, fewer people being born now supporting the older
people who have gotten old. Damn, this is good. I
(12:25):
gotta tell you, I get hired for this analysis. I'm
telling you this and what that translates into an economy
that is collapsing. So Japan is in a lot of trouble.
So right now, California is doing pretty well compared to
domestic peers. Even across the United States a second quarter,
(12:48):
we were twelve best in terms of growth. You know
what state was the best? What state do you think
grew the best, grew the most, the most successful state
in terms of its own GDP in the United States?
Quick Survey says Amy, exactly, Neil, what state?
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Precise? California.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
No, I just said it's not. Thanks for listening, Neil, Yeah,
thank you very much for listening to the show. No, John,
I'm sorry, Yeah, thank you much.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
And any idea.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Which state, if you had to guess, grew the most,
I'm gonna say you're wrong.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Texas.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
No, not even close. Okay, you know Texas actually was second,
pretty close. North Dakota grew at seven point three percent
compared to our four point sent percent, almost doubled in growth. Now, realistically,
that's because you had two extra moose that were born
(13:53):
and that were killed, and the meat industry exploded because
you had moose state. Then you had Texas, six point eight. Kansas.
We're not in Kansas anymore than New Mexico than Wyoming.
Two states shrank, Arkansas went south and Mississippi. Does anybody
(14:15):
actually ever want to move to Mississippi? Have ever been
anybody that wants to move to Mississippi?
Speaker 2 (14:21):
You know, I've been all over the world, and Mississippi
is the most foreign place.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
I have ever visited.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I've never I was a lawyer for a lot of years,
and even though I was offered, I never accepted sides
of bacon for legal fees. And that's what they do
down there. Okay, why don't we move on? And here's
a question, and this has been going on for decades
and decades. Do we raise the retirement age simply to
(14:54):
keep Social Security.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Solvent? And we're running out of money? And why we
go back to what I said before.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
There are older people that are staying longer on Social Security.
We live a lot longer. My mother retired at sixty two.
She lived until she was ninety eight. She lived on
my tax dollars for thirty six years on Social Security.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Give me a break.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Originally, Social Security was passed by FDR as a retirement plan,
as a supplement to any retirement plan anybody has, and
people you know, you retired at sixty five and you
died at sixty five and three months people just popped
off after that.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
You were old, you were miserable sixty five.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Today you retire at sixty five or now at sixty
seven for most people, because they did raise a retirement age,
and how long it didn't last in your eighties and
your nineties.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
So security is going broken.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
There aren't enough people that are working because are the
number of people that are working in this country is declining,
or at least it's stable with a lot more people retiring.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
So there ain't no money. So what have they done before?
Speaker 1 (16:08):
A couple of times it has happened before, and they've
increased the retirement age. That's what they did from sixty
five to sixty seven. Well, there is a move now
that says, why don't we make it even later? And
guess who wants that to happen? Nobody. Those of us
who who have social security, we don't want to change it.
You know, people are going to go on so security
(16:30):
in five years. They don't want to change it. It's
it's okay for you, but it's not okay for me.
This is the ultimate nimbi where I don't want my
social Security checks cut.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Well, guess what.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
It has to happen. Now, there are a couple of
different ways of doing this. It's not all or nothing.
One of them is raising the retirement age, maybe to
seventy because people do work, they work longer you retire,
and I run into you at Walmart when you say, well,
welcome to Walmart.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
You know, my mom retired at eighty. See she was
a wallpaper hanger and she didn't want to retire, but
she said at eighty people were worried about seeing her
climbate twelve foot ladder and stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
So she's her just retired. I mean, good for her.
I don't see myself retiring.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
I mean, my contract is up and I haven't extended
all the time. I'm not going to retire. I mean,
what am I going to do? You know, I hate
my family, I hate everybody. At least on the air,
I can hate you and it works for me at
least I keep busy.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
This is why your wife is still in Italy. That's correct,
and we'll stay there for a while.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
The other possibility, and this works, is here's the Social
Security tax and how it does work, and that is
you're only taxed up to one hundred and sixty thousand
dollars a year, and then once someone hits one hundred
and sixty thousand dollars a year, they're not paying So
Security tax anymore. Now, for example, in California, medical right
(18:05):
that little tax you pay goes on.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Forever until you die.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
In other words, every minute you're earning money, you're paying
medical and it turns out that's more money than Social Security.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
So there we're going to raise that. And they've done
a few things.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
For example, federal employees now pay Social Security tax where
they didn't before, and so cutting benefits is.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Another one, although that is going to be a little tougher.
There's an argument.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
There's a Democrat and a Republican introduced a Fair Share Act,
require Americans earning over four hundred thousand dollars to pay
Social Security tax on anything above that. In other words,
the program would be one hundred and sixty thousand dollars. Now,
then you don't pay, then you don't pay, then you
don't pay until you hit four hundred thousand, then you
pay after that.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
So it's going to be incremental.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
You're going to see bits and pieces of Social Security
my retirement age sixty seven, although there's no chance I'm
going to retire, certainly not at sixty seven. Why because
I'm already past sixty seven, and here I am still working.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
And here's the other one. I get my social Security.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
I have to take my social Security at seventy and
a half. You must take your social Security out. That's
the law that can change. Now do you get a
fortune on Social Security?
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Again?
Speaker 1 (19:32):
It's supposed to be a supplement. So social Security was
originally passed. I'm gonna say it again to help you.
You save your money, You save your money, and then
a little bit comes in a Social Security How many
people do you know? How many people call in to
handle on the law? How many people live on only
(19:54):
their Social Security income? I get questions constantly, Bill overran
my credit card? Bill I owe some money? Am I
gonna get sued? And you know maybe you are. Am
I gonna have to pay it back?
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Well?
Speaker 1 (20:08):
All you got to all you have to do is
tell the creditor you're living on social Security. They can't
touch it. And is that all you live on is
social Security?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:19):
So does that allow you to have your dumpster cleaned
once a month? Or twice a month with the money
that you're making, especially here in southern California.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Okay, now we're gonna have fun.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
And this is fun because I'm right in the middle
of this one, and that is watching TV with subtitles.
Now do you know more people watch with subtitles than don't?
And there are some good reasons for it, and I'll
give that in a minute, but first I'm gonna do survey,
says Neil, subtitles on TV, yes or no?
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Nope, Amy subtitles yes or no? Only at my mom's house, Okay,
for whatever reason. Oh, there you go. That makes sense.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
And that's, by the way, one of the reasons that
people subtitles that wouldn't make sense.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
But there's a lot more to it.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Kono subtitles, yes everything, so do I And I don't
know where she's running around subtitles. So now, for a
lot of people, it's an acquired taste. A lot of
people find them distracting, and even family members in the
same house can have a disagreement, which.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Is always fun.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
There is a survey just came out Associated Press Nork
Center for Public Affairs Research, and it breaks down in
terms of age under age forty five more likely to
use them than older adults. I mean that makes sense
because older adults we didn't have subtitles. I put myself
in the older adults categories. By the way, that just
(21:54):
wasn't part of watching.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I'm sorry, we do too. Well, you're part of that
crowd said we're an older adult. Yeah, Amy, you know
I actually don't know your age, but I do know
you perceived what careful? Yeah, I know I was about
to Yeah, I know I was right there.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
You have no idea how much I wanted to say, Amy,
I don't know your age, but let me tell you,
I know you're an older adult, but I'm not saying that. Okay,
all right, And the only non older adult on the
show I think is Cono.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
I think Anne is an older adult. Amy. I don't
know if she's an older adult or not. I don't
think I've ever asked your age.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
The look of her face, I wouldn't how old I
what's the bottom?
Speaker 3 (22:45):
Never mind?
Speaker 1 (22:46):
Okay, So four inten adults under forty five u subtitles
at least often, and those a lot of them say
over that all the time. Now, why a subtile make
all the sense? Because it's just.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Easier to watch television.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
A lot of the time, you don't even understand what's
going on there. For a few reasons for that. First
of all, it's a different kind of acting. A lot
of people mumble, that's for starters. There's a lot of
sound effects that we didn't have before. There's a lot
of music, you know, that swelling music. Where As people
(23:25):
get into sex scenes. That's the other thing. A lot
of people have sex on TV and movies with their
clothes on. I've never quite understood that, all right, You
just someone is jumping on top of someone else and
there they are with their clothes on. What is that about?
I don't get it. In any case, you have sound effects,
(23:46):
you have a different kind of acting, you have music
that you didn't have as much before, and all of
that makes it difficult to hear.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Also, you have accents.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
I don't know if you've ever seen the show Peaky Blinders,
which is one of my all time favorite shows, Peky Blinders.
It's about a group of Irish criminals. It's a gang,
Irish gang and with the same guy who played I
forgot his name is so weird he played Oppenheimer won
the Academy Award for it. In any case, he is
(24:15):
this gang leader and it's English, Irish English.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
You do not understand.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
A word that he or anybody else on the show says.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Not a word.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Without subtitles, you cannot understand that program.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
And people are just lazy.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I find watching TV, I don't have to really pay attention.
You also much easier to multitask because it's just it's
hard to these days watching TV, or harder without subtitles.
And also noise in the house. People just noisy. You
have dogs running around, or things are happening. It's just,
(24:57):
you know, we just live a different lifestyle. So there's
a lot more sound competing with dialogue. Now my favorite, Well,
I'll tell you when I turn out turn off the subtitles.
The only time I turn off subtitles is when I'm
watching a film in which someone is using American sign language.
Then it's just fun trying to figure it out. The
(25:20):
rest of the time, it's subtitle heaven, oh I and
you're back. Do you watch the view of subtitles? You
can't actually hear what she's saying, So the tubtitles. You
don't do subtitles in radio?
Speaker 3 (25:34):
What Hi? Hi?
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (25:37):
I do for accents, I don't. I can't understand accents.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Back down, and how many foreign people are now or
foreign films and even TV shows. Look at Netflix, you know,
how do you Here's one you want to learn Korean?
Watch Squid Squid game without subtitles that'll help own it.
And so we're getting a lot of foreign films coming
(26:02):
in and TV shows. I have a couple of platforms
that I use. BritBox, I use Acorn TV. I have
all the platforms and it's brit TV, it's Australian TV.
Can I tell you those accents are not easy to discern,
so that subtitles help enormously. Also, learning another language that
(26:24):
helps enormously. As I do these travels, people speak English
so phenomenally well, and I often asked, where did you
learn your English?
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Now normally you think I went to school.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
You know, the majority of people that I've talked to
that speak phenomenal English, they say television, television with subtitles
in their language.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
So to me it makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
I'm a big, big fan of a subtitle subtitles.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
Now.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Hearing impairment as a he said, because her grandmother is
is deaf, was deaf.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
Is your grandmother still around, by the way, Amy, No,
it's my mom who's lost her hearing.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Oh your mom? Okay? And so do you speak to
her in sign language?
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Do you yell at her? Does that help? I yell
at her mom. There's a lot of that that goes.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Yeah, I'll bet all right, yeah, my mother. I had
a tough time speaking my dad. You couldn't understand him anyway.
I needed subtitles across his chest because you couldn't understand
a word he said, Neil, you knew my dad?
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
I would smile literally when I was talking to Leo.
I would just smile and nod.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Well, no, that's all you could do.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
And the only way to understand him, he literally would
have to have a machine, some kind of a device
that you could read the subtitles across his chest, otherwise
completely undecipherable.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
I just ended every conversation with him with, yeah, I
think Bill's a jerk too, and just assume that's what
he was talking about.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
And it was close.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
It was close, all right, KF I am sixty.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
You've been listening to the Bill Handle Show.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Catch My Show Monday through Friday, six am to nine am.
And anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
You're listenings KFI AM six forty the Bill Handle Show
on demand on the iHeartRadio f you.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Are listening to the Bill Handle Show, you know it's
a shutdown.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Downtimei Handle here on a Monday morning, September twenty nine,
last day of September. Were officially in the fall, although
the weather has been pretty terrific, they tell me because
I was gone. As a matter of fact, coming up
at eight o'clock, I'm going to talk about how I
was gone, not necessarily how the vacation went, but I
(00:34):
was on a cruise ship and talk to people from
all over the world and asked, what do you think
of what's going on? And man that I get some opinions,
and it broke down into two different ways, and I'll
share that with you, coming up at eight o'clock. In
the meantime, coming up at twelve oh one Wednesday morning,
(00:56):
that's the end of Tuesday. Last I heard the government
shuts down. And here we go again, another government shut down,
and of course it always has to do with politics.
The Senate returns to Washington today. No clear path how
to avoid a federal shut down. Both parties blame each other,
(01:16):
They're appointing to each other. Now, traditionally the Republicans have
been blamed for this, and they've gotten hit pretty badly
politically speaking. I got to tell you this time maybe
a different animal. If Congress fails to approve an extension
by the end of Tuesday, the spending laws expire. The
government cannot spend money unless it passes congressional approval to
(01:41):
spend money, and if it doesn't, no money is spent,
or relatively little money is spent. US government becomes a
bare bones operation continuing functions that are necessary to protect
life or public property.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
And what does that mean.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well, airport security continues, air traffic can troll continues, the
military continues. They're still working, but without pay. They're not
getting the checks and they have to work. Ice agents well,
they're working. Parks are closed, as you would think, Federal
(02:18):
contractors will not work. And by the way, unlike all
these other agencies who usually get back pay, they go
back to work and they get reinstated because the government
functions again and they get back pay. Federal contract contractors say,
(02:39):
I know or may not be back pay. The government says.
Here's also what's different on this one is the Trump
administration is saying, once this shuts down, we're gonna basically
find out who we don't need and they'll be mass layoffs.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Whoops. Yeah, that's no fun.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
And do you think the Denver ccrowds are going to
lose some votes if they are blamed? You think the
Republicans are going to lose some votes if they are paid?
Come up with a midterm So there are two proposals,
and this is where I think the Republicans shine on this.
Usually these continuing resolutions just say let's keep the government
the same while we figure out what the new budget is.
(03:22):
In other words, we're just going to extend, in this case,
another month and we then sit down and really deal
with a budget.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Democrats are saying, nope.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
In order for us to pass a budget bill, and
remember sixty senators have to pass this thing, the Democrats
are saying, unless you incorporate the changes we want in
the healthcare system, policy changes including a trillion dollars for Medicaid,
reversing cuts from the Tax and Spending bill that was
(03:57):
already in place, a permanence extension of subsidies for people
receiving healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, which everybody lost,
and restrictions on the president's ability to claw back spending
that has already been approved of Congress, which is going
through the courts. And this is I have to tell you.
The Republicans are saying, you know what, let's just keep
(04:18):
on going.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
We've got some negotiation to do.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
This is what legislatures do, and what's going to happen.
I think the Democrats going to get blamed, and I agree,
I think they should get blamed. Republicans' position is, you know,
while we sit down, let's keep it going. Democrats, Oh no, no,
we're going to make it. The extension, which keeps the
government running temporarily, is now part of the negotiations, and
(04:43):
that's where there is.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
They're not coming to any agreement.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
The President's scheduled to meet with leaders of both parties
today now. He canceled a similar meeting last week, and
he said the Democrats had unseerious and ridiculous demands. So
the meeting is a first step, only a first step.
We need a serious negotiation. Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader Democrats,
said there's going to be a huge pressure on Republican senators.
(05:14):
Congressman even Trump to do something about this horrible health
care crisis.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
And that's the other side of the coin. We all
agree that our healthcare.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
System is completely broken, and frankly, the Republicans have no
answer and the Democrats have no answer short of what
I've been advocating for years. Ever since I started broadcasting
one hundred and fifty years ago, I've been arguing for
national health. We are one of two industrialized countries and
(05:48):
the planet that do not have a national health care
single payer that's what they call it, is national health.
Of what it is with medicare we do once you
hit sixty five. It's the government that taste for everything.
And so what you have the Democrats saying is they
won't use the word national health. It's Medicare for all.
(06:10):
It's like liberals are not liberals anymore. They're now progressive.
You know, I'm not bald anymore, or Nora is neil.
We are follicularly challenged. Small dwarfs aren't dwarfs, but they're
not midgets either, are they small people?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
What are they? I don't even know people. I think
you can use little people or dwarf.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Well, dwarf is I prefer aerodynamic by the way for
ye aerodynamically challenged. Yeah, no more aerodynamic.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
And homeless people, of course are not homeless. They're simply
without homes. They're home challenged, Yes they are. How about this,
they are pro tent.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
No.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
In any case, we're digressed. See and we'll see what happens.
Are they going to come to terms?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
It is a real problem this time around, where the
politics of this thing are completely crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
All right, California.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
It's often been said that California is the fourth largest
economy in the world. If you spin off California as
a separate country.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
That hasn't changed. A matter of fact.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
The latest figure show it's exactly the same.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
We are our GDP, and that's.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
The GDP is the cost or the sale of all
goods and services that any region experiences or produces. That's
the national production of sales, manufacturing services, et cetera, sort
of all encompassing. So the latest figures we're producing goods
(07:57):
and services as a nation, leading four point two trillion
dollars annual pace in the second quarter. That's unbelievable. Well,
actually is believable because we are massive. We're forty million
people and we have extraordinary ability to manufacture, and we
have the biggest agricultural part of the United States, and
(08:20):
we have aerospace, and of course we have Hollywood, and
it goes on and on.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
So we're in pretty good shape.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
And these are the latest estimates of the GDP Gross
National Product by the Bureau of Economic Analysis just released
and we are growing at a four point three annual rate.
That is very healthy. Four point three growth is really healthy.
(08:46):
So the next major twist in this what new numbers
are going to get this autumn is fresh IMF International
Monetary Fund numbers and that could sort of shuffle things
around in which country India. India is probably going to
break through next year and it may move into our spot. Now,
(09:14):
the global economy, well, it goes up and it goes down,
It ebbs and it flows. But twenty twenty five, man,
we really don't know the numbers yet. And why is that?
Why is there such a wild card? Well read Donald
Trump into that, whether positive or negative, and a couple
of things I believe, and I'm not a big fan
(09:36):
of Donald Trump, but his long game, even iso medium
game with the tariffs, we have no idea if those
tariffs are going to work or not the way he
as a matter of fact, perceives and he is planning.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
One thing is happening as a result of those tariffs.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Is forcing major manufacturers to move manufacture facilities here in
the United States, and I mean in the trillion dollar range.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
That is working. The rest of it, we don't know
at this point.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
So it looks like India is on its way up
and we don't know what's happening. Why don't we know
what's happening, Well, mainly the tariffs. It's all kinds of uncertainty.
Forecasting becomes almost impossible. Now we're at four point three
trillion growth. The Indian economy is seven point eight annual
(10:34):
GDP growth. However, see there's always a however on the
other side. How is all of this measured in US dollars?
India has the rupee. It also has the rupee is
by the way, very spicy. It's a spicy rupee. It's
the Vindalou rupee. Vindalou, I don't know what's new with you.
(10:58):
And the rupee has in fact declined in value, so
that is something else that's going up.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
It's lost four percent of its value to the dollar.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
India sells to American consumers well up to fifty percent
of what India does sell, which is enormous. That's a
fifty percent slow down economy. In Japan, the economy always sucks.
It used to be Japan which had the going economy
and the world watched how the Japanese economy worked and
(11:33):
manufacturing that's been in the toilet, and Japan is going
to get worse and worse.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Why is that.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
I'm going to talk about a little bit later on
the next segment about raising the retirement age in Japan.
Everybody is old. They have no kids being born in Japan.
Everybody is old. And what happens to old people, Well,
they stay old and as a matter of fact, if
they don't die, they get older. See how that works.
(12:01):
You can do the numbers, figure all that out. And
how do you support old people? Well, you have people
that work, and who works younger people than older people.
Back we go to the equation. So the fewer younger people,
that is, fewer people being born now supporting the older
people who have gotten old. Damn, this is good. I
(12:25):
gotta tell you, I get hired for this analysis. I'm
telling you this and what that translates into an economy
that is collapsing. So Japan is in a lot of trouble.
So right now, California is doing pretty well compared to
domestic peers. Even across the United States a second quarter,
(12:48):
we were twelve best in terms of growth. You know
what state was the best? What state do you think
grew the best, grew the most, the most successful state
in terms of its own GDP in the United States?
Quick Survey says Amy, exactly, Neil, what state?
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Precise? California.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
No, I just said it's not. Thanks for listening, Neil, Yeah,
thank you very much for listening to the show. No, John,
I'm sorry, Yeah, thank you much.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
And any idea.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Which state, if you had to guess, grew the most,
I'm gonna say you're wrong.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Texas.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
No, not even close. Okay, you know Texas actually was second,
pretty close. North Dakota grew at seven point three percent
compared to our four point sent percent, almost doubled in growth. Now, realistically,
that's because you had two extra moose that were born
(13:53):
and that were killed, and the meat industry exploded because
you had moose state. Then you had Texas, six point eight. Kansas.
We're not in Kansas anymore than New Mexico than Wyoming.
Two states shrank, Arkansas went south and Mississippi. Does anybody
(14:15):
actually ever want to move to Mississippi? Have ever been
anybody that wants to move to Mississippi?
Speaker 2 (14:21):
You know, I've been all over the world, and Mississippi
is the most foreign place.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
I have ever visited.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I've never I was a lawyer for a lot of years,
and even though I was offered, I never accepted sides
of bacon for legal fees. And that's what they do
down there. Okay, why don't we move on? And here's
a question, and this has been going on for decades
and decades. Do we raise the retirement age simply to
(14:54):
keep Social Security.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Solvent? And we're running out of money? And why we
go back to what I said before.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
There are older people that are staying longer on Social Security.
We live a lot longer. My mother retired at sixty two.
She lived until she was ninety eight. She lived on
my tax dollars for thirty six years on Social Security.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Give me a break.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Originally, Social Security was passed by FDR as a retirement plan,
as a supplement to any retirement plan anybody has, and
people you know, you retired at sixty five and you
died at sixty five and three months people just popped
off after that.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
You were old, you were miserable sixty five.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Today you retire at sixty five or now at sixty
seven for most people, because they did raise a retirement age,
and how long it didn't last in your eighties and
your nineties.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
So security is going broken.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
There aren't enough people that are working because are the
number of people that are working in this country is declining,
or at least it's stable with a lot more people retiring.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
So there ain't no money. So what have they done before?
Speaker 1 (16:08):
A couple of times it has happened before, and they've
increased the retirement age. That's what they did from sixty
five to sixty seven. Well, there is a move now
that says, why don't we make it even later? And
guess who wants that to happen? Nobody. Those of us
who who have social security, we don't want to change it.
You know, people are going to go on so security
(16:30):
in five years. They don't want to change it. It's
it's okay for you, but it's not okay for me.
This is the ultimate nimbi where I don't want my
social Security checks cut.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Well, guess what.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
It has to happen. Now, there are a couple of
different ways of doing this. It's not all or nothing.
One of them is raising the retirement age, maybe to
seventy because people do work, they work longer you retire,
and I run into you at Walmart when you say, well,
welcome to Walmart.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
You know, my mom retired at eighty. See she was
a wallpaper hanger and she didn't want to retire, but
she said at eighty people were worried about seeing her
climbate twelve foot ladder and stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
So she's her just retired. I mean, good for her.
I don't see myself retiring.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
I mean, my contract is up and I haven't extended
all the time. I'm not going to retire. I mean,
what am I going to do? You know, I hate
my family, I hate everybody. At least on the air,
I can hate you and it works for me at
least I keep busy.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
This is why your wife is still in Italy. That's correct,
and we'll stay there for a while.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
The other possibility, and this works, is here's the Social
Security tax and how it does work, and that is
you're only taxed up to one hundred and sixty thousand
dollars a year, and then once someone hits one hundred
and sixty thousand dollars a year, they're not paying So
Security tax anymore. Now, for example, in California, medical right
(18:05):
that little tax you pay goes on.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Forever until you die.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
In other words, every minute you're earning money, you're paying
medical and it turns out that's more money than Social Security.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
So there we're going to raise that. And they've done
a few things.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
For example, federal employees now pay Social Security tax where
they didn't before, and so cutting benefits is.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Another one, although that is going to be a little tougher.
There's an argument.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
There's a Democrat and a Republican introduced a Fair Share Act,
require Americans earning over four hundred thousand dollars to pay
Social Security tax on anything above that. In other words,
the program would be one hundred and sixty thousand dollars. Now,
then you don't pay, then you don't pay, then you
don't pay until you hit four hundred thousand, then you
pay after that.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
So it's going to be incremental.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
You're going to see bits and pieces of Social Security
my retirement age sixty seven, although there's no chance I'm
going to retire, certainly not at sixty seven. Why because
I'm already past sixty seven, and here I am still working.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
And here's the other one. I get my social Security.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
I have to take my social Security at seventy and
a half. You must take your social Security out. That's
the law that can change. Now do you get a
fortune on Social Security?
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Again?
Speaker 1 (19:32):
It's supposed to be a supplement. So social Security was
originally passed. I'm gonna say it again to help you.
You save your money, You save your money, and then
a little bit comes in a Social Security How many
people do you know? How many people call in to
handle on the law? How many people live on only
(19:54):
their Social Security income? I get questions constantly, Bill overran
my credit card? Bill I owe some money? Am I
gonna get sued? And you know maybe you are. Am
I gonna have to pay it back?
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Well?
Speaker 1 (20:08):
All you got to all you have to do is
tell the creditor you're living on social Security. They can't
touch it. And is that all you live on is
social Security?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:19):
So does that allow you to have your dumpster cleaned
once a month? Or twice a month with the money
that you're making, especially here in southern California.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Okay, now we're gonna have fun.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
And this is fun because I'm right in the middle
of this one, and that is watching TV with subtitles.
Now do you know more people watch with subtitles than don't?
And there are some good reasons for it, and I'll
give that in a minute, but first I'm gonna do survey,
says Neil, subtitles on TV, yes or no?
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Nope, Amy subtitles yes or no? Only at my mom's house, Okay,
for whatever reason. Oh, there you go. That makes sense.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
And that's, by the way, one of the reasons that
people subtitles that wouldn't make sense.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
But there's a lot more to it.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Kono subtitles, yes everything, so do I And I don't
know where she's running around subtitles. So now, for a
lot of people, it's an acquired taste. A lot of
people find them distracting, and even family members in the
same house can have a disagreement, which.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Is always fun.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
There is a survey just came out Associated Press Nork
Center for Public Affairs Research, and it breaks down in
terms of age under age forty five more likely to
use them than older adults. I mean that makes sense
because older adults we didn't have subtitles. I put myself
in the older adults categories. By the way, that just
(21:54):
wasn't part of watching.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I'm sorry, we do too. Well, you're part of that
crowd said we're an older adult. Yeah, Amy, you know
I actually don't know your age, but I do know
you perceived what careful? Yeah, I know I was about
to Yeah, I know I was right there.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
You have no idea how much I wanted to say, Amy,
I don't know your age, but let me tell you,
I know you're an older adult, but I'm not saying that. Okay,
all right, And the only non older adult on the
show I think is Cono.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
I think Anne is an older adult. Amy. I don't
know if she's an older adult or not. I don't
think I've ever asked your age.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
The look of her face, I wouldn't how old I
what's the bottom?
Speaker 3 (22:45):
Never mind?
Speaker 1 (22:46):
Okay, So four inten adults under forty five u subtitles
at least often, and those a lot of them say
over that all the time. Now, why a subtile make
all the sense? Because it's just.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Easier to watch television.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
A lot of the time, you don't even understand what's
going on there. For a few reasons for that. First
of all, it's a different kind of acting. A lot
of people mumble, that's for starters. There's a lot of
sound effects that we didn't have before. There's a lot
of music, you know, that swelling music. Where As people
(23:25):
get into sex scenes. That's the other thing. A lot
of people have sex on TV and movies with their
clothes on. I've never quite understood that, all right, You
just someone is jumping on top of someone else and
there they are with their clothes on. What is that about?
I don't get it. In any case, you have sound effects,
(23:46):
you have a different kind of acting, you have music
that you didn't have as much before, and all of
that makes it difficult to hear.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Also, you have accents.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
I don't know if you've ever seen the show Peaky Blinders,
which is one of my all time favorite shows, Peky Blinders.
It's about a group of Irish criminals. It's a gang,
Irish gang and with the same guy who played I
forgot his name is so weird he played Oppenheimer won
the Academy Award for it. In any case, he is
(24:15):
this gang leader and it's English, Irish English.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
You do not understand.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
A word that he or anybody else on the show says.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Not a word.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Without subtitles, you cannot understand that program.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
And people are just lazy.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I find watching TV, I don't have to really pay attention.
You also much easier to multitask because it's just it's
hard to these days watching TV, or harder without subtitles.
And also noise in the house. People just noisy. You
have dogs running around, or things are happening. It's just,
(24:57):
you know, we just live a different lifestyle. So there's
a lot more sound competing with dialogue. Now my favorite, Well,
I'll tell you when I turn out turn off the subtitles.
The only time I turn off subtitles is when I'm
watching a film in which someone is using American sign language.
Then it's just fun trying to figure it out. The
(25:20):
rest of the time, it's subtitle heaven, oh I and
you're back. Do you watch the view of subtitles? You
can't actually hear what she's saying, So the tubtitles. You
don't do subtitles in radio?
Speaker 3 (25:34):
What Hi? Hi?
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (25:37):
I do for accents, I don't. I can't understand accents.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Back down, and how many foreign people are now or
foreign films and even TV shows. Look at Netflix, you know,
how do you Here's one you want to learn Korean?
Watch Squid Squid game without subtitles that'll help own it.
And so we're getting a lot of foreign films coming
(26:02):
in and TV shows. I have a couple of platforms
that I use. BritBox, I use Acorn TV. I have
all the platforms and it's brit TV, it's Australian TV.
Can I tell you those accents are not easy to discern,
so that subtitles help enormously. Also, learning another language that
(26:24):
helps enormously. As I do these travels, people speak English
so phenomenally well, and I often asked, where did you
learn your English?
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Now normally you think I went to school.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
You know, the majority of people that I've talked to
that speak phenomenal English, they say television, television with subtitles
in their language.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
So to me it makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
I'm a big, big fan of a subtitle subtitles.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
Now.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Hearing impairment as a he said, because her grandmother is
is deaf, was deaf.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
Is your grandmother still around, by the way, Amy, No,
it's my mom who's lost her hearing.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Oh your mom? Okay? And so do you speak to
her in sign language?
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Do you yell at her? Does that help? I yell
at her mom. There's a lot of that that goes.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Yeah, I'll bet all right, yeah, my mother. I had
a tough time speaking my dad. You couldn't understand him anyway.
I needed subtitles across his chest because you couldn't understand
a word he said, Neil, you knew my dad?
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
I would smile literally when I was talking to Leo.
I would just smile and nod.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Well, no, that's all you could do.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
And the only way to understand him, he literally would
have to have a machine, some kind of a device
that you could read the subtitles across his chest, otherwise
completely undecipherable.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
I just ended every conversation with him with, yeah, I
think Bill's a jerk too, and just assume that's what
he was talking about.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
And it was close.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
It was close, all right, KF I am sixty.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
You've been listening to the Bill Handle Show.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Catch My Show Monday through Friday, six am to nine am.
And anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
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