November 6, 2025 • 41 mins
This podcast edition of Kenny Websters' Pursuit of Happiness features journalists Ethan Buchannah and Brandon Waltens, plus Texas state lawmaker Brian Harrison. ( @KennethRWebster )
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jack gannon government suckssuit of happing US radio is DeLux.
Liberty and freedom will make you smile. The a suda
happing and us on your radio toel justice, cheesburgers, a
libit advise at.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Scientists may have found an anti venom that will save
thousands of snake bite victims, but everyone knows the best
defense is a good offense. That's why I bite every snake.
I see Hi, everybody, I'm Kenny Webster, Thanks for turning
on your radio. Who's here this afternoon Big Show? Ethan
Buchanan stopped by. He is one of our producers and
a weekend talk show host and also a reporter on
(00:43):
k t H News. We're going to talk about how
some of the prominent members of the East Coast Republican
Party are begging the GOP to move back to the
center after this week's election results.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
We'll talk about that.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Stay Representative Brian Harrison is going to be here with
information about some strange things going on at the Texas
departm into motor vehicles, the possibility of a digital ID
system here in the state of Texas, and his reaction
to some of the prop votes. Plus Brandon Waltins from
Texas scorecard dot Com, stopping by just got home from
his trip back from the North Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
We'll tell you about it.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
Everything you've heard is a lie, well unless you heard
it from the mouth of Kenny Webster. All facts, even
the bit about it is little Kenny. He sorry, brokay,
I mean big Kenny. Thank you for listening to Kenny
Webster's Pursuit of happiness.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
All right, breaking news out of Florida, and then we're
going to New York. Obviously, that's why the music is
playing in the background. In Florida, which is really the
New York of the South, a teacher came to school
high on cocaine.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Apparently the kids in.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Her class were suspicious because it was movie day and
the movie was Scarface.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Part of it.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Now you know where they do a lot of cocaine. Okay, yes, everywhere.
You're right about that. But I was going to say
New York. It's just a lazy segue. There is a
lawmaker in the state, in the city of New York City.
She's a progressional representative, and surprisingly she is a Republican.
You would think there wouldn't be a lot of Republican
lawmakers in New York City.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
You'd be right about that.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
But there's one, and her name is Mariotacis?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Is her name?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
I guess she's a Was this a Greek woman? Ethan
Buchanan of ktr H News.
Speaker 5 (02:27):
She claims Hispanic heritage, So come on, come on, that's
a Greek name.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Give me a break. Galliotacis? Is that Greek? Really?
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Nicole Malyotakis, she claims to be. It sounds Greek to me,
doesn't it?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Okay? But imagine it in Leslie Brionis's voice.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
No, it's Greek. Her dad's Greek. Her mom's Cuban. What
did you think Hispanic? So they're both true. They left
her family. Her mom left Cuba in nineteen fifty nine
with the rise of adel Castro. She was raised Greek Orthodox,
So we're both right. Besides the point Nicole was on
on where was she at? She was on Fox News
a year and a half ago, back when illegal immigrants
(03:07):
were running rampant everywhere in the country. The borders were
wide open, and this is what she told Fox News
about the New York Police Department and Ice agents.
Speaker 6 (03:16):
Well, the mayor should be putting a bill before the
City Council asking them to repeal that so NYPD can
cooperate and deport people who are here committing crimes. But
I also have a problem with the mayor because he
continues to house these individuals.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
So somebody gets arrested for a crime.
Speaker 6 (03:29):
We had one woman eight times arrested, released repeatedly, and
then she goes back to the luxury hotel room that
we the people are paying for in the form of
our tax dollars. So the mayor couldn't do something more
here to not incentivize people to come to New York
City and certainly not giving free luxury hotel rooms to
people who are committing crimes in our city.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
So I'm gonna pause it right Eric, because this is
Nicole Mallo Tackis. She's basically the TMOU version of Elie Stephanick,
and a lot has changed since a year and a
half ago when she made this point. Right back then,
you add people coming over the border in droves, You
had these hotels filled with the illegal immigrants. And then
Eric Adams got into a little trouble, and then Eric
Adams became a reluctant supporter at Trump, probably so he
(04:11):
could get a part in or some kind of it,
who knows. And now he's not He's not gonna be
Mayor anymore. Now you got Zorahan, Mom, Dammi coming in.
This is a very different guy in terms of his
positions on immigration and his positions on ICE agents. And weirdly,
because of this election that we just had, Nicole has
changed her whole position on what she thinks ICE agents
should do, not just in New York City but throughout
(04:33):
the country. She was on CNN the night of the
election Tuesday night doing live coverage and tell me what
she said.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
Ethan, Yeah, So she basically makes the case that, oh,
the pitch to the American people was we're going to
go after the worst of the worst. And now the
footage that we're seeing looks mean and they're arresting mothers
and fathers and pulling people out of cars, and that's
not what the American people want. So the Republicans should
(04:59):
basically tack back to the center. And it's not just
her that's saying this. There was a bunch of people
online Tuesday night into Wednesday that we're saying, oh, this
is a sign that Republicans need to chill out and
moderate and you know, relax on the deportations Loti Dodi
da And I think that's a blatant misread of the situation.
(05:22):
Like I don't know what she was talking about, but
when I went in to vote for Trump, my understanding
was we're getting all of the illegals out. I feel
like that was pretty clear that that was the pitch.
But on top of that, the idea that the Tuesday
election means the Republicans need to moderate that's why they lost,
is because we're deporting too many illegal aliens.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
I don't think that holds water.
Speaker 5 (05:44):
I mean, there were Republicans that lost in New York,
the Democrat wins in New York and Virginia and New Jersey,
those Democrat wins. It wasn't just like, oh, the moderate
Democrats won in response to how much people don't like
Trump bit. It wasn't a victory for the center. It
was a victory for the left, like it was the
(06:05):
Jay Joneses of the world that were winning their elections.
It wasn't moderate Democrats, it was the very radical far left.
Those are the ones who want so the response to
that from the rights should not be tacked back to
the center. That's how you lose even more when you've
got literal communists and people who go and say, oh,
we need to kill Republicans and their children, and those
(06:26):
are the people that are winning on the Democrat side.
The response to that isn't fine, will give you some
or most of what you want as long as you
let us keep this little bit of what we want.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
The response is.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
No, keep doing what we're doing, Keep deporting these illegal aliens,
keep getting all of them out of the country, so
that if God forbid, you know, the absolute crazy communist
radicals secure power, they really can't do anything with it.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
All right, So what Congresswoman Maleo tech Is is trying
to suggest is that this election we just had, where
Democrats seem to be dominating the headlines with victories, this
is some kind of a bell weather election that proves
that the country is starting to move back to the left.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
And this very misleading. I'll explain why.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Obviously New York City seven or eight out of out
of every nine or ten voters seven or at least
eight of them or Democrat. Have you heard this if
you had, In fact, I think a better way of
explaining it is this. The ratio is eight to one.
If I'm not mistaken of Democrats to Republicans. Okay, so
a Republican was not good. Curtis Lee was not going
to win in New York City. Let's go down to
(07:33):
Virginia real quick, Virginia where Glenn Youngkin's on the way out.
He was a Republican incoming candidate. Now is the Democrat
candidate wins? Some seeres lost. Some people that don't came
up with the news out of the Commonwealth of Virginia
might have thought that was shocking news. It's actually not right.
In Virginia, you're every governor. Two interesting things about the
governor's races one term. Every governor gets one term in
(07:55):
the Commonwealth of Virginia. And what's even which is unusual,
but what's even more than one term? What's even more
interesting than that? Except for one with one exception, over
the last fifty years, every time they've had a governor's race,
which happens the year following the presidential election, the winner
is always a member of whichever political party just lost
(08:16):
the presidency. Right, So Glen Youngkin won in twenty twenty one,
And whatever you think of the twenty twenty elections, Trump
was taken out of the White House. Whether you think
it was fair or not as irrelevant for this conversation.
The following year, Republicans took Virginia. This year, you see
what happened. Trump won last year. Now Democrats have conquered
the Virginia governor's mansion. That's very predictable. That's what always happens.
(08:38):
The other state it's getting all the attention. New Jersey
obviously not a red straight by any stretch of the imagination,
not even really a purple state. The only time they've
had a governor in recent years that was a Republican
was Chris Christy, and he was famous for hugging Obama.
He was famous for being a liberal Republican. This guy
that just lost was not a liberal Republican by any means.
(09:00):
He ran a platform based on maga right. He was
center right for sure. It's not far right, but it's
not near right either. It's center right. And so I
don't really get Nicole's point here. Suggesting that this is
that would be like saying, well, you know, the Republicans
just won a race in Mississippi, assign Democrats need to
move back to the center in states like California and Illinois.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
That doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 5 (09:22):
It's panic, is what it is. It's they're not really
looking at it logically. They're looking at it in terms of,
you know, what gets the sound bites, and what gets
the sound bites, isn't hey, Actually this election was completely normal,
Like the blue states elected blue people, the blue Juristicks
and Is elected blue people, and then here in Texas
all of our Republican ballot propositions passed. Things pretty much
(09:45):
went exactly how you would expect them to if you're
actually looking at it and making predictions based off of
what's happened in the past and voter patterns.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Ethan, can I have your permission to do a missogyny.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Real quick, a massage a misogyny, to be misogynist?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Oh yeah, go for it.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Okay, I'm gonna say something a little denigrating to women,
not all women, probably not the kind of women that
listened to right wing talk radio. Women are more likely
than men to express an opinion they don't actually believe
in because they think it will please all the other
people in the room. Right I'm not going to say
any names specifically, but I can tell you I used
to spend a lot of time around a woman who
(10:22):
was kind of famous for doing this in a room
full of conservatives. She was Jane tea party in a
room full of liberals. She was Comrade Jane. You get
what I'm saying here. Yeah, I'm not talking about anyone specifically,
just a person I used to know.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Leave it at that.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
What network did Nicole say this on where she was
saying Republicans need.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
To move back to the center, CNN. Do you get
my point?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Yeah? Okay, let's leave it right there, Ethan. Before we run,
tell me about your radio show and your podcast.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
The Next Gen Report.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
It's wherever you get podcasts Here on AM nine to
fifty KPRC Sundays at seven pm. We talk about everything.
We talk about politics, culture. On the Wednesday show, I
talked about a judge who had resign after she got
caught peeing and puking on a sidewalk.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Huh.
Speaker 5 (11:04):
You know, there's a lot of things going on, So
it's a great way to just kind of tune in
and not take you know, it gives you what you
need out of the political headlines without you having to,
you know, live your entire life in policy and.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
If you're out driving around on a Sunday afternoon or evening.
That's your show airs right after another really big show. Yeah,
right after Ted Cruz, he's my opener.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
What's that like? Using the studio right after him? Does
it smell like Cuban food? It smells a colone, a
lot of it.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
You're listening to Kenny Webster's Pursuit of Happiness. Please, if
you're offended by anything you heard to get a piece
of paper, write down a detailed description of what bothered you,
and facts it to one eight eight eight. Nobody gives
a food all right.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
According to a new survey, the average Thanksgiving party will
have nine guests, although at least three of them will
leave when they find out your aunt is now a
theay them?
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Does that change the number? I guess when there's.
Speaker 7 (12:01):
A day then?
Speaker 3 (12:02):
What are the rules on that? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I'm still trying to figure out lay of the land
here on how people feel about these prop votes from
earlier this week. I know most of the ones that
I wanted to pass did pass, so that was good,
and I'm also excited about this. Very soon, the government
will be able to turn on or off your identification
with our new fun dystopian digital ID system, oh boy
(12:25):
coming soon, social credit scores, who doesn't love that? And
illegal immigrants at the DMVs. I want to talk about
all this with a guy who I think is easily
one of, if not the most important lawmaker in the
state legislature. Brian Harrison is on the line right now. Brian,
you're one of the only people. First of all, thank
you for your time this afternoon. You're one of the
only people I hear calling attention to the fact that
(12:47):
the digital ID system it's not convenient, it's scary.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Why don't more people understand that?
Speaker 8 (12:53):
Yeah, Kendy Webster, always great to be with you. I
love talking with you and all Vargo friends down in Houston.
So great to be with you.
Speaker 9 (12:59):
And yes, I didn't think.
Speaker 8 (13:02):
It would be controversial in this state of Texas to
oppose bills that bring us closer to things like digital
IDs or like tyrannical dystopian you know, Chinese style social
credit scores like I pretty much thought that I all
elected Republicans in Texas would oppose things like that.
Speaker 9 (13:23):
But I was wrong, and not just a little bit wrong.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I was a lot wrong.
Speaker 8 (13:27):
When when SB twenty four twenty SB two four two
zero was brought to the floor of the House. It
passed with the support of every Republican in the Texas
House and every Republican in the Texas Center except for me.
Speaker 9 (13:40):
And the end, they always they always have.
Speaker 8 (13:42):
This justification, right, I mean, you could justify like a
literal limitless amount of tyranny as long as you as
you tell people, oh, it's for the kids. We're gonna
protect the kids, and we're gonna especially we're gonna protect
the kids from porn. Right, you know, kids poor and
protect them. Dude, Every Republican is gonna vote yes. The
problem is you got to stop and read the damn bill.
And this bill has nothing to do with peorn. It
(14:02):
has nothing to do with obscenity. It doesn't even really
have anything to do with protecting kids because it's not.
Speaker 9 (14:06):
Scope to the kids.
Speaker 8 (14:08):
Every adult in the state of Texas, if you want
to go download a prayer app to enhance your quiet
times or your meditation times, you are now going to
have to prove, using government papers and government verification, that
you are in fact an adult. And worse than that,
you've got to create this like digital sort of family
(14:29):
tree to network all the children or the miners in
your family to you and basically prove who you are
under this tyrannical and authoritarian bill that absolutely pushes us
closer to digital IDs. I mean Australia they did something
real similar, promising their citizens.
Speaker 9 (14:47):
Oh guys, this is just voluntary.
Speaker 8 (14:49):
Hey, it's just to protect the kids. You don't want
kids seeing porn, do you have?
Speaker 5 (14:52):
Right?
Speaker 8 (14:53):
Six months later, half a year full on digital tyrannical
ideas in Australia, And that's actly what the supposedly republican
government in the same Texas did just a few months ago.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
Okay, so it sounds a lot like communist China. I mean,
this is it reminds me of early twenty twenty news
from Wuhan. People some bad citizens aren't behaving correctly during
the pandemic, so they can't get in and out of
their homes. And if I'm not mistaken, five years ago,
almost six, the whole basis for that, the whole way
(15:24):
that the Chicoms were doing that was with a digital
ID system, right.
Speaker 9 (15:28):
What's horrifying.
Speaker 8 (15:29):
Look, I was in the Trump administration dealing with the
COVID issues in twenty twenty and I can tell you
what I was hearing coming out of the CCP would
send and should send horrifying shivers down your spotline to
think about something like that ever coming to America. And
that's why we need to be ever so vigilant. And
you're right, people should be terrified about digital ideas. This
(15:50):
isn't just about tracking and privacy concerns and data abuse.
Yet all of those things are there too, and the
reason on their own to oppose this, but also the
power that it gives the digital ideas give the government
because but basically what it does is it's a short
step from digital IDs to social credit scores, where the
government basically has the ability to that you know what,
(16:11):
you have been behaving in ways we don't like. You've
been saying things that are not approved. You have been
looking at things online that give us concerns. So we're
going to just push a couple buttons and deny your
ability not just to see things approves online, but literally
to deny your ability to engage in commerce. And I'm
not making this up, Kenny. There were literal supposed conservative
(16:33):
Republican members of the Texas House saying publicly, well, what
in the world do you have to fear about having
to scan your government ID to be able to buy
something online?
Speaker 9 (16:44):
Kenny?
Speaker 8 (16:44):
This is how far the supposed Republicans have fallen in
the Texas government.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
All right, let's talk.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Let's go from that over to the Texas Department of
Motor Vehicles. Now, obviously in New York City they want
all the grocery stores to run as well as the
DMV does. Here in Texas, we feel a little differently
about the DMV, and it's actually worse than it sounds.
You your office is getting reports about illegal aliens registering
their vehicles in Texas.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Is that legal? I mean? Is it? Are they allowed
to do this?
Speaker 7 (17:13):
So?
Speaker 8 (17:13):
Yeah, this has been really shocking and eye opening and
infuriating to me. So my office got reports from somebody,
and I haven't revealed who has informed me of this,
but this individual, my source on this, actually went along
on a DHS basically a mission and was there to
witness this firsthand. So I've got first hand corroboration from this,
and the DHS, basically acting on that in part, went
(17:36):
around and earlier this week announced over one hundred arrests
of illegal aliens driving not in California not in New York,
but in the supposedly read state of Texas. And so
what turns out is instead of the Texas government being
like a force multiplier for Trump's war on illegal immigration,
the Texas government is apparently facilitating illegal immigration.
Speaker 9 (17:58):
And absolutely I've looked into this.
Speaker 8 (18:00):
The D and D, to the best of my knowledge,
has no process in place to stop illegal aliens from
registering vehicles. And I have for sure confirmed this too.
The D and V is accepting driver's licenses from other
blue states that give driver's licenses to illegal aliens. They
are accepting those drivers' licenses as acceptable id to register
(18:23):
a vehicle in the state of Texas. So what I
did is I send a shot across the bow from
the D and V, and I see see the governor
because he appoints the leadership of the D and V.
So these are all abbots. It's Abbot's teams over there
telling the D and V, like, first of all, are
you taking any steps to stop illegal immigrants from doing this?
Crickets from them on that question, by the way, But
then telling them, guys, the legislature gave you all the
(18:44):
authority you need.
Speaker 9 (18:46):
Stand up rules right now.
Speaker 8 (18:47):
To make it illegal forre illegal immigrants to register vehicles
in the state of Texas. This should be common sense
and it should have been done years and years and
years ago. But apparently illegals are absolutely with the full
assistants of the DMV registering vehicles and in day in
their lives here in the state of Texas.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
It feels like it makes it easier to vote illegally too,
that this streamlines it one more way for people to
get into the system, to have access to that.
Speaker 8 (19:09):
Well, here's the thing too, Kenny, and I know, I
think we're going to talk about the props in the second.
I mean, people think that Texas has done things on
election integrity and voter ID but the reality is it's
nothing more than smoking mirrors gas lighting from the liberal
Austin uniparty establishment because they bragg oh, Texas has photo
ID laws.
Speaker 9 (19:26):
Well I said the other day.
Speaker 8 (19:27):
I said the other day online that well Texas does
not have photo ID laws, and people are like, whatever,
you know, Texas passed the law and they cite the laws,
and I'm like, okay, client, I stand corrected. We have
a quote photo ID law on the books. Here's the
only problem. The Texas's photo I D doesn't require a
photo ID to vote. You can literally show up under
(19:48):
the Texas photo ID law with a utility bill with
a government check heard, just a piece of paper and
given yes, that's absolutely the case.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Utility bill feels like it would be pretty easy to fake, Brian, Like,
there's not a universal system for what utility bills are
supposed to look like, right.
Speaker 9 (20:09):
I don't know.
Speaker 8 (20:10):
I mean, is there technology that has advanced to the
point where you could doctor an address on a white
piece of paper it centered out?
Speaker 9 (20:16):
I don't know, Kenny.
Speaker 8 (20:17):
Is that what all this newfangled AI is all about?
Speaker 9 (20:20):
Kenny?
Speaker 2 (20:20):
I don't know, all right, to your point there, Fortunately
for us, let's talk about the prop votes from earlier
this week, perhaps sixteen passed clarifying citizenship voting. And everybody
I know is for this. Conservative groups, libertarian groups, even
my friend's over at the Houston Chronicle editorial board, who
are mostly liberal. They put down they said they were
(20:40):
for it.
Speaker 8 (20:41):
Hang on, stot right there, Kenny. You're not about to
put me on the same side as the Houston Chronical
editorial board, are you.
Speaker 9 (20:46):
We may have to stop the interview right now.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
What's happening Brian, You're not going to believe this, but
do you know they've been publishing a lot of my
work lately. I've been submitting them articles about why I
don't like Dan Patrick and John Cornyn, and they've been
publishing it.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
Well, I know.
Speaker 9 (21:00):
I did not know this. You're gonna have to send
them to me.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
I know, I know.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
I'm a Houston Chronicle writer. Sort of, it's very me,
a guy that writes far jokes about politicians.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Even I can't believe that.
Speaker 8 (21:08):
Well, maybe I have reathing my the Houston Chronicle. I
think they attacked me at least weekly, So maybe I'm
having to reason. Maybe there's some ballots over there I
didn't know about.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Oh, for sure, we're all I'm not saying that like
there for us or whatever.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
But anyway, I digress. I was also excited. I was
also excited that Prop three passed.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
I know most people where all my friends in law
enforcement were basically for this. Were you, I mean, did
you you lean on the more libertarian side, Republican liberty
caucase was not for it?
Speaker 3 (21:35):
What was your thoughts on Prop three? Yeah?
Speaker 8 (21:37):
Well, and certainly as that was introduced the original version
of it, I had some very very real problems with
I have. I mean, as did the founding fathers of
our nation. Sure, a disproportionate amount of time in the
Bill of Rights worrying about the rights of the of
the accused and rights of descendants as they should have
given the persecution they had suffered under the crown, and
(21:59):
so so, yeah, I share those concerns. I am a
liberty republic in Texas should be the number one state
for individual liberty in the nation. Work by some accounts,
were dead last, as embarrassing as that is, But yeah,
so I had real concerns with the first versions of
this bill, but I do believe it changed enough throughout
the process to strike a good balance between protecting the
(22:20):
rights of the accused and making sure that rogue DIA's
in our bluest counties like Harris County no offense are
not just letting violent, known repeat offenders back out on
the street so they can do what they've been doing
and perpetuate additional acts of violence. So I was okay
with the final version, but I absolutely understand, especially given
(22:40):
how confusing the warding was, why my friends and colleagues
on the right, some of.
Speaker 9 (22:45):
Them had some concerns about it. I absolutely understand that.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Yeah, I support the liberty cog. I'm one of those guys.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I fall right in the middle of the right between
the conservatives and the libertarians on almost everything. And I
know you usually do too. Was there anything that passed
or didn't pass that you didn't like? Was there anything
we're Oh?
Speaker 8 (23:02):
Absolutely, when people had asked me about that, somebody when
we talk to you about the ones I hate, okay,
and so they were first of all people should know.
So there's seventeen of these things. A good chunk of
them are nothing more than just talking points for the
liberal swamps to make them sound conservative. You know, for example,
I think at least three, but maybe four of them,
and they are all find things, by the way, but
they're they banned or made unconstitutional taxes.
Speaker 9 (23:25):
I hate taxes. I want them to be unconstitutional.
Speaker 8 (23:27):
But they made unconstitutional at least three, maybe four taxes
that Texas doesn't have. And so like governor is using
it all right, and already did put out a whole
video guys taking credit.
Speaker 9 (23:38):
You know, victory lif've got.
Speaker 8 (23:39):
I just made unconstitutional capital games taxes in the state
of Texas, and like great Texas doesn't have capital games taxes,
so I support it being unconstitutional, but they're not. Most
of them are like fake wins that they're not really
doing a death taxes. We don't have death backs, so
a lot of them were just kind of silly. Some
(24:00):
of them that I really hate.
Speaker 9 (24:02):
Prop one.
Speaker 8 (24:02):
I love Texas State Technical College. We need more people
being built, not wasting two hundred grand to go to
these liberal arts four year schools where they do nothing
but le aren't transgender, you know, studies and whatnot. We
need more HVAC texts and electricians and plumbers, like.
Speaker 9 (24:15):
People that know how to do stuff.
Speaker 8 (24:16):
So I love Texas State Technical College, but we should
not be setting up new what I call cooking the
books off the books accounting dedicated funds in the constitution
as opposed to through the normal appropriations and budget process,
because what that does is it puts spending on auto
drive every year from now and the legislature will never
(24:36):
really have to reauthorize that language. So I hated that
when I hated the water fund billions and billions and
billions and billions with a v of dollars for the
state government to take over a policy that's always been
a local policy, which is control of water and number
two and they're us imminent domain is going to be
abused all over the state, and the taxpayers are basically
(24:57):
going to be on the hook to subsidize all these
AI data that because the Texas government's going to get
to pick winners and losers and who.
Speaker 9 (25:03):
Gets the water.
Speaker 8 (25:04):
So that thing was a total boondogle should have failed.
And then it was Prop fourteen, what I call the
Texas in I eight. So the federal government has the
National Institutes of Health. President Trump is trying to cut
and strength the National Institutes for Health, but Dan Patrick
made it one of his top priorities to create a
what I call it the Texas INIH, which is at
(25:24):
least three billion dollars with a v of the surflus
should have gone back to taxpais to lower property taxes
into basically a corporate welfare on steroids that is almost
certainly not going to find a cure for dementia or
any other thing. It's just going to make a bunch
of contractors rich and explode spending, and we're going to
have to hire fifty to one hundred new bureaucrats total
(25:45):
boondog or leftist social pork barrel spending. That thing should
have gone down in plants. It's embarrassing that a Republican
and the Texas leadership pushed for such a socialist policy.
Speaker 9 (25:56):
So those are the ones that I really hated the most.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Yeah, I agree with pretty much all what you just said,
especially the part about eminent domain. You're concerned about eminent domain.
That is one of the most underrated policy position. That is,
of all the things that affect us as Texans, you
would think we would all be lockstep in agreement on that,
and then, for some reason, whenever there's a Texas Railroad
Commission race, That's the one question nobody asks these candidates, right,
(26:19):
nobody wants a high speed rail, Yeah, exactly, But what
if we want to put a pipeline through some seventh
generation rancher's yard.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
Wow, that's different county. You know, it's actually not different.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
I'm very pro oil and gas, but I you know,
some of these guys on the Railroad Commission they don't
share that opinion with us.
Speaker 9 (26:35):
Brian, No, they no, they don't.
Speaker 8 (26:38):
I mean, I'm pro oil and gas too, but that
doesn't mean you can use the instrumentation and the brute
force of government power to destroy something else that I
care a lot about, which is private property rights. And
here's the big, one of the biggest scams in the
state of Texas. We like to pretend our leaders anyway,
like to pretend we're this big private property tax you know,
private property state. A man's home is his castle. Total nonsense.
(27:00):
I mean Texas, you know, maybe the most anti private
property tax state in the country, if.
Speaker 9 (27:05):
For no other reason.
Speaker 8 (27:06):
Yes, imminent domain is a massive scandal that nobody ever
wants to talk about, including the people on the Railroad Commission.
But also, how can we even say with a straight
face we care about private property rights when we have,
by one analysis, the highest effective property tax rates in
all of the United States of America, including all of
(27:26):
the Blue states, And we are taxing Texans quite literally
out of their homes. And the leadership of the State
of Texas is every two years they throw themselves a
ticker tape parade. They declare they passed the most conservative
and most historic property tax cut in the history of
human existence and whatever. But the reality is everybody's property
(27:47):
tax built the end of the year just about goes up
every single year, higher higher higher. Now we're taxing conservative
Republicans out of their homes in Texas. And what are
we doing with that money. We're funding the EI, We're
funding the radical left agenda, We're funding transgender in Daxtor Nation.
Great Dan Patrick is forcing us to get billions of
dollars to an industry that hates us, promote liberal Hollywood.
And here's the thing people don't know about. We're taxing
(28:09):
conservative Republicans, freedom loving patriots out of the state.
Speaker 9 (28:13):
But through that.
Speaker 8 (28:13):
Something called the Texas Enterprise Fund tax money in the
governor's office, he runs over to California and bribes California
based ultraliberal businesses to move from California to Texas, pays
their moving costs with tax money, and then they get
abatements down here so they don't even have to pay
the same property taxes that conservative mod post shops do,
(28:36):
and they import all their liberal socialists voters with them.
I mean, the Texas taxpayers are being abused like never
before in the history of our state. Texas taxpayers money
is being weaponized against them, their values, and their children,
all by so called Republicans who pretend to care about
private property rights. Texas government as against corrupt. It's a scam,
and I wish more elected officials would have the courage
(28:59):
to just state the obvious, which is the Texas government
hates the Texas taxpayers and they only use the words freedom.
I don't even know if they use the word liberty.
I mean, Kenny, when was the last time you heard
another elected Republican in Texas even let the word individual
liberty come out of their mouth? Isn't that I think
supposed to care about the most?
Speaker 2 (29:16):
I mean, when whenever Ron Paul retired. But to your point,
you're right, and you know on that note, you are
You're you're an economist. You're a guy that understands economics
very well and not surprisingly, studied it at Texas A
and M University. Could not help. But notice this this weekend,
your aggie's are playing Missouri.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
That's a real game. Are you guys excited about that?
Speaker 8 (29:38):
We are excited about it. And I have to note,
I mean, I don't know how much people will appreciate
me saying this, but if you, if you remember, Kenny,
I think you covered this extensively. But I was the
driving force behind booting out the Ultra global former Obama
official uh DEI advocates who you know was the president
(30:04):
of Texas A and M And I'm not saying these
two things are related, but a historically amazing football season
did follow his outser So you know, I'm not taking
credit for that, but I'm just saying, you know, somebody
might love draw.
Speaker 9 (30:15):
Connection between the man.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
I think I'm glad you brought it up.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
My man, Brian Harrison, State Representative on the line right now.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Uh Brian, I know I've said this to you before.
I get it.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
You do.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
You're doing what you do when it's the right time
for it. But a lot of our listeners want you
to to pursue higher office. You know, Dan Patrick has
been nothing but disappointing, especially lately Abbott, going back to
the pandemic, I think it's very obvious what side of
things he is on. So I hope if something does happen,
I hope you'll let us know first.
Speaker 9 (30:42):
Brother.
Speaker 8 (30:44):
Well, I'll tell you what if I make that decision, Kenny,
you'll be one of the first phone calls. And in
all seriousness, I know I'd like to joke about stuff,
but because you either have to laugh or cry with
some of these issues we're dealing with in the state
of Texas, and people forget the stakes, right I mean,
we're not just going to battle for Houston or Dallas
or my justters in Ellis County or the state of
Texas or mayor We are in a battle right now
in twenty twenty five. Texas voters are for nothing short
(31:05):
in the future of Western civilization and why it matters
for voters in Texas and your audience.
Speaker 9 (31:09):
As goes Texas, so goes the nation. As goes the nation,
so goes the world.
Speaker 8 (31:13):
And I believe with all my heart that Texas has
never needed bold conservative leadership more than they do right now.
And I'm very humbled by the many, many people all
of the states that are reaching out and asking me
to run for higher office. But if I'm making any
decisions on that front, Kenney, You'll be one of the
first one called the name Brian.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Include me on that list, my man, State Representative Brian Harrison.
Quick break will be right back with Brandon Waltons from
Texas squarecard dot Com right after this.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
Ladies and gentlemen, Pursuit of Happiness Radio you and now
it's two to the sound.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Ladies, and gentlemen live from Joanyong. It's the North Korean
Moran Bong Band featuring their new head Let's study. In
North Korea, you can only listen to state approved music
and read state approved books and eat state approved food.
(32:09):
So of course everybody's favorite band is in the North
Korean Moran Bong Band. I know what you're thinking, Kenny,
why are you playing this music? Well, my friend Brandon
Walton so texascorecard dot com, has just returned home from
the DMZ that's the demilitarized zone between South Korea and
North Korea. And although I haven't talked to my buddy,
(32:31):
Brandon Walton is in I don't know, almost a month,
like three weeks. I've got to assume considering where he's been,
this is probably his favorite band now, right, Brandon?
Speaker 10 (32:41):
Oh yes, I Drew per said, I can't get it up.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
This is the best part of the song. Let's all
sing together, ready, buddy, Burbon Bong Bing and Dung Jing
Jong Bo. Go ahead and Brandon sing it.
Speaker 10 (32:55):
Yeah, my Korea is not quite up to par I
wouldn't want to embarrass myself.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
Isn't it interesting, Brandon?
Speaker 2 (33:00):
If you could do an experiment where you could slice
a country in half a fifty plus year experiments, and
half of the country would be communist in the other
half the country would be something similar to free market capitalism.
What do you think would happened with that, with those
two countries, How would they change?
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Do you imagine? Yeah?
Speaker 10 (33:20):
I mean, isn't amazing that we do have that experiment
playing out?
Speaker 8 (33:25):
You know? I thought it was.
Speaker 10 (33:26):
It was really interesting. First of all, the timing was
interesting because, of course President Trump was doing his tour
of some of the Asian countries South Korea, Japan and
others at the same time that me and my wife
had already been long planning a trip there, and so
you know, there's certainly a lot of buzz about the
president being there, but you know it, it was a
(33:48):
very cool trip. But it was particularly You're right, I mean,
the DFC is such an interesting thing to see where
you can, you know, look over into North Korea and
see just immediately the difference, right, I mean, what's been
happening there for the last gosh, what's sixty plus years
now at this point, and what's happening, you know, just
(34:10):
a few miles away in South Korea, which is of course,
you know, I think, you know, pretty pretty modern country
by most standards.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
Oh yeah, I mean South Korea. They love plastic surgery
and pop music. They manufacture automobiles and electronics, and they're
interested in American culture. American culture is interested in South
Korean culture. K pop is humongous. Meanwhile, in North Korea,
famine from communism is so terrible that over the last
fifty years, the average North Korean is six inches shorter
(34:40):
than the average South Korean.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
Imagine that.
Speaker 10 (34:45):
Yes, and if you see some of the pictures of
like Kim Jong un with the military, you see that
where you know they're de montster, you could just tell
that they're they're shorter.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Yeah, no, kidding, very bizarre, right, Okay, So question for you.
You we're at the demilitarized zone zone. Did you feel unsafe?
Speaker 10 (35:05):
I wouldn't say that. It's sort of a weird thing.
You know, there's so many people who go there now
that it's almost I think I'd said this to you
a little bit like almost like a theme park experience
in the sense that you know, you've got gift shops
and you know, and and photo spots and all the
rest of it. You know, I guess South Koreas sort
of making making the best out of what they have there,
(35:27):
and people, you know, frankly like me who are who
were just interested in seeing it all right.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
And then so you went from South Korea to Japan?
What order did you do that?
Speaker 10 (35:35):
In exactly that order? So we we ended it with Japan,
which my wife and I have been to before. We
loved it and really really enjoyed going there again. It's
such a such an orderly society.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
And if Noma and Mamma was taking the Japanese loved Trump.
I mean, Japanese nationalism has always been the norm in Japan,
and now Trump's doing that. For the Uni States of America,
they don't see him as some extremist.
Speaker 10 (36:03):
Oh no, and especially with their new prime minister, who
spent a long time meeting with Trump when he was
there in Japan, and I think Trump actually brought her
on stage when he was speaking to some of the
troops there. So they've immediately hit it off of scenes.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
New York Times reported on this at the end of
last month. They said her name's Sonya Takachi. I hope
I'm saying that right, although let's face it, our audience
doesn't know the difference. And there's a funny headline here
in the New York Times. They go, she does not
play golf, Trump's favorite sport, nor is she known to
share his love of hamburgers. They published this right before
the two of them met, and then what happened. The
(36:40):
two of them went on a high five and bro fest.
He was also really tight with the Now the late
Prime Minister of Japan, if I'm not mistaken, Abe was
at his name, Who got assassinated?
Speaker 3 (36:51):
Who got shot? Just like Trump did? Shinzo abbe right, yes, exactly.
All right, Well, let's move.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
Away from Japan for just a minute, because, really, let's
face it, you and I probably don't have a lot
to say about that, but we do have a.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Lot to say about this.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
News just broke seconds before you and I went on
the air. The Fifth Circuit Court has given a ruling
on drag queen shows. Why would a federal court need
to tell us about cross dressing weirdos performing in public?
Speaker 10 (37:18):
Well, yeah, I mean, this has been a legal fight
that's been going on for quite some time, now years,
and just now finally, I mean, we're just as we're
talking now, this decision has just come out a few
minutes ago, so I haven't gotten a chance to read
through it, but essentially the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
has uphol upheld Texas law preventing children from attending explicit
(37:41):
drag shows. You'll have to look and see what the
details of that are, but certainly this is a fight
that's been going on for a long time, and you know,
I think this was passed back in twenty twenty three
and hasn't been able to be enforced for the last
couple of years as it's moved through the court. So
we'll see. Certainly people are celebrating this right now. It
(38:03):
rains to be seen whether or not this gets challenged
and brought all the way to the Supreme Court.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Okay, very interesting that that's moving forward and probably necessary
considering what's going on in the country right now. In
the meantime, Texas voters okayed billions of dollars in school
property taxes increases. Governor Abbott had an odd response to this,
didn't you.
Speaker 10 (38:25):
Yeah, you know, this is interesting to see. I mean,
at the same time on Tuesday, when voters were approving
a slate of constitutional amendments to include an increase to
the homestead exemption. So property tax relief across the state
local governments people were approving billions of dollars in property
tax increases, whether through bonds or just overall voter approved
(38:51):
tax rate elections where which are essentially where cities have
to in school districts have to go to the voters
in order to approve tax increases that are above a
certain amount.
Speaker 3 (39:02):
Okay, and yeah, gone.
Speaker 10 (39:06):
Yeah, And so you essentially had a little bit of
cognitive dissonance here where the property tax relief portioned statewide
passed by a huge margin. But then so too did
we see billions of dollars in property tax increases that
will sort of wash those out for most people or
for many people who lived in those school districts or
(39:28):
those cities that were putting these debt measures on the ballot.
Speaker 9 (39:31):
Now.
Speaker 10 (39:33):
Interestingly, Governor Greg Gabbott earlier this year, back in February,
I think it was, during his State of the State address,
said he wanted to see the legislature make it to
where you actually need a super majority of votes, so
two thirds of votes from voters in order to raise
taxes that didn't pass, that didn't There was ever a
vote on that in the Texas household of the Senate,
(39:54):
there was no movement on that issue. And if you
look at the results from Tuesday night and in most,
if not all, of these elections where voters voted to
approve tax increases, it was by margins of light, you know,
fifty three fifty four percent, meaning that had habits, you know,
desire there that he had stated to have a supermajority
(40:17):
of voters approved tax rate increases. Had that actually gone
to effect and the legislature done that, taxpayers would have
said billions of dollars. As it is, unfortunately a lot
of people's tax bills are going to.
Speaker 9 (40:28):
Be going up.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
Brandon, you are a fantastic journalist.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
How much money would it cost for me to look
at the work that you do every day if I
were to go to your website texascorecard dot com.
Speaker 10 (40:38):
Well, it's a great question. It's all free. We're at
texascorecard dot com zero dollars.
Speaker 3 (40:44):
Honestly, Brandon, I think you should charge twice that much.
Speaker 10 (40:48):
That sounds good.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
Brandon Waltons texas scorecard dot com. Follow him on x
Kenny Webster. Oh what am I thinking? That's the end
of the show.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
We'll be back bying early tomorrow morning for more of
what you bought a radio for.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
I love you all donated to Wheelchairs for Warriors dot org,
a fantastic charity.
Speaker 7 (41:04):
You are listening to the pursuit of happy this radio.
Tell the government to kiss your ass when you listen
to this show.
Jack gannon government suckssuit of happing US radio is DeLux.
Liberty and freedom will make you smile. The a suda
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libit advise at.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Scientists may have found an anti venom that will save
thousands of snake bite victims, but everyone knows the best
defense is a good offense. That's why I bite every snake.
I see Hi, everybody, I'm Kenny Webster, Thanks for turning
on your radio. Who's here this afternoon Big Show? Ethan
Buchanan stopped by. He is one of our producers and
a weekend talk show host and also a reporter on
(00:43):
k t H News. We're going to talk about how
some of the prominent members of the East Coast Republican
Party are begging the GOP to move back to the
center after this week's election results.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
We'll talk about that.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Stay Representative Brian Harrison is going to be here with
information about some strange things going on at the Texas
departm into motor vehicles, the possibility of a digital ID
system here in the state of Texas, and his reaction
to some of the prop votes. Plus Brandon Waltins from
Texas scorecard dot Com, stopping by just got home from
his trip back from the North Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
We'll tell you about it.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
Everything you've heard is a lie, well unless you heard
it from the mouth of Kenny Webster. All facts, even
the bit about it is little Kenny. He sorry, brokay,
I mean big Kenny. Thank you for listening to Kenny
Webster's Pursuit of happiness.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
All right, breaking news out of Florida, and then we're
going to New York. Obviously, that's why the music is
playing in the background. In Florida, which is really the
New York of the South, a teacher came to school
high on cocaine.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Apparently the kids in.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Her class were suspicious because it was movie day and
the movie was Scarface.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Part of it.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Now you know where they do a lot of cocaine. Okay, yes, everywhere.
You're right about that. But I was going to say
New York. It's just a lazy segue. There is a
lawmaker in the state, in the city of New York City.
She's a progressional representative, and surprisingly she is a Republican.
You would think there wouldn't be a lot of Republican
lawmakers in New York City.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
You'd be right about that.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
But there's one, and her name is Mariotacis?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Is her name?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
I guess she's a Was this a Greek woman? Ethan
Buchanan of ktr H News.
Speaker 5 (02:27):
She claims Hispanic heritage, So come on, come on, that's
a Greek name.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Give me a break. Galliotacis? Is that Greek? Really?
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Nicole Malyotakis, she claims to be. It sounds Greek to me,
doesn't it?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Okay? But imagine it in Leslie Brionis's voice.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
No, it's Greek. Her dad's Greek. Her mom's Cuban. What
did you think Hispanic? So they're both true. They left
her family. Her mom left Cuba in nineteen fifty nine
with the rise of adel Castro. She was raised Greek Orthodox,
So we're both right. Besides the point Nicole was on
on where was she at? She was on Fox News
a year and a half ago, back when illegal immigrants
(03:07):
were running rampant everywhere in the country. The borders were
wide open, and this is what she told Fox News
about the New York Police Department and Ice agents.
Speaker 6 (03:16):
Well, the mayor should be putting a bill before the
City Council asking them to repeal that so NYPD can
cooperate and deport people who are here committing crimes. But
I also have a problem with the mayor because he
continues to house these individuals.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
So somebody gets arrested for a crime.
Speaker 6 (03:29):
We had one woman eight times arrested, released repeatedly, and
then she goes back to the luxury hotel room that
we the people are paying for in the form of
our tax dollars. So the mayor couldn't do something more
here to not incentivize people to come to New York
City and certainly not giving free luxury hotel rooms to
people who are committing crimes in our city.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
So I'm gonna pause it right Eric, because this is
Nicole Mallo Tackis. She's basically the TMOU version of Elie Stephanick,
and a lot has changed since a year and a
half ago when she made this point. Right back then,
you add people coming over the border in droves, You
had these hotels filled with the illegal immigrants. And then
Eric Adams got into a little trouble, and then Eric
Adams became a reluctant supporter at Trump, probably so he
(04:11):
could get a part in or some kind of it,
who knows. And now he's not He's not gonna be
Mayor anymore. Now you got Zorahan, Mom, Dammi coming in.
This is a very different guy in terms of his
positions on immigration and his positions on ICE agents. And weirdly,
because of this election that we just had, Nicole has
changed her whole position on what she thinks ICE agents
should do, not just in New York City but throughout
(04:33):
the country. She was on CNN the night of the
election Tuesday night doing live coverage and tell me what
she said.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
Ethan, Yeah, So she basically makes the case that, oh,
the pitch to the American people was we're going to
go after the worst of the worst. And now the
footage that we're seeing looks mean and they're arresting mothers
and fathers and pulling people out of cars, and that's
not what the American people want. So the Republicans should
(04:59):
basically tack back to the center. And it's not just
her that's saying this. There was a bunch of people
online Tuesday night into Wednesday that we're saying, oh, this
is a sign that Republicans need to chill out and
moderate and you know, relax on the deportations Loti Dodi
da And I think that's a blatant misread of the situation.
(05:22):
Like I don't know what she was talking about, but
when I went in to vote for Trump, my understanding
was we're getting all of the illegals out. I feel
like that was pretty clear that that was the pitch.
But on top of that, the idea that the Tuesday
election means the Republicans need to moderate that's why they lost,
is because we're deporting too many illegal aliens.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
I don't think that holds water.
Speaker 5 (05:44):
I mean, there were Republicans that lost in New York,
the Democrat wins in New York and Virginia and New Jersey,
those Democrat wins. It wasn't just like, oh, the moderate
Democrats won in response to how much people don't like
Trump bit. It wasn't a victory for the center. It
was a victory for the left, like it was the
(06:05):
Jay Joneses of the world that were winning their elections.
It wasn't moderate Democrats, it was the very radical far left.
Those are the ones who want so the response to
that from the rights should not be tacked back to
the center. That's how you lose even more when you've
got literal communists and people who go and say, oh,
we need to kill Republicans and their children, and those
(06:26):
are the people that are winning on the Democrat side.
The response to that isn't fine, will give you some
or most of what you want as long as you
let us keep this little bit of what we want.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
The response is.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
No, keep doing what we're doing, Keep deporting these illegal aliens,
keep getting all of them out of the country, so
that if God forbid, you know, the absolute crazy communist
radicals secure power, they really can't do anything with it.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
All right, So what Congresswoman Maleo tech Is is trying
to suggest is that this election we just had, where
Democrats seem to be dominating the headlines with victories, this
is some kind of a bell weather election that proves
that the country is starting to move back to the left.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
And this very misleading. I'll explain why.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Obviously New York City seven or eight out of out
of every nine or ten voters seven or at least
eight of them or Democrat. Have you heard this if
you had, In fact, I think a better way of
explaining it is this. The ratio is eight to one.
If I'm not mistaken of Democrats to Republicans. Okay, so
a Republican was not good. Curtis Lee was not going
to win in New York City. Let's go down to
(07:33):
Virginia real quick, Virginia where Glenn Youngkin's on the way out.
He was a Republican incoming candidate. Now is the Democrat
candidate wins? Some seeres lost. Some people that don't came
up with the news out of the Commonwealth of Virginia
might have thought that was shocking news. It's actually not right.
In Virginia, you're every governor. Two interesting things about the
governor's races one term. Every governor gets one term in
(07:55):
the Commonwealth of Virginia. And what's even which is unusual,
but what's even more than one term? What's even more
interesting than that? Except for one with one exception, over
the last fifty years, every time they've had a governor's race,
which happens the year following the presidential election, the winner
is always a member of whichever political party just lost
(08:16):
the presidency. Right, So Glen Youngkin won in twenty twenty one,
And whatever you think of the twenty twenty elections, Trump
was taken out of the White House. Whether you think
it was fair or not as irrelevant for this conversation.
The following year, Republicans took Virginia. This year, you see
what happened. Trump won last year. Now Democrats have conquered
the Virginia governor's mansion. That's very predictable. That's what always happens.
(08:38):
The other state it's getting all the attention. New Jersey
obviously not a red straight by any stretch of the imagination,
not even really a purple state. The only time they've
had a governor in recent years that was a Republican
was Chris Christy, and he was famous for hugging Obama.
He was famous for being a liberal Republican. This guy
that just lost was not a liberal Republican by any means.
(09:00):
He ran a platform based on maga right. He was
center right for sure. It's not far right, but it's
not near right either. It's center right. And so I
don't really get Nicole's point here. Suggesting that this is
that would be like saying, well, you know, the Republicans
just won a race in Mississippi, assign Democrats need to
move back to the center in states like California and Illinois.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
That doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 5 (09:22):
It's panic, is what it is. It's they're not really
looking at it logically. They're looking at it in terms of,
you know, what gets the sound bites, and what gets
the sound bites, isn't hey, Actually this election was completely normal,
Like the blue states elected blue people, the blue Juristicks
and Is elected blue people, and then here in Texas
all of our Republican ballot propositions passed. Things pretty much
(09:45):
went exactly how you would expect them to if you're
actually looking at it and making predictions based off of
what's happened in the past and voter patterns.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Ethan, can I have your permission to do a missogyny.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Real quick, a massage a misogyny, to be misogynist?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Oh yeah, go for it.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Okay, I'm gonna say something a little denigrating to women,
not all women, probably not the kind of women that
listened to right wing talk radio. Women are more likely
than men to express an opinion they don't actually believe
in because they think it will please all the other
people in the room. Right I'm not going to say
any names specifically, but I can tell you I used
to spend a lot of time around a woman who
(10:22):
was kind of famous for doing this in a room
full of conservatives. She was Jane tea party in a
room full of liberals. She was Comrade Jane. You get
what I'm saying here. Yeah, I'm not talking about anyone specifically,
just a person I used to know.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Leave it at that.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
What network did Nicole say this on where she was
saying Republicans need.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
To move back to the center, CNN. Do you get
my point?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Yeah? Okay, let's leave it right there, Ethan. Before we run,
tell me about your radio show and your podcast.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
The Next Gen Report.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
It's wherever you get podcasts Here on AM nine to
fifty KPRC Sundays at seven pm. We talk about everything.
We talk about politics, culture. On the Wednesday show, I
talked about a judge who had resign after she got
caught peeing and puking on a sidewalk.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Huh.
Speaker 5 (11:04):
You know, there's a lot of things going on, So
it's a great way to just kind of tune in
and not take you know, it gives you what you
need out of the political headlines without you having to,
you know, live your entire life in policy and.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
If you're out driving around on a Sunday afternoon or evening.
That's your show airs right after another really big show. Yeah,
right after Ted Cruz, he's my opener.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
What's that like? Using the studio right after him? Does
it smell like Cuban food? It smells a colone, a
lot of it.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
You're listening to Kenny Webster's Pursuit of Happiness. Please, if
you're offended by anything you heard to get a piece
of paper, write down a detailed description of what bothered you,
and facts it to one eight eight eight. Nobody gives
a food all right.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
According to a new survey, the average Thanksgiving party will
have nine guests, although at least three of them will
leave when they find out your aunt is now a
theay them?
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Does that change the number? I guess when there's.
Speaker 7 (12:01):
A day then?
Speaker 3 (12:02):
What are the rules on that? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I'm still trying to figure out lay of the land
here on how people feel about these prop votes from
earlier this week. I know most of the ones that
I wanted to pass did pass, so that was good,
and I'm also excited about this. Very soon, the government
will be able to turn on or off your identification
with our new fun dystopian digital ID system, oh boy
(12:25):
coming soon, social credit scores, who doesn't love that? And
illegal immigrants at the DMVs. I want to talk about
all this with a guy who I think is easily
one of, if not the most important lawmaker in the
state legislature. Brian Harrison is on the line right now. Brian,
you're one of the only people. First of all, thank
you for your time this afternoon. You're one of the
only people I hear calling attention to the fact that
(12:47):
the digital ID system it's not convenient, it's scary.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Why don't more people understand that?
Speaker 8 (12:53):
Yeah, Kendy Webster, always great to be with you. I
love talking with you and all Vargo friends down in Houston.
So great to be with you.
Speaker 9 (12:59):
And yes, I didn't think.
Speaker 8 (13:02):
It would be controversial in this state of Texas to
oppose bills that bring us closer to things like digital
IDs or like tyrannical dystopian you know, Chinese style social
credit scores like I pretty much thought that I all
elected Republicans in Texas would oppose things like that.
Speaker 9 (13:23):
But I was wrong, and not just a little bit wrong.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I was a lot wrong.
Speaker 8 (13:27):
When when SB twenty four twenty SB two four two
zero was brought to the floor of the House. It
passed with the support of every Republican in the Texas
House and every Republican in the Texas Center except for me.
Speaker 9 (13:40):
And the end, they always they always have.
Speaker 8 (13:42):
This justification, right, I mean, you could justify like a
literal limitless amount of tyranny as long as you as
you tell people, oh, it's for the kids. We're gonna
protect the kids, and we're gonna especially we're gonna protect
the kids from porn. Right, you know, kids poor and
protect them. Dude, Every Republican is gonna vote yes. The
problem is you got to stop and read the damn bill.
And this bill has nothing to do with peorn. It
(14:02):
has nothing to do with obscenity. It doesn't even really
have anything to do with protecting kids because it's not.
Speaker 9 (14:06):
Scope to the kids.
Speaker 8 (14:08):
Every adult in the state of Texas, if you want
to go download a prayer app to enhance your quiet
times or your meditation times, you are now going to
have to prove, using government papers and government verification, that
you are in fact an adult. And worse than that,
you've got to create this like digital sort of family
(14:29):
tree to network all the children or the miners in
your family to you and basically prove who you are
under this tyrannical and authoritarian bill that absolutely pushes us
closer to digital IDs. I mean Australia they did something
real similar, promising their citizens.
Speaker 9 (14:47):
Oh guys, this is just voluntary.
Speaker 8 (14:49):
Hey, it's just to protect the kids. You don't want
kids seeing porn, do you have?
Speaker 5 (14:52):
Right?
Speaker 8 (14:53):
Six months later, half a year full on digital tyrannical
ideas in Australia, And that's actly what the supposedly republican
government in the same Texas did just a few months ago.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
Okay, so it sounds a lot like communist China. I mean,
this is it reminds me of early twenty twenty news
from Wuhan. People some bad citizens aren't behaving correctly during
the pandemic, so they can't get in and out of
their homes. And if I'm not mistaken, five years ago,
almost six, the whole basis for that, the whole way
(15:24):
that the Chicoms were doing that was with a digital
ID system, right.
Speaker 9 (15:28):
What's horrifying.
Speaker 8 (15:29):
Look, I was in the Trump administration dealing with the
COVID issues in twenty twenty and I can tell you
what I was hearing coming out of the CCP would
send and should send horrifying shivers down your spotline to
think about something like that ever coming to America. And
that's why we need to be ever so vigilant. And
you're right, people should be terrified about digital ideas. This
(15:50):
isn't just about tracking and privacy concerns and data abuse.
Yet all of those things are there too, and the
reason on their own to oppose this, but also the
power that it gives the digital ideas give the government
because but basically what it does is it's a short
step from digital IDs to social credit scores, where the
government basically has the ability to that you know what,
(16:11):
you have been behaving in ways we don't like. You've
been saying things that are not approved. You have been
looking at things online that give us concerns. So we're
going to just push a couple buttons and deny your
ability not just to see things approves online, but literally
to deny your ability to engage in commerce. And I'm
not making this up, Kenny. There were literal supposed conservative
(16:33):
Republican members of the Texas House saying publicly, well, what
in the world do you have to fear about having
to scan your government ID to be able to buy
something online?
Speaker 9 (16:44):
Kenny?
Speaker 8 (16:44):
This is how far the supposed Republicans have fallen in
the Texas government.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
All right, let's talk.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Let's go from that over to the Texas Department of
Motor Vehicles. Now, obviously in New York City they want
all the grocery stores to run as well as the
DMV does. Here in Texas, we feel a little differently
about the DMV, and it's actually worse than it sounds.
You your office is getting reports about illegal aliens registering
their vehicles in Texas.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Is that legal? I mean? Is it? Are they allowed
to do this?
Speaker 7 (17:13):
So?
Speaker 8 (17:13):
Yeah, this has been really shocking and eye opening and
infuriating to me. So my office got reports from somebody,
and I haven't revealed who has informed me of this,
but this individual, my source on this, actually went along
on a DHS basically a mission and was there to
witness this firsthand. So I've got first hand corroboration from this,
and the DHS, basically acting on that in part, went
(17:36):
around and earlier this week announced over one hundred arrests
of illegal aliens driving not in California not in New York,
but in the supposedly read state of Texas. And so
what turns out is instead of the Texas government being
like a force multiplier for Trump's war on illegal immigration,
the Texas government is apparently facilitating illegal immigration.
Speaker 9 (17:58):
And absolutely I've looked into this.
Speaker 8 (18:00):
The D and D, to the best of my knowledge,
has no process in place to stop illegal aliens from
registering vehicles. And I have for sure confirmed this too.
The D and V is accepting driver's licenses from other
blue states that give driver's licenses to illegal aliens. They
are accepting those drivers' licenses as acceptable id to register
(18:23):
a vehicle in the state of Texas. So what I
did is I send a shot across the bow from
the D and V, and I see see the governor
because he appoints the leadership of the D and V.
So these are all abbots. It's Abbot's teams over there
telling the D and V, like, first of all, are
you taking any steps to stop illegal immigrants from doing this?
Crickets from them on that question, by the way, But
then telling them, guys, the legislature gave you all the
(18:44):
authority you need.
Speaker 9 (18:46):
Stand up rules right now.
Speaker 8 (18:47):
To make it illegal forre illegal immigrants to register vehicles
in the state of Texas. This should be common sense
and it should have been done years and years and
years ago. But apparently illegals are absolutely with the full
assistants of the DMV registering vehicles and in day in
their lives here in the state of Texas.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
It feels like it makes it easier to vote illegally too,
that this streamlines it one more way for people to
get into the system, to have access to that.
Speaker 8 (19:09):
Well, here's the thing too, Kenny, and I know, I
think we're going to talk about the props in the second.
I mean, people think that Texas has done things on
election integrity and voter ID but the reality is it's
nothing more than smoking mirrors gas lighting from the liberal
Austin uniparty establishment because they bragg oh, Texas has photo
ID laws.
Speaker 9 (19:26):
Well I said the other day.
Speaker 8 (19:27):
I said the other day online that well Texas does
not have photo ID laws, and people are like, whatever,
you know, Texas passed the law and they cite the laws,
and I'm like, okay, client, I stand corrected. We have
a quote photo ID law on the books. Here's the
only problem. The Texas's photo I D doesn't require a
photo ID to vote. You can literally show up under
(19:48):
the Texas photo ID law with a utility bill with
a government check heard, just a piece of paper and
given yes, that's absolutely the case.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Utility bill feels like it would be pretty easy to fake, Brian, Like,
there's not a universal system for what utility bills are
supposed to look like, right.
Speaker 9 (20:09):
I don't know.
Speaker 8 (20:10):
I mean, is there technology that has advanced to the
point where you could doctor an address on a white
piece of paper it centered out?
Speaker 9 (20:16):
I don't know, Kenny.
Speaker 8 (20:17):
Is that what all this newfangled AI is all about?
Speaker 9 (20:20):
Kenny?
Speaker 2 (20:20):
I don't know, all right, to your point there, Fortunately
for us, let's talk about the prop votes from earlier
this week, perhaps sixteen passed clarifying citizenship voting. And everybody
I know is for this. Conservative groups, libertarian groups, even
my friend's over at the Houston Chronicle editorial board, who
are mostly liberal. They put down they said they were
(20:40):
for it.
Speaker 8 (20:41):
Hang on, stot right there, Kenny. You're not about to
put me on the same side as the Houston Chronical
editorial board, are you.
Speaker 9 (20:46):
We may have to stop the interview right now.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
What's happening Brian, You're not going to believe this, but
do you know they've been publishing a lot of my
work lately. I've been submitting them articles about why I
don't like Dan Patrick and John Cornyn, and they've been
publishing it.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
Well, I know.
Speaker 9 (21:00):
I did not know this. You're gonna have to send
them to me.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
I know, I know.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
I'm a Houston Chronicle writer. Sort of, it's very me,
a guy that writes far jokes about politicians.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Even I can't believe that.
Speaker 8 (21:08):
Well, maybe I have reathing my the Houston Chronicle. I
think they attacked me at least weekly, So maybe I'm
having to reason. Maybe there's some ballots over there I
didn't know about.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Oh, for sure, we're all I'm not saying that like
there for us or whatever.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
But anyway, I digress. I was also excited. I was
also excited that Prop three passed.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
I know most people where all my friends in law
enforcement were basically for this. Were you, I mean, did
you you lean on the more libertarian side, Republican liberty
caucase was not for it?
Speaker 3 (21:35):
What was your thoughts on Prop three? Yeah?
Speaker 8 (21:37):
Well, and certainly as that was introduced the original version
of it, I had some very very real problems with
I have. I mean, as did the founding fathers of
our nation. Sure, a disproportionate amount of time in the
Bill of Rights worrying about the rights of the of
the accused and rights of descendants as they should have
given the persecution they had suffered under the crown, and
(21:59):
so so, yeah, I share those concerns. I am a
liberty republic in Texas should be the number one state
for individual liberty in the nation. Work by some accounts,
were dead last, as embarrassing as that is, But yeah,
so I had real concerns with the first versions of
this bill, but I do believe it changed enough throughout
the process to strike a good balance between protecting the
(22:20):
rights of the accused and making sure that rogue DIA's
in our bluest counties like Harris County no offense are
not just letting violent, known repeat offenders back out on
the street so they can do what they've been doing
and perpetuate additional acts of violence. So I was okay
with the final version, but I absolutely understand, especially given
(22:40):
how confusing the warding was, why my friends and colleagues
on the right, some of.
Speaker 9 (22:45):
Them had some concerns about it. I absolutely understand that.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Yeah, I support the liberty cog. I'm one of those guys.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I fall right in the middle of the right between
the conservatives and the libertarians on almost everything. And I
know you usually do too. Was there anything that passed
or didn't pass that you didn't like? Was there anything
we're Oh?
Speaker 8 (23:02):
Absolutely, when people had asked me about that, somebody when
we talk to you about the ones I hate, okay,
and so they were first of all people should know.
So there's seventeen of these things. A good chunk of
them are nothing more than just talking points for the
liberal swamps to make them sound conservative. You know, for example,
I think at least three, but maybe four of them,
and they are all find things, by the way, but
they're they banned or made unconstitutional taxes.
Speaker 9 (23:25):
I hate taxes. I want them to be unconstitutional.
Speaker 8 (23:27):
But they made unconstitutional at least three, maybe four taxes
that Texas doesn't have. And so like governor is using
it all right, and already did put out a whole
video guys taking credit.
Speaker 9 (23:38):
You know, victory lif've got.
Speaker 8 (23:39):
I just made unconstitutional capital games taxes in the state
of Texas, and like great Texas doesn't have capital games taxes,
so I support it being unconstitutional, but they're not. Most
of them are like fake wins that they're not really
doing a death taxes. We don't have death backs, so
a lot of them were just kind of silly. Some
(24:00):
of them that I really hate.
Speaker 9 (24:02):
Prop one.
Speaker 8 (24:02):
I love Texas State Technical College. We need more people
being built, not wasting two hundred grand to go to
these liberal arts four year schools where they do nothing
but le aren't transgender, you know, studies and whatnot. We
need more HVAC texts and electricians and plumbers, like.
Speaker 9 (24:15):
People that know how to do stuff.
Speaker 8 (24:16):
So I love Texas State Technical College, but we should
not be setting up new what I call cooking the
books off the books accounting dedicated funds in the constitution
as opposed to through the normal appropriations and budget process,
because what that does is it puts spending on auto
drive every year from now and the legislature will never
(24:36):
really have to reauthorize that language. So I hated that
when I hated the water fund billions and billions and
billions and billions with a v of dollars for the
state government to take over a policy that's always been
a local policy, which is control of water and number
two and they're us imminent domain is going to be
abused all over the state, and the taxpayers are basically
(24:57):
going to be on the hook to subsidize all these
AI data that because the Texas government's going to get
to pick winners and losers and who.
Speaker 9 (25:03):
Gets the water.
Speaker 8 (25:04):
So that thing was a total boondogle should have failed.
And then it was Prop fourteen, what I call the
Texas in I eight. So the federal government has the
National Institutes of Health. President Trump is trying to cut
and strength the National Institutes for Health, but Dan Patrick
made it one of his top priorities to create a
what I call it the Texas INIH, which is at
(25:24):
least three billion dollars with a v of the surflus
should have gone back to taxpais to lower property taxes
into basically a corporate welfare on steroids that is almost
certainly not going to find a cure for dementia or
any other thing. It's just going to make a bunch
of contractors rich and explode spending, and we're going to
have to hire fifty to one hundred new bureaucrats total
(25:45):
boondog or leftist social pork barrel spending. That thing should
have gone down in plants. It's embarrassing that a Republican
and the Texas leadership pushed for such a socialist policy.
Speaker 9 (25:56):
So those are the ones that I really hated the most.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Yeah, I agree with pretty much all what you just said,
especially the part about eminent domain. You're concerned about eminent domain.
That is one of the most underrated policy position. That is,
of all the things that affect us as Texans, you
would think we would all be lockstep in agreement on that,
and then, for some reason, whenever there's a Texas Railroad
Commission race, That's the one question nobody asks these candidates, right,
(26:19):
nobody wants a high speed rail, Yeah, exactly, But what
if we want to put a pipeline through some seventh
generation rancher's yard.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
Wow, that's different county. You know, it's actually not different.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
I'm very pro oil and gas, but I you know,
some of these guys on the Railroad Commission they don't
share that opinion with us.
Speaker 9 (26:35):
Brian, No, they no, they don't.
Speaker 8 (26:38):
I mean, I'm pro oil and gas too, but that
doesn't mean you can use the instrumentation and the brute
force of government power to destroy something else that I
care a lot about, which is private property rights. And
here's the big, one of the biggest scams in the
state of Texas. We like to pretend our leaders anyway,
like to pretend we're this big private property tax you know,
private property state. A man's home is his castle. Total nonsense.
(27:00):
I mean Texas, you know, maybe the most anti private
property tax state in the country, if.
Speaker 9 (27:05):
For no other reason.
Speaker 8 (27:06):
Yes, imminent domain is a massive scandal that nobody ever
wants to talk about, including the people on the Railroad Commission.
But also, how can we even say with a straight
face we care about private property rights when we have,
by one analysis, the highest effective property tax rates in
all of the United States of America, including all of
(27:26):
the Blue states, And we are taxing Texans quite literally
out of their homes. And the leadership of the State
of Texas is every two years they throw themselves a
ticker tape parade. They declare they passed the most conservative
and most historic property tax cut in the history of
human existence and whatever. But the reality is everybody's property
(27:47):
tax built the end of the year just about goes up
every single year, higher higher higher. Now we're taxing conservative
Republicans out of their homes in Texas. And what are
we doing with that money. We're funding the EI, We're
funding the radical left agenda, We're funding transgender in Daxtor Nation.
Great Dan Patrick is forcing us to get billions of
dollars to an industry that hates us, promote liberal Hollywood.
And here's the thing people don't know about. We're taxing
(28:09):
conservative Republicans, freedom loving patriots out of the state.
Speaker 9 (28:13):
But through that.
Speaker 8 (28:13):
Something called the Texas Enterprise Fund tax money in the
governor's office, he runs over to California and bribes California
based ultraliberal businesses to move from California to Texas, pays
their moving costs with tax money, and then they get
abatements down here so they don't even have to pay
the same property taxes that conservative mod post shops do,
(28:36):
and they import all their liberal socialists voters with them.
I mean, the Texas taxpayers are being abused like never
before in the history of our state. Texas taxpayers money
is being weaponized against them, their values, and their children,
all by so called Republicans who pretend to care about
private property rights. Texas government as against corrupt. It's a scam,
and I wish more elected officials would have the courage
(28:59):
to just state the obvious, which is the Texas government
hates the Texas taxpayers and they only use the words freedom.
I don't even know if they use the word liberty.
I mean, Kenny, when was the last time you heard
another elected Republican in Texas even let the word individual
liberty come out of their mouth? Isn't that I think
supposed to care about the most?
Speaker 2 (29:16):
I mean, when whenever Ron Paul retired. But to your point,
you're right, and you know on that note, you are
You're you're an economist. You're a guy that understands economics
very well and not surprisingly, studied it at Texas A
and M University. Could not help. But notice this this weekend,
your aggie's are playing Missouri.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
That's a real game. Are you guys excited about that?
Speaker 8 (29:38):
We are excited about it. And I have to note,
I mean, I don't know how much people will appreciate
me saying this, but if you, if you remember, Kenny,
I think you covered this extensively. But I was the
driving force behind booting out the Ultra global former Obama
official uh DEI advocates who you know was the president
(30:04):
of Texas A and M And I'm not saying these
two things are related, but a historically amazing football season
did follow his outser So you know, I'm not taking
credit for that, but I'm just saying, you know, somebody
might love draw.
Speaker 9 (30:15):
Connection between the man.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
I think I'm glad you brought it up.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
My man, Brian Harrison, State Representative on the line right now.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Uh Brian, I know I've said this to you before.
I get it.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
You do.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
You're doing what you do when it's the right time
for it. But a lot of our listeners want you
to to pursue higher office. You know, Dan Patrick has
been nothing but disappointing, especially lately Abbott, going back to
the pandemic, I think it's very obvious what side of
things he is on. So I hope if something does happen,
I hope you'll let us know first.
Speaker 9 (30:42):
Brother.
Speaker 8 (30:44):
Well, I'll tell you what if I make that decision, Kenny,
you'll be one of the first phone calls. And in
all seriousness, I know I'd like to joke about stuff,
but because you either have to laugh or cry with
some of these issues we're dealing with in the state
of Texas, and people forget the stakes, right I mean,
we're not just going to battle for Houston or Dallas
or my justters in Ellis County or the state of
Texas or mayor We are in a battle right now
in twenty twenty five. Texas voters are for nothing short
(31:05):
in the future of Western civilization and why it matters
for voters in Texas and your audience.
Speaker 9 (31:09):
As goes Texas, so goes the nation. As goes the nation,
so goes the world.
Speaker 8 (31:13):
And I believe with all my heart that Texas has
never needed bold conservative leadership more than they do right now.
And I'm very humbled by the many, many people all
of the states that are reaching out and asking me
to run for higher office. But if I'm making any
decisions on that front, Kenney, You'll be one of the
first one called the name Brian.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Include me on that list, my man, State Representative Brian Harrison.
Quick break will be right back with Brandon Waltons from
Texas squarecard dot Com right after this.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
Ladies and gentlemen, Pursuit of Happiness Radio you and now
it's two to the sound.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Ladies, and gentlemen live from Joanyong. It's the North Korean
Moran Bong Band featuring their new head Let's study. In
North Korea, you can only listen to state approved music
and read state approved books and eat state approved food.
(32:09):
So of course everybody's favorite band is in the North
Korean Moran Bong Band. I know what you're thinking, Kenny,
why are you playing this music? Well, my friend Brandon
Walton so texascorecard dot com, has just returned home from
the DMZ that's the demilitarized zone between South Korea and
North Korea. And although I haven't talked to my buddy,
(32:31):
Brandon Walton is in I don't know, almost a month,
like three weeks. I've got to assume considering where he's been,
this is probably his favorite band now, right, Brandon?
Speaker 10 (32:41):
Oh yes, I Drew per said, I can't get it up.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
This is the best part of the song. Let's all
sing together, ready, buddy, Burbon Bong Bing and Dung Jing
Jong Bo. Go ahead and Brandon sing it.
Speaker 10 (32:55):
Yeah, my Korea is not quite up to par I
wouldn't want to embarrass myself.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
Isn't it interesting, Brandon?
Speaker 2 (33:00):
If you could do an experiment where you could slice
a country in half a fifty plus year experiments, and
half of the country would be communist in the other
half the country would be something similar to free market capitalism.
What do you think would happened with that, with those
two countries, How would they change?
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Do you imagine? Yeah?
Speaker 10 (33:20):
I mean, isn't amazing that we do have that experiment
playing out?
Speaker 8 (33:25):
You know? I thought it was.
Speaker 10 (33:26):
It was really interesting. First of all, the timing was
interesting because, of course President Trump was doing his tour
of some of the Asian countries South Korea, Japan and
others at the same time that me and my wife
had already been long planning a trip there, and so
you know, there's certainly a lot of buzz about the
president being there, but you know it, it was a
(33:48):
very cool trip. But it was particularly You're right, I mean,
the DFC is such an interesting thing to see where
you can, you know, look over into North Korea and
see just immediately the difference, right, I mean, what's been
happening there for the last gosh, what's sixty plus years
now at this point, and what's happening, you know, just
(34:10):
a few miles away in South Korea, which is of course,
you know, I think, you know, pretty pretty modern country
by most standards.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
Oh yeah, I mean South Korea. They love plastic surgery
and pop music. They manufacture automobiles and electronics, and they're
interested in American culture. American culture is interested in South
Korean culture. K pop is humongous. Meanwhile, in North Korea,
famine from communism is so terrible that over the last
fifty years, the average North Korean is six inches shorter
(34:40):
than the average South Korean.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
Imagine that.
Speaker 10 (34:45):
Yes, and if you see some of the pictures of
like Kim Jong un with the military, you see that
where you know they're de montster, you could just tell
that they're they're shorter.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Yeah, no, kidding, very bizarre, right, Okay, So question for you.
You we're at the demilitarized zone zone. Did you feel unsafe?
Speaker 10 (35:05):
I wouldn't say that. It's sort of a weird thing.
You know, there's so many people who go there now
that it's almost I think I'd said this to you
a little bit like almost like a theme park experience
in the sense that you know, you've got gift shops
and you know, and and photo spots and all the
rest of it. You know, I guess South Koreas sort
of making making the best out of what they have there,
(35:27):
and people, you know, frankly like me who are who
were just interested in seeing it all right.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
And then so you went from South Korea to Japan?
What order did you do that?
Speaker 10 (35:35):
In exactly that order? So we we ended it with Japan,
which my wife and I have been to before. We
loved it and really really enjoyed going there again. It's
such a such an orderly society.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
And if Noma and Mamma was taking the Japanese loved Trump.
I mean, Japanese nationalism has always been the norm in Japan,
and now Trump's doing that. For the Uni States of America,
they don't see him as some extremist.
Speaker 10 (36:03):
Oh no, and especially with their new prime minister, who
spent a long time meeting with Trump when he was
there in Japan, and I think Trump actually brought her
on stage when he was speaking to some of the
troops there. So they've immediately hit it off of scenes.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
New York Times reported on this at the end of
last month. They said her name's Sonya Takachi. I hope
I'm saying that right, although let's face it, our audience
doesn't know the difference. And there's a funny headline here
in the New York Times. They go, she does not
play golf, Trump's favorite sport, nor is she known to
share his love of hamburgers. They published this right before
the two of them met, and then what happened. The
(36:40):
two of them went on a high five and bro fest.
He was also really tight with the Now the late
Prime Minister of Japan, if I'm not mistaken, Abe was
at his name, Who got assassinated?
Speaker 3 (36:51):
Who got shot? Just like Trump did? Shinzo abbe right, yes, exactly.
All right, Well, let's move.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
Away from Japan for just a minute, because, really, let's
face it, you and I probably don't have a lot
to say about that, but we do have a.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Lot to say about this.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
News just broke seconds before you and I went on
the air. The Fifth Circuit Court has given a ruling
on drag queen shows. Why would a federal court need
to tell us about cross dressing weirdos performing in public?
Speaker 10 (37:18):
Well, yeah, I mean, this has been a legal fight
that's been going on for quite some time, now years,
and just now finally, I mean, we're just as we're
talking now, this decision has just come out a few
minutes ago, so I haven't gotten a chance to read
through it, but essentially the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
has uphol upheld Texas law preventing children from attending explicit
(37:41):
drag shows. You'll have to look and see what the
details of that are, but certainly this is a fight
that's been going on for a long time, and you know,
I think this was passed back in twenty twenty three
and hasn't been able to be enforced for the last
couple of years as it's moved through the court. So
we'll see. Certainly people are celebrating this right now. It
(38:03):
rains to be seen whether or not this gets challenged
and brought all the way to the Supreme Court.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Okay, very interesting that that's moving forward and probably necessary
considering what's going on in the country right now. In
the meantime, Texas voters okayed billions of dollars in school
property taxes increases. Governor Abbott had an odd response to this,
didn't you.
Speaker 10 (38:25):
Yeah, you know, this is interesting to see. I mean,
at the same time on Tuesday, when voters were approving
a slate of constitutional amendments to include an increase to
the homestead exemption. So property tax relief across the state
local governments people were approving billions of dollars in property
tax increases, whether through bonds or just overall voter approved
(38:51):
tax rate elections where which are essentially where cities have
to in school districts have to go to the voters
in order to approve tax increases that are above a
certain amount.
Speaker 3 (39:02):
Okay, and yeah, gone.
Speaker 10 (39:06):
Yeah, And so you essentially had a little bit of
cognitive dissonance here where the property tax relief portioned statewide
passed by a huge margin. But then so too did
we see billions of dollars in property tax increases that
will sort of wash those out for most people or
for many people who lived in those school districts or
(39:28):
those cities that were putting these debt measures on the ballot.
Speaker 9 (39:31):
Now.
Speaker 10 (39:33):
Interestingly, Governor Greg Gabbott earlier this year, back in February,
I think it was, during his State of the State address,
said he wanted to see the legislature make it to
where you actually need a super majority of votes, so
two thirds of votes from voters in order to raise
taxes that didn't pass, that didn't There was ever a
vote on that in the Texas household of the Senate,
(39:54):
there was no movement on that issue. And if you
look at the results from Tuesday night and in most,
if not all, of these elections where voters voted to
approve tax increases, it was by margins of light, you know,
fifty three fifty four percent, meaning that had habits, you know,
desire there that he had stated to have a supermajority
(40:17):
of voters approved tax rate increases. Had that actually gone
to effect and the legislature done that, taxpayers would have
said billions of dollars. As it is, unfortunately a lot
of people's tax bills are going to.
Speaker 9 (40:28):
Be going up.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
Brandon, you are a fantastic journalist.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
How much money would it cost for me to look
at the work that you do every day if I
were to go to your website texascorecard dot com.
Speaker 10 (40:38):
Well, it's a great question. It's all free. We're at
texascorecard dot com zero dollars.
Speaker 3 (40:44):
Honestly, Brandon, I think you should charge twice that much.
Speaker 10 (40:48):
That sounds good.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
Brandon Waltons texas scorecard dot com. Follow him on x
Kenny Webster. Oh what am I thinking? That's the end
of the show.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
We'll be back bying early tomorrow morning for more of
what you bought a radio for.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
I love you all donated to Wheelchairs for Warriors dot org,
a fantastic charity.
Speaker 7 (41:04):
You are listening to the pursuit of happy this radio.
Tell the government to kiss your ass when you listen
to this show.
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