Category: Oregon

13-08 The Mad, Mad Spending – Real School Choice Needed in Oregon

13-08 The Mad, Mad Spending – Real School Choice Needed in Oregon

Show 13-08 Summary: Two guests this week and both talking about government spending. Donna Kreitzberg talks about redirecting portions of education spending to parents so they can make their own best school choice for their children. Then Senator Dennis Linthicum who says there is no end in sight for the amount of spending Oregon is looking to do in this legislative session. And be sure to stay through the closing where you’ll hear what he told us off air about the real reasons why democrats want to spend the kicker. Un. Believable.

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: February 25th & 26th, 2023 | Guests: Donna Kreitzberg & Dennis Linthicum

This Week – Oregon‘s Insane Spending

It’s not just the amount of spending. It’s what they are spending it on. And it’s insane. Especially given that most economists and major financial institutions are predicting a recession this year. Not to mention continuing inflation and mounting job losses. So why is Oregon inflating its budgets like there are no limits of money?

And for goodness sake. Don’t miss the final closing when we reveal the real reasons democrats don’t want Oregonians to get their kicker refund.

Getting Real School Choice in Oregon

Since it’s not looking positive for school choice legislation in Oregon, Oregonians can still use ballot measures to do what the Oregon education lobby doesn’t want. Give parents the choice to pick the right school for their child.

Why does the education lobby want to keep kids in failing schools? Probably because they know government loves to throw even more money at problems. A failing school? Clearly, what they need is even more money. But, given that our schools already soak up a whopping 40% of our entire state budget, that clearly isn’t working. Especially since Oregon routinely ranks need the bottom but spends more than the national average per student.

So what’s the answer?

As usual, it’s less government. And more free market.

We talk with Donna Kreitzberg who is leading the effort to get school choice in Oregon. Not a pat-on-the-head choice. A real school choice. Where parents decide how to spend the money assigned to their child and will have the option to send their child to the school that best fits their educational needs.

But what about that money? Can parents just buy anything with it? And, if the state gives them the money, doesn’t that mean the state gets to say how it’s spent — not to mention all the woke regulations they’re pushing now in schools?

Nope.

Tune in to find out why.

Find out how you can help to get real school choice in Oregon. Head to Education Freedom for Oregon. Download and sign petitions. Volunteer. And please donate to help make this happen!

The Spending. Oregon’s Endless Spending.

And next we welcome Senator Dennis Linthicum back to discuss what’s happening in Oregon’s legislature. We’ll be having him on on a monthly basis to give us his inside the capitol view and the truth. Like the real reason why the democrats don’t want you to have your kicker refund.

When last we spoke, the 2023 legislative session had just started. And he wasn’t sure if the democrats, who had lost some of their stranglehold on power, would react. Or how they’d treat their republican colleagues.

So this week, we wanted to know more. And to hear about the budget. Oh yes. And what about that kicker refund. You know. The one that, by law, the state is supposed to return to the taxpayers. Why? Because it means they over collected taxes. They charged too much. So they are — again, by law — supposed to return that to the people they overcharged. And this year, that kicker would be, on average, $5,200 per working family. So why are the democrats so eager to spend it before taxpayers can get their grubby hands on what the democrats see as the democrats’ money?

Yeah. Sorry. You’ll have to tune in to hear why. Stay through to the very end.

Previous Parental Rights and School Choice Shows

Did you miss our previous shows on parents rights in education?

  1. Show 13-03: overview of parents rights in education with Suzanne Gallagher, CEO of Parents Rights in Education
  2. Show 13-04: the legal side of parents rights, especially if push comes to lawsuit with Ernie Trakas, senior litigation counsel for the Child & Parental Rights Campaign
  3. Show 13-05: the way out; real school choice with Ed Ludlow of the national school choice organization, EdChoice
  4. Show 13-06: you’ve made the choice, now how to choose a new school with Marc Thielman, former Alsea school superintendent
  5. And Show 13-08 (today’s show): getting school choice in Oregon with Donna Kreitzberg, head of Oregon’s school choice 2024 ballot initiative

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Links mentioned during the show

  • Education Freedom for Oregon – This is Donna’s real school choice website. You can:
    • download and sign petitions (single-signature petition sheets for yourself or 10-line ones to gather signatures from your friends, families, fellow parents at school, or neighbors)
    • Volunteer
    • And please donate to help get school choice on the ballot in Oregon!
  • Freedom Watch Alert: Second dangerous School Choice constitutional amendment petition (OCEAN Network, July 15, 2022)
  • Kotek proposes $13.5 billion for education (Oregon Capital Insider, Feb 6, 2023)
    • “Education accounts for $13.5 billion, more than 40% of her proposed $32.1 billion in spending of the state’s general and lottery funds.”
    • “But most of the money – an historic $9.9 billion – is devoted to the State School Fund, which pays for educating Oregon’s 550,000 K-12 students and for district operating expenses, transportation costs and other needs.”
    • The $9.9 billion marks an overall $600 million increase in K-12 spending for the biennium and would average out to about $9,682 per student in 2023-24 and roughly $10,000 per student in 2024-25, according to preliminary estimates from the Oregon Department of Education. The state is paying $9,468 per student in the current 2022-23 school year.
    • BUT: “Accounting for all education funding, Oregon spends about $12,855 per K-12 student, according to 2020 census data. The national average that year was $13,187, with some states spending more than $20,000.”

Additional School Choice Info and Related

 

13-06 Killing Title IX Protections in the Name of Woke | Plus Part 4: Choosing New Schools

13-06 Killing Title IX Protections in the Name of Woke | Plus Part 4: Choosing New Schools

Show 13-06 Summary: This week on I Spy we continue our mini-series on parents rights in education. We are looking at what the Biden administration’s abandonment of Title IX means (it used to mean protection and equal access for girls and women) and what real school choice looks like — when parents make the choice to find a better school. What are the options and how to decide? How to even know if it’s the school or the child? And what about funding — should taxpayer dollars really go to private schools? And is it protected from frivolous parents? Are schools accountable top meet competency and proficiency standards? Maybe if the public schools had such standards, parents wouldn’t be looking elsewhere…

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: February 11th & 12th, 2023 | Guests: Kimberly Hermann & Marc Thielman

This Week – So Much for Equality

If there’s one thing elected democrats say, it’s that they want equality. But if there’s one thing they do it’s remove equality. Which is why they are all for racial discrimination in the name of equality. Like affirmative action. Where, in their “logic” it makes sense to discriminate against Whites in favor of other races. Which is a bit like saying a little slavery is okay, as long as it’s done to the right kind of people.

Hint to democrats: discrimination is discrimination.

But maybe this mindset explains why the Biden administration thinks removing protections for girls and women in education is a good thing.

The Biden Administration: Killing Title IX

Title IX was intended to give girls and women an equal footing in education. Prior to Title IX, schools could discriminate against women and, perhaps most famously, not fund women’s sports. But now, the Biden administration’s new “guidance” would remove such protections. How? By doing away with the concept of women and girls. And making anyone who identifies as a woman a woman in their view.

Basically, if there are no women as a distinct entity, there are no women to protect.

To try to make sense of the nonsense, we welcome Kimberly Hermann. She is the chief legal counsel for Southeastern Legal Foundation and they have file da brief in support of states pushing back against the Biden administration’s guidance.

Visit SLFLiberty.org to find out more about the great work Southeastern Legal Foundation is doing to defend your constitutional rights. You can even submit a case they might be interested in.

Kimberly walks us through what Title IX is, what it was intended to do, and why Title IX is so important to defend. You’ll also hear how the courts, including appellate courts, are, in fact, defending the notion that there are two sexes. Which is extremely encouraging.

But can you believe this? Has society gone so far down the woke toilet that we will end up needing the Supreme Court to tell the rest of society what a woman is?

Yikes.

Parents’ Rights Part 4: Choosing a New School

This week, we also continue our mini-series on parents rights in education. Last week, we discussed the Real School Choice movement. So far, five states have already adopted real school choice. (This means parents can choose whichever school they want to send their kids and the education dollars attached to that child.) And there are nearly a dozen more close to adopting real school choice and over two dozen in total that have at least some form of legislation on the table.

This is not only a win for parents, it’s a win for education itself. And it’s thanks to exercising free market principles.

Think about it. Parents (consumers) can choose to spend the education dollars how they want and where they want. Funding students not systems, means that the school systems must become competitive to attract consumers (parents). Better up your game or you lose out.

That is what real school choice is all about. Give parents the power, not bureaucrats.

Find out more about Oregon’s real school choice battle. If parents can’t get it in the legislature, they are prepared to go with a ballot initiative

But if you’re a parent and  you exercise your school choice, how do you choose a school? How do you know it’s the school and not your child? What are the signs you should be looking for? And with the dozen-plus types of other schools out there, how do you find the right one for your child.

We talk with Marc Thielman, the former superintendent at the Alsea School district, to answer those questions and more.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

More Info on Title IX

  • Title IX: 50 years later (American Psychological Association, June 28, 2022)
    • “Changes to Title IX regulations dispensed by the U.S. Department of Education in 2020 removed the mandatory reporting requirement. These Trump-era changes also narrowed the definition of sexual harassment, excluded off-campus assaults from the law’s protections, and made a series of other changes that left some Title IX offices scrambling to update their institution’s procedures”
  • Title IX’s Positive Impact on Education Life BEFORE Title IX (Vector Solutions, No Date)
  • 10 Facts Everyone Should Know About Title IX (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Aug 23, 2017)

More Info on Choosing a School

 

13-05 The Way Out: Real School Choice | Parents Rights Part 3

13-05 The Way Out: Real School Choice | Parents Rights Part 3

Show 13-05 Summary: Part 3 of our mini-series on parental rights. Week 1 was a general overview or parental rights and a look at what parents and kids are facing. Last week was a look at the legal side of things, especially if push comes to lawsuit. This week, it’s a look at the way out: real school choice. Where the dollars pegged to a child, follows them and parents can use those public funds to spend on whichever school best suits their child. Competition. It’s a wonderful thing!

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: February 4th & 5th, 2023 | Guest: Robert Enlow

This Week – Real School Choice

The answer to most problems with Big Government is simple: take money away from big government and apply free-market principles.

Don’t miss the other two parts our series on parents’ rights: Part 1 (overview of parents rights) and Part 2 (legal aspects and, if necessary, lawsuits)

And when it comes to bad education systems, this means real school choice. Where bad schools in bad education systems either improve to good schools. Or they lose the money when they lose a child whose parents take their child elsewhere.

In the past, this option was only available to the rich. Who were still paying school taxes and paying to put their child in a better school.

But right now, thanks to parents staying home due to covid lockdowns—who got to see just how bad things really were thanks to virtual classrooms—there is a movement sweeping the nation. And it’s real school choice.

Real School Choice Defined

Real school choice. What is it? It’s when parents can decide how and where to spend the dollars “pegged” to their child on a school of their choice.

Real school choice happens like this: Education systems get a pot of money every year. Think of that as the “education bank.” These monies are drawn from different sources. Broadly speaking, federal, state, and local taxes all pay into the bank. States, the bank’s administrators, determine how many students there are and determine a per-student amount. A percentage of that per-student spending is pegged to the student as the parents decide where to spend it. Usually, this takes the form of an education savings account, commonly referred to as an”ESA.”

How much of that percentage, where, and how the funds can be spent vary from state to state.

And, unlike what this Kansas State Board of Education member thinks, parents can not use the funds to buy latte machines. (Although it makes one wonder how many schools have used their funds to put latte machines in teachers’ lounges…)

For more information on what school choice is, see this definition from one of the nation’s leading school choice organizations, EdChoice.

Our Guest: Robert Enlow of EdChoice

Speaking of which, this week we welcome Robert Enlow, the President and CEO of EdChoice, to talk to us about this nationwide movement. As of this writing, five states (with three in just the last two weeks) have adopted real school choice. And at least 28 more — including Oregon! — have introduced legislation for some form of school choice.

This didn’t happen over night.

Be sure to visit EdChoice.org. They have research, polls, tools, trainings and more to make universal school choice happen in your state!

No surprise, Milton Friedman, who advised President Reagan to get America’s economy back on track (which mainly boiled down to getting government out of the way), came up with the idea. Now, some 50 years after he came up with the idea of a school voucher system, we’re seeing it take hold.

Real School Choice in Oregon

Oregon has been at the bottom of education for decades. Oregon even removed competency requirements for graduation under former governor Kate Brown. So, not surprisingly, even here in Oregon, parents are fed up. We wanted to talk to experts who have actually made this happen in other states, who’ve been part of successful campaigns to get school choice. So we turned to EdChoice to talk about how these states made it happen. How did they win? And we talked about the arguments for and against school choice so you’ll know what to face.

As Robert Enlow said — echoing the mission of I Spy Radio — if want to be a successful advocate, you need to be an informed one.

If you want real school choice in Oregon, or in your state, don’t miss this show!

Want more information and insight on school choice here in Oregon? Check out these past I Spy Radio shows.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Our guest’s organization is EdChoice. They are the nation’s leading organization for and advocate of school choice. They have research, tools, polls, even training if you want to help bring school choice to your state! Find them at EdChoice.org
  • Arizona leads on school choice. Should Utah follow suit? (Deseret News, Jan 16, 2023)
  • Achieving the potential of school choice (The Gazette, Colorado, Jan 17, 2023)
  • “Public education funding without boundaries: How to get K-12 dollars to follow open enrollment students” (Reason Foundation, Jan 24, 2023)
    • How to ensure state and local education funds flow seamlessly across district boundaries.
    • States are increasingly enacting open enrollment policies that give students options across school district boundaries. But this is only half the equation. Policymakers must also ensure that education dollars follow the child to the school of their choice, a concept referred to as funding portability.
    • Download the full policy brief: Public Education Funding Without Boundaries (PDF)
  • Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds signs historic school choice bill: ‘We will fund students not systems’ (Fox News, Jan 24, 2023)
  • ‘Fund Students, Not Systems’ with Universal School Choice” (Townhall.com, Jan 23, 2023).
  • Legislators in 28 states have introduced bills to fund students instead of systems this year. (Corey DeAngelis, Twitter, Feb 1, 2023)
  • 25 million eCommerce companies in the world – Myth or Fact? Dissecting the $4.9 Trillion industry with 2022 data. (Pipecandy.com, March 2022)

Oregon Centric

  • Kotek proposes spending $765M (Register Guard, Feb 1, 2023) Increases school budget
  • Portland School District announces hiring freeze due to dwindling enrollment (Pamplin Media Feb 1, 2023)
    • Portland  lost 3,000 students from 2020 to 2022. The district said its “dramatic, unprecedented enrollment decline” isn’t over. It expects to lose about 500 more students next year. But despite fewer students, “Superintendent Guerrero, along with leaders from other Oregon districts, are calling on state leaders to pour more money into public school funding. ”
  • See our previous shows on this topic, including the referendum movement for 2024 if the legislature ignores Oregon parents. These show pages have additional links and info.
  • Parents Rights in Education (Oregon and other state chapters)
13-03 Are Parents an Endangered Species? — Parents Rights in Education

13-03 Are Parents an Endangered Species? — Parents Rights in Education

Show 13-03 Summary: There is a constant attack on kids these days. Especially in our public schools. But what can parents actually do? What rights do they have? And how is the system finding ways to get around and even take away those rights? This week it’s all about parents rights in education. We talk with Suzanne Gallagher, the director of Parents Rights in Education, about the attacks on kids and the very real dangers parents face when they try to exercise their rights. And what parents can do if they suspect there are problems in their child’s school.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: January 21st & 22nd, 2023 | Guest: Suzanne Gallagher

This Week – Parents Rights in Education

You can’t be on social media these days and not see attacks on our kids in public schools. We’re not talking physical attacks. Although there are plenty of those too. We’re talking about adult teachers pushing adult issues on kids. Trying to recruit and indoctrinate and normalize their own sexual beliefs by pushing them on kids. It’s everywhere. Well, everywhere except the mainstream media, which seems to want to do all they can to hide it.

Although “the media” is more than giddy to attack parents who want to stop it. As is the federal government as Merrick Garland designated parents who stood up to the woke agenda, “domestic terrorists.”

Yet one more reason not to listen to the mainstream media. And instead listen to alternative, independent media. (Like I Spy Radio, of course. And if you can’t listen live, find it on your favorite podcast platform.)

Parents Rights are Under Attack

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled repeatedly that parents are the highest authority and ultimate arbiter when it comes to their kids. And how they should be raised and what they should be taught. But parents rights are under attack more than ever. Especially if a parent dares to stand up, speak up, or stand against the woke agenda and ideology.

Tune in this week to hear just how bad things are. We know about teachers and even school counselors pushing sexual orientation, transgender, and more at kids. We talk real cases and examples of what parents are facing as some school administrators and teachers see their woke agenda having a higher priority than a parent’s rights to raise their children as they see fit. And some are threatened with having their kids taken away if they disagree.

We talk with Suzanne Gallagher, the director of Parents Rights in Education about the battlefield for children, who the main enemies are, and how we got here. And what parents can do to stand up and fight back.

Be sure to check out the tools and resources for parents in the Links & Additional Info Section below. And catch Suzanne’s Parents Rights in Education podcast to stay up to date and challenges facing parents to protect their kids

It’s been astounding to see how quickly the woke perverts in the classroom have exposed themselves. These are kids. Kids! That means not adults. Leave them alone. Focus on education. And when they become adults, they can deal with adult issues. Until then, just leave them alone.

Tune in and find out about your parents rights in education. And the resources you need if it comes to it.

And don’t hoard the information. Share this page and its links and info with the other parents in your life.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Suzanne’s organization is Parents Rights in Education. Look for the resources at the top of the page. Federal law, state chapters, and how to deal with school boards.
  • If you suspect there are problems or already have them — be sure to contact them! They want to help and can guide you through the issues. Don’t feel overwhelmed. Feel empowered!
  • Parents Rights in Education also has a network of partners. If you need legal help, don’t wait.
  • Don’t need help now? Or maybe you’ve experienced these problems in your own life? And want to help other parents avoid them? Support the cause with a donation. Even just $12 a month would be awesome.
  • Concerned about parents rights? Especially parents rights in education? Follow along and stay up to date with the issues on Suzanne’s podcast
12-51 They’re Spying on Us | Government Immunity, Royalty, and the Rest of Us

12-51 They’re Spying on Us | Government Immunity, Royalty, and the Rest of Us

Show Summary: The Twitter files exposing government agents spying on and censoring Americans. And, there is clear evidence of election interference. Which, given the lengths they went to in 2016 and during all of Trump’s presidency, should surprise no one. So much of government’s malfeasance comes down to one issue: government immunity. It is prohibitively hard to hold government and government officials accountable. But recently, there have been some surprising rulings by the Supreme Court on constitutional issues, especially 2nd Amendment rulings. Could we be seeing the dawn of the return to the Constitution?

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: December 17th & 18th, 2022 | Guest: Jonathan Emord

This Week – Overcoming Government Immunity

The Twitter files exposed government agents spying on and censoring Americans. Many of us who have been banned, blocked, suspended, censored, and shadowbanned already figured this out.

Election interference? Elon Musk: "Unequivocally true. The evidence is clear and voluminous."
Election interference? “Unequivocally true” (Click for full size)

But we figured it was Twitter employees gleefully banning, etc., their political opponents. Only a few of us suspected what was really happening. Which is way worse: government agents working directly with, and directing, those Twitter employees to ban, block, suspend, censor, and shadowban the government’s political enemies.

So there you have it. Government agents clearly committing First Amendment violations as they colluded with Twitter employees to interfere in the 2020 and 2022 elections.

Which, given the lengths they went to in 2016, and during all of Trump’s presidency, should surprise no one.

Nixon? Watergate anyone?

Recently, there have been some surprising rulings by the Supreme Court on constitutional issues, especially 2nd Amendment rulings. Could we be seeing the dawn of the return to the Constitution?

The Authoritarians by Jonathan Emord
Order The Authoritarians on Amazon

We talk with Jonathan Emord, one of America’s top constitutional lawyers, about what is happening and what could (and should!) happen to these government agents who abused their power. The big question is how do we get past government immunity?

Fortunately, there have been some pro-constitution rulings by the Supreme Court of late. Especially on the 2nd Amendment. Overturning New York State’s onerous restrictive gun laws, which is very encouraging for Oregonians fighting the recently passed Measure 114.

Could this be a signal the highest court in the land is finally returning to and embracing the sanctity — and sanity — of the Constitution?

Programming Note

This is our last live show of the year. We will be re-airing our show with Dr Ken Johnson about the Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Since that originally aired Thanksgiving weekend, we’re sure it didn’t get nearly the attention it deserved. We’ll get that to you by no later than Thursday the 22nd.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Jonathan Emord’s must-read book is The Authoritarians: The Authoritarians: Their Assault on Individual Liberty, the Constitution, and Free Enterprise from the 19th Century to the Present.

Jonathan Emord’s article: Rogue Virginia ABC Sends Police to Enforce COVID Lockdown (Townhall, Dec 4, 2022)

Elon Musk: Unequivocally true tweet (Elon Musk, Twitter, Dec 9, 2022)

Now What? (American Greatness, Dec 12, 2022)*Big Tech drastically suppressed information damaging to Joe Biden…before election day.*the FBI engaged with Big Tech executives on a routine basis to do the Biden family’s bidding in advance of the bombshell coverage in the Post and elsewhere.*Elvis Chan, one of the bureau’s conduits to Silicon Valley, admitted many conversations were conducted on Signal, an encrypted chat application, which allows for disappearing messages.

The Brief: A Handy Cheat Sheet of the Many Lies Exposed by Musk’s Release of the Twitter Files (Gregg Jarrett, Dec 14, 2022)

8 Times Our Federal Government Ran A Protect-Biden Racket (The Federalist, Dec 14, 2022)

For Years Fact Checkers Have Been Targeting Conservative Media – This Week We Learned the State Dept. Was Funding Them (Gateway Pundit, Dec 14, 2022)

Tucker Carlson Points Out “For Some Reason Twitter Seems to Need an Awful Lot of Spies” (The Gateway Pundit, Dec 14, 2022)

FBI May Have Violated Free Speech Rights: Legal Experts (NTD, Dec 14, 2022).

Dupe or Designated Defendant? The Criminal Case Against Jack Dorsey (Jonathan Turley, Dec 11, 2022)

 

12-50 The Big Spend – Economics Don’t Matter in the Biden Economy

12-50 The Big Spend – Economics Don’t Matter in the Biden Economy

Show Summary: This week, with Christmas and all the spending in the air, we thought we’d take one last look at the economy for the year. And the Biden economy looks like Christmas in another way: It’s the government playing Santa with your money. Or, as we like to call it, the Big Spend. We look at the Biden admin’s missteps on the economy. How bad are they? And will things get better before they get worse? And how soon is worse? Are there any positives out there and how much staying power do they have? Plus, a big focus on the massive debt, which is coming due for another massive expansion. But, it turns out, we’re in a lot more debt than advertised…

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: December 10th & 11th, 2022 | Guest: Jonathan Williams

This Week – The Biden Economy

We get criticized for being critical of the Biden administration’s economic policies. Well, we’re not the only ones. Major financial institutions are projecting a huge downturn next year. And not just here but all across the world—in part because things look so bad here.

This week, we welcome back Jonathan Williams to discuss the Biden economy. We review the missteps by the administration, which, unfortunately, started on day one. And haven’t been corrected yet. Like their attack on the energy industry and especially oil. In fact, they’ve done everything they can to try to avoid taking responsibility. How? By running to Saudi Arabia and even Venezuela. Anything to avoid re-opening and encouraging energy and oil production right here in America.

And why is it that in the Biden economy, we keep rewarding America’s enemies?

Check out Oregon’s Debt Clock (brought to you by the National Debt Clock). Did you know (as of this writing, Dec 10, 2022) that Oregon has $48.463 billion dollars of debt?

ALEC and ACCE

The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, works with state legislators and policy makers in the 50 test tubes of democracy. ALEC focuses on sound fiscal and economic policies to improve state revenues and the states’ economic performance and outlook.

But there is also ALEC for the local level: the American City County Exchange or ACCE (pronounced “Ace”). It’s not just state legislators who deal with budgets and fiscal policies. Counties and cities do too. And county commissioners, mayors and city councilors are all pressured by left-leaning organizations (well-funded ones, we might add) to spend, spend, spend. Especially, as it happens, on far-left ideologies and allies. Help your local officials fight back. Encourage them to join ACCE to get access to policies and more to make the right decisions.

In the Biden economy? They’re going to need all the help they can get.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Jonathan Williams is the Chief Economist and Executive Vice President of Policy at the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more by heading to ALEC.org.
    • Be sure to check out some of Jonathan’s articles, below
    • On Twitter? You can follow Jonathan @TaxEconomist
  • Check out ALEC’s Model Policies. These policies are designed to push back against woke Leftism, which are more about politics than economics. Two we especially like:
  • Encourage your local officials to join the American City County Exchange — ALEC for the local level!
  • “Colorado Offers Gold Standard for Fiscal Restraint: ALEC in National Review” (National Review, Nov 3, 2022)
    • TABOR [Taxpayer Bill of Rights] represents a fiscal-policy achievement Coloradans should be proud of and defend.
  • Jonathan Article #2 – The States Move Forward with the Flat Tax (National Review, July 22, 2022)
    • The flat-tax revolution will continue to gather speed as more states begin to realize the competitive benefits earned by a simpler and fairer tax code.
    • The prudent policy choice for states is to enhance competitiveness, then examine spending priorities and create policies to prepare for the proverbial rainy days, rather than relying on the federal government to save the day during revenue shortfalls.
  • Jonathan on American Radio Journal (Dec 3, 2022)
    • Congress is looking at another debt-ceiling bailout; this after a 2.5 trillion increase just a year ago
  • Oregon’s Debt Clock – $48.5 billion ($11K per person; Debt to GDP ratio is 17.6%

Mentioned During the Show

Additional Research & Related to the Biden Economy

 

12-46 Elections: An Overturned One and What Happened in 2022

12-46 Elections: An Overturned One and What Happened in 2022

Show Summary: Some post-game analysis of what happened on election night with Marc Thielman. Despite the gloomers and doomers in the Republican Party complaining the wins weren’t big enough, there was a lot of good news for Republicans in 2022’s elections. And the elections would be really good news if they were not clearly trying to insert votes into races not yet called. Does anyone remember when they said they needed the machines to speed things up? But first: Kimberly Hermann with the Southeastern Legal Foundation to discuss what they’ve learned since finally being given the court-ordered (twice!) external communications by the George Soros D.A. with those helping set up the successful attempt to remove an elected governor — despite the D.A. having none of the evidence she claimed she did.

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: November 12th & 13th, 2022 | Guests: Kimberly Hermann & Marc Thielman

This Week – Elections Matter

Elections do matter. But what happens when they attempt to steal one? Or they do steal them? Or, even worse, overturn an election? Like what they tried to do with President Trump.

Because you can’t trust a government if you can’t trust how they were elected.

This week, we talk with Marc Thielman—former gubernatorial candidate, now activists, consultant, and lead petitioner on real school choice—about the 2022 midterm elections. Plus, he is deeply involved in the election integrity movement.

Get involved! Head to BattlegroundOregon.org to see what you can do and to support those in the fight for fair elections

We go over the outcomes (so far), and look at the national landscape. As of this writing, it is looking like the Republicans will take the House and possibly the senate. So why are the Doomers in the Republican party moaning and blaming Trump?

Imagine winning the Superbowl by two points only to have half the team complain about the quarterback. If that’s Mitch McConnell’s and Paul Ryan’s level of teamwork, it makes you question just how hard they tried to win.

But, as we discuss, there are some good evidences that there really was a red wave. Just not the red tsunami we were hoping for. And, sadly, not here in Oregon either.

With the ongoing fraud on display for all to see in Arizona, we talk with Marc about changes that need to happen to ensure we can trust the elections again.

Elections: If you can’t Win Them, Undo Them

But before we get to Marc, we talk with Kimberly Hermann. We last talked with her in April 2022 after their big win against the corrupt George Soros Missouri D.A., Kim Gardner. John Solomon’s Just the News had filed a FOIA request for communications between Garnder and outside forces involved in her wrongful prosecution of Eric Greitens. After winning in court, after several court orders to enforce, Gardner finally handed over the ordered information two weeks ago.

In case you missed it, Eric Greitens was elected governor in 2016. He then set out to actually fulfill his campaign promises. Unheard of, right? One of those was to dismantle a “low income housing” project that was soaking the government and making a lot of people wealthy. This made people angry. And some of those angry people approached Kim Gardner with a scheme to remove the governor. And it worked.

Gardner accused Greitens of trying to blackmail a hairdresser with whom he’d had an affair, by threatening to release a nude photo of her if she talked about the affair. Greitens admitted to the affair but denied ever trying to blackmail anyone.

Eventually, Greitens gave into pressure and resigned. Except. Gardner made it all up. She had to withdraw her prosecution because she admitted she never had the photo she claimed Greitens had used for blackmail.

What a mess. But damage done. An election overturned.

Prosecutorial Misconduct

Don’t miss what the FOIA documents reveal. Mysterious payments, and confirmation that, yes, this was a clear case of prosecutorial misconduct.

By all rights, Kim Gardner should be removed from her position. And she should be prosecuted. But in today’s corrupt “justice” system, it looks like she will not be punished beyond the slap on the wrist she already got.

But. Thanks to the elections, there is a new sheriff in town (well, new state attorney general). And perhaps he will take up the case to restore trust in the system.

And let’s hope prosecuting Kim Gardner is just the start. Let’s hope elections also draw the crosshairs.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Kimberly Hermann Segments (1–3)

  • Records reveal external forces that aided Soros-funded prosecutor in toppling Missouri GOP governor (Just the News, Oct 24, 2022)
    • St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner turned over concealed records to Just the News under court order, revealing new details about her office’s ethically tarnished prosecution of Eric Greitens, including alleged victim’s concern that topless photo allegedly used to extort her might not exist.
  • Read the FOIA documents: 393 pages of Documents (PDF)
  • New evidence found that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner was directly involved in false criminal allegations against Former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens (97.1 FM Talk, Oct 25, 2022)
  • OUTRAGEOUS! Highest Missouri State Court Fines Kim Gardner ONLY $750 After She Admits to Wrongdoing in Greitens Case — Records Show 62 Acts of Misconduct (Patriots Worldwide News, Aug 31, 2022)
  • Story behind Republican governor’s prosecution forced into the open (WND, Oct 25, 2022)

Marc Thielman Segments (4–6)

  • Midterm Updates and Silver Linings: For 2024, Democrats now own the economy (Technofrog Substack, Nov 9, 2022)
    • The silver lining (if Repubs don’t take control of both houses of Congress): “Democrat control means Democrat ownership of what is to come: a predicted recession and continued inflation.”
  • Republican majority expands to 88 in West Virginia House (MetroNews, WV, Nov 9, 2022)
    • Unofficial results from Election Night show the Republicans picking up 10 more seats in the House. That takes the GOP majority in the 100-member House [from 78] to 88.
  • U.N. Tells Rich Countries to Pay $2 Trillion a Year for Climate ‘Justice’ (Breitbart, Nov 8, 2022)
    • “An annual transfer of funds from rich to poor countries, starting at around $2 trillion by 2030 and rising thereafter, is needed for climate “justice” according to a U.N.-backed report released Tuesday. China has been specifically excluded from the demand for reparations…”
  • Warnings of ‘Red Mirage’ Ignore Real Problem With Mail-in Ballots: Experts (The Epoch Times, Nov 8, 2022)
  • VIDEO: A Direct Message to Elected Republicans ft. Sean Davis | The Liz Wheeler Show (via YouTube, Nov 8, 2022)
  • U.S. Warming Over Last 50 Years Exaggerated by Up to 50%, New Evidence Shows (The Daily Sceptic, Nov. 4, 2022)
  • Red wave after all? GOP winning popular vote by wide margin despite incongruous results (Just the News, Nov 11, 2022)
    • GOP candidates have so far received 50,672,592 votes, or 52.3% of the total ballots cast as of this writing. Democrat candidates, by comparison, have so far received 44,802,597 votes, or 46.2% of the total.
  • Clackamas County will work into the weekend to tally results of 65,000 remaining ballots (OregonLive, Nov 10, 2022)
12-45 Closing Arguments: The Why of Voting Republican in 2022

12-45 Closing Arguments: The Why of Voting Republican in 2022

Show Summary: The one thing we can thank covid for is that it revealed who elected democrats really are. And what they really want, what they really think of America, and what they really believe about our rights and liberty. We’ve seen their apocalyptic vision for America. But what about the Republicans? What would a Republican-led future look like? We take a look.

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: November 5th & 6th, 2022 | Guests: Bruce Westerman, Alek Skarlatos, Ben Edtl, & Kim Rice

It’s Democrat Panic Time

Last week, we warned you that the Democrats—who have been trying to scare voters away from Republicans—would go full panic-mongering. And they did. A presidential historian appeared on MSNBC to warn the audience:

50 years from now, a historian — if historians are allowed to write in this country, and if there are still free publishing houses and a free press, which I’m not certain of — a historian will say, what was at stake tonight and this week was whether we will be a democracy in the future, whether our children will be arrested, and conceivably killed. We’re on the edge of a brutal authoritarian system. And it could be a week away.

Don’t believe that anyone could be that insane? Watch the clip for yourself.

Yes. There it is. The democrats’ panic mongering in all its glory: “If you vote for Republicans, your kids will be murdered and democracy will die.”

Wow.

This Week – Why Vote Republican in 2022

This week, why voting Republican in 2022 is the only sane choice. Thanks to covid and the last two years of full democrat control, we’ve had a real glimpse of the nightmare democrats envision for America. Total control of your life, your business. Even what you are allowed to say, think, or believe. And that’s not hyperbole. They wanted to take away your rights to speak up (like at school board meetings or on social media). They wanted to control what you could think or believe: if you didn’t believe their science, you should be punished and forced to take their jab or lose your job.

Covid Amnesty
Click for full size

The last two years has been like a living nightmare in America. More so for Oregonians. And let’s be clear about one thing. The destruction Democrats have wrought is not be accident. It was on purpose. Democrats cheered when Biden shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline. They cheered when they passed laws to push America to an expensive and unsustainable “green energy” future. They cheered when they seized dictator-like powers and flexed their authoritarian rule to shut down schools and businesses and churches. And they cheered when governments forced experimental vaccines on people or lose their jobs.

And now, of course, having been proven wrong at every level — from the economy to covid — now they want “amnesty.” They want us to forget they wished death on those who stood up for their rights and who refused to back down. Just forget all that and the hell you unleashed on people who wouldn’t obey you?

I don’t think so.

But what would things look like under a Republican-led future?

Sometimes, it’s hard to envision the unknown. Especially when democrats have done their best, for decades, to terrify Oregonians about Republicans.

Four Republican Candidates to Help You See a Sane Future

The last two years summed up. And now they want a covid amnesty?
The last two years summed up. (Click for full size)

We welcome four candidates to give their closing arguments. They share their experiences dealing with Democrat destruction, why they are fighting for a better future, and what a Republican-led future look like.

We start with Congress Bruce Westerman (AR-4), the only certified forester in all of Congress. Bruce was here in Oregon to visit and support fellow congressional candidate, Alek Skarlatos running in Oregon’s 4th Congressional District. We get his impressions of Oregon. Like what he thought of Oregon’s infamous homeless camps that have multiplied exponentially under democrat leadership.

Then we welcome back the man himself, Alek Skarlatos, to get insights into what he is hearing from his constituents. It turns out, even democrats are frustrated with democrats. On everything from crime to the economy to, yes, those infamous homeless camps. And he shares what he would do to improve the lives of Oregon’s 4th congressional, which is Oregon’s poorest district. Thanks, once again, to democrats.

To find out more visit Alek’s campaign website, which is AlekforOregon.com

Saving Oregon – Two Republican State Senate Candidates

Next, we welcome Ben Edtl, who is running for state senator in Oregon’s district 19. Ben was a successful entrepreneur and businessman in Portland — until he ran into democrat policies that destroyed his business.  Covid lockdowns and the summer of love as democrat activists (aka “Antifa”) combined was too much to stay open. Ben got death threats, his businesses vandalized and Portland’s democrat mayor stood by and did nothing. Other than to cheer on the destruction — and release those who did the crimes. After his businesses were destroyed, Ben formed the non-partisan Free Oregon, which sues government overreach to hold them accountable. Ben shares what he would be focused on — business and the economy — and how his experiences will shape a better business climate for Oregon.

To find out more, visit Ben’s campaign website, BenEdtl.com and his organization’s website, FreeOregon.us

Republicans: Save our Schools, Save our Kids

And then we welcome Kim Rice, a teacher who personally witnessed the havoc being unleashed on our schools. Kim is also running for state senate, in district 18. She was a teacher for 27 years until democrat policies forced her out. Tune in to hear how, unannounced but with the support of the school administration, a trans activist came into her kindergarten classroom. With no ability for her to say no or to stop this sexuality being pushed on her kindergartners. The final straw was the democrat policy to have control over her own body to say no to an experimental vaccine. She shares with us what a Republican-led legislature and governor should focus on for a brighter future for all Oregonians.

Kim also shares with us the danger of a democrat bill currently under consideration, HB 3088. As if the democrats haven’t pushed enough sex at Oregonians, now they want to legalized the sex trade.

For more information, visit Kim’s campaign site, KimRiceforOregon.com

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • The democrats gerrymandered districts all over Oregon. Be sure to find your representatives using this Legislator Lookup tool from Oregon’s legislature.
  • The democrats actions never line up with their rhetoric. “Global warming. We need to reduce CO2 emissions.” Meanwhile, the forest fires in a single year wiped out 18 years of greenhouse gas emission reductions. California Wildfires Cancel-Out Two Decades Of Emissions Reductions (ZeroHedge, October 23, 2022)
  • Republicans expect gains in the Oregon Legislature (Jefferson Public Radio, Oct 31, 2022)
  • Joe Rogan Says Red Wave In Midterms Will Be Like The Elevator Scene In The Shining (American Lookout, Nov 2, 2022)

 

 

12-44 If You Can’t Offer Hope, Push Fear | Democrats Desperate

12-44 If You Can’t Offer Hope, Push Fear | Democrats Desperate

Show Summary: This week, it’s politics as unusual. In today’s political environment, it seems even the improbable could be possible. Probably. We talk with Jo Rae Perkins and Chuck Wiese in a show that ended up looking at the fear being pushed in the democrats’ political ads. When you stop running on the success of your policies, and turn to mudslinging and fear, your side should definitely be afraid. And this year, for good reason.

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: October 29, 2022 | Guests: Jo Rae Perkins & Chuck Wiese

This Week – The Democrats’ “Fear Porn”

It’s a given in politics that if you can’t offer hope, then offer fear. It is literally the only thing Democrats have left.

It’s a bit of a turn from FDR. In the looming shadow of World War II, FDR famously said, “All we have to fear is… fear itself!” Now, under Biden, it’s become, “All we have is… fear.” But it’s just become laughable. More so when you realize what they’re doing. They are trying to blame Republicans for their economy. And they’re trying to blame Republicans in advance. “Things will get worse if you elect Republicans.”

It’s hard to type that with straight face.

Fear: It’s All the Left has Left

We welcome back Jo Rae Perkins, Oregon’s Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. She is running against long-, long-time incumbent, Ron Wyden. Who used to be, ten years ago, a proponent of privacy. Now, he’s all for the government prying into everything. And arresting one’s political opponents.

It’s amazing how four decades in Washington D.C. can mutate one’s political beliefs. It’s like that quote attributed to Mark Twain: “Politicians and diapers need changed often. And for the same reasons.”

Jo Rae has a lot of answers for what ails Oregon and America right now. We ask about her take on turning the economy around, dealing with federal agencies, what Republican should concentrate on in the first 100 days in office, and what can be done about Oregon’s failing education system.

Find out more about Jo Rae — and help her get some more commercials on the air — by visiting perkins.vote

And she has questions. Questions the mainstream media aren’t asking. Like, Ron thinks tax dodgers should be punished. But what happened to the $2 million Ron’s wife got in PPP loans to keep people on the payroll? Because she didn’t keep them on the payroll. Well, Ron?

But she rightly points out that in this election cycle, all the Left has left is fear.

Democrats. Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

Al Gore: Non-Believers Threaten My IncomeThen we welcome back fan-favorite Chuck Wiese to continue the discussion on fear. As a Global Warming debunker, Chuck knows all about how the Left uses fear to push their agenda. Like the typical, “We only have ___ years to do something before it’s too late!!!” Usually, what “do something” means is “give us more money.”

We start by talking about the latest global warming fear porn: “The Scientist’s Warning.” Wooooo! It’s a propaganda “film” designed to, once again, scare people into giving money to “scientists.”

You can see the excerpted film, “citizen’s pledge” and quiz mentioned during the show by heading here.

Explain how producing more oil in the U.S. causes climate change but asking other countries to produce more oil does not cause climate changeBut they fearmongers lose because they go waaay over the top.

And don’t miss the updates to the election integrity federal lawsuit Chuck, Marc Thielman, and others have filed.

They are taking a unique route: They’re not asking to prove their is election fraud; they’re asking to prove their isn’t. They just need access to monitor the machines to prove it.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Here is what Citizen Free Press calls, “The Headline of the Week.” I’d almost say of the month
  • [IEA] Energy Chief Who Pushed To Slash Oil And Gas Investments Now Decries ‘Global Energy Crisis’ (Daily Caller, Oct 25, 2022)
  • U.S. Senate votes to move forward with stopgap funding bill (Reuters, Sept 27, 2022)
  • Surveillance Under The Patriot Act (ACLU, 2011)
    • Ron Wyden then: “I want to deliver a warning… when the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act, they will be stunned and they will be angry.” What happened to you, Ron?
  • Why Are Walmart And Other Major U.S. Retailers Canceling BILLIONS Of Dollars In Orders As Summer Comes To An End? (The Economic Collapse, Sept 18, 2022)
  • Also: Walmart and other retailers are canceling billions of dollars in orders (Retail Wire, Sept 14, 2022)
  • Florida’s 2022 NAEP test scores (DeSantis Press Release, Oct 24, 2022)
  • Oregon school performance craters (OregonLive, Oct 24, 2022)
  • Oz Odds Of Winning PA Soar After Historic Fetterman Debate Meltdown (Zero Hedge, Oct 25, 2022)
  • Fetterman Faces Fallout From Disastrous Debate: ‘Worst Performance By Any Candidate I Have Ever Seen’ (The Daily Wire, October 25, 2022)
  • Marina Medvin on Twitter: “NY State Supreme Court reinstates all fired unvaccinated employees, orders backpay, says the state violated rights, acted arbitrary & capricious, notes: ‘Being vaccinated does not prevent an individual from contracting or transmitting Covid-19’.” (Twitter, Oct 25, 2022)
    • Link to NY Supreme Court Case, George Garvey, et al., v. City of New York
      • Page 11, last paragraph: “Being vaccinated does not prevent an individual from contracting or transmitting Covid-19.” Boom. There ya go.
  • Two-thirds of Americans polled reject the Democratic Party platform on abortion (Life Site News, Oct 25, 2022)
    • “Do you think a pregnant woman should be able to legally have an abortion in the second or third trimester of pregnancy under any circumstance, as a matter of choice?” one question asked. By a 2 to 1 margin, respondents said “No” to this question, which represents the Democratic Party’s stance on abortion.