Show 15-49 Summary: We talk with Oregon State Rep., Ed Diehl, about the phenomenal No Gas Tax petition effort to get insight on why it’s been so successful, with nearly double their goal and well ahead of schedule. We also get a behind-the-scenes look at what insiders said why it would never work, and the dirty tricks unions, Democrats, and Governor Kotek used to try to derail it — and could still use to derail it. Plus, some scandals in other blue states that almost certainly have happened here, and how they are doing it. Thanks to the fraud gateway Elon Musk uncovered.
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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, seven times over the weekend, 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 our network of stations.
Air Dates: December 6th & 7th, 2025 | Guest: Representative Ed Diehl
No Gas Tax Signatures Explode Beyond Wildest Expectations
How can you tell when elected Democrats start to panic? When they blame someone else for the problems they created. How can you tell when elected Democrats aren’t starting to panic? When they blame someone else for the problems they created.
This week, we talk with Rep. Ed Diehl (HD-17) about the phenomenal signature gathering effort to get insight on why it’s been so successful. As of our interview, they already have more than double their goal and way ahead of schedule. It has been a true grassroots effort, with zero paid signature gatherers.
We also get a behind-the-scenes look at what insiders were saying why it would fail—and the dirty tricks unions, democrats, and Governor Kotek used to try to derail it. And dirty tricks they could still use to derail it. So much for Democrats being for “democracy,” right?
And then there are the scandals in other blue states that almost certainly have happened here, ones we already know happened here, and how they are doing it. Plus, the Far Left’s political strategy on “affordability” and the “fraud gateway” that Elon Musk’s DOGE uncovered.
A packed show! Listen again to the podcast version, posted here on Monday.
The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version
Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. Mondays, after our network of radio stations have aired the show, I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite podcasting platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.
Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info
The Lies democrats tell. Remember the “fake electors” scandal — and the lawsuits that followed? Including Fani Willis’s prosecution? Yeah. It was based on a lie. “Requiem for a scandal” (Washington Examiner, December 1, 2025)
Show 15-28 Summary: Not to sound too much like Nancy Pelosi but now that the One Big Beautiful Bill passed, we know what’s in it. It was making a lot of people lose their minds perhaps because they didn’t understand the bill and what could or could not be in it. It’s clear they didn’t read it and listened to the wrong analysts. Which is why it will make people like Elon Musk and his very public temper tantrum look very foolish.
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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, seven times over the weekend, 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 our network of stations.
Air Dates: July 12th & 13th, 2025 | Guest: Jonathan Williams
This Week – The Big Beautiful Bill Passed — Now What?
Nancy Pelosi famously said about Obamacare that “We have to pass it to find out what’s in it.” And now that we have the final version of the Big Beautiful Bill, we do know what’s in it.
But leading up to its final passage, it made a lot of people lose their minds. Legislators should know better but a lot of grassroots did not understand what a reconciliation bill was and how limited they are — just to budget items that affect federal spending or revenue. Which is why it could never be “the one bill” to accomplish everything America First that everyone wanted. So why didn’t the people who ought to have known better say that? Rather than try to sabotage it?
Perhaps they had their own agenda. And, as typical, they wanted something other than what they were saying.
Elon Musk — The Spoiled Kid in the Grocery Store
click for full size
By definition, a reconciliation is limited. Not only in terms of what can or can’t be in it but also what budgetary items it can cut. It doesn’t take much to understand that. So someone as smart as Elon had to know that. Which implies then that he wanted something else. And his public shrieking tantrum was calculated. He had to know they couldn’t make the massive cuts he said he wanted. So it’s clear he either didn’t read the bill or listened to the wrong analysts. Or made the calculated move to get attention, blame people, and offer the solution. A third party with the goal to selectively to pick off vulnerable Republicans to be the key swing votes in Congress.
But Elon Musk’s temper tantrum gambit will look pretty foolish when the Big Beautiful Bill succeeds. He’ll not only look like the spoiler but what he is. Spoiled.
How do we know? Hint: everyone was predicting the end of the economic world after Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. Now they’re admitting they were wrong.
The Big Beautiful Bill Reality
Now that the bill was passed and signed, the fury has died down—mostly—we welcome back Jonathan Williams, the president and chief economist at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to get some truth and reality about what was in it. No. It wasn’t perfect. Yes we would have liked more spending cuts.
But while the shrieking and tantruming was happening the detractors missed a key part of the bill. It codified 28 of Trump’s exectutive orders. They’re no longer executive orders, easily undone by the next president with a pen. Now they are law. And, even better, for those demanding more cuts, once the bill was passed and signed, President Trump used his executive power to rescind (cut) spending on key points. Like stopping the green energy credits and Global Warming spending.
But. And here’s the biggest and most overlooked aspect of the Big Beautiful Bill. It doesn’t end here. It’s the beginning.
Did you feel the political ground under you shift? Because unlike so many other big gigantic bills, this was about cutting spending, cutting taxes, and cutting the size and scope of government. And some actual entitlement reforms. When is the last time that happened? Maybe in the 1990s with Newt Gingrich?
And this isn’t some deep red state doing it. This is Washington DC. And it’s just the beginning. There are already plans in the works for two more bills like it to make further cuts and to push more of the America First agenda.
And that’s why, with the Trump Train rolling, people like Elon Musk standing on the platform shrieking about what is not on the train will look pretty foolish as the train pulls away without them.
Rich States, Poor States. Poor Oregon.
We also talk with Jonathan about Oregon’s latest ranking in the 18th edition of Rich States, Poor States. Jonathan is one of its co-authors. For anyone who lives in Oregon, it will come as no surprise that we dropped one point from last year.
But Oregon made some recent economic bungles that have come to light? How bad would it have been for Oregon’s ranking if these had come to light before the latest edition had been released?
Related: Show 15-23 with Jennifer Hamaker – Oregon’s Climate Protection Plan’s planned devastation to Oregon’s economy — conveniently phased in after the 2026 election Show 15-25 with Ed Diehl Oregon’s HB2025, the ODOT tax bill, which would have been the biggest tax increase in Oregon’s history
The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version
Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. Mondays, after our network of radio stations have aired the show, I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite podcasting platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.
Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info
Jonathan is the president and chief economist organization at American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more at ALEC.org.
Encourage your representatives to join ALEC! There are state and city memberships. Help elected officials understand economic problems and the real solutions available to get out of them. Send them this link: https://alec.org/membership/.
See the list: Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill codifies 28 executive orders and actions
Steve Moore: Trump just scored the biggest conservative victory in three decades (Fox News, July 10, 2025)
“What isn’t well known is that this new law doesn’t just change tax policy. It includes dozens of other long-sought policy goals – what I call ‘hidden gems’.”
Conservatives say Trump won their megabill votes by promising crackdown on renewable energy credits (Politico, July 3, 2025)
“Hard-line House conservatives said President Donald Trump assured them his administration would take action to constrict wind or solar projects that qualify for Inflation Reduction Act tax credits — a pledge that ultimately persuaded them to back the party’s megabill.” → A promise kept with Trump’s rescission package.
Johnson says megabill will be ‘jet fuel’ for economy; teases 2 future bills within next year (Fox News, July 6, 2025)
Johnson said the BBB is just the first step in a three-tier strategy. Johnson expects a second reconciliation bill by fall and a third by spring before the end of the current Congress. “You’ll see more of us advancing these common-sense principles to deliver that American First agenda”
Trump says U.S. struck trade deal with Vietnam that imposes 20% tariff on its imports (CNBC, July 2, 2025)
U.S. Supreme Court Greenlights Trump’s Federal Government Purge (GWP, July 8, 2025)
In an 8 to 1 ruling the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Clinton-appointed judge’s ruling that temporarily stopped Trump to do mass layoffs. Now his administration can immediately move forward
Sorry Democrats. The BBB Does NOT End Social Security
Within Intel’s manufacturing division, known as Intel Foundry, the company plans to eliminate up to 20 percent of technician, engineer, and researcher positions in its Oregon facilities.
Show 15-02 Summary: You can’t Make America Great Again without MEGA. Make Economics Great Again. This week we take a look at how the new Trump administration can make the economy great again. We do that with Jonathan Williams, the president and chief economist for the American Legislative Exchange Council. We look first at how stupid environmental policies in California have led to the disastrous Los Angeles wildfires. And we look at Trump’s tax plans. Can he really replace income taxes with tariffs? And we look forward to a more efficient government that absolutely must cut spending if we are ever going to get rid of the deficit to start cutting into the debt.
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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, seven times over the weekend, 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 our network of stations.
Air Dates: January 11th & 12th, 2025 | Guest: Jonathan Williams
This Week – MEGA: Make Economics Great Again
One of the best things Trump’s MAGA can do is MEGA. Make Economics Great Again.
We welcome back Jonathan Williams, who was recently promoted to president over at ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC is all about developing good, common sense, sound policy that they help states implement.
We start our discussion with these stupid environmental policies in California that have led to the disastrous Los Angeles wildfires. The incompetent people in charge are trying to blame climate change for their stupid policies. In part, they are correct. Their religious belief in climate change led them to the stupid policy of not doing forest management.
Let’s be clear: IF you truly believe in climate change, and that the world is getting hotter and drier as a result of global warming, then you should be doing more forest management than ever. And not what the environmental left has been doing, which is nothing.
But of course stupid policies are not limited to California. Many of those stupid environmental policies along with hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer dollars spent on climate change, come from Washington DC.
Can Trump MEGA?
We talk with Jonathan Williams about what new policies are needed, and what old policies definitely need to go. How many of those environmental policies will be forced to go when the federal funding keeping them alive disappears? But what new, good policies are needed? And are there examples of good policies at the state level that ought to trickle up to the federal level?
And what about those taxes?
People forget that for most of America’s history, there was no income tax. And the federal government got most of its funding from tariffs. can trump really make that happen and replace the income tax with tariffs? Is that even feasible? well, it can’t happen unless there are some significant cuts to the budget, and we talk about that too.
Get informed about how MAGA can make MEGA really happen.
Well, lookee here:
???? REPORT: Congressman Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) has filed the Fair Tax Act, repealing the national income tax, corporate tax, property tax, gift tax and payroll tax.
It also gets rid of the IRS.
In replacement, there is a flat, national “consumption tax” of 23%.
Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. Mondays, after our network of radio stations have aired the show, I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite podcasting platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.
Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info
Jonathan Williams is the president and chief economist for the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more about the great work they do by heading to ALEC.org
Here Are All The Ways DEI-Crazed Officials Made The LA Fire More Deadly (Federalist, Jan 9, 2024)
“If a wildfire destroys a swath of homes on the FAIR Plan and there is not enough money in reserves to pay out those claims, the FAIR Plan would turn to the state’s private insurers to help with the cash call.”
The problem lurking in the shadows: unfunded liabilities. “Underfunded Retirement Plans at the State Level: Nick Stark on Voice of Reason” (ALEC, Feb 21, 2024)
Not good when D’s aren’t even investing in Oregon.: “Arizona wins third and final federal semiconductor research hub; Oregon’s hopes dashed” (OPB, Jan 6, 2025); “Arizona wins last of 3 planned federal chip research sites” (OregonLive, Jan 6, 2025)
State regulators approve more electricity rate hikes for Oregonians in 2025 (The World, Jan 7, 2025)
Shouldn’t the policy be to provide the most power for the lowest price? If individuals or individual businesses want to buy solar or wind, they can. But don’t punish the average person.
Show Summary: We all know the Left’s ideology leaves a path of destruction wherever it goes. That’s why people flee Marxist countries on homemade rafts. The latest incarnation of Left ideology is collectively known as “woke” as they seek to enforce their vision of a socialist utopia on elements of American society. Like making race and gender a hiring criteria. Or pushing unlimited, anytime abortion, even “post birth abortion” (i.e., infanticide). But that wide swath of destruction. Is it on purpose or just accidental? It’s time to wake up about woke sabotage.
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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: July 16th & 17th, 2022 | Guests: Donna Jackson & Ethan Peck
This Week – Woke Sabotage. It’s not an Accident
This week, it’s all about fighting woke policies and ideologies. We have two guests on from two different projects of the National Center for Public Policy Research. Donna Jackson from National Center’s Project 21 to talk about the impact Biden’s economic policies are having not just on Black communities but how the policies developed in democrat-run cities are now being unleashed on the rest of America to weaken us.
And she discusses Black pastors being paid to sabotage Black communities and lead them astray.
Mentioned in the opener: Milton Friedman’s “The Social Responsibility of Business”
Then we talk with first-time guest Ethan Peck about woke impacts in corporations. We talk about his experiences as the Free Enterprise Project attempted to present shareholder resolutions to block woke corporate policies. You won’t believe what happened when he was the only shareholder at the annual shareholder meeting of a woke corporation. And we talk Twitter as the prime example of woke corporations getting a pass from blatantly illegal acts simply because they’re woke. And we talk about how woke CEOs have fallen into a huge trap with their knee-jerk reactions to a post Roe v Wade world. Could they be an accessory to a crime?
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.
Not mentioned but a great interview: Don’t sell your shares of woke corporations! Ethan Peck on the Jeff Crouere Show (Real America’s Voice, June 19, 2022)
Key point: University of Colorado professor Sanjai Bhagat, writing in the Harvard Business Review, makes four important points about ESGs
1) ESG funds have underperformed;
2) companies that tout their ESG credentials have worse compliance records for labor and environmental rules;
3) ESG scores of companies that signed the U.N. Principles of Investment didn’t improve after they signed, and financial returns were lower for those that signed, and [my favorite point];
4) Companies publicly embrace ESG as a cover for poor business performance.
Inflation rose 9.1% in June, even more than expected, as consumer pressures intensify (CNBC, July 13, 2022)
