Tag: medicaid

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15-39 We’re Not at War. But We’re at War.

15-39 We’re Not at War. But We’re at War.

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Show 15-39 Summary: It’s a shocking reality that the political Left sees violence and murder as acceptable response to speech they disagree with. The rise in far-left political violence will only get worse. This week, we reach out to a psychologist to better understand how people have been brainwashed by violent Antifa offshoot groups. But conservatives. especially Christians, sitting quietly and not getting involved is no longer an option. We talk with a trainer who helps engage conservatives to impact their communities and society.

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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: September 27th & 28th, 2025 | Guests: Angela Plowhead & Scott Allen

This Week –Far-Left Political Violence: We’re Not at War, But We Are

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, many people are still shocked at how the Land of Free Speech got to the point where someone was murdered for his speech. Too many people had no idea just how dangerous Antifa really was. And how their further-left spinoffs are actively training their members to kill.

How did we get here?

That’s easy. The Right has been too tolerant. And too silent. Well, it’s time for the Right and Middle to rise up. And to stop being silent.

A Psychologist on the Left’s Manipulation and Violence

For people familiar with Far-Left, Marxist ideology, it is no surprise the Left lies, manipulates, and exploits society’s most vulnerable. But unlike years past, they have first isolated confused children, convinced them to hate who they really because they are “in the wrong body.” And then manipulate them to channel their hate and anger toward society and authority.

But it’s not just youth. The Left uses clever marketing and the media to confuse vulnerable seniors into thinking policies that are actually good for seniors are somehow bad for them. Which is why the largest demographic that hates Trump are American seniors. Democrats who shriek “disinformation” misinform seniors about Trump’s tariffs, no tax on social security, and more. And convince them Trump is cutting Medicare. He’s not. He’s removing people on Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security who legally should not be getting it. And by removing them, there is more money for those who deserve it.

Tune in to hear psychologist Dr. Angela Plowhead examine the Left’s manipulation. It is truly dangerous. And will lead to more violence and killing. But also hear her solutions to reach out to manipulated seniors and break through their mental blocks.

Keep an eye on Angela. She is running for office in Oregon’s Senate District 10. Her campaign site is Angela4Oregon.com.

Oregon desperately needs common-sense conservatives like Angela Plowhead in office. Help her get there with a donation.

Not Sure What to Do? Get Some Training

Tired of sitting quietly while the Left rampages? You should be. Like any abuser, silence emboldens the Far Left. There are some trainings coming up in the Willamette Valley for conservatives and Christians to learn how to engage and impact their communities. We talk with Scott Allen, the president of the Disciple Nations Alliance who will be leading the training along with Tim Throckmorton, the National Director for Church Engagement & Community Impact for the Family Research Council.

The Far-Left sees your silence about their ideology as permission. And that can and does lead to violence. We are seeing it. And we need to find ways to stop it.

Scott talks to us about the need to get engaged, to not be silent, and also discusses Marxist ideology. The violence we’re seeing now is Neo-Marxism at its worst. (Is there a good side to Marxism?) This trainings will give conservatives, Christians, church leaders, the knowledge and tools to impact their communities.

To learn more, read the workshop flyer and about the trainers (PDFs)
The trainings will be held October 13th, in NE Portland and October 14th in Salem and Corvallis
The events are free to attend. (Donations gladly accepted!)

It’s time. Time to rise up. Not sure where to start? Getting some knowledge is always a good place to start. As long as you can use it.

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

  • Angela’s campaign website is Angela4Oregon.com. You can help her win by making a donation. Every bit helps. *Remember: big donors need to see excitement and support for a candidate before they’ll contribute. So don’t think your donation is too small. It’s not. Because your help can lead to bigger fish.
  • Get involved, get trained! Stop surrendering to the Far Left. Staying silent gives permission. Learn more about upcoming community impact trainings  read the workshop flyer and about the trainers (PDFs). Be sure to share and get the word out!
  • Armed Queers group trains radical Marxists to shoot (Just the News, Sept 15, 2025)
  • Worse than Antifa: Inside the new breed (NY Post, Aug 27, 2025)
The I Spy Radio Show Logo, 2025. © Copyright January 2025. All rights reserved.
15-37 Oregon Mismanages Everything | It won’t even follow its own laws

15-37 Oregon Mismanages Everything | It won’t even follow its own laws

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Show 15-37 Summary: In the difficult shadow of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, we welcome two guests to discuss Oregon’s mismanagement of everything. Does Oregon do anything right? We discuss two key areas Oregon constantly bungles: health care and school trust lands.

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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: September 13th & 14th, 2025 | Guests: Lisa Lettenmaier & Dave Sullivan

This Week – Oregon Mismanages Everything

This week was tough. Only an hour before our scheduled interview with our first guest, Dave Sullivan, we learned that Charlie Kirk had been  shot. We called to reschedule as we absorbed the news, we prayed, only to learn Charlie had been pronounced dead.

It really put things into perspective. But we also know Charlie wants everyone to continue the fight and to stand up to the Left, and, in Oregon’s case, that’s the Left’s dominance of state government. Which is why everything Oregon does is mismanaged.

It’s stunning, really. You’d think just by sheer accident they could do something right. But from ODOT to schools to health care to its forests to its school trust lands, Oregon is the prime example of what not to do.

Insurance costs are going up. Need a better, less-expensive plan? Transitioning to Medicare? Those are Lisa’s specialties. Visit healthsourceNW.com

Oregon Mismanages Health Care

First up, we welcome back our go-to expert for health insurance, Lisa Lettenmaier. Because insurance cost in Oregon is going up. A lot. What has Oregon done to mess this up? And why is it going up? We know what the Left-stream media blames. Just like everything else, they are blaming Trump and his policies.

Except, that’s not the reality. Tune in to hear what’s actually causing the increases.

Oregon Mismanages its School Trust Lands

We also welcome back Dr. Dave Sullivan. The last time we talked, he had filed a lawsuit against the State of Oregon for refusing to obey its own laws to manage the School Trust lands. That was 2022. No surprise, Oregon is still mismanaging them. Except it’s gotten worse.

The good news is — there is great news.

Lawsuits to force Oregon to obey the law are expensive. If you can, please donate to help them continue the fight. Head to OASTL.org (Oregon Advocates for State Trust Lands) to explore more or jump to their donate page.

Dr. Sullivan’s case just won their first hurdle: standing. And to do so, the Coos County judge relied on a somewhat unconventional approach. Because of the historical facts, he ruled the case fell under common law, not statute. While it seemed a novel approach to us, applying common law, it turns out, is more common than we thought. Listen and find out why.

And when you do, you’ll also hear just how badly Oregon gets its school trust lands “management” wrong. Turns out, they’re fighting more than 200 years of 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

Lisa Lettenmaier is an expert at finding you the best, most cost-effective health insurance or Medicare plan. Let her help you take the hassle out of it. Call or email her, just visit HealthSourceNW.com

Dr. Dave Sullivan’s website is Oregon Advocates for School Trust Lands (OASTL). Head to oastl.org to learn more. Please donate to help them fight Oregon’s mismanagement to make Oregon follow its own laws and manage the school trust lands. It’s in Oregon’s Constitution for pity’s sake!

 

More links coming soon…

 

15-28 The Big Beautiful Bill is the Beginning Not the End

15-28 The Big Beautiful Bill is the Beginning Not the End

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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

Spoiled brat Elon Musk throws temper tantrum over the One Big Beautiful Bill
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/.
    • And you too can join as a private-sector member!
    • Follow Jonathan on Twitter at @TaxEconomist.
  • Head to Rich States, Poor States to see how your state is doing.
  • 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)
  • Supreme Court allows Trump to implement plans (Scotusblog, June 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

  • Social Security letter on taxes sends confusing message, some experts say (Washington Post, July 4, 2025)
  • Megabill does not eliminate taxes on Social Security — But it does increase the standard deduction for seniors.
    • Tax exemption for Social Security goes from 64 percent to 88 percent.
  • Does the “big, beautiful bill” eliminate taxes on Social Security? (CBS News, July 8, 2025)

The One Big Beautiful Bill is the Start, Not the End

Green Energy isn’t So Green Anymore

Funny how Global Warming believers suddenly change their beliefs when they aren’t paid to believe them any more.

Oregon’s Economic Outlook Not Looking Good

13-30 An Unbelievable Number | Oregon’s Healthcare Transformation

13-30 An Unbelievable Number | Oregon’s Healthcare Transformation

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Show 13-30 Summary: Lisa Lettenmaier, a former accountant and current insurance expert, has been tracking Oregon’s healthcare system for decades. We take a deep dive with her into Oregon’s healthcare system and the completely unsustainable path its on — unless you want to eventually spend every penny on “free” healthcare.

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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 29th & 30th, 2023 | Guest: Lisa Lettenmaier

This Week – Oregon’s Healthcare is Unsustainable

This week, we’re looking into Oregon’s health care system. And, in particular, the tidal wave of spending, endless spending, we’re dumping into what Oregon thinks is a “free” system. Or that’s the goal. It will just take a few hundred billion to get there — and another few hundred billion to keep up the illusion of “free.”

Oh, and doctors are looking to form a union. Because that always makes government expenditures go down, right? Yikes.

We talk with Lisa Lettenmaier, our go-to expert on insurance as well as the inner workings and financial health of the healthcare system.

Diagnosis: the patient is sick.

Oregon’s Healthcare Transformation

There’s a saying I’m sure you know: “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Along those lines, “Those who do not learn from Oregon are doomed to repeat its mistakes.”

Oregon’s forest management polices often lead to more forest fires. Which is stupid because all we need to do is to do something. Like the most obvious: open the forests up and let timber companies harvest — especially in areas prone to fires. Plus the government makes money. Twice. They get a payment from the sales of timber and they get all those taxes from good-paying jobs and companies making profits.

But the government would rather not do that (logging sounds like hard work) so they would rather spend money on putting out forest fires than make money doing things that would prevent the problem.

Oregon is pretty much setting its health care system on fire. And, once again, it’s a problem they caused — and then they set it on fire.

Tune in to find out just how bad it all is. Yes, the state of Oregon’s healthcare system will make you sick.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info