Right About Now - Legendary Business Advice - Power Plays: Layoffs, Impeachment, and Strategic Shifts

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is Right About Now with Ryan Alford, a radcast network production. We are the number one business show on the planet with over one million downloads a month. Taking the BS out of business for over six years and over 400 episodes. You ready to start snapping next and cash in checks? Well, it starts right about now. What's up guys? Welcome to Write About Now. It is August 24th, 2024.4.

Starting point is 00:00:29 It's our weekly business news of the week joined by two of my favorite people. We've got here in studio. Brianna Hall. Hey, guys. And, of course, my Kimis Abe, my good buddy. Chris Hansen. What's up? What's up?

Starting point is 00:00:44 What's up, Brianna? What's up, Brian? Hey, living the dream. Hey, the show must go on. I've been a little under the weather. Teens been, Brianna's been rocking it. Sager's been rocking it. The team's like keeping things afloat while I'm down and out.

Starting point is 00:00:58 But, hey, I made it back for the end of the week here. Holding down the point. It's going around, apparently. I know. Stomach bug, flu. Yeah, whatever it is. No stomach bug. Just all kind of, I don't know, headache and just a little tired and all that stuff.

Starting point is 00:01:13 But it feels good. I binge-watched outer range, if you're listening. You know, you get into, I don't watch much TV anymore. Don't have time, but kids, work, jobs, boating. It's about all I can fit in. And so if you. I really got into it. Out of range, watched the first two seasons,

Starting point is 00:01:31 binge through it over two days, and now it's canceled. I'm like, course. So if you're listening and you've watched that show, I bet you liked it because the ratings were like really high. But it's, but it was clearly very well produced,

Starting point is 00:01:45 beautiful, felt like Yellowstone with a sci-fi edge. But, but I was like, when I was watching, I was like, this was not cheap to film. And sure enough, they said it was like,

Starting point is 00:01:54 it did well, but cost too much to make. I get into something, you know. So anyway, highly recommended here on right about now, outer range. So Yellowstone with a twist. How's the week been, Chris? We're cranking.

Starting point is 00:02:11 We're cranking down here in Miami. We're good. Yep. I like it. I like it. Brianna, how are we today? We're great. We're loving Greenville.

Starting point is 00:02:19 Yeah. I'll move down. Great. Congratulations to Brianna. She got a, she's a next time, another time home homeowner. Yeah, yeah. You're in G Vegas. I'm super excited to be here and now I'm a local.

Starting point is 00:02:34 Local. Yes, she got on that California exit train to old South Calaccahaki. Have you heard that? Southern things. South Carolina. There's so many things. G Vegas, South Kakalaki. I've been sending my family southern business titles because I, on my driving, you know, around.

Starting point is 00:02:57 I see things like squirrel towing. I'm like, what? Oh, yeah. Got to have some squirrel towing. It's better than a different kind of towing, but you know. Chris, what's happening in Miami this week? Nothing, man. It's freaking summer.

Starting point is 00:03:17 It's just raining every afternoon. It's hot, steamy. Yeah. Hot and steamy. I like it. The Democratic Convention's, been this week. And you know what? The guy that's going to come on the show here in a few weeks, Ryan Stumann, made a good

Starting point is 00:03:35 point to me yesterday. And then he's, he's like, I'd stay. You wouldn't know it the last few weeks. I stay in politics more than I'm in it. But, you know, sort of made my my feelings known, which just could take some of that's been happening. But in general, he said, you know what, you know why the Democrats are having a better convention than the Republicans did? He said, because they don't talk about anything important, they just get into emotions. Everything's about feeling. He's like, you know, Stevie Wonder gets up there and says absolutely nothing, but it's so, like, emotional driven.

Starting point is 00:04:09 He's like, he's like, I know why all the women vote Democratic. He's like, and I know why a lot of the men now vote Democratic because they're all betas anyway. And he's like, but he's being serious. He's like making a point. He's like, I think they've probably done a better job in Republicans. The Republicans get up there and talk about all the facts, the percentage and the data and all this stuff that we know and that we're talking about.

Starting point is 00:04:29 But the Democrats get there and talk about all this stuff emotional and energy and vibes and like all this stuff. And he's like, they're probably having a better convention like because they know how to make people feel something even if it's fake. And I was like, he made a good, it pained me to acknowledge that he was right. I mean, it does seem that way a little bit. It's like Oprah Winfrey gets up there and, you know. You got Hollywood.

Starting point is 00:04:56 It's Hollywood. It is Hollywood. I was talking about my family. They kind of even said the same thing. They're like, it just seems so overly produced, you know? Yeah. You're right. You're right.

Starting point is 00:05:08 It's all emotion, not much on the data and the numbers and the policy. It's a lot of sizzle and not a lot of steak. But sizzle sells sometimes until you have to live with what you bought. You know, you like the way it looked. You like the way it smelled. But then when you take a bite of it, it tastes like. It's like, but some people get enamored by the outer coating. Right.

Starting point is 00:05:35 Have you watched any of it? It's a shiny object. My thought process is that the DNC is, you know, doing so well because all the people there are not at work. Yeah, right. And that's why the R&C, you know, all of the people who are Republican are at work doing their jobs. That's why we care about the data. Yeah. Well, we're going to care about something.

Starting point is 00:05:58 thing if these prices don't come down and inflation doesn't come down, you know, more consecutively. And it is still quite a mystery to me, the coronation of Kamala and Tim Balls, I mean, Walls. Like, it's just, I just don't understand the popularity of it. But because even if we're doing a popularity contest, they just would not be the most popular people. Did you see Tim Walls' son? There was a video of him crying, pointing at his dad, and being like, that's my dad. Oh. That's my dad.

Starting point is 00:06:34 Well, you know. It was, it was very emotional. Emotional. Yeah, they do Hollywood well. So, but in the real news, GM lays off a thousand salaried software and services employees. Uh, it says they're laying off a thousand salary employees globally in its software and service division following a review to streamline. operations. They also include roughly 600 jobs at General Motors Tech Campus near Detroit.

Starting point is 00:07:04 Job cuts represent about 1.3% of the company's global salary workforce. So layoffs at multiple places, Cisco's laying off 7% of its workforce. Intel cutting 15,000 jobs, paramount reducing U.S. workforce by 15%. MasterCard laying off 3%. So knows cutting 6% of jobs. So that's a lot of jobs. So they saw, I did see where there was a recorrection of like 800,000 jobs or something. I'm an 80,000, I mean, adding a zero.

Starting point is 00:07:41 But I think I do, I think if we add in what I just said there, it's close to 800,000. So all these job losses, how is that going to be positive at the end of the day? Well, I mean, what I would say is if you look at Biden's former. campaign and everything that he says, he talks all about all of the jobs that he created and how great the economy is doing. But then if you look at these articles, that's not the case. No. And a lot of those jobs were just jobs added back that were lost during COVID. And now we're trimming back to sort of reality. So, you know, I, I'm waiting for the glimmer of good data that makes me go, I was wrong about what Biden and Kamala are doing. I'll eat that. I'll eat that. I'll eat that. I'll

Starting point is 00:08:26 that soup. I'll drink that that soup, you know, humble pie, whatever you want to call it. But so far, none of the data is supporting that. It's just we're just happy. Pride. Policies. Don't matter. Just popularity.

Starting point is 00:08:43 Chris, what do you think, buddy? Yeah, it's not a good sign. And I think this is a lot of industry. I also think AI is playing a part in this. I think it's something that's happening almost regardless of the administration. I think this is going to start happening. I specifically remember the Biden administration, you know, bringing back factory jobs

Starting point is 00:09:01 blue collar. Like that was, especially Detroit, right? That was, I feel like one of their big battlegrounds. I mean, I remember they had a rally there with like 100 jeeps because they had some deal with Jeep and auto manufacturing. So, these numbers definitely don't reflect a positive for, for anyone in that industry. So, dude, it's just more negative data, right? Like, I would love to see positive numbers, no matter who's the administration in power, but this is not good. No, good thing at all. No, I'm waiting for it. I mean, and you would think the way they control the media that if there was good numbers,

Starting point is 00:09:38 they'd be putting them out there. But they're not coming in. And so, and I agree with you on the AI front. I mean, AI is going to have an impact. It is having an impact. And some of these companies are getting leaner because they were kind of fat and happy. So that's going to happen. Sure.

Starting point is 00:09:53 But it's just more like if we're going to. market all these jobs like you said, Chris, that we're adding back. Let's, then let's just be specific about, you know, the impact that we're really having versus what we're selling. And that's really sort of what the premise here is overall. Let's get past the politics, the slogans, the all this stuff and get down to the raw data, you know, like where are we adding jobs? Where are we lowing interest rates?

Starting point is 00:10:17 We're, what's bringing costs down. Let's stop fighting one of the, one of our biggest industries, oil and gas. you know, for this, the noon green deal, excuse me. A little foyer to slip. And like, really get behind what it takes to move the economy forward. And so, I don't know. I think the news is going to be a little muddy to say the least before it gets better. You know, it's not really business news, but I saw this, these impeachers.

Starting point is 00:10:53 offences from from Biden you know pretty much uh selling access and some china stuff I mean it's a lot it's a lot and and I don't want to go down to all these theories and all this is just when you go back to like all the stuff that happened with his son and the laptop and all that stuff that was all peddled as fake news and all peddled is not real and then 94% of it ended up being exactly what they said it was. And it's like, but then when they peddled the collusion of Russia with Trump, 94% of it ended up being wrong. It's just like, you know, Donald Trump Jr. posted this graphic and it's like, you know,

Starting point is 00:11:44 94% of the coverage by mainstream historic media, ABC, CBS, NBC, NBC for Kamala has been positive. and 89% of it for Trump and the, you know, the Republican committee or convention has been negative. It's like you're all, if you are on the right, if you're whatever, whatever one is that, you're fighting all this media and all these dollars and all these eyeballs that are getting painted a picture. And it's just, it's never been.

Starting point is 00:12:20 And I don't know, like I think about this stuff a lot. And, you know, maybe you're listening and, you know, I'm in my mid-40s now and like, is it always been this way? And I just am old enough now that I'm paying attention to it, you know, and I own businesses and all that. Or is it really just gotten this bad to where mainstream media is so far on one side or the other. I don't know the answer to that. Maybe maybe we've been, we've been tainted our entire lives by the media. But it just seems like it's just gotten worse and worse and worse.

Starting point is 00:12:50 Is it, is that it for everything? is the media. I guess some people would tell you the media has always been liberal. I was thinking the same thing yesterday. Like, you know, because right now we're like, oh, the world is so weird and it's crazy. And I wondered that too. If was there a time in my parents' life that they felt they were in, you know, this divisiveness and stuff like that. I mean, I definitely think it's a weird time.

Starting point is 00:13:15 It feels very hunger game, gameish, almost. Yeah, I would agree with that. And I think, I mean, I don't think it was ever. this bad years and years ago, you know, when it was, I mean, I think the most controversial thing that we had was Bush, was it Bush versus Obama? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:13:34 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But it's like that's kind of when everything started. Yeah. It's also when the rise of the computers and everybody having, you know, phones and access. So I think that there is something to be said for like overconnectedness. We're so connected.

Starting point is 00:13:50 We've never been meant to be this connected. did before and we're so connected that everybody takes everything that they see online as fact and whether it's right-sided or left-sided. So I think you really have to follow some independent journalism. You really have to be interested in unbiased coverage. You really have to take, you know, an open mind with both sides to kind of find the middle ground to be, you know, not crazy radical either way. Yeah. And that's where I like struggle to find. the data points and not the sizzle. It's just I'm not going to like my beliefs just don't align with, you know,

Starting point is 00:14:34 making non-normal things normal and with, you know, the direction of the economy overall is just not positive. And this sort of fight against capitalism and overregulation. And so I watched this video that it was like Phil Donahue passed away this week, like the original talk show, you know, host. And he had a guy on who he was questioning because Phil Donahue leaned left. And a guy, and I forget his name, so I apologize. But anyway, go look at my stories. Or maybe I'll repost it or like save it or something.

Starting point is 00:15:15 But he was talking about like all the facts that supported, like, if you go look at, you know, everyone wants to, you know, fight capitalism, but it's been proven to be like the only method with which true growth happens that because no matter what, the world is, people are individually greedy. And it's like, if you think, you know, comment socialism, you know, Sovietism and like is good for the economy, then you're fooling yourself because it, it's like, it doesn't generate jobs. The only way to generate growth is for there to be an open market and there to be capitalism and less regulation because we get out because you don't get lazy, you don't get complacent, you're not relying on this stuff so that enough

Starting point is 00:16:02 innovation shines through smart people driven people the you know Elon Mussel or whoever the revolutionary people are allowed to shine that then bring thousands and thousands of jobs and opportunities because if you collapse all of that and you try to to make it, you know, everything even to do all this, then you stall innovation and ideas that generate and springboard growth. And I was like, this guy, like, described it better than everyone, anyone I'd ever heard, you know, because you don't have anything if you have everyone stalled and not like allowed to sort of bring ideas and be motivated by sort of that own self-interest to start. But that own self-interest creates compounding effects of positive things.

Starting point is 00:16:50 once it's unleashed. I don't know. It's fascinating. I'm right there with you. I mean, I'm sitting here thinking in my medical business, the laboratory, right? I think, all right, the government's in control of pretty much what we get paid from the insurance companies or Medicare. They cut rates every year. And any doctor will tell you this, that it's becoming less and less profitable to be a physician and practice medicine,

Starting point is 00:17:13 which to a degree is going to drive you less to work harder, right? but I look in our instance. We do lab testing, specialized lab testing. If our rates weren't getting cut and we had more profit, we could do more research and development. We could look into new technologies, new tests that can help people, cancer testing, genetic testing, all these things. Because the government is cutting our payer, right,

Starting point is 00:17:34 or raising taxes, we're less innovative. We can't explore that stuff because it's more about just keeping the business running. That's where I think, and Ryan, you can relate with this with your marketing company, or we could talk about this with vacate, you know, vacate. it's like, okay, gas is more. So shipping costs more. So therefore we have to raise what you're paying for our product more. I mean, everything, just that example, right, for our gummies.

Starting point is 00:17:57 All right, well, even to get the raw materials, that requires that being transported. I really think you have to break it down to people to fully understand how this all connects. Yeah. You know? So it really. And for guys like you and I, real business guys where, of course, I've always been more conservative, maybe libertarian, but definitely pro-business, because I know how many employees do you have, dude?

Starting point is 00:18:21 Like, real question, how many, what are you, 15 probably or something? Across the world, we have probably 17, 18, 20 total people that work for the company. Right. And in the U.S., roughly 10, you know, so it's like half and half. But it's like so and growing every day. We have a couple offers out as we speak. So, but yeah, and but I'll say this. And I mean, I have my teams in the room.

Starting point is 00:18:49 They know this. I'll say it. We started the agency. I've been in the agency business 20 plus years and started the agency. Seven, we're all, we're seven and a half years old. I looked back at some of the data. So, you know, I could hire sort of an entry level person in marketing that may or may not have a degree, but was qualified in something.

Starting point is 00:19:14 you know, $30 to $35,000, you know, around there for starting salary. Well, now everyone wants $45 or $50 and they're pretty much getting it. And I look at what I'm charging the clients, what they're willing to pay, what they have the budget to pay for. And it is not like it might have gone up 2% maybe. And in a lot of cases, like it's gone down. Like the clients aren't willing to pay more for the services, but yet my costs are up 15, 20%.

Starting point is 00:19:47 So our margins are just down, period. Because the first thing that your client is going to do is drop their marketing budget when cash flow is not coming in, right? I would say that that's probably the number one thing people look to cut when business is slow. But like you said, your editors, your graphics people, they're not charging less because of inflation. They've got to charge more because their rents.

Starting point is 00:20:10 I got to pay them. And I want to pay them more because I know what it costs to live. And so I'm happy to pay it. But at the same time, but I go, we're just making most money. I mean, you know, it's just less margin, period. And sometimes we don't make money, but we keep the engine going. And so, you know, all in all, it's good. But it's like, but I'm not charging. I'm not able to charge clients more for the services that we do than I was seven years ago, for the most part. And some of those things have evolved, but everything else costs more. All the supplies, everything we use, the software, everything's gone up, the cost of labor's gone up. And, but my fees, and I kind

Starting point is 00:20:53 of said this last week indirectly, but talking about it more specifically, all the outs have gone up and the ends are about the same, you know. It's about 15% up on the outs and like two or three percent up on the ends. So you can do the math, you know, from there. I think it's industry-wide, too. Like, I don't think it's, you know, I think it's worldwide because I had this same experience in California. You know, I ran a business out there. You know, you have to keep increasing the salaries of your employees to keep them happy. In California, we had an issue where they made it this year in 2024 to where any fast food worker minimum wage was $20 an hour. So if you were paying over $20 an hour owning a business thinking like, wow, I'm doing good.

Starting point is 00:21:44 I'm paying these people, you know, $5, $6 an hour more than minimum wage. Well, now all of a sudden they can get paid $20 an hour to go work at McDonald's or Starbucks or any of those. And so it became, you know, now that you have to pay $30 or $40 an hour to get good people and get them to stay and to work hard. And so, you know, as a small business owner and having a ton of business owner friends in different industries, I think everybody's feeling it. Construction, marketing. Yeah, I mean, yeah, because you can't compete with the corporations.

Starting point is 00:22:15 Yeah. And I think everybody's, I mean, like, everybody thinks, well, it just assumes that we've been able to charge more. You know,

Starting point is 00:22:24 like our, like, I'm sure, even some of my employees that, you know, you know, like, oh,

Starting point is 00:22:29 I was surely charging more than what it wouldn't. Not in most cases, no. What I could charge some clients, three or four grand or 30 grand, you know, like whatever it was. It's not magically six or seven now and now 40, 50, 60 grand. No, I'm looking at it. I'm like looking at some of the proposals and I'm like, I'm not, we're not making revenue might be higher,

Starting point is 00:22:52 but margins are way lower. I think inflation is just killing every industry, you know, nationwide. Yeah. I mean, but it's just reality. And then they, you know, they talk about cap and price is doing all the stupid shit. Like that that's going to work. You know, and grocery stores. stores margins are like 1.8%. So they're not making any money. I mean, yeah, Kroger makes, you know, $3 billion, whatever in revenues. But they make 1.8% on that. So, I mean, it's a volume game for them.

Starting point is 00:23:23 You got to open 400 stores to make any kind of real money. And so because their costs are just that high. It's not like their margins have tripled. I mean, there's some industries that are, you know, the chip makers and like some of that stuff. Yeah, they're making their margins. They're banking. but some of the everyday goods that we're talking about the cost of, it's not like the corporations are making more money.

Starting point is 00:23:46 Because that's what the Democrats and a lot of, they'll paint that picture that, you know, corporate greed. And there is some of that, some places, but it's not where. They're donors. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And then I think about, okay, Comla's raised more money,

Starting point is 00:24:05 supposedly than anyone in history. Allegedly. Allegedly. And maybe she has, but I'm just like, could we just put all that towards, you know, a charity or something? Because when she loses, it won't it just be wasted dollars? What will impact on the economy with that one billion dollars that she's going to get donated to her campaign have had towards something positive? Anyway, I digress. It'll be really interesting.

Starting point is 00:24:32 You know, this episode releases on Friday. but a little RFK Jr. news coming today. So if you're listening, you might have already heard it. Will that shift the election? Yes. Yeah. I believe so. I think there's a lot of people that were, I mean, was he going to win?

Starting point is 00:24:54 No. But I think he had a substantial voter base. He has a big following. Yeah. He's got a big camp behind him, I think. Yeah. I think that, I don't know, I love RFK, junior, I definitely follow his politics. I follow, I think like I like him as a person and what I

Starting point is 00:25:11 see with him online. And so, you know, it's exciting for me. I follow a lot of independent journalism that covers him and his family and, you know, he has ravens. So if you follow him on social media, he like has these two ravens that he is like trained. So anyways, I digress. But I think it will. I think it'll shift the election. What do you think, Chris? I think he's got a lot of power in his, I look at him like he's more of a legacy politician, right? His name has weight, people like my family, right? Like your older generation, feel safe with him.

Starting point is 00:25:47 I think it'll sway. I definitely think because he's been big on, you know, the medical stuff, the vaccine schedules. You know, he was part of a documentary, I want to say, like 10 years ago talking about, you know, pharma and vaccines and whatnot. So I think that also gives him a lot of weight now where he was kind of ahead of the game with that whole thing, you know, kind of preaching from the rooftops about us to take a look at that and pharma's control in our U.S. politics. So I think good advocate.

Starting point is 00:26:20 And I say that because a lot of people critiqued how Trump handled the vaccine rollout and whatnot. So I think you're going to get a lot of people from maybe that camp that. if he gives them the green light, then they're like, all right. And I agree with it. I mean, I like RFK. You know, he's a little bit more balanced probably than Trump, but he could not have won.

Starting point is 00:26:43 Definitely couldn't have won. No. We're going to win, but I like a lot of his policies. And I believe he's. So, I mean, so he'll be potentially endorsing Trump. Well, I can tell you who I'm absolutely endorsing. And that's Brandon Bills. The official merchandise sponsor of right about now and Ryan,

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Starting point is 00:27:42 And we love them as the official sponsor of right about now. And I approve this message. I'm just telling you, love me some brand of bills. The, uh, yeah, it'll be, uh, interesting how it all plays out. I do think if they, It's well played because, you know, like with the convention, like it'll brunt a little bit of the momentum coming out. So if it happens today, good timing because, you know, it just seems like everything kind of get the media, the attention that's been behind the DNC. So we'll be fascinating. And look, I'm just telling you, if you want the economy to improve, Trump, Varkay Jr. and Musk. These are the people you want thinking and operating about the business and the economy.

Starting point is 00:28:34 These are smart intellectual people that understand how business works. And our world is a lot more than business. But then today, it takes economy to fund the military to fund all these other things. So I don't know. The corporation. America is a corporation. Like, it blows my mind to think you're going to have a government prosecutor, be in charge of balancing a budget.

Starting point is 00:28:56 I don't know if anyone knows lawyers or I've met plenty of public to, offenders and prosecutors, they're good at what they do, but they're not business people. Like, it's crazy to me. America is a business. We're importing, exporting goods. It's all about dollars and cents. To have someone who's never balanced a checkbook of even a small business is insane, completely insane. Agreed.

Starting point is 00:29:20 That's all I have to say about that. Yeah. I mean, I just, I don't get it. I just won't ever get it until I hear. I don't know. specifics out of their mouth to get it, right? I'm not emotional enough to get it, I guess. You're not biting on the emotional brainwashing in SIOP.

Starting point is 00:29:39 That's really what it is. Yes, exactly right. The SIOP called Hollywood. It is, it is Hollywood. It's a total Hollywood show is what it feels like, you know. But being someone, you know, men are kind of this way anyway, you know, black and white. Brown, I have this conversation. I'll be like, just say it.

Starting point is 00:29:57 Like, just tell me. Just speak straight. Just speak straight. You know, like the side talk, I just can't like, just tell me like it is. Like don't, you know, my wife will like beat around the bush or something. I'm like just, just say it, honey. Like, you know, like say it, don't spray it. And it's all that with their party.

Starting point is 00:30:17 It's like I'm not a very emotional guy anyway. So like you just, just you're not going to get me with this sappy stuff. You got to get me with, hit me with the facts, the policies. What's you going to do? It feels like a high school pet rally. Yes, it is. It is on a national scale. For the art and drama kids.

Starting point is 00:30:36 Yeah, with $12 billion behind it. And with some explicit content. Yeah. And it's funny, all this stuff's going on. We talk about all this stuff. And then potentially every person in the U.S. Social Security number got leaked this week. We almost missed that.

Starting point is 00:30:51 Even in this news discussion, you know, no big deal. Comforting. Comforting. But that's what it's back to, you know, the sizzle and the steak. We even we've been talking about a lot of the sizzle, but the stake of like some of the stuff that's happening. Okay, that big deal. And Chris, I'm going to let you talk to your, the conspiracy theory on that. My thoughts on that.

Starting point is 00:31:13 Yeah. The minute I saw this news article pop up, 200 million, whatever was right? Social Security numbers hacked. I'm like, what easier way to get everybody on a new system, right? We know they're working on the central bank digital currency system, the social credit system, which is already implemented in China. call me crazy to talk about this, but this is real. I just think it's the typical, like, create the problem, present the solution. Okay, everyone's things hacked.

Starting point is 00:31:39 Everyone's freaked out. Now we have a new ID system tied to your digital currency, in your social credit, etc. That's what I think this is ushering. Yeah. What do you think about that? I'm going to tell. I love a good conspiracy. I really do.

Starting point is 00:31:57 Hey, that's what I'm here for, guys. I mean, I think it's, you know, it's kind of fishy. It's weird that it's happening right now, you know, in a couple months away from the election. And I also think, you know, we have been in this kind of like touch and go place with Social Security for a long time. People say Social Security is going to run out at some point. You know, it's not going to be there when our kids need it, yada, yada, yada. So to Chris's point, what is this ushering in? Is this ushering in a new digital currency?

Starting point is 00:32:28 Is this ushering in some kind of like way to monitor and monitor spending? I mean, as you guys know, right, like we've gotten things in place on Venmo and cash app and whatever else. So you can't even buy, you know, a couch on Facebook marketplace without paying the government anymore. So it is what it is. You can't purchase anything without it being tracked and traced now. Yeah. I mean, and then being fed to a marketing company that's going to target you with ads. you know, everything's so intertwined now.

Starting point is 00:32:59 Yeah, so I'd be really interested to see six months from now what happens with this breach. And also now I'm going to go check my credit report. Yeah. Business Insider, at least the 10 worst states to live in. I'd admit one of them that's on here. South Carolina, baby. Yeah, of course. But Greenville itself is a gem, right?

Starting point is 00:33:25 Yes. It says, it says each state's affordability, economy, education, and health, quality of life and safety. Number 10 was Arizona. Number nine, we won't get into each one. Number nine on the list was Oregon. Eighth was South Carolina. It says if you're looking for a state with a low cost of living, affordable housing and property taxes, Carolina was ranked 10th, makes an attractive spot.

Starting point is 00:34:00 It says, however, you want to turn elsewhere if you're a parent in a good school district, quality education and health care, a high on your priority list. So it's more of the education. Yeah, no, exactly. I don't think she'd like that opinion. Like that. This principal. Yeah, I know.

Starting point is 00:34:19 Number seven, Oklahoma. Number six, Mississippi. They're all falling in the south, right? Nevada, number five, worst states. Number four, Alaska. We also live in Alaska anyway, right? Number three, Arkansas. These are all in the southern belt, aren't they?

Starting point is 00:34:40 Number two, New Mexico. Okay, well, that would make sense. These are all like line up. Who do you think last? Number one? California. No. It's following that belt that I was on.

Starting point is 00:34:55 in the south Louisiana number one yeah so you got Louisiana Arkansas Mississippi all in there yeah and then South Carolina who wrote this article business insider

Starting point is 00:35:10 yeah California should be number one California should be number one I agree I don't see people fleeing New Mexico like they are California it said this about South Carolina one reason the state does poorly in health care is it's home to many rural areas with limited access to health care.

Starting point is 00:35:28 It's true. I mean, you drive through South Carolina. I mean, you're going to some rural areas. I mean, like, there's barely a gas station, much less of. I would like them to note on that article, the reason that health care is so bad because our food is so delicious. Exactly. Because, yeah, you don't need it when you're eating healthy.

Starting point is 00:35:50 It would be interesting to rank Greenville outside of this. and maybe like Charleston, you know, Greenville and Charleston. Of course. Would be complete anomalies probably to this, but probably because they're amongst like the fastest growing cities in America, small cities growing in America. So, yeah, it's kind of a. Greenville's its own thing.

Starting point is 00:36:11 I mean, I'm in a Facebook group, multiple, but one of them is conservative girls who moved from California to South Carolina. And there's no joke like, there's like, there's like 200. 50 women in this group who moved from California to Greenville County. And you invite my sister to that group and recruit her back to the East Coast.

Starting point is 00:36:36 Get out of Cali and back in the south. Yeah, no kidding. I'll send her an invite. Lastly, today, it's kind of scary if you're a Disney Plus customer. So a couple was eating, I guess, a restaurant in a Disney. uh, theme park and got, had a allergic reaction to the meal and she ended up passing away. And supposedly, allegedly, because they had signed a Disney Plus agreement saying that they would inter-arbitration or not sue Disney at all in any way, shape, or form, that was the argument that

Starting point is 00:37:17 Disney was come back with. It looks like it's going to get thrown out. But, uh, anyone that's a Disney plus customer and you signed that agreement, don't, go thinking you can sue Disney if something like really tragic were to happen on their property or otherwise. You know, I don't like litigious stuff and I don't like overregulation, but this feels like a leap, you know, like a lawyer shoving yet one more thing in the T's and C's on something and hoping it just covers the blanket of everything. What do you think?

Starting point is 00:37:52 I mean, dude, it's not like Disney can't write a check. You know, no, I know. It seems like a bad PR play more than anything, you know? Yeah. Yeah,

Starting point is 00:38:02 I agree. It's like, right to check. The lady was also a doctor, I believe. And, you know, it's just really interesting

Starting point is 00:38:10 to think that they can, you know, throw those under the terms and conditions and then not, you know, be held accountable for a mistake that cost her life. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:38:19 And, uh, you know, read those terms and conditions. Like page 46, we talked, You told you. You can never sue us. So we're covering.

Starting point is 00:38:27 Next time you want to stream Star Wars. Be careful. Yeah. I feel like we're going to get to this stage where like there's going to be terms and conditions. Like when like when you become a friend, like, like, if I friends, you like, here's the cheese and season. You just signed if you're going to be my friend. Like you will not leak anything to social media. You will not talk bad about me. I'm back.

Starting point is 00:38:47 I mean, I'm for this. If I actually poison you, I wouldn't have you rid of my dinner. Say, well, I didn't mean to and, you will not sue me. Like, lawyers would just love that, right? It's like, oh, Jesus. Anyway. Ooh, an interesting tidbit about lawyers following that that I think is relevant is, you know, we've been kind of talking a little bit about the NAR lawsuit for realtors.

Starting point is 00:39:13 It's a nationwide lawsuit affecting all realtors. There are now words, based on this lawsuit, there are words that lawyer, or I'm sorry, not lawyers, that realtors are no longer. allowed to use when advertising their services or posting a video or posting a reel or doing social media marketing. Included on the words they're not allowed to use are the word bonus. So they can't advertise a bonus room or bonus space. They can't use the word bonus.

Starting point is 00:39:43 They can't use the word offer. Okay. So if you want to make an offer on a house, you can't use that word. And then what was another one was like? Give us a proposal. Yeah, they can't use commission and they can't use buyers agent or sellers agent. Jeez, bro. This is what they did in the medical industry, too.

Starting point is 00:40:06 I'm not even some huge realtor fan, but that's just crazy. Like, talk about overregulation. Regulate. Regulators. All regulation does take more money out of your pockets. Was that G. Gene Wayne. What was the name of?

Starting point is 00:40:20 Regulators. Nate and Nate dog. Nate dog. Yeah. Warren G. Warren G. Nate dog. Any final thoughts?

Starting point is 00:40:29 Brianna? Have a great week, everybody. There you go. Christopher. Coming into September, hit the ground and running. End of the years coming soon. There you go. Policies over popularity, people.

Starting point is 00:40:44 You don't find us, Ryan is right.com. Find the highlight clips, all the links to the content, links to social media. Links to our sponsors. Go support them. That's how this works.

Starting point is 00:40:53 You support them. they support us. We support you. It's a cycle. Chris Burby Hanson on Instagram. I'm at Ryan Offord. We'll see you next time. On Right About Now.

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