WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:04.400 You're listening to Bill Handle on demand from KFI AM 2 00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:09.599 six forty KFI. I Handle here. It is a Monday morning, 3 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:15.759 de number twenty three. What do we have? What thirty 4 00:00:15.800 --> 00:00:21.000 seven days left before the new administration comes in, and 5 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:24.519 we are looking for some big changes, not only with 6 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:29.320 President Musk in charge, but also Vice President Trump. It's 7 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:33.520 going to be a fascinating, fascinating new administration. By the way, 8 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:37.320 did you read Trump already came out and said I 9 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:41.560 am in charge, not Musk. I make the decisions. How 10 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:45.520 long do you think Musk is going to last? Are 11 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:49.119 you asking me in general? In general? Yeah, I'm asking 12 00:00:49.159 --> 00:00:50.880 all of you. How long do you think Musk is 13 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:54.799 going to last? In his influence, his position of power, 14 00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:58.320 his public persona relative to the administration. 15 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:02.560 Well, we know from experience that President Trump's feelings towards 16 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:06.439 someone can change rather quickly and quite intensely. I don't 17 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:09.280 know that he's ever dealt with someone who is just 18 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:10.920 as important. 19 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:12.439 I can't wait. 20 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:14.519 So this is going to be a clash of the titans. 21 00:01:14.519 --> 00:01:16.719 Whenever it happens, I know Trump's going to win it 22 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:18.879 because he's the president and he can just shut down 23 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:22.680 Musk and Musk only has X to deal with. Of course, 24 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:26.120 must can always buy the United States, but that he's 25 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:30.959 buying a losing proposition business wise. Now here's what's going on. 26 00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:33.439 And I want to take you back a little bit 27 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:39.920 in history that prior to the election of Joe Biden, 28 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:45.760 when Trump was running for his second term, he was 29 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:50.200 and the Republicans were pushing, pushing like crazy for reform 30 00:01:50.359 --> 00:01:53.599 on the border. We want some reform. We have to 31 00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:56.439 shut down the border. We have to have some security. 32 00:01:57.079 --> 00:01:59.760 And under Biden it was open arms, it really was. 33 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:04.319 He just didn't do enough. The last few months. He decided, whoops, 34 00:02:04.840 --> 00:02:07.599 I'm going to be running. I'm pretty cynical here. I'm 35 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:11.199 going to be running. Therefore, let's sit down and talk 36 00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:14.400 about a border deal. So they knocked out a border deal. 37 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:19.360 I mean, Republicans, Democrats, bipartisans sat down and came up 38 00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:23.280 with a much much more better border deal. It had 39 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:27.639 passed Congress, or was about to pass Congress, and Trump 40 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:31.479 stopped it. He shut it down, And the question was why, 41 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:33.599 And he made it very clear, I want this to 42 00:02:33.639 --> 00:02:36.360 be part of my campaigning. I want to say that 43 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:39.240 under the Biden administration, there was no security and I'm 44 00:02:39.240 --> 00:02:40.919 going to make that argument, so I can't have a 45 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:45.919 deal in Congress. I mean he actually said that. So now, 46 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:50.479 the same thing happened with this debt ceiling. Where what's 47 00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:57.280 round is square, square is round. So the Republicans have 48 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:02.000 always argued, we don't want the debts to be increased, increased, increased, 49 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:05.439 because that just means deficit spending, deficit spending. Now it's 50 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:11.319 gone the other way. Trump, in fact, is demanding a 51 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:17.960 premature increase, so when he comes, the increase will already 52 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:21.360 have happened and he can attack it and say this 53 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:26.159 was Biden on Biden's watch. And it's really weird when 54 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:28.199 you think about it. First, the whole concept of deficit 55 00:03:28.280 --> 00:03:32.159 spending and debt ceiling. Now the Congress has to vote 56 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:36.000 debt ceiling. It has to allow itself to borrow more money. 57 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:39.639 That's the law. And that came in after World War 58 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:43.840 One when it just cost a fortune to run the 59 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:46.280 war and they were selling liberty bonds. Liberty bonds is 60 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:50.360 borrowing money and Congress has to allow itself to do so, 61 00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:53.919 that's the law. Well, a lot of economists are saying, 62 00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:56.639 wait a minute, why do we even bother? Why do 63 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:58.759 we have to say, okay, we have to borrow money. 64 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:01.759 Our deficits are in saying they're gonna be two trillion 65 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:06.039 dollars this year alone. I mean, can you imagine remember 66 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:08.879 when deficits were three four hundred billion and it was 67 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:15.599 like that exploded the national debt. Obama comes into power, 68 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:20.720 comes into the presidency with a twenty trillion dollar deficit 69 00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:27.959 or national debt twenty trillion dollars. It is thirty four trillion. Now, 70 00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:31.079 it's beyond comprehension. And I have said for years and 71 00:04:31.160 --> 00:04:34.680 years saying, wait a minute, you know this is unsustainable. 72 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:38.600 You can only keep on borrowing more money than you spend. 73 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:42.000 You can't keep on doing that forever. Well I've changed 74 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:45.319 my mind. You can do it forever. That's it. There's 75 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:48.000 no limit now, you and I. You know, let's say 76 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:51.519 you know your family income is one hundred thousand dollars 77 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:54.399 a year of both of you working, all right, So 78 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:56.560 you spend one hundred and twenty five thousand, and then 79 00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:58.480 next year you're still making one hundred you spend one 80 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:01.199 hundred and seventy five thousand. Then you spend two hundred 81 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:03.600 and fifty thousand dollars because of course you're borrowing the 82 00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:06.319 rest it used to be. At some point it all 83 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:10.920 collapses on you. Nope, not with a federal government. Did 84 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:15.279 you know that states can go bankrupt, States can actually 85 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:17.839 file for bankruptcy under the bankruptcy law of the United States. 86 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:21.720 Federal government can't. We've already Orange County went bankrupt. I 87 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:24.680 mean the County of Orange went bankrupt twenty something years ago. 88 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:31.319 Utility up in Washington, whoops, Washington something whatever utility program 89 00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:37.680 they went broke. Federal government doesn't go broke. So this 90 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:42.000 was a political football, and it was Mike Johnson, the Speaker, 91 00:05:42.360 --> 00:05:48.000 who finally cut the deal to increase the debt ceiling 92 00:05:49.079 --> 00:05:52.120 and to keep the government going. Because what happens is, 93 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:56.160 we talked about this, the shutdown. If Congress does not 94 00:05:56.199 --> 00:06:01.279 give itself its permission, you have Republicans and Democrats fighting 95 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:05.360 each other. Usually Republicans don't want to increase the debt 96 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:08.079 sealing Democrats due and this one is completely turned around, 97 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:12.000 is completely crazy. What happens is people don't get paid anymore. 98 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:16.480 Federal workers don't get paid now. By law, certain Social 99 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:19.079 Security is still get your checks, the military still gets 100 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:23.240 their checks. That's law. But the reality is that what 101 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:25.279 if there's no money to pay for it? And that's 102 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:29.199 what happens when you have the increase the national debt, 103 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:32.160 you borrow more and more and more money. So we'll 104 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:34.639 see what happens is going to be fascinating. By the way, 105 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:38.000 Trump is also called even though he's asking for an 106 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:42.000 increase now, he's also called for abolishing it. And a 107 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:44.720 lot of people do say it should be abolished. Why 108 00:06:44.759 --> 00:06:48.160 do if we're going into debt, why do we have 109 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:50.160 to allow our why do we have to vote to 110 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:54.120 go into debt? And there's the argument, we just go 111 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:56.279 into debt, more and more debt, and it doesn't stop. 112 00:06:56.680 --> 00:07:00.160 Doesn't stop. By the way, the last two times when 113 00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:02.839 the government really went into debt, Civil War the government 114 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:05.839 went into insane debt, but that was paid off, and 115 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:10.720 then World War One that started the deficit spending. Two 116 00:07:10.759 --> 00:07:15.879 times in modern history where the budget was balanced, forget 117 00:07:15.879 --> 00:07:19.399 about going to doubt, I mean just balanced, right. The 118 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:23.240 income was the outgo was the same as the income, 119 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:26.319 once during the Bill Clinton years when the economy was 120 00:07:26.360 --> 00:07:30.079 on fire, and then once since World War Two during 121 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:34.759 one year of the Eisenhower administration. After that, it has 122 00:07:34.920 --> 00:07:41.920 gone crazier and crazier and crazier. Okay, by the way, 123 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:46.519 that makes sense, because it didn't to me. We follow, okay, 124 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:49.000 thank you? That makes This is why, this is why 125 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:50.879 I do what I do, Because I try to explain 126 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:52.720 even stuff that I had no idea what I'm talking about. 127 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:56.079 It all works out. Just say it with a lot 128 00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:59.319 of verb, verb, and sound like you know you're talking 129 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:02.720 about and network. So okay, in any case, I want 130 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:05.360 to do a story that's kind of fun, and that's 131 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:09.319 the story of Elf on the Shelf. And what has 132 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:12.519 happened to the concept of Elf on the shelf. It 133 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:18.680 has screwed up kids so badly that psychologists are spinning 134 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:22.279 and kids are scared to death. So the concept of 135 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:25.600 Elf on the shelf. Actually it's become a holiday fixture 136 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:29.360 since two thousand and five. It was a picture book 137 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:33.000 called the Elf on the Shelf, a Christmas tradition came 138 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:36.279 out and it was meant to keep an eye on 139 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:39.360 your kid's behavior before Santa comes to town. You know 140 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:42.360 who's naughty, who's nice sort of thing. So how do 141 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:46.559 Santa know? Because you know, I remember as a kid, well, 142 00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:48.320 as a kid, I grew up in a Jewish home. 143 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:52.200 There wasn't a lot of Santa there. But what happens? 144 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:55.399 How does Santa know that you are nice? All you 145 00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:57.840 know is you have the list. Well, I'll tell you 146 00:08:57.879 --> 00:09:01.440 how Santa knows, and that is that elf on the 147 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:05.480 shelf tell Santa. And by the way, that elf on 148 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.120 a shelf just doesn't hang there because here's the tradition. 149 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:11.679 You put the elf on a shelf in different places 150 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:17.039 every day or every night before Christmas, and that becomes 151 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:20.559 the game. Except it becomes a game where the kids 152 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:24.240 are scared to death, especially those that believe in Santa Claus. 153 00:09:25.559 --> 00:09:27.440 My kids did, and they were sort of like their 154 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:31.720 mid twenties. They believe in Santa Claus and they don't 155 00:09:31.720 --> 00:09:35.000 want to be stuck on that knotty list. Well, let 156 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:38.399 me tell you what's going on. First of all, kids 157 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:42.240 are getting really screwed up on this. They're not happy, 158 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:45.639 especially when they have no idea. I mean, there's no 159 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:50.559 place for them to hide. It's basically a big brother, 160 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:53.639 the elf on the shelf always looking at you, always 161 00:09:53.639 --> 00:09:56.159 figuring out what you're doing. You don't even know where 162 00:09:56.159 --> 00:09:58.360 the elf on the shelf is. You have to find it. 163 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:03.080 And what parents doing hiding these elves on the shelves, 164 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:06.679 because that's become the big thing is every night it's 165 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:11.480 a different place and kids get to either figure out 166 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:15.080 or they're told. So it's now not only become a tradition, 167 00:10:15.799 --> 00:10:20.639 it's become a sort of a social media challenge. You 168 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:24.879 have people that are hiding these elves and going on 169 00:10:25.320 --> 00:10:31.000 TikTok or going on YouTube and showing the world Instagram 170 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:36.240 showing the world where they're hiding those elves on shelves. 171 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:41.360 And let me tell you with what's going on with 172 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:46.120 psychologists and people who deal with kids, this is not 173 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:50.519 going well in many cases because parents are creating these 174 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:55.840 elaborate scenarios for their elves and sharing all of this 175 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:58.840 on social media. Now there's a new crop of parents 176 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:01.120 who are saying, hang on a minute, you know, we 177 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:03.799 don't want to get trapped in this holiday routine because, 178 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:06.159 I mean, it can get really bad. There was an interview, 179 00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:08.639 i mean an article done in the Wall Street Journal 180 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:13.080 where they interviewed parents and some of them and this 181 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:18.039 was on social media. What you do is you get 182 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:20.159 rid of them. You have to explain the kids why 183 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:24.000 there's no elves on shelves anymore, Well, because it's only 184 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:29.879 for the bad families, or then it just gets wonderful. 185 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:32.679 We wanted our cats at home not to get eaten, 186 00:11:33.879 --> 00:11:37.279 and the elves on a shelf, that's how dangerous they 187 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:41.320 can become. So that's like telling can you imagine basically 188 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:48.080 somehow Santa Claus then becomes this evil purveyor of social justice. 189 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:53.799 So there's a story about who's interviewed this, Lasanne Skinner, 190 00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:58.600 and she presented this scenario for her kids. Her son asked, 191 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:00.679 why don't we have an elf on a shelf because 192 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:04.399 we used to have it? And first thought that came 193 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:06.679 to her head is she's thinking why And people do 194 00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:08.919 this all the time, to think why why don't we 195 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:11.279 have the elf on the shelf anymore? Because it turns 196 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:13.600 out not a good idea, But the kids who've had 197 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:18.759 it for years wonder why not. Well, she came up 198 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:24.000 with her cats, and the cats might make the elf 199 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:28.879 their next target and the elf might get eaten. So 200 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:31.000 at this point the kids in home were all in 201 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:34.240 agreement it's best that the elves shouldn't be at home 202 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:37.480 because they they're going to be killed by the cats. 203 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:40.879 Twenty one million of these elves have been sold since 204 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:44.960 two thousand and five, and now what's being described as 205 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:50.639 a Klaus couture. You have pets for the elves. I 206 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:52.840 mean you actually can buy pets for your shelf on 207 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:57.120 the elf. There's a float in the Thanksgiving Day parade 208 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:02.000 they've had since nineteen twelve. There was a stage musical 209 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:08.200 in twenty nineteen, and there's an app that offers parents 210 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:12.279 ideas of where to hide their elves at home and 211 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:16.080 can set reminders for when to move them. One of 212 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:18.639 the ideas is to put it in the bathroom. Put 213 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:20.320 one of these elves sorted in the corner of a 214 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:22.320 bathroom so your kids don't notice. Now, let me ask 215 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:27.000 you this. You are six years old and you're going 216 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:30.759 to the bathroom and you find out there's someone looking 217 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:33.559 at you, a little elf up in the corner. You 218 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:37.360 think that's worth a few years of therapy. You think, 219 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:41.159 next time your kid goes into a restroom, either public 220 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:45.519 or private, looks around. What's going on? I'm looking for 221 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:52.240 the elf. Why don't they call them elves instead of elves? 222 00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:58.080 I thought they were elves, weren't they? But this is 223 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:01.559 elf on a shelf. I love this stuff. I love 224 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:06.399 it when totally benign, wonderful traditions turn out to be 225 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:13.639 not only dangerous, but it screws up kids for thirty years. Okay, 226 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:17.279 that's why I got it. We didn't celebrate Christmas, but 227 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:19.799 my parents did put little Nazis on the mantle and 228 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:22.320 I just did doban. That was a mess for me 229 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:26.799 for decades and decades. All right, now I want to 230 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:30.399 do a story about you. There's an La Time story 231 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:34.200 and it has to do with La City Attorney's office 232 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:40.080 conducting an internal review of what of city department city 233 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:45.240 employees using Google Chat messages that are automatically deleted after 234 00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:50.120 twenty four hours. This started in twenty twenty three when 235 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:53.080 a house was going to be built in the hills 236 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:58.759 Mount Washington, and there had to be a hearing, and 237 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:04.320 the coalition that is fighting this, the Crane Boulevard Safety Coalition, 238 00:15:05.399 --> 00:15:10.679 which tried to stop the building of this claimed that 239 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:14.559 the suit has filed saying that their appeal of the 240 00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:18.440 construction project because a project was in fact granted, and 241 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:22.519 the coalition said, no, you can't because of all of 242 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:26.279 these circumstances involved in putting this hill on a hillside, 243 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:28.720 the home on a hillside and then city city and 244 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:31.399 planning and everything. I mean, in general, it's not easy 245 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:33.840 to build in the City of Los Angeles. Well, the 246 00:15:33.879 --> 00:15:38.279 appeals didn't get a fair hearing. Why because closed door 247 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:45.919 meetings and confidential reports circulating among city employees, including council members, 248 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:52.759 position on these projects what their position is prior to 249 00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:56.000 a public hearing. And here's the problem, big deal. So 250 00:15:56.159 --> 00:16:01.759 messages turn around, messages are deleted after twenty four hours. Well, 251 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:06.240 that's probably in violation of the law because there's a 252 00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:11.360 city ordinance that says these records, all records, all techs 253 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:16.519 have to be kept for two years. And these disappear 254 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:20.519 after twenty four hours. And you think, oh my god, 255 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:23.679 how is this going on because that's clear violation. And 256 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:26.720 all the secret stuff going back and forth between council 257 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:31.399 members and construction people and lobbyists and none of that 258 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:36.120 is available. Could all disappeared in twenty four hours. You go, okay, 259 00:16:36.120 --> 00:16:40.039 so I just had to just start Yeah, since twenty ten, 260 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:45.240 this has been going on when the city contracted with 261 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:50.720 Google for email other services, and you've got state and 262 00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:55.799 local laws. According to a lawyer for a Common Cause, 263 00:16:55.840 --> 00:17:00.279 which is a public watchdog, he said the laws. State 264 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:02.600 law is pretty clear on the public's right to access 265 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:06.319 most things that are relevant to the public's business, and 266 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:09.799 the city isn't retaining messages long enough to even determine 267 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:13.119 whether they're subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act, 268 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:17.279 for example. So let's say I am accusing the city 269 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:19.880 council or people within the City council, this whole thing 270 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:23.000 being rigged. I'm talking about a project, right, whether it's 271 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:25.359 a commercial building in this case, it was a house 272 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:29.200 that was going to go up on the hillside. And 273 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:34.519 I'm arguing that there are shenanigans going on between everybody, 274 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:39.200 and I want a I file a disclosure Act Public 275 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:45.039 Records Disclosure Act. Well, there are no public records. All 276 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:50.400 the discussions were deleted within twenty four hours. So what 277 00:17:50.440 --> 00:17:53.279 the city does is we'd be more than happy to comply, 278 00:17:54.599 --> 00:18:00.319 but there's nothing to comply with because all those conversations 279 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:07.559 have disappeared. Now, the LA Times and investigating this show 280 00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:11.440 that the use of Google Chat disappearing within twenty four 281 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:16.799 hours those messages by city staffers was widespread. Public business 282 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:22.839 was discussed on the platform, and none of that should 283 00:18:22.839 --> 00:18:26.400 have happened. And it's not as if the city council 284 00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:30.079 has been deemed corrupt. Not in the city of Los Angeles. 285 00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:32.400 How many of city council people have gone to jail, 286 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:36.680 have gone to prison in the last few years, more 287 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:42.599 than a few, and the accusation of misdeeds have in 288 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:46.160 fact been leveled. But how do you prove it, Well, 289 00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:51.759 you can't with chat messages that you can't have happened. Now, 290 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:54.279 sometimes there are emails that go back and forth, and 291 00:18:54.359 --> 00:18:57.200 there were conversations that go back and forth that maybe 292 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:02.279 were recorded, testimony from witness who are there at a meeting. 293 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:06.359 That can get council people, can get people we're in 294 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:10.119 management of the city, even just straight out employees in trouble. 295 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:13.279 But when it comes to this kind of use of 296 00:19:13.319 --> 00:19:18.559 Google Chat, well that's why this lawsuit has been filed. 297 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:22.839 And it's kind of important. I mean, usually you know 298 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:26.920 these gadfly groups I'm not a big fan of. But 299 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:30.039 what was it about the ACLU that I once heard? 300 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:32.839 Because the AHLU, and it was described perfectly to me, 301 00:19:33.319 --> 00:19:37.000 ACLU being this kind of an organization that is a 302 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:42.319 watchdog group that files lawsuits against the government, that represents people, 303 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:48.839 even reprehensible people, it represents based on constitutional issues, and 304 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:54.680 someone described the ACLU, much like these various organizations, as 305 00:19:55.480 --> 00:19:58.200 ninety five percent of the time they are a pain 306 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:03.000 in the ass. They are impossible to deal with, they 307 00:20:03.079 --> 00:20:05.599 get in the way of business, they get in the 308 00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:09.640 way of government. Five percent of the time. They are 309 00:20:09.640 --> 00:20:14.359 invaluable five percent of the time. You have to have 310 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:17.079 them because they are the last protection in terms of rights. 311 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:22.599 All right, Okay, here's a great story by the way 312 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:27.759 that I love, and it is about tourist attractions next year. 313 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:31.079 And usually we talk about new attractions that are opening 314 00:20:31.319 --> 00:20:34.319 and what the current attractions are going to do with 315 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:36.559 how big a deal are going to make. For example, 316 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:41.359 Disney at Disneyland every year has their holiday, their Christmas 317 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:44.880 business with the parade, and I've been there one year 318 00:20:45.079 --> 00:20:48.039 where they do this candlelight thing. I think they do 319 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:50.599 it every year. So that's kind of up, you know, 320 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.519 that's kind of neat. How about the tourist attractions that 321 00:20:53.559 --> 00:20:58.759 have closed that you're never going to see again, those 322 00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:04.400 that have closed and are done by next year, that 323 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:06.559 is a week and a half from now. We're a 324 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:12.799 week from now Las Vegas, the Tropicana and the Mirage 325 00:21:13.720 --> 00:21:19.079 both disappearing now The Tropicana has been around since what 326 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:22.000 Las Vegas started in the nineteen forties. I think the 327 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:24.640 Flamingo was the first one of the Tropicano was right 328 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:26.920 up there during the Mob years, and it's right there 329 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:30.680 on Las Vegas Boulevard. The Mirage. I remember when it 330 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:33.200 opened in nineteen eighty nine, and that I think was 331 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:40.680 the first high end luxury hotel casino hotel or hotel casino, 332 00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:45.400 and it was a big deal. It's going down. It's 333 00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:48.920 replaced by a new hard rock hotel shaped like a 334 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:54.440 giant guitar. The Tropicana pulled down in October to make 335 00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:59.319 state space for a stadium for the Oakland A's which 336 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:04.480 is coming, which are coming to Las Vegas. In twenty 337 00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:08.720 twenty four, the Sphere transformed the Vegas Strip. I have 338 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:10.880 not been there but for the Strip. I don't know 339 00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:15.400 if you've been there. The Sphere this huge ball. I mean, 340 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:18.119 it's hundreds of feet across and it's all led and 341 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:21.240 what they can do with it is incredible. And it 342 00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:24.079 was kicked off with a series of concerts by you 343 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:28.640 two and everybody who's seen it says it is unbelievable. Well, 344 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:32.400 that's there now and that's certainly not closing down. I 345 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:36.079 don't know if you've ever been to Paris. There is 346 00:22:36.119 --> 00:22:41.160 a drag club club j Missu or Mischue. I mean, 347 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:43.799 it's probably the most famous drag club in the world. 348 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:48.519 It's done the death of its owner, Michael Mischau Katie 349 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:53.960 or Caddie on twenty twenty. Since then, for some reason, 350 00:22:54.119 --> 00:22:57.599 it started going downhill and it's almost well among the 351 00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:00.759 gay crowd, even the non gay crowd. This is like 352 00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:07.559 the Mulan Rouge. So that's done. The Ruben Museum of Art, 353 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:12.839 New York City, one of the world's largest collections of 354 00:23:12.920 --> 00:23:17.799 Himalayan art, is closing its physical space and becoming a 355 00:23:17.880 --> 00:23:21.480 museum without walls. And you know, that is a shaker because, 356 00:23:22.119 --> 00:23:25.359 as you know, Himalayan art is one of those popular 357 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:28.519 forms of art in the world. Because I wake up 358 00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:31.599 every morning looking at a picture book of Himalayan art. 359 00:23:32.599 --> 00:23:38.519 Sure it's gone, and some of those works, including the 360 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:42.279 popular Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room. Yeah, that's a big one. 361 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:43.799 By the way, I don't know if you've ever been 362 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:47.759 to the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room. Yeah, I haven't either. 363 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:52.640 That may move to other museum New York City. They're 364 00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:54.079 closing a museum. 365 00:23:53.720 --> 00:24:01.079 The photo Grassfiska, the Photograsfiska. It's a Stockholm base photography 366 00:24:01.200 --> 00:24:04.559 museum and it's closing down. That's kind of neat, though, 367 00:24:04.839 --> 00:24:09.559 you know, Stockholm Photography is kind of neat. September twenty 368 00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:13.799 ninth was its last day, although the owners say they 369 00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:19.119 may move to another location now, something close to us. 370 00:24:19.160 --> 00:24:26.039 The Wayfarer's Chapel National Historic Register listed glass church designed 371 00:24:26.039 --> 00:24:29.960 by Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright, and unfortunately 372 00:24:30.039 --> 00:24:33.519 it's closing down. It's iconic, not because people don't go there, 373 00:24:34.039 --> 00:24:39.599 it's because landslides in the area. So what the trustees 374 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:44.759 did is they took it apart. They literally disassembled it 375 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:48.720 piece by piece, and it's all in a storage facility 376 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:50.279 and they're looking for another home. 377 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:55.240 Giyan Kyoto in Japan, these are places that are really 378 00:24:55.279 --> 00:24:58.200 neat and they're closing down. I mean, are they iconic 379 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:01.440 in the sense of, you know, you know, Notre Dame 380 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:05.200 and the Louver iconic, of course not, but if you 381 00:25:05.279 --> 00:25:10.799 still go there. So these streets and gion Kyoto training 382 00:25:11.079 --> 00:25:15.000 traditional geishas, but they become all the tourist attractions and 383 00:25:15.160 --> 00:25:18.200 the buildings where they live is part of it. You know, 384 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:21.319 they're tearing those down because you got the Geisha paparazzi 385 00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:24.680 And what the Geon local Council did was just simply 386 00:25:25.079 --> 00:25:29.480 block off the streets, so no more visiting there. You 387 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:34.440 go to Houston. The Rothko Chapel in Houston fourteen artworks 388 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:40.039 by painter Mark Rothko, one of the greatest of the 389 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:43.880 painters of the modern area. Was he cubist or it 390 00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:46.839 was I'm trying to remember what kind of where they 391 00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:50.079 described the modern art of Rothko very so like I 392 00:25:50.119 --> 00:25:53.519 think Kodinski and it's like, I'm trying to remember what 393 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:57.960 they call it. But anyway, his painting, you're talking forty 394 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:02.680 eighty million dollars for his paintings. That's done why because 395 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:06.359 Hurricane Barrel came in and wiped it out in Houston. 396 00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:10.200 So now there are other roth Co rooms and they're 397 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:15.319 going around. Paul Allen founded the Museum plus Labs in 398 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:20.079 Seattle from his own personal collection of vintage computers tech devices, 399 00:26:20.119 --> 00:26:23.039 and it actually encouraged people to use touch play with 400 00:26:23.119 --> 00:26:27.200 everything there. He dies in twenty eighteen. The pandemic hits 401 00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:32.480