WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:02.919 This is Gary and Shannon and you're listening to KFI 2 00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:05.839 AM six forty the Gary and Shannon Show on demand 3 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:07.320 on the iHeartRadio app. 4 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:12.679 There is an issue bubbling up locally that Robert Carvallo, 5 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:16.039 LAUSD superintendent right now is speaking on. He says that 6 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:22.000 federal officials showed up at two LA unified elementary schools 7 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:26.039 this week. This would be the first reported instance, they said, 8 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:29.879 of federal authorities trying to enter an LA public school. 9 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:33.840 We haven't heard from the federal government exactly who they 10 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:38.960 were or what they were doing, but an LAUSD spokesperson 11 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.359 has confirmed that these two people showed up to Lillian 12 00:00:41.399 --> 00:00:45.840 Street Elementary School's main office and identified themselves as representatives 13 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:49.880 of a federal agency. They also went to Russell Elementary School. 14 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:55.640 The LAUSD says they were investigators from the Homeland Security 15 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:59.320 Investigations Unit that's within Department of Homeland Security, but that 16 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:04.359 they were not agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. So 17 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:09.359 a spokesperson for DHS, of course, hasn't commented specifically on 18 00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:10.040 what's going on. 19 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:11.200 Again. 20 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:14.359 Carvallo says there's no reason why a first grader or 21 00:01:14.359 --> 00:01:16.560 a sixth grader would call it, would pose the threats 22 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:19.519 to national security, So he's questioning why they were there. 23 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:23.959 We simply don't know in terms of what Department of 24 00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:25.560 Homeland Security hasn't explained yet. 25 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:30.120 In nineteen forty four, a middle school girl gave one 26 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:34.079 of her girlfriends a card for her fourteenth birthday, and 27 00:01:34.120 --> 00:01:37.079 then when the girl's birthday came around, the friend sent 28 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:40.680 this same card back to her. Kind of an odd move. 29 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:44.400 Right now, neither friend can remember. 30 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:48.599 It's also nineteen forty four, and I don't know if 31 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:49.920 that if. 32 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:53.359 They're not, wasn't that long ago. 33 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:53.760 I know what. 34 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:56.239 I'm just saying, they're not so rich they can't go 35 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:59.680 out and buy another card. Are you saying it's weird 36 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:00.719 to send the card back? 37 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:02.640 Yeah? I mean why would you have that? 38 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:06.400 I mean maybe it's a funny thing, like I'm sending 39 00:02:06.439 --> 00:02:07.239 you back the card. 40 00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:10.560 My grandma used to rip the cards in half. 41 00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:15.879 You'd have funny or nice picture on the front or 42 00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:19.759 something like that, and then when you open it, on 43 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:24.360 the right hand side is whatever the printed poem or 44 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:26.919 the happy birthday to you or whatever, and you sign it. 45 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:30.120 She would rip the card in half so that it 46 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:32.800 was like a postcard, where on the one side you 47 00:02:32.919 --> 00:02:36.120 still had the nice funny drawing of a monkey blowing 48 00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:39.199 out a birthday cake candle. But on the inside, what 49 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:41.199 was the inside now is just the other side of 50 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:43.800 the car. It was blank, so then you could write something. 51 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:45.800 You could write your own note on there, and then 52 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:48.080 that became the birthday card. What would she do with 53 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:50.560 the other side? Did you throw it away? It's no good, 54 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:56.000 it's already been used. But you basically get two full 55 00:02:56.039 --> 00:02:57.479 greetings out of one card. 56 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:00.639 I have a question. Did she take cards that she 57 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:03.800 had already gotten? That's what I mean. Oh, she had 58 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:06.680 received a card. She didn't go get a perfectly known card. 59 00:03:06.840 --> 00:03:08.919 So if she received a card, she would tear the 60 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:12.479 part off. I think. I think that's a brilliant idea. 61 00:03:12.680 --> 00:03:15.280 That's that's why she lived to be a ninety something. 62 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:19.960 That's a great idea way to cut down on waste. Dixie. Yeah, 63 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:22.479 he's ahead of her time in this case. 64 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:25.759 Seriously, I mean, that's a really smart move because first 65 00:03:25.759 --> 00:03:28.560 of all, cards have you gotten a card recently? 66 00:03:28.599 --> 00:03:31.960 It's like seven dollars big card industries. I'm going to 67 00:03:32.039 --> 00:03:34.719 start drawing my cards again like I did as a youth. 68 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:38.360 My son's day mean he's twenty five and he still does. 69 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:42.159 Yeah, I'm gonna start doing that because they're so stupid too, 70 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:43.759 Like who writes this crap? 71 00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:46.159 Like whoever used to write that? Is it just me? 72 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:48.680 Or of greeting cards gone to hell? They used to 73 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:49.479 be a little clever. 74 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:53.240 Maybe there's just more of them, better selection, maybe because 75 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:56.240 people were sending them more. But it was before email 76 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:58.240 and all the things, and this is what you had 77 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:01.280 to send there was. It's just more variety and just 78 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:04.919 say we're better written now it's just really bottom of 79 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:06.680 the barrel stuff. In fact, if I'm going to go 80 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:08.400 get my husband a card, who's the only person to 81 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:10.039 really get cards for anymore. 82 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:11.400 I'll try to. 83 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:14.840 Find the worst one, and she gives funny no, just 84 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:16.199 to be like look at. 85 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:19.519 This, because I don't. I'll write my own. 86 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:22.519 Sure, that's what I do too, but like I'll find 87 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:25.000 like a really bad one, just to show, like, this 88 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:26.079 is what we're dealing with now. 89 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:32.879 You know, Pat and Mary sent back and forth the 90 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:35.920 same card to each other on their birthdays. They would 91 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:38.279 sign their names and they would date it each time. 92 00:04:39.160 --> 00:04:41.439 Dreamer opens it every year on her birthday, which is 93 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:44.560 April first. Then she signs it mails it off back 94 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.480 to Mary so that she can open it on her birthday, 95 00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:48.360 which is in May. 96 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:51.120 Here's the funny part. So what's on this card? 97 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:55.720 Well, on this card is a cartoon dog wearing a 98 00:04:55.839 --> 00:05:00.319 large red polka dot bow tie, and it reads, here's 99 00:05:00.519 --> 00:05:01.800 wishing you a birthday. 100 00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:03.319 That is really colossal. 101 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:06.360 You open up the card and it says, because it's 102 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:11.199 gonna be a long long time before you're and old fossil. Now, 103 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:14.240 they started exchanging this card when they're fourteen. They're now 104 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:18.199 one hundred, which makes the card even that much more prescient. 105 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:21.879 Well, she Pat is now ninety five. Mary is just 106 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:24.839 turned ninety four. Their families, of course, got into all 107 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:30.560 of this. Their families got friendly. Pat apparently has been 108 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:33.120 married three times and lost all three of her husband's 109 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:36.399 to cancer. She got seven kids, Mary's got five. 110 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:40.759 They've written all over the card, as you can imagine, 111 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:45.519 all over the envelope, all over the dog. They've also 112 00:05:45.879 --> 00:05:50.199 included separate notes and birthday wishes to another inside the card, 113 00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:51.959 you know what I mean, like a like a slip 114 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:54.319 of paper that they put inside the cards. So they 115 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:57.560 also have an oversized envelope along with the original envelope 116 00:05:57.560 --> 00:05:59.959 and a replacement one as well. 117 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:01.839 In after sixty years. 118 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:04.079 So just just right after the turn of the century, 119 00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:08.519 Pat's daughter in law applied for the Guinness World Record 120 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:12.519 for the longest birthday card exchange, which they got. They 121 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:15.160 were Eventually they got the title, though it was overtaken 122 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:17.959 by a couple of women in Australia who had them 123 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:22.000 beaten by about a year. Now I believe that those 124 00:06:22.040 --> 00:06:25.160 women in Australia have since kicked the bucket and gone 125 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:28.800 to the Great card Store in the Sky. So now 126 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:31.519 they're hoping that Pat and Mary can regain the title, 127 00:06:31.560 --> 00:06:34.000 but they haven't yet heard back from Guinness. 128 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:38.240 So we talked about the city hall fight over the 129 00:06:38.279 --> 00:06:41.959 budget and how the dire straits down there. How are 130 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:45.000 they going to balance a billion dollar budget? 131 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:45.639 Mess? 132 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:48.160 Oh easy, They're going to pass it on to you. Well, 133 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:49.759 now we're learning how they're going to pass it on 134 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:50.800 to you, Los Angeles. 135 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:51.959 We'll tell you when we come back. 136 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:56.560 You're listening to Gary and Shannon on demand from KFI 137 00:06:56.800 --> 00:06:57.480 AM six. 138 00:06:57.399 --> 00:07:04.000 Forty Cabinet meeting continues at least the portion with reporters 139 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:06.519 and cameras on it right now in the White House 140 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:09.959 and We were kind of laughing about the lighting. It's 141 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:14.240 now in the cabinet room where it's all lit from above, 142 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:17.560 very similar to what the Apprentice was lit that the 143 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:21.279 boardroom scene in The Apprentice, and there are portions of 144 00:07:21.319 --> 00:07:24.680 the table that you can't even see, like Tulsi Gabbard, 145 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:27.079 the Director of National Intelligence, is sitting down at one 146 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:29.680 end of the table. You can barely see her face 147 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:31.160 because the a lighting is so weird. 148 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:34.279 Like, look at I just pulled up a picture. This 149 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:39.720 is from the New York Times from the apprentent. Okay, 150 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:43.519 so that's not coming up. It's just the smaller but 151 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:47.319 it's exact same lighting that was in the boardroom. Like 152 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:51.079 you say, when they had their elimination ceremonies on The Apprentice, 153 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:53.160 it is the same thing, but it is a cabinet 154 00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:56.920 meeting in the White House. 155 00:07:57.040 --> 00:07:59.800 Yeah, it's very very funny. 156 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:01.920 We were talking about the fun story of the day. 157 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:04.560 These two women in their nineties now who have been 158 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:09.959 sending the same birthday card back and forth for decades. 159 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:13.639 Hey, Garan Shanning, this is Rick and Tennessee. Hey we 160 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:16.160 do that. So my wife and I, with her sister 161 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:19.480 and our brother in law, we send them a card. 162 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:21.959 It's how it started. And then they sent it back 163 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:24.399 on one of our birthdays, and then we send it 164 00:08:24.439 --> 00:08:26.079 back to them on one of their birthdays. And we 165 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:29.199 just do that four times a year. We write stupid things, 166 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:31.319 that hilarious kind of card. You can barely read any 167 00:08:31.319 --> 00:08:33.360 of it now, it's like, but we do it four 168 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:34.519 times a year and it's. 169 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:37.639 Awesome, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. But it's a birthday card. 170 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:41.679 That's you know what. That is exactly what I was thinking, Hey, Gary. 171 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:46.039 And Shannon Lisa here. So I recycle cards too, especially 172 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:49.559 from Papyrus, because I always have that liner in the middle, 173 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:53.639 So I usually tear it out the liner and becomes 174 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:57.679 a brand new card because the back inside right is blank. 175 00:08:57.960 --> 00:08:59.919 So I just to use it because they're so. 176 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:02.720 I was gonna say, if you're getting. 177 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:05.679 High five her, have a great day, guys. 178 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:06.600 Five degree totally. 179 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:09.799 Dixie is a we're big fans of Dixie on this show. 180 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:11.360 She comes up quite a bit. 181 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:16.039 But Papyrus, man, that's a that's a car payment. You 182 00:09:16.120 --> 00:09:17.559 buy a card from Papyrus. 183 00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:22.000 We had a Papyrus store in Petaluma when I was 184 00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:25.320 growing up, and if you got somebody a card from Papyrus. 185 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:26.600 Yeah, that was serious. 186 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:30.360 It was very serious, because you on a high school salary, 187 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:32.360 you could not afford that. 188 00:09:32.600 --> 00:09:33.519 Oh my gosh. 189 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:36.480 I always get my husband one that's like, it's Spanish 190 00:09:36.600 --> 00:09:39.480 or something, and we don't speak Spanish, and we've established 191 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:43.080 that you are not, in fact married to a Hispanic guy, 192 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:47.039 and so he probably doesn't speak Spanish either, although I'm 193 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:49.200 Hispanic and I still don't speak Spanish. 194 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:52.559 But whatever, have a great day. Yeah, I've done that 195 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:53.120 many times. 196 00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:56.120 He'll speak Spanish perfectly if you give him a couple 197 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:59.360 a shot a tequila. Who my husband, Oh really? Oh yeah, 198 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:01.440 it's it's a fun party trick. 199 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:06.840 My wife has been very deep into duo lingo and Spanish. Yeah, 200 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:08.679 and every once in a while she'll throw a word. 201 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:11.200 I haven't taken Spanish class since high school. Yeah, but 202 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:14.000 I remember a lot of it. And I mean, living here, 203 00:10:14.039 --> 00:10:16.759 it's not like there are plenty of places where you 204 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:17.679 can practice. 205 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:18.480 Spanish, right right. 206 00:10:18.919 --> 00:10:22.279 I just feel so not confident doing so. I feel 207 00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:26.080 so insecure and so not confident. And I also feel 208 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:29.799 like Whitey mcwhiderson trying to speak Spanish, and I just 209 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:32.039 look stupid and then I sound like I'm trying to 210 00:10:32.039 --> 00:10:35.519 speak Spanish, like I just hate everything about trying to learn. 211 00:10:35.720 --> 00:10:38.240 I've tried it. It's like quitting smoking. Trying to learn Spanish. 212 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:40.440 For me, I've tried so many times and I like 213 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:43.159 get into it and then I just feel stupid and 214 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:46.000 then that's not the smoking thing. But you know what 215 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:48.000 I mean, and you just give up and then you 216 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:50.120 try again and one day it'll take. 217 00:10:50.759 --> 00:10:54.440 One day usually after some sort of a head trauma 218 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:56.480 is when it started. Is that right? 219 00:10:56.519 --> 00:11:00.200 We're too old for this. Language centers in our rain 220 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:01.279 don't work the way they used to. 221 00:11:01.320 --> 00:11:04.120 I was never good at learning languages, and I don't 222 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:05.000 know if you did. 223 00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:06.360 I loved it. 224 00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:09.080 I didn't retain as much as I wanted, but it came. 225 00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:11.840 It came to well, especially like when the kids were 226 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:15.639 going through. My son took Spanish in high school and 227 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:21.519 then transferred to sign language and but I but the 228 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.960 summer before he started Spanish, we went through and did 229 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:28.120 We bought a couple of goofy like learn Spanish on 230 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:30.440 your own books, and he and I would go through 231 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:33.679 that and it was super fun. It was refreshing, like 232 00:11:33.799 --> 00:11:36.480 to get all that stuff back you know, blow the 233 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:41.120 dust off the old Espanol, and but I don't retain 234 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:41.519 it the way. 235 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:43.960 Yeah, I just feel like I've got it in my head. 236 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:48.799 You'll never learn to speak conversational Spanish, like you You're 237 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:51.000 just never going to learn that because you don't have 238 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:53.519 the confidence to do it and also don't have people 239 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:56.720 to talk to that will talk to you conversationally and 240 00:11:56.759 --> 00:11:58.799 not like your dumb white girl trying to learn. 241 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:00.840 So but if you immersed in it, like if you 242 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:04.200 probably Spange. 243 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:07.399 Yeah, at least you'd be able to piece it together. 244 00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:10.600 But now if I speak Spanish to somebody who speak Spanish, 245 00:12:10.600 --> 00:12:13.440 they look at me like I'm a complete moron, and 246 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:13.879 I am. 247 00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:15.559 Well, so I've seen I've. 248 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:18.759 Seen people take pity on you when you try to exactly, 249 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:21.759 and that's not what I'm looking for. I'm not looking 250 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:24.480 for that feeling of where people pity me. It's an 251 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:28.919 awful feeling. They say things like all I don't even 252 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:30.039 know what you're trying to say? 253 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:34.279 Is what they say? The dog is blue? 254 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:36.159 Is that what you're trying to say, because that's what 255 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:41.080 you're saying, all right, trash money when we come back, 256 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:46.960 trash money for listen, if you work in the government 257 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:52.679 in city, county, state, federal government. It's not your money. 258 00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:55.000 You might as well play with it like it's not 259 00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:57.519 your money. That's just exactly what they do. 260 00:12:57.639 --> 00:12:58.200 That's the way. 261 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:01.200 That gratitude that you have, you might as well do 262 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:01.720 it that way. 263 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:03.600 And here's the latest example of that. 264 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:07.399 When we come back, you're listening to Gary and Shannon 265 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:10.200 on demand from KFI AM six forty. 266 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:13.320 The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Nasdaq, the S and 267 00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:16.960 P five hundred, all down between four and five percent, 268 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:21.519 because today it looks for a lot of people, it 269 00:13:21.559 --> 00:13:24.919 looks dangerous. There's talk of the stock market being oversold 270 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:28.840 right now. We're actually going to be talking with Trader Merlin. 271 00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:30.320 Coming up at the top of the we get into 272 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:34.799 swamp Watch a little bit more about what personal investors 273 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:37.840 can do and things that we should since we're not 274 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:41.240 necessarily trading on the industrial level, what we should be 275 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:44.960 keeping our eyes on, or what we should not be 276 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:48.159 paying attention to, Things that are going to sway your 277 00:13:48.200 --> 00:13:51.240 decisions that probably don't need to be paid attention to. 278 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:54.840 We mentioned this when the news hit there is a 279 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:59.279 billion dollar budget shortfall at La City Hall because they 280 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.159 don't know how to manage money, asked an answered, We've 281 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:05.000 known this for a long time, but a billion dollars 282 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:13.440 is quite the number that is insurmountable. I think you 283 00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:18.600 could say this is the result of mismanagement for quite 284 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:21.799 some time, and it's coming to a head. So yesterday 285 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:24.879 two city council committees got together to figure out what 286 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:30.279 to do. One focused on public works, the other specializes 287 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:33.960 in environmental issues, and the two came up with the idea, Oh, 288 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:36.720 we know what we'll do. We'll just pass on the 289 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:40.480 cost to the people who live here in the form 290 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:44.559 of trash fees. They are going to raise trash fees 291 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:48.440 fifty four percent in the next fifty four percent. So 292 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:51.879 if you're spending thirty six dollars for the City of 293 00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:54.480 Vli to pick up your trash a month, you'll be 294 00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:59.360 spending fifty six dollars because they can't get their act together. 295 00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:05.519 Part of what I've never understood about government is the 296 00:15:05.559 --> 00:15:11.200 idea of not attaching city service or county service fees 297 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:17.039 to inflation. And part of what I guess, part of 298 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:19.080 what the plan would be is we're going to set 299 00:15:19.080 --> 00:15:21.159 it at thirty six dollars a month, so you know, 300 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:24.960 what you're paying for the for the foreseeable future, even 301 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:31.200 if that handcuffs that municipal government from balancing its budget. 302 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:35.519 For example, the Bureau of Sanitation in LA says, the 303 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:39.840 cost of trash collection is going to increase to more 304 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:43.559 than five hundred and fifty million dollars, So they've got 305 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:46.720 to be able to catch up with and stay on 306 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:51.000 top of how much it costs to provide the service. 307 00:15:51.039 --> 00:15:53.080 In the first world, that's one issue. 308 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:55.399 If it's going to cost more to collect the trash, 309 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:59.039 then that's an issue on its own. That's separate from 310 00:15:59.080 --> 00:16:01.799 the balancing the billion dollar budget shortfall. 311 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:04.000 I mean, I can understand that both can. 312 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:07.200 Be true, right But I mean, if I'm working on 313 00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:10.159 city hall pr and optics, I'm saying, well, this was 314 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:11.840 already something that happened. 315 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:13.480 I would separate these things. 316 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:17.159 If trash is getting more expensive to pick up because 317 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:20.000 of inflation or what have you, then then the rates 318 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:20.720 are going to have to go up. 319 00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:22.519 That's natural, it's understandable, right. 320 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:27.639 Well, My point is, then apply a simple formula of 321 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:32.320 the cost of living. Raise it with the cost of living, 322 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:35.639 raise it with the cost of inflation. Because everybody basically, 323 00:16:36.039 --> 00:16:38.759 you know, the tide is going to rise, raise all boats. 324 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:44.919 There's you know, you can't simply lock something in and 325 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:49.679 expect there to be a good. 326 00:16:49.559 --> 00:16:50.240 End to that. 327 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:53.000 You know, we we all understand that the costs do 328 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:56.480 go up when it comes to providing city services. The 329 00:16:57.200 --> 00:16:59.279 I think the other thing about this in terms of 330 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:02.840 the mentality of people who spend other people's money, because 331 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:07.519 that's exactly what government does. They do it many times 332 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:11.440 on valuable services for the rest of us. It's that 333 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:15.960 there's not what you don't see here is the headline 334 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:19.240 from the La Times. Faced with a billion dollar budget crunch, 335 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:23.519 LA seeks major trash fee increases. Where's the same headline, 336 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:26.720 Where's the same story? The flip side of it, Faced 337 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:29.240 with a billion dollar budget crunch, the City of La 338 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:32.559 cuts a bunch of crappy services that no one uses 339 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:35.319 or no one wants, or has some accounting for the 340 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:38.000 billions of dollars that have been spent on homelessness, or. 341 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:39.519 Cuts down on bureaucracy. 342 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:43.000 You know, I really I feel for the people in 343 00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:45.559 the federal government who have lost their jobs or who 344 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:47.799 are in danger of losing their jobs. And I get 345 00:17:47.799 --> 00:17:50.519 it on like a person a person basis that sucks. 346 00:17:51.240 --> 00:17:54.960 But what also can be true is that the government 347 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:58.119 has taken advantage of the fact that it gets to 348 00:17:58.160 --> 00:18:00.920 be bloated and everybody looks the other way. 349 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:02.440 Both can be true. 350 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:05.319 You think there's not bloat at La City Hall and 351 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:08.799 positions that don't need to be there, and I know 352 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:11.960 that's awful. It means jobs lost and it means people's 353 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:15.960 families and I get that that sucks, but that doesn't 354 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:18.839 that doesn't mean that the government is. 355 00:18:20.519 --> 00:18:22.559 Is not bloated, right, you know what I mean? 356 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:27.359 Both can be true that you have excessive growth and 357 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:33.319 red tape and bureaucracy, and that it's going to be 358 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:34.640 painful to cut it. 359 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:36.279 Now. 360 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:38.839 The last time the La City Council, and this will 361 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:41.000 go to a vote tomorrow, the last time the council 362 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:44.480 hiked trash fees was seventeen years ago. But at the time, 363 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:47.720 and I remember this, Antonio Viragosa was mayor, and it 364 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:50.440 was because he wanted to hire more police officers. He 365 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:53.519 wanted to get the LAPD back to that ten thousand threshold, 366 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:57.240 which it's probably so far below that now, but at 367 00:18:57.279 --> 00:19:00.119 the time, that was the goal. Let's make the city say, 368 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:02.119 let's get to ten thousand police officers. 369 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:04.799 Let's have more visibility. Bill Bratton was here. 370 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:07.599 It was all about broken windows and making sure that 371 00:19:07.960 --> 00:19:10.240 people know that we are there and we're developing the 372 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:13.359 relationships and the communities and that people feel safe talking 373 00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:16.240 to the officers. And we were all for it at 374 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:20.279 the time because because you'd get something for it. Right here, 375 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:24.079 you're not getting anything for your trash fees. Get what 376 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:27.559 you're getting is realizing that the people in charge of 377 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:29.680 your money are doing a bad job being in charge 378 00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:29.960 of it. 379 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:30.200 Well. 380 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:32.759 And the thing that's endemic to government is the knee 381 00:19:32.839 --> 00:19:35.480 jerk reaction whenever you're hit with a budget crunch is 382 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:37.920 how do we generate revenue? 383 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:39.640 How do we generate revenue? 384 00:19:40.119 --> 00:19:42.960 Well, either you sell off a portion of the city 385 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:46.400 or you take it from the taxpayers. And that's I mean, 386 00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:49.000 this is exactly what they're doing, is they're they're simply 387 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:52.839 adding more fees as opposed to spending the time cutting 388 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:56.440 things that need to be cut or that are unsustainable. 389 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:59.039 Just because you paid for it once doesn't mean you 390 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:01.400 need to get to continue to pay for it in perpetuity. 391 00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:05.720 We've been talking about cards. The birthday cards were sent 392 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:06.559 back and forth Chan. 393 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:09.279 Not only do I do that for birthday cards, I 394 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:12.279 do it for Christmas cards and save the pretty side, 395 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:16.720 cut them up and make name tags for my gifts. 396 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:22.720 Oh brilliant, that is hell, Yeah, that's brilliant. You're just 397 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:23.759 getting all kinds of ideas. 398 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:28.359 I sure, I am. Well, I feel bad after every 399 00:20:28.440 --> 00:20:31.759 Christmas when I'm throwing away pictures of people's families and 400 00:20:31.759 --> 00:20:34.319 their babies, just right into the trash you go, or 401 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:37.920