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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Bill Handle on demand from KFI AM

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<v Speaker 1>six forty and this is KFI AM six forty.

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<v Speaker 2>KFI Wow, I'm going to try out for the Vienna

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<v Speaker 2>Boys Choir.

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<v Speaker 1>Some of the big stories we are looking at.

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<v Speaker 2>Hurricane Helene is just barreling down the Gulf Coast and

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<v Speaker 2>it's going to hit the Panhandle of Florida and it's

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<v Speaker 2>going to be a god awful mess, life threatening and

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<v Speaker 2>they're not kidding. And then US France allies are calling

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<v Speaker 2>for an immediate ceasefire in between hasbe Llah and Israel I.

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<v Speaker 1>Mean, this thing is just exploding. None of it's fun. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>let's get local for a moment.

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<v Speaker 2>And this is a story about a report that was

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<v Speaker 2>just released by La City.

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<v Speaker 1>But it affects all.

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<v Speaker 2>Of the communities in southern California because every one of

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<v Speaker 2>these communities have something in common, and that is, single

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<v Speaker 2>family homes are basically their upper class homes. If you're

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<v Speaker 2>looking at access to good schools, if you're looking at

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<v Speaker 2>living in better neighborhoods, and if you're white, because if

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<v Speaker 2>you're not, let's say per capita, you're Hispanic, you're black,

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<v Speaker 2>per capita, you're going to have fewer ownership of single.

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<v Speaker 1>Family homes, and therein lies the problem.

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<v Speaker 2>LA is looking at redrafting the blueprints for all of

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<v Speaker 2>LA according to this plan. Now here is what really

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't change. And this report is big. It's hundreds of pages.

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<v Speaker 2>It's one hundred and twenty four page study that just

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<v Speaker 2>came out that the city in fact had made three

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<v Speaker 2>years in the making. And it studies, you know, the zoning.

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<v Speaker 2>Do we change the zoning? And they're saying, yeah, we

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<v Speaker 2>have to change things. Single family homes although they are

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<v Speaker 2>the fabric of Los Angeles. We grew up with single

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<v Speaker 2>family homes. That's what makes southern California so neat and wonderful. Well,

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<v Speaker 2>it's we don't have enough, and the only way to

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<v Speaker 2>have more is to get into multi multifamily density.

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<v Speaker 1>You've got to put more on less land.

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<v Speaker 2>And so they accept that, Okay, we have to put

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<v Speaker 2>more on less land, and then when you start looking

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<v Speaker 2>at it, they go, well, what we're really not going

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<v Speaker 2>to do is put more on less land. Single family

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<v Speaker 2>homes will for the most part, be left alone. It's

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<v Speaker 2>going to be rezoning on multiple multiple family areas or

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<v Speaker 2>multiple multiple dwelling areas. So for example, if the zoning

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<v Speaker 2>now allows eight units on a given piece of property,

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<v Speaker 2>they'll say, you can put twelve units on that same

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<v Speaker 2>piece of property.

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<v Speaker 1>So therefore you'll have more affordable you'll have more units,

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<v Speaker 1>and we're gonna leave alone.

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<v Speaker 2>For the most part, those lots have a single family home.

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<v Speaker 2>And why is that Well, because those of us that

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<v Speaker 2>own single family homes like it. And if you look

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<v Speaker 2>at the kind of power single family homeowners I have,

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<v Speaker 2>it's it's pretty intense. It's pretty intense, even though you

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<v Speaker 2>have builders that are going the other way. I don't

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<v Speaker 2>want to give up my house. I don't want next

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<v Speaker 2>door to me an apartment building that has forty six units,

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<v Speaker 2>although Neil, you have the forty six unit apartment building

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<v Speaker 2>on either side and across the street.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, it's it's sad that, you know, these hundred

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<v Speaker 3>plus year old homes are being torn down. People are

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<v Speaker 3>buying them, sometimes corporations are buying them, knocking them down

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<v Speaker 3>because there are two or three or four and putting

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<v Speaker 3>up you know, six eight units of these very expense

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<v Speaker 3>to town homes and the like, and it kind of

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<v Speaker 3>it sucks.

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<v Speaker 1>It just LA has.

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<v Speaker 3>Some really neat homes and We've seen this happen and

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<v Speaker 3>a bunker hill and the like, and now it's happening

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<v Speaker 3>all over the place.

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<v Speaker 1>It is because we just need more homes.

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<v Speaker 2>But certain neighborhoods it will never happen like the majority

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<v Speaker 2>of neighborhoods, and yours is kind of I won't even

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<v Speaker 2>say it's an outlier. You live in a part of

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<v Speaker 2>the city that's very dense, you live in a part

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<v Speaker 2>of the city where the homes are old, they are

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<v Speaker 2>I would say the neighborhood is Would you argue your

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<v Speaker 2>neighborhood is sketchy, you know.

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<v Speaker 3>There's listen, surrounding areas are sketchy. My area is, yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>is nice. I really like my area a lot. It's

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<v Speaker 3>a very hip neighborhood. Yeah, However, we are adjacent to

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<v Speaker 3>a lot of issues, and I can walk half a

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<v Speaker 3>block and get killed, have stuff, and have stuff that

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<v Speaker 3>you wouldn't norm.

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<v Speaker 2>By the way, there was a real big move. I

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<v Speaker 2>just want to share this in Sana. Yeah, Neil does

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<v Speaker 2>not often refer to this, but there was actually a

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<v Speaker 2>move to call his neighborhood toilet town, and.

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<v Speaker 3>It was you know what I would sign off on.

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<v Speaker 2>That the point I'm making is even this study which

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<v Speaker 2>talks for rezoning is saying we're gonna leave single family

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<v Speaker 2>dwellings alone, and our idea of rezoning is just to

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<v Speaker 2>put more multiple housing on top of zoning for multiple housing.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the answer. It's going to be an answer, a

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<v Speaker 2>part of the answer. But LA is going to stay

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<v Speaker 2>for the most part the way it is right now.

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<v Speaker 2>You own a home on a lot, you want to

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<v Speaker 2>keep it that way. I would fight like crazy. I

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<v Speaker 2>would fight like crazy. I don't want four units next

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<v Speaker 2>to me. I don't want Neil's neighbors next to me.

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<v Speaker 2>I can't hear you, Neil.

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<v Speaker 3>Sorry, I turned my mic off on accident. So two

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<v Speaker 3>houses over, they built an entire home another home, twenty

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<v Speaker 3>five hundred square foot home in their backyard.

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<v Speaker 1>As an adu.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it's two actual They have two actual houses. And

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<v Speaker 3>I don't you know if you want to do that,

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<v Speaker 3>it's your property. That's the way things go at capitalist society.

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<v Speaker 3>But it does suck when you see these really cool

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<v Speaker 3>old craftsman style homes being torn down to put up

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<v Speaker 3>a cracker box stacked you know, condos.

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<v Speaker 2>Or real Quickly, let me ask you about the demand

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<v Speaker 2>for your kind of home, huge maintenance issues, I mean

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<v Speaker 2>insane maintenance issues, remodel issues.

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<v Speaker 1>Remodeling.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, the kitchens are small, the closets are small, the

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<v Speaker 3>rooms are small, and the bathrooms are small.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a different because I.

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<v Speaker 2>Know it was built at a different time. I understand that,

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<v Speaker 2>and nineteen.

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<v Speaker 3>Twelve they weren't worried. They didn't even have electricity on the.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, understood, understood. But the point I make is, is

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<v Speaker 2>your home and yours globally disappearing? Is it just making

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<v Speaker 2>no more sense because of cost relative to maintenance, relative

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<v Speaker 2>to what's going on in the neighborhood.

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<v Speaker 3>I bet your newer homes, I bet you newer homes

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<v Speaker 3>built after the eighties probably have more problems than our

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<v Speaker 3>home does. Okay, they're built incredibly well.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, no, it's incredibly well.

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<v Speaker 3>So all the piping has been redone wiring, you know

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<v Speaker 3>it's I bet you our house gives us less maintenance problems.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe.

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<v Speaker 2>I remember, well, I had a duplex that was built

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen twenty seven that I lived in. But the two

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<v Speaker 2>by fours were real two by fours made out of redwood,

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<v Speaker 2>I mean old.

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<v Speaker 3>They have like a you know, two hundred lines of

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<v Speaker 3>growth or whatever on them. You can't we keep everything

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<v Speaker 3>when we have to remove a wall or something like that.

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<v Speaker 3>When we had you know, American Vision windows come in

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<v Speaker 3>and put a new doors in, we kept all the

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<v Speaker 3>old wood because it's amazing stuff and you can reuse

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<v Speaker 3>it for other things.

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<v Speaker 1>All right.

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<v Speaker 2>Now, a real interesting thing is going on at the

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<v Speaker 2>Veterans Administration, the Veterans Administration, and this is across the

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<v Speaker 2>street from the Veterans Cemetery, which is extraordinary, and you

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<v Speaker 2>go across and I think it's Sawtel and you've got

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<v Speaker 2>this large campus, three hundred and something acre campus. That

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<v Speaker 2>land was donated to the Veterans Administration. Actually it was

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<v Speaker 2>donated in the late eighteen hundreds for an old soldier's home,

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<v Speaker 2>because you had soldiers that fought in the Civil War

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<v Speaker 2>that were a mess and there was a movement to say,

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<v Speaker 2>let's take care of them, and it was to help

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<v Speaker 2>out veterans.

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<v Speaker 1>That was what the land was donated for.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, in recent years what has happened is the Veterans

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<v Speaker 2>Administration that owns the land leased it out UCLA baseball

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<v Speaker 2>team and the stadium is Jackie Robinson Stadium, Brentwood.

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<v Speaker 1>The Brentwood School sort of high end.

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<v Speaker 2>College prep school and oil company of their private interests,

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<v Speaker 2>and Veterans Organization sued to say, hey, you know, this

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<v Speaker 2>is for veterans affairs. This is for veterans. That's what

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<v Speaker 2>was donated for. That's what it's about. And Judge David

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<v Speaker 2>o'carter said, you're absolutely right. All the leases that are

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<v Speaker 2>on the land are shut down, and he ordered the

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<v Speaker 2>stadium be shut down.

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<v Speaker 1>And he said, hey, let me tell you something.

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<v Speaker 2>You don't do exactly what I'm ordering to do, and

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<v Speaker 2>that's set up housing that's using the land. Here's what

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<v Speaker 2>I'm gonna do is first of all, he did terminate

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<v Speaker 2>the leases and he said, the swimming pool that belongs

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<v Speaker 2>to UCLA I will fill with sand. The stadium I

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<v Speaker 2>have shut down. All of those interests are gone there.

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<v Speaker 2>There's an oil company there. I mean that land has

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<v Speaker 2>become basically private land. It's it's like when you lease

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<v Speaker 2>land from the government for whatever, except this case is

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<v Speaker 2>at the expense of the veterans. And this is an

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<v Speaker 2>car David o'carter. O'carter said, you know what, veterans need housing,

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<v Speaker 2>and this is the land that was donated to the

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<v Speaker 2>veterans that became the Veterans Administration, and that's where it's.

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<v Speaker 1>Going to go. And here's what we need to do.

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<v Speaker 2>And he ordered thousands of units to be built or

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<v Speaker 2>at least be zoned, be allowed to be built and

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<v Speaker 2>then don't have to worry about zoning because that is

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<v Speaker 2>federal property.

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<v Speaker 1>And he this is what David o'carter is an interesting guy. Uh.

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<v Speaker 2>If you remember the lawsuit that was filed by the

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<v Speaker 2>residents along the Santa Anna River, uh and where they

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<v Speaker 2>were going to be moved, and it was a huge scandal.

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<v Speaker 1>Uh.

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<v Speaker 2>He gave his decision was for the people that were

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<v Speaker 2>there in terms of housing, shelters, et cetera. He actually

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<v Speaker 2>walked the river and I think Todd Spitzer walked with

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<v Speaker 2>if I'm not mistaken, federal judge walked the river. And

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<v Speaker 2>what the federal judge did this is David o'cardner. He says,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm shutting everything down. By the way, I'm going down

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<v Speaker 2>there and I'm personally gonna walk the area to make sure.

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<v Speaker 1>That it's all shut down.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, this is a federal judge that gets involved,

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<v Speaker 2>for sure, and it has the whole thing the VA.

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<v Speaker 2>And this is what the Judge Rode for the last

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<v Speaker 2>fifty years, the VA in West LA has been infected

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<v Speaker 2>by bribery, corruption, influence of the powerful influence of the

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<v Speaker 2>lobbyists that have set up all of these private endeavors,

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<v Speaker 2>private enterprise. So he wants the VA to build ordered

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<v Speaker 2>the v to build seven hundred and fifty units of

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<v Speaker 2>temporary housing within eighteen months and then permanent housing of

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<v Speaker 2>about twelve hundred units already being planned. And he just said,

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<v Speaker 2>we're going to go balls to the wall on this one,

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<v Speaker 2>so good for him, and the veterans are going to

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<v Speaker 2>win on this one, which usually they don't. Okay, we

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<v Speaker 2>were talking this morning about Amazon and drivers in general,

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<v Speaker 2>ups specifically by the way, Neil was pointing out that

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<v Speaker 2>in his neighborhood, the drivers, PARTICULARLYBS drivers, as they come

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<v Speaker 2>up to the door after having of course navigated the

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<v Speaker 2>people living on the sidewalks and people sticking guns to

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<v Speaker 2>your faces, so they have survived by the time they

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<v Speaker 2>get to the front door.

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<v Speaker 1>And he just thought, there are some of the.

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<v Speaker 2>Greatest people out there, which by the way, they are. Well,

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<v Speaker 2>there's a little fight going on now with Amazon, and

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't know this. This was an La Times article

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<v Speaker 2>now I want to preface this with this is a

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<v Speaker 2>very anti Amazon article. This is as biased as I've

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<v Speaker 2>seen in terms of being anti Amazon, so please keep

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<v Speaker 2>that in mind. And it's about this guy, Raj Paul Singh,

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<v Speaker 2>who and I'm not going to make any jokes about

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<v Speaker 2>call centers.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not. And he's an Amazon driver and.

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<v Speaker 2>He drives in the area of Lancaster and Palmdale, and

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<v Speaker 2>if you've ever been up there, particularly during the summer,

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<v Speaker 2>it gets insanely hot. I mean, this is up right

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<v Speaker 2>next to the Mojave Desert, I think, and it's just

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<v Speaker 2>and they're driving around and in their vehicles it's over

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<v Speaker 2>one hundred degrees. And so he gets nineteen dollars and

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<v Speaker 2>seventy five cents an hour.

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<v Speaker 1>And he was not being paid bought and was is

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<v Speaker 1>an operative word here. He was not being paid by Amazon.

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<v Speaker 2>He was being paid by a company called Battle Tested Strategies.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a delivery company that Amazon is its only client.

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<v Speaker 2>The story that was in the La Times about this

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<v Speaker 2>Amazon driver Raj Dah Raj Paul sing I am guessing

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<v Speaker 2>that he's Indian, just a wild ass guests and he

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<v Speaker 2>drives for Amazon around Lancaster and Palmdale and is hotter

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<v Speaker 2>than hell. And it's just it's miserable, it is. And

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<v Speaker 2>he gets the nineteen dollars and seventy five cents an hour,

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<v Speaker 2>not working for Amazon, working for a company called Battle

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<v Speaker 2>Tested Strategies delivery company that Amazon Amazon, it's its only client.

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<v Speaker 1>And there's a whole world together. So a whole world there.

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<v Speaker 2>So sing and other drivers because they talk to each other,

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<v Speaker 2>banded together and they demanded better working conditions. And we're

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<v Speaker 2>talking about unionizing. Now you put union in front of Amazon,

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<v Speaker 2>just the word union, and you've got yourself a battle

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<v Speaker 2>that's unbelievable. I think there are two or three Amazon

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<v Speaker 2>warehouses that are unionized.

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<v Speaker 1>And Amazon fought it like hell.

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<v Speaker 2>And let me tell you what happened to this company,

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<v Speaker 2>Battle Tested Strategies. They're drivers by the way, for Amazon

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<v Speaker 2>for the most part, don't work for Amazon. They work

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<v Speaker 2>for these third party companies that Amazon helped set up.

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<v Speaker 1>They had a program.

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<v Speaker 2>That they started back in twenty twenty two and they

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<v Speaker 2>ran ads and said, how'd you like to start your

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<v Speaker 2>own business and delivering for us? And the Raj bil

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<v Speaker 2>Raj Paul Singh was hired by Battle Tested Strategies to drive.

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<v Speaker 1>Now.

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<v Speaker 2>The owner of battle Test Strategies is a veteran and

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<v Speaker 2>this program was for veterans, and the program said, we

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<v Speaker 2>can help you set up your own business driving for us,

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<v Speaker 2>delivering for us, and you have to buy the van

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<v Speaker 2>or lease it from us, and you have to be

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<v Speaker 2>trained by us.

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<v Speaker 1>And what you're going to get is you your drivers are.

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<v Speaker 2>Going to get nineteen dollars to seventy five cents an

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<v Speaker 2>hour because that's what Amazon suggested, and that's what they do.

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<v Speaker 2>And by the way, battle Test of Strategies has shut

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<v Speaker 2>down because the owner was in favor of the drivers unionizing.

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<v Speaker 1>The owner was in favor of better.

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<v Speaker 2>Working conditions, and when the union went public or when

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<v Speaker 2>the drivers went public, he backed them up. Amazon effectively

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<v Speaker 2>shut down this company. Just shut it down. Amazon is brutal.

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<v Speaker 2>Let me tell you, this is a company that is

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<v Speaker 2>absolutely brutal. I mean, the most obviously the most successful

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<v Speaker 2>internet company that's ever been certainly in terms of sales,

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<v Speaker 2>it does what five hundred and seventy five billion dollars

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<v Speaker 2>a year, more revenue and more business and a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of countries do. But there have been frustrations over pay

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<v Speaker 2>and working conditions, and these drivers went to the National

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<v Speaker 2>Labor Relations Board and they sort of went both ways.

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<v Speaker 2>One uh in one regional director of the eneral and

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<v Speaker 2>LRB said Amazon, it's a The drivers work for both companies.

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<v Speaker 2>Your delivery company that's independent, you say, and you and

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<v Speaker 2>the fight is going on like crazy. The teamsters are

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<v Speaker 2>now involved because they're involved in unionizing these companies UPS.

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<v Speaker 1>It's simple UPS. Drivers work for UPS. That's it. You

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<v Speaker 1>get your pay, which is very good. You have a problem.

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<v Speaker 1>They're unionized.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a pretty simple business arrangement between the drivers and

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<v Speaker 2>the company UPS. And drivers love working for UPS. Although

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<v Speaker 2>all you do is make right turns. You know, they're

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<v Speaker 2>so strategy minded they do.

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<v Speaker 1>Look look it up.

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<v Speaker 2>They the way they plan their deliveries, the way the

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<v Speaker 2>system works is make as many right turns as possible

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<v Speaker 2>because left turns are all delays. You're waiting in line,

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<v Speaker 2>you get caught in the left turn lane and it's Neil.

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<v Speaker 1>You're giving me the look. I'm telling you, fascinating. Look

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<v Speaker 1>it up.

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<v Speaker 2>It's crazy when I was told this. And by the way,

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<v Speaker 2>it could be a it could be an urban myth.

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<v Speaker 2>It could be like the lady who dried her poodle

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<v Speaker 2>in a microwave, although I doubt it. By the way,

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<v Speaker 2>that's probably more true than the right hand turns on ups.

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<v Speaker 2>But the point is is that Amazon is probably going

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<v Speaker 2>to lose this battle because one of the things that

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<v Speaker 2>Amazon did and accused of doing. Remember this is out

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<v Speaker 2>of the La Times article, and it's anti Amazon.

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<v Speaker 1>I told you that. So keep that in mind.

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<v Speaker 2>Is that they fight, fight, fight, and a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>employees are bitching and moaning like crazy. How about the

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<v Speaker 2>people that work in the fulfillment setters and the Amazon

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<v Speaker 2>work in the Amazon warehouses. We've had story after story

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<v Speaker 2>coming out about the working conditions and how fast they

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<v Speaker 2>have to pack and deliver the packages to the other

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<v Speaker 2>part of the warehouse, and so we've got complaints like

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<v Speaker 2>crazy about them or about Amazon on that level. Let

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<v Speaker 2>me tell you, I mean, the bottom line is that

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<v Speaker 2>Amazon is a tough place to work. And in the

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<v Speaker 2>case of the guy who owns battle tested Strategies, unfortunately

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<v Speaker 2>he got nailed. They just canceled his contract. They just

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<v Speaker 2>said no. And they're saying, oh, because you're the truck.

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<v Speaker 2>There was a problem with the light on the truck.

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<v Speaker 2>A license plate was put on improperly, according to the owner,

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<v Speaker 2>and they gave him sixty days notice and he said

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<v Speaker 2>he lost his shirt.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, let's do this. Oh, I have a story

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<v Speaker 1>for you.

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<v Speaker 2>The immigrants that oppose immigration, and I'll tell you a

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<v Speaker 2>personal story in my life. And what is going on

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<v Speaker 2>and why Donald Trump is actually gaining traction with hispanics.

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<v Speaker 1>That's all coming up.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm coughing, kf I am six forty live everywhere,

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<v Speaker 2>stop laughing stock live everywhere.

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<v Speaker 1>I do it, No, I do?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah, is cough on it? You know why I

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<v Speaker 2>don't use the cough button. Maybe I'm wrong on this.

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<v Speaker 2>You're our technical director, Kono. I've always thought that metal

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<v Speaker 2>fingers come out from under the desk and you hear

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<v Speaker 2>a voice that says, turn your head left and cough.

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<v Speaker 2>By the way, that's an old joke because that's what

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<v Speaker 2>they used to do. Doctors used to do that to

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<v Speaker 2>check for hernias.

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<v Speaker 1>Did you know that?

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<v Speaker 3>And then they would cup your your scrob uh yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, I know.

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<v Speaker 2>For some reason, how can you tell that's the hernia?

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<v Speaker 2>I don't understand.

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<v Speaker 1>It wasn't.

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<v Speaker 3>The doctor was messing with you fell flor it.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, we're gonna come back okay, because we just went

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<v Speaker 2>off on a tangent, did we not? There you go

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<v Speaker 2>o kf I am six forty Live everywhere on the

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<v Speaker 2>iHeartRadio app.

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<v Speaker 1>You've been listening to the Bill Handle Show.

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<v Speaker 2>Catch My Show Monday through Friday six am to nine am,

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<v Speaker 2>and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app