1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: What's going on. Thank you so much for listening to 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,640 this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon 3 00:00:09,679 --> 00:00:12,480 to three on WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,719 want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, 5 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:18,719 my daily show prep with all of the links. Become 6 00:00:18,719 --> 00:00:22,359 a patron, go to dpeteclendershow dot com. Make sure you 7 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:24,960 hit the subscribe button. Get every episode for free, rite 8 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,320 to your smartphone or tablet, and again, thank you so 9 00:00:27,399 --> 00:00:33,000 much for your support. Let's go over the latest installment 10 00:00:33,119 --> 00:00:38,119 in the never ending saga of the Board of Elections 11 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:45,399 litigation in North Carolina. The control of the state Board 12 00:00:45,439 --> 00:00:51,439 of Elections has been the source of much litigation, much legislation, 13 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:59,159 and much consternation over the last well since twenty eleven. 14 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:03,280 That's when Republics won control of the General Assembly and 15 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,840 they then began trying to change the makeup of the 16 00:01:07,879 --> 00:01:13,760 state Board of Elections, especially after a series of bad 17 00:01:13,799 --> 00:01:19,000 behavior and maladministration occurred. And at the heart of it 18 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:24,000 is that the governor appoints a majority of the well 19 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,840 all of the members of the Board of Elections. There 20 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,840 are five members at the state level, and then all 21 00:01:29,879 --> 00:01:32,439 of the counties. It used to be three. I don't 22 00:01:32,439 --> 00:01:34,439 know if they expanded to five at the local level, 23 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:36,640 but I think it's still three. And so what the 24 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:41,120 governor always does is appoints a majority from his own 25 00:01:41,159 --> 00:01:46,760 party and a minority from the opposing party. And what 26 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:51,799 that then translates into is that the governorship controlled by 27 00:01:51,799 --> 00:01:55,879 Democrats for now like eighty years, most of it, aside 28 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,840 from you know, Jim Martin back in the what eighties, 29 00:01:58,959 --> 00:02:02,719 Jim Holshauser for a brief period, and then Pat McCrory 30 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:07,799 for one term. That the boards of election are packed 31 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:12,840 with Democrats three to two majority at the state level 32 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,479 and two to one majorities at every county level. And 33 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,840 so they have resisted because they're Democrats, and for some 34 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:27,719 reason they resist really most efforts to lock down the 35 00:02:27,759 --> 00:02:32,439 integrity of the systems and to do proper list maintenance 36 00:02:32,479 --> 00:02:35,599 and such. They don't want anybody to be disenfranchised by 37 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,960 any kind of restriction, right when in fact, every single restriction, 38 00:02:41,439 --> 00:02:44,280 like simply saying you can't vote if you're not eighteen, 39 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,719 that's a restriction that disenfranchises everybody under the age of eighteen. 40 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:54,120 But that is what we have put on as a 41 00:02:54,159 --> 00:02:57,439 restriction as a society. We have determined eighteen years old 42 00:02:57,479 --> 00:03:01,080 is when you can vote. There's a reason for that. 43 00:03:02,719 --> 00:03:06,840 All rules, even you know, do you have ten days 44 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,199 of early voting, fifteen days of early voting? Right, they 45 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:15,240 are all restrictive in some way. And so when you're arguing. 46 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:17,159 It's one of the things that drives me nuts about 47 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:22,479 Democrats on any kind of election integrity topic, is this 48 00:03:22,599 --> 00:03:26,280 idea that because we differ on where we want to 49 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:29,360 set the guardrail, like you want it to be way 50 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:30,759 out there and I would like it to be a 51 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:34,479 little bit closer here. And then you accuse me of 52 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:38,479 wanting to, you know, stop people from voting, when no, 53 00:03:38,759 --> 00:03:40,800 I just I don't think we need a full month 54 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,039 of early voting for a number of reasons. Right, There's 55 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,199 an administrative reason, there's a cost reason involved, there's a 56 00:03:48,439 --> 00:03:51,159 you know, possibility that the longer you run these things, 57 00:03:51,199 --> 00:03:53,879 the more open they become to manipulation and such. There 58 00:03:53,879 --> 00:03:57,400 are all sorts of reasons, and I don't I'm not 59 00:03:57,439 --> 00:04:01,599 going to ascribe motive to you, and you shouldn't ascribe 60 00:04:01,599 --> 00:04:03,879 motive to me when we're when we agree that a 61 00:04:04,039 --> 00:04:09,159 restriction is acceptable, we're just disagreeing on where to set 62 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,639 up that guardrail. But when it comes to the Board 63 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,599 of Elections and the makeup and who appoints these members, 64 00:04:16,319 --> 00:04:20,199 the Republican lawmakers have been trying for the last for 65 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:23,079 the over the last decade, they have been trying to 66 00:04:23,639 --> 00:04:28,319 make the Board of Elections less of a partisan packed 67 00:04:28,519 --> 00:04:35,720 body and more of an either bipartisan one, or to 68 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:37,639 pack it with more or to put more people on 69 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:40,680 there that are, you know, independents or whatever, or to 70 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:45,240 make them appointed by state parties or legislature or whatever like. 71 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:49,680 They they've they've tried all sorts of different permutations, and 72 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,920 every single time the governor, the past governor Roy Cooper 73 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,519 now Josh Stein, every single time the governor fights them 74 00:04:57,519 --> 00:05:01,720 on this. Stein and Cooper want to keep control of 75 00:05:01,759 --> 00:05:06,519 the Board of Elections under their control. They want to 76 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,839 make the appointments, they want the ability to remove people 77 00:05:09,879 --> 00:05:13,800 in the like. And it's hard for me to believe 78 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:18,199 that it is not due in some part to the 79 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:23,439 fact that they are your political party allies. And again, 80 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,240 as I mentioned, some of the behavior of the Board 81 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,560 of Elections in recent years has been a little suss 82 00:05:29,759 --> 00:05:36,480 as the kids would say. For example, four executive directors 83 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:42,800 have resigned over the last roughly ten years, they've had 84 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:48,040 four executive directors who are apparently chosen by the governor's 85 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:55,279 campaign team, had to resign, including for overt partisan behavior. 86 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,480 The Board was the subject of national media criticism when 87 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,240 it tried to lock out the Green Party from the ballot. 88 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:08,920 Green Party had to sue and they won. Twenty twenty. 89 00:06:09,079 --> 00:06:11,800 They had the secret deal that they cut that the 90 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,560 Board of Elections cut with their allies in these left 91 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:22,800 wing nonprofits that sued to try to expand voting while 92 00:06:22,879 --> 00:06:27,480 voting was occurring, to try to expand the voting rules 93 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:31,959 for COVID, they had asked the legislature to give them 94 00:06:32,079 --> 00:06:35,519 like longer times and you know, extended periods and you know, 95 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:40,040 don't worry about the the affidavits and such, and the 96 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:42,839 signatures on the ballots and postmarks and like all of 97 00:06:42,879 --> 00:06:44,959 these things that they wanted to see done. And the 98 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,240 legislature said, no, we'll do some of these fixes here 99 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,600 for the pandemic and that's it. And then they got sued. 100 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:57,240 The Board got sued by some lefty groups saying no, no, no, 101 00:06:57,279 --> 00:06:59,319 you should do what the Democrats on the Board of 102 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:04,040 Elections want, and they then cut a deal with the 103 00:07:04,079 --> 00:07:07,120 Board of Elections and the Attorney General's office josh Stein's office. 104 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:09,839 They cut a deal one of the defendants, though in 105 00:07:09,839 --> 00:07:12,040 that case that was not part of the deal. They 106 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,079 didn't even know about a potential deal was the legislature. 107 00:07:16,639 --> 00:07:19,959 That was why it was called a collusive settlement. They 108 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,160 cut out the law the legislature because they would have 109 00:07:22,279 --> 00:07:26,680 they would not have agreed to the settlement deal. And 110 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:28,959 then all of the Democrats basically went in front of 111 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,399 the Democrat judge and said, hey, we got to an agreement. 112 00:07:31,399 --> 00:07:33,160 We're going to settle this so it doesn't go to trial. 113 00:07:33,199 --> 00:07:37,319 Everybody's happy. And then the Legislature's like, wha wait a minute, 114 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:40,439 you sued us too. We're not part of this deal. 115 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:47,279 So now the legislature said, you know what, we're moving 116 00:07:47,279 --> 00:07:49,120 this from the governor. We're going to move it over 117 00:07:49,199 --> 00:07:52,600 to the state auditor, Dave Bullet. We're going to move 118 00:07:52,639 --> 00:07:55,439 it over to him. He's a Republican and he'll be 119 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,920 in charge of the Board of Elections. Now, josh Stein sued, 120 00:08:00,319 --> 00:08:05,160 they went to a district court level, basically the local district. 121 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,720 They got a three judge panel, and I believe it 122 00:08:08,759 --> 00:08:13,920 was believe it was two Republicans and one Democrat. The 123 00:08:13,959 --> 00:08:17,800 panel split, the two Republicans split, and so it was 124 00:08:17,839 --> 00:08:21,199 a two to one ruling Democrat Republican versus a Republican 125 00:08:22,199 --> 00:08:25,759 against the legislature. We went over some of the details 126 00:08:25,759 --> 00:08:29,399 on this the other day last week. But then the 127 00:08:29,439 --> 00:08:33,879 Court of Appeals just stepped in and blocked that lower 128 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:40,240 court ruling that was in favor of Josh thein And 129 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:46,039 today was the day, according to the law, when the 130 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:50,039 State Auditor would make the appointments to the Board of Elections. 131 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:53,440 And because the Court of Appeals blocked that lower court, 132 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:56,559 that means the law is still in effect. And so 133 00:08:56,679 --> 00:09:00,759 what just happened was the state Auditor announced his picks 134 00:09:00,799 --> 00:09:04,879 for the state Board of Elections. I've got their names 135 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,279 right here. Some of them might be familiar, all right. 136 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,600 So spring is here a time of renewal and celebrations. 137 00:09:11,799 --> 00:09:15,399 You've got graduations, weddings, anniversaries and the special days for 138 00:09:15,519 --> 00:09:17,840 mom and dad. Your family's making memories that are going 139 00:09:17,879 --> 00:09:20,279 to last a lifetime. But let me ask you, are 140 00:09:20,399 --> 00:09:23,519 all of those treasured moments from days gone by? Are 141 00:09:23,519 --> 00:09:28,399 they hidden away on old VCR tapes? Eight millimeter films, photos, slides. 142 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:32,000 Are they preserved because over time, these precious memories can 143 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:36,720 fade and deteriorate, losing the magic of yesterday. At Creative Video, 144 00:09:36,799 --> 00:09:39,919 they help you protect what matters most. 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So now the state auditor. According to the 156 00:10:18,799 --> 00:10:23,919 state law, the auditor now gets to make the appointments 157 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:28,559 to the Board of Elections. Democrats are not playing along 158 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:31,240 with this, so they have not submitted any names for 159 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,320 the appointments, and that's usually how this works. The state 160 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,639 party will I think it's the state party, could be 161 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:40,759 the legislature, but I think it's the state Party and 162 00:10:40,799 --> 00:10:43,200 they recommend the names, and then the governor picks off 163 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,559 of the list of names, and so they've only got 164 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:52,120 the Republican members named. Here are the three names for 165 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:57,840 the State Board of Elections to be chair. Francis de Luca. 166 00:10:58,519 --> 00:11:02,279 He is the former president of the Civitas Institute, served 167 00:11:02,279 --> 00:11:05,399 in the United States Marine Corps for thirty years, retired 168 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,799 at the rank of colonel, and was a previous member 169 00:11:08,799 --> 00:11:18,159 of the State Ethics Commission. Second right, so this is nominated. Sorry, 170 00:11:18,519 --> 00:11:20,639 de Lucas not nominated to be the chair, my bed. 171 00:11:20,759 --> 00:11:24,639 He was nominated by the chair of the State Republican Party. 172 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:28,600 That's who makes these nominations. Another nomination from the state 173 00:11:29,279 --> 00:11:36,559 party Chairman Bob Rucho, former North Carolina lawmaker I believe, 174 00:11:36,559 --> 00:11:39,120 a Mecklenburg County commissioner at one point. He now lives 175 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:43,559 in Catawba County and he's a former state senator for 176 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:51,600 seventeen years, and so he was named. And Stacey Clyde Eggers, 177 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:55,480 the fourth of Boone, who is currently a member of 178 00:11:55,519 --> 00:11:58,559 the State Board of Elections already, So that would be 179 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:01,840 the makeup if it is allowed to stand. Now, will 180 00:12:01,879 --> 00:12:04,519 it be allowed to stand. I don't know now the governor. 181 00:12:04,799 --> 00:12:08,600 After the Court of Appeals decision, the Governor came out 182 00:12:08,639 --> 00:12:14,039 and started throwing shade all over the place at the judges, 183 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,279 which I think, are we still doing the whole you 184 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:19,879 can undermine the judiciary. That's a threat to the democracy. 185 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,320 Are we still doing that? Or no? It's hard for 186 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:25,440 me to keep track, like, are we still packing the court? 187 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:27,679 Was that still something we wanted to do? Pack the 188 00:12:27,759 --> 00:12:32,600 US Supreme Court? We still Yeah? That kind of that 189 00:12:32,639 --> 00:12:34,759 whole movement just kind of died away for some reason. 190 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:39,399 I digress. The governor said that the decision poses a 191 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:43,279 threat to our democrac and the rule of law. The 192 00:12:43,279 --> 00:12:47,879 only plausible explanation, he claims, for the appeals court action 193 00:12:48,039 --> 00:12:52,120 is to try to help overturn the results of last 194 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:59,440 falls disputed state Supreme Court election. The only plausible explanation, 195 00:12:59,639 --> 00:13:05,120 he said, this guy's a lawyer. Josh Stein's a lawyer. 196 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:09,799 He's the former attorney general. And you can't think of 197 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:17,440 another explanation for why judges, a three judge panel on 198 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:21,799 the Court of Appeals, why they came to a different conclusion. 199 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:24,600 You do realize that the lower court decision that you 200 00:13:24,639 --> 00:13:28,039 were touting that that was a split decision two to one, 201 00:13:28,919 --> 00:13:34,000 and the one judge Womble is his name, Andrew Womble. 202 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:38,440 He wrote a dissent. He's a Republican. He wrote a dissent, 203 00:13:38,759 --> 00:13:43,120 and in that dissent he explained plausibly. I might add 204 00:13:43,919 --> 00:13:51,279 what his argument is for not overturning this law. He said, 205 00:13:51,919 --> 00:13:57,679 the General Assembly reassigns the duties of the auditor while 206 00:13:57,759 --> 00:14:02,240 keeping the appointment power within the executive branch, which is 207 00:14:02,279 --> 00:14:05,840 still subject to the supervision and direction of the governor. 208 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,840 So the plain text of the Constitution establishes the auditor 209 00:14:10,919 --> 00:14:14,919 as a member of the executive branch, and the constitution 210 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:21,360 authorizes the General Assembly to assign the auditor's duties. We 211 00:14:21,519 --> 00:14:24,480 talked about this on Tuesday with Andrew Dunn from Long 212 00:14:24,559 --> 00:14:28,279 Leave Politics, and he explained he wrote about this, I 213 00:14:28,279 --> 00:14:30,600 think it was over at the It was an obed 214 00:14:30,639 --> 00:14:34,200 in the Charlotte Observer where he spelled out how North 215 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:39,759 Carolina needs a new constitution because there's ambiguity in the 216 00:14:39,799 --> 00:14:45,360 state constitution about this very thing. The General Assembly like, 217 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:50,720 we don't want a king, and so they diffused the 218 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:55,919 power in the executive branch among ten offices. These are 219 00:14:55,919 --> 00:14:58,639 the Council of State offices, and we vote on these 220 00:14:58,639 --> 00:15:04,039 every four years. Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, 221 00:15:04,679 --> 00:15:12,200 Agriculture Commissioner, insurance commissioner, Auditor treasurer. Well that's eight. What 222 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,720 am I missing? It doesn't matter. There are two more 223 00:15:14,759 --> 00:15:17,360 in there. I forget which ones. So you have these 224 00:15:17,399 --> 00:15:26,000 ten executive executive branch offices. Their duties are assigned by 225 00:15:26,039 --> 00:15:31,799 the legislature. And this is why Democrats and Republicans. But 226 00:15:32,039 --> 00:15:35,279 Democrats really started this whole tradition. They wrote the I mean, 227 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:38,639 they were the ones that created the constitution we're living 228 00:15:38,759 --> 00:15:43,519 under now because they controlled the legislature for seventy years, 229 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:48,840 and our constitution was ratified in like the late sixties. 230 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,200 It's our third constitution in the state. Took effect in 231 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:56,919 like nineteen seventy one. And so Democrats wrote all of this, 232 00:15:58,159 --> 00:15:59,799 but they wrote it all at a time when they 233 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,320 had a hammer lock on all of the power. So 234 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,000 they gave the legislature all of this power because that's 235 00:16:07,039 --> 00:16:10,000 where they wanted the power to lie with them. They 236 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,639 were the ones drafting the constitution after all, right, they 237 00:16:12,639 --> 00:16:13,960 were the ones that did it all up and so 238 00:16:14,799 --> 00:16:18,879 they they put this into place. Now they were warned. 239 00:16:18,879 --> 00:16:21,240 There was a commission that they had impaneled, and the 240 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:25,240 commission actually warned about this kind of a problem in 241 00:16:25,279 --> 00:16:30,440 that you've got ambiguity about some of the roles of 242 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:32,960 the executive branches and whether the legislature would have too 243 00:16:33,039 --> 00:16:35,200 much power moving things around and that sort of thing. 244 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,559 And that's what we have seen. Democrats wanted that control 245 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:43,240 in the legislature. But now when you have Republicans controlling 246 00:16:43,279 --> 00:16:47,840 the legislature and Democrats controlling the executive branch or the governorship, 247 00:16:47,879 --> 00:16:51,679 I should say, now, now they're not too keen on 248 00:16:51,919 --> 00:16:57,279 the lawmakers taking away duties from offices that they hold. 249 00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:01,440 They were fined by the way doing it. When Republicans, 250 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:05,000 on the rare occasion would win the governor's race or 251 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,720 the lieutenant governor's race, they would strip power from the 252 00:17:08,759 --> 00:17:11,920 lieutenant They did with Jim Martin when he won the 253 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:13,960 lieutenant governor's race, and they were like, oh my gosh, 254 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:16,039 this is unacceptable. They stripped him. That's why the lieutenant 255 00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:18,519 governor to this day doesn't really have much power. It's 256 00:17:18,519 --> 00:17:22,359 because a Republican won. And that was you know, that 257 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:25,559 was unfathomable. How dare he win? So they took away 258 00:17:25,559 --> 00:17:30,240 all of his power. And so now that the Republicans 259 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:35,079 have the legislature, they're doing it to the governor. And 260 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:40,279 in the dissent by the Republican judge on the lower 261 00:17:40,319 --> 00:17:44,319 court panel, he said, the plain text of the Constitution 262 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:48,119 says the Auditor is a member of the executive branch, 263 00:17:48,319 --> 00:17:52,480 and the General Assembly assigns his duties. Thus, the decision 264 00:17:52,599 --> 00:17:55,119 to assign the duty of appointment of members of the 265 00:17:55,119 --> 00:17:58,480 Board of Elections to the Auditor is one that the 266 00:17:58,519 --> 00:18:03,119 General Assembly was expressed authorized to make. As a result, 267 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:07,079 the governor cannot show that the bill either impedes his 268 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,839 ability to take care that the laws will be faithfully executed, 269 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:15,000 nor it doesn't violate the separation of powers clause, because 270 00:18:15,039 --> 00:18:17,960 this is what the other two judges argued. They said, Well, 271 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:22,759 the governor has is charged in the Constitution with taking 272 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:29,000 care that the laws be faithfully executed. And what the 273 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:33,680 Auditor has argued in his court filings is that you've 274 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,519 basically made all of the other nine Council of State offices, 275 00:18:38,599 --> 00:18:41,440 You've made them basically subservient to the governor as if 276 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:45,279 we're his assistants or something like the deputy assistant to 277 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:47,839 the regional manager or something. But that's not the case. 278 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:51,480 We are all on the Council of State. Here's a 279 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,400 great idea. How about making an escape to a really 280 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:57,640 special and secluded getaway in western North Carolina. Just a 281 00:18:57,759 --> 00:19:00,319 quick drive up the mountain and Cabins of Ashville is 282 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,279 your connection. 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Call or text eight two 298 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:59,599 eight three six seven seventy sixty eight or check out 299 00:19:59,599 --> 00:20:02,359 all the re to offer at cabins Offashville dot com 300 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:07,480 and make memories that'll last a lifetime. So Charlotte Observer 301 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:13,720 report by Richard Straddling or Stradling on a piece of 302 00:20:13,799 --> 00:20:19,160 legislation moving through the General Assembly in Raleigh that will 303 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:27,039 finally crack down on the monsters who drive too slow 304 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:31,599 in the left lane. It's about time that this scourge 305 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:37,960 has been addressed. Quote. Many people believe it's common courtesy 306 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,000 to get out of the left lane of the wait. 307 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:44,599 That is not true. That is not true. Fake news 308 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:48,200 right there. Many people do not believe it's common courtesy 309 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:53,559 at all at all. They drive in the left lane 310 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:59,160 all the time like it's their birthright or something. It's 311 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:02,000 not just courtesy. Though. If you're in the left lane 312 00:21:02,039 --> 00:21:04,680 and there's nobody around you, that's fine. You can drive 313 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:07,319 in the left lane. I don't care. I'm not around you. 314 00:21:08,319 --> 00:21:12,400 But if you see somebody coming up behind you, you 315 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:15,519 should not be in that left lane and force them 316 00:21:15,559 --> 00:21:19,160 to go around you. The left lane is for passing. 317 00:21:20,519 --> 00:21:24,400 It's a passing lane, okay. Passing on the right is 318 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:29,000 more dangerous. So you're supposed to not be in the 319 00:21:29,079 --> 00:21:33,480 left lane. When people come up behind you and they 320 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:35,559 want to get around you, you're supposed to get over. 321 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:39,160 It's not just courtesy, it's actually the freaking law. Okay. 322 00:21:39,759 --> 00:21:43,759 In North Carolina, as in most states, it is against 323 00:21:43,799 --> 00:21:48,240 the law to impede traffic by driving less than the 324 00:21:48,279 --> 00:21:52,119 speed limit in the left lane. If you don't want 325 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:56,279 to drive the speed limit, fine, get your butt over 326 00:21:56,319 --> 00:22:02,039 into the right lane. House lawmaker want to make the 327 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:06,279 law more explicit and have it apply regardless of how 328 00:22:06,319 --> 00:22:10,559 fast people are driving. So even now, if you are 329 00:22:10,599 --> 00:22:13,359 going the speed limit, if you're on the interstate, this 330 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:16,200 is where it would apply on the interstates. You're on 331 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,000 the interstate, you're going seventy miles an hour, the speed 332 00:22:19,039 --> 00:22:22,480 limit is seventy miles an hour. And somebody comes up 333 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:24,359 behind you, you do what I do, which is you 334 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:28,480 get over. They obviously are on their way to the hospital. Right, 335 00:22:28,559 --> 00:22:30,200 So like one way or the other. They're on their 336 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:32,480 way to the hospital, so like, go ahead and get 337 00:22:32,519 --> 00:22:38,559 over and let them pass. I get the sense. And 338 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:40,799 I don't know this to be true or not, because 339 00:22:40,839 --> 00:22:45,079 I do not have ESP I have not asked the 340 00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:48,400 people that you know, drive too slowly in the left lane. 341 00:22:48,759 --> 00:22:52,039 I have not asked them this. But I suspect part 342 00:22:52,039 --> 00:23:00,160 of it is sort of this delusion of authority, like 343 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:05,200 they think they're they're the traffic cops, that they're sitting 344 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,000 in that left lane and they're going to make sure 345 00:23:07,079 --> 00:23:10,160 nobody nobody breaks the law. I'm gonna sit I'm going 346 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:14,039 to drive the speed limit on cruise control seventy and 347 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:18,920 a seventy and nobody can get around me because I'm helping. 348 00:23:20,039 --> 00:23:25,359 I'm making sure you follow the law. I feel like 349 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,400 that's what's going on there. By the way, if they 350 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:32,680 do crack down on, you know, people driving too slow 351 00:23:32,759 --> 00:23:38,039 in the left lane, this basically, I think now prohibits 352 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,559 every driver from Tennessee from driving on our highways. 353 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 2: I think. 354 00:23:43,559 --> 00:23:46,920 Speaker 1: I don't know what they're gonna do. You don't really 355 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:48,680 see a lot of it here in the Charlotte area, 356 00:23:50,799 --> 00:23:53,359 but up in western North Carolina you get a lot 357 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,640 of Tennessee, you know, crossover drivers that come into western 358 00:23:56,640 --> 00:24:00,200 North Carolina, and I don't know, I feel like it 359 00:24:00,279 --> 00:24:03,000 might actually be a rule in Tennessee that you're supposed 360 00:24:03,039 --> 00:24:06,400 to stay in that left lane. I feel like it 361 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:08,680 might be against the law to drive in the right 362 00:24:08,759 --> 00:24:11,799 lane in Tennessee because there's no other explanation I can 363 00:24:11,839 --> 00:24:17,799 think of as to why every Tennessee driver that I 364 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:21,279 ever encountered on the interstate is in the left lane 365 00:24:21,839 --> 00:24:25,279 and not going the speed limit. I do not understand it. 366 00:24:25,279 --> 00:24:28,960 It's got to be something that they're taught. I'm not 367 00:24:29,279 --> 00:24:33,960 I'm not denigrating Tennessee drivers. I mean, they could very 368 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:39,519 well be the worst there. I mean, Florida they're the worst. 369 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:44,279 Now South Carolina, you guys aren't so hot either. You 370 00:24:44,319 --> 00:24:46,839 know what I've noticed, Anybody who doesn't have a license 371 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,880 plate from the state that I have a license plate 372 00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:54,839 from is the worst. That's what I've determined everybody. And 373 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:57,680 then when i'm if I'm in your state, I'm very 374 00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,920 aware that i'm the out of state tag and then 375 00:25:00,279 --> 00:25:04,079 cringe whenever I see a fellow North Carolina driver doing 376 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:06,359 something stupid, and I'm like, that's not me. He does 377 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:12,039 not represent me. That's a terrible driver, right there, Mark 378 00:25:12,079 --> 00:25:14,559 has Okay, Mark's got some insight. Hello, Mark, welcome to 379 00:25:14,599 --> 00:25:14,960 the show. 380 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:18,079 Speaker 2: Oh peach you so quick? I got to turn a radio. 381 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:20,559 I ain't get to the radio. Okay, here's the deal. 382 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,920 Speaker 1: So is this really Mark? Or is this Winston? What 383 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:27,960 is this really Mark? Or is it Winston? 384 00:25:29,279 --> 00:25:31,480 Speaker 2: No, this is not Winston. This is Mark, the guy 385 00:25:31,519 --> 00:25:35,559 who gives you a eighty nine point whatever percentage. And 386 00:25:37,039 --> 00:25:40,319 I don't know what else I've talked about, but no Winston. 387 00:25:41,319 --> 00:25:44,039 Speaker 1: I'm Mark, okay, and I will take you. 388 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,960 Speaker 2: I'm a fast driver. I can't hit triple digits on 389 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:54,880 the interstate sometimes, but I'm not cutting people off or 390 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:59,000 tail gating or and I use my turn signal accept 391 00:25:59,039 --> 00:26:02,720 in the case of the left hand you know, self, 392 00:26:02,759 --> 00:26:06,759 impage or whatever. I think sometimes you're right there. You 393 00:26:06,799 --> 00:26:12,440 know they're morally justified in their minds. But I sometimes think, 394 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,079 especially if I have South Carolina place as you're talking 395 00:26:15,079 --> 00:26:20,240 about Tennessee and South Charlotte, man everywhere like locusts, and 396 00:26:20,279 --> 00:26:23,559 they don't know how to drive, and they're often in 397 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:26,759 the left hand lane, and you'll probably get some calls 398 00:26:26,839 --> 00:26:30,799 protests in this, but I'm just stating what I see. 399 00:26:31,039 --> 00:26:33,559 So I will shoot the gap on them with no 400 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:38,200 turn signal when I get the first opportunity and leave 401 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:38,440 them in. 402 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,680 Speaker 1: The dust, which is very like that's a very dangerous 403 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:43,839 maneuver shooting the gap. Which is if you're on like 404 00:26:43,839 --> 00:26:46,960 a three lane highway and you got a car in 405 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,319 the left lane, car in the in the far right lane, 406 00:26:49,319 --> 00:26:51,799 and the center lanes open and you're in the left lane, 407 00:26:51,839 --> 00:26:54,039 you move to the center and then shoot between the 408 00:26:54,039 --> 00:26:56,559 two cars. It's so dangerous because if one of those 409 00:26:56,559 --> 00:27:00,920 cars moves into that center lane, you got nowhere to go. 410 00:27:01,839 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 2: Can I say this? Uh three, I've never had a wreck. 411 00:27:07,119 --> 00:27:09,839 I consider myself to be one of the greatest drivers. 412 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:13,759 Speaker 1: Wow. Oh if you do say so yourself, Yes, yeah. 413 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:13,839 Speaker 2: I did. 414 00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:14,519 Speaker 1: Okay, and. 415 00:27:16,039 --> 00:27:24,200 Speaker 2: Don't I don't drive defensively, but I do drive looking 416 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:27,160 out for idiots. They're gonna like I. 417 00:27:27,279 --> 00:27:29,319 Speaker 1: So this is one of the things I do. Drive defensively. 418 00:27:29,359 --> 00:27:31,559 I'm because I when I was growing up, I wanted 419 00:27:31,599 --> 00:27:33,440 to make sure that I passed my tests up in 420 00:27:33,519 --> 00:27:35,559 New York, where they really don't care if you drive. 421 00:27:36,799 --> 00:27:39,000 They prefer to fail you because there are too many 422 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:41,279 people on the roads anyway. So I took a bunch 423 00:27:41,319 --> 00:27:45,519 of classes. I learned defensive driving, and I drive as 424 00:27:45,559 --> 00:27:49,680 if every single vehicle on the road is purposefully trying 425 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:52,680 to kill me? What right? That's how I When I 426 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,039 look at any car that's around me, I'm like, how 427 00:27:55,119 --> 00:27:56,960 is this person going to try to kill me? Now? 428 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:01,720 Speaker 2: Well, I mean err in the interstate on ramp. My 429 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:04,440 philosophy is, you know, get up to about ninety. You're 430 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:08,160 not really gonna have to worry about what that's dumb? 431 00:28:08,559 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 1: That that that's that's dumb. You get You're gonna run 432 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:13,400 out of your merge lane before you even get to night. 433 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:14,480 What kind of car are you driving? 434 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:18,480 Speaker 2: Well, I've given everything from a Lamborghini now I'm driving 435 00:28:18,519 --> 00:28:21,119 of all this. Maybe I shouldn't say, because. 436 00:28:21,319 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: What's your tag number? Again? All right? Mark? I appreciate 437 00:28:26,079 --> 00:28:28,759 the call, sir, No, don't. Yeah, you want to get 438 00:28:28,799 --> 00:28:31,400 up to speed as quickly as possible, Like I was taught, 439 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:33,640 when you get on that merge lane, you you like 440 00:28:33,799 --> 00:28:36,680 pedal all the way to the floor. You want that, 441 00:28:36,839 --> 00:28:39,240 you want that gas all the way down because you 442 00:28:39,319 --> 00:28:42,319 need to get up to highway speed as quickly as possible. 443 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:44,599 I don't think you're gonna get ninety by the time 444 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:46,519 the merge lane, but maybe you're, you know, maybe you 445 00:28:46,599 --> 00:28:49,720 got a car with massive horsepower as possible. Mark. I 446 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:52,160 appreciate the call, all right. If you're listening to this show, 447 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:53,759 you know I try to keep up with all sorts 448 00:28:53,759 --> 00:28:55,799 of current events, and I know you do too. And 449 00:28:55,880 --> 00:28:59,279 you've probably heard me say get your news from multiple sources. 450 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:03,039 Wha well, because it's how you detect media bias, which 451 00:29:03,119 --> 00:29:06,000 is why I've been so impressed with ground News. It's 452 00:29:06,119 --> 00:29:09,559 an app and it's a website, and it combines news 453 00:29:09,559 --> 00:29:11,519 from around the world in one place so you can 454 00:29:11,559 --> 00:29:14,880 compare coverage and verify information. You can check it out 455 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:19,559 at check dot ground, dot news slash pete. I put 456 00:29:19,559 --> 00:29:22,519 the link in the podcast description too. I started using 457 00:29:22,519 --> 00:29:25,440 ground News a few months ago and more recently chose 458 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:27,440 to work with them as an affiliate because it lets 459 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,079 me see clearly how stories get covered and by whom. 460 00:29:31,319 --> 00:29:34,279 The blind spot feature shows you which stories get ignored 461 00:29:34,319 --> 00:29:37,240 by the left and the right. See for yourself check 462 00:29:37,359 --> 00:29:41,839 dot ground, dot news slash pete. Subscribe through that link 463 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,759 and you'll get fifteen percent off any subscription. I use 464 00:29:44,799 --> 00:29:47,920 the Vantage plan to get unlimited access to every feature. 465 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:50,920 Your subscription then not only helps my podcast, but it 466 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,079 also supports ground News as they make the media landscape 467 00:29:54,119 --> 00:29:59,039 more transparent. House Bill eight sixty four would bar people 468 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,000 from using the left lane of a multi lane highway 469 00:30:02,319 --> 00:30:06,079 quote at a speed that impedes the normal and reasonable 470 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:10,559 movement of traffic. That's according to Representative Ray Pickett, a 471 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:14,279 Republican who represents three counties in the northwest corner of 472 00:30:14,359 --> 00:30:17,279 the state, who drafted the bill to address what he 473 00:30:17,359 --> 00:30:21,480 calls left lane campers to persuade them to get the 474 00:30:21,519 --> 00:30:26,000 hell out of my way. He didn't say that, I 475 00:30:26,039 --> 00:30:29,519 said that, and go over to West. Hello West, Welcome 476 00:30:29,519 --> 00:30:31,000 to the program. 477 00:30:31,039 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 3: Hello sir, I enjoy your show. 478 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:34,359 Speaker 1: Thanks sir. What's going on? 479 00:30:35,359 --> 00:30:40,160 Speaker 3: I'm suggesting it a dendum to this loll These people 480 00:30:40,279 --> 00:30:43,200 who spit their gum out on the highway and you're 481 00:30:43,559 --> 00:30:47,000 home to find gum sprayed all over the side of 482 00:30:47,039 --> 00:30:50,599 your car. I think I think we need Dana Testing 483 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,319 to track these people down and put them in put 484 00:30:53,359 --> 00:30:57,119 them in the stocks in the public square, and let 485 00:30:57,160 --> 00:30:59,599 other people hang the gun gum on them. 486 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 1: Or pelt them with gum they could have. You could 487 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:05,519 throw gum. Yeah, you could like chew it up and 488 00:31:05,559 --> 00:31:08,599 throw it at them while they're in the stocks. Yes, 489 00:31:09,279 --> 00:31:12,559 that's very old school, very medieval. I like it. 490 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:14,599 Speaker 3: That's right right now, what if. 491 00:31:14,519 --> 00:31:16,799 Speaker 1: I throw the gum out? If I but what if 492 00:31:16,799 --> 00:31:19,559 I throw my gum out and it lands on the grass? 493 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:25,559 Speaker 3: Uh? No, no, no, you have to you have to 494 00:31:25,599 --> 00:31:28,960 put it in a trash receptacle. It's gonna come out 495 00:31:29,119 --> 00:31:31,240 some kind of problem somewhere down the line. 496 00:31:31,319 --> 00:31:35,559 Speaker 1: Now it won't. Now, if it's in the grass, it's fine. 497 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:37,279 You know what. You don't even know it's in there. 498 00:31:37,319 --> 00:31:40,920 Maybe some like some nasty bug will get stuck in it, 499 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,920 and then like a mosquito lands on it that has 500 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,359 West Nile virus. It gets stuck to the gum, and 501 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:48,119 now it doesn't land on you and give you West 502 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,160 Nile virus. Basically, I'm the hero in that story, I guess. 503 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:54,759 Speaker 3: So that's a compol reading. 504 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:56,720 Speaker 1: But I'll let you go with it all right, man, West, 505 00:31:56,720 --> 00:31:58,839 I appreciate the call. That's a good idea the Cone 506 00:31:58,839 --> 00:32:02,200 of creativity. No bad ideas in the Cone, as we are, 507 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:08,000 John says, I am, or I guess on more than 508 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:11,000 one occasion when I came across one of these whole 509 00:32:11,079 --> 00:32:15,039 monitor types sitting in the left lane, refusing to move 510 00:32:15,079 --> 00:32:17,359 and backing up traffic. I have worked my way around 511 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:19,559 them and then got in front of them and taking 512 00:32:19,559 --> 00:32:23,200 my foot off the gas pedal slowly slowing down. They 513 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:25,440 start to freak out and flash their lights and blow 514 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:27,519 their horn, but eventually they will get over in the 515 00:32:27,559 --> 00:32:29,519 center or right lane. As soon as they do, I 516 00:32:29,599 --> 00:32:31,920 hit the gas and take off, and all the people 517 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:34,960 behind them hit the gas and go. I don't like 518 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:39,720 to throw the word hero around, but yeah, it is 519 00:32:39,799 --> 00:32:44,880 overused nowadays. In this case, I think it applies by 520 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:47,000 the way they do recommend, like you should not do 521 00:32:47,119 --> 00:32:49,240 that sort of a thing, like you should not break check. 522 00:32:49,799 --> 00:32:52,079 You get aggressive drivers around you, just get out of 523 00:32:52,079 --> 00:32:57,039 the way. Just leave them alone. There's no reason, you know, 524 00:32:57,160 --> 00:32:59,640 to basically end up in an altercation. You never know. 525 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:03,480 He's one of the things you never know, and you know, look, 526 00:33:03,519 --> 00:33:06,640 I have made my share of mistakes in the past 527 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:08,440 on the roads and this stuff. But now it's like 528 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:12,920 you never know who is in that other car, and 529 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:15,960 you may think you're the baddest person whatever that person 530 00:33:16,079 --> 00:33:21,359 could be like some sort of serial killer cartel hit man. 531 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:27,359 You have no idea, you know that minivan is just 532 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,920 a cover car, like they're just they're low profiling, which, 533 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:34,480 by the way, white sedan's low profile just as a. 534 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:36,720 Speaker 3: Lead. 535 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:39,720 Speaker 1: Follow or get out of the way, says Mark on 536 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:43,400 an email, and Richard says, I hope they stopped the 537 00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:46,039 left lane campers just so I won't have to listen 538 00:33:46,079 --> 00:33:50,559 to my wife scream at them anymore. Yeah. Yeah, So 539 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:52,839 this does pose a bit of a problem. 540 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:53,039 Speaker 3: Though. 541 00:33:53,079 --> 00:33:58,839 Speaker 1: There is a bit of an issue, which is Representative 542 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:04,160 John Blust, Republican from Guildford County. He asked whether somebody 543 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:07,880 would violate this law if they were driving as fast 544 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:13,199 as the law allows, Like, what would be the defense 545 00:34:14,599 --> 00:34:18,000 in court, Let's say, or with the cop on the 546 00:34:18,039 --> 00:34:20,039 side of the road. But let's do that. You get 547 00:34:20,039 --> 00:34:23,920 pulled over because you're going seventy in a seventy mile 548 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:27,800 an hour zone and you say to the officer, I 549 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:31,320 was going the speed limit. You can't expect me to 550 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:36,239 speed and then get a speeding ticket just so I 551 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:39,239 can get out of the way, right, Isn't would that 552 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:41,280 be the argument? I'm not going to I'm not going 553 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:43,199 to go seventy five miles an hour so I can 554 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:46,480 get ahead of the guy in the center lane. So 555 00:34:46,559 --> 00:34:49,679 here's a good rule of thumb. Though people do not drive, 556 00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:53,440 and this is defensive driving tactic. Do not drive next 557 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:58,760 to anybody. If you've got a car that's pacing you 558 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,119 or something like, you are going the same speed as 559 00:35:01,119 --> 00:35:04,639 somebody else, you need to either speed up or slow down. 560 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:07,360 I don't care which one it is. Speed up or 561 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:10,159 slow down, but do not drive next to another vehicle. 562 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:13,239 That car has a blowout. They're gonna kill you. They 563 00:35:13,239 --> 00:35:15,039 can take you right out. See what I mean? Like 564 00:35:15,039 --> 00:35:17,000 this is when you start thinking the way I think 565 00:35:17,039 --> 00:35:21,199 on the roads that everybody is actively consciously trying to 566 00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:24,280 kill me. If you start thinking like that, you it 567 00:35:25,159 --> 00:35:28,760 really puts things in a different light. I'm just saying, like, 568 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:30,960 you do not want to be around anybody. So I 569 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:33,400 will speed up to get ahead of somebody, and I 570 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:39,519 will slow down and let them go. Tara, Welcome to 571 00:35:39,639 --> 00:35:43,760 the program. Hello, Tara, Hey, how are you? I'm good? 572 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:52,760 What's going on? Tara? Tara? Hello? I think she I 573 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:58,920 think she hit mute on her phone. Well if she did, 574 00:35:59,519 --> 00:36:04,360 I wouldn't. I don't know what you would tell a 575 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:07,559 cop though, when you're going the speed limit and you 576 00:36:07,559 --> 00:36:10,239 don't want to break the speed limit. I don't have 577 00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:15,440 that problem. I follow the age old rule nine you're fine, 578 00:36:15,599 --> 00:36:18,840 ten your mind. I will go nine miles an hour 579 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:23,800 over a speed limit in my current age. When I 580 00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:27,320 was younger and I had more horse power in my vehicle, 581 00:36:28,679 --> 00:36:32,519 I was not always in adherent to that rule, but 582 00:36:32,679 --> 00:36:37,480 now I am, so I'll go seventy eight seventy nine. 583 00:36:38,079 --> 00:36:41,360 And I do not drive in the left lane unless 584 00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:45,440 there's nobody else around me. But even then I'm usually 585 00:36:45,599 --> 00:36:49,400 in the center lane or the right lane. And here's 586 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:53,159 the other thing. Do not slow down in the right 587 00:36:53,239 --> 00:36:56,400 lane for the mergers. Okay, if you are in the 588 00:36:56,440 --> 00:36:59,280 right lane, first off, thank you for not driving in 589 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:01,760 the left. But you have to learn how to let 590 00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:03,960 other cars in front of you. They're not gonna beat 591 00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:06,480 you in the race, okay, Like if they if they're 592 00:37:06,519 --> 00:37:08,920 merging in and they're going fast, getting up to speed, 593 00:37:09,079 --> 00:37:11,639 and they're gonna and they're gonna beat you to that 594 00:37:11,719 --> 00:37:14,519 merge point, just let them in. Let them let them 595 00:37:14,519 --> 00:37:17,400 go in. You can get into the center lane, go 596 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:19,320 into the left land to let them in. That's fine, 597 00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:21,840 they're not gonna win the contest. It's not a contest. 598 00:37:22,280 --> 00:37:25,559 Let them in. And if you're merging in, get up 599 00:37:25,599 --> 00:37:28,199 to speed. But these people, oh my gosh, the ones 600 00:37:28,239 --> 00:37:30,159 that slow down to let other people merge it. No, 601 00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:35,880 just maintain your speed. Maintain your speed. That's Pete's traffic 602 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:39,760 and driving tip for today. All right, that'll do it 603 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:42,400 for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. I 604 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:44,559 could not do the show without your support and the 605 00:37:44,599 --> 00:37:47,639 support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast, so 606 00:37:47,719 --> 00:37:49,760 if you'd like, please support them too and tell them 607 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:51,760 you heard it here. You can also become a patron 608 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:56,079 at my Patreon page or go to thepetecleanershow dot com. Again, 609 00:37:56,320 --> 00:37:58,840 thank you so much for listening, and don't break anything 610 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:05,360 while I'm gone.