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 --> 00:00:12,519 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 --> 00:00:19,239 my daily show prep with all the links, become a patron, 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,640 go to vpeteclendershow dot com. Make sure you hit the 7 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,160 subscribe button. Get every episode for free right to your 8 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:27,679 smartphone or tablet. And again, thank you so much for 9 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:33,479 your support. So the NASCAR world, but also North Carolina 10 00:00:33,799 --> 00:00:39,679 in general. Is morning after yesterday's crash of a private 11 00:00:39,799 --> 00:00:45,119 jet at the Statesville Regional Airport. We covered this live 12 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:49,039 as it was occurring yesterday on the show. It was 13 00:00:49,799 --> 00:00:53,359 very early on identified as a business jet that was 14 00:00:53,439 --> 00:01:00,240 owned by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. GB Aviation Lease Sing 15 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:04,760 I believe, is the name of the company. What appears 16 00:01:05,159 --> 00:01:11,879 according to like flight tracker apps that are out there, 17 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:16,200 I think flight aware is one. It appears that the 18 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,640 plane was taking off and then may have attempted to 19 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:25,920 turn back. It crashed and nobody survived. Seven people died 20 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:32,560 on that plane. Biffle was one. His wife, Christina Grossu 21 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,439 was also on the plane. She perished as did two 22 00:01:37,599 --> 00:01:44,000 of their children, Emma and Ryder. Emma Elizabeth she was 23 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:50,000 born in twenty eleven. Emma was the daughter of Greg 24 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:55,519 Biffle and his first wife, Nicole Lunders. Which I think, 25 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:58,599 you know a lot of people may not, you know, 26 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,400 have thought about this, but it like there's a mom 27 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,599 that lost her her young daughter in this crash yesterday, 28 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,960 and our hearts are broken for her and our prayers 29 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:14,439 for comfort go out to her as well as the 30 00:02:14,599 --> 00:02:21,120 entire Biffel family, the Lunders family. Obviously rider Jack Biffle, 31 00:02:21,479 --> 00:02:24,080 he was just five, He just turned five years old. 32 00:02:25,159 --> 00:02:29,479 Also killed in the crash. Dennis Dutton was a pilot. 33 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,599 I'm assuming that he was flying the plane, I assume, 34 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:35,280 but I don't know that to be the case, but 35 00:02:35,439 --> 00:02:38,919 I assume he was flying. Not only was he killed, 36 00:02:39,039 --> 00:02:45,080 but also his son Jack, so Dennis the father. He 37 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,120 was an international, a three point thirty captain at Delta, 38 00:02:49,039 --> 00:02:54,240 and a retired US Air Force Reserves pilot officer. Jack 39 00:02:54,319 --> 00:02:59,159 Dutton recently became an instrument rated private pilot ASEL. According 40 00:02:59,199 --> 00:03:03,960 to his LinkedIn profile, he was a flight student at Auburn. 41 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:10,879 He graduated from Huff High in Cornelius, near Davidson, and 42 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:17,240 then the seventh victim, Craig Wadsworth, who was a beloved 43 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:20,639 member of the NASCAR community. According to a statement from NASCAR, 44 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,319 uh he drove the motor coach of NASCAR reporter and 45 00:03:25,439 --> 00:03:31,280 former driver Kenny Wallace. So this is a pretty common 46 00:03:31,439 --> 00:03:35,560 gig for drivers like this, not for the race car drivers, 47 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,840 but you know, to go from place to place, they're 48 00:03:38,919 --> 00:03:41,840 you know, they're they're bringing their vehicles and they've got 49 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,159 motor homes, and so they're they're traveling, you know, in 50 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:47,719 a large you know, maybe a convoy of vehicles or whatever, 51 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:51,680 and so they hire drivers to drive their motor i'ms 52 00:03:51,719 --> 00:03:56,639 actually know somebody in my neighborhood who does this, and uh, 53 00:03:56,759 --> 00:03:59,159 you know, so they just they drive these different teams 54 00:03:59,199 --> 00:04:02,960 around and so and so it's, as you might imagine, 55 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:07,479 it's a kind of a small world, small industry. Everybody 56 00:04:07,599 --> 00:04:12,599 kind of knows each other. And this guy was apparently, 57 00:04:12,639 --> 00:04:15,159 you know, just a great guy to work with and 58 00:04:15,199 --> 00:04:20,040 to be around. And so again, as I said yesterday, 59 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,000 if you are of the praying sort, please say a 60 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:27,160 prayer for all of these families that lost their loved 61 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:29,759 ones in this you know, horrific plane crash. It's just 62 00:04:29,879 --> 00:04:35,639 awful and made, you know, compounded by the fact that 63 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:41,560 it's a week before Christmas, and so it's as I 64 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:44,839 was talking about it this morning with a when I 65 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,439 was on a radio show up in Raleigh in Greensboro, 66 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:52,800 and you know, it's a it's it's a good reminder to, 67 00:04:53,759 --> 00:04:56,959 you know, cherish the moments that we have now with 68 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:01,279 the people that we love, because this life is fleeting. 69 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:05,040 You know, you never know, this could be the last 70 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:11,120 Christmas that you are with your family, so you know, 71 00:05:11,199 --> 00:05:13,759 be grateful for that. And I will tell you that, like, 72 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:15,879 this is something that I've been trying to focus on 73 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,639 myself for a while now, which is to to recognize 74 00:05:19,639 --> 00:05:23,079 the things as they are happening and be grateful for 75 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:25,839 the things as they are happening. To have that gratitude. 76 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,000 And I will tell you that I feel like I'm 77 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:35,279 a happier person because I'm identifying these things, right, I 78 00:05:35,319 --> 00:05:38,560 recognize that I have gratitude for this and I and 79 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,399 I consciously think of it, and becomes easier the more 80 00:05:41,519 --> 00:05:43,360 you do it, the more you kind of train yourself 81 00:05:43,399 --> 00:05:46,199 to say, you know, it's not and it's it's not 82 00:05:46,319 --> 00:05:49,160 this thing like, oh well, at least blah blah blah. 83 00:05:49,199 --> 00:05:51,399 You know, it's not like you're trying to always see 84 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:54,279 the bright side of everything. Lord knows, if you listen 85 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:56,639 to this show, you know that I don't always see 86 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:59,519 the bright side of everything, but I do try to 87 00:05:59,519 --> 00:06:03,600 to reckon nice things that I'm grateful for, like being here, 88 00:06:03,959 --> 00:06:08,399 being on the radio, being healthy, right, having healthy family members. 89 00:06:08,959 --> 00:06:11,360 These are things that I am grateful for. I'm grateful 90 00:06:11,439 --> 00:06:14,839 for you. The fact that anybody is willing to turn 91 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:17,480 on a radio station and listen to me. I don't 92 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:20,879 know why, so I'm supremely grateful for that. I'm grateful 93 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:22,839 for the people that have allowed me to do this 94 00:06:22,879 --> 00:06:25,439 because I enjoy doing it. I love doing it, and 95 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,800 I'm grateful for for you being there and listening to 96 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:38,120 the show. I'm grateful for my co workers, and I'm 97 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,480 grateful for the advertisers that's that that support the station. 98 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:46,319 They keep us employed as well. So I think if you, 99 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,879 if you try to to fill your heart and mind 100 00:06:49,959 --> 00:06:52,160 with the things that you are grateful for, I think 101 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:54,360 you're going to be happier. And I'm just speaking from 102 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:59,120 my own experience. I feel happier now than I used 103 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:02,639 to in the past. And I really do think that 104 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:09,079 finding the things to be grateful for, I think that 105 00:07:09,079 --> 00:07:13,279 that acts as an antidote for a lot of the 106 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:18,680 stuff going on that's driving a lot of our animosity 107 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:22,279 in the public discourse, right because a lot of that 108 00:07:22,319 --> 00:07:26,680 stuff is rooted in envy. I feel like, and it's 109 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:30,839 hard to be envious when you're grateful for the stuff 110 00:07:30,839 --> 00:07:33,199 that you have, for the people you know and have 111 00:07:33,279 --> 00:07:37,360 in your life. You know, like, when you're identifying the 112 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:39,839 things that you're grateful for, you become happier and you 113 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:46,480 become more satisfied than constantly looking outward and saying, oh, 114 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,160 look at that person, they got this stuff, and that 115 00:07:49,399 --> 00:07:52,439 envy kind of just it's corrosive, you know, and it 116 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:58,759 just eats away at you. Also, our our prayers are 117 00:07:58,759 --> 00:08:04,000 with the Hunt family. Former governor of North Carolina Jim Hunt. 118 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:08,759 This is the write up on his passing. He was 119 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:16,800 eighty eight. He passed away in WRAL reported that Jim Hunt, 120 00:08:17,079 --> 00:08:20,720 who redefined the office of governor in North Carolina, championed 121 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:25,079 public education and helped focus the state's economy on high 122 00:08:25,079 --> 00:08:30,920 tech industries. Former Governor Jim Hunt was the only four 123 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:35,759 term governor in North Carolina history. He helped push through 124 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,159 amendments to the state constitution that allowed governors to serve 125 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:43,480 consecutive terms because when he first got elected, there was 126 00:08:43,519 --> 00:08:46,639 only you could only do one term four years. So 127 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:50,879 we changed that and so that allowed him to run 128 00:08:50,879 --> 00:08:55,639 for reelection and then after that he ran for US Senate, 129 00:08:55,799 --> 00:08:59,120 lost to Jesse Helms. Then he comes back runs for 130 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:02,039 governor again as another two terms, so he's a four 131 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:07,679 term governor. Nobody has done it since. He also pushed 132 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:11,000 for the adoption of a constitutional amendment to give the 133 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,240 governor's veto power, but not for redistricting maps. They didn't 134 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:18,519 give him that one. He never did use the veto himself. 135 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:22,840 But he was also a big champion of education and 136 00:09:23,639 --> 00:09:28,320 making North Carolina a tech hub as well. We'll get 137 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,200 into more of Jim Hunt's legacy in a bit and 138 00:09:31,279 --> 00:09:35,840 get to some other details here about Greg Biffle in 139 00:09:35,879 --> 00:09:36,240 a moment. 140 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:36,919 Speaker 2: You know. 141 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:39,519 Speaker 1: Stories are powerful. They help us make sense of things, 142 00:09:39,519 --> 00:09:42,960 to understand experiences. Stories connect us to the people of 143 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,320 our past while transcending generations. They help us process the 144 00:09:46,399 --> 00:09:49,799 meaning of life, and our stories are told through images 145 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:53,639 and videos preserve your stories with Creative Video, started in 146 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:56,600 nineteen ninety seven in Minhill, North Carolina. It was the 147 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:00,559 first company to provide this valuable service, converting images, photos 148 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,840 and videos into high quality produced slide shows, videos and albums. 149 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:08,360 The trusted, talented and dedicated team at Creative Video will 150 00:10:08,399 --> 00:10:10,440 go over all of the details with you to create 151 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:14,320 a perfect project. Satisfaction guaranteed. Drop them off in person 152 00:10:14,399 --> 00:10:16,159 or mail them. They'll be ready in a week or two. 153 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:21,600 Memorial videos for your loved ones, videos for rehearsal, dinners, weddings, graduations, Christmas, 154 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,879 family vacations, birthdays, or just your family stories all told 155 00:10:25,919 --> 00:10:29,639 through images. That's what your photos and videos are. They 156 00:10:29,639 --> 00:10:32,519 are your life told through the eyes of everyone around 157 00:10:32,519 --> 00:10:34,799 you and all who came before you, and they will 158 00:10:34,799 --> 00:10:38,159 tell others to come. Who you are. Visit creative video 159 00:10:38,399 --> 00:10:43,559 dot com. Mary says, yes, pe cherish, cherish the time 160 00:10:43,879 --> 00:10:46,879 that you have with your family. I know sometimes some 161 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,919 of your family members can make it difficult. I know 162 00:10:50,039 --> 00:10:54,279 that Don and Kelly, thank you. We're grateful for you. 163 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:57,480 I'm grateful for you as well. You and Kelly and 164 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:02,240 Shannon says, cherish every moment we are so blessed. Enjoy 165 00:11:02,279 --> 00:11:04,600 your vacation and Merry Christmas to you and yours. Thank you, Shannon, 166 00:11:04,639 --> 00:11:08,360 appreciate it. I am off next week. I'll be back 167 00:11:08,399 --> 00:11:12,600 the week after, so that's December twenty ninth through New Year. 168 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:17,039 We are off on New Year's Day, but like I'm 169 00:11:17,039 --> 00:11:19,080 gonna be working that week, so I may very well 170 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,360 be just like cutting up a podcast or something and 171 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:23,399 pushing it out, so be on the lookout for that. 172 00:11:26,039 --> 00:11:31,279 I did get a message here from Jim regarding Greg Biffel. 173 00:11:32,159 --> 00:11:36,519 The number of NASCAR aviation related deaths is significant. I 174 00:11:36,639 --> 00:11:39,759 was at the Martinsville race when Ricky Hendrick crashed and 175 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:44,960 root don't leave out Curtis Turner, an iconic driver. He 176 00:11:45,039 --> 00:11:47,120 died in nineteen seventy and a plane crash on the 177 00:11:47,159 --> 00:11:49,840 way to the Charlotte five hundred mile race. I'm old 178 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,519 enough to remember the kerfuffle with he and his business 179 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:58,399 partners over CMS Charlotte Motorspeedway in the sixties. I was 180 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:01,000 living in South Charlotte then as a bully, and my 181 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:05,919 father would take me to CMS for qualifying. Why is 182 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:12,480 Turner significant? Turner conceptualized, secured financing for, and built Charlotte 183 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:16,320 Motor Speedway in nineteen sixty before being forced out by 184 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:21,759 his business partners. That's interesting, I did not know that. Yeah, 185 00:12:21,799 --> 00:12:27,039 And somebody else was asking when I was chatting with 186 00:12:27,759 --> 00:12:31,799 Casey O. Day this morning on his program, and we 187 00:12:31,879 --> 00:12:33,679 talked a little bit about this, like why are there 188 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:35,559 so many of these famous people that die in these 189 00:12:35,639 --> 00:12:39,440 types of you know, horrific plane crashes or helicopter crashes. 190 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:42,639 And I think the answer is that they have the 191 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:46,720 means to fly in them more often, and so those 192 00:12:46,759 --> 00:12:50,240 are generally going to be the people that are probably 193 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:57,919 more well known, you know. Regarding the passing of former 194 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:04,159 Governor Jim Hunt eighty eight years old, wrl's story. Following 195 00:13:04,159 --> 00:13:07,720 in the footsteps of progressive Democrats like former Governors KERR. 196 00:13:07,759 --> 00:13:12,320 Scott and Terry Sandford, Hunt pushed an agenda heavy on 197 00:13:12,519 --> 00:13:17,279 improving education, cleaning up government, and expanding the state's economy. 198 00:13:18,519 --> 00:13:21,639 As his first act in office, he ordered high level 199 00:13:21,639 --> 00:13:25,960 appointees to sign a code of ethics that required disclosure 200 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:32,120 of financial interests. He also purged Republicans from the upper 201 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:36,039 ranks of state agencies, clearing the way to appoint supporters 202 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:42,080 who could carry out his proposals. So what wil is 203 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:44,360 talking about there is what has been referred to as 204 00:13:44,399 --> 00:13:52,039 the Christmas Massacre. He fired a bunch of Republicans out 205 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,320 of state government so he could put his own people 206 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:59,080 in charge if you want. By the way, if you 207 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:04,120 want to learn about North Carolina's politics, there's a book 208 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:08,799 by Rob Christensen. And Rob used to be a columnist 209 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,639 at the Raleigh News and Observer. Some people refer to 210 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:17,399 him as Rob real who Christensen because despite the fact 211 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:21,039 that he was, you know, a super connected columnist at 212 00:14:21,039 --> 00:14:25,519 the News and Observer in Raleigh, he somehow never could 213 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:32,080 figure out how John Edwards or whether he was, you know, 214 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,600 cheating on his wife having the affair and then had 215 00:14:34,639 --> 00:14:39,519 the daughter with his mistress, Reel Hunter at the time 216 00:14:39,919 --> 00:14:42,919 while he was running for president and vice president. 217 00:14:43,399 --> 00:14:43,559 Speaker 2: Right. 218 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 1: It was only after Edwards lost all of those races 219 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,480 that then it came out. I think the National Inquirer 220 00:14:49,519 --> 00:14:52,879 broke the story, which was pretty embarrassing for all of 221 00:14:52,879 --> 00:14:56,399 the North Carolina political press corps that never could suss 222 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,240 this out, despite the fact that Reel Hunter was at 223 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:02,559 all of these campaign events and stuff. So anyway, but 224 00:15:02,679 --> 00:15:04,799 the book that he wrote is called The Paradox of 225 00:15:04,879 --> 00:15:11,399 tarheel politics and Rob's politics leaned to the left, and 226 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,159 you can see some of that in the book, but 227 00:15:13,919 --> 00:15:20,759 it is a it is a very thorough historical rundown 228 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:27,000 of the politicians and the machines that ran North Carolina 229 00:15:27,679 --> 00:15:32,279 for the better part of two hundred years. And in 230 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:35,440 chapter seven it's called Jim Hunt and the Democratic Revival. 231 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:42,240 The Democrats survived by becoming ideological centrists and artful coalition builders. 232 00:15:42,279 --> 00:15:49,360 This was because Republican Governor Jim Martin had won and 233 00:15:49,919 --> 00:15:53,320 he was a Republican, and so you saw other southern 234 00:15:53,360 --> 00:16:00,519 states that started that started to go for Republicans, and 235 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:05,039 so Democrats shifted to win the backing of African Americans, 236 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:09,200 teachers groups, and party liberals. The Democratic candidates pushed education 237 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:13,840 improvements and supported black initiatives. To hold the support of 238 00:16:14,039 --> 00:16:18,919 moderates of both parties, the Democrats allied themselves with business 239 00:16:19,679 --> 00:16:23,600 and they pushed economic development and stressed law and order 240 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:27,480 issues such as support for the death penalty. This has 241 00:16:27,519 --> 00:16:30,240 prompted people to wonder if Jim Hunt were to run 242 00:16:30,279 --> 00:16:34,559 for office today, what would he run as? And I 243 00:16:34,639 --> 00:16:38,480 don't find like I understand it's an interesting thought experiment, 244 00:16:39,639 --> 00:16:44,480 but he was of a different time, and so I 245 00:16:44,559 --> 00:16:47,360 have no idea. Nobody could know he would be a 246 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,200 different He would be a product of a different environment, right. 247 00:16:51,639 --> 00:16:54,679 And when he came up, the political power was in 248 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:57,679 the Democrat Party, and he built a machine that was 249 00:16:57,759 --> 00:17:02,399 very effective in keeping Democrats in power. So yeah, I 250 00:17:02,399 --> 00:17:08,519 mean parties adopt and discard various planks from their platform 251 00:17:08,599 --> 00:17:12,200 over decades and such, So I don't know what he 252 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,559 would be now, but he was a lifelong Democrat. They 253 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,839 largely avoided devisive cultural issues and attempted to put distance 254 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:23,000 between themselves and the national Party. And maybe there is 255 00:17:23,039 --> 00:17:27,480 some advice there that the current Democrat Party could use. 256 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,559 Here's a great idea. How about making an escape to 257 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:34,119 a really special and secluded getaway in western North Carolina. 258 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:36,400 Just a quick drive up the mountain and Cabins of 259 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:40,799 Asheville is your connection. Whether you're celebrating an anniversary, a honeymoon, 260 00:17:40,799 --> 00:17:43,079 maybe you want to plan a memorable proposal, or get 261 00:17:43,079 --> 00:17:46,000 family and friends together for a big old reunion. Cabins 262 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:48,759 of Asheville has the ideal spot for you where you 263 00:17:48,799 --> 00:17:51,359 can reconnect with your loved ones and the things that 264 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:55,240 truly matter nestled within the breath taking fourteen thousand acres 265 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:58,599 of the Pisga National Forest. Their cabins offer a serene 266 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:01,400 escape in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Centrally 267 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:03,920 located between Ashville and the entrance of the Great Smoky 268 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:07,799 Mountain National Park. It's the perfect balance of seclusion and 269 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:12,160 proximity to all the local attractions with hot tubs, fireplaces, 270 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:16,400 air conditioning, smart TVs, Wi Fi grills, outdoor tables and 271 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:20,799 your own private covered porch. Choose from thirteen cabins, six cottages, 272 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:24,839 two villas and a great lodge with eleven king sized bedrooms. 273 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,200 Cabins of Ashville has the ideal spot for you for 274 00:18:28,319 --> 00:18:32,039 any occasion, and they have pet friendly accommodations. Call or 275 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:35,440 text eight two eight, three six seven seventy sixty eight 276 00:18:35,759 --> 00:18:37,880 or check out all there is to offer at Cabins 277 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,440 offashville dot com and make memories that'll last a lifetime. 278 00:18:42,079 --> 00:18:47,799 So more on former uh Yeah. Former Governor Jim Hunt 279 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:52,880 passed away. He was eighty eight years old. After he 280 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:58,240 had secured the constitutional amendment allowing a second term, he 281 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:02,920 ran again, becoming the first two term governor. He won 282 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:07,440 that in a landslide against State Senator I Beverly Lake Junior. 283 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:14,200 After focusing on the electronics industry during his first term 284 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:17,599 because he got the micro Electronics Center of North Carolina 285 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:23,079 now known as MCNC in Research Triangle Park, which then 286 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:27,720 acted as a catalyst for area universities and such private 287 00:19:28,039 --> 00:19:31,640 private investment and the like. Then in his second term, 288 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:36,200 he turned his attention to growing the life sciences industry. 289 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:43,240 After that term was up, then he uh ran for 290 00:19:43,519 --> 00:19:47,359 US Senate to challenge US Senator Jesse Helms, who was 291 00:19:47,359 --> 00:19:51,640 seeking a third term in Congress. He did not win 292 00:19:51,799 --> 00:19:55,079 that race. He thought he could because he had won 293 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:59,599 so you know, resoundingly in his runs for governor. This 294 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:03,440 is why even today when people don't understand, how is 295 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:06,119 it that we have two Republican senators and a Democrat 296 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:08,359 governor like well, this has been the pattern in North 297 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:16,039 Carolina for decades, like fifty years. So then he runs 298 00:20:16,039 --> 00:20:19,640 again for governor. His third term focused on education reforms. 299 00:20:20,839 --> 00:20:25,400 He defeated Lieutenant Governor Jim Gardner. The public private partnership 300 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:28,519 sends state funds to local nonprofits. This was part of 301 00:20:28,559 --> 00:20:34,319 his Smart Start initiative, still in use today. It sent 302 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:38,720 state funds to local nonprofits to support pre K classes, childcare, 303 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:44,279 access to healthcare, and parenting initiatives. Again this WRIL story. 304 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:50,279 Although audits revealed financial mismanagement at some of those organizations, 305 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:54,680 no Hunt said community ownership of the program was important 306 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:59,880 to its overall success. So this model of taking taxpayer 307 00:21:00,079 --> 00:21:05,400 funds and pushing them into essentially NGOs, non government organizations, right, 308 00:21:05,759 --> 00:21:09,319 this model has been around for quite a while. With 309 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,359 support from House Republicans and Senate Democrats, he finally got 310 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:18,960 through the goobernatorial veto. Hunt also took on crime and 311 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:23,119 environmental issues in his third term. Lawmakers increased penalties on 312 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:27,680 serious crimes and created alternative schools for troubled youth and 313 00:21:27,759 --> 00:21:31,559 other prevention programs during a special legislative session, and the 314 00:21:31,599 --> 00:21:35,720 state placed a moratorium on new hog farms and began 315 00:21:35,799 --> 00:21:40,200 annual inspections of existing ones after a big hog waste 316 00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:43,519 lagoon spill. When it came time to run for a 317 00:21:43,599 --> 00:21:48,359 fourth term, his focus returned to education, and he easily 318 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:54,000 defeated State Representative Robin Hayes, who went on to run 319 00:21:54,039 --> 00:22:00,359 for Congress. Right and then Hunt. He was governed when 320 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,799 Hurricane Floyd hit, and that's actually when I started working 321 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:08,960 in the WBT newsroom. Hurricane Floyd flooded literally half the 322 00:22:09,039 --> 00:22:14,000 state down east, catastrophic flood. My sister and her fiance, 323 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:18,640 they lost everything. They lost their their cars, their apartment, 324 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:23,000 her job because it got flooded out at a hotel 325 00:22:23,839 --> 00:22:27,559 in Wilmington, and that forced them they moved back up 326 00:22:27,599 --> 00:22:32,079 north and they've been up there ever since. And then 327 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,440 he left office in two thousand and one. So Governor 328 00:22:36,519 --> 00:22:40,519 Jim Hunt passed away age eighty eight, and again our 329 00:22:40,559 --> 00:22:46,039 prayers to him and his family. One of the things, 330 00:22:46,519 --> 00:22:48,880 real quick before I'm going to take a break here 331 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:52,240 because we always bring in Britt Winnable for the pregaming 332 00:22:52,279 --> 00:22:55,680 segment for the final one of the year. Actually, real quick. 333 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:58,759 Earlier I was talking about gratitude, so let me express 334 00:22:58,799 --> 00:23:01,759 more gratitude to every body that helped with the Alzheimer's 335 00:23:01,799 --> 00:23:06,079 Association Walk to End Alzheimer's. We raised three point three 336 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:13,079 million dollars in our state, predominantly from Charlotte eight hundred 337 00:23:13,079 --> 00:23:17,799 and fifty seven thousand, Gaston, Cleveland and Lincoln one oh two, 338 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:22,400 Rohanne Caberis ninety two thousand, and Iredell and Lake Norman 339 00:23:22,519 --> 00:23:28,640 seventy thousand, dollars, so half of the state total came 340 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,400 from our area. And as one who has been doing 341 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:34,160 this for a while and I've been begging for money 342 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,640 for this for the cause and walking with listeners and supporters, 343 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,680 thank you very very much. By the way, donations can 344 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:42,680 be received until the end of the year, so if 345 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:45,319 you want to make a donation, go to alz dot org. 346 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,640 Thanks again. All right, if you're listening to this show, 347 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:50,200 you know I try to keep up with all sorts 348 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:52,279 of current events, and I know you do too, And 349 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:55,799 you've probably heard me say get your news from multiple sources. 350 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:59,480 Why well, because it's how you detect media bias, which 351 00:23:59,519 --> 00:24:01,880 is why I I've been so impressed with ground News. 352 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:05,640 It's an app and it's a website and it combines 353 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:07,759 news from around the world in one place so you 354 00:24:07,799 --> 00:24:11,200 can compare coverage and verify information. You can check it 355 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:15,759 out at check dot ground dot news slash pete. I 356 00:24:15,799 --> 00:24:18,680 put the link in the podcast description too. I started 357 00:24:18,759 --> 00:24:21,440 using ground News a few months ago and more recently 358 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,640 chose to work with them as an affiliate because it 359 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:27,519 lets me see clearly how stories get covered and by whom. 360 00:24:27,799 --> 00:24:30,759 The blind spot feature shows you which stories get ignored 361 00:24:30,799 --> 00:24:33,720 by the left and the right. See for yourself. Check 362 00:24:33,799 --> 00:24:38,279 dot Ground, dot news slash pete. Subscribe through that link 363 00:24:38,359 --> 00:24:41,240 and you'll get fifteen percent off any subscription. I use 364 00:24:41,279 --> 00:24:44,400 the Vantage plan to get unlimited access to every feature. 365 00:24:44,599 --> 00:24:47,359 Your subscription then not only helps my podcast, but it 366 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,559 also supports Ground News as they make the media landscape 367 00:24:50,599 --> 00:24:54,079 more transparent and what we always do Friday final segment 368 00:24:54,079 --> 00:24:56,279 of the program is we Chat with Brett Winterble. You 369 00:24:56,319 --> 00:24:59,519 can listen to his show on the podcasts at WBT 370 00:24:59,559 --> 00:25:02,279 dot com, but also three to six every single day 371 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,000 live here on WBT bread winnable. Little segment we call pregaming. 372 00:25:06,319 --> 00:25:07,119 How are you start? 373 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:08,279 Speaker 3: I'm well, how are you? 374 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:12,599 Speaker 1: Hang on a second? I'm well, hang on a second. Oh, 375 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:16,000 there we go. What Oh he doesn't know his numb 376 00:25:16,039 --> 00:25:17,480 he's still learning. Nick is still learning. 377 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:19,640 Speaker 3: Okay, that's all right, all right, no problem. 378 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:21,839 Speaker 1: So you were just telling me before we started you 379 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:25,240 got whammed. Yeah, like two or three days ago. 380 00:25:25,279 --> 00:25:26,160 Speaker 3: Two three days ago. 381 00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:27,200 Speaker 1: Tell me how it happened. 382 00:25:27,799 --> 00:25:30,799 Speaker 3: I was walking into a store. 383 00:25:31,319 --> 00:25:35,400 Speaker 2: Actually actually actually look, Luke came back and so he 384 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:36,359 wanted to get a haircut. 385 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:37,599 Speaker 1: Luca is your son? 386 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:39,400 Speaker 3: My son and I we sat. 387 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:43,400 Speaker 2: I sat down lovingly as a father, of course, and 388 00:25:43,599 --> 00:25:44,880 then the song started. 389 00:25:46,079 --> 00:25:47,200 Speaker 1: That's a brutal and. 390 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:48,960 Speaker 3: So he got He got hammered too. 391 00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:52,519 Speaker 1: He was collateral damagem. 392 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:53,160 Speaker 3: Wham damage dammit. 393 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:53,599 Speaker 1: Yeah. 394 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:56,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, So but you know what I feel like, we're free. 395 00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:57,839 Speaker 1: Yeah, that is the I will say. Because I got 396 00:25:57,839 --> 00:26:00,880 whammed over the weekend last weekend or so. Yeah, I 397 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:03,839 did self report as you require, that's correct, and I 398 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:06,200 self reported. I heard the song. Christy had a playlist 399 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,319 going and I was in my office doing something. I 400 00:26:08,319 --> 00:26:11,000 walked into the kitchen and wham, there it is. 401 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:11,319 Speaker 3: Yeah. 402 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:14,400 Speaker 2: I actually started singing it to myself and then I went, 403 00:26:14,599 --> 00:26:15,960 oh what am I doing? 404 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:19,119 Speaker 1: Does that count? What if I sing this song to myself, 405 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:20,559 does that count as getting whammed? 406 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:24,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm going to set up a whole new set 407 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:24,839 of rules for now. 408 00:26:24,839 --> 00:26:26,640 Speaker 1: I think you need some you need some guideline. 409 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:29,920 Speaker 2: And we're gonna we're gonna have, we're gonna have, we're 410 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:31,160 gonna have treats. 411 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:33,599 Speaker 1: Yeah with it as well. Okay, yeah, well, I mean 412 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:35,079 it's like it's like the rule of law. You got 413 00:26:35,079 --> 00:26:37,400 to write it down, you got it, you gotta write right. Yeah, 414 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:41,200 So speaking of the laws. What do you think about this? 415 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:45,720 From the UK Independent. A lawyer and her golden retriever 416 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:49,400 are suing the i r S. They want to get 417 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:58,000 pets classified as legal dependents so they get the tax benefits. 418 00:26:57,559 --> 00:27:00,279 Speaker 3: K nine tax benefits. Is that is that a no like. 419 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:04,240 Speaker 1: The like dependent like credit tax credits like earned income 420 00:27:04,279 --> 00:27:05,839 tax credit, child tax credit. 421 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:05,960 Speaker 2: Like. 422 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:07,720 Speaker 1: You get the tax credits if you have dependence. 423 00:27:07,759 --> 00:27:09,880 Speaker 3: Now it's a four legged creature. 424 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:12,680 Speaker 1: M okay, okay, hang on. Here's their argument. No good. 425 00:27:14,279 --> 00:27:17,599 They say that the the eight year old Golden Retriever 426 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:22,640 named Finnegan, has no independent income, resides exclusively with her, 427 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,200 and has annual expenses exceeding five thousand dollars, which are 428 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:30,000 all the requirements for a legal human dependent under IRS rules. 429 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,480 Speaker 3: Well, okay, try to take that to the to the court. 430 00:27:33,559 --> 00:27:35,039 Speaker 1: They did they they have? 431 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:36,119 Speaker 3: Did they prevail? 432 00:27:37,079 --> 00:27:39,559 Speaker 1: Well? So the magistrate Judge J. M. 433 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:42,000 Speaker 3: Wis oh, and it's got two names like that. 434 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,960 Speaker 1: That's James Wix. It's James M. Wicks is overseeing the case. 435 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:49,279 He has granted a motion to pause the discovery process 436 00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:52,200 because the i r S is going to file emotion 437 00:27:52,319 --> 00:27:56,440 to dismiss the case. Wow. So they are it is 438 00:27:56,559 --> 00:28:00,359 going it's going to get a hearing of some kind. Yep. 439 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:06,359 This actually this prompted a question in my mind, go 440 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:13,480 ahead rather than a dependent Are you the owner here 441 00:28:13,599 --> 00:28:23,440 Mary Reynolds? Is she actually guilty of false imprisonment? I 442 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,759 could I could go for that, right, or kidnapping or 443 00:28:26,799 --> 00:28:30,160 something right, because like kid napping or dog napping dog 444 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:33,640 guess whatever, the equivalent of the kidnapping is unless it's 445 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,599 a goat, that it would be kid would be kidnapped. Right, Absolutely, 446 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,880 that's a perfect sure because like think about it, like 447 00:28:40,119 --> 00:28:42,319 you have the thing restrained. 448 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:44,920 Speaker 2: On a leash, right, you don't want it to get 449 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,480 hit by like a train or a car or or 450 00:28:47,519 --> 00:28:47,960 an illegal. 451 00:28:48,079 --> 00:28:49,599 Speaker 1: So you're doing it for their own good, right. But 452 00:28:49,599 --> 00:28:51,720 if I were to do that with another human being, 453 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:53,599 people would say that's not allowed. 454 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:58,039 Speaker 2: San Francisco, a lot of people go around there with the. 455 00:28:57,400 --> 00:28:59,640 Speaker 1: Well just in the one castro disc the whole setup, 456 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,640 so okay, but they have no ability to roam free. 457 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:05,519 They can't just run out and look if you let 458 00:29:05,559 --> 00:29:08,519 them go, if you let them out, and like, they 459 00:29:08,559 --> 00:29:11,279 can survive on their own. Dogs have survived on their own. 460 00:29:11,839 --> 00:29:14,400 Cats do survive on there, and like, these animals are 461 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:18,000 able to survive on their own. So by you capturing 462 00:29:18,079 --> 00:29:22,559 this animal, keeping it in your home, yes, and then 463 00:29:22,599 --> 00:29:24,960 putting it on a restraint in order to let it 464 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:27,519 go out and do its business, and then taking it 465 00:29:27,559 --> 00:29:31,880 back inside its captivity. Like if we're going to treat 466 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:34,000 these things as like, if you're going to make an 467 00:29:34,119 --> 00:29:36,839 argument that it's at an equal level as a child, 468 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:40,000 then could it not also be at an equal level 469 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:42,720 for the kidnapping purpose? 470 00:29:42,839 --> 00:29:45,440 Speaker 3: Is there a way where you could consent? Can the 471 00:29:46,119 --> 00:29:50,240 dog consent? Can there be a I think so that's 472 00:29:50,279 --> 00:29:50,839 a good point. 473 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:52,880 Speaker 1: I think so now that I'm thinking about it, because 474 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:57,759 I have seen quite a few videos of dogs that 475 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:02,400 rush back into their former captor's arms right when they've 476 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:05,480 been separated, the dog got lost, and then they reunite 477 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:07,039 them and the dog seems happy. 478 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:10,119 Speaker 3: True, you know what it is, Stockholm syndrome. Who's a 479 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:12,039 good boy, who's a good boy? 480 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:17,240 Speaker 1: Treats treats food tight? But I mean, yeah, so. 481 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:20,000 Speaker 3: I think that's this is very fascinating. 482 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:24,039 Speaker 2: I'm rethinking my my objection. 483 00:30:23,759 --> 00:30:26,279 Speaker 1: Your initial objection, right, I know, this is what I'm saying, Like, 484 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:29,599 because well, it's going to depend on what the code says. Yes, 485 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:33,200 right now, I don't know how you file with a 486 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,480 social Security number, right am I gonna have to get 487 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:37,920 a social Security number from my cat? 488 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 3: You exist? Right? 489 00:30:39,599 --> 00:30:41,279 Speaker 2: So you don't need a social Security number because they 490 00:30:41,279 --> 00:30:42,519 don't pay tax already exist. 491 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:43,119 Speaker 3: Yeah. 492 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:47,839 Speaker 1: So if I get the birth certificate basically from the 493 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:50,880 vet or the breeder whatever, like, they'll have a song. 494 00:30:51,039 --> 00:30:54,559 That's that's elite, right Yeah, well sure, you know. I 495 00:30:54,559 --> 00:30:57,720 mean what about a munt, Well, I would get it 496 00:30:57,720 --> 00:30:59,960 from the pound. They would give me like a doctor 497 00:31:00,279 --> 00:31:01,000 birth certificate. 498 00:31:01,039 --> 00:31:02,079 Speaker 3: What are they charged by the pound? 499 00:31:03,839 --> 00:31:07,400 Speaker 1: Like what people selling cats and dogs outside the pound? Yeah, 500 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:09,279 I don't know. I've never bought one of those outside 501 00:31:09,319 --> 00:31:10,680 the pound. That would be by the pound. 502 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:12,880 Speaker 3: It's well done. 503 00:31:14,079 --> 00:31:16,559 Speaker 1: Wordplay, buddy, wordplay all about. 504 00:31:16,319 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 3: It, indeed, bred Wenna. 505 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:20,599 Speaker 1: Well, thank you sir, it's my pleasure all right. That'll 506 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:23,279 do it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. 507 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:25,519 I could not do the show without your support and 508 00:31:25,559 --> 00:31:28,279 the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast, 509 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:30,720 So if you'd like, please support them too and tell 510 00:31:30,759 --> 00:31:32,480 them you heard it here. You can also become a 511 00:31:32,519 --> 00:31:37,160 patron at my Patreon page or go to thepetecleanershow dot com. Again, 512 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:39,920 thank you so much for listening, and don't break anything 513 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:44,599 while I'm gone.