A New Year for all Your Questions!
Main Discussion Topics
Trump's Medical Confusion
Trump claimed to have had an MRI when it was actually a CT scan
Wall Street Journal interview revealed the discrepancy
Discussion of Trump's apparent photoshopped image with Melania
Trump promised to release medical records but hosts skeptical this will happen
Michael characterized the significance: "President Donald Trump, the leader of the so-called free world, does not know the difference... between an MRI and a CT scan."
Mark noted the broader pattern: "He should certainly know about the documents that he's talking about. He should certainly know about policy. He should certainly know about economics, none of which he does know about."
New York Mayor Momani's Democratic Socialist Agenda
Momani's inauguration speech about abandoning "rugged individualism for the warmth of collectivism"
Plans to socialize property, grocery stores, and police departments
Proposal to replace police force with counselors for crime prevention
Discussion of treating crime as social pathology rather than individual choices
Mark drew literary parallels: "I mean, this is almost straight out of Iran novel, dude. Uh, I mean, I could see Ellsworth Toohey saying something like this."
Michael expressed direct opposition: "Fuck you, dude. Go fucking get your own little tribe. Be collective in the woods somewhere. Don't drag everybody else into it."
Economic Policy and Ignoring Economists
Trump's tariff policies despite economic consensus against them
Trump's advisors selected to tell him what he wants to hear
Discussion of how tariffs are taxes that diminish production
Trump's continued misunderstanding of who pays tariffs
Michael emphasized the fundamental issue: "The fact that taxes diminish whatever it is that you're getting, that they have a negative effect on production. Tariffs are attacks."
COVID Lockdowns and Economic Damage
Political response to COVID, not the virus itself, killed the economy
$1.6 trillion injection into the system caused inflation
Supply chain disruptions and price controls damaged recovery
Discussion of mental health impacts including domestic violence, depression, suicide
Mark shared story of friend who had psychotic break during lockdowns
Mark explained the real problem: "COVID 19 political reaction. People say that businesses were shut down because of COVID. No, they were shut down because of the politicians' reactions to COVID."
Michael noted meeting an epidemiologist who argues: "the lockdowns actually caused more deaths than would've occurred without them."
Sweden comparison discussed as alternative approach that performed better.
Affordability and Price Controls
Momani won in New York focusing on affordability
Politicians proposing price controls as solution
Price controls never result in surpluses or inspire builders
Discussion of how free markets create affordability through competition
Michael outlined the real solution: "if you really want affordability, you want to have a free market, you want competition, you want more goods coming online, more people trying to, uh, you know, produce those goods and you end up over time with better, cheaper products."
Manhattan Institute Study on Republican Conspiracy Beliefs
The study revealed troubling statistics among Republicans:
65% believe COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese laboratory
51% believe 2020 election decided by fraudulent ballots or hacked machines
41% believe 9/11 involved actors beyond Al-Qaeda and Muslim extremists
37% believe Holocaust was greatly exaggerated or didn't happen
36% believe NASA faked the 1969 Apollo moon landing
33% believe vaccines cause autism
63% view Tucker Carlson favorably
50% view Candace Owens favorably
30% say political violence can be justified
Mark addressed moon landing conspiracy specifically: "I just watched a myth MythBusters on this that debunked all of all of the claims that the Apollo moon landing was faked."
Michael connected to broader political concerns: "to argue that the right is so much better than the left, that they warrant support from objectivist. You, you either are just not informed or you're willfully blind."
Intellectual Laziness and Cultural Problems
People unwilling to do intellectual work required for understanding
Prefer bumper sticker answers over reading substantive works
Example of someone recommending "2000 Mules" as if it were credible evidence
Discussion of how people form views based on emotion rather than logic
Michael identified the core problem: "People just are not interested in doing that kind of work... as long as people are intellectually lazy and like to be lied to and uh, like to have their emotions catered to, we're screwed."
Mark drew parallel to acting: "Everybody wants to be a rock star. Nobody wants to sit on the guitar for 12 hours a day and actually play until their fingers bleed, which is what guys like Eddie Van Halen did."
Notable Quotes
Michael on Collectivism: "Fuck you, dude. Go fucking get your own little tribe. Be collective in the woods somewhere. Don't drag everybody else into it."
Mark on COVID Response: "COVID 19 political reaction. People say that businesses were shut down because of COVID. No, they were shut down because of the politicians' reactions to COVID. And, uh, and the political response to COVID is what has killed our economy."
Michael on Intellectual Work: "People just are not interested in doing that kind of work. And it is a, uh, what, what, what, you know, whatever. Like the other day on, um, a Facebook post of mine, a guy I grew up with, he steps into the chat and it was about this stolen election in 2020... he said, I recommend everybody in here watch 2000 Mules... the fact that this guy I grew up with thought that that was a kill shot in the discussion, watch 2000 Mules. I mean, dude, you shouldn't even be in the talk, right?"
Mark on Political Effort: "Everybody wants to be a rock star. Nobody wants to sit on the guitar for 12 hours a day and actually play until their fingers bleed, which is what guys like Eddie Van Halen did."
Michael on Free Markets: "if you really want affordability, you want to have a free market, you want competition, you want more goods coming online, more people trying to, uh, you know, produce those goods and you end up over time with better, cheaper products."
Referenced Media/Interviews
Benny Morris book (Israeli historian)
MythBusters episode debunking moon landing conspiracy theories
"2000 Mules" by Dinesh D'Souza (mentioned critically)
Marty Supreme (Timothy Chalamet movie)
Key Themes
Trump's incompetence and ignorance on basic facts
Democratic socialism's threat to individual freedom
Economic illiteracy in political leadership
Destructive effects of COVID lockdowns
Price controls as false solution to affordability
Conspiracy thinking among Republicans
Intellectual laziness as cultural problem
Importance of doing substantive intellectual work
Free markets as solution to affordability
Capitalist Thought of the Day
"We here at the capitalist corner are steadfast in our desire to communicate ideas about capitalism, to spread ideas about freedom, individual rights, and to promote these ideas as far and wide as we possibly can. Now, we do get silly on the show. We joke we have fun because you don't have to be a buttoned up tight ass or stiff wad in order to promote capitalism. But at the end of the day, we are absolutely serious that we need to get these ideas spread. We need to get these ideas implemented. Turning to the kook ideas of the left, like critical race theory, wokeness, DEI or any of that garbage isn't the way to go. But embracing heritage Americanism or blood and soil, tariffs, bombing alleged drug boats, none of that is the way to go either. Freedom is the way to go, individual rights is the way to go, and that's what we're here to promote." - Michael