Arguing with Idiots, Salary Negotiations & "Retarted” Returns

In this 13th straight solo episode, you’ll find that I’m highly opinionated. I get into human nature and how it shapes the crazy political landscape we’re in right now. I talk about my fascination with the little details in life—how watching ants go about their business or admiring the brushstrokes of an impressionist painting can reveal so much about the way we think and create. There’s something about art and creativity that AI will never replace, and I get into why that matters.

Then I shift gears and take a hard look at the Biden administration, breaking down what I think could’ve been happening behind the scenes. And who I believe was running the show the past 4 years. I also get into the latest on USAID, the Ukraine War, and what these moves say about America’s foreign policy.

I also dive into the benefits of slowing down conversations, why free speech is non-negotiable, some salary negotiation techniques to get you paid, and the value of your inner-circle of friends.

That summarizes about the first 20 minutes anyway.

Other topics covered in this episode include:

Role of creativity & art in human nature
The joy of laughing at your own jokes
Speculations on who’s been running our government
Disclosures about USAID & corruption
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Leaked 2014 Victoria Nuland phone call
Use of social issues (abortion, identity, DEI etc) to manipulate & divide a country
Globalism & bio-weapons
China’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak & the global spread of the virus
Flow-state & becoming a better conversationalist
Attending a Nicholls State vs Valparaiso baseball game in the middle of winter
How to get better at reading people & discerning BS
Best way to responding to “stupid questions”
Coming up with a “kill shot” response in dialogue
Young people’s dislike of talking on the phone
Examples of kill shots from my recent X/Twitter beefs
Thomas Massie giving Jamie Raskin a masterclass on inflation
The value of debate / sharpening your intellect
Trump’s work ethic as an inspiration despite his age of 78
How I used the “R word” at a party (somebody got pissed)
Balinese Hindu belief in reincarnation and its connection to being born mentally handicapped
Trump’s influence on bringing out harmful attitudes in society
RFK Jr. under attack for vaccine views in Senate hearing
Bernie Sanders’ connection to BIG Pharma
Exposure of Bill Kristol’s funding
Selena Gomez crying for gangbangers being deported
The cover-up of mental illness in America by BIG Pharma
Importance of free speech & Elon Musk’s courage
The Power of the Powerless by Václav Havel
Parallels between communist regimes & current US politics
Silencing of dissenting opinions on social media post-2020 election
Political cover-ups regarding the mental health of school shooters
Living in dangerous times, with evil around us
Elizabeth Warren receiving campaign contributions from Purdue Pharma
Gender reassignment surgery for minors
The age of consent around the world
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s rise to prominence
Advice for your salary negotiations
The role of discomfort in achieving rewards in life
Negotiation techniques & challenges
Story about an adversarial negotiation with a former friend
Importance of detaching emotions in negotiations
Should you toot your own horn?
Developing relationships outside of work
My daughter’s concept of work & paying for things
How a former co-worker who I used to take to lunch was “too busy” to meet me
Importance of reprioritizing your own time when others deprioritize you
Choosing deep & meaningful friendships over surface-level acquaintances
The value of having a small but loyal inner-circle of friends
The “Brad Pitt test” for assessing how much someone values you
The brevity of life & cultivating a sense of urgency
Prioritizing time with those who love and appreciate you
Appreciating moments with people rather than mourning their departure
The importance of expressing love & appreciation before it’s too late
The Stoic philosophy of Memento Mori (meditating on mortality)
Telling people how much they mean to you
Why you should tell another man “I love you”
Building confidence through uncomfortable conversations
Gurwinder’s “reminiscence bump”
The power of remembering past moments & how it bonds you to people
Being happy for people even after they date someone you once cared about
A conversation with my daughter about prayer & God