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Glenn's Show Prep

Benjamin Watson: We All Have a Sphere of Influence to Open Hearts and Change Minds

September 29, 2016
Lori Hanes

Writer

Benjamin Watson joined The Glenn Beck Program on Thursday to talk about the current state of race relations in the U.S. Watson, a tight end for the Baltimore Ravens and author of Under Our Skin: Getting Real about Race. Getting Free from the Fears and Frustrations that Divide Us., has emerged as a voice of reason in the heated debate about Black Lives Matter and the real challenges facing America's black communities.

"You see us go into our separate corners and point fingers and call each other awful names and not really be concerned about opening our hearts, opening our minds to hearing what someone else has to say, even if it's not really your experience, or even if you don't even think that it's real. We're not having that honest dialogue, and I'm hoping that we can have that so that we can bridge the gap and find solutions," Watson said.

"It’s connecting with your humanity and seeing the human in all of us," Glenn said.

Read below or listen to the full segment for answers to these heartfelt questions:

• What did Benjamin Watson think about Glenn's op-ed in the New York Times?

• Does Watson support Colin Kaepernick's decision to kneel during the national anthem?

• How have Watson's life experiences impacted his view on race relations?

• Does Glenn wear polka dot clothes like a loaf of Wonder Bread?

• How hard is it for Watson to keep his faith strong working in the NFL?

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors:

GLENN: Ben Watson wrote a new book, Under Our Skin. In it he writes: For so many people, the racial divide is an argument, a political position, a debate on TV, but keeping our distance isn't working. It's not an option anymore. This is about you and me. It's about our neighbors, our children, and the world.

That's what's on the back cover. I can't -- there's a bunch of words in between. It sounds great. I haven't had a chance to read it. Ben Watson is here. Tony Dungy says he is one of the brightest guys he knows. For everybody I've talked to says the same thing about Ben Watson. Hi, Ben, how are you?

BEN: Hello, Glenn, how are you doing, man?

GLENN: I'm very good. I'm very good. Let's just start -- I want to talk to you about what's been happening in your life. But let's get to the book and how we find our way to each other on things like Black Lives Matter.

BEN: You know, I was reading an article that you wrote not too long ago, and you were talking about empathy. And you, from a very honest position, talked about your initial reactions to Black Lives Matter and different things that we see. I think a lot of people relate to that. But you also for a minute there talked about how you let your guard down and you were able to for an instance, you know, see where someone else was coming from, being open to someone else's experience, even if it isn't yours.

GLENN: Right. Right.

BEN: And although you may not always agree, you can say to them, "You know, your experience is real. Let me hear from you. Let me acknowledge the fact that what you're saying is truly going on." And I think that that's the start. That's how we kind of bridge the gap.

And what we're seeing a lot of, whether it's the national anthem issue, whether it's -- you know, you mentioned the Black Lives Matter, whether it's police excessive use of force, the list goes on and on, and you see us go into our separate corners and point fingers and call each other awful names and not really be concerned about opening our hearts, opening our minds to hearing what someone else has to say, even if it's not really your experience, or even if you don't even think that it's real. We're not having that honest dialogue. And I'm hoping that we can have that so that we can bridge the gap and find solutions.

PAT: And, Ben, you seem to exhibit those same qualities. Because I was just rereading your Facebook post from a while ago after the Ferguson incident. And you had the same introspection. You were confused, as some are, about, you know, first of all, there's a lot of people that just jump to conclusions. There's a lot of people who don't listen to facts. There's a lot of people who don't care about facts. There's a lot of people who don't care about the other side. And you seem to be willing to do that as well. And how do we get more people on board to do that?

BEN: Well, I think we all have a sphere of influence. And I said that the dining room table is as important as the courtroom when it comes to racial reconciliation, when it comes to race relations.

We all have children that we teach. They watch everything that we do. They watch how we respond when different things happen on television, when we see something happen on CNN or Fox or MSNBC, and they see our reactions. They hear what we say. They're forming their ideas about race and what that means by what we as parents are teaching them.

GLENN: Yeah.

BEN: Also, we have coworkers that tell jokes that talk about things in a certain way. Are we willing to stand up for that?

I mean, each of us has a certain amount of people that we can influence. And I think it's incumbent upon all of us to see where we fall in this whole dialogue, in this whole narrative. A lot of times, we want to point to a politician and say that they need to be the one to change things, or we want to point to some big government entity. And what I'm saying is that we all need a change of heart. We need to look introspectively.

You know, you mention what I wrote in the post. And, you know, being honest about my anger and my frustration, but also my introspection and my sadness and my embarrassment when it comes to all of these things.

PAT: Uh-huh, yeah.

GLENN: So, Ben, here's the problem that I haven't figured out how we can get around.

There's a lot of, if you will, righteous anger right now. People have real reason to be angry about a lot of different things. All across the spectrum.

Things have broken down, and they're not working. And we haven't addressed issues. It's like, you know, if you're -- if you are in a marriage that is going south, you can't just say, "Okay. Let's start fresh." No, you have to listen to each other first.

BEN: Yeah.

GLENN: And get it all out and be able to say, "Okay. I hear you. I understand you. I may not agree with you, but I understand you."

BEN: Yeah.

GLENN: So now let's move forward. We're not doing that. And here's what I'd like your advice on. I got a lot of heat -- a lot of heat for my New York Times editorial.

BEN: Yeah, you did.

(laughter)

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

BEN: Which is good. Hey, heat means that you're in the kitchen.

GLENN: I know. So I got a lot of heat for that. And it's not that I had a change of position on the leadership of -- or I shouldn't say -- on the stated goals of Black Lives Matter. They are stated that they are anticapitalist, anti-American. You know, they want a separate state for African-Americans. I think this is insane.

BEN: Uh-huh.

GLENN: But that's not what the average person who is walking in the streets wants or what they're feeling.

BEN: Yeah.

GLENN: How do we get past our own people -- because, you know, me saying I want to sit down with Black Lives Matter people. They're all thinking, "Oh, my gosh, I'm not going to sit down with that guy." But I got to get through to my own people too to say, "No, it's okay to listen to one another."

BEN: Yeah, well, I think Black Lives Matter is a convenient excuse not to talk about things. And so you have this organization, Black Lives Matter. And for a while, I was like, "What exactly does Black Lives Matter represent and believe?" So I went on their website, and I looked at a lot of things, like I'm sure you did. Did some research. And say, "You know what, I don't agree with that. I don't agree with that. I don't agree with that." I do like this, but I don't agree with this. Right?

And so the movement starts -- and a lot of people simply thinks it's just about police excessive force, but there are other things that are involved.

GLENN: Yes.

BEN: You have a lot of folks who are saying they're part of the movement, who are holding banners, saying they're part of the movement and burning things and doing things that are illegal, and they may not even be. But we look at them and say, "Well, that represents all black people." But it doesn't.

GLENN: It doesn't.

BEN: And so what I'm saying is, there are extremes on both sides. You have white supremacists who hate black people, and there's nothing that's ever going to change for them. They think we are animals. And you can tell because you see it on social media.

Then you have some people who say, "The white man is the devil, and I never want to hear anything from him." And you have some of us in the middle, and we're the ones that need to look at our interpersonal relationships, whether they be at church or at school or at work or on teams or wherever they may be, and be willing to be honest with each other and allow us to talk about it, without being labeled bigots and racists, and to be able to grow and hear experiences.

So, but some people you're not going to reach. And you know that. But let's not worry about those. And let's not use those as an excuse for us in the middle not to really try to effect positive change and let our guard down and be real with each other.

GLENN: How do you --

BEN: I mean, you mentioned the fact that you have to address these things in order to get over it. And it does no one any good to simply say, you know, racism is gone. It was a long time ago. That's not true, obviously.

GLENN: How do you feel about athletes that are kneeling down? I mean, I am all for, you got to do what you believe, and there's nothing more patriotic -- or, I shouldn't say that. There's nothing more American than standing up for what you believe and protesting, even the government.

BEN: Yeah. Yeah.

GLENN: That's what we were founded on. But how do you feel about these -- about these guys?

BEN: Well, I agree with you on that, that America was founded on protest. America started with people overthrowing -- or shaking their fist at the government. And not because they didn't care about the country, but because they wanted it to be something better.

GLENN: Yeah.

BEN: And so I said from the beginning that if I was able to play -- obviously, I can't right now, I will be standing for the national them. And it's not because I don't agree with the reason of the guys that are kneeling. I agree with them and even more so because of my life experience and because of what I know happens in this country.

But I think the default position for any American is to be able to stand for the national anthem. Now, if there's a time, which there is right now, where men are wanting to draw attention to certain issues, I'm all for them doing that. And I think that they're well within their rights.

I don't think we should be telling them to leave the country or that they should take bullets in their head. You know, that is ridiculous. Because as you mentioned, that is part of what makes our country great and what pushes us to address certain issues. The problem is when people simply look at the protester and not really the reason why they're protesting.

GLENN: So tell me -- tell me as probably the whitest white man you've ever met in your life.

(laughter)

GLENN: I practically wear, you know, polka dot clothes like a loaf of Wonder Bread.

BEN: I've seen you. I've seen pictures.

(laughter)

GLENN: All right. Okay. Back off. It's my show.

Okay. Ben, explain to me -- you just said, you know, "With my life experiences, I agree with them and maybe more." Explain to me, as a whitey white guy what I should be hearing.

BEN: Well, you should first be willing to hear.

GLENN: I am.

BEN: And I think that's the first step, is that many aren't even willing to hear.

You should be hearing, the personal experiences, but also the collective experience of many black people in this country. And what we also need to understand is that I'm not condemning you as an individual, whitest of white guys, as being a racist simply because the country we live in has an inherent bias against people of color.

And this has been proven over and over again. You want to talk about the example of the kids picking out the good doll and the bad doll.

GLENN: Yes.

BEN: And when they point to -- and this is even with black kids too. We all are affected by this simply because of the history of our country, is that, you know, the darker skin is kind of less desirable.

And I'm not saying that that's a personal thing from you. What I'm saying is that we all kind of operate under this bias.

And what I see from a lot of white people that I know -- I know a lot of the whitest of the white people. They're some of my best friends. That immediately, when -- when that subject is brought up, they get defensive. Which I totally understand because if I was in their shoes, I probably would too and think that I'm saying that it's your fault and that you're a racist and that I blame -- I blame you for everything. And that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm simply being honest about the situation.

And the truth of the matter is, Glenn, is that when you look through civil rights, you look through, you know, the '80s, '90s, whatever it is. You look all the way to Emancipation, it has been white people who have been the majority culture, who have helped this thing go along. And so it's not an us against you guys or anything like that. It's a we. You know, and that's the important thing to remember.

GLENN: Yeah. It's connecting with your humanity and seeing -- seeing the human in all of us.

BEN: Yes.

GLENN: Okay. I want to take a quick break. Talking to Ben Watson. Do you prefer -- by the way, your books -- everybody calls you Ben, but your books are Benjamin Watson. Is that that your nom de plume, or?

BEN: Well, I prefer Benjamin. I'm not offended by Ben. You can shorten it to Ben because, you know, Ben is much easier to say. But I prefer Benjamin.

GLENN: Okay. Benjamin. Benjamin Watson. He's written the book, Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race. We'll continue here in just a second.

And our serial on gun control is coming up at the bottom of the hour.

[break]

GLENN: Benjamin Watson. Under Our Skin is his new book. He's an NFL Baltimore Ravens tight end. Get into his injury here in a second, if we have some time.

Pat. Pat.

PAT: Yeah, Benjamin, I've seen some really strong stands that you take on same-sex marriage and also Planned Parenthood. You've said that their goal is to exterminate blacks, which is true. That's how they were set up by Margaret Sanger. Do you get a lot of pushback from fellow athletes?

BEN: No, not from pro athletes. Amazingly, I think that a lot of times athletes are -- are kind of in a position where others think they shouldn't weigh in on certain social topics. Overwhelmingly, I would say I've had really good support from many of my teammates and guys that I've played with. We want to be able to express our views. You know, we're part of this country too. We pay taxes and we vote and all of those things. And so it's important for us to be able to talk about these things.

I have received a little bit of pushback from other people. But, you know, the great thing is that people are entitled to their opinions.

But I would say overwhelmingly, I've had a lot of support.

GLENN: You were -- your dad's a pastor?

BEN: Yes, sir. Yeah, my dad is a pastor in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

GLENN: How hard is it to keep your faith in the world that you live in?

BEN: Well, Glenn, I would say that we all -- in whatever world we're in, whatever our occupation is, we all have a path to walk. We all have struggles.

You know, being in the NFL, obviously there's some unique challenges in the NFL. But what I found and what Scripture tells us is that your faith is not something on the side. It's not something that you can carry with you. It is inherently who you are.

When you pass from death into life, you become a new person, and so everything you do flows from that.

When you go to work, you are a Christian at your workplace. You're not a broadcaster who happens to be Christian. You're a Christian. You've dealt with broadcasting and rights and those sorts of things. Same for me as an athlete. And so everything I do -- you know, that's just who I am. And so whatever the trials are and the temptations in any job, it's not anything that is not uncommon. We all face certain things.

GLENN: You know, I feel like we're living in the world where we're choosing between Jesus and Barabbas. And obviously I'm not assigning anybody Jesus nor Barabbas' role. But the crowd is cheering for the anarchist and the guy who was going to light the world on fire. And the guy who's saying, "Loved one another," is not being listened to. In fact, he's going to be crucified.

How do we get past this rage and the mob mentality of screaming for Barabbas because it makes us feel good?

BEN: Well, it makes sense. When you look through our history -- even I've been reading the Book of Acts, and it talks about our persecution to spread the gospel. And so there's a wide road and a narrow road. And when we live in the world, we can't be surprised when the world acts like the world. And we also can't be surprised when those who are believers act like believers, but we also understand that we are a world who is going contrary or going against what the Word of God says. And that's normal. And that's what we should expect.

However, we know how the outcome happens. We know who triumphs in the end. And we're called to live and to love other people. Even if they don't agree with us, we're called to love other people, we're called to respect other people, we're called to be a light to the world.

GLENN: Benjamin Watson. The name of the book is Under Our Skin. Benjamin, I hope we talk again soon.

Featured Image: Finalist Benjamin Watson of the New Orleans Saints speaks during the 2015 Walter Payton Man of the Year Finalist press conference prior to Super Bowl 50 at the Moscone Center West on February 5, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

The government is WAGING WAR against these 3 basic needs

NICHOLAS KAMM / Contributor | Getty Images

The government has launched a full-on assault against our basic needs, and people are starting to take notice.

As long-time followers of Glenn are probably aware, our right to food, water, and power is under siege. The government no longer cares about our general welfare. Instead, our money lines the pockets of our politicians, funds overseas wars, or goes towards some woke-ESG-climate-Great Reset bullcrap. And when they do care, it's not in a way that benefits the American people.

From cracking down on meat production to blocking affordable power, this is how the government is attacking your basic needs:

Food

Fiona Goodall / Stringer | Getty Images

Glenn had Rep. Thomas Massie on his show where he sounded the alarm about the attack on our food. The government has been waging war against our food since the thirties when Congress passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938. They started by setting strict limits on how many crops a farmer could grow in a season and punishing anyone who grew more—even if it was intended for personal use, not for sale on the market. This sort of autocratic behavior has continued into the modern day and has only gotten more draconian. Today, not only are you forced to buy meat that a USDA-approved facility has processed, but the elites want meat in general off the menu. Cow farts are too dangerous to the environment, so the WEF wants you to eat climate-friendly alternatives—like bugs.

Water

ALESSANDRO RAMPAZZO / Contributor | Getty Images

As Glenn discussed during a recent Glenn TV special, the government has been encroaching on our water for years. It all started when Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, which gave the government the ability to regulate large bodies of water. As the name suggests, the act was primarily intended to keep large waterways clear of pollution, but over time it has allowed the feds to assume more and more control over the country's water supply. Most recently, the Biden administration attempted to expand the reach of the Clean Water Act to include even more water and was only stopped by the Supreme Court.

Electricity

David McNew / Staff | Getty Images

Dependable, affordable electricity has been a staple of American life for decades, but that might all be coming to an end. Glenn has discussed recent actions taken by Biden, like orders to halt new oil and gas production and efforts to switch to less efficient sources of power, like wind or solar, the price of electricity is only going to go up. This, alongside his efforts to limit air conditioning and ban gas stoves, it almost seems Biden is attempting to send us back to the Stone Age.

4 signs that PROVE Americans are hitting rock bottom

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

As we approach the presidential election in November, many Americans are facing dire economic straits.

Glenn has shown time and time again that Bidenomics is a sham, and more Americans than ever are suffering as a result. Still, Biden and his cronies continue to insist that the economy is booming despite the mounting evidence to the contrary. But who is Biden fooling? Since the beginning of the year, gas has gone up an average of 40 cents a gallon nationwide, with some states seeing as much as a 60-cent per gallon increase. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Foreclosures and bankruptcies are on the rise, evictions are surging, and America is experiencing a record amount of homelessness. We can't survive another Biden term.

Americans across the country are hitting rock bottom, and here are four stats that PROVE it:

Evictions

John Moore / Staff | Getty Images

Across the country, people are being evicted from their homes and apartments. Between 2021 and 2023, evictions increased by 78.6 percent. With inflation driving up prices and employers struggling to raise wages to compensate, rent is taking up an increasingly larger percentage of people's paychecks. Many Americans are having to choose between buying groceries and paying rent.

Foreclosures

Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Renters aren't the only ones struggling to make their monthly payments, foreclosures are on the rise. This February saw a 5 percent increase in foreclosures from last year and a 10 percent increase from January. More and more Americans are losing their homes and businesses.

Bankruptcies

Chris Hondros / Staff | Getty Images

High interest rates and inflation have driven bankruptcies through the roof. Total filings have risen 13 percent and business bankruptcies rose 30 percent in 2023. It's getting harder and harder for businesses to stay afloat, and with California's new law requiring most restaurants to pay all employees a minimum of $20 an hour, you can expect that number to keep climbing.

Homelessness

FREDERIC J. BROWN / Contributor | Getty Images

The result of all of these issues is that it is getting harder and harder for Americans to afford the basic necessities. January of 2023 saw a record-breaking 650,000+ homeless Americans, a 12 percent jump from the previous year. More Americans have hit rock bottom than ever before.

Stop blaming Gen Z for the problems WE created

Editor's note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

I want to talk to Generation Z. I’ve seen some clips of you complaining about your 9-to-5 jobs on social media and how life is really hard right now. To be honest, my first reaction was, “Suck it up, buttercup. This is what life is really like.” In a sense, that’s true. But in another sense, I think you’re getting a bad rap. You are facing unique problems that my generation didn’t face — problems that my generation had a hand in creating.

But I also think you don’t understand the cause of these problems.

I would hate to be in your position. When I was your age, we didn’t have to deal with any of the challenges you’re facing. In one sense, your life has been tough. At the same time, compared to previous generations, your life has been very easy. Everybody was rushing to save you, to protect you. You were coddled, which makes your life harder now.

You’ve grown up with social media and the definition of narcissism: somebody gazing into the pond looking at themselves all the time. I don't mean this as an offense, and I am not just including you in this. We’ve become a culture of narcissists. It’s all about “me, me, me, me.”

If you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework.

You’ve been in territory that my generation never had to enter. You’ve already navigated a landscape that we didn't have to, where nothing is true, and you can’t trust anybody. I wouldn’t trust anybody either if I were in your position. But I do know a few things to be true and a couple of things I can trust.

First, life is worth it. Life is tough, but it is worth it in the end.

Second, life is not about stuff. As a guy who is kind of a pack rat, I can tell you that none of that stuff will create happiness in your life. In fact, I think your generation has a better handle on happiness in some ways than anybody in mine. You’re starting to realize that pharmaceuticals may not be as good as natural solutions in a lot of situations, that the huge house may not be as satisfying as just having a smaller house, that living your life instead of having to work all the time may be a better way to live.

I want to talk to those of you who feel like it’s not worth even trying to go to work because you’ll never get anywhere. You work 40 hours a week or more, and you still can't afford a place to live. You’re still living with your parents. You can’t afford food. I think you're right to feel frustrated because the problems you're facing weren't always the case.

I blame a lot of the current problems we’re facing today on the hippies. That may be wrong, but I hate hippies. Hippies have been screwing things up since the 1960s. While on their socialist march, they have become everything that they said they were against: lying, greedy politicians. They just won’t let go of their power even though their time has passed.

These are the people who have come up with policies that make you feel like this is the way the world is. I hope I can convince you that it doesn’t have to be this way. This isn’t the way our country has always been. We don’t have to keep these people in power. Actions have consequences. Votes have consequences. These people allow crime, looters, squatters, riots, and somebody needs to pay for that.

You say you can’t afford health care. I understand. Since Obamacare passed, the cost of individual health insurance has doubled. You need to remember that politicians promised that if we passed this massive health care overhaul, it would mean a savings of $2,500 per family. You're in school. You must know that $2,500 savings is not the same as an 80% increase. Moreover, the cost of hospital stays is up 210%. I understand when you say you can't afford health care at these costs. Who could afford health care? Who could afford insurance?

The generation coming of age is right to feel frustrated.This mess — with high costs and a massive debt burden — was not of their making.

Iwant to talk to Generation Z. I’ve seen some clips of you complaining about your 9-to-5 jobs on social media and how life is really hard right now. To be honest, my first reaction was, “Suck it up, buttercup. This is what life is really like.” In a sense, that’s true. But in another sense, I think you’re getting a bad rap. You are facing unique problems that my generation didn’t face — problems that my generation had a hand in creating.

But I also think you don’t understand the cause of these problems.

If you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework.

I would hate to be in your position. When I was your age, we didn’t have to deal with any of the challenges you’re facing. In one sense, your life has been tough. At the same time, compared to previous generations, your life has been very easy. Everybody was rushing to save you, to protect you. You were coddled, which makes your life harder now.

You’ve grown up with social media and the definition of narcissism: somebody gazing into the pond looking at themselves all the time. I don't mean this as an offense, and I am not just including you in this. We’ve become a culture of narcissists. It’s all about “me, me, me, me.”

You’ve been in territory that my generation never had to enter. You’ve already navigated a landscape that we didn't have to, where nothing is true, and you can’t trust anybody. I wouldn’t trust anybody either if I were in your position. But I do know a few things to be true and a couple of things I can trust.

First, life is worth it. ≈

Second, life is not about stuff. As a guy who is kind of a pack rat, I can tell you that none of that stuff will create happiness in your life. In fact, I think your generation has a better handle on happiness in some ways than anybody in mine. You’re starting to realize that pharmaceuticals may not be as good as natural solutions in a lot of situations, that the huge house may not be as satisfying as just having a smaller house, that living your life instead of having to work all the time may be a better way to live.

I want to talk to those of you who feel like it’s not worth even trying to go to work because you’ll never get anywhere. You work 40 hours a week or more, and you still can't afford a place to live. You’re still living with your parents. You can’t afford food. I think you're right to feel frustrated because the problems you're facing weren't always the case.

I blame a lot of the current problems we’re facing today on the hippies. That may be wrong, but I hate hippies. Hippies have been screwing things up since the 1960s. While on their socialist march, they have become everything that they said they were against: lying, greedy politicians. ≈

These are the people who have come up with policies that make you feel like this is the way the world is. I hope I can convince you that it doesn’t have to be this way. This isn’t the way our country has always been. We don’t have to keep these people in power. Actions have consequences. Votes have consequences. These people allow crime, looters, squatters, riots, and somebody needs to pay for that.

If you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework.

You say you can’t afford health care. I understand. Since Obamacare passed, the cost of individual health insurance has doubled. You need to remember that politicians promised that if we passed this massive health care overhaul, it would mean a savings of $2,500 per family. You're in school. You must know that $2,500 savings is not the same as an 80% increase. Moreover, the cost of hospital stays is up 210%. I understand when you say you can't afford health care at these costs. Who could afford health care? Who could afford insurance?

You are also starting your life with thousands of dollars in debt. Your parents didn't have that burden. People used to be able to work their way through college and graduate debt-free. Others were able to get jobs that quickly paid off their debt. You can't do that now. Once the government said that they were going to guarantee all student loans, university costs skyrocketed, and it hasn't stopped. You can thank the progressive President Lyndon B. Johnson for that.

The people who created this mess cannot fix it. But it can be fixed.

You are also starting your life with thousands of dollars in debt. Your parents didn't have that burden. People used to be able to work their way through college and graduate debt-free. Others were able to get jobs that quickly paid off their debt. You can't do that now. Once the government said that they were going to guarantee all student loans, university costs skyrocketed, and it hasn't stopped. You can thank the progressive President Lyndon B. Johnson for that.

Once the government said that they were going to guarantee everybody’s college tuition, universities found out that they could just charge more because the government would give you virtually any amount in your loan. And they have been charging more and more ever since. In 1965, the average college tuition was $450 a year. Adjusted to inflation, that's $4,000 a year. You're currently paying an average of $26,000 a year as opposed to the inflation-adjusted $4,000.

What happened? The answer is always the same: government regulations. Gas is up. Why? Government regulations. Can't afford a house? Well, that's due to several things. Many of them revolve around the fed and our national debt. But the simple answer is the same: government regulations.

Moreover, the U.S. government has run a staggering national debt. We have been concerned about it forever, but the people in power haven't been listening to your mom and dad and people like me. A lot of other people just thought, "Oh, well. We could get away with it. We're the United States of America, after all. Somehow or another, it will all work out."

People like me have been saying, "No. We can't pass this on to our children." You're now seeing what we have passed on. When you say that the adults are responsible for creating this world of problems, in some ways, you’re right. We were lied to, and as many people do, they want to believe the lie because it makes them feel better.

There are big lies being pushed in your generation as well. You're being told that a man is a woman and a woman is a man. At the same time, you’re being told that gender doesn't even exist at all. It makes us feel better to go along with the lie because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

My generation believed the same kind of lie about our national debt. We were told that we could spend all this money on subsidized programs because it would provide you, our children, with a better life. Some people warned, "Wait, how will they pay this off? This will cost them." We didn't want to believe them. The lie sounded better, and it was easier to believe that than the truth. We never saw the consequences, and even if we did, they were always way out in the future. Nobody wanted to listen to the doomsday people saying, "No. It's going to come faster than you think."

And that time is right now. Our government now is printing $1 trillion every 100 days. That's never been done before. We have more debt than any country has ever had in the history of the world. But we’re not alone. Every country is doing this. They’re going into debt like we’ve never seen before, and we’re all about to pay for that. It’s going to make your life even harder.

There are Democrats and Republicans who still believe in spending all kinds of money and getting us involved in every global conflict. Then there are constitutional conservatives who believe that we should conserve the things that have worked and throw out the things that don’t and follow our Constitution and Bill of Rights. You haven't really learned about those most likely. But you should. All of our problems are caused by the government and the people who feel they can bypass the Constitution. That's what this election is really all about.

You might say, “I don’t really care. I don’t like either of the political parties.” I know a lot of people who don’t like either of them, but one is going to try to cut the size of this government and one is going to spend us into collapse.

The people who created this mess cannot fix it. But it can be fixed. You need to learn enough about the truth, about why this has happened to us, and about how our Constitution lasted longer than any other Constitution in the world. The average is 17 years. This thing has lasted hundreds of years. Why? How? And why is it falling apart today? That's what you should dedicate some of your time to figuring out today.

You can complain about the way things are. I complain. Everybody complains. But don't wallow there. Learn what caused this. And if you end up thinking more collectivism is the solution, then you haven't done enough homework. They always end the same way, and that's exactly where we're headed right now. We can either repeat the dreadful past of nations that have tried it before us, or we can choose freedom, liberty, and prosperity. The ball is in our court.

Government's SECRET crackdown on preppers threatens YOUR right to grow food

Glenn recently had Representative Thomas Massie on his show to sound the alarm about an important yet often overlooked issue affecting what we eat. Whether you're trying to be prepared to weather a catastrophe or just trying to keep food on the table without resorting to eating bugs, it's more important now than ever to source local food. Unnoticed by most, our right to eat home-grown or locally-sourced foods is under attack. The government doesn't just want a say in what you eat; they want you vulnerable and dependent on their system, and they are massively overstepping their bounds to ensure your compliance with their goals.

How did the attack on your food begin?

Government overreach on food can be traced back to 1938 under the autocratic eye of FDR with the Supreme Court case "Wickard v. Filburn." The case was pretty straightforward, but the results were devastating. The case began with the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, which sought to control national food prices by placing limitations on how many crops farmers could grow in a season.

Filburn was one such farmer, who was allotted 11.1 acres of wheat to plant and harvest annually. Filburn planted and harvested 23 acres, arguing that the extra acres were not headed for the market, but were used for personal consumption. After being penalized for over-harvesting, he fought his case all the way up to the Supreme Court, arguing that Congress did not have the authority to regulate crops that never left his farm.

Unfortunately for Filburn (and the rest of us), the Supreme Court didn't agree. They ruled that the mere existence of that extra wheat—whether it left Filburn's farm or not—had an effect on the national value of wheat. Congress assumed the power to regulate just about anything that could be roped under the umbrella of "interstate commerce."

Under the precedent set by Wickard v. Filburn, Congress might bar you from growing tomatoes in your backyard, because it could affect national tomato prices. This was a major blow to our right to feed ourselves, and that right has been eroding ever since.

How is our right to feed ourselves under attack today?

Last June, the Virginia Department of Agriculture shut down Golden Valley Farms, a small Amish farm owned and operated by Samuel B. Fisher in Farmville, Virginia. Golden Valley Farms had started out selling dairy products, primarily, and processed some meat for personal consumption. However, by popular demand, Fisher began selling meat.

Fisher initially hauled his animals to a USDA processing plant, paid to have them processed, and then hauled them back. This process was time-consuming and costly, and Fisher's customers didn't want the meat processed by the plant. A survey done on Golden Valley Farms customers found that an overwhelming 92 percent preferred meat processed by Fisher. So naturally, Fisher began to process more and more meat for his customers.

Moreover, COVID shut down the USDA plant, which made it impossible for Fisher to process the animals by the USDA anyway, though the demand for meat was greater than ever. Fisher made the call to process 100 percent of his animals himself and didn't look back. That was until June when the Virginia Department of Agriculture caught wind of Fisher's operation and shut it down. The VDA seized all of Fisher's products, and he wasn't allowed to process, sell, or even eat his meat. Then they loaded it up in a truck and left it at the dump to rot.

Nobody ever got sick from eating meat from Golden Valley Farms. This was NOT about "health and safety." This was about control. The fact is that informed adults were not allowed to make a simple transaction without the government sticking its slimy fingers into Fisher's business and claiming it was somehow for "our benefit." But it's not for "our benefit." It's so they can regulate and control what we buy and what we eat, and they cannot stand it when we operate outside of their influence.

What comes next?

Where does this end? With so much of our ability to feed ourselves already eroded, is it too late? Is it going to get worse? Before long, will it be illegal to eat eggs from your chickens or pick vegetables from your garden without getting government clearance first? Fortunately, a solution is already in the works.

Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie recently told Glenn about a new constitutional amendment designed to limit government overreach regarding food production. The proposed amendment reads as follows:

And Congress shall make no law, regulating the production and distribution of food products, which do not move across state lines.

The amendment is still on the drawing board and has not been formally introduced to Congress yet. But this is where you come in. Call your representative and tell them to support Massie's amendment and take a stand for your right to provide sustenance for you and your family.