Walker Wildmon: Welcome to At the Core with Walker Wildmon and Rick Green on the American Family Radio network. It's great to be with you on this program. We've been on for over five years. I believe we celebrated our fifth anniversary just a couple of months ago. Rick and I enjoy the program and enjoy bringing you the content. We hear a lot of positive feedback when I travel, and we receive a lot of emails and calls into our headquarters from people who have been impacted by the program. Walker Wildmon: Lord willing, we're making a difference, and that's partly because of our listening audience and the folks who tune in, hear the content, and want to make an impact in their local communities. That's our goal here on the program. Walker Wildmon: Let's turn our attention to Scripture before we jump into some of the content for today's program. We've been in Acts chapter 23 this week, looking at verse 11: "But the following night the Lord stood by him," speaking about the apostle Paul, "and said, 'Be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.'" Walker Wildmon: I spoke about this earlier in the week. I was amazed that the Lord spoke specifically and verbally to Paul here. I've read Acts multiple times, but when you read Scripture, you tend to learn something new every time. That's how voluminous and revelatory it is, if that's a word, how much the Lord reveals through His Word. You think you understand it all, and then, of course, you continue learning. That's how God works. Walker Wildmon: I was impressed by the way the Lord verbally spoke to Paul, which is a rare occurrence in New Testament revelation. I actually had to research the number of times that the Lord specifically and verbally spoke to Paul in the book of Acts. I use Logos Bible Software. It's one of the best tools out there for studying Scripture, with fabulous commentaries integrated into its tools and many valuable research resources. I don't take full credit for all of this information. Walker Wildmon: In the book of Acts, the Lord spoke verbally to Paul on three occasions. The first occasion was in Acts chapter 18. Another occasion was while Paul was in Jerusalem praying in the temple. The third occasion was in Acts chapter 23, where we are this week, in verse 11, when the Lord said, "Be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you also must bear witness at Rome." Walker Wildmon: What I want to note and warn about is what I warned about earlier in the week, on Wednesday's edition. That is people, especially modern Christians, who claim that the Lord spoke to them. Walker Wildmon: Granted, some people say, "The Lord spoke to me," and they don't necessarily mean that the Lord verbally spoke to them. They may be indicating or suggesting that the Holy Spirit prompted them or convicted them about a matter. I understand that. Obviously, the Holy Spirit can convict us, move us, and work in us. That's clearly biblical. Walker Wildmon: But I gave a warning about people who do this frequently. They say, "The Lord told me this. The Lord told me that," and what they say the Lord told them is not explicitly in Scripture. That's something we need to be very hesitant and careful about. Walker Wildmon: The Lord did verbally speak to Paul, and the Lord obviously has the power and reserves the right to speak to Christians and believers however and whenever He chooses. However, that is not a frequent occurrence within the New Testament for verbal revelation from the Lord Himself. Walker Wildmon: As Scripture says, everything must be tested to ensure that it is of the Lord. So when people say that the Lord spoke to them, and especially if they're insinuating that it was verbal, what is it that the Lord told you? Does it align with Scripture? Is it consistent with Scripture and biblical truth? Walker Wildmon: Secondly, could you not get it from Scripture itself? This is what I want Christians to be very focused on and not discount: The Lord gives us everything we need for godliness in Scripture. The Lord reveals to the church, to the body of Christ, everything that we need for life and godliness. That's what Scripture says. Walker Wildmon: If we have everything we need through Scripture and through the Holy Spirit to live godly and righteous lives, then we should not be looking for verbal affirmation or direction from the Lord around every turn. Walker Wildmon: Here we have some instances in the New Testament where the Lord does verbally speak, and obviously that's consistent with Scripture and Paul's experience. But the Bible itself, and the Lord's instruction in Scripture on righteousness, godly living, theology, and biblical truth, provide everything in Scripture. It is plenty for the believer to understand what God's will is, what God desires, and how He desires us to live. Walker Wildmon: Be skeptical of those who persistently claim that the Lord is verbally speaking to them, because there are rare instances reserved in Scripture, especially in the New Testament, where the Lord does verbally speak to the New Testament church. That's Acts chapter 23, verse 11. Walker Wildmon: Moving into some of the topics I want to get to in this segment, the war in Ukraine just seems to never come to an end. We're over four years into it now. President Trump has been working on this even before his inauguration in his second term, trying to end the war in Ukraine. Walker Wildmon: Russia invaded Ukraine and still occupies certain territories there. This has been a very bloody, brutal, and inhumane war in Ukraine. Before I get too deep into this and tell you what I think about it, I want to lay down some foundational truths so as not to send mixed signals about who the good guys and bad guys are here. Walker Wildmon: Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukrainian territory militarily over four years ago. That is a fundamental fact. Russia has been responsible for thousands of military deaths, as well as civilian deaths in Ukraine. Walker Wildmon: Russia is no friend of the West or ally of the United States. It is no beacon of liberty or protector of human rights. Russia is not our friend. We may find some issues, domestic or foreign policy issues, where the United States shares interests with Russia, including some economic issues. But Russia, and specifically Vladimir Putin, are not "the good guys" in this situation. I want to lay that out there. Walker Wildmon: Simultaneously, this does not completely exonerate Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It does not completely exonerate Ukraine. Ukraine has its own domestic issues, and the way this war has been handled, including the way Zelenskyy has handled some of these policy issues, is problematic. We'll talk through that. Walker Wildmon: Another thing to preface this conversation with is the fact that Ukraine, before the war, ranked as the most corrupt developed nation in the world. I said this a couple of years ago, and I'll say it again. Ukraine was notorious for corruption. It pretty much served as a hub for worldwide embezzlement, shady operations, criminal activity, and dark money. Walker Wildmon: If you wanted to run a criminal enterprise financially, you did it in Ukraine. This notion that Ukraine is the question of liberty, the constitutional republic in the region, or the standard-bearer of protecting democracy just doesn't hold water. Walker Wildmon: Since this war began, Ukraine hasn't had an election. Why? Because Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suspended all democratic processes there. There are no more elections. By his own dictates, Zelenskyy has essentially become what he claims, and is rightfully accusing Vladimir Putin of becoming: a dictator. Walker Wildmon: Zelenskyy has de facto become a dictator. He may not function that way in every respect, but he's basically become a dictator because they don't have elections anymore. Two wrongs don't make a right, and that's what I think is missing from the conversation. Walker Wildmon: A lot of conservatives, foreign policy experts, and people in Washington want to take a moral position on this war. That's fine. I just made a moral position. I told you that Russia has done evil things. They've killed countless people in war, including civilians, and Russia is not our buddy or our pal. Walker Wildmon: At the same time, President Trump comes to the table because he wants the bloodshed to stop, while Zelenskyy seems determined to keep the war going. It is bizarre that Zelenskyy is so determined to keep the bloodshed going even as Russia has indicated that it is willing to have a ceasefire, end the war, and sign an agreement. Walker Wildmon: As all of this is taking place, Ukraine has even admitted that billions of dollars are completely missing. They don't know where the money has gone. The United States has sent the equivalent of 300 to 400 billion dollars into Ukraine. Europe has sent billions as well. It has been confirmed that some of Zelenskyy's associates and administration officials have taken millions and disappeared. Walker Wildmon: That's not shocking to anyone who knows the history here, because once again, Ukraine was known before the war as the most corrupt developed nation in the world. Functionally, it was a hub for white-collar criminal activity for anyone and everyone who wanted to go to Ukraine and engage in criminal activity. Walker Wildmon: Continuing our discussion of the war in Ukraine, Russia invaded Ukraine, and evil and wrong originated from Russia. The topic now, and the topic that has been discussed for the last two years under the Trump administration, is how to end the war. Walker Wildmon: I've got a couple of clips here, but first I want to tell you what people's gut moral instinct is in that position, in negotiating and arguing, and then what actually happens in negotiations. I'm going to start at a more individual basis, and then you can carry this over to foreign policy. Walker Wildmon: Anyone who has been involved in litigation understands that there is a starting position, especially in civil litigation and criminal cases when you're talking about prosecutors and pleas. Negotiations follow the same process. There is your starting position, which is basically your wish list, and then there is where you end up. Walker Wildmon: The two are rarely the same. They rarely completely line up, if they line up at all. In something like a war, both parties have their positions and their starting positions. Walker Wildmon: For Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his starting position has been no ceded territory, the war is not going to end, Russia has to pay Ukraine back, and a list of 10 or 20 bullet points. That's fine. He's representing his country, and that's his starting negotiating position. Walker Wildmon: But a lot of people who talk about this issue and support Ukraine, and who have valid reasons to support Ukraine, simply say that Vladimir Putin is evil. That's their position. They give you all the reasons. Walker Wildmon: I'm not sure why they personalize this to Putin, because Russia is a whole nation made up of a lot of people. But they'll say, "Vladimir Putin is evil, a former KGB member, a bad person, and a dictator or authoritarian." They give a laundry list of how evil Putin and Russia are. Walker Wildmon: You can't argue with many of their points. You say, "Yes, they're right." But then they offer no pathway out of this bloody, awful war. They offer no exit ramp. Walker Wildmon: If you know anything about negotiations, foreign policy, or ending wars, you know it involves both sides compromising. This is where President Trump has been rightfully frustrated. President Trump is a businessman, and he understands negotiations. Walker Wildmon: He knows that both Russia and Ukraine are going to have to come to the table and give up something in order to end the war. What has frustrated President Trump and his administration is that as he chips away at Russia, trying to get Russia to the table, Ukraine rejects the terms of the deal at every turn and hardly even counteroffers in negotiations. Walker Wildmon: After months, and now years, of doing this, people are wondering why President Trump is frustrated and why he is talking about Ukraine and Zelenskyy this way. It's because President Trump has been at this for two years, trying to get this thing settled. At every turn, it seems like Zelenskyy and Ukraine don't want to negotiate or end the war. They just want the money to keep flowing. Walker Wildmon: That is the frustration. That's the full context of what's going on in Ukraine. The people who just want to talk about how bad Putin and Russia are are not the people who end wars. Those are the people who start wars, because all they can do is virtue-signal and demonize the other side. Walker Wildmon: Their points may be valid, but the war has already started. Talking about how bad Russia and Putin are simply regurgitates the same old talking points. It will effectively do nothing to end the war. It's the same thing as negotiating on a smaller scale about a more trivial matter. If all you do is demonize the other side and talk about how evil they are, how are you going to get a deal with them? Walker Wildmon: That's the point President Trump is addressing, and that's why he hasn't been able to get a deal between Russia and Ukraine. Virtually over the last 12 months, he had pretty much given up, but now he is resurfacing these conversations and trying to end the war. Walker Wildmon: When you end a war like this, there are going to be compromises. It is not going to be black and white, and it is not going to be squeaky clean. Anyone who looks at history should understand that. Walker Wildmon: Secretary of State Marco Rubio reminded us this week how helpful and supportive the United States has been of Ukraine. That helps dispel the myth that President Trump and the United States have somehow undermined Ukraine. Walker Wildmon: We are no longer going to be defensive about this topic. If it were not for the assistance of the United States, including assistance under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now. Ukraine, as a sovereign state, would not exist. Walker Wildmon: That doesn't mean the bravery of Ukraine's fighters should not be highlighted. They have fought bravely for their country and done extraordinary things with the aid provided to them, standing up to a much larger country. But let's be very clear: There would be no Ukraine today were it not for the assistance the United States has supplied in billions of dollars, going back to the Biden administration and continuing through this administration. Walker Wildmon: Secretary Rubio recently reminded the media and the public that there has been no greater ally than the United States. There is an expectation that aid from the United States will be never-ending and that there are no stipulations attached to it. That level of arrogance, my friends, is quite infuriating. Walker Wildmon: The level of arrogance that Ukraine, and specifically Zelenskyy, has displayed with President Trump and the Trump administration is not just infuriating. It is absolutely insulting. Walker Wildmon: I'll never forget that Oval Office showdown, where Zelenskyy came over here and wanted to lecture us about diplomacy and how evil Russia is, as if we don't already know these things. Walker Wildmon: We have helped Ukraine. We have been Ukraine's chief ally. I think we have credibility in addressing how to end the war. I've been skeptical this whole time about what on earth they are doing with all this money. Walker Wildmon: I'm not being conspiratorial in the sense that the whole war is about money and funneling money through Ukraine, as some people believe. I think Russia legitimately decided that it had had enough of Ukraine and was going to take over a couple of provinces. Russia thought it would be quick and easy because it was bigger than Ukraine, but Ukraine fought back more aggressively than Russia expected. Then here we are, four years later, and it has been a human tragedy. Walker Wildmon: These kinds of human tragedies and bloodbaths have to end somehow, and they should end sooner rather than later. Walker Wildmon: This notion that Ukraine can't cede land to Russia is presented as some kind of moral argument. I understand that. But how long do you want this to go on? Walker Wildmon: President Trump has offered security guarantees to Ukraine. The European Union has offered security guarantees to Ukraine. President Trump was offering not just security but also economic guarantees through one of the previous deals that was nearly signed before the whole thing fell apart. Walker Wildmon: Every war ends with some kind of compromise, and oftentimes it ends with ceded land. In a perfect world, Ukraine would push Russia back, take back all the land that has been occupied, return to its prewar borders, secure the country, and rebuild. But that's not how all wars end. In fact, that's how few wars end. Walker Wildmon: It is not realistic to keep digging in our heels in the West and talking only about how bad Russia is. That is not a viable path forward. President Trump knows that. Secretary Rubio knows that. That's why they're frustrated. Walker Wildmon: There are so many so-called war hawks who aren't the ones dying in Ukraine. They're not the ones sending their 18-year-old sons to be slaughtered by Russia in Ukraine. They're in the West, sleeping comfortably at night. They have jobs and are living life to the fullest, but they go on television talking about how bad Putin is and how we need to keep the war going. Walker Wildmon: What is happening on the ground in Russia and Ukraine is inhumane on both levels. I understand that the human tragedy in Ukraine is horrendous, but there are also Russians who do not support this war who are being sent to war to die. Walker Wildmon: As President Trump has said, civilians on both sides are being sent into this war who don't want to go. They are being sent to be slaughtered. This is a humanitarian disaster on both sides, involving the Ukrainian and Russian people. The war needs to end. Walker Wildmon: That has been President Trump's position, and Secretary Rubio has held this position frequently, including since he was sworn in as secretary of state. This is Rubio recently talking about why he wants to end the war in Ukraine. Marco Rubio: I think there have been talks of a meeting. I don't know if anything has been finalized, but the president has been clear that he would like the war in Ukraine and Russia to end. He wants that war to end. He said that when he was a candidate. He said it never would have happened if he had been president at the time, but it did happen. Marco Rubio: Now we've done everything we can, and we'll continue to do everything we can to help facilitate the end of that war. No one is winning that war. People are dying every day. Things are being blown up every day. Things are being destroyed every day. Marco Rubio: The president has talked about the death toll. If you've listened to him, he repeatedly cites 25,000 people a month dying in these wars, along with the amount of destruction and economic damage that is occurring. Marco Rubio: We have engaged repeatedly over the last almost two years to try to bring about or facilitate an end to this war. I think the president is open to anything he can do to help bring a war to an end, if it is possible, and he will continue to look for opportunities to do that. Marco Rubio: So far, obviously, we haven't made the kind of progress we would like to have made, but it's not for lack of trying. The president remains very committed to it. You saw his post overnight, our time, where he once again reiterated why he has done the things he has done, including suspending the sanctions for 60 days. He wants to see if there is an opportunity for the talks going on right now with both Ukraine and Russia to lead to something positive and avoid another disastrous year of war and conflict. Walker Wildmon: There you have it. That's Secretary Rubio, who is obviously very articulate on this issue. Walker Wildmon: The United States is not morally bound to indefinitely support Ukraine. I think that is consistent with Scripture, foreign policy, and international norms. I don't personally believe that the United States, which is not a direct party to this war, is morally or legally bound to defend Ukraine indefinitely. Ukraine is not a member of NATO. Walker Wildmon: I think helping to defend and support Ukraine up until now has been the right move and has been morally justified, considering what Russia has been doing. But if the United States repeatedly tries to get a peace deal and Ukraine doesn't want one, we are not obligated to keep the gravy train going. Walker Wildmon: The people who criticize President Trump because he is threatening to withhold aid, money, or military supplies from Ukraine need to remember that Ukraine is not a member of NATO. This expectation that we have to keep the supply chain flowing indefinitely is not true. That argument does not stand. Walker Wildmon: We have the right and ability to stop aiding Ukraine at any point that we want. If President Trump feels that he has exhausted all of his options and Zelenskyy and Ukraine do not want to come to the table, negotiate, or concede to anything, then the United States can fully withhold and stop the aid for Ukraine. Walker Wildmon: That's a somewhat different view from what you're going to hear from most others, especially in the war hawk circles of perpetual virtue-signaling and perpetual war. The fact of the matter is that all wars come to an end. Somebody is either defeated, or somebody negotiates. One of the two. Walker Wildmon: I vote for family. I vote for legal immigration. I vote for religious freedom. I vote for law and order. I vote for our children's future. I vote for peace through strength. I vote for life. I vote using iVoterGuide.com. Walker Wildmon: Welcome back to At the Core here on American Family Radio. Glad to have you with us on the program. Walker Wildmon: Chris Woodward is with us from American Family News. Chris, welcome back. Chris Woodward: Thank you very much. Walker Wildmon: Chris, we have a midterm election in less than two weeks. We encourage people to vote, vote, vote, and use iVoterGuide.com to get your personalized ballot. That's iVoterGuide.com. Before we jump into some of the politics and candidates, give us an update on some of the economic news. Chris Woodward: From time to time on the show, we talk about mortgage rates. The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate eased to 7.32 percent in the first pullback since late August. That eases some of the pressure on prospective homebuyers facing higher borrowing costs on home loans. Chris Woodward: That was one thing that was underreported this week. The stock market is still doing well, although it was a mixed bag on Thursday. The Dow is still at 52,000, the Nasdaq is doing well at 26,000, and the S&P is at 7,000. I cannot believe it, but we may see a day in the not-too-distant future when the S&P is somewhere around 10,000. Chris Woodward: One big number we cannot stress enough is that U.S. weekly jobless claims are near 57-year lows. I bring that up because we heard how Trump's policies were going to kill the labor market. Obviously, that is not the case. Walker Wildmon: The economy is like the commentators. There is a pretty good crowd of doom-and-gloomers. It doesn't matter what statistics we get, what the market does, what the jobs numbers do, or what the Federal Reserve does. It's always, "There's going to be a recession, things are falling apart, there's an AI bubble, and oil is going to $200 a barrel." Walker Wildmon: The statement "If it bleeds, it leads" is so true. It doesn't even have to be true. It just has to be provocative and headline-seeking. People tend to click on it, and unfortunately, it gets a lot of traffic. But all of those negative, apocalyptic projections just haven't come true. Chris Woodward: Under President Biden, we did have a brief recession, a brief technical recession. We had two quarters of negative GDP, and then it went back to positive. Walker Wildmon: There was technically a recession under Biden. Inflation was persistent. Under President Trump, there has been no recession. The stock market has fared well. It has been a little flat recently, but it cannot always be up. It has done pretty well since President Trump's inauguration. All the other statistics seem to be doing okay, with the exception of inflation. Inflation is pretty much the only negative thing President Trump has been getting criticism for. Walker Wildmon: It's interesting to me that some people in the economic news industry are begging for negative headlines, but the Trump administration has not been delivering many of those. Chris Woodward: I think this is one reason people need to educate themselves and listen to financial shows. They need to read. How would a recession even happen? You talked about two negative quarters of negative growth. It would take a while, and a lot of things would have to happen, for a recession to actually happen. Chris Woodward: You can lose your shirt in a day on Wall Street, but we're talking about months of things happening and falling into place. For somebody to go on CNBC or another program and say, "We're headed toward a recession," they need to prove it and back it up. It's one thing to say something. It's another thing to have the facts. Unfortunately, that's what is missing in many financial discussions, particularly on television programs. Walker Wildmon: Exactly. My prediction, Chris, is that I was very disappointed when the Federal Reserve began to hike rates, primarily because I have long held the belief that the Federal Reserve doesn't cause inflation, so the Federal Reserve can't fix inflation. Walker Wildmon: Some would say they can raise rates, cool the economy, and fix inflation. That's kind of rigging the system. It is indirectly addressing inflation. I think energy prices and Washington spending too much money cause inflation, so those are the things that need to be fixed. Walker Wildmon: Nonetheless, we're probably going to be on a brief rate-hiking cycle over the next few months, maybe the next quarter or two. I don't think the Federal Reserve will hike for long. I think it will be short-lived, and then rates will probably sit for a while. Walker Wildmon: Beyond the Federal Reserve hiking rates and some lingering inflation, I think that after this election, all the other metrics will continue to trend positively. Chris Woodward: I think so as well. It's going to be interesting to see what the American voter says about all of this. We know the polls and what people are predicting on programs, including the ones we air on American Family Radio. It's going to be interesting to see where Americans want to go over the next couple of years. Chris Woodward: Do you want to go with the party that entered office and did things to help you have more money in your paycheck or more money at the end of the day? Or do you want to vote back in the party that caused inflation to begin with, which President Trump had to campaign on and try to fix in his first year in office? Walker Wildmon: I don't know what people are going to do. I wish people who interview Democrats, such as James Talarico and others, when they talk about how this is an affordability election and say, "What are you going to do about it? Parents are having a tough time," would have somebody on a channel other than Fox News or Newsmax lean in and say, "You caused this. Your party caused this in 2021." Walker Wildmon: You passed all kinds of things because you believe government is the daddy of everybody and that the government is going to fix all your problems. You caused this problem, and you didn't say a word about it. But all of a sudden, when there was a person with an "R" next to his name in office, it became terrible, and we had to vote him out. Walker Wildmon: Another thing I want to warn our audience about is the term "affordability crisis," or simply "affordability." I may not have used this term before, but I want to warn the audience because I think this is going to be hijacked and used by the left. Walker Wildmon: Affordability is obviously an important topic for voters because the economy is important for voters, and inflation is important as well. I'm not dismissing that. The problem I have with the term "affordability" is that it is fully subjective. One thing may be affordable for one person and not affordable for another. Walker Wildmon: We can go around in circles about affordability, and someone is always going to be in a position where they can't afford something. Chris Woodward: I think the left is going to turn the affordability topic into its next climate change or Green New Deal term because you can't pin them down on it. Walker Wildmon: Even if President Trump produces the best jobs numbers, inflation below two percent, a rising stock market, and rising wages, Democrats can still walk around and talk about affordability. Why? Because you can't pin them down on it. Walker Wildmon: We need to look at the hard data. That's what we talk about on the program: the hard data about how the American worker is actually doing, real wage growth, income growth, inflation numbers, and so forth. Those are numbers you can actually nail down. Walker Wildmon: That's where I think the left is going to take this. They've started this election cycle talking about the "affordability crisis" because I think they want to hitch their wagon to that term and ride it for multiple election cycles. Chris Woodward: These are the same people who want to make everything about democracy, even though we're not a true democracy. Walker Wildmon: Yes, even though you have people such as Elissa Slotkin saying, "We're going to make life really hard for young conservatives these next couple of years." Chris Woodward: That's a lot of great campaign speech. Walker Wildmon: Right. Then when people say, "Wait a minute, that sounds like lawfare," she says, "Stop being mean to me because I'm a woman." They always find some excuse to make it about themselves, about being picked on, and things like that. Chris Woodward: To your point about how they're going to spend this and make it their thing, when President Obama was in office toward the end of his time, climate change became more about helping kids with asthma than lowering the temperature or helping animals and other things. It wasn't working the way they were trying to push climate change policies on people, so they had to find another way. Who would be opposed to helping kids with asthma? Walker Wildmon: What politician is going to say no to that? Chris Woodward: That's why we need things like the Affordable Care Act. Walker Wildmon: To your point, Chris, that is another thing Democrats on the left have already been doing and will continue to do: offering incentives, welfare, and aid in areas where constitutionally the federal government has no business dealing. Chris Woodward: Amen. Walker Wildmon: But nobody can say that because then you're being heartless. Chris Woodward: Every problem you're having today with a price point, whether it's gas, groceries, utility bills, or something else, is based on the government's decisions. Walker Wildmon: Or actions over decades. Chris Woodward: It's not because a rich person is not paying enough in taxes. It's because the government has made stupid decisions with your tax dollars and told you to like it. Walker Wildmon: Exactly. They've been demonizing wealth creators, and wealth creators end up being job creators. Chris Woodward: Did you see the United CEO call for a wealth tax this week? Walker Wildmon: No, please, no. Chris Woodward: The man makes more than 30 million dollars a year, and he says we need to have a wealth tax in this country. He says we need the wealthy to pay more in taxes. Walker Wildmon: He should donate more to the IRS. Chris Woodward: That's a great point. You can find a story about this on AFN.net. We spoke with Preston Brashers at Advancing American Freedom, and I got him to confirm a couple of things. Number one, 40 percent of American workers, or American people, don't pay taxes. Walker Wildmon: Forty percent? Chris Woodward: The other thing is that you are more than welcome to send the IRS more than what they require you to pay every April. We don't need a wealth tax. We don't need wealthy people paying more taxes. We need more people working and paying taxes. Walker Wildmon: It's been that way for a long time. Chris Woodward: That was an argument Marco Rubio made with the Tea Party in 2010. Walker Wildmon: Yes, exactly. We're still talking about it. Chris Woodward: I think there should be no more new or increased taxes from Washington, D.C. The amount of money they're getting from the average American worker and voter is already too much. Walker Wildmon: The income tax was unfortunately put into the Constitution later on. I don't believe our Founding Fathers intended for Americans to be taxed in that manner. There are other ways for the government to receive revenue beyond direct income taxes. Nonetheless, we definitely need no more tax increases. Walker Wildmon: The problem with the Democrats' approach, and perhaps even some Republicans' approach, is the idea that we can get more revenue through more taxes. The problem with that in the long run, and this has been proven for a long time, is that when you increase the burden and taxes on job creators, entrepreneurs, and business owners, the so-called wealthy, you put water on the fire of their businesses. Walker Wildmon: You end up having a negative effect in which fewer jobs are created because there is less money to work with in the company. It always backfires. That's what you're seeing in California and New York, states that were once booming and hubs of economic activity. Walker Wildmon: California and New York are still doing a lot of business, but they could be doing so much better. They've had a negative business approach in which they punish successful people with higher taxes. The long-term result is that people leave the state. That's what has happened in droves since COVID, and it was happening on a smaller scale before that. Walker Wildmon: Long-term, that drains the tax base. California and New York once had so much wealth generation and tax revenue that they could run all these lush services, metros, subways, fire stations, and other benefits because they had so much wealth. Walker Wildmon: Their cost of operating the city and the government is very high because they were used to the good old days. Now they have driven their tax base out of town, but they still have the high cost of running the city and state. Now they're in a deficit. That's an unsustainable path for these states and cities. Chris Woodward: Another thing is that the government messed up your life, and now it is trying to make things better for you by taxing you more. Walker Wildmon: California is one of the world's largest economies, and it is broke. Chris Woodward: Yes, and it's broke because it has big government. Walker Wildmon: Even if Democrats have a great idea and say, "We can do this, but we're going to need to tax more," we still need Republicans and Democrats to cut spending in other areas drastically. Chris Woodward: Correct. At some point in the not-too-distant future, we will all be working just to pay the interest on the debt. Walker Wildmon: If you're going to increase taxes, how is that even possible? Literally, everybody will be working to service the debt. Chris Woodward: The last thing they need to do is increase taxes. That would have a negative and detrimental long-term effect. Walker Wildmon: I would very much like to see center-right people, and even moderate Democrats, of which there are some, respond when Democrats and liberals want some unicorn-juice program to fund this or that. It would be nice if those people said, "Okay, let's kill this department and get rid of all those offices." Walker Wildmon: I know what we need to do, Chris. We need to appoint Elon Musk and Dave Ramsey as king for a day, or probably for a year, and tell them to have at it. Chris Woodward: You might have a stroke. Walker Wildmon: Don't check with the Senate. Don't check with the House. Don't check with the judges. You're king for a year. Just do whatever you have to do. Chris Woodward: People like that have a proven record of successfully running businesses without debt. Walker Wildmon: I know Elon has some debt, but Dave Ramsey does it. Nonetheless, we'll see you next time, folks.
Walker Wildmon: Welcome to At the Core with Walker Wildmon and Rick Green on the American Family Radio network. It's great to be with you on this program. We've been on for over five years. I believe we celebrated our fifth anniversary just a couple of months ago. Rick and I enjoy the program and enjoy bringing you the content. We hear a lot of positive feedback when I travel, and we receive a lot of emails and calls into our headquarters from people who have been impacted by the program. Walker Wildmon: Lord willing, we're making a difference, and that's partly because of our listening audience and the folks who tune in, hear the content, and want to make an impact in their local communities. That's our goal here on the program. Walker Wildmon: Let's turn our attention to Scripture before we jump into some of the content for today's program. We've been in Acts chapter 23 this week, looking at verse 11: "But the following night the Lord stood by him," speaking about the apostle Paul, "and said, 'Be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.'" Walker Wildmon: I spoke about this earlier in the week. I was amazed that the Lord spoke specifically and verbally to Paul here. I've read Acts multiple times, but when you read Scripture, you tend to learn something new every time. That's how voluminous and revelatory it is, if that's a word, how much the Lord reveals through His Word. You think you understand it all, and then, of course, you continue learning. That's how God works. Walker Wildmon: I was impressed by the way the Lord verbally spoke to Paul, which is a rare occurrence in New Testament revelation. I actually had to research the number of times that the Lord specifically and verbally spoke to Paul in the book of Acts. I use Logos Bible Software. It's one of the best tools out there for studying Scripture, with fabulous commentaries integrated into its tools and many valuable research resources. I don't take full credit for all of this information. Walker Wildmon: In the book of Acts, the Lord spoke verbally to Paul on three occasions. The first occasion was in Acts chapter 18. Another occasion was while Paul was in Jerusalem praying in the temple. The third occasion was in Acts chapter 23, where we are this week, in verse 11, when the Lord said, "Be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you also must bear witness at Rome." Walker Wildmon: What I want to note and warn about is what I warned about earlier in the week, on Wednesday's edition. That is people, especially modern Christians, who claim that the Lord spoke to them. Walker Wildmon: Granted, some people say, "The Lord spoke to me," and they don't necessarily mean that the Lord verbally spoke to them. They may be indicating or suggesting that the Holy Spirit prompted them or convicted them about a matter. I understand that. Obviously, the Holy Spirit can convict us, move us, and work in us. That's clearly biblical. Walker Wildmon: But I gave a warning about people who do this frequently. They say, "The Lord told me this. The Lord told me that," and what they say the Lord told them is not explicitly in Scripture. That's something we need to be very hesitant and careful about. Walker Wildmon: The Lord did verbally speak to Paul, and the Lord obviously has the power and reserves the right to speak to Christians and believers however and whenever He chooses. However, that is not a frequent occurrence within the New Testament for verbal revelation from the Lord Himself. Walker Wildmon: As Scripture says, everything must be tested to ensure that it is of the Lord. So when people say that the Lord spoke to them, and especially if they're insinuating that it was verbal, what is it that the Lord told you? Does it align with Scripture? Is it consistent with Scripture and biblical truth? Walker Wildmon: Secondly, could you not get it from Scripture itself? This is what I want Christians to be very focused on and not discount: The Lord gives us everything we need for godliness in Scripture. The Lord reveals to the church, to the body of Christ, everything that we need for life and godliness. That's what Scripture says. Walker Wildmon: If we have everything we need through Scripture and through the Holy Spirit to live godly and righteous lives, then we should not be looking for verbal affirmation or direction from the Lord around every turn. Walker Wildmon: Here we have some instances in the New Testament where the Lord does verbally speak, and obviously that's consistent with Scripture and Paul's experience. But the Bible itself, and the Lord's instruction in Scripture on righteousness, godly living, theology, and biblical truth, provide everything in Scripture. It is plenty for the believer to understand what God's will is, what God desires, and how He desires us to live. Walker Wildmon: Be skeptical of those who persistently claim that the Lord is verbally speaking to them, because there are rare instances reserved in Scripture, especially in the New Testament, where the Lord does verbally speak to the New Testament church. That's Acts chapter 23, verse 11. Walker Wildmon: Moving into some of the topics I want to get to in this segment, the war in Ukraine just seems to never come to an end. We're over four years into it now. President Trump has been working on this even before his inauguration in his second term, trying to end the war in Ukraine. Walker Wildmon: Russia invaded Ukraine and still occupies certain territories there. This has been a very bloody, brutal, and inhumane war in Ukraine. Before I get too deep into this and tell you what I think about it, I want to lay down some foundational truths so as not to send mixed signals about who the good guys and bad guys are here. Walker Wildmon: Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukrainian territory militarily over four years ago. That is a fundamental fact. Russia has been responsible for thousands of military deaths, as well as civilian deaths in Ukraine. Walker Wildmon: Russia is no friend of the West or ally of the United States. It is no beacon of liberty or protector of human rights. Russia is not our friend. We may find some issues, domestic or foreign policy issues, where the United States shares interests with Russia, including some economic issues. But Russia, and specifically Vladimir Putin, are not "the good guys" in this situation. I want to lay that out there. Walker Wildmon: Simultaneously, this does not completely exonerate Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It does not completely exonerate Ukraine. Ukraine has its own domestic issues, and the way this war has been handled, including the way Zelenskyy has handled some of these policy issues, is problematic. We'll talk through that. Walker Wildmon: Another thing to preface this conversation with is the fact that Ukraine, before the war, ranked as the most corrupt developed nation in the world. I said this a couple of years ago, and I'll say it again. Ukraine was notorious for corruption. It pretty much served as a hub for worldwide embezzlement, shady operations, criminal activity, and dark money. Walker Wildmon: If you wanted to run a criminal enterprise financially, you did it in Ukraine. This notion that Ukraine is the question of liberty, the constitutional republic in the region, or the standard-bearer of protecting democracy just doesn't hold water. Walker Wildmon: Since this war began, Ukraine hasn't had an election. Why? Because Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suspended all democratic processes there. There are no more elections. By his own dictates, Zelenskyy has essentially become what he claims, and is rightfully accusing Vladimir Putin of becoming: a dictator. Walker Wildmon: Zelenskyy has de facto become a dictator. He may not function that way in every respect, but he's basically become a dictator because they don't have elections anymore. Two wrongs don't make a right, and that's what I think is missing from the conversation. Walker Wildmon: A lot of conservatives, foreign policy experts, and people in Washington want to take a moral position on this war. That's fine. I just made a moral position. I told you that Russia has done evil things. They've killed countless people in war, including civilians, and Russia is not our buddy or our pal. Walker Wildmon: At the same time, President Trump comes to the table because he wants the bloodshed to stop, while Zelenskyy seems determined to keep the war going. It is bizarre that Zelenskyy is so determined to keep the bloodshed going even as Russia has indicated that it is willing to have a ceasefire, end the war, and sign an agreement. Walker Wildmon: As all of this is taking place, Ukraine has even admitted that billions of dollars are completely missing. They don't know where the money has gone. The United States has sent the equivalent of 300 to 400 billion dollars into Ukraine. Europe has sent billions as well. It has been confirmed that some of Zelenskyy's associates and administration officials have taken millions and disappeared. Walker Wildmon: That's not shocking to anyone who knows the history here, because once again, Ukraine was known before the war as the most corrupt developed nation in the world. Functionally, it was a hub for white-collar criminal activity for anyone and everyone who wanted to go to Ukraine and engage in criminal activity. Walker Wildmon: Continuing our discussion of the war in Ukraine, Russia invaded Ukraine, and evil and wrong originated from Russia. The topic now, and the topic that has been discussed for the last two years under the Trump administration, is how to end the war. Walker Wildmon: I've got a couple of clips here, but first I want to tell you what people's gut moral instinct is in that position, in negotiating and arguing, and then what actually happens in negotiations. I'm going to start at a more individual basis, and then you can carry this over to foreign policy. Walker Wildmon: Anyone who has been involved in litigation understands that there is a starting position, especially in civil litigation and criminal cases when you're talking about prosecutors and pleas. Negotiations follow the same process. There is your starting position, which is basically your wish list, and then there is where you end up. Walker Wildmon: The two are rarely the same. They rarely completely line up, if they line up at all. In something like a war, both parties have their positions and their starting positions. Walker Wildmon: For Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his starting position has been no ceded territory, the war is not going to end, Russia has to pay Ukraine back, and a list of 10 or 20 bullet points. That's fine. He's representing his country, and that's his starting negotiating position. Walker Wildmon: But a lot of people who talk about this issue and support Ukraine, and who have valid reasons to support Ukraine, simply say that Vladimir Putin is evil. That's their position. They give you all the reasons. Walker Wildmon: I'm not sure why they personalize this to Putin, because Russia is a whole nation made up of a lot of people. But they'll say, "Vladimir Putin is evil, a former KGB member, a bad person, and a dictator or authoritarian." They give a laundry list of how evil Putin and Russia are. Walker Wildmon: You can't argue with many of their points. You say, "Yes, they're right." But then they offer no pathway out of this bloody, awful war. They offer no exit ramp. Walker Wildmon: If you know anything about negotiations, foreign policy, or ending wars, you know it involves both sides compromising. This is where President Trump has been rightfully frustrated. President Trump is a businessman, and he understands negotiations. Walker Wildmon: He knows that both Russia and Ukraine are going to have to come to the table and give up something in order to end the war. What has frustrated President Trump and his administration is that as he chips away at Russia, trying to get Russia to the table, Ukraine rejects the terms of the deal at every turn and hardly even counteroffers in negotiations. Walker Wildmon: After months, and now years, of doing this, people are wondering why President Trump is frustrated and why he is talking about Ukraine and Zelenskyy this way. It's because President Trump has been at this for two years, trying to get this thing settled. At every turn, it seems like Zelenskyy and Ukraine don't want to negotiate or end the war. They just want the money to keep flowing. Walker Wildmon: That is the frustration. That's the full context of what's going on in Ukraine. The people who just want to talk about how bad Putin and Russia are are not the people who end wars. Those are the people who start wars, because all they can do is virtue-signal and demonize the other side. Walker Wildmon: Their points may be valid, but the war has already started. Talking about how bad Russia and Putin are simply regurgitates the same old talking points. It will effectively do nothing to end the war. It's the same thing as negotiating on a smaller scale about a more trivial matter. If all you do is demonize the other side and talk about how evil they are, how are you going to get a deal with them? Walker Wildmon: That's the point President Trump is addressing, and that's why he hasn't been able to get a deal between Russia and Ukraine. Virtually over the last 12 months, he had pretty much given up, but now he is resurfacing these conversations and trying to end the war. Walker Wildmon: When you end a war like this, there are going to be compromises. It is not going to be black and white, and it is not going to be squeaky clean. Anyone who looks at history should understand that. Walker Wildmon: Secretary of State Marco Rubio reminded us this week how helpful and supportive the United States has been of Ukraine. That helps dispel the myth that President Trump and the United States have somehow undermined Ukraine. Walker Wildmon: We are no longer going to be defensive about this topic. If it were not for the assistance of the United States, including assistance under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now. Ukraine, as a sovereign state, would not exist. Walker Wildmon: That doesn't mean the bravery of Ukraine's fighters should not be highlighted. They have fought bravely for their country and done extraordinary things with the aid provided to them, standing up to a much larger country. But let's be very clear: There would be no Ukraine today were it not for the assistance the United States has supplied in billions of dollars, going back to the Biden administration and continuing through this administration. Walker Wildmon: Secretary Rubio recently reminded the media and the public that there has been no greater ally than the United States. There is an expectation that aid from the United States will be never-ending and that there are no stipulations attached to it. That level of arrogance, my friends, is quite infuriating. Walker Wildmon: The level of arrogance that Ukraine, and specifically Zelenskyy, has displayed with President Trump and the Trump administration is not just infuriating. It is absolutely insulting. Walker Wildmon: I'll never forget that Oval Office showdown, where Zelenskyy came over here and wanted to lecture us about diplomacy and how evil Russia is, as if we don't already know these things. Walker Wildmon: We have helped Ukraine. We have been Ukraine's chief ally. I think we have credibility in addressing how to end the war. I've been skeptical this whole time about what on earth they are doing with all this money. Walker Wildmon: I'm not being conspiratorial in the sense that the whole war is about money and funneling money through Ukraine, as some people believe. I think Russia legitimately decided that it had had enough of Ukraine and was going to take over a couple of provinces. Russia thought it would be quick and easy because it was bigger than Ukraine, but Ukraine fought back more aggressively than Russia expected. Then here we are, four years later, and it has been a human tragedy. Walker Wildmon: These kinds of human tragedies and bloodbaths have to end somehow, and they should end sooner rather than later. Walker Wildmon: This notion that Ukraine can't cede land to Russia is presented as some kind of moral argument. I understand that. But how long do you want this to go on? Walker Wildmon: President Trump has offered security guarantees to Ukraine. The European Union has offered security guarantees to Ukraine. President Trump was offering not just security but also economic guarantees through one of the previous deals that was nearly signed before the whole thing fell apart. Walker Wildmon: Every war ends with some kind of compromise, and oftentimes it ends with ceded land. In a perfect world, Ukraine would push Russia back, take back all the land that has been occupied, return to its prewar borders, secure the country, and rebuild. But that's not how all wars end. In fact, that's how few wars end. Walker Wildmon: It is not realistic to keep digging in our heels in the West and talking only about how bad Russia is. That is not a viable path forward. President Trump knows that. Secretary Rubio knows that. That's why they're frustrated. Walker Wildmon: There are so many so-called war hawks who aren't the ones dying in Ukraine. They're not the ones sending their 18-year-old sons to be slaughtered by Russia in Ukraine. They're in the West, sleeping comfortably at night. They have jobs and are living life to the fullest, but they go on television talking about how bad Putin is and how we need to keep the war going. Walker Wildmon: What is happening on the ground in Russia and Ukraine is inhumane on both levels. I understand that the human tragedy in Ukraine is horrendous, but there are also Russians who do not support this war who are being sent to war to die. Walker Wildmon: As President Trump has said, civilians on both sides are being sent into this war who don't want to go. They are being sent to be slaughtered. This is a humanitarian disaster on both sides, involving the Ukrainian and Russian people. The war needs to end. Walker Wildmon: That has been President Trump's position, and Secretary Rubio has held this position frequently, including since he was sworn in as secretary of state. This is Rubio recently talking about why he wants to end the war in Ukraine. Marco Rubio: I think there have been talks of a meeting. I don't know if anything has been finalized, but the president has been clear that he would like the war in Ukraine and Russia to end. He wants that war to end. He said that when he was a candidate. He said it never would have happened if he had been president at the time, but it did happen. Marco Rubio: Now we've done everything we can, and we'll continue to do everything we can to help facilitate the end of that war. No one is winning that war. People are dying every day. Things are being blown up every day. Things are being destroyed every day. Marco Rubio: The president has talked about the death toll. If you've listened to him, he repeatedly cites 25,000 people a month dying in these wars, along with the amount of destruction and economic damage that is occurring. Marco Rubio: We have engaged repeatedly over the last almost two years to try to bring about or facilitate an end to this war. I think the president is open to anything he can do to help bring a war to an end, if it is possible, and he will continue to look for opportunities to do that. Marco Rubio: So far, obviously, we haven't made the kind of progress we would like to have made, but it's not for lack of trying. The president remains very committed to it. You saw his post overnight, our time, where he once again reiterated why he has done the things he has done, including suspending the sanctions for 60 days. He wants to see if there is an opportunity for the talks going on right now with both Ukraine and Russia to lead to something positive and avoid another disastrous year of war and conflict. Walker Wildmon: There you have it. That's Secretary Rubio, who is obviously very articulate on this issue. Walker Wildmon: The United States is not morally bound to indefinitely support Ukraine. I think that is consistent with Scripture, foreign policy, and international norms. I don't personally believe that the United States, which is not a direct party to this war, is morally or legally bound to defend Ukraine indefinitely. Ukraine is not a member of NATO. Walker Wildmon: I think helping to defend and support Ukraine up until now has been the right move and has been morally justified, considering what Russia has been doing. But if the United States repeatedly tries to get a peace deal and Ukraine doesn't want one, we are not obligated to keep the gravy train going. Walker Wildmon: The people who criticize President Trump because he is threatening to withhold aid, money, or military supplies from Ukraine need to remember that Ukraine is not a member of NATO. This expectation that we have to keep the supply chain flowing indefinitely is not true. That argument does not stand. Walker Wildmon: We have the right and ability to stop aiding Ukraine at any point that we want. If President Trump feels that he has exhausted all of his options and Zelenskyy and Ukraine do not want to come to the table, negotiate, or concede to anything, then the United States can fully withhold and stop the aid for Ukraine. Walker Wildmon: That's a somewhat different view from what you're going to hear from most others, especially in the war hawk circles of perpetual virtue-signaling and perpetual war. The fact of the matter is that all wars come to an end. Somebody is either defeated, or somebody negotiates. One of the two. Walker Wildmon: I vote for family. I vote for legal immigration. I vote for religious freedom. I vote for law and order. I vote for our children's future. I vote for peace through strength. I vote for life. I vote using iVoterGuide.com. Walker Wildmon: Welcome back to At the Core here on American Family Radio. Glad to have you with us on the program. Walker Wildmon: Chris Woodward is with us from American Family News. Chris, welcome back. Chris Woodward: Thank you very much. Walker Wildmon: Chris, we have a midterm election in less than two weeks. We encourage people to vote, vote, vote, and use iVoterGuide.com to get your personalized ballot. That's iVoterGuide.com. Before we jump into some of the politics and candidates, give us an update on some of the economic news. Chris Woodward: From time to time on the show, we talk about mortgage rates. The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate eased to 7.32 percent in the first pullback since late August. That eases some of the pressure on prospective homebuyers facing higher borrowing costs on home loans. Chris Woodward: That was one thing that was underreported this week. The stock market is still doing well, although it was a mixed bag on Thursday. The Dow is still at 52,000, the Nasdaq is doing well at 26,000, and the S&P is at 7,000. I cannot believe it, but we may see a day in the not-too-distant future when the S&P is somewhere around 10,000. Chris Woodward: One big number we cannot stress enough is that U.S. weekly jobless claims are near 57-year lows. I bring that up because we heard how Trump's policies were going to kill the labor market. Obviously, that is not the case. Walker Wildmon: The economy is like the commentators. There is a pretty good crowd of doom-and-gloomers. It doesn't matter what statistics we get, what the market does, what the jobs numbers do, or what the Federal Reserve does. It's always, "There's going to be a recession, things are falling apart, there's an AI bubble, and oil is going to $200 a barrel." Walker Wildmon: The statement "If it bleeds, it leads" is so true. It doesn't even have to be true. It just has to be provocative and headline-seeking. People tend to click on it, and unfortunately, it gets a lot of traffic. But all of those negative, apocalyptic projections just haven't come true. Chris Woodward: Under President Biden, we did have a brief recession, a brief technical recession. We had two quarters of negative GDP, and then it went back to positive. Walker Wildmon: There was technically a recession under Biden. Inflation was persistent. Under President Trump, there has been no recession. The stock market has fared well. It has been a little flat recently, but it cannot always be up. It has done pretty well since President Trump's inauguration. All the other statistics seem to be doing okay, with the exception of inflation. Inflation is pretty much the only negative thing President Trump has been getting criticism for. Walker Wildmon: It's interesting to me that some people in the economic news industry are begging for negative headlines, but the Trump administration has not been delivering many of those. Chris Woodward: I think this is one reason people need to educate themselves and listen to financial shows. They need to read. How would a recession even happen? You talked about two negative quarters of negative growth. It would take a while, and a lot of things would have to happen, for a recession to actually happen. Chris Woodward: You can lose your shirt in a day on Wall Street, but we're talking about months of things happening and falling into place. For somebody to go on CNBC or another program and say, "We're headed toward a recession," they need to prove it and back it up. It's one thing to say something. It's another thing to have the facts. Unfortunately, that's what is missing in many financial discussions, particularly on television programs. Walker Wildmon: Exactly. My prediction, Chris, is that I was very disappointed when the Federal Reserve began to hike rates, primarily because I have long held the belief that the Federal Reserve doesn't cause inflation, so the Federal Reserve can't fix inflation. Walker Wildmon: Some would say they can raise rates, cool the economy, and fix inflation. That's kind of rigging the system. It is indirectly addressing inflation. I think energy prices and Washington spending too much money cause inflation, so those are the things that need to be fixed. Walker Wildmon: Nonetheless, we're probably going to be on a brief rate-hiking cycle over the next few months, maybe the next quarter or two. I don't think the Federal Reserve will hike for long. I think it will be short-lived, and then rates will probably sit for a while. Walker Wildmon: Beyond the Federal Reserve hiking rates and some lingering inflation, I think that after this election, all the other metrics will continue to trend positively. Chris Woodward: I think so as well. It's going to be interesting to see what the American voter says about all of this. We know the polls and what people are predicting on programs, including the ones we air on American Family Radio. It's going to be interesting to see where Americans want to go over the next couple of years. Chris Woodward: Do you want to go with the party that entered office and did things to help you have more money in your paycheck or more money at the end of the day? Or do you want to vote back in the party that caused inflation to begin with, which President Trump had to campaign on and try to fix in his first year in office? Walker Wildmon: I don't know what people are going to do. I wish people who interview Democrats, such as James Talarico and others, when they talk about how this is an affordability election and say, "What are you going to do about it? Parents are having a tough time," would have somebody on a channel other than Fox News or Newsmax lean in and say, "You caused this. Your party caused this in 2021." Walker Wildmon: You passed all kinds of things because you believe government is the daddy of everybody and that the government is going to fix all your problems. You caused this problem, and you didn't say a word about it. But all of a sudden, when there was a person with an "R" next to his name in office, it became terrible, and we had to vote him out. Walker Wildmon: Another thing I want to warn our audience about is the term "affordability crisis," or simply "affordability." I may not have used this term before, but I want to warn the audience because I think this is going to be hijacked and used by the left. Walker Wildmon: Affordability is obviously an important topic for voters because the economy is important for voters, and inflation is important as well. I'm not dismissing that. The problem I have with the term "affordability" is that it is fully subjective. One thing may be affordable for one person and not affordable for another. Walker Wildmon: We can go around in circles about affordability, and someone is always going to be in a position where they can't afford something. Chris Woodward: I think the left is going to turn the affordability topic into its next climate change or Green New Deal term because you can't pin them down on it. Walker Wildmon: Even if President Trump produces the best jobs numbers, inflation below two percent, a rising stock market, and rising wages, Democrats can still walk around and talk about affordability. Why? Because you can't pin them down on it. Walker Wildmon: We need to look at the hard data. That's what we talk about on the program: the hard data about how the American worker is actually doing, real wage growth, income growth, inflation numbers, and so forth. Those are numbers you can actually nail down. Walker Wildmon: That's where I think the left is going to take this. They've started this election cycle talking about the "affordability crisis" because I think they want to hitch their wagon to that term and ride it for multiple election cycles. Chris Woodward: These are the same people who want to make everything about democracy, even though we're not a true democracy. Walker Wildmon: Yes, even though you have people such as Elissa Slotkin saying, "We're going to make life really hard for young conservatives these next couple of years." Chris Woodward: That's a lot of great campaign speech. Walker Wildmon: Right. Then when people say, "Wait a minute, that sounds like lawfare," she says, "Stop being mean to me because I'm a woman." They always find some excuse to make it about themselves, about being picked on, and things like that. Chris Woodward: To your point about how they're going to spend this and make it their thing, when President Obama was in office toward the end of his time, climate change became more about helping kids with asthma than lowering the temperature or helping animals and other things. It wasn't working the way they were trying to push climate change policies on people, so they had to find another way. Who would be opposed to helping kids with asthma? Walker Wildmon: What politician is going to say no to that? Chris Woodward: That's why we need things like the Affordable Care Act. Walker Wildmon: To your point, Chris, that is another thing Democrats on the left have already been doing and will continue to do: offering incentives, welfare, and aid in areas where constitutionally the federal government has no business dealing. Chris Woodward: Amen. Walker Wildmon: But nobody can say that because then you're being heartless. Chris Woodward: Every problem you're having today with a price point, whether it's gas, groceries, utility bills, or something else, is based on the government's decisions. Walker Wildmon: Or actions over decades. Chris Woodward: It's not because a rich person is not paying enough in taxes. It's because the government has made stupid decisions with your tax dollars and told you to like it. Walker Wildmon: Exactly. They've been demonizing wealth creators, and wealth creators end up being job creators. Chris Woodward: Did you see the United CEO call for a wealth tax this week? Walker Wildmon: No, please, no. Chris Woodward: The man makes more than 30 million dollars a year, and he says we need to have a wealth tax in this country. He says we need the wealthy to pay more in taxes. Walker Wildmon: He should donate more to the IRS. Chris Woodward: That's a great point. You can find a story about this on AFN.net. We spoke with Preston Brashers at Advancing American Freedom, and I got him to confirm a couple of things. Number one, 40 percent of American workers, or American people, don't pay taxes. Walker Wildmon: Forty percent? Chris Woodward: The other thing is that you are more than welcome to send the IRS more than what they require you to pay every April. We don't need a wealth tax. We don't need wealthy people paying more taxes. We need more people working and paying taxes. Walker Wildmon: It's been that way for a long time. Chris Woodward: That was an argument Marco Rubio made with the Tea Party in 2010. Walker Wildmon: Yes, exactly. We're still talking about it. Chris Woodward: I think there should be no more new or increased taxes from Washington, D.C. The amount of money they're getting from the average American worker and voter is already too much. Walker Wildmon: The income tax was unfortunately put into the Constitution later on. I don't believe our Founding Fathers intended for Americans to be taxed in that manner. There are other ways for the government to receive revenue beyond direct income taxes. Nonetheless, we definitely need no more tax increases. Walker Wildmon: The problem with the Democrats' approach, and perhaps even some Republicans' approach, is the idea that we can get more revenue through more taxes. The problem with that in the long run, and this has been proven for a long time, is that when you increase the burden and taxes on job creators, entrepreneurs, and business owners, the so-called wealthy, you put water on the fire of their businesses. Walker Wildmon: You end up having a negative effect in which fewer jobs are created because there is less money to work with in the company. It always backfires. That's what you're seeing in California and New York, states that were once booming and hubs of economic activity. Walker Wildmon: California and New York are still doing a lot of business, but they could be doing so much better. They've had a negative business approach in which they punish successful people with higher taxes. The long-term result is that people leave the state. That's what has happened in droves since COVID, and it was happening on a smaller scale before that. Walker Wildmon: Long-term, that drains the tax base. California and New York once had so much wealth generation and tax revenue that they could run all these lush services, metros, subways, fire stations, and other benefits because they had so much wealth. Walker Wildmon: Their cost of operating the city and the government is very high because they were used to the good old days. Now they have driven their tax base out of town, but they still have the high cost of running the city and state. Now they're in a deficit. That's an unsustainable path for these states and cities. Chris Woodward: Another thing is that the government messed up your life, and now it is trying to make things better for you by taxing you more. Walker Wildmon: California is one of the world's largest economies, and it is broke. Chris Woodward: Yes, and it's broke because it has big government. Walker Wildmon: Even if Democrats have a great idea and say, "We can do this, but we're going to need to tax more," we still need Republicans and Democrats to cut spending in other areas drastically. Chris Woodward: Correct. At some point in the not-too-distant future, we will all be working just to pay the interest on the debt. Walker Wildmon: If you're going to increase taxes, how is that even possible? Literally, everybody will be working to service the debt. Chris Woodward: The last thing they need to do is increase taxes. That would have a negative and detrimental long-term effect. Walker Wildmon: I would very much like to see center-right people, and even moderate Democrats, of which there are some, respond when Democrats and liberals want some unicorn-juice program to fund this or that. It would be nice if those people said, "Okay, let's kill this department and get rid of all those offices." Walker Wildmon: I know what we need to do, Chris. We need to appoint Elon Musk and Dave Ramsey as king for a day, or probably for a year, and tell them to have at it. Chris Woodward: You might have a stroke. Walker Wildmon: Don't check with the Senate. Don't check with the House. Don't check with the judges. You're king for a year. Just do whatever you have to do. Chris Woodward: People like that have a proven record of successfully running businesses without debt. Walker Wildmon: I know Elon has some debt, but Dave Ramsey does it. Nonetheless, we'll see you next time, folks.
Walker Wildmon opens with Acts 23 and a caution about claiming that God has spoken verbally, urging Christians to test every claim against Scripture. The main discussion examines the war in Ukraine, Russia’s invasion, Ukraine’s democratic and corruption concerns as Walker presents them, and President Trump’s effort to negotiate an end to the bloodshed. Walker argues that peace will require compromise and says the United States is not obligated to provide indefinite aid if negotiations fail. He also plays remarks from Secretary of State Rubio about the human cost of the war and the administration’s continued efforts to facilitate peace.
In the closing segment, Chris Woodward of American Family News discusses mortgage rates, jobless claims, inflation, the election’s affordability debate, taxes, business growth, and government debt.
Live
Did you know American Family Radio is listener-supported? Your monthly financial support will allow us to continue upholding Godly values through our numerous channels, like American Family Radio, One Million Moms, The Stand magazine, and many more.
Become a Great Commission Partner TODAY to help AFR transform culture by rebuilding the family. When you donate today, you’ll get access to:
