Walker Wildman: Religious freedom is about people being able to live out convictions
>> Walker Wildmon: We inform religious freedom is about people of faith being able to live out their faith, live out their convictions, no matter where they are. We equip sacred honor is the courage to speak truth, to live out your free speech. We also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character and character. This is at the core on American Family Radio. Welcome to the corps here on American Family Radio. Glad to have you with us here on the program. Walker Wildmon here on this edition on American Family Radio. AFR.net is our website and we have the American Family Radio app that is on your app store on your mobile device, whether it be iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, etc. We have the American Family Radio app on all the major platforms for you to download. And we are in Acts chapter six this week looking at verses, one through five. We went one through seven on Monday, but for time's sake. Now, in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying, those. There arose a complaint amongst the Hebrews, or against the Hebrews, rather by the Hellenists, because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, it is not desirable that we shall leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from m among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And then it goes and chooses who they, and lists who they chose for this widow service, for this widow ministry. But the essence of this passage here is that there was a dispute, there was a problem amongst the early church and the disciples. And, and it was brought up, it was brought to the attention of many. They addressed it, and they created a solution to fix it, to ensure that the biblical obligations of caring for the widow was being properly addressed. So this is Acts, chapter six, verses one through six. And, don't we wish that problems, within the church were resolved this quickly on a regular basis today? We could learn from that for sure. Acts chapter six, verses one through six, one through five there.
Our Boston trip is 3/4 of the way full
All right. the trip to Boston that we're doing in September, this is mid to late September, the 21st through the 25th, I believe, or the 26th. That trip, is 3/4 of the way full. So we're going with Tim Barton, Steven McDowell, my brother and I, we're leading a group there and our cap is about 110 people with the buses. We take two buses just for quality purposes to make sure we can, everybody has a quality experience. So we have a 110 person limit and I think we're at 80 one last time I checked. So we're three fourths of the way there to filling up our Boston trip in the fall. And of course this is America's 250th, so a lot of people want to go, which explains how we're nearly full on that. So if you want to join us in Boston for this trip of the Freedom Trail, Plymouth Rock and Lexington and Concord, all these great places of early American history and learning America's spiritual heritage there and how God has had his hand on, the providential founding of America, all of that's going to take place on this Boston trip. And it's our last tour of 2026 that is still open. The rest of them are completely full. And so you can go over to tours.aca.net to check that out. Tours.aca.net to check out our Boston trip coming up this September. Lastly, our trip to Greece. my brother and I are going to do our second trip to Greece for the Footsteps of Paul. That's going to be in March of 27. And then my parents are going to be taking a trip to Italy in March of 27 as well. Those are going to be back to back for some who want to do both. we're taking one year off, Lord willing, from Israel just because of the war. And I, told people it's been, and I mentioned this on the show, but three, I think three of the last five years have been canceled or they've been postponed. We've always made up the trip but they've been postponed. First it was because of COVID That was a multi year setback, at least a two year setback. And then the war, which crazy enough happened three years ago at this point, in 2023, that set us back. So it's just been this persistent setback. So given, the Iran situation, and just the, the headache involved with postponing trips, we're going to take one year off from Israel and my parents are going to take a group to Italy and there's a lot to see there. so you can go to tours.afa.net to check that out as well.
President Trump said he has two options for dealing with Iran over nuclear issue
Well, a couple things are at least one or two things I wanted to get to this segment. the Iran situation Obviously still ongoing, still up in the air. and President Trump just did an interview with NewSong York Post earlier today that he pretty much, I didn't bring in the clip for the sake of time, but he pretty much said, look, I've got two options here, and I'm summarizing his statement, but all of you can go watch the NewSong York Post interview. He said when questioned, you know, what's the resolution here? What's the plan here? What are your options on the table? And President Trump in essence said, you know, we can do this the nice way or the hard way. And the nice way is what he's attempting, profusely attempting. And that is some kind of mutual agreement between the United States and Iran to solve the problem that is a nuclear armed Iran. All right? And this is, by the way, you know, this is 100% Iran's problem. All right? Iran has created this problem. They're responsible for where we are today. And here's why. it is Iran that chants death to America. It is Iran that funds terror proxies throughout the entire region. It is Iran that fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel and US Bases. Pre, by the way, pretty, Operation Epic Fury. Iran had been launching ballistic missiles into Israel for months leading up to Operation Epic Fury. So this notion that Iran is somehow the victim or Iran is, you know, partially responsible to where we are today, that's just not true. Iran created this environment of terror, of wreaking havoc in the region, of fomenting instability, and they've been doing it for 40 plus years in the region. So Iran is the problem child here. Iran is the problem and they're fully responsible. Now Operation Epic Fury obviously was launched by the US So now we're in it, so to speak, and we're responsible in some way to getting a resolution on this front. But back to summarize, President Trump's statement, he basically said, look, we can do this through a mutual agreed upon deal. Obviously Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or nuclear material. The Strait of Hamruz has to be reopened. Those are just two fundamental tenets of said deal. But secondly, President Trump said, or we can do this the painful way. And thankfully the interviewer, Miranda Devine said, what does that mean? Like what is the hard way and what does that result in? And President Trump said, we can basically, bring about the downfall of the Iranian regime as we know it. And you can do this through military means and economic means combined. and so, and thankfully the interviewer Divine said, well, what is that what's the end, result of that? What does that lead to? And as I said, it leads to the downfall of the Iranian regime. But what President Trump noted is he basically said, the reason I haven't done this is because of the humanitarian cost, which was, I think that was important. And kudos to President Trump for acknowledging that. Because those, the people, not that they're wholly wrong, but folks that are pushing this hardcore bomb Iran, demolish Iran, obliterate Iran, bomb everything Iran. That doesn't factor in. Or maybe it does for some, but for me, there's not a lot of time and attention being given to what are the, what are the humanitarian costs for regular Iranian citizens, for the people of Iran? What are the humanitarian costs associated with a falling of the regime that could be brought about by the US I don't doubt that we can do it. We definitely have the military to do it. but what are the ramifications of that? President Trump noted in this interview just today that the humanitarian cost of a brought about regime fall in Iran is a big deal. He didn't say it's a big deal, but he said, I don't want to have to do that. I would rather do this through diplomatic means, through otherwise peaceful means, than to have to see obviously the regime fall, which is a good thing, the Islamic regime falling. But the side effects, so to speak, to use a medical term, of the regime falling would be widespread humanitarian problems and their economy in shambles, which would undoubtedly lead to humanitarian issues and, all kinds of other issues for the country as a whole, including a lot of innocent people. So, that's where we are today. And, as I've said, I just don't think there's going to be a deal, at least not a deal that we are thinking about. But I don't know whether bringing about the fall of the Iranian regime, I'm not sure where I stand on the pros and cons and which one outweigh the other, because most people that have their head on right would agree that the Iranian regime as it stands today needs to go. But that's oversimplifying it, because then the question is, well, how do we bring down the regime and what does it look like after that? Who leads the country after that? And there's just not a good example of a modern case of regime change gone. Well, Venezuela is an extreme outlier in the world of diplomacy and, and leadership change. I mean, basically, they're not going to tell us this, but basically the US had a deal, had a backroom deal with people in Venezuela that if we take Maduro, that you'll play nice. I mean, that's the only way we went into Venezuela and snatched Maduro is because we had guarantees on the front end that the vice president that ended up being the president and the rest of the government, that they're going to play nice, that they're not going to retaliate, that they're not going to go rogue, that they're going to play ball with the west and with the US and that's the only way that worked. And so that was a very successful operation on multiple levels and is proving very beneficial for the US in this region in the hemisphere. but that is an extreme outlier. When you look at previous examples of trying to intervene and take out foreign leaders, whether they're duly elected or not, or whether they're popular or not domestically, that doesn't matter. The history of taking out foreign leaders and bringing down governments, not just the US but entirely other nations as well, there's just not a good track record of that being an overall successful thing to do. So with that being where we are and with that being the history of so called regime change in modern history, I don't know that bringing down the Iranian regime is any much of a better option. I mean, the ideal situation is Iran wanting to play nice here. But we've been going at this with Iran for decades and there's been no behavior change, no change in mindset on playing nice with the west, so to speak. And I'm not sure, that more diplomatic talks is going to bring about anything positive here. And you bring down the Iranian government as it stands today, then number one, there's definitely nobody to negotiate. But there's also no command structure. And that's one thing that we're not sure that even bringing down the regime would fix, and that is this, this IRGC closing of the Strait of Hormuz. I mean, even if you bring down the Iranian government, are the rogue IRGC commanders and operators that are on the, Strait of Hormuz, or are they going to lay down arms and stop doing what they're doing as far as targeting commercial vessels in the strait, that's an unknown as well. So you, you very possibly could bring down the regime, bring about widespread humanitarian problems, and still have the Strait of Hormuz closed and still have the uranium in Iran. So that doesn't seem like it fixed anything. So President Trump has some serious decisions to make. And as believers, we should pray for the wisdom of our president, for God to give him wisdom and our leaders in our country wisdom to make the right decision here. We'll be back in a few you.
AFA Action is working to help President Trump nominate godly Supreme Court justices
America was founded as a nation under God, but the US Supreme Court has broken our national relationship with God. Many court rulings have contributed, but three stand out. In 1962, the court removed prayer from public schools. In 1963, the court removed Bible reading from public schools. And lastly, in 1980, the court court removed the Ten Commandments from America's classrooms. The Supreme Court broke our relationship with God. And any restoration of that relationship must include the Supreme Court. And a vacancy on the Supreme Court could soon be coming. So please support AFA Action's urgent legal work to help President Trump select and the US Senate confirm godly constitutional justices for the Supreme Court. We put thousands of hours of research into potential nominees. We use our networks of the Trump administration and the U.S. senate to promote the good nominees and oppose the bad ones. AFA Action needs the resources of supporters like you to help maximize our efforts. So please visit afaaction.net to learn more and donate today.
If credit card debt has you down call Trinity Debt Management
The following is a real life story from Trinity Debt Management. When I was feeling the stress of, too much credit card debt, I looked at two different options. Debt settlement or and debt management. They may sound the same, but guess what? They're not. Debt settlement seemed like a quick fix, but I found out it would destroy my credit, create tax headaches, and hit me with huge fees. They actually told me to stop paying my bills. No way. Not me. Then I turned to a debt management plan developed by the team at Trinity. They worked with my creditors, lowered my payments, reduced my interest, saved me thousands, and paid off my debt. And Trinity is a Christian company, which is important to me. If credit card debt has you down, call Trinity at 1-800-788-1813. My name is Heather. Please forget debt settlement and remember Trinity Debt Management, 1-800-788-1813. Hello, everyone. I'm Tim Wildmon, president of American Family association and American Family Radio. Hey. We are announcing two tours coming up in, in 2027. March of 2027, we're going to Greece and we're going to Italy. The Greece tour we call the Footsteps of Paul. And you're going to follow the footsteps of St. Paul in the, country of Greece. And then the Italian, tour. The Tour of Italy. Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome. We're calling the Make Lasagna Great Again tour. And, and these are coming up in March of 2027. And if you want to read all about them, the itinerary, the cost, everything you need to know about these tours coming up in March of Greece and Italy, go to tours.afa.net that's T O U R S. afa.net we're going to have a lot of fun, a lot of good fellowship, and see some of the most historic and iconic sites in the world. At the Core Podcast are [email protected] now back to at the Core on American Family Radio.
American Family Radio welcomes John Wall on this edition of the show
Welcome, back to the Core here on American Family Radio. Glad to have you with us on this edition of the show. Well, each week and each month, we do our best to bring guests on the program that obviously bring value and contributions to the show, but also are leading in their communities, in their state, and sometimes in the nation. And so we have on with us now John Wahl John is former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party or the Alabama gop, and he's also currently running for his, for the lieutenant governor position there in Alabama. He's held other positions as well, some of which we'll talk about. But nonetheless, John welcome to the program.
>> John Wahl: it's good to be on the show. I'm excited to be here. I've been a longtime supporter. You know, there's nothing more important than our families, than our faith, and then really standing up and getting our culture back to the basics, you know, back to the original intent of our founding fathers. We're a Christian nation, and really going back to family, faith and, freedom. That's what it's all about for me.
>> Walker Wildmon: Amen.
John McCain is running for lieutenant governor of Alabama
Well, John tell us a little bit about your background, a little bit about your time, obviously leading the Republican Party. You've served also on the Alabama Public Library Service as the board chair. give us a little background on yourself, on your resume. And what's brought you to this point to, run for lieutenant governor.
>> John Wahl: Governor, yeah. So it's been a journey because I never saw myself as running for office. Right. I'm a farm boy from north Alabama. grew up, on the family farm, learned the values of hard work, of faith, of family, and never dreamed that I would run for office. One day, I kind of got pulled into politics, because I do love this country and I love the vision of our founding fathers, the idea of freedom of liberty and a nation founded on religious liberty. Ah, that's really what founded our nation as much as it was also anti tax. The real foundation was religious freedom. And, I said, I found out I was watching the trends of our country as it kind of slipped away. these fundamental values, the things that we know make a country great. And, my parents always taught me that if you see a problem, be part of the solution. Don't just be a complainer, but be part of the solution. So I got involved in politics, started helping good candidates who believed in what I believed. Run for office, continued, that role. And somehow they elected me as chairman, took that on, you know, really got where we were, fighting on the front lines, fighting for freedom and for. For all these things we talk about. And then that just naturally led into this role. Run for lieutenant governor. I'm tired of sending people to Washington, sending people to Montgomery, who, you know, they talk a great talk, but then when they get there, they don't have. They don't have a backbone and they cave to the establishment or they cave to the special interest groups. And so I'm running to be that political outsider. I believe in, you know, all these principles. I'm not going to back down. I'm not going to surrender. And, I want to fight for people's rights and freedoms and fight for the Godly foundation our country is founded on.
Alabama is working on protecting children from harmful content from obscene material
>> Walker Wildmon: Well, John the, work in Alabama on protecting children from harmful content from obscene material is something you've worked on with, your position on the state. Basically the state library board that the governor appointed you to. So talk about that and some of the key actions you took while leading, that entity that, board that the governor appointed you to.
>> John Wahl: Yeah. And look, this is a surreal experience. Right. It's hard for me to believe that anyone out there, could. Could look at the explicit content, and the transgender grooming that was going on, that these books represented that were being pushed on our young people, you know, six, seven, eight year olds, you know, libraries bringing, drag queens in and having drag queen story hour. and I was there sitting on this library board, a brand new member, and no one was saying anything. You know, parents were coming in, they were bringing this content. And I finally said, you know, look, I'm. I know I'm a new member, but I cannot sit here as a man of faith and not say something, because I believe in Matthew 18 that, you know, offenses are going to come for children. You know, there's going to be stumbling blocks, but Jesus said it best. Woe to them who. Who it comes by. And I said, I cannot be part of it. I cannot allow the taxpayers of this state to burial to be put in front of our kids. And that started the battle. I probably took it on. You know, the left hates me for it. They called me a Nazi. They called me a book banner. You know, all these things. I've had a death threat, over this, but it's one of the most important fights we have protecting our children. ah, this is a war for the heart and the soul of the minds of our kids. It's a spiritual battle. It is not a political battle. And, I gladly take it on. We've been able to pass two code changes, with that state library board. One, taking out the explicit content, the other removing the transgender stuff, from the children's sections and forcing. Making sure that Alabama families know that when they walk into an Alabama library, they're not. Their children are not going to accidentally stumble across this stuff.
John Wall is running for lieutenant governor in Alabama on June 16th
>> Walker Wildmon: M. Tell us, when your election is for lieutenant governor. And, obviously there's primary and then there's general. So give our folks, we've, got a lot of listeners in Alabama. Give them a little rundown on the election dates in Alabama.
>> John Wahl: Runoff election is two weeks from yesterday. So it is June 16th. Mark your calendar. Look, and I always encourage people, if you're voting for me, mark your calendar. If you're voting for my opponent, don't worry about it. I joke. We won. High turnout. but no, look, low turnout, runoffs. Your vote matters even more. this is where the decisions are made, especially in a red state like Alabama. Low turnout. Your vote matters in a runoff more than any other place. And whoever wins this runoff will go on to win the general election. it's just Alabama, so red. We know that. And so the battle is in the primaries in this runoff on June 16th. and then, of course, the general election would be the first, Tuesday in the month of November.
>> Walker Wildmon: Excellent. Hey, John thanks so much for coming on the program. We appreciate your leadership, within multiple organizations you've led and of course, running for lieutenant governor there. There's, just a lot of good candidates around the country running for office at the state and local level. so we appreciate you coming on.
>> John Wahl: Always good to be on the show. I appreciate the time.
>> Walker Wildmon: Absolutely. That's, John Wahl He's running for lieutenant governor. He's held multiple positions leading the Alabama Republican Party. Also leading, the library board, a state, organization that the governor appointed him to. He worked, did a lot of good work, getting obscene and sexually explicit content and books, etcetera. Off of the library shelves around, the state. So a lot of good work there, protecting children, protecting families. So, we appreciate John coming on the program.
There's been a lot of momentum in getting true, uh, conservatives elected
speaking of elections, you know, the, President Trump was talking the other day about the number of. He was posting about the number of candidates, that he's endorsed over the years in this cycle and, the number that have won. And obviously President Trump has a big sway in voter turnout and especially these primary elections. But that led me to look at the US Senate and the number of conservative Republican senators that have been added over the years, over the last, I don't know, let's say six, eight, 10 years. And President Trump and this conservative movement in the last, since he became president the first time, there's just been a lot of positive momentum in getting true, conservatives elected to, the national level that I think President Trump doesn't get quite as much credit for. Now, is he fully 100% responsible for all of these? Of course not. There's a lot of other work that goes on, a lot of other people and organizations that deserve credit. But nonetheless, the point here is that President Trump gets a lot of criticism from conservative circles about, you know, going after, congressmen like Bob Good or attacking, Going, after, Chip Roy at times when they have disagreements and, the jury's still, out on Thomas Massie. I don't, I don't personally like Thomas Massie based on what I've, What I've read in public reports about how he operates. he seems very disingenuous, to put it that way, on his negotiations and willing willingness to work with people that he doesn't see eye to eye, ah, with, and President Trump has alluded to that. But nonetheless, President Trump has gone after unjustly some very conservative congressional leaders and ultimately led to their either retirements or their primary, oustings. but on the other hand, there's been a lot of momentum and a lot of conservative change over in the U.S. senate. that has been very, very good. And let me just give you one example of how we've made a lot of headway in the U.S. senate to get good people elected over the last 10 years. And I would say President Trump is credited with some of this momentum, if not a lot of it we have. Now, if we look back at the beginning, this would have been. This would have been over a year ago. This would have been early 2025. There was the Senate Majority Leader election for the Republicans, and there were multiple people that were talked about. Ultimately, it ended up being Senator John Thune and Senator Rick Scott running to be the Majority leader in the U.S. senate. And, you know, if you look back in the McConnell days, and then you look back, even before that, which was a long time, we took a look back before McConnell, getting. Getting more than just a few Republican senators to buck the establishment and vote contrary to what the establishment status quo was, was nearly impossible. I mean, you had a few people, you had your Rand Pauls and you had your Mike Lees and your Ted Cruz's, and they would, they would do the right thing, even though it would just be three or four of them. But we had, we had like a dozen, I think, Republican senators that voted for Rick Scott, who was my preferred choice for Senate Majority Leader. And now Senator Thune is showing now over the last year and a half why he shouldn't have been the majority leader, with his dragging his feet on the filibuster and other things. But nonetheless, getting that dozen Republican senators to vote for somebody other than the establishment pick was a big deal. And I know it's only a dozen and it's a far shot, ah, from a majority, 51 or even a majority of the caucus, let's say 25 or 30. but getting that much people to go against the status quo and the establishment is a very big deal. When you look historically over the last few decades in Congress. and so the point of this is that the MAGA movement that it is over the last decade has really led to the election of a lot of good people into public office that really want to see America restored and returned to her founding ideals. And you have, Republicans and conservatives leading and controlling over 30 states, whether it be the legislature or the governor's seat. And, you've got very conservative policy changes, legislative changes, you've got very monumental conservative constitutional decisions coming down from the Supreme Court. I mean, even look at the Supreme Court with a handful or more of bad decisions that have come from the Supreme Court over the last few years, even with President Trump's new nominees, the three that he was able to appoint in his first term. Yes, there's your bostics. There's a handful of really bad decisions in there that were written by some of President Trump's appointees. But then you look on the other side and there's some very monumental rulings to the good that came from those nominees. I mean, you look at the overturning of Roe v. Wade, looking at the. And I Don't want to get too much in the weed. But looking at the Chevron decision, that had to do with the executive agencies and some of the regulatory regimen, but there's just so many good decisions and Supreme Court rulings. We had the redistricting ruling recently, in recent months, where the decades old, redistricting scheme that the Democrats were running, got overturned by the Supreme Court. A lot of President Trump's executive orders and immigration strategy, all of that's been upheld, in large part by the Supreme Court Court. And so, despite all the bad news and some of the negative news, the momentum that is being built and being added to the conservative movement, over around the country at the state level and the local level just needs to be noted. And we don't need to forget, the fact that we have made so much headway in recent years in bringing about positive change all around the country. And look, I just think, I predict this momentum will continue. We might face some setbacks over the next few years if we get to too complacent. But looking at the Census Bureau data that's going to be conducted in 2030, and I can't believe we're already talking about that. It just seems like yesterday we were doing the 2020 census. But if you look at the Census Bureau data that's going to be collected in 2030, and then you look at the redistricting and the Supreme Court ruling and the implications therein, we're talking about massive gains on conservative candidates over the next few years, over the next five years that have the potential to alter the course of this country for decades to come. we're talking about, hundreds of, state legislative seats that could flip from Democrat to Republican or liberal to conservative, due to the redistricting ruling. And then you have the, and this is all also built in with the Census Bureau data, and this, the Census Bureau, by the way, and the failed 2020 census that counted illegal immigrants and did not factor in the post Covid, ah, multi million dollar, not multimillion dollar. The multimillion dollar population move away from blue states into red states. That, that's going to take Electoral College votes away from your California's and your NewSong Yorks. You had hundreds of thousands. Ultimately, when you combine all the states, you had several million people move away from these Democrat strongholds into places like Texas, Tennessee, Florida. Otherwise, that's going to shift the entire Electoral College map to the tune of a dozen or more, electoral college votes, after 2030. So there's just, my point here is that there's just, there's been a lot of momentum, collected. There's been a lot of positive changes done over the last decade or so since President Trump came to the scene. And there's a lot of optimism and positive change that can come about with proper diligence over the next four to five years with a combination of factors coming together. But you have to win elections, you have to govern, you have to lead. And whether the Republicans can keep the House in the Senate this November, whether the Republicans can keep the White House in 28, all of that matters. All of that's a part of the movement and part of the, move towards common sense and conservative biblical values. And so we'll keep tracking it. But look, there's signs for optimism in the country. We'll be back in a few.
Your gift to AFA Action keeps us vigilant against attacks on the family
Afa, Action Takes Attacks on the Family Seriously the enemies of the family constantly employ new tactics to try to sneak past our radar. They know if we stand together, their evil plans will fail. Your gift to AFA Action allows us to stay vigilant against their onslaught. And if you give this month, you'll receive access to the Cultural Institute video When your faith is is illegal by Frank harbor on AFA Stream as our thanks. You can make your gift [email protected] at Wesley Biblical Seminary, we believe God is raising up a movement across our nation and around the world who hold fast to the inerrancy of Scripture and the hope of holiness. We do this through bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, certificate programs, and even training for lay people. So whatever your next step is in being equipped with ministry, we're here for you. And if you believe these are the kind of pastors we need leading churches in the future, we invite you to think about giving to Wesley Biblical Seminary. Learn more about [email protected]. director of the AFA Foundation Wriley Wildmon here in the foundation, we help families just like yours to shore up permanent income for their retirement years through our Charitable Gift annuities. Wriley has served as the Director of the AFA foundation for over a decade. A Charitable Gift Annuity is a gift to American Family Association. Not only are you giving to the Lord's work, but you'll receive a lifetime income and excellent tax benefits. Contact the AFA foundation today to learn how you can shore up permanent income for your retirement years while supporting the culture transforming work of the American Family Association. A Charitable Gift Annuity benefits and helps ensure the AFA will impact America for generations to come. Give us a call today at 800-326-4543. That's 800-326-4543, extension 345. The AFA foundation, the financial stewardship division of the American Family Association.
God ordained restraints maximize our freedom by shielding us from harm
Jim Scudder here for today's moment in grace. A restless dog spotted a squirrel and leaped to chase it, closing in fast. But just as he was about to capture his prey, the leash around his neck tightened, stopping him in his tracks. He had been tied to a tree. Have you ever felt like your dreams were abruptly, cut short by restraints, family, church or even scriptural truth? It may feel unfair, but these limitations, limitations often protect us from unseen dangers. Just as airport security ensures a safe flight, God ordained restraints maximize our freedom by shielding us from harm. Are you frustrated by life's restrictions? Instead of resisting, consider how they make your life better. Be thankful for the safety they provide for daily devotionals delivered straight to your inbox. Go to ingo graceradio.com this is at the Core on American Family Radio with your host, Walker Wildmon.
Oklahoma State Representative Kevin West is running for labor commissioner
Welcome back to the Core here on American Family Radio. I'm Walker Wildmon. Glad to have you with us on this edition. As a reminder, you can subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, Just type in the name of this program at the core and you can click the subscribe or the follow button and our show will be ready to go in your library each and every afternoon. Well, welcoming, to the program is Oklahoma State Representative Kevan west, who represents District 54. He's also running for labor commissioner in the state of Oklahoma and he's with us now. Representative west, welcome to the program.
>> Kevin West: Well, thanks for having me. Glad to be here.
>> Walker Wildmon: Absolutely. Well, tell us, Representative West, a little bit about your time in the state legislature and then obviously we'll pivot to your run for labor commissioner as well.
>> Kevin West: Sure. Well, I've been in the state legislature for 10 years, so I was first elected in 16. I've been, pretty consistently one of the more conservative legislators during that time. I've ran, a lot of the high profile bills such as constitutional carrying, banning critical race theory, addressing dei, gender procedures on minors, getting that banned here in Oklahoma. But I've also worked on a lot of business related stuff because my background is construction. I'm a cabinet maker and I've done that for 40 years, doing commercial cabinets. So I've worked with a lot of the trade, Industries over my time as well. You know, doing things like reducing retainage amounts, getting apprenticeship and internship programs for 16 and 17 year olds and getting in state bid preference.
Tell us what the labor commissioner does in a state like Oklahoma
>> Walker Wildmon: Tell us, you're obviously running for labor commissioner and what you're doing, the issues you're alluding to in your legislative history very much tie into that. So tell us what the labor commissioner does in a state like Oklahoma. I know it probably varies by state depending on the statutes, but what does a labor commissioner do in the state of Oklahoma?
>> Kevin West: Yeah, you're exactly right, it does vary. here in Oklahoma, the very first thing in statute says that the labor commissioner shall foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners of the state. So we are intended to be, an advocate for the wage earners. but if you're benefiting the wage earners, you're typically benefiting the employer as well. So we enforce all of the labor laws in the state of Oklahoma. We do inspections of things like boilers, elevators and amusement rides, issue some licenses, it's fairly limited, things like locksmiths, alarm companies, boiler operators, and then the inspectors, that I mentioned before. And then here in Oklahoma we're one of the few agencies that can actually adjudicate cases. So if there's a dispute between wages and hours between an employer and an employee, that comes to the department of labor. We are a federal OSHA state for the public. the department works with OSHA in those cases. And then we're an in state OSHA for public employees.
>> Walker Wildmon: Well that, that ability to adjudicate is a big deal, big responsibility. So correct me if I'm wrong, but you guys need moral, just right minded people in that department to make sure they're being fair and just to both the employer and the employee, right?
>> Kevin West: Absolutely, yes. it is a very important role that even here in Oklahoma a lot of people don't fully realize, how important it is. And it's considered a down ballot, position so it doesn't get near as much attention. But yes, I believe with my legislative experience and that 10 year history of consistency is a huge benefit because I understand how the law works. I've worked under it for 40 years and then I've been a legislator for 10. And being consistent and fair is paramount. because businesses, whether you like the law or you don't like the law, as long as you know what it is, you know what the ground rules are, you can work with that. But when, when it changes due to the size of the company or who it is or just because the direction of the wind changes. That's where you wind up with problems.
>> Walker Wildmon: Absolutely.
Oklahoma State Representative Kevin west is running for labor commissioner
We're talking to Oklahoma State Representative Kevan west, who's also running for labor commissioner in the state. Representative west, tell us about what the unions are like, if they much exist at all in a state like Oklahoma. Obviously Oklahoma is very conservative, so it's not going to be comparable to California or Illinois. But nonetheless tell us what the labor the union status is in Oklahoma and, and how you, what your view of that is.
>> Kevin West: Yeah, well, being in construction, that's where most of our unions are. of course you have your, your police and fire, things like that. But the majority of it is still in the construction trades and we've had right to work on the books for about 20 years. so we have that very well established and the relationship has been very good. my experience, we do still have some trades that are unionized and the relationship seems to be really good. Every once in a while we'll have a bill creep in that seeks to unravel a little bit of the right to work stuff. And you know, with members like myself who have that kind of experience, we, we see it pretty quick and are, have been so far able to keep that at bay. And usually where they the legislation is typically around the agreements that can be made because we have it on the books to where a general contractor or owner of a property cannot enter into an agreement to have only union or non union, bid on that. So you know, we keep a really close eye out to try to eliminate that so that all of our bidding is fair. You know, if a union shop can do the job and it's a better price, then hey, more power to you.
>> Walker Wildmon: Yeah, yeah, that's. And most of these conservative states don't really have a union problem so to speak. but yeah, you do have to keep an eye on it because they'll slip in and they're most of these unions. Not all. Most of them are arms of the Democrat party and so you have to be very careful with that.
Kevin West is running for labor commissioner with a focus on artificial intelligence
let me ask you about artificial intelligence. Obviously if you're running for labor commissioner, this is going to be a topic amongst the workforce that's going to be very noteworthy over the next five to 10 years. And it's an issue right now people are talking about. But what's your view of artificial Intelligence and how it integrates into the workforce and this talk of job replacements and stuff like that. What's your general sense of the direction here and your view of that?
>> Kevin West: Well, obviously, I don't think it's any secret to anybody AI is coming, so we have to be prepared for it. I entered into cabinet making in the mid-90s or mid-80s. I'm sorry. And we probably didn't even have a computer on site. And today those same cabinet shops are utilizing things like cnc. We're using computers for everything. Now, that was a slower progression than what AI is going to be, but I've lived through that progression. I've spent a, couple of years working in manufacturing, kind of the same thing. went from being very manual to, very technology. And in both cases, what we've seen is that those companies are actually hiring more people than they were before. So I think with that perspective, I am uniquely, positioned to help these businesses navigate this incoming AI, because if, if it becomes a true replacement and everybody's sitting on their couch eating popcorn and watching tv, economy's going to crash. So we have to use this as a tool and, you know, help these businesses to navigate through it. I've had several meetings with some AI experts that do just that. You know, they, they teach and coach businesses how to navigate that. And, you know, so my role as Labor Commissioner would be to be, an advocate for those kind of things, letting, business owners know resources that are available. I never want it to be from the state of Oklahoma saying you have to do this, but those that want to want that help to navigate that. I think the Department of Labor should be all hands on deck for that.
>> Walker Wildmon: yeah, and you make some good points. I agree. I don't think the integration is going to be quite as drastic as some have said, as far as job displacements. I do generally think it will make the productive more productive and the lazy more lazy. And that's oversimplifying it. But my point is that if people have someone has a lazy streak, well, they're going to use AI to do less for themselves, sort of their own replacement, if you will. And then people who are generally productive, they're going to use AI to do more work, to be more productive. So I don't think it's going to alter human behavior beyond what human nature already allows. but nonetheless it is going to undoubtedly take some positions, but they easily could be offset elsewhere, in the economy. and I do generally think it will make companies, more productive, be able to do more work quicker. so the jury's still out M. From my perspective on what our view of AI is in the workforce over the next few years. But time will tell and there's a surprising kind of backlash to technology in the education realm right now in the classroom. It's interesting to track, but I know that's not what I brought you home for.
Kevin West is running for labor commissioner in Oklahoma
let me ask you this, about, your election. Tell our folks, just for those who do live in Oklahoma, once again we're talking to Kevan West. He's running for labor commissioner there, currently serves in the state legislature. tell our folks when your election date or dates are and then, how they can find out more about your work.
>> Kevin West: Well, the very first one is June 16th. That's our primary and my race in particular. There are four Republicans running. So definitely, if you live in Oklahoma and you want to know more about me, you can check out my website, votekevinwest.com super easy. And you can contact me through that. You can learn a lot about me. right now things are looking really good. We, have two state representatives and then two, quote, outsiders that are running. I've been going all over the state. I know everybody. if you look on a map, Oklahoma looks kind of small, but when you start driving it, it's a big state. And I've been getting really good reception throughout the state. You know, some of the things that I've, I've ran in the past, some of those high profile bills, I am known, throughout the state because they've been covered in media. But it's been really good. I think that people are ready for a commissioner who is going to be a front person and not, not just do the duties of the job, but do those extra things, like the workforce development, the tools to navigate AI, things like that, seem to be, very, very popular topics.
>> Walker Wildmon: Absolutely. Well, hey, Representative, West, thanks so much for coming on the program. We wish you the best of luck and thanks for all the work that you've done.
>> Kevin West: Thank you and thanks for having me. And just one last plug. you can Visit my website, VoteKevinWest.com and contact me. I would love to hear from you.
>> Walker Wildmon: Excellent. Thanks so much, Representative West. Appreciate you coming on the program.
>> Kevin West: Thank you.
>> Walker Wildmon: Absolutely. West, is running for labor commissioner. He currently represents District 54 there in the state of Oklahoma in the state legislature and has been doing that for, for several years, leading multiple, efforts on the conservative front to pass good legislation in the state and legislation related to the position he's running for the labor position. And so, we appreciate him coming on the program. Yeah, the AI topic is a very interesting one. We could probably do, an entire show on. And as a matter of fact, Bobby, let's make a note just to do maybe a whole show and have a couple of guests on to talk AI but The The job. The jobs market and the AI how that will look over the next few years going to be very interesting to track. And the Main. I would say the main jobs effect is going to be on the robotics side. I mean we've already got obviously robotics and manufacturing, but if you can deploy AI and robotics in other industries as well, a lot of these service industries, that's going to be a big mover and shaker on the labor side of things. So a lot to talk about there. And we'll keep tracking it all for your benefit. And thank you for joining us on the program today. At the core, American Family Radio. We'll see you next time. The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
https://www.okhouse.gov/representatives/kevin-west
https://afr.net/podcasts/at-the-core/
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https://www.okhouse.gov/representatives/kevin-west
https://afr.net/podcasts/at-the-core/
https://www.patriotacademy.com/donate
https://afafoundation.net/ 1-800-326-4543 ext. 345
