Pastor John’s travels have taken him through 15 states, where his encounters with school boards are anything but mundane. His bold stance against the placement of controversial reading material in schools often results in dramatic outcomes, from microphone cuts to arrests. Far from being deterred, Pastor John wears these experiences as a badge of honor, underscoring the sheer importance of his mission.
In a candid reflection, both Johns—the host and the Pastor—discuss the foundational role of the church in societal values, lamenting its silence and complicity in today’s crises. They explore the overarching agenda of secularization within educational institutions, a notion once prophesied by figures in the New Age movement aiming to overturn Christianity’s societal dominance.
Crucially, the episode doesn’t just seek to highlight problems but also paths to a solution. Pastor John encourages listeners to engage—be it through prayer, participation, or patronage. Standing for all children, he transcends racial lines, advocating for a unified effort to reclaim education as a force for good, not division.
For those eager to understand the cultural and moral dynamics shaping our educational landscape, this ‘Rush to Reason’ episode offers a compelling window. It’s a testament to the power of voices rising against the tide, urging society to wake up and take action before it’s too late. Through the dual lenses of faith and reason, John Rush and Pastor John provide not just analysis but a call to arms for educational integrity.
Join host John Rush as he engages in a powerful conversation with Pastor John Amen Chukwu on the state of education in America. Pastor John shares his experiences traveling across states to fight against critical theories infiltrating our schools and highlights his latest documentary, '22 Words'. Discover the profound impact that removing religious values from education has had on our society and learn how Pastor John is inspiring change through unwavering dedication.
SPEAKER 05 :
This is Rush to Reason. You are going to shut your damn yapper and listen for a change because I got you pegged, sweetheart. You want to take the easy way out because you're scared. And you're scared because if you try and fail, there's only you to blame. Let me break this down for you. Life is scary. Get used to it. There are no magical fixes. With your host, John Rush.
SPEAKER 13 :
My advice to you is to do what your parents did! Get a job, Turk! You haven't made everybody equal. You've made them the same, and there's a big difference.
SPEAKER 14 :
Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there. It is this feeling that has brought you to me.
SPEAKER 03 :
Are you crazy? Am I? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind? It's Rush to Reason with your host, John Rush. Presented by High Five Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling, where every call ends with a high five.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, hour number three, Rush to Reason, Denver's Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Beautiful sunset here in the Front Range, Colorado area, and probably wherever you happen to be at because the sun sets everywhere, not just on Denver. But we have a nice view looking out of the studio to the west and right over the top of the mountains. Right now it looks like somebody painted it, and it looks absolutely beautiful. So thank you very much for that. And I will screw up this last name. Pastor John, can you just pronounce your last name for us?
SPEAKER 16 :
Hey, no problem at all. It's Amen Chukwu.
SPEAKER 04 :
Amen Chukwu. It means I know God. I can get that one, I think. All right, talk to us. And I spent really the last segment, actually last half hour of our last hour, Pastor John, talking about the Department of Education, the fact that I think it needs to be gone away, done away with. The reality is we've got a department that has a budget of about $238 billion a year. We've been doing billions of dollars since 1978 or nine the reality is our test scores are way low and on top of that we are literally persecuting people that go to school board meetings and so on to try to write the education system in the country and by the way you're one of those
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, I appreciate you for that, for just putting it so frank and blunt. That's exactly what we're doing to individuals who have common sense. I've now traveled to 15 states. trying to defend and protect the honor of children. We're fighting against Marxist atheists. Yep, absolutely.
SPEAKER 04 :
Amen. Absolutely. I talk about that constantly. This is a war of good versus evil. Not saying that everyone on our side of the aisle, Pastor John, is good, but at least they're on the side of good. And the reality is the Marxists are literally the side of evil. They want to corrupt atheists. Everything, educationally speaking, in this country, they want to take over the minds of our young people because they know if they do that, they take over the country.
SPEAKER 16 :
That's right. And we must fight them and resist them with everything possible. I've now been to Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, Florida, Texas, Colorado, California, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, and Maryland, fighting against critical race theory, gender theory, and queer theory. I've been able to amass 300 million views doing it just to show the American people what's happening. We've been able to flip two school boards. We've been able to strike down transgender policies and remove dozens of pornographic books around the country. And so I am no Johnny come lately when it comes to the indoctrination. I also like to call it mental rape. It's a mental rape that our children are experiencing.
SPEAKER 04 :
I like that. I'm going to steal that from you if I can moving forward, because that's exactly... And I should have mentioned, I apologize, part of why you're here as well is there's a website, movie, that's there as well, 22wordsfilm.com. And before I, you know, I wouldn't have forgotten that anyways, but before we go any further, talk about that, if you would, Pastor John.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yes, so I just created a new documentary that was released on October 3rd. It's called 22 Words. And the title of the film comes from just a simple topic of words that were in an original prayer, a school-sponsored prayer that was banned in 1962. And this prayer was a non-denominational, non-proselytizing prayer. The prayer said, Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon thee, and we beg thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country. And a wicked woman by the name of Madeline O'Hare, through a court case, Engel v. Vattel, lobbied to remove prayer from the public school system. And according to former Secretary of Education William Bennett, when this took place, we saw a sharp increase in in STDs, in teenage pregnancy, in violent crimes, but the test scores plummeted. And so much of what we're seeing today can point back to the removal of God from the public school system. The Bible says righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach against any people. So I say to everyone out there, Go to 22wordsfilm.com. That's 22wordsfilm.com and watch this documentary.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, number one, thank you for what you're doing. We appreciate it. You're a blessing. You're doing work that, frankly, a lot of folks... maybe they can do, but for some odd reason they can't, and you're inspiring a lot of folks to go do that work. I try to do that on a daily basis here by encouraging people to do the very things that you're doing as well, and hopefully having a voice and making a difference at the end of the day. Question for you, Pastor John, when you go into some of these school systems, the school boards and so on, number one, I mean, are you... hated? Are you liked? Is it a combination between the two? In other words, when you go into these places, are there people that are on your side? Do you get cheers? Do you get booze? How does that work?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, I will say it this way. I am the most bleeped out preacher in America. Okay. All right. And I say that because I read from the pornographic books that they put on the bookshelves for kids to read as early as the age of five. Okay. And when I do so, I'm oftentimes censored online. They cut my microphone, they take my microphone, and then sometimes I'm even placed in handcuffs like I was about a month ago, simply because of making a bold stand in Wake County, North Carolina. I've been kicked out of six school board meetings. I even went to Maryland, and keep in mind, Maryland has a black governor, a black mayor in Baltimore. They have a predominantly black school board, a CEO of schools who makes $479,000 a year, but the kids can't read and do basic math on grade level. I went there and spoke at a school board meeting, and they shut down the school board meeting and called a citywide emergency because I showed up. And the issue is this. I was the right color, but I had the wrong political party.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you. You had the right skin tone, which, by the way, I just, I don't know, Pastor John, I hate all of that in the first place. The reality is, you know, we're all one race under God. I hate what we do along those lines, but I get what you're saying. You are the right color for what you're doing, but you're like me. You got the wrong words and the wrong opinion.
SPEAKER 16 :
Exactly. The wrong opinion. And so they censored me. I mean, could you imagine? They came into the boardroom with law enforcement.
SPEAKER 04 :
Unbelievable.
SPEAKER 16 :
School law enforcement and Baltimore PD, and they shut the school board meeting and said that I was a citywide emergency. One man.
SPEAKER 04 :
Can you imagine that? Unbelievable. So when all of these things happen, and they handcuff you and cuff you and stuff you, if you would, I mean, what's that like? What do you do next? How does this all pan out?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, the thing is, the purpose of why they do this is to silence you. Yeah, true. Is to make a spectacle out of you. It's to shame you. out of standing boldly against tyrants. That's why. And so I know that. And so I'm not afraid to be arrested. I'm not afraid to be cuffed and stuffed. I'm not afraid of being kicked out of a school board meeting. What I am afraid of is the wrath that will come upon this nation. If we continue down the same path, I'm concerned about that.
SPEAKER 04 :
My wife just texted, by the way. She had a better saying for what you and I were saying a moment ago. Right color, wrong agenda.
SPEAKER 16 :
I'll take it. I like it. Hey, tell her you can borrow my line, and I'll take hers.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, we'll make a trade. That works perfectly. Here's the thing. We're laughing, but honestly, Pastor John, if we weren't laughing, we'd be crying.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yes, yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
I'm serious, because we would, because literally this is—and I talked about this last hour, and for those of you listening that maybe don't believe me, this really is at the core of good versus evil, because the Marxist side—and Pastor John, you know what I'm going to say, the Marxist side was to infiltrate the country— The very way they're doing it, they've been very successful at doing what they wanted to do to take the country over without ever firing a shot.
SPEAKER 16 :
That's right. That's right. That's right. And you know what? Sadly, I have to mention this. The church is complicit in this.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you. I was going to say I preach that. I'm not a preacher. But I preach that on this program all the time. You are 1,000% correct.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yes, the church has failed immensely. You know, there's a wicked woman by the name of Alice Bailey who was known as the prophetess of the New Age movement, and she put together a ten-point plan to destroy Christianity. Number one, she wanted to take God and prayer out of the education system. Number two, reduce parental authority over children. Number three, destroy the Judeo-Christian family structure. Number four, if sex is free, then make abortion legal and make it easy. Number five, make divorce easy and legal. Free people from the concept of marriage for life. Number six, make homosexuality an alternative lifestyle. Number seven, debase art and make it run mad. Number eight, use the media to promote and change mindsets, the fake news. Reduce the prominence of Christianity through secular humanism. In other words, make man God. And finally, number ten, get governments to make all these laws and get the church to endorse these changes. That's where we are today. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER 04 :
And again, great film, great website, 22wordsfilm.com. Pastor John, you can tell, any time you want to come back on air, you let me know, give us updates, let us know how we can be involved. And for those listening, how can they? What can they do to help in this cause?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, number one, you can pray. You know, I live by the three Ps. Pray. Then you can participate. You know, join me at a school board meeting or... Join a school board meeting in your local area. You can go to my website, iknowgod.us, and get free resources that I've put together, my battle plan to teach you how to engage in the fight. And finally, you can be a patron. You can support my efforts by going to iknowgod.us and making a monthly contribution to assist me in the work that I'm doing. I'm not standing for black children, although I am a black man. I'm standing for all children in this country. I was once asked by a reporter, are you leading a black movement in America? And I said to him, I don't even know what that is, man. You know, the Bible tells us that we are one blood. Amen. And I believe that.
SPEAKER 04 :
Amen.
SPEAKER 16 :
Standing for America and America's children.
SPEAKER 04 :
Amen. I appreciate that very much, Pastor John. Amon Chukwu, thank you very much. There's the websites. We'll have all that up on our show notes a little later for you guys as well. And Pastor John, again, just keep up the great work. Thank you for being a part of all of this and leading the charge, and we're with you. Thank you so much. God bless you. You're very welcome. Have a great night. And we need more of him. So anything you can do to help support him, please do so. And, again, the movie website, 22wordsfilm.com. Flesh Law is coming up next. Kevin Flesh, where if you happen to ever get cuffed and stuffed, you need somebody to represent you. That is Kevin Flesh, 303-806-8886.
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SPEAKER 07 :
This is Rush to Reason on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 04 :
All righty, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver's Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Brad and Lakewood, what's going on today, sir?
SPEAKER 08 :
I see a common thread developing that may hurt us in 2026. In Wisconsin, a number of people voted for Trump, but not for Hovde. Nevada, a number of people voted for Trump, but not for Sam Brown. And we had the same problem in Arizona. And I think that's because people like Trump, but they despise the Republican Party. And after what they did today by putting John Thune in, that just can infuriate the Republican base even more. And now they nominated Mike Johnson. So I think we may have trouble in 2026. What is your opinion?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, as I've said many, many, many times on this program, the Republicans need to do a better job of running the right candidate in the right areas based upon the demographic of those voters in that area. And that alone, Brad, doesn't go over real well with some people inside of our party. But I'm telling you, that's got to be the winning strategy because, for example, Carrie Hill, even though Trump wins Arizona, and I know that she may still – or not Carrie – Carrie Lake, I'm sorry, Carrie Lake. Even though Carrie Lake is maybe close and might squeak that out, I highly doubt, Brad, that she'll end up squeaking that one out. The reality is she just wasn't a good candidate for Arizona because of some of the things that she's— ran on and where she had her positions at in regards to the steal and so on. And the reality, Brad, is people, just the voters, don't want to hear that, especially in Arizona. Now, do I believe that Carrie Lake could have gotten around some of that by changing some of her rhetoric? Yeah, but she didn't, meaning she was still the wrong candidate. So my point is, do we still have to run the right candidates in the right areas to have success in 2026? Absolutely.
SPEAKER 08 :
So in other words, Mark Lamb might have been a better candidate.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think there's a lot of races countrywide where you could have had better candidates that would have had better outcome. I don't think you can just point to even one particular race like Carrie Lake, for example. That's an example. But I think there's others like her. Now, in Colorado... And really quick, Brad, I want to make sure before anybody criticizes me. I like Carrie. I think she's a great lady. I think her policies and her beliefs and where she's headed and so on, all of that is fabulous, Brad. The problem is she got hung up on one area she could not let go of, and it cost her her election.
SPEAKER 08 :
No, I don't think Steve and Rich are jacksellers. Now, those are both problem Republicans. They both got voted out, but they were still around for this election, so I don't think... Stephen Richer help matters either.
SPEAKER 04 :
And again, to your point, I think you could look at lots of areas of the country where we could have even had a better outcome. I mean, we had a red wave as it was, Brad, but how bigger of that red wave would it have been if we would have done things just a little bit differently?
SPEAKER 08 :
And now in Colorado, we did what we expected. I think we picked up one seat in the House, or one seat in the Senate and two in the House, but 131 and 127 failed. which is phenomenal.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 08 :
I thought they'd both pass.
SPEAKER 04 :
I did too. I was really, I mean, honestly, I had to eat my own words Tuesday night because I really felt like 131, especially Brad, I really felt like that thing would pass. And by the way, I think part of the reason why it didn't is people looked at places like Alaska knowing what a dismal mess that is and the fact that they're trying to repeal it. I think some people at least had enough brains to go look it up.
SPEAKER 08 :
And then the slaughterhouse ban failed, and 308 failed in Denver. So there's some hope for Colorado. There is hope.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, I keep hearing about this Project 2025. 2025, yeah. Do you think... and they want to kick veterans out of the VA. We've talked about this before.
SPEAKER 04 :
Project 2025, which was an initiative from the Heritage Foundation, which I like the Heritage Foundation. I interview a lot of folks from there periodically, Brad, and I like what they do, although this is one of those situations where they never should have done Project 2025. They should have tabled that thing. Trump, it almost cost him. It didn't, luckily. He ended up being able to distance himself enough from that where that became... you know, really a faraway thing for him. But early on, the Democrats are trying to tie him to that. There's a lot of Project 2025 that I believe in. There's a lot of 2025, Brad, I don't believe in, and I wish Heritage would have never done it.
SPEAKER 08 :
So do you think they would actually go as far as to, if you're in Category 7 or 8, do you think they would actually kick people out, or do you think that would actually go through?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, that's what Project 2025 wants, but Trump's not doing Project 2025. That thing is, you know, might as well be in the
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, and like I told you before, I've had pretty good luck with the VA.
SPEAKER 04 :
That definitely concerns me because... Really quick, Brett, keep in mind that Heritage, like even a lot of conservatives in Colorado, hardcore conservatives, are very pure in their motives. I'm not saying that's bad. But what they want to do is unwinnable. It's not that I'm totally against the Heritage Foundation and some of the core things they want to do, because they're very good at what they do, but they're so purist at times, they're unwinnable.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, you can't be a purist. Like the libertarians have often said, it's better to vote for a Republican and get some of what you want than it is to vote for a libertarian, which in turn... Gets nothing of what you want.
SPEAKER 04 :
You have no seat at the table. You don't get a fork at the plate in that case, Brad. I want a seat at the table. I want to be able to sit and have a conversation. You don't do that without winning.
SPEAKER 08 :
I agree so. it's still scary that they would even think about why would they even want to think about kicking people out of the VA, you know?
SPEAKER 04 :
Great question. Again, if you go through and look at a lot of what 2025 said and even the advice that it's giving Donald Trump for the transition in the first six months, frankly, there's no way all of that could even happen in six months. They'd be lucky to get it done in two years. The reality is that was a lot to bite off. I don't know why they did it. Again, it's one of those things, Brad, where... I think certain people had really big ideas, and that's great, but keep them to yourself.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, I agree, and that's not a very – kicking people out of the VA isn't a good way to score brownie points with your organization. Now, what's going on – Brad, really quick.
SPEAKER 04 :
Even though we know Social Security needs a revamp, you can't talk about that in an election cycle or you're going to lose.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, that's what Mike Lee's office told me because I had a call of his office one time and said, why don't you address – is you're trying to fix Social Security.
SPEAKER 04 :
You can't. You'll lose. You can't talk about it. It's one of those taboos. Even though, Brad, I know, you know, and everybody else knows it needs changes or it's not going to stay solvent, reality is you can't touch that on the campaign trailer or you're going to lose.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, that's what Mike Lee's office said. No matter what you mention about it, it's too touchy a subject. Now, what's going on up in Alaska? They still haven't... It looks like the effort to repeal rank-chase voting is ahead, but they... The vote totals, they still haven't counted all the votes, and then it looks like Mary Patola, if Burgess doesn't get 50% of the vote, it'll go to the second round, and Patola might squeak back in.
SPEAKER 04 :
I don't understand why, number one, right, that's why ranked choice voting is a bad idea, and I'm glad we didn't do it here and it didn't pass. On the same token, Brad, I'm still confused as to why some of these states, even here in Colorado, why did CDA take so long to count?
SPEAKER 08 :
I agree, and I'm glad to see that.
SPEAKER 04 :
I mean, this is not that difficult, Brad.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, back in 1980 when I voted for Reagan, we knew by 9 o'clock at night that he had won.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right.
SPEAKER 08 :
And we also knew who had won the Senate and the House before 11 o'clock.
SPEAKER 04 :
Correct. It's ridiculous it's taken this long. That in and of itself needs a revamp.
SPEAKER 08 :
You think it's because they're trying to steal elections? Or do you think they're just incompetent?
SPEAKER 04 :
Both. I think there's a little bit of both personally. I think in some cases there's some nefarious individuals that would love to see the election get swung one way or the other. And on top of that, Brad, I feel like they're – I mean, keep in mind of what we just got done talking about the last roughly hour with our last guest and even the previous half hour and the last hour from 430 to 5 talking about – The education system in America and how really illiterate our kids are becoming. Keep in mind, Brad, that's been going on now for decades. So, yeah, in a lot of ways, this is just total incompetence. I mean, look at our own secretary of state, Brad. No offense. I am not an attorney and I'm not on the same level educationally speaking that she is. But I could talk circles around her all day long, Brad.
SPEAKER 08 :
And how much longer do you think Tina Peters is going to have to stay in jail?
SPEAKER 04 :
That I don't know. I have no answer on that one.
SPEAKER 08 :
Is Trump capable of pardoning her?
SPEAKER 04 :
I don't believe so, because that's a state thing that happened, and he has no power. It had to be a federal case, and I don't believe that was the case there.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, that's not good either.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, that has to be a governor thing. I don't think Trump can do anything about that one at all.
SPEAKER 08 :
Were you pretty nervous during election night?
SPEAKER 04 :
I was. I was absolutely nervous on Tuesday. I shared a lot of that with all of you listening. I don't know if you got a chance to listen to me on Election Day, Brad, but I was pretty nervous because I really felt like the left was going to do every single thing they possibly could to get that thing turned around, you know, legally or illegally. And the reality is I just don't—first of all, I think they got very— I think they thought they had the thing in the bag. Trust me, if they thought they had to cheat, they would have cheated more. And, yes, I mean that sincerely for all of you on the left that are listening. Reality, Brad, is I feel like they got so big for their britches, they didn't feel like they needed to do anything, and they got their butts kicked.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, and we finally realized the importance of early voting. I don't like early voting. I think you should be registered to vote 30 days before election.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think you should all be same day, but that's not the world we live in now, and it's not going to change.
SPEAKER 08 :
You don't think that'll change? Nope. How do you think John Thune's going to do? I'm not optimistic.
SPEAKER 04 :
That I have no idea, Brad. Some of these races that are out there right now that still haven't been called, I don't have... I didn't have good judgment on that Tuesday. I thought Trump was going to just barely squeak by if he won at all. I had no idea it was going to be a landslide.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, I was nervous up until the very end. Even when I saw he was ahead in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, I was extremely nervous, but I was watching on the Internet when Natalie... Winners started hugging Steve Madden, and I knew something good had happened.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, the other thing I think, too, Brad, that happened in our favor is keep this in mind as well. For the past four years, there's been a lot of state legislation and election rules, if you would, that have been changed, shored up, and so on. And you've got to give credit where credit's due. We even interviewed a lot of those people that were working on those things over the past four years. And it's not that I don't think the left tried to cheat. I guarantee you they would have cheated more. But I think in a lot of ways, they were— There was a wall there, if you would, Brad, to where some of those things just couldn't happen because of some of the election integrity rules and laws that were put into play the last four years.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, what if Ronald McDaniels would have been in charge of the RNC, or if they would have nominated Michelle Obama? Do you think that would have affected the outcome?
SPEAKER 04 :
If Michelle Obama had been their candidate instead of Kamala Harris, yes, we may have had a much, much tighter race, and she may have won.
SPEAKER 08 :
And what if Ronna McDaniel was still in charge?
SPEAKER 04 :
That I don't know. I wasn't a big fan of her, as you know. So I don't know that we would have fared as well with her in charge.
SPEAKER 08 :
I'm not a fan of Ronna at all. I think Laura and... Michael Wiley did a far better job.
SPEAKER 04 :
Brad, with that, I've got to run. I've got a guest joining us. I appreciate that very much, though. Thank you for the updates. I appreciate that. We'll get Scott Garlis on in just one moment. Don't go anywhere. Hi-Fi Plumbing is next. They do electrical now as well. 877-WE-HI-5.
SPEAKER 07 :
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Now, back to Rush to Reason, presented by High Five Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling, where every call ends with a high five.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver's Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Scott, thanks for joining us. Sorry for a little bit of delay there. We got rolling along here a week out from the election, and there's still a lot to talk about.
SPEAKER 06 :
There was an election? Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
Good one. Speaking of which, I know last week Wall Street was still kind of trying to figure out what was going on after the election. Where are they at with that today?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, they're pretty optimistic about the outcome of the election. So what people really like is the focus on domestic companies and that Trump wants to drive more business back here. So you've seen, I want to say it's a roughly... 4% rally in the S&P 500. The Russell 2000 is another place that should really benefit from that. And we talked about this last week, but Russell 2000 companies derive something like 70% to 75% of all of their revenue from the United States. So versus the S&P 500, it's like 50% to 55% of revenue. So if there's one sort of, if you want to look at a major index that's going to benefit the most, The Russell 2000 is it. And for somebody looking to put money to work in that, you can look at the IWM is the ticker symbol. That's the Russell 2000 ETF.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. Good to know. All right. When it comes to the future, we saw the Fed lower rates a quarter of a point last Thursday. I think more rate cuts are on the way, although inflation numbers aren't doing probably exactly what they want. But, Scott, you know me. I feel like part of our – inflation numbers, and this is something you and I have chatted about numerous times, I still think that as they make some of these adjustments to the interest rates and bringing them down, I know it's counterintuitive to what the Fed thinks, but I'm one where that borrowing cost of a lot of businesses still goes into the bottom line product of what consumers are spending money on, and when the borrowing costs for lines of credit and so on are still high, inflation will be too.
SPEAKER 06 :
So what agreed on that Definitely. But there's a really interesting dynamic going on with the inflation numbers right now that a lot of people aren't going to understand and that a lot of sort of the naysayers are trying to play to their advantage. So October, November and December of last year, the month over month comparisons were the easiest we've seen in the last 12 months. They were flat down 1.1% and down 0.2%. So they are in the process of dropping out of the annualized number we see. So that's why you saw the annualized number jump today to 2.6 from 2.4%. And then so January, February, March, and April were the most difficult comparisons. We're talking about 0.5, 0.6, 0.6 and 0.4. So that's like 2% of the inflation number right there.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 06 :
That makes more sense. Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
So what we're going to see is, and the Fed- So in other words, it's not as bad as it may seem according to the nightly news.
SPEAKER 06 :
It's actually a ton better. And yeah, I'll explain that to you right now. So the Fed, Jerome Powell even said this at the meeting where they just cut. He said, look, inflation is going to look like it's picking up, but it's not. We get it, we see that, and we know what's happening with the numbers. So what we're probably going to see, if it holds to sort of where it's been all year, 0.2% a month, we might even see inflation go back up to 3% annualized by the end of the year. But if you look at the last six months, the month-over-month numbers for the last six months, because, again, just to make sure people understand this, if we add that monthly number up, every month, that's how we get to the annualized number. If you look at what we've seen since, I guess it would be May, May through October, we're averaging 0.1% a month, just over. And if you annualize that out, that's 1.2%.
SPEAKER 04 :
So it's minimal at best. In fact, what should – this is a question that I know is debatable among a lot of economists and so on, but what is – and some say that it should be zero. I disagree with that because I think you need a little bit of inflation in an economy on an annual basis. What's a healthy number?
SPEAKER 06 :
I think, well, traditionally, it's around that 0.1% to 0.2% level. Okay. And that's – so, you know, like you said, that is healthy because that's a sign of a growing economy.
SPEAKER 04 :
Because you don't want deflation, right? That's the opposite, which is even worse, correct?
SPEAKER 06 :
That's what Japan went through. And, no, we do not want to see deflation. We want to see our economy continue to grow. And if it's growing, there's demand for all types of goods, and that's going to drive – there's going to be more demand for some things than there is for others, and that's going to drive prices up. That's not a bad thing. So – I talk about, and I'm really glad you brought this up on the inflation part, because one of the things people are concerned about, they're saying, well, if Trump goes after China, it's going to cause all this inflation. The estimates I've been looking at, they're around 0.9% to 1% of annualized inflation that would kick in. So let's say right now, without any of that, we're running at this 1.2% annualized number based on the last six months. So if we add 0.9% to 1% to that, we're back above 2%, but slightly. So if you're the Fed, right now with where things are, they have a huge cushion. They have like a 2.3% cushion to cut rates. That means they could cut 230 basis points, so they could cut if they're basing it nine more times before they were back to break even with inflation. So even if Trump enacts these tariff policies and inflation picks up 1%, they still have a huge cushion to cut rates and support the economy. That's a very good thing for businesses, and that's a good thing for investors in the stock market.
SPEAKER 04 :
I also feel, and I know we've talked about this and I've talked about this on my program here, is be careful who you listen to when they start being naysayers on tariffs and things along those lines. I do believe Trump, number one, will be very strategic if and when he does these. Number two, for the most part, the majority of people that are against them are globalists and they hate anything involving a – a contraction, if you would, Scott, worldwide, because these guys are globalists through and through. And frankly, they don't care if the United States of America succeeds as long as they succeed somewhere else.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes. And they don't want handouts to stop. And they don't, you know, a lot of Europe isn't happy that before Trump got in there, they weren't meeting their commitments on things like NATO and the spending they're supposed to be doing. You know, but look, since the election, what about Ursula von der Leyen, who's the head of the European Union, she basically said, hey, well, what if we start buying all of our LNG from America to start doing more business with them to not have tariffs kick in? I mean... So think about all the oil producers and the energy producers in this country. Huge. That just means their business just got better.
SPEAKER 04 :
Their business got better. By the way, for everybody, most of our people here know this, Scott, but we as a country, Colorado especially, we produce the cleanest natural gas in the entire world. Why not use ours? It's better.
SPEAKER 06 :
Exactly. Exactly. And so one of the things, too, like, Again, to that point, the oil that's produced in this country is called light sweet crude because it's cleaner than the heavy crude that has to be refined more that's produced elsewhere. So, yeah, again, why wouldn't you buy this?
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. All right. As we head down that path, I do believe our energy ends of things, costs and so on, which, by the way, as energy prices drop, so will the cost of goods and so on. And that will lower the pressure on inflation overall. I guess ultimately, going back to the Fed, where do you see and I got a question on the cash end of things, but where do you see the Fed going? And I know we don't have a crystal ball into next year, but where do you see them going in the next couple of quarters?
SPEAKER 06 :
In the next couple of quarters, let's look like a year out. Why not? So right now, Wall Street's at like, I want to say it's about 3.9% is where they are. That's about 100 basis points lower, more or less. I wouldn't be surprised to see it go there, maybe even 3.75%, 3.5%. I think what makes sense by the end of next year is, is to get rates back to about 3%.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, because as you know, and in fact, I'm sure this is high on Trump's list, the only way you start getting the mortgage world and houses moving forward and get that market open back up again, which the country needs, Scott, is you've got to get mortgage rates down in the low fives.
SPEAKER 06 :
That's right. You know, I think one of the things, so I've gotten some questions from some mutual fund and hedge fund investors from some of the stuff I modeled today. They were asking, like, well, What are you thinking about in terms of Trump and tariffs? You know, the last time Trump introduced tariffs in 2018, the Fed actually started. They kicked off a big rate cut cycle because they were worried about hurting growth and they wanted to do everything they could to support the economy. And people also don't think they're running the dollar off of Trump's election because they want to put more money to work in U.S. assets. But Trump has been a big proponent of a weaker dollar because he sees that as making goods cheaper to be sold elsewhere.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right.
SPEAKER 06 :
That helps us. Yes, it boosts the U.S. economy. So I don't think people are thinking about those things, and that's what we saw in the past. And I think Trump is pretty deliberate when he says he's looking to do something. He's really looking to do that.
SPEAKER 04 :
Is that why Warren Buffett is parking a bunch of money in cash today?
SPEAKER 06 :
I would think so.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. Okay.
SPEAKER 06 :
People are going to hype that. They're going to say Warren Buffett hates his stock. I mean, look, the stock market's run up a bunch. Buffett is a value investor. As a value investor, your mind says, like, it's probably not a bad idea to take money off the table. And if things pull back a bit, I have a lot of cash to put back to work.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think the other thing he's looking at from what I've read as well is if he can find a good deal on a large company that he can just walk in and pay cash for, he now has the ability to do that. That, of course, down the road, it strengthens where he's at. I think he's looking at that as a buying opportunity, knowing Trump's coming in. If he can get a good deal right now, that deal will grow and be a much bigger deal for him on down the road. And then I think lastly, Scott, with Warren specifically, and I want to get your take on this. He's not young. He's getting old. I think he's looking at, okay, how do I even maybe wind a little bit of this down some? Yeah, I realize there'll be some guys that come along behind me and keep things rolling along, but the reality is it probably won't be as big as it is now.
SPEAKER 06 :
No, I think Warren's maybe 92.
SPEAKER 04 :
He's 94, I think.
SPEAKER 06 :
94, okay, and his partner Charlie Munger passed away last year. Was it last year or earlier this year? He might have been like 95 or 96. something in that neighborhood. I mean, these guys are generational, like once-in-a-lifetime investors. What they did is amazing. Absolutely. But, yeah, I think, you know, stuff we've seen Warren sell recently are things he's owned for a long time and made a lot of money on.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 06 :
So it's not a bad thing. Like you said, you want to pass the baton on to the next guy.
SPEAKER 04 :
That's right.
SPEAKER 06 :
Berkshire Hathaway generates, I want to say something, along the lines of $100 million in cash every day.
SPEAKER 04 :
I know. It's huge. It's huge.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, Scott, I've got to run. I've got to close things out. How do folks find you, sir?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, find me on LinkedIn or Twitter, C. Scott Garlis.
SPEAKER 04 :
Awesome, man. I appreciate it. Sorry to cut you short, but it's been a great one. I appreciate it, sir. So good.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thanks for your time, Scott.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, man. I appreciate you very much. Scott Garlis, Fortal Butchers Mortgage is next. Speaking of mortgage rates, 720-895-0500.
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Golden Eagle Financial, Al Smith wants to help with your financial future. Get a plan set and then stay on course. Al Smith, find him at klzradio.com.
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Al Smith of Golden Eagle Financial believes that retirement planning must be relational, not transactional. You need a retirement advisor who understands what you want out of retirement, and Al Smith will help you achieve the retirement of your dreams. In order for Al to do that, he has to get to know you. There are no systematic ways to ensure your dreams come true in retirement. That's why he draws on decades of experience to set you on your path to success. Sure, he'll give you details and charts with analysis and all of the necessary things. But he also knows that you're more than a financial spreadsheet. You're a person with hopes and dreams who has a picture of what you want your retirement to look like. When you're ready to get started creating a strategy that puts you on the right path towards those hopes and dreams. We'll be right back.
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SPEAKER 05 :
It's time to leave your safe space.
SPEAKER 04 :
This is Rush to Reason on KLZ 560. All right, that does it for today, folks. Don't forget, tomorrow, 3 o'clock, we'll be back. Dr. Kelly Victory and Steve House are going to join me. We'll talk a little bit about, hey, where is RFK Jr. in all of this, and what will his placement actually be when it's all said and done. So have a great night. We'll see you tomorrow. Rush to Reason, Denver's Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
