On today’s episode of Rush to Reason, John Rush and Richard Battle tackle the creeping entitlement mindset replacing the “American Can-Do” spirit. From historical figures like Joseph Warren and Madam C.J. Walker to everyday behavior at airports and hotels, they call out selfishness, celebrate self-reliance, and champion a return to honor and personal responsibility. Later, Sonny Kutcher from Young Americans Against Socialism breaks down a growing educational trend: “unschooling.” Is it crazy—or is it exactly what some families need to truly empower kids outside the broken public school system?
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.
SPEAKER 10 :
With your host, John Rush.
SPEAKER 18 :
My advice to you is to do what your parents did. Get a job, sir.
SPEAKER 15 :
You haven’t made everybody equal. You’ve made them the same and there’s a big difference.
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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 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.
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Are you crazy? Am I? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind?
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It’s Rush to Reason with your host, John Rush, presented by Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, we are back. Hour number two, Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Richard Battle joining us. Richard, how are you today?
SPEAKER 07 :
Good afternoon, John. We’re doing great. Thanks for having us back.
SPEAKER 08 :
Charlie always asks me, because I was gone over the weekend for Memorial Day, and he always asks me, okay, what’s one thing you learned from being gone? And this topic of what you have today kind of fits into something typically I see, especially while I’m out and about, but that is the entitlement mentality versus the American mentality. And Richard, I’m sorry to say, but the more I travel and even go on vacation and things like that, the entitlement mentality, especially among Americans, I don’t want to say it’s just us because I think this happens in other cultures as well, but the American entitlement mentality is in full swing.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, yes, and it only began in the 20th century because, again, if we look back at our ancestors who built the country and gave it to us, they had that Americandu spirit. They didn’t look for anyone to give them anything. They didn’t think anyone, including the government, owed them anything. They knew they would have to provide for themselves and their families, and so they made things happen. It was only this last century when people in government wanted to, to create this welfare state and convert it to an entitlement mentality, and we’ve created all these people who think they cannot do anything.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, and again, as I said, it is alive and well, and unfortunately doesn’t paint us as Americans in the best of light sometimes.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, no, it doesn’t, and that’s why I think it’s so important for us to discuss it, because the people out there raising kids or influencing grandchildren there’s an opportunity to make sure they have the Americandu spirit for their own and their families’ and organizations’ benefit going forward, and they don’t fall into that trap of entitlement that’s such limiting and soul-stealing over the long term.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, so let’s talk about it. Okay, first of all, what’s the differences? Let’s start talking about the entitlement mentality, and what is it?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I think as we say these, people will recognize it, and it appears obvious, but then we’ve got to avoid them. One is people believe they’re entitled to success without any risk at all. And they believe that any setbacks are always somebody else’s fault. They always blame others anytime there’s something negative that happened. And they believe that they ought to have wealth without achievement or work.
SPEAKER 08 :
Which doesn’t work, as you know, doesn’t work that way. That’s just it’s almost a a anti. How should I say that, Richard? This is just anti the way life works, period.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, it is. And the two other ones are they think they should have promotions without achievements. And how many times have people hired, especially Gen Xers and Zs, and they expect to be promoted and get a raise within two or three weeks or months of their hiring before they ever really accomplish anything? And then the culmination of it all is there’s a self-focus and a belief that they do not or should not be examples for others. And as I tell people, we’re all examples to somebody. The only question is, what kind of example are we?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, and again, I could go down the list of some of the things I even witnessed over the past just couple of days, over the weekend, over Memorial Day weekend, along these lines, Richard. And unfortunately, I… And this isn’t blanket, because there’s a lot of great Americans, they do have that can-do spirit, so I don’t want to make a blanket statement that, you know, all Americans and all American travelers are this way, although I’m afraid that it’s getting worse, not better.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I think so. I’m hoping that this year and the change of attitude that’s going on across the country will help us return to that can-do spirit, and I think there’s two ways to do it. One is through suffering. from setbacks or two as people that are inspired and realize that there’s a richer life to be had by having that can-do spirit. And there’s more to achieve. There’s more dignity and fulfillment. There are several benefits to having that spirit individually and for your family.
SPEAKER 08 :
Really quick, I want to give you one example of where, and I believe a company is making a distinct change in how they’ve done things. In fact, it’s how they built the company, and there’s all sorts of conversation among this particular subject right now, and there’s a lot of customers even, because I’m on some of the forums and stuff that are out there, Richard, and I just read some of these things, and there’s people that are just extremely upset with the changes, although I will tell you that these changes are a must because of this entitlement mentality, and that’s Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines is now going to a assigned seat starting in 2026. They have always been, as you know, Richard, they built their entire platform and model, if you would, off of open seating. Come on, you can get some status through various things and maybe get you on the plane a little earlier, get you a better seat, whatever. But the reality is it’s been open seating at Southwest for eons. And the reality is, this is my opinion, I don’t know this for a fact, But the amount of pre-boarders, which the way the FAA works that is all you have to do is walk up to the counter and say, I need to board the plane early. You don’t have to even give any excuse as to why. No doctor’s notes, no nothing. All you have to do is say that. Well, that entitlement of I have a problem, I need on the airplane first, which in some cases, Richard, is just simply the fact that you bought the ticket last and you know you’re going to be the very last one on. But now that you have got a quote unquote ailment, you can get on first. That is now changing with the signed seating, and I believe it’s because of this entitlement mentality.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I think there’s some accuracy in what you’re saying, and I question Southwest leadership since Herb Kelleher left. I heard about the baggage fees that they expect to make a billion and a half dollars, but they expect to lose $1.8 billion in business because of it. So I question some of these decisions that they’re making overall.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and again, there’s a lot to do over all of it, although I will tell you that the whole pre-board thing, and as I talk to different people in line, when you can watch 20, 25 people come on and Jetway Jesus heals them as they come off, the reality is I think they’re – They’re having to do this because FAA isn’t helping them out in any way, shape, or form. My point is that it’s that entitlement of, I need on the airplane first because I booked my ticket late or I don’t have any status or I haven’t earned that forward position in boarding or whatever, so I’m going to figure out another way to get on because I’m entitled to that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I think that’s correct, and that spans all of our existence right now. And people, I think… Hopefully, we’ll come back to the point of having that can-do spirit and understanding that we’re all better when we’re individually better and more considerate of others.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, and I think to your point, it’s that whole, okay, I have others that are around me, and the reality is I didn’t earn X, Y, Z, so no, I’m not entitled to that because I didn’t earn it. The problem, you know, this goes, you know, we can talk for the next hour on this, unfortunately, Richard, because the way our school systems and others are set up is, you know, everybody gets a prize whether you earned it or not.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, that’s exactly right. And so we need to push that can-do spirit because that will solve these issues for multi-generations like we saw before where personal risk, when you go out and have an effort and there’s personal risk, that develops that character over time and that character to be able to suffer the setbacks and take personal responsibility for the actions that and that the dignity and fulfillment from hard and smart work, that deferred gratification, that we used to understand that eventually we would get a reward for our efforts, and now it’s all instant gratification.
SPEAKER 08 :
Correct. Okay. Americans who made America great. Give us some examples, if you would. Americans, I should say, that made America great.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, there’s two. One from the current book, Americans Who Made America the 18th Century. Dr. Joseph Warren… was one of our patriot leaders. And most people don’t know him, and I’ll tell you why in just a minute. But he was a medical doctor. He was involved early on with the independence movement. He’s the one that directed Paul Revere and William Dawes on their Midnight Ride. He was a major general in the Continental Army, but instead of staying back and treating the wounded, he fought in combat during Lexington and Concord and then at the Battle of Bunker Hill. And he was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775, which is why we don’t really know his name as well now because – He died more than a year before independence was declared. But here he was. He had the right to stay back at the back lines and take care of the wounded and be out of harm’s way. But he led by example and served his fellow colonialists in that action to the point that he sacrificed his life. And we need to remember and honor him for that sacrifice.
SPEAKER 08 :
Agreed. Talk about Madam C.J. Walker as well.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, two weeks from now, the 19th century, Americans Who Made America will debut, and Madam C.J. Walker, whose original name was Sarah Breedlove, is a wonderful example of the Americandu spirit, and it’ll be in that volume. She was born in 1867, the first African-American child in her family after the Civil War. She left home at 13 to get married to escape her home life. And she worked at menial jobs like taking in laundry and things for a dollar a day. She had a scalp issue. She couldn’t find a solution, so she made up her own concoction. She shared it with her friends. She ended up selling it. She created this company, Madam C.J. Walker, and changed her name, became the first. self-made black woman millionaire in the United States. But more than that, she became a philanthropist and felt a duty to help other African-American women succeed in the country, all the while being discriminated against as a woman, as an African-American. But she received none, expected none, any kind of help from anyone else. She knew she had to go out and do it herself.
SPEAKER 08 :
Wow. Amazing. Richard, talk to us again about where folks can get all of these books, and if they want them signed by you, how do they do that as well?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, thank you, John. Our website’s richardbattle.com. All books are signed there. If you want something inscribed for a gift, which we’re happy to do, email me, richard at richardbattle.com. After your order, everything’s at Amazon, including Kindle and audio versions.
SPEAKER 08 :
Richard, it’s always a joy talking to you, and things that I experienced as I was gone fit right into what we were talking about today, so that was perfect timing.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, that’s great. We look forward to seeing you next week, and God bless America.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thank you, Richard. God bless you as well. Again, Richard Battle, richardbattle.com. Al Smith up next did a great interview of late. Have a listen. We’ll be right back once that’s over.
SPEAKER 05 :
Al Smith from Golden Eagle Financial and the show you love, Retirement Unpacked, is here with me. How are you today, Al? I’m doing great. How are you, TJ? I’m doing great as well. I have a couple questions for you. As a financial advisor, do you also do taxes?
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No, I don’t prepare my clients’ taxes. I do, however, spend a lot of time talking to them about taxes. To use a sports analogy, tax preparation is like doing a recap of the game. What I do is more like creating a game plan and then following up over time to see how it’s working.
SPEAKER 05 :
And how much are taxes a part of that game plan that you create?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, with so many different taxes we’re faced with, it becomes an important thing to take into consideration. It’s not how much income you have, but how much you get to keep. In addition to federal and state income taxes, there’s property taxes, state and local sales tax, and fees. And they all play a part in shrinking our income.
SPEAKER 05 :
What about people who already have really healthy balances in 401ks, IRAs? Won’t they be facing significant taxes as they draw income from those accounts?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, it depends. Everybody’s situation’s a little bit different. There’s no one size that fits all when it comes to tax planning. But often when I work with people, we’ll create a strategy where we will convert traditional IRAs to Roth over time. And that not only reduces taxes in the future, but it will also lower the tax they’ll be paying on their Social Security.
SPEAKER 05 :
Is that kind of strategy really only for the wealthy?
SPEAKER 17 :
Not at all. Many of my clients who have modest IRAs have chosen to convert to Roth over time. They enjoy the freedom of having a tax-free nest egg that they can access on their own timeline rather than an RMD schedule.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, that is excellent. And how can people reach you if they want to learn about their own taxation in retirement?
SPEAKER 17 :
You can reach me through KLZ or contact my office at 303-744-1128. And when you call, I’ll provide you with a summary of all the tax changes for 2025.
SPEAKER 05 :
You heard it here, folks. Good things from Golden Eagle Financial and Al Smith. Again, you can reach them at 303-744-1128 or just find them on the advertisers page at klzradio.com.
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Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management, LLC. A registered investment advisor. BCM and Golden Eagle Financial Limited are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through BCM but are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents. Putting reason into your afternoon drive, this is John Rush.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Okay, to tie in, because I’ve got just a short amount of time here between Richard Battle and Sonny Kutcher is going to join us. I found an article and just happened to pop up. And I do think that, yes, your devices listen to you, depending upon what you’re saying and so on. Nine things genuinely classy people never do, key word there, never do when staying at a hotel. And these are things, and I know I get off topic at times, and I happened to send Charlie a picture while I was gone in a restaurant. And one of my wife’s biggest pet peeves when it comes to being in a restaurant is gentlemen that don’t take their hats off to eat. Yeah, that to me is like, you know what? I don’t care where you’re at. I don’t care how… casual you think the place might be. Now, if you’re out at a beachside table or something and you’re sitting at a plastic picnic table or something along those lines, you want to leave your ball cap on because it’s hot out and so on, okay, fine, whatever. I’ll give you a pass then. But if you’re inside of an establishment eating, I don’t care if you’re at McDonald’s, take your dang hat off. It’s called manners, which we don’t have anymore. It’s why we’re classless as Americans on a worldwide basis anymore. It’s like people. Do you not know basic manners? Guys, I cannot stress this enough. Take your dang hat off when you’re eating lunch, breakfast, dinner, whatever it is. Take your hat off. Okay. Rant and rave about that enough. But number one, in this particular example, they never ignore basic courtesies. A genuine please and thank you. I was watching a video while I was gone of some famous person. I don’t know who this person was, but some famous person where somebody was videoing her at a dinner something or other. And the waiter was going to serve her a piece of bread. And she literally looked at him and said, does this look like a body that eats carbs? That was her answer back to the waiter. And, man, she got roasted. Had to come out with a public apology, which you’ve got to wonder, is it really an apology or not? And that’s what this number one is talking about is don’t ignore basic courtesies. That guy doesn’t know you don’t eat carbs. That waiter or waitress doesn’t know and, frankly, doesn’t care, nor do I. If you don’t want to eat it, don’t eat it, but you should let him serve it to you regardless and be nice and say thank you. We’ve lost that. And unfortunately, you take some of these, what they consider to be high rollers, I consider them to be classless individuals where they won’t even acknowledge that particular activity. you know, that particular individual that is, quote unquote, serving them. And yes, I get it. They’re serving them and you’re going to give them a tip and do other things. And how well they do might even be based upon how well your tip is. But, you know, don’t ignore basic courtesies. And this goes to the next one. Never treat staff like servants. They’re not. Yes, they are there serving you, but guess what? It’s their job, and we should treat other humans with respect regardless of their status in life and be nice to them. It’s like the story I’ve given you guys many, many times whereby there’s a lot of times where I leave this building, and I’m one of the – Charlie and I together are typically some of the last ones out. And the housekeeping crew is typically coming in and starting their shift as Charlie and I are leaving. And I’m always very thankful to them as they’re coming in saying, you know, hey, ladies, you know, and they are on this building, all ladies. But I thank them. Thank you for doing what you’re doing. I appreciate you very much. I know they don’t hear that a lot. In fact, they probably get just the opposite. But I want them to know that I’m thankful that they’re here cleaning. So in the next day I come in, even into my studio, it’s vacuumed, it’s nice and so on. Yeah, and Charlie says they don’t really see a lot of people at that hour. We might be some of the only ones they see, but I make a special attempt to thank them as I’m leaving and they’re coming in, and I always get a nice smile, and I know they appreciate it because I guarantee you they don’t just get that a lot. So again, don’t treat staff… Like servants. This one’s good. They never take anything that isn’t nailed down. And you know what? I have heard stories from people that have worked at hotels and so on of the stuff that walks out the door, and you would be shocked to hear some of the things that people steal out of hotel rooms. I mean, everything from not just, you know, towels and soap and things like that, but pictures and lamps and things along those lines. And it’s like, first of all, who’d want to take that junk home? Second of all, it’s not yours. It belongs to them. Now, is it okay to take the extra Q-tips they’ve put that or that extra shower cap or whatever the case may be, whether you used it or not? Is it okay to take those items? Absolutely. You’re paying for the room. Those things are included in the price of that room. If you want to take the four-pack of Q-tips, be my guest. I don’t care. Yeah, I’m a soap collector. So, yeah, I’m one of those where, yes, if there’s unused soap, I’m taking it home. That’s probably why hotels now put it in bottles on the wall and they don’t let you have it openly anymore is because a guy is like me. Because, yes, I’ll take that. Yes, I’m that guy. But I also am not one to take even the notepads and the pens and things like that or the extra coffee that might be there, you know, if it’s a pod-type system or whatever. I’ve got better things to do. I’m not packing that junk back home. I’m just not one of those type of individuals. Even though a lot of that stuff is included, I’m not taking the pens and the pads home. Be my guest. I’m not stealing the Gideon Bible, for example. Even though the Gideons will replace it, I’m not taking the Gideon Bible home. Not that important to me. Never make a racket in shared spaces. In other words, when you’re out in – this is a big one for me. This is one of my other pet peeves. When you’re in the elevator or you’re in the lounge area or you’re in the hallways, be quiet. Shut up. I don’t care if it’s 4 in the afternoon. Somebody may have had a really long trip. They may have just gotten in. They may have just checked in at 3.30, and they’re taking a nap. That doesn’t mean you can run up and down the hallway and be super loud. So mind where you’re at and be aware of it and try to be quiet so you’re not bothering the others that are actually there paying for their room as well. In other words, you’re not the only one there. It’s not your hotel. Number five, they never skip tipping, of course, where it’s appropriate. But that means, you know, your bell staff, your housekeeper. If somebody brings you room service, I mean, anything along those lines. Yes, you should be tipping those individuals. I get questions even personally on that. You know, how much do I leave? And it will depend upon, you know, where I’m at, what type of resort is it, and so on. But, yeah, no, I tip anybody that helps me out. Period. Even if it’s a guy that just hails a taxi and helps you load bags, am I tipping him? Yes. Am I going to tip the guy that even gets the taxi for me but maybe doesn’t even help me get the bags in because a taxi driver does? Yes. Those people are literally usually working on tips. Am I going to tip the valet person? Absolutely. I mean, you name it. If tipping is in accordance, then tip them. Now, am I going to tip the guy that just flips a screen around that put the bagel in the bag? No. And I’m not tipping that person. That’s different. That’s a whole different scenario, and no, I’m not tipping them, and I don’t think they should be. But in regards to the folks at a hotel and so on, am I going to tip according to some of these things that we just talked about? Absolutely. Never abuse the amenities. In other words, if they provide a pool or a gym or a business center, you know – Be careful of how you’re leaving things behind. If you go use the computer at the business center because maybe something happened with your laptop or you’ve got to go print something or something to that nature, put the chair back where it was. Put everything back in place like it was. Don’t leave a bunch of dirty fingerprints. And if you bring your kids in, don’t let them have their lollipops and all of their nastiness all over the place where they’re dirtying up the entire business center. Make sure that stuff is nice and clean. And if anything, leave it better dirty. than the way you found it. That’s the way I would do it. That’s the way I was taught to do it. I know a lot of you listening would do the exact same thing. Number seven, they never act oblivious to local customs. Yeah, you guys can travel in all sorts of different areas, and different customs apply depending upon where you are. And you guys know what I mean by that. I don’t have to get into the exact details of that. Depending upon where you travel to, you know exactly what I mean by that. Never ignore House rules, even if they seem minor. For example, if you’re a smoker, which I’m not, but if you’re a smoker and they’re smoking only in certain areas, well, then abide by that. Abide by that. If you’re supposed to be parking in guest check-in, then don’t just pull up into the curb in front where you’re blocking all the traffic from everybody else being able to come underneath the canopy. Those sorts of things. Abide by the rules that they have set. Number nine, they never forget that others are also on vacation or a business trip just like they are. So whether that be loud music, whether that be all sorts of other things that might be going on, remember there’s other people there as well. Not just you. And again, the whole topic of this is this is what wealthy people do when they go stay at places. Classy, wealthy people do when they stay at places, act like them. And I’m sorry to say this, but don’t act like a lot of the other trashy Americans that travel around the world because there’s a lot of them. I’m sorry to say, there’s a lot of them. I could go on and on about this particular topic and the things that I observe when I’m out. Don’t be one of them. Be classier than that. And especially for a lot of you that are conservatives, Christians as well, you know what? People know that that’s what you are. A lot of times they can tell by your conversation where you stand, especially politically. A lot of them, one of those where you pray in public over your meal and things like that. Yeah. watch how you behave the rest of the time because they’re watching everything that you do. And by the way, be a guest that they want to welcome back, not a guest that they never want to see again. I think for us, my wife and I especially, that’s how we like to leave. We want to leave so that if we ever go back there, they want us back. In fact, they might even greet you by name when you come back. That tells you, by the way, how well you actually did with your stay the last time around. And I want to be welcomed back. I don’t want to be one of those where they dread that you’re coming back. So, Those are things that classy people do when they go and stay places. Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning, again, don’t be that person that tries to fix things themselves when you’ve never actually fixed anything when it comes to air conditioning and heating in the past. Call Cub Creek instead, and if you’ve had somebody come out and look at things, they’ll give you a free second opinion as well. Find them at klzradio.com.
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SPEAKER 10 :
Now back to Rush to Reason on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Sonny Kutcher joining us now. Young Americans Against Socialism. Sonny, how are you today?
SPEAKER 11 :
Doing well. Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, remembering those who paid the highest sacrifice.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yep. Amen. Amen. All right. Something that we’re going to talk about today, which I know very little about. I found an article that I had sent to you because I thought it fit in well with what you guys are trying to do at Young Americans Against Socialism. I don’t really even know yet, Sonny, where I stand on this. I’ve got to do a little bit more research to even determine, is this right? Is this wrong? Is this goofy? Are these particular parents on the right track, the wrong track? But there’s this new trend called unschooling. Explain what that is.
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely. So unschooling, yes, it’s actually relatively new to me as well. It’s different from traditional homeschooling because homeschooling would follow a curriculum, whereas unschooling does not follow any curriculum. There would be no homework, no assignment. It’s really a program, so to speak, that a family would do in their home and in the privacy of their family. where the child leads what type of learning they might be interested in. So one of the videos that I had shared that I found on Twitter from his handle is at Classic Learner. His name is Brett Pike, and he has created many books and different things, you know, similar to, you know, in the nature of what we do at YAS, where we create resources and guides for kids to learn from, where he discusses how unschooling, say, your child is really into learning I don’t necessarily think video games are the best activity, but for whatever reason he uses a sample, okay, they’re into video games, so maybe let’s learn about coding. And so you really let the child thrive in whichever field or industry or topic that they are drawn to, are led to. And then he showed some really interesting examples of how you can start to build out So, you know, he talked about financial literacy as another example where he has, you know, created, you know, activities for kids to learn financial literacy. And then he would say, OK, one of the activities could be, you know, you go to you find a couple of different businesses or restaurants. or shops, for example, where they have Facebook pages, but they don’t necessarily have websites, and you want to help them, you know, build out their website, you would contact the restaurant and help them learn, get in contact with the restaurant and say, hey, I’d love to build your website for free, you know, things like that, where the child is really brought to deepen their knowledge and learning of something that they are drawn to.
SPEAKER 08 :
Interesting. And again, like I said, I’ve not studied enough to know, is this just a bunch of, you know, wackadoodle parents? Are they really on to something? And again, I don’t know how they do some of the basics of, OK, you know, how do you put a proper sentence together? How do you do proper punctuation? How do they do spelling? Because, I mean, I think, Sonny, at the end of the day, kids still need a certain amount of practice. Structure maybe isn’t the right word, but they need a certain amount of learning along those lines to even know what 2 plus 2 is and what’s 4 plus 4 and so on. Although I am not opposed, Sonny, to every kid is different. And no, I don’t believe that in a lot of cases the very structured environment that we put kids through, I will tell you straight up that I don’t think that’s always best either because some kids don’t learn at the same level as another kid might. And I do think that that flexibility helps a lot of kids grow. At the end of the day, and oh, by the way, they’re not getting all the wokeism inside of the public school, at least in this particular case. These kids aren’t getting all of the wokeism they would get inside the public school, depending upon how mom and dad are. I guess I should probably put a caveat there. If mom and dad are super woke and they’re doing the unlearning end of things or the unschooling, then kids are going to be just as woke as they are. Although, Sonny, I am guessing that most of the people doing the unschooling are not in that woke category.
SPEAKER 12 :
I don’t know. Yeah, I’m unclear. But I would say that, you know, these are probably a lot of the, you know, more crunchy families. Let’s say that’s like kind of a term that people use for people who go off the beaten path or a little bit less traditional or unorthodox in their type of learning. You know, parents of the gentle parenting type. And I do think that there are a lot of benefits to this mentality when it comes to parenting and education because, as you were mentioning, in the public school system, well, first of all, it’s been completely infiltrated, so you, of course, have more control over what your child is learning, for one. But for two, obviously, bullying, peer pressure, the technology that is incorporated into the schooling structure so much. So many teachers talk about how their students will get a computer or an iPad from the first day, and they basically just have that in class all day long. their screens they you know they’re on their phones the entire time the teachers have such we actually i did a whole twitter thread on this because of that there was a teacher who made a really great video and she was saying how she was leaving the education field and she was actually quite young as a teacher and she was teaching 10th grade and she just said you know they don’t want to learn they don’t want to listen they don’t put their phones down they have zero attention span they don’t they don’t want to learn they just rather would sit you know with a movie playing and they’re on their phones i mean schooling now is just it’s 180 degrees difference opposite from what it was at least when I went to school we had laptops too but it was like okay we’re doing a project we’re going to take this hour we’re bringing the laptops in you know use the laptops whatever but it was restricted you couldn’t go on any site you know it was like school restricted of what you could do on that computer you know and many of the kids especially like before middle school we didn’t have cell phones you know so it was like that was still a relatively new thing and of course even Generation Z older than older than me so i think you know there are such incredible benefits to following these types of unorthodox paths um and of course it depends like you said on the family a lot of families can’t do this because they’re working um but and i think that there could be a you know you want your child to be also socially introduced and you know work with kids and so I think another layer to it could be a pod, like a schooling pod where you have kids get together and you spend a couple hours and they do activities together. I think that the good thing about these different types of schooling paths is that what is most important is that we are starting to think about what is most beneficial and advantageous for the child’s learning. Like you said, children learn at different times. rates and paces and their strengths and weaknesses are different. And I feel like for the first time, people are actually taking that into account instead of just plopping kids into the seats for eight hours and being confused or frustrated when they’re not able to sit still for eight hours a day.
SPEAKER 08 :
No, again, like I said, as I read through this today, I’m like, okay, I can see some benefit to this. I think I’d still, as a parent, I’d still want some structure to make sure that my kids can be financially sound. They can speak correctly. They’re using proper grammar and spelling and so on. But I also know, Sonny, that in a lot of kids’ cases, between the parent and the child, you could teach a lot of kids those very things in a very short amount of time and have those kids even be way ahead of their quote unquote structured student counterparts that are going to public school, by the way. And again, I’m not against this. I guess I just need to learn a little bit more about this. How does it work? And at the end of the day, how do they, quote, unquote, get these kids credentialed? I mean, do all these kids have to go get a GED because there’s really no high school diploma? That’s the one thing the article doesn’t talk about that I don’t understand how that part works.
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely. Well, they do discuss how, of course, every state has different requirements.
SPEAKER 09 :
Right.
SPEAKER 12 :
for the schooling departments. You know, you’ll need to let them know progress or different things like that, or maybe a certificate at the end of each year. And so, of course, some states are more lenient than others. But honestly, I think that this is like a niche. Like, I feel like there are a lot of different organizations who could come in here and actually, and there are, the article does talk about one in particular, which I’ll find the name of, but where, oh, it’s called the Alliance for Self-Directed Learning.
SPEAKER 08 :
ASDE. ASDE.
SPEAKER 12 :
increasing awareness and accessibility to unschooling. So this, yeah, this is a great niche for programs to come in and help parents and families who are interested in this have the ability, have the resources, have the, you know, and of course, you know, you need to be a family where you are interested in really helping your child develop their education. You know, it’s like, OK, yeah, at a certain age when they’re three, four, five, six, seven, you know, playing outside, like doing, you know, in nature, I think sensory learning is super important. But obviously there I would think that this could be a nice moment for nonprofits to come in and programs to come in and help families say, OK, what? Even though we want it to be as unstructural as possible and really let the child lean, lean into their strengths. How can we create some regiment there so we know that they are covering those bases?
SPEAKER 08 :
I agree. And this is where I think you guys, Young Americans Against Socialism, you’ve got the ability. And for those of you listening, when it comes to especially those of you that are homeschooling and doing things along those lines, Sonny, you guys have got curriculum that not only helps kids that are in school, but I’ve said this before, you could even be somebody like me, my age, where you may not have a lot of experience. you know, constitutional foundational things, you may have not learned a lot of that in school, depending upon where you went to school, or it’s been so long ago, you’ve forgotten about some of those things. You guys’ curriculum, Sunny, is for all ages. You don’t have to be in school to actually do your curriculum, is my point.
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely. And I think it speaks to the section that maybe a lot of families wouldn’t cover, which is history. We know that in the public school system, history is completely, you know, just greenwashed and redwashed, communism, climate change, all the woke ideologies that have been, you know, imposed upon what kids learn in school, not to mention the teachers’ biases in any direction. And so I think that that’s a huge problem that families are running into, and that could be actually a major factor in why they are turning to different, you know, schooling journeys for their children. But absolutely, our resources, which you can find at yass.org, Educate Freedom is our, you know, educational platform, and And these can be used in whichever capacity you like. I think that just talking about these topics with your child, helping them understand the values and the morals and the lessons that come from learning about history, learning about freedom, and, of course, what happens in other countries, authoritarian regimes, where we don’t live the same way and why we live the way we live in America as far as it you know, as far as economic independence, freedom goes. And so absolutely use it in any capacity that you wish. And I think it would actually pair really well with families who are doing this type of unschooling or homeschooling, of course, and things of that nature.
SPEAKER 08 :
Awesome. Sunny, as always, I appreciate it very much. Appreciate your time with us each week. Enjoy the rest of your day.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER 08 :
You’re very welcome.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thank you for your audience. We’ll talk soon.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. Appreciate you, Sonny. Sonny Kutcher, again, Young Americans Against Socialism. MahiCoin is next. If you’ve got a collection of whatever kicking around, it could be silver, could be jewelry, could be gold coins, silver coins, any number of items where you’ve just had these things around and you’re thinking, you know, I’d like to figure out what those are worth. And I may even think about turning those into cash. They can do all of that for you. David Gonzalez, 720-370-3400.
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SPEAKER 10 :
We don’t yell at you. We inform you. Now, back to Rush to Reason.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. One last story that I’m going to – I told Charlie I would give him during the break a moment ago concerning a lot of what I was talking about with not only Richard Battle, but then following up with what do – Not even just wealthy people, but what do people that have proper manners do when they stay at hotels, resorts and things like that? So I want to share an example where this is what you don’t do. Happened over the weekend. And I know these were conservative Trump supporting people because I could hear the conversations. That’s why I was saying earlier that the people that are there and that are around you are going to know why. what you stand for because when you’re talking especially among yourselves and it’s loud because it gets that way at times because you’re trying to talk over sometimes other things that might be happening music or whatever and the reality is people are going to hear what you’re saying so this is another huge pet peeve of mine and if you’re somebody that does this please for the love of god stop so i’m one of those where you guys all know me i get it pretty early And because of that, I usually go down to the pool or wherever it is you’re going to go hang out, and I stake out my real estate, I guess you could call it. And I save whatever chairs I’m going to need for, you know, my wife and I. In this case, it’s two. Now, I will tell you that even when I had lots of kids coming and so on, I even did things differently then, and I’m going to use that example with this particular example. So I also am one where, you know, there’s prime real estate and there’s not such prime real estate, and it just depends on the mood I’m in as to where I want to sit and so on. But I get down there early enough where I pretty much have my own pick, and I just kind of go wherever I want to. My wife calls me the mayor of the pool because I’m usually the first one there. Anyways, long story. I’ll make it as short as I can. I’m in my spot, and there’s no one else there. And I’m also one of those where I don’t just go put stuff down and leave. I feel like that’s also very rude. If you’re going to go put your stuff down, hang out because I think it’s extremely rude to put stuff down on chairs and then go vanish for the next five hours, which I’ve watched people do. I think it’s even rude to do it for an hour. Personally, that’s just my own opinion. Others may argue with me, but that’s my opinion. If you’re going to go stake out your real estate, then hang out. Or don’t put your stuff there and take your chances later in the day. If you want to sleep in or do whatever you want to do, be my guest. You don’t have to be up at 530 in the morning like I am, but do whatever you want to go do. But again, if you get up at noon, don’t expect to come down and find prime real estate when it comes to a pool chair. So in this particular case, there was a family of, and I’m not exaggerating, there were 24 individuals among three families. that came down and staked out 24 chairs in its prime real estate. I mean, right against the pool of water, prime real estate. Not back a little ways to where it wouldn’t bother so many people that wanted to come down and get chairs, but 24 chairs all in a row right at poolside, and there’s two people saving 24 chairs. And it got to the point where there was one small kid saving 24 chairs. That, to me, is not cool, not kosher. And, yes, these were Trump supporters because I could hear the conversations that were happening throughout the rest of the day because I literally was sitting within feet of where all of these folk were. And again, is that a good example of what we as conservatives should do? And some of you say, well, John, what’s the problem? They needed 24 seats. They don’t need 24 seats of prime real estate, especially when over two thirds of them are kids that aren’t sitting in the chair most of the day anyways, because they’re in the pool. You know, if that’s what you want, then, you know, if you’re adults and there was about six adults, OK, take the six adults, put them in prime real estate and go put the kids off behind you somewhere to where they’re not going to be sitting there anyway. So who cares? So that’s another one of those entitlement things that I feel like at times people have. And it happens on both sides of the aisle, liberal or conservative. And this particular case, these were conservatives because I could hear from the conversations talking about business and Trump and this and that and so on. And great. I mean, I was in agreement with them on all of that. What I wasn’t in agreement with is how they staked out all of their real estate. And again, I’m not the only one that notices those things. All of the other folk that are around the pool notice the same things. And to me personally, it’s just not setting a really good example for our side of the aisle when you do stupid things like that. And yes, to me, that’s a stupid move. You’re not entitled to 24 chairs of the best real estate that’s there when all of your people aren’t even there yet because they’re all still sleeping. If you want 24 chairs and you want prime real estate, fine. Wake them all up. Get their butts out of bed. Get them down there in a chair and have at it. If you want to do that, then knock your socks off. I have no issues with that. But if you’re going to go save 24 chairs for people that might show up, in some cases, some of the people didn’t show up, and I’m not exaggerating, two hours later, No, that doesn’t work for me. That is where, again, I feel like that’s back to Richard Battle’s conversation about being entitled. And that entitlement is even on our side of the aisle because, again, as I heard all the conversations going on, I knew what side of the aisle they were on. And, no, I didn’t chime in because, frankly, I was put out by the fact that, you know, you’re just giving all of us a bad name by the way that you’re acting in the first place. And, no, I’m not going to participate in all of that. And you don’t need to know who I am. So I’m not going to go there as far as all that goes. Anyways, that’s another thing from – Staying at places that I also wasn’t in that my list of things that you that we talked about when it comes to what, you know, people that have class do. But what I will tell you is what people with class do is they don’t save prime real estate next to the pool for their 24 guests when some of them might not show up for two or three hours later because they’re up in the room sleeping, whatever it is they did the night before off. That to me is a put off and you shouldn’t be doing that because it’s a put off to the staff that are there as well. Roof Savers of Colorado. Dave’s going to join me, by the way, at 5 o’clock and talk about some of the door knockers and things that are going on with a lot of the storms as I even look to the west at a big rainstorm that just came through up against the foothills. If you find yourself in a situation where you’ve got extensive damage from storms, hang tight. We’ll be talking to Dave at 5 o’clock. 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SPEAKER 10 :
Now back to Rush to Reason on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, that is it for hour number two. Again, Dave is going to join us from Roof Savers of Colorado, Dave Hart, and walk us through if you’ve had any extensive storm damage, which I know some of you listening have. A, give Dave a call before you do anything else. We’re going to talk to Dave directly and find out exactly what’s going on because a lot of companies, this is what happens, people roll in from other states trying to get your business. We’re going to help you avoid some of that if you’ve had any kind of damage. So hang tight. We’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere. Hour number three is next. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
Why Your Kid Might Learn More Without School
On today’s episode of Rush to Reason, John Rush and Richard Battle tackle the creeping entitlement mindset replacing the “American Can-Do” spirit. From historical figures like Joseph Warren and Madam C.J. Walker to everyday behavior at airports and hotels, they call out selfishness, celebrate self-reliance, and champion a return to honor and personal responsibility. Later, Sonny Kutcher from Young Americans Against Socialism breaks down a growing educational trend: “unschooling.” Is it crazy—or is it exactly what some families need to truly empower kids outside the broken public school system?
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