Live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper. You are live from the Pathway You're listening to Live From The Path. We're coming from the, Pathway Studios here in Johnson And Crabber. Yeah. Happy, what are we? 2019? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Welcome. Welcome to the show. Here's the deal. You thought we had, as a collective, had deceased,

and, I'm disappointed in you. I did not get any condolences on the complaint line. But Nobody cared. Oh, man. That's sad. Are we that type of fellas? Well, kind of. Here's the thing. We're Jacob Marley. We're Ben and I were just talking about this just before the show started about about how

divisive. It's always like the Internet tends to be, you know, like they try to you try to highlight all these individual characteristics and then you go out and search a community that meets all these individual characteristics. Right? And so, like, it'd be interesting to try to find a a group of people that says struggling,

rarely listen to podcast, but you've been at it for seven years, club. You know what I'm saying? That we could be friends with on Facebook or share tweets about. See, I'm not sure it's good to have a support system like that of people with your own shared like, your exact experiences. Well, that's the exact, premise behind all kinds of, blank anonymous groups. Yeah. I don't think you should do that. It kinda makes your world a little smaller, doesn't it? Yeah. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Like, oftentimes, the the worst thing you could I I get it. I'm gonna say this and then it's gonna sound crass and if you think of some certain circumstances. But, like,

oftentimes, if your deal is to find someone else with your exact situation to sympathize with, like, one, they can know you, but then it it does it does run the risk of, like, micro focusing on your situation as if it's the only game in town. And so, like, here's the last thing we need to do is we don't need to be empowered by another gaggle of dudes who've been, you know, podcasting to nine folk, for for eight years. Yeah. I'm not sure that does any good things for me. Yeah. I suppose that's true. That's actually why I always liked

what's the program where it's it's it covers all kinds of addictions and struggles and whatever, but Well, Celebrate Recovery. Celebrate Recovery. I was I was like the the attitude of celebrate recovery because the thing is is, like, if I find another guy, let's say, is addicted to smoking, you know, and me and him start talking, we're the ones most likely to band together and smoke as a team. Know You I'm saying? Like, I figured if it was time for me to get off the wagon, I could certainly convince this other addict to do the same thing I do. Right? But let's say I run into a guy that, like, smoking's not his deal. It just happens to be, what, a prescription medicine. Right? And he goes, yeah. Smoking is not a thing. You know what I'm saying? Like, I can live without smoking. You should be able to live without smoking. What's your deal? And and so, like, he's conquered the thing that I'm struggling with. And so it's almost, you know, it seems just on on the flat surface of it, it seems like it might be easier to find a guy that's already beaten with whatever you got, you know. That way, he's not gonna be ever the guy that that wants to stop by the seven Eleven and grab a a pack of smokes. He don't care about that. Yeah. Yeah. So I think it's best if we could find,

one, a guy who podcasts to, like, a thousand and then somebody who podcasts to three. Because that guy's still putting some effort into it. That's, like, why frankly, I I think there's value in knowing, if you're trying to go a church, staying connected with rural rural churches.

Like, having, like, some kind of contact with a guy who who, to be honest, is gonna have it's got, like, 45, 50 people in his congregation, and he's always going to. Like, there's just a population in his area is not gonna it's not unless it grows, the amount of folks that you can draw into the church is just gonna get bigger because, that that's someone who's who doesn't have such a big, you don't have the buffet to go after. You have to, like, maintenance the world you have and you start doing you start doing right things with relationships community, and it doesn't have to be everything that you do, but, like, it retains a sense of that along with the relationship with someone who's, you know, who's been super successful at growing a church. And I I think there's just value in kind of maintaining those types of healthy perspectives around people. So so three three

a guy who broadcasts to three people and and and maybe does it every week. And then maybe a thousand every week, and we'll be the nine people who does it, you know, whenever we float in here. Yeah. We'll be the dudes in the middle. Okay. We need to find a more immersive community, man. Okay. Got it. Alright. Well, here's thanks for hanging out with us. We do apologize. Like I said, the holidays just kinda lined up that way. And so when it hit Mondays, it just takes us out for a few weeks. So thanks for hanging out there with us. If you're upset about us being gone or that we're back, you can get ahold of us on the complaint line. (515) 517-0085.

That's (515) 517-0085, and we'd love to be able to hear from you. So I heard I heard a line in the I was watching the Muppets movie with the kids. Uh-huh. And, like, it's when the Muppets it was when Kermit and and Fozzy had stopped at the at the old the old church. Right? And they were trying to hide out from the frog guy, the guy that was trying to capture Kermit and get him to work for his frog business. Yep. And so doctor Teeth and all that he wasn't trying to get him to work for the frog business. Yeah. He was. He was trying to get him to be the spokesman for doc frog hopper's Oh, yeah. That's right. Okay. Sorry. Yep. So anyway, he goes he goes into this into the church with the doctor Teeth who's rocking out, and they they pass out sleeping because they've been on the road a while. Yep. And doctor Teeth, you know, they they repaint his whole car. And it look it's like a huge rainbow and bubbles and stuff. It's outrageous. And and and I they they then said a line that made me think of of Life From The Path is is Fawzi goes, wow, I don't know how to thank you guys. And then Kermit goes, I don't know why to thank you guys. And I laughed and laughed and I thought, crap, that's a radio show. Alright.

So in this vein, there was a there's an Agala article that said, seven people Christians trust more than their pastors. Oh. Yeah. Did you read it, Dan? I I did. Oh. Are we on it? That'd be rough. Wait a Is it generalized people or a very specific dude? It's it's generalized. Okay. I'm interested then. Okay. It's been a couple weeks of it. Alright. So here it goes. It says,

though the bible describes shepherds of the church as blameless, up upright and above reproach, Americans, even Christians, take a much more pessimistic view. Yeah. The Christians. I thought that was yeah. Yeah. It's not just like Joe Blow down the road. The Christians don't necessarily trust the pastor. That's right. That's right. It says, according to New Gallup survey, the country's perception of pastors fell to a record low in 2018. Fewer than half of American Christians, 42%,

believe clergy have high or very high standards of honesty and ethics. According to breakouts provided, to CT, self identified Christians were about as likely to rate clergy's ethical standards as just average, and about one in 10 consider them low or very low. Among Americans as a whole, trust in the clergy fell to 37%, making it the eighth most trusted profession in the country. Do you think this is the Catholics? I mean, I'm sorry sorry, Catholics. But, like, I mean,

Because it's I feel like if you're saying If we were grading on a curve, do you think we could get 10% if you could normalize out the response to even the word it's the word clergy that's getting me. Right? When they say clergy, I think Catholic. So I mean yeah. Go ahead, Dan. I was saying I think I think it's like the the dude from Willow Creek and it's like all these high visible preachers in in Protestant churches too and the Catholic churches that are being found out to either embezzling money or having affairs or or hurting children or, you know, they're they're just doing unchristian

things Right. But they're big name people and even the Christian people are going like, yeah, I don't I don't trust any of these guys. Yeah. I I mean, here's the thing though. It it is is it's it's not untrustworthy to do wrong things. It's untrustworthy to do wrong things and then hide it. And that's where they're getting it. Right? Like like people people find it very trustworthy for someone to say they made a mistake or say, here, I here, I I I did this thing. You know what I'm saying? And and, like, that's never the stories that are obviously coming out news news wise. Right? There it's always a guy that's been hiding it. Yeah. He's not a mistake, usually. It's like, yeah, because they're hiding it and they'll keep doing it. It's not like I it that one time. It's it's I do it every week. Right. And I'm hurting people. The thing occurred. I refused to acknowledge it and I refused to resign until six months to go by, and then I actually have to because I've

just put myself in a ridiculous position. Yeah. That's untrustworthy. And and they and they destroyed the church in the meantime and everybody left and, like, well, I can stay here, but no one's paying me, so I guess I'll go. Do you feel like like like some of that is drawn from pastors who feel like there's an unrealistic expectation for them to not show that they've that they've made any mistakes. Right? Like like because they think, like, if if if people were to find out I've done this thing or whatever, then they'll they'll lose faith in this church and then we'll lose people and then it'll be a big disaster.

I think some. I mean, some of it's a, yeah, a a protection of the brand, so to speak, and and of of the face, the the the the head guy. And yeah. Yeah. So they gotta they gotta just run from the fact that anything happened, and and they'll deny it and and cover it up. And, you hear that enough, and pretty soon you just think everybody's doing it, but it's not true. It's it's just a few big name people. But,

you know, what's what's what's the joke about, hey. Going postal. Well, every postal worker doesn't take guns into the post office and shoot people. Right. But there was a a time when there was a handful it it happened, and it was seemed like it'd be in the news once in a while. So that's like became a thing. A phrase. And I think that's where we are with pastors. It's like every once in while, you hear in the news, like, these terrible I mean, awful things going on. And after a while, people are like, yeah, that's that's just those guys. Well, it's true. And you rarely see a news story that says, you know, Steve down the road, still doing a good job as a pastor, not causing no trouble. Right. Byline. Yeah. Yeah. Right. The story is about a guy who, like, loves the whiff of his own pits, and then he he gets real upset when people are trying to take it away from him. Yes. Yes. And, like, I I think I I I would be surprised to find out that there's some of these guys who, like, you know, once they once they get into a position where they've made the mistake, like, there's a there's there's a a concept of not just protecting them them personally or the brand of the church or whatever, but, like, they feel like they're protecting the people of god or the especially when you're compounding the shame of

pastors failing, and they're saying, boy, we just don't wanna be another one. It adds to the narrative. But, I mean, it is the narrative. And so let's like, that's that's the gospel lives in that type of thing, and to deny that is a blindness to the very thing that you're called to do. Do do you find that, like this the the weird part about it for me is is, like, when you read a lot of especially Old Testament stuff and look how Israel reacted throughout the years, and maybe the Bible just depicts it this way, but you don't you don't see a lot of this half in half out jazz, right, that we get that we see a lot, you know, nowadays where people are like, yeah, I was following Jesus and then I kinda did this thing, you know, and and and whatever. And, like, there's some episodes out of King David's life that are pretty, you know, congruent. But, like, like, on the whole, when when a new leader would show up to Israel and he'd be like, you know what? Put up the Asherah poles. He says, we're just gonna do this thing. We're out. We're not doing this no more, you know, and didn't continue, like, a weird charade

of worshiping Yahweh. You know? And so, like, I I don't know. It it seems like that's a that that is a newer it's a newer thing of, like, putting on maybe it's just a cultural thing of putting on airs of some kind and acting like things happened or acting like things didn't happen when they actually did and and and all that jazz. And and there just seems like there's a the the base of integrity to say, look. Yeah. I know it's wrong. Here's what we're doing. You know? And and at least at least having the the stones to stick with it, you know, it it it's just a a cowardly deal all around. I don't know. Was thinking that that you were talking and it made me think of, what was it? It's like Leviticus 18 or something where, they've just got done talking about the day of atonement. And then they're they're transitioning to, like, here's the types of things that the that the people of god don't do. And, like, one of the warnings is, hey, look, you have to stop sacrificing to goat demons out in the forest. And so, like, don't you can't if you're gonna kill anything, you gotta bring it in so that we don't think that you might be out there sacrificing to goat demons. Give it to the give it to the priest, they'll take the fat and something else and they'll hand you the rest back. But, like, it it was like the outlaw of that. And then that's what occurred to me at the time as I thought, like, these people had been interacting

with with Yahweh, like, at the base of the mountain and they've they've seen the 10 commandments come and they've they've seen him provide water and and take vengeance upon the people who were worshiping the calf. And they're like, you know what? Maybe we could also still sacrifice to this goat demon. Mean, you're like, what in the heck, man? Yeah. Maybe so. Maybe it's not as different as I was saying. I I think it's I think it carries. I think people are always the same. And they have it in their mind that it's not a, like, god has to call these types of things out. Like, you would think that it would land with someone. Hey, man. There's a there's a there's a the god in your presence, to the extent that, like, if you you're doing sacrifices to make sure that you don't, unintentionally interact with the holy thing and cause your death by trying to bring your unholiness into god's presence. Okay? And in the same breath, god has to say, oh, by the way, no sacrificing to go demons.

I'm just not I'm gonna have to call a call the lion. No doing. To make this clear, I I wanna buy that as well. That's gotta that's gotta come to a stop. And, like, you have to assume it's more than one guy because, I mean, he's kinda dressed to everybody. Yeah. It wasn't just like, hey, Ted. Stop doing that in the forest. Yahweh doesn't like to do. He doesn't like to single people out so it doesn't hurt their feelings. He goes, here's it's but normally Bill. Bill's the one doing it. But just for another recompense for everybody, no goat demon stuff. That's gotta come to an end. They said Who are the more trustworthy people? Okay. Hold on. So they over the last forty years, they've measured the country's view of the trustworthiness of faith leaders along with the range of other professions.

What year do you think that the trust in clergy peaked over the last forty years? 2012. '40. 2012, Dan? I'm gonna say '86.

Oh. Now either Dan is an awesome guesser, or he's retained something unintentionally from the article. It's very close. It's 1985. Oh. Why did you why why did you say I have no idea. No idea.

It said and it said in '85, two thirds of Americans said the clergy had a high or very high honesty and ethical standard. Now that was the time, that was the start of the buildup of the moral majority. But, like, there was a lot of Yeah. There was a lot of play on television and media of kind of these people trying to enforce a morality. It took, you know, whatever, 1987, '88, and the early nineties for all those guys to really screw the pooch and disappoint everybody, and that probably knocked the scores down. But their the media tour of the thing

perhaps gave them the inclination that these people were trustworthy. You know, it's kinda funny. I I was reminded of this last night. We we were in group thing. You were supposed to tell something that, you know, people probably don't know about you. And and, you know, I was kind of going through my mind, what what what don't people know about me? I was reminded, it was it was the eighties, I honestly legitimately

had like a twenty year plan to run for president. Right on. And because I was a pastor and it was in the eighties and everybody loved pastors and I thought this is a strength. Mean, honestly, I I really, really thought that.

And and that's that's probably why because I was part of that, you know, culture at the time when when America loved their pastors. I mean, everybody didn't, obviously. Like, the the pastor didn't win, you know. Right. But Pat Robertson ran for office. You know, Reagan ran on Christian stuff, the moral majority thing. And I thought, yeah. Just be just because I went to Iowa Christian College, is a pristine, you know, university. And I'm a pastor. I'm a I'm a president someday. Dan, how many years into that plan did you bail on it? Well, by the early nineties,

I was looking around going, number one, I'm not qualified. That that's that's part of the thing. But I figured I don't need to be. I just you need to get people around you that are smarter than you, and that's all you need. And but then I just yeah. And, also, Cheryl hates anything with controversy at all, and the thought that someone might not like her would kill her. So I I I learned pretty soon, yeah, just for my my wife's sake, I can't do that. It's just not the right plan. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Well, at least you didn't get to year, like, 16 and go, you know what? Time to pack it up. My dreams are all dead. Like, no. I decided, no. It's really not a dream. That's just dumb. Are you so you're saying in 1985, at best, it was 66%? That's at seven. At best? Yeah. Now there was a bump in 2001

for the millennium. No. Or the new Coke. Nope. Come on. 2000

Nirvana. I I don't know. I can't I can't think of what would was there a big catastrophe somewhere? There was a revival of Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway.

You said 2001. Right? Yeah. September 11. Start a new church? Oh, yeah. It was September 11. The attacks. Crap. I guess That was 2001. I guessed 2012 because I thought nine eleven happened in 2011.

No. It was in 2001. Super embarrassing. Yeah. I assume that it's associated with that. People actually started you know, they they look to the started looking to religious leaders for guidance. Yeah. People ran to churches and pastors were there helping people. Yep. Our our small I mean, our church and our small group swelled at that time. People The were in tears. We sat in the living room and and watched the news and people yeah. We had a prayer meeting that night at a school. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So and it said there in in in the article, in the Gallup article, it says, men and women turn toward clergy in some of the most intimate moments of their lives. They are conduits of people's deeply held religious convictions that shape the way we understand this world of the next. The kinds of scandals and authoritarian leadership that we saw this year among the clergy undermines the trust we place in them. Oh, let me check this out. According to the December poll, Catholics are less likely than Protestants to continue to trust church leaders. Fewer than a third of Catholics, 31%, give positive marks to clergy compared to around half of the Protestants or 48%.

Interesting. Okay. And they did note some of the things that Dana talked about. In the wake of the Me Too, protestants have also seen their share of misconduct over the past year with removal of veteran Southern Baptist leader, Paige Patterson,

allegations against Bill Hybels, and widespread accusations of views among independent Baptist pastor. Okay. So oh, despite declining trust in faith leaders, a separate Gallup poll recently named Pope Francis as the fourth most admired man among Americans. The Dalai Lama is number eight. This marks the first year in more than six decades that Billy Graham, who died in February, has not made the top 10, which is limited to living people. Yeah. He was on he was on the list every year since 1955.

Right on. That'll wait, Billy. I mean, if he would have made the list again this year, I would have thought, man, what a poor showing for everyone else with a heartbeat. I trust dead people more than you. Holy cow. It says, even with declining confidence in clergy, pastors are by no means America's least trusted professionals. Mike, least trusted professional, lawyer, or politician? Dan?

Accountant. That's that was bad. That was bad news. Bad guess. It's gotten to be the accountant.

Members of congress Yeah. Okay. Were given a lower, very low rating by 58% of Americans. The majority, 55% of Christians, also give negative ratings to congresspeople. As they should. In general, Christians are in agreement with the rest of Americans about who are the most and least trustworthy and ethical professionals in the country. In additional members in addition to members of congress, telemarketers, car salespeople are largely distrusted.

Advertisers, stockbrokers, lawyers, and business executives are also more often perceived as having low or very low honesty and ethical standards. At the top of the list, most trusted professionals, Mike. Well, probably I mean, doctors, probably. Mike said survey says doctors

People who work at the store. Number two. Grocery store clerks. No. Whatever. Those dudes are pretty uptown. Yeah. So number one, nurses.

Yeah. Sure. Eighty eighty four. 84% have a think they have a high ethics. 84. Medical doctors dropped quite a bit to 67. Woah.

Pharmacists, 66. High school teachers, 60. Wow. Police officers, 54.

Accountants, 42. Look at that, Dan. That sounds close. Highly regarded. Funeral directors, 39. What? Clergy, 37. We got beat by the funeral director. I mean, what are they oh, Park Park is the price gouging, I suppose. I thought No. No. That's that's positive. Yeah. But that means there's 60 against them. Right? But yeah. But so yes. Yes. Well, so so a very high so rate the honesty and ethical standards. Funeral directors are at 30% very high, 42% average,

10% low or very low. Police officers are at 13% low or very low, and, high school teachers are at low 10% low or very low. So at least tied with that. Clergy have a 15% low or very low. I mean I mean, what do you have? Some

of these, I understand, there's, like, controversial issues and national political stuff going on. But high school teachers? I mean, they just kinda are there. I mean, who talks about the high school teachers in a in a either positive or negative light? Right. It's just I mean That they're unethical? Yeah. What are they doing that's dynamic enough to cause untrustworthiness?

Unless some of the sexual indiscretions that are happening, maybe. Yeah. But that means the positive only is only available because of the negative. Right? Like, generally, is that our only criteria to saying whether you're you're trustworthy as a high school teacher? Do you make inappropriate sexual advances? No. Well, then you are absolutely trustworthy in all in all areas. I mean, I don't think the rate of that is at 10%. Well, oh, I mean, okay. Would you say that about the clergy? Would you say that that, like like, the most of the reason people have a problem with the clergy is because is the it's it's almost almost all of it has to do with sexual scandals. Well, so the here's the here's one of the differences in the clergy, and this has to do with our era, is that, so a nurse, for example,

does not have a wide influence outside of the direct people they come in contact with. Clergy, however, in our day and age, are not just shepherding those in their own congregation. They're propagating sermons and things and and articles and websites and and twit and and tweets and things across

the sphere so which their failure, expands far beyond their personal reach within their congregation. Now to be fair, they brought they bring a good portion of that on themselves. No. No. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not I'm not resolving that. But what I'm saying though is that, like, it is it is less likely the the an a mistake or a dishonest

nurse as an example of well, let's go with the doctor because everyone trusts the nurse. A dishonest doctor or one that lacks ethics doesn't have the same impact or or people to know about it and think about it and talk about it. Like, it may come up as a crime, but, like, as a matter of fact, their unethical things tend to be crimes as opposed to just, hey. I didn't run my organization well or I was overbearing or something, of which case people people separate criminals from professions.

Like, it's easier to say this person is not like all doctors. He's a criminal. But, like, if if you look like a Mark Driscoll who was an authoritarian in his church, right, or, like, sexual misconduct that is not a crime but is inappropriate. Yeah. For who you are. Like, you seem like everybody

and, like, you could it's it's it's it's you don't separate them out and say, oh, he's not like the rest of the pastors. He's a criminal. You're like, no. He's just a creepy pastor. Yeah. And so, like, it's so, like, it's it's it's not a matter of fair or anything, but, like, it's just a it's just the consequences are bigger and more wide reaching for some of those big name pastors nowadays and the types of things that they're doing. Yeah. That's true. So so to boil all that down, people don't say, hey,

He's a like a like a a pharmacist who, oh, I don't know, shades people a a pill or two every time he fills a bottle. Right? Like, they wouldn't say, hey. He's a criminal. They'd say he's a bad pharmacist. He's still a pharmacist. Right? Which makes him a bad pharmacist. And then same thing's true with the clergy. They're not breaking any laws, but they're doing immoral things. And so they're not saying, hey. That guy's a because if there's a criminal, you'd put him in the same criminal bucket and look at him as a criminal. Yeah. But you're saying, look. He still gets to be a clergy as far as working we are concerned. He's just unethical at it. He's a bad clergy. And so then the stigma stays with the job itself and not with the person. So And and with, like, say, a high bulls, it affects more people because, like, I've read his book. Right. You know, I I haven't met the nurse or the doctor in Saint Louis that

did that thing. Right. I mean That sold a guy's foot to Planned Parenthood. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it's like that's awful, but yeah. Yeah. So Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It just it just has which I think is that's the right here's the deal is that it's the right thing for for the ministry. Right? Like, that level of influence on people is super positive. But, like, you have to you have to guard yourself. You can't be jacking it up. Right. Alright. Let's see who the clergy beat out. Journalists at 33%. Yes.

Contractors, 29%. Oh. Bankers, 27. Real estate agents, 25. I don't trust a real estate agent. That's not true. I trust Bob. I trust Bob because I've met Bob. Yeah.

I here's the deal. That's not it's not fair. It's not fair that I don't trust him. But in general, the amount of self advertising that it takes to be a a real estate agent Mhmm. I find it untrustworthy. Yeah. He's like, hey, get some stuff with my face on it. Get a bench. People can sit on their butt next to my face. And I think, no. No. This is not this is weird. And so the whole thing creeps me out. And what's weird about that is is they're gonna sell the house anyway to somebody. Yeah. Someone will buy it. Whether I buy it or the next guy, someone's gonna buy that house, they're gonna get the commission. So I mean, I've never understood the crooked realtor thing, but it happens. Yeah. Or the, you know, the line, oh, yeah. No. That's in great shape. It's like, no. It's quite ready to fall apart. Yeah. I mean, I'm gonna come and look at it.

I mean, who anymore, who doesn't know that they're being sung to? You know? Like, maybe you could get away with this when there was a there was a a coming a coming of age within the the western culture where, like, you you assumed everybody was pretty honest and then the salesman were making great, you know, strides because they were dishonest, but it sounded honest. But I mean, anymore, everybody sounds dishonest, you know. Like, who who goes into the crappiest house in the neighborhood and this is the realtor go, this is the shining star of the block? And it's like, hon, it looks pretty rough, but he says it's the shining star of the block. You know? Like, nobody trusts that anymore. It's a handyman special. You're a special handyman. Yeah. This is right for you. Let's see. Hold on. Let's see. Finish off the list of untrustworthy people here. Labor union leaders, 21. Oh, yeah. Bummer.

Lawyers? Lawyers? No. No. Lawyers. Oh. People it's not a career to lawyer. People are just standing around doing nothing. Yeah. That's unethical. That was labor union leaders. Oh, shoot.

Lawyers, business executives, stockbrokers, advertising practitioners.

That's kind of a weird way to put it. Marketers? Tell yeah. Like, are people that, like, advertise to you? Telemarkers,

car salespeople, and members of congress. Now, those those were going down by the percent of which they were rated. Now yeah. Okay. Now here's what doesn't make sense. Tell us how you would rate the honesty and ethical standards of people in these different fields. Very high ethical standards, telemarketers. What? How many percentage? Nine. Even the nine is outlandish. Yeah.

That's what makes these polls hard to grasp. Whoever who gets off the phone with the telemarketer and goes, you know, I didn't I didn't buy anything, but that boy certainly has a high ethical standard. I believe everything they said. They they would have done anything to keep me in my current Internet package.

That's weird. Car salespeople, 8%. Stock brokers, 14. So so if you look on the opposite though, the percent rated very low, the highest low goes to, in reverse order, members of congress, telemarketers, advertising

practitioners, journalists, where, like, their their middle range of people who had said they were average honesty, is is is significantly low. It's almost in fact, is the lowest. So either you believe journalists are a crack squad at 33%

or you think they're a conniving deceiving pirates at 34%. The middle, they have the lowest, middle middle ground percentages of anybody. Interesting.

Alright. Well, wait. What's this? How old is this one? Eight people Americans trust more than their local pastor. That's Americans, not Christians. Oh. Oh. Oh. Is it about the same? Let's see here. '44 well, that's 2006 how old is this?

This is kinda weird. According to religious breakdowns of the data, self identified Christians are nearly twice as likely as non Christians to still have faith in their faith leaders. Well, of course. While nearly half of Christians said pastors had high ethical standards, only a quarter of non Christians agreed. So that's interesting. 25% of non Christians believe that pastors have high ethical standards. I'm not sure that's terrible.

Mhmm. Christians also indicated the stronger support of military officers with nearly three quarters finding them trustworthy, significantly more than non Christians at 63%. Christians were also more likely to trust police officers, 59 to 46, auto mechanics, 35 to 27, and business executives, 18% to 13%. Non Christians, on the other hand, preferred grade school teachers, 71 to 65%

of Christian judges, 49 to 42, and newspaper reporters, 32 to to 23. So it sounds like Christian non Christians are more likely to trust the media. Now I suppose

it if you are not a Christian, you have to have a source of truth of which you pull in information, of which journalism in some form or other has to fit that. Whereas otherwise, a Christian could subsist without journalism and still adequately supplies true things. Three of the professions rated highest for honesty and ethical standards are in the health care fields, nurses, medical doctors, and pharmacists,

a trend that has been the case in recent years by the clergy or not at the bottom of the list. This year's rating represent a new low for a profession with image problems in recent years. But, you know, I don't trust doctors. I gotta be honest. I mean, just in general. I just I'm always very suspicious of them. Why? Because I I I don't know. Like, I left when's the last time I went into a doctor? I think I tried to tell him the deal.

He's like, no, that's not the deal. Like, I'm sure it is. I I'm I'm still coming up with the deal. I'm I'm telling you how it's what's going on or whatever. He's like, something something something. It made up all these things. He's like, gotta do five more tests or whatever. I'm like, you know what? Forget it. And then I left and I just kinda medicated at home and it went away. And I'm like, okay. Well, I gave him a shot. I tried to do the right thing. He could be right. Yeah. No. He wasn't though. You could have a a festering cyst on your large intestine. You don't know because you walked out and said, I don't trust you because you don't agree with me. No. It's because they got a I mean, the way that they I mean, here's the thing. Trying to figure out what's wrong with somebody is troubleshooting is troubleshooting. It doesn't matter what practice you're in. Right? Like, whether you're a mechanic or a construction worker or a doctor or whatever, trying to figure out what is actually wrong here. The same basic principles apply. Right? And so, like, that's what I do for a living. And I can tell when I'm being shined on or you've jumped to a conclusion without taking in any information, and that's generally what they're doing,

which is obviously not true of all doctors. And maybe I just have a mistrusting personality. But at the end of the day, I don't I I just don't I don't I don't trust them at all. I I think they I think they just have some very big quick solutions. Like, every once in a while like, they should say

I think the last time I went in for something, I was I was sick or something. I don't know. I'd been sick longer than I should have been. And instead of telling me the truth, which is, hey, you need quit smoking and you you've got to stop taking in so much sugar. Those are two things that are true. My body will fight off this stuff on its own if I wasn't acting like such an idiot, you know. But he's like, here, just load up on this medicine or whatever. I'm like, hey, you have the perfect platform to tell me the truth. Like, hey, you're taking in too much sugar and you gotta quit smoking. And he didn't. He's like, just take these antibiotics or whatever and blah blah blah. I'm like, that's a fail. You're you're the guy that knows things. Coming from you, these these staunch bits of advice would have made some difference, and you didn't do it. You just covered up my symptoms and sent me packing. Wait a Yeah. But but isn't the proposition you're making is that you went in there and said, if this if this doctor who I who I should trust tells me to quit smoking, I'll quit smoking. No. If he does not do it, I refuse. If he tells me to quit smoking and stop taking in so much sugar, then I will respect his opinion on how to fix the flu that I got. Oh oh, I see what you're saying. You didn't intend to reduce your sugar and quit smoking. No. But you would at least listen to him about his flu advice. Yes. Yes. I would find him trustworthy if he would start with those two things and say, your overall health is causing these acute health problems. You should've you should've been able to fight this flu off in a day or two, and you drug it around for seven days because you you unhealthy. And so if he would have said those things right off the bat, I'd have said, okay. You're at least you're trustworthy. I'll take your antibiotics and and we'll move on.

I see. Okay. Okay. In that in that, last article, so they did add there were a few other folks in there that were untrustworthy. The right below the members of congress were lobbyists.

Yeah. I mean, they're paid to shine people on. That's the whole deal. I you know, here's the thing is I think that they get a bad rep. I'm not sure they're untrustworthy. We we just I just don't agree what they're lobbying for. Like, their job is to say this is in fact, they're probably the most honest people out there because they're going, look. We will do anything to get this thing done. You know exactly what they're trying to accomplish. You know who they're trying to accomplish it for. They have a pretty clear aim. They're pretty honest about what they want. Whereas, I would say the members of congress aren't always the case. So, like, I'd actually bump the lobbyist above the congressman because, like, I think they're a little bit clearer on their intentions. It's so hard to declare a job and all the people that are currently represented in that job as being or unethical. Right? Because, like, there's ethical doctors

and there's unethical doctors. And, like, on the whole, like, I don't know I don't look at the whole swath and go, as a group, you guys are mostly blah or whatever. Right? Like, it's it's very much on an individual basis. There are some that careers mean, like, it's hard to trust a car salesman.

Yeah. I mean, I just I just don't. I just don't. That's true. Because they're going through so many cars so fast. They don't know that car. They're just getting rid of it. They went through commission. And it's like the and the more they they lay on the the, you know, the glitter The schmooze. The charm. Schmooze. I'm like, you don't have a clue. You don't have a clue. I've been in this car more than you have. You know? I mean, there's 7,000 cars on this lot. You just want me to buy one. Yes. I don't, I have a hard time trusting them. I had the I had the finance guy do that to me one time. I said, here's what I here's what I can pay a month. You get it at this payment, then we'll we'll we got a deal. You know? And he goes back and he acts like he's crunching a bunch of numbers or whatever. He comes back, like, twenty minutes later and says, alright. The number you gave me, I got it, plus about $30. But then we're it's a done deal. I go, no. That's not the number that I said, though. And he goes, yeah. But, I it's mean, not a big deal. You can just take it out any part of your budget you want. It's just a small minuscule amount. I'm like, don't tell me how to run my budget. I told you what the number was, and you come back with this other number. I said, we're done. And I got up and left, and then he chases me down. And he's like, hey. You know, we had a deal, dear. I'm like, we didn't have a deal at all. I told you this was the thing, and you came back with something different. That's a no deal. He goes, I really think you should have this car.

I said, not at that price. Give me down to the price that I asked for, and and we'll be fine. He goes, well, we can't do that. I said, well, I ain't gonna buy the car then. So And I left. And then he called me half hour later at home. He's like, I guess we can do that price. I said, you seriously made me go through all this when you could've you knew that. You knew that when I was there that you could've done that price. I'm not driving all the way back in for this. He goes, well, what if I take another $20 off a month for the price? I go, I'll be there in twenty minutes. Oh, there you go. And then I bought the car. Alright. I think that's it. That that covers the untrustworthiness. You wanna you wanna do some advice, man? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're doing just fine. Let's let's do a couple of advice, and we'll get you out here short and sweet. I like to treat the show like it's a job for you guys that are listening. We're gonna get you all tucked up and out out the office today, mister mister Harrelson.

Dear, life from the path. My wife and I raised two children, a son who's a successful, doctor, and a daughter who is a multi post grad botanist. We are 72 now in moderately failing health and very successful ourselves.

Our children were raised properly. We gave them all they would ever need to succeed and be happy. However, neither one is particularly interested in a loving relationship with us. Holidays together are strained. Frankly, I'm quite sick of both of them. They are inconsiderate, insensitive, and standoffish. We make no demands on either of them and never impose ourselves in any way. They never invite us to anything. We want to move away and disappear. What do you think?

I mean, that seems a little bit outrageous. I I don't think we're here all have all the information. Yeah. Yeah. No one goes, hey. My kids really aren't getting along with me. By the way, I wanna move away and disappear.

Yeah. Like, that's I like, I was I was following up until that point, and then I thought I just I don't this reaction seems super weird. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well and and it's very one-sided. We're wonderful and awesome. Yeah. We're fantastic. I don't understand. And, frankly, I'm sick of these kids. They were raised perfectly, and then they turned out like this. I mean, to be fair, if it to a certain extent, if you raise

successful well rounded children, they're gonna they're gonna produce things in their adult life that keep them busy and occupied Right. And whatever. You know what I'm saying? Like, they're gonna have jobs and kids and communities and people that depend on them and their likelihood of wanting to come around and have a long relationship with you, especially if they don't live in, like, the same town or whatever. Like, it just gets hard to do after a while, you know. And and and you'll lament it a little bit, but it's kinda part of your kids growing up. I don't know. I mean, judging from your completely one-sided submission, I'm gonna give the kids a little bit of a benefit of the doubt and say, maybe you did raise them right, which means they got people that are dependent on them. And, you know, they could they could try to carve out some time to spend some more time with you, but on the whole, you raised them to be productive members of society, and they are, which means they don't have a whole lot of time to just stop by and build this giant relationship. Right? You built them to build relationships with others. You parented well, and and now you got to be proud of what you did and and just enjoy their success through them.

Is that too is that unfair? Well, I would say though even if they parented that well, they'd have the relationship. You say I mean, so, Dan, I mean, you you're kinda in this stage of life where your kids are growing up and moving on to to things and and you're watching them succeed and make good choices and whatever. Yeah. And, like, when they start to spend less time with you, do you look that as a as a fail of your relationship or just a moving on of of this what an adult Of how it's supposed be. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But but you know what? They find time. They find time to be with us because they want to be

but that gets less. I mean, it was more you know, it's just different than it was when they were younger. I mean, the more peer, you know, we're we're we're having a good time and talking or planning and conspiring things as opposed to parenting. I think these these guys still wanna be parents. Yeah.

And maybe it's like, what? One's like a doctor or something? I mean, it's like, yeah. You're done parenting. Yeah. Yeah. Ship has sailed. I mean, a multigrad botanist? Don't even know what that is, but that sounds pretty uptown. I'm impressed. Yeah. I mean, just a single grad botanist is probably pretty cool. Yeah. Alright. So so advice says,

hey, look, you might be overreacting to this thing. Like, that that and we're probably and we feel like we don't have enough information to for for this to be the case. It's not it can't just be that they're busy because, like like, if they're showing up for for holidays or whatever, like, they have no reason to be angry at you.

If they if they're still showing up, they seem to be actually fulfilling the duties of, like, hanging out Unless you're pressing on them all the time and saying, hey, look, you know, you don't come up you don't come up often enough. Thanks for taking time out to come to the holidays, but I expect if, you know, you call twice a week and show up every other week, and I'm upset about it. I'm actually not against what they're proposing. I think you should just move if that's what you wanna do. Yeah. I mean, is it necessary to move? I mean, what if they want to well, hold on. They're just saying what they wanna do. Say, we want to move away and disappear. Go ahead. I mean, what do you think? Yeah. Yeah. If if your relationship with your kids isn't really that important that you're up to hauling away, I mean, you leave your parents and you cleave to your husband, so you and your husband move if that's what you wanna do. Yeah. Just do it. What's that place down in Florida with with, you know, the the where you can golf and The Boca Raton. The yeah. The retirement place. The Boca Raton. No. It's the something. Boca

Raton. Time. I didn't see that coming. That part there. Yeah. Yeah. That narrows it down. It's the it's the something. The the something something at the No. Stop doing that. The Love Boat? Oh. Don't go to I have friends who actually live there. The Everglades.

Live at the Love Boat? No. At the place. Whatever that place is called. You should probably them. The Sands is the casino. That's not the place. But, like, it's the something. The Sands in Vegas? Yeah. That's what I'm saying. It's, but that's what keeps coming on my mind, like, something the says the, you think Sands? I think the Sands. Boca

Anyway, that's that's that's my advice. The Boca Raton. My my my advice is yes. If you wanna move away and disappear, go ahead. Yeah. If yeah. If if I mean, you're grown adult. Just do what you want. Yeah. The core question is, should I move away? Sure. If you want to. Yeah. Go ahead. I'm sure your kids will come visit there, and they can be angry with you wherever you end up. Right. You're Right. Multiple adbotanist person You just as well have an awkward family family gathering at your new place that makes you happy. Right. The villages.

Yeah. The Villages? I had to Google it. The Villages. Yeah. Wonderful. I'm not familiar with the video. Hey. Are they on the television? Are there any legit villages in Iowa? Because I heard somebody on the aisle, like, a a local radio station said that a guy got lost. He was missing tonight, like or last night, he was on a snowmobile. And at 2AM, they said he's he's missing. And at 3AM, they found his snowmobile, but they did not find him. And they said it was located near the village of something,

which is in Iowa. And, like, is that a proper distinction within the state? And you have an Iowa village? No. Sounds maybe. I don't know. What's the what's the municipal way to just explain a village versus, like, a township or a city or something like that? It's not incorporated. You can't collect taxes in a in a village. Oh, is that what that is? I don't I don't have no idea. Yeah.

There's gotta be then. I gotta say, Ben, this seems really unimportant. That's a new one for me. I'm gonna find it out later. We can we can Here's a Secular says. Few few of the answers here. The question was, let's see. We want to move away and disappear. What do you think? Secular says, people could disappear without physically moving away as your children have already done. As you've already done. Yeah. Just lock your doors and don't answer. Have you tried asking them why are they so so distant? Unless you do, nothing will change. Because holidays are strange, celebrate with those who appreciate you and whose company you enjoy. Yeah. I mean Thanks for that one, secular. It's generally larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town. Larger than a what? Larger than a hamlet. It's smaller than a town. What's a hamlet? It's like a little piece Smaller than a village? It's a piece of ham. Just a small one. Like a baby one. It's hamlet.

Mike, you seem like you think this is very unimplurred. Hamlet is smaller than 500. I don't think I've ever interested in all in any of Not at least. Mike, what Mike, what do you wanna talk about? Some, Mike, some geographers, trustworthy or otherwise, define a village as having between five hundred and twenty five hundred inhabitants. This is stuff we're talking about in Florida. Been before we even started. Shouldn't even offer this type of information. Who'd have here's the thing. We coulda had a great time as four dudes arguing over what the definition of a village is, and you ruined it by going to the Internet and trying to produce a village. For membership in the National Geographic Society. Only us explorers can have it. And that they define it.

Explorers. As between Is how Ben decided to describe himself over the associate with other explorers. 2,500 inhabitants. He is there with

Columbus. First of all, that's from Cortez. Wonderful life is what you've done. I did. Yeah. I'm I'm gonna go found a hamlet. For heaven's sakes, Ben, this is what you did. I'm a we're I'm a read another one unless we're selling wanna spend this in a blender a little bit longer. Hamlet special at the Cozy Cafe, '3 ninety nine. Dear life from the past. I invited a couple out for for the husband's sixtieth birthday.

We sat at the chef's table in the front of the kitchen and had amazing food and service. We all agreed it was a perfect evening. K. Oh. I paid the bill and left a 25% tip on a $400 bill for three people. Wow. The couple then they could have just said a $100. You know saying? Anyway, the couple then proceeded to hand cash to the staff in spite of the fact that I told them that I'd already tipped 25%,

and they acknowledged that they knew it. It was never my intention that they pay anything, and I was embarrassed. I felt like creeping out of the restaurant, never going back. Am I going to feel this way? Am I wrong to feel this way? Why wasn't my gift enough? You were wrong to feel this way. Yes. You're prideful. Hamlet. Super sensitive. You're you're prideful. You're sensitive. You're ridiculous. Yeah. They they understand that you paid already. They decided to pay more than that. You're fine. Do think they enjoyed it? They enjoyed paying more. You brought them yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But you hit We all agreed to the screen. Tip on the end of a credit card bill. They're handing out cashola. They look like kings of the county. I mean, they do. You shouldn't be embarrassed. You should just be mad at them for fluttering around their cash because that's obviously unnecessary. That's that's thunder stealing. 25% tip. Yeah. Mean, why get jealous of the servers making more money? That's just yeah. I mean, I suppose It's all about looks. You'd be worried that, like, hey. You know, the servers would were gonna know me as generous with $25, and then Johnny Cashbill shows up starts handing out the Greenback problem. You wanted food. Wanted to be the vicar of the village in life. It didn't work out. Yeah. The Harry of the Hamlet. How many people were at this party? I'd say four. Four. Oh, four people. $400. Okay. Three. Pretty good. I was gonna say they're cheap anyway. Oh, no. It was three it was three people. Yeah. How was it? Oh, they went to Yeah. It's her and her husband and the Resilience. Yes. It's steak and booze.

Steak and booze. They had steak and booze. I proper that's guaranteed. Oh, I invited a couple out for the husband's sixtieth birthday. Oh, so she took a couple out? Yeah. She's a she's a single. Oh. Oh, for that husband's makes it Yeah. Weird. Or her husband is 60, and she invited another couple at her, and they went out and left the husband home. Yeah. I like that idea better. For his birthday, I left. Gary, you turned 60. Me and these two are gonna go out. Great job. You stay at home because your kids don't love you. We're going to the Hamlet You should just go disappear at the villages.

Wow. Okay. Here's Secular's advice. Secular says, your gift was enough, and, obviously, the birthday celebration was a success. Your guests were so impressed that they shared their pleasure with the staff. What they did was no reflection on you and should not allow it to discourage you from going back. In fact, I'm sure the establishment will welcome you with open arms. Yeah. 25% tip plus cash in the end. Of course, they're gonna welcome you. You've set a high bar, though. You'll never you can't walk in there again. Right. Exactly. I wouldn't be I wouldn't 15 be percent, they're gonna freak out. Yeah. I wouldn't be embarrassed about having been there, but I'd certainly be cautious about going back. Yeah. You can be super fancy one time at a restaurant and never go back, and they think, wow. Those are really people. I do it all the time. I blow up the McDonald's on the East Side.

I get, like, five McChickens. They say, look at that, man. Show up in that drive through. They're like, oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, something bad's about to happen. It's like 2AM. That guy's expecting breakfast. Yeah. Fire up the cobweb griddle. Stuff's gonna happen. I gave a, a $100 tip once to a Hy Vee server who was tall. I mean, it was like she had need. You know? And but I never felt bad about going back. I mean, I never I mean You've seen that one know she had need?

We had a relationship. It was her last day at work. Oh, okay. Alright. Like, you're not you're not afraid of going back because the woman who would know the difference doesn't work there anymore. Well, yeah, man. That's not a great example. Yeah. I don't think I've ever tipped that much. I've never done that cool thing. I I I I feel lame now. Should I I'm a am I a terrible person because I haven't done that? Yeah. Well, I got a few decades on you. I mean, Brad's a cuff. Appreciate it. What? Were you gonna talk about that more? I I went I went to do something else while you guys were discussing this, and then all of a sudden did nothing Mike, are your thoughts on villages? I I just never felt about, you know, bad going back. I never felt, like, obligated to do that again. I mean, I just you know? Yeah. That's what I'm saying. It's a unique circumstance. And, like, if you ran into that same person over and over again, I feel like there'd probably be a little bit of a it wouldn't stop you from going, but, like, there'd be there'd be, like, a a silent acknowledgment that the thing occurred because it was such like an event. Yeah. Yeah. But but because she but, I mean, she's not coming back. Mean, Unless they were a schmuck. They were like, oh, that $100 tip was great. Yeah.

Yeah. What would you what would you prefer? Would that she never you wouldn't want her to bring it up. Right? Oh, right. Right. Right. It's just like we both know what happened. I mean, we we knew what happened. And Yeah. That's nefarious. I I don't need to hey. You know I'm that guy. Right? I mean The problem is if you go there with any type of, you know, consecutive type ways, they you gave a $100 at one time. And then next time, people be like, giving you great service and you pop out 10. Right. Exactly. They're be super disappointed. Even though you were not cheap in any way doing the 100, now they're like, wait.

I have an expectations. Yeah. See, I kinda assessed her as not being that type of personality Okay. In the first place. She was working hard. She was going through college. She lost her job because of a organizational change. It had nothing to do with her. They and and I thought, man, this and she had, like, rent was due, and she was just kinda confiding in me. I was like, oh, boy. I gotta figure this out. You know? And I thought, well, I'm just gonna help her out. You know? And I need to pump up my frequency to certain restaurants or I am a terrible person when it comes to being personable because I've never gotten that in-depth

knowing a server ever. And I'm a big guy. I go to places a lot. Yeah. They like you. Actually, it occurs to me that, like, when you receive a $100 tip from a pastor, you would go, this is unethical. Right. So funny. I stole that money anyway. Yeah. And this comes straight from the He took right right out of the coffers. And he's going to have a luxurious go to the children? IV. The lord giveth.

Alright. Last one. Ready? Yep. Dear life from the path. My sixth great grandson oh, boy. This is some meddling here. My sixth great grandson is in a two and a half hour social studies class. What? He told me that during that time, the teacher texts at least six times. I think this deprives the students of valuable instructional time. My daughter hasn't spoken to the principal about it yet. I wonder when this concern will be expressed by other parents I discussed in your column. Wow.

I'm sure. Oh, man. Myrtle, six times

Stop meddling in your grandson's life. Let your children take care of anything they feel needs to happen, and six times in two and a half hours is not taking away from crucial instructional time. This is where I thought this didn't happen anymore. Right? Like, when people would know that they're being played. Your grandson

bringing up the the teacher texting six times during this two and a half hour social studies. Yeah. He's playing you. Yeah. What's going on? He's saying Look. My teacher does bad things? Ignore that. See, I just brought him. Exit. Yes. Exactly. I mean, otherwise, if the kid was getting great grades, this conversation wouldn't even come up. Yeah. Like, what's going on in your social studies class? Anything about the Mongols because then my teacher texted the six texts. Hours. You in there because you failed it already. Yeah. I was trying to learn that the teacher was just busy. Yeah. I feel like you're you're medieval student. Instructional methods on how to teach sixth graders social study. There is not a sixth grade class that lasts two and a half hours. I mean, there's no part of modern education that thinks any kid's gonna sit there for no two and a half hours. Yeah. That's a lie. You have an it should be a pretty good key that you have an inflated sense of self. If you have a limited like, within your local community,

somebody let's say this is true. Two and a half hour social studies class teacher's texting, and she's like and she's anticipating that the entire community will band together and write letters to dear life from the past Yeah. Yeah. About this particular problem. Can't wait till this blows up your newsprint. There's one guy in this small town in Texas. How long do you think it'll take till the rest of the parents rise up? Yeah. Like like, if you believe that your that your particular qualm is the basis of a revolution, you've overreacted.

Yes. You have an inflated sense of self. Every here's all revolutions have already been started. They've been tried. They've been floundering or, like, trying to rekindle somewhere, but you, like, you think that you came up with the idea that starts a new revolution, you are mistaken. You are mistaken, sir. Yeah. This is some high class meddling right here. And she says, my daughter hasn't gone to the principal Yet. Hyphen, yet.

But she's got oh, I bet that'll be a stellar conversation. The principal's gonna be blown away. What? She's using her phone? I mean, half the kids get to use their phone in the school anyway. You can't get them to pay attention to what what the teacher's even talking about. Probably texting the kids. Yeah. Hey. Pay attention. After class. I see you on your phone. Have you hit level 14 yet? Let's see. Secular says, has your daughter discussed this with the parents of the other students? If she hasn't, she should because they may not be aware of what the teacher's doing. Oh, no. If they find it as concerning as you and your daughter do, they should approach the principal as a group. You know, the principal loves that when you come in as a band of furious parents Yeah. Ready to roll on the whole organization. Forks and torches. When when all actuality, you've been using the school as a daycare to deal with your rotten kid, and then you and this band of groupies got together and decided you were gonna waylay on how the school was being done. Mike, tell us how you really feel about that situation. We are ready to reach out to antiquated media en masse if we are if this is not addressed. Now as We are prepared. As a guy who has a wife who works in the office at a public school, I wouldn't be too surprised that it is the the office texting the teachers to ask if little Johnny's there Yeah. Because,

he was reported walking through the hallway chewing gum and, throwing things in lockers, and they wanna make sure he's actually in class. And and he's sitting there watching her to see if she's texting. Send a Snapchat of the kid. Yes. He's here. Yeah. I'm telling you right now that the biggest the the bane of the educational system is the parents involved with this. It did not used to be quite as ridiculous as it is, but it's all tipped to one side. And parents show up every day with their humphity bumpity and blah blah blah. You should teach my why don't you teach your own kid math? Yeah. And then they'll come to class, breeze right through it. They won't even have a concern at all. Why don't you spend all your free time teaching them science, math, social studies, and how to behave themselves and not act like a little hooligan. And then when they come to the school building, they will breeze through and don't even know their name. They're like, this kid doesn't even kick the dust up when he walks through the front door. But, no, that's not what you do. You throw you throw your temper tantrum little man in here. You let him terrorize the school. And then when they call in and say, look, Jack is tearing the place up. You go, how dare you? He's a special unique child, and he was always born to tear it up, and you don't know how to weigh his. I I you can't kill to see that right What a I mean, what a what an absolute waste. Teachers, first all, don't make near enough money. And second of all, they have to put up the burden of listening to you, come to come to conferences and tell them how special the kid is. And if you just spend more time with him, you'd realize how great he is. Look, man. He's here ten hours a day. Tearing the place up. I know your kid pretty darn well, and he's a terror. Alright.

I I this seems there's something ripe in there. You can use send to the complaint line. That's (515) 517-0085. Maybe your kid's born to tear it up. We'd love to hear from you. Yeah. 5 15 floor up with 55170085. You've been hanging out with us on live for the past. We do very much appreciate it. Thanks for joining us in this new year. We are we're glad to be back on air, and we'll hopefully be hanging around with you as we come. If got any topics you'd like to discuss on the show, any personal problems, you need some medical advice. Like I said, that complete line is the way to do it. (515) 517-0085.

We're gonna turn you loose, and we'll see you, next week or whenever we wander in. In the meantime, be faithful in the means. God will handle the ends. Thanks for listening to Live From The Path.