BONUS HOUR: Cheaper energy and cheaper gas | Hour 4

What's going on? Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon to three on WBT radio in Charlotte. And if you want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, my daily show prep with all the links, become a patron, go to the Pete calendar show.com. Make sure you hit the subscribe button, get every episode for free, right to your smartphone or tablet. And again, thank you so much for your support. So did you know that there is a bipartisan campaign proposal in the Senate. It was introduced a couple of weeks ago, and the goal is to lower energy costs. Yeah. Oh, also, I just saw the GDP. Here it is. The real GDP is Today's GDP report came out, shows the economy revving up to its best performance since the summer of 2025. Real GDP, gross domestic product, jumped to an annualized 3.4% rate, with inflation already calculated into that estimate. Will it matter to voters? Don't know, but there you go. We're Back to this bipartisan legislation. It's called the American Affordability and Jobs Act, or the AAJA, or as I call it, the AJA. And it promises to streamline energy development. This is what I've been talking about. We need more energy production in America. Energy is the lifeblood of the entire economy. If you're not making money, More and more energy. You're not growing. You're not able to sustain growth. And this is at the heart of the opposition to the data centers. Like, oh, my rates are going to go up. You know what would make rates go down is more energy production. If you increase the amount of energy available in the grid, data centers have no impact then. You just have to make more energy. And this has been a problem because we have a lot of people in America that do not want more energy to be made. And I'm not talking about, you know, people who are like, I want solar and wind because they could want solar and wind, even though they're not as, you know, as great as like nuclear power generation at scale. But those are at least energy production operations, right? Like at least they're talking about creating more energy. Unless, of course, they're saying take offline every other energy producing facility. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about people who belong to organizations who have an incentive to block energy production, mainly via litigation, right? You have law firms, you have nonprofits, these environmentalist groups, and they just they make their money by blocking new energy production. OK, how are you going to get around that? Not sure, because they are a pretty sizable lobby inside of the Democratic Party. So I'm not sure if they'll be successful. But right now, this is a bipartisan bill. OK, This is according to a piece by Eva Terry at National Review. The American Affordability and Jobs Act aims to streamline energy development, assuming that a higher supply will drive down costs. If it passes, the new bill would overhaul federal environmental permitting. Now, there's the problem. That's the rub here, right? The goal is is to speed up energy project and infrastructure development. And so this is why I say you have this lobby that they make their money by litigating through the environmental permitting process. This bill was introduced to the Senate back on September 30th. It was co-sponsored by two Republicans, Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Mike Lee. Two Democrats also signed on to it. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, he of the segregated country club membership, and Martin Heinrich. The text has not been released to the public, but the sponsors say the bill reforms the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. It also makes changes to the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. These aspects of permitting contribute to long energy development timelines and the U.S. being ranked second to last globally in terms of how long mines take to go from discovery to production. So that's a pretty bad place to be on that list. We find some deposits, we want to start mining them and we're not allowed to, it takes us forever. And then, you know, again, like that's costly. And so all of those costs on the front end get baked into the cost on the back end, right? The prices that people are charged, right? Because all of that is the price of doing business. You got to go through all of the permitting, all of the studies, all of that stuff. Researchers earlier this week on Tuesday researchers at Columbia University found that the American Affordability and Jobs Act would likely reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to the status quo. So it seems like this should be something Democrats, environmentalists should be able to sign on to, right? Oh, we're going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, that's not the case. Um, And I think I'm just spitballing here. I'm not trying to ascribe motive, but I get the feeling that some opposition to this bill may not actually be in good faith. And I am referencing a Zoom press conference that was held, virtual press conference that was held yesterday morning, where squad member Rashida Tlaib urged the people on the call at the press conference to oppose the bill. Why? Because she doesn't understand it. And she doesn't understand the process. That's what she said. OK. She said, we know the bill is 417 pages of empty promises. That means nothing to me because I haven't read the bill, but also I don't trust you to tell me that they are empty promises. Plus, also, you got two Democrats signing on to this bill. So kind of unclear as to why you're accusing them of issuing empty promises. She then referenced the complexities of federal permitting, saying, quote, the thing is, we can't get too technical with our residents when talking about permitting. Oh, I see. Okay. All right. So, all right. I misspoke. It's not that she doesn't understand the permitting. It's not that she is too uneducated or unintelligent. It's not that. It's that you are. I'm sure she understands all of the complexities of the permitting process, but you don't know those complexities. So we have to oppose it because we don't know stuff. I mean, that's pretty solid reasoning. She said, I literally struggled in understanding these permitting processes. Oh, okay. No, I take it back. All right. So I'm back to my, she doesn't understand it either. Okay. She referenced a conversion she had had, sorry, a conversation, not a conversion, a conversation she had had with one resident who told her, Rashida, just call it the permission to pollute process because that's what it feels like. And that, my friends, I feel perfectly illustrates the problem. No doubt. Yes, absolutely. She has a conversation with a resident who she just got through saying, this is too complex for residents to understand and even for me to understand. So because residents don't understand it, they can't possibly understand it, and I don't understand it, we should just label it permission to pollute process because that's what it feels like. I've told this story before. I had a philosophy professor, and anytime anybody in the class would answer any of his questions with, I feel like blah, blah, blah, as soon as they would say something like, I feel like, I just feel like this, and he would stop them, and he would say, no, you think. That's what we do here. We think. This is part of the problem. It's the vibes. I just feel like this is a bad thing because I don't understand it. So let's label it something bad so people will oppose it. 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Go to createavideo.com or visit them in Mint Hill just off I-485. Your photos and videos are your life told through the eyes of everyone around you and all who came before you. And they will tell others to come who you are. Visit createavideo.com. All right. So last bit here from National Review about this proposal. And I've seen some analysis because it just got released. Some of this analysis was just released. So I'll pick this back up. Just a quick programming note. I'm not going to be here tomorrow. I've got to go do a speech. I know. I know. I'm so in demand. But I've got to go. I've got another engagement that I have to attend. So I won't be here tomorrow. But I will be back Monday. I'll be going into some of this analysis on this energy production bill. And I am I am happy to hear that there are two Democrats that have signed on to this. If that increases the the chances that a bill to increase energy production by reducing a lot of the federal permitting, that sounds like a good idea. Of course, the devil's in the details. So I got to read through it and read the analysis of it and all of that. But there's already opposition. Rashida Tlaib told a press conference, a virtual press conference, that this stuff is all just too complex. The permitting, the complexities of permitting is what she said. The residents don't understand it, and I don't even understand it. Yet, do you think that might be a problem for, I don't know, the industries, right? If you don't understand it, and the people don't understand it, do you think that maybe it's too complex then? That maybe that's part of the problem in creating more energy? That GovCo has created all of these complexities that it makes it so much more difficult to comply, to get the projects online? Might that be a problem? I feel like that might be a problem. Also, the four senators, oh, she then attacks the four senators for taking input from the energy industry. No! Ah! Well, you just got through saying that you don't understand this stuff. You just got through saying that the complexities of the permitting is just too complex in their complexities, and so people can't, People should oppose this. It's too complex. So the senators who drafted it, they were like, why don't we bring some people who have to actually navigate the complexities of the permitting process? How about we bring them in to find out how these complex permitting rules affect their ability to generate more energy? No, that's also bad. See, so we're not smart enough. We're too stupid to understand the permitting. Rashida Tlaib, she doesn't understand the permitting, but we're not allowed to ask people who have to go through the permitting about how to go through the permitting. This makes total sense. Also, the executive director... of the Western Environmental Law Center, named Eric Schlenker Goodrich, joined Tlaib in this criticism. He said he opposes the bill because it takes power from future political leaders and gives it to the markets. Which are people. The markets are people. That's what the free market is. The free market is you, is me, it's all of us. That's what the free market is, freedom. You buying things, selling things, going places, whatever. Everything that you choose to do, that's part of all, all of it's the free market. So he doesn't want the free market to decide these things. He says it takes power from political leaders because they understand the complexities. Oh, wait a minute. No, they don't. So, hmm. This is another brain buster. He said such a move would make it difficult. Listen to this. This is kind of a giving away the game moment. Such a move would make it difficult for future presidents to impose green, low carbon requirements for energy developers in the United States. That's what he's worried about. That they're not going to get a Democrat in the White House and who will be able to impose new requirements on energy producers. That's the fear. Schlenker Goodrich added that permitting reform should not come from those in manufacturing industries, but should come from, do you want to guess? Do you want to guess? Who does he think should be introducing all of the permitting reforms? Who should be in charge of this? Law professors and academics That's what he says. So technocrats, people that are smart, people that know this stuff. Yeah, we talked about this before a couple of weeks ago, right? These people who have built cathedrals of theory, they don't actually do any real world application. All right, real quick, every government number gets revised, right? Every projection gets walked back. Gold does not file corrections like GovCo. Revelation Gold Group helps families hold physical gold and silver, including in a tax-advantaged gold IRA. It's real, it's in your name, and 10 minutes tells you if your retirement account qualifies. If you want to learn more, go to calendarmetals.com. That's calendarmetals.com. There's a link in the podcast description. Or if you want to talk to somebody, you can call 888-465-3049. Let me jump over to the text line here. A bunch of them have piled up somehow. Corey says, Pete, my brother Greg is listening right now. Well, maybe not right now. This was about 30 minutes ago. Sorry. I need an intervention for him. He is so blackpilled that our family group chat has become a 24-hour political funeral procession. South Carolina, doomed. North Carolina, doomed. The man could find a dark cloud in a solar eclipse. Greg, if Pete reads this, the family wants you to know we love you, but we're cutting off your supply of black pills. Yeah. Look, I've talked about this before. The antidote to black pilling is gratitude. And If you incorporate just a daily moment of gratitude, find something every day. You could put it in your schedule. Wake up in the morning while you're brushing your teeth. Think about something, like intentionally think about something that you're grateful for. And if you can't think of something that you're grateful for, be grateful for your teeth. If you're brushing your teeth, for example. It doesn't have to be a big deal. Just something that you are grateful for. And really think about it. Think about the things in your life that you are grateful for. That's one of the antidotes to blackpilling. Something else to consider. If you are not psychologically built for consuming current events and political news and this sort of stuff, then for your own mental health, you may want to stop listening to this stuff. I know people who have done this, and they're much happier, It's like sports. There are some people that can watch a sporting event, and they can enjoy it, and they can pull for a team, and if the team loses, oh darn, the team lost. And that's it. Now there are other people who really love sports, and they watch their team's and their team loses, and it puts them in a foul mood, and maybe they beat up their spouse, right? You should not be watching sports, if that's you, okay? People are built differently. Also, I recommend he who stops to sharpen his axe cuts more wood, right? And here's the thing, I don't know about your brother, Greg, Corey, but, um, did he go vote? Did he volunteer for a campaign? Did he get involved in any way, shape or form? Or is he using the black pill mentality as an excuse to be lazy and to surrender? Because that's what oftentimes I have detected. People People want an excuse, and they want a righteous and noble reason for why they're not participating. I mean, you think about the absurdity of it. You're going to listen to a news talk show or this station. You're going to listen to this, and you're going to be up to date on all these issues, and then you're not going to participate because, meh. I didn't get everything I wanted. Everything's bad. We're all doomed, right? To me, that sounds like an unhealthy approach, an unhealthy way to live. But also, it sounds like a rationalization for someone to just constantly complain and never actually do anything to fix it. I have said this for years. If good, competent people Do not volunteer to help lead, whether it's a civic organization, running for office, joining your HOA, right? Whatever it is, I've used this example in many, many areas. If good, competent people don't step up, you will be governed by bad and incompetent people. And I know what that means. It means that you actually have to get up and do the work. And you have to be the change you want to see. But this sitting back and, oh, can't we get better candidates? Can't you? Can you get a better candidate? Have you tried? Have you run? Right? Have you volunteered? Have you given money to a campaign of a candidate that you thought was a good candidate? Right? These are things that you can do. But the blackpilling is this abdication of responsibility and then dressing it up as if you're doing this for some noble reason. And you're not. You're not. It's just laziness. We were talking about this earlier, which I did get a message back from Richard, who had sent me that text. And he said, my text, you took the wrong way. He said, I still voted, and I voted for these people because I understand what's at risk. But Trump has done this to himself. I'm still voting Republican, hoping it's not a futile case. And I wrote him back. I said, uh, good. Cause I thought I had lost him to the black pilling crowd. He said, definitely not. So Richard is not, Richard is not black pilled. So I'm glad to hear that. Um, yeah. Uh, uh, I don't know if this is Seth. Every time I hear a liberal bring up feelings, a song starts, song plays in my head. Uh, Thanks, Morris Albert. Oh, maybe that's the singer. I don't know. DA talking about Roy Cooper's lack of any paper trail. Yeah, we've talked about that over the years. Yeah, he sent like a total of like a dozen emails in 16 years as Attorney General. Yeah, I'm not buying that. Jennifer says, Uh, come on, Pete. Rashida Tlaib is far too unintelligent to think that logically. That's, that is fair. Um, the one texter blamed Trump for everything. I only blame him for its traffic. I sure hope I can get through Rock Hill before he leaves. Yeah. Um, uh, John says, so Rashida, the Buffett's, uh, the buffet slayer says she's too stupid to understand the bill. So she's going to oppose it. I think that explains a lot. If she can't understand these bills, why is she there voting on them to begin with? Yes, she is passing laws that affect businesses and people, but she doesn't understand what she is voting on. Precisely. Dean says, Thank you. Be true to yourself, regardless of the circumstances. A good reason for a person to stay involved. And Q Ritzy Spinks says, says she was in defense of Richard, who I thought may have been blackpilling. She said, someone is lazy because they provide an assessment. It's important to talk about how the Republican Party got here to avoid repeating past mistakes. No, I don't want to vote in yes men or yes women. I applaud Tillis and would have voted for him again. Sincerely, an independent black working mom. And I simply said, no, it's lazy to sit out. That's the laziness is the is the all is lost. I see all the problems. Nothing can be fixed. And so I'm not going to participate. OK, well, then check out like if you're going to it's like you don't have to announce your departure. We're not at an airport. Right. This is my point was like people who are so blackpilled that they're so doom and gloom nihilist, you know, that they're like, I'm not voting. I'm not participating, blah, blah, blah. OK, well, then why are you listening to the show? Why are you staying informed? What's the point of that? Why stay informed about the election? Why consume election-related news when you think none of it matters? So you're not going to vote. So why are you even interested in this content? Why bother? It strikes me as you've seen it on the Facebook. Somebody was like, I'm leaving Facebook. This has become too toxic, blah, blah, blah. They make this grand announcement that they're leaving Facebook or social media and I'm not going to participate in this, blah, blah, blah. Just go. That's fine. You want to leave? Go. But I have no interest in people who claim to have no desire to improve things that just want to continuously throw tomatoes at people who are trying to improve the stuff. That's what I push back on, because that's what blackpilling is. She went on to say, we can discuss more after the election about lessons learned so we can get an independent or Republican president in 2028. You know how frustrating it is, this election cycle. I vote every cycle and I can't get behind Trump anymore. And Stanley says, you just hit on the reason most people oppose data centers. People just feel like there's an issue with them. Yeah, I just feel like they're bad. Now I'm going to use a data center to make my argument to present to city council on why we should ban them. This from the Carolina Journal, David Larson, the reporter, noting the price of diesel is now at... $ 5. 58 or 59 cents a gallon. Price of regular unleaded, $ 3. 55. WRAL reported that more than 400 complaints about elevated gas prices have been sent to the Department of Justice since the state temporarily suspended its gas tax this month. Now investigators are starting to contact stations accused of not passing along the savings to drivers in as the law intended. And this was the big complaint I heard from people, like, oh, they're not going to pass it on to us. Yeah, I'm not so sure about that. There's actually no state of emergency in North Carolina to justify price-gouging laws. And so he's, Jeff Jackson, a.k.a. Baby Jesus, the Attorney General, would be relying on laws against unfair and deceptive trade practices. But David Larson points out If there are two stations across from each other and one has a 30 cent difference in price, who is going to choose the higher price there, right? That business would hurt themselves. Or if it did work, why wouldn't everybody then just artificially jack up the prices all the time? And again, razor thin margin industry, they make their money inside the store and they're paying for the resupply. So you're starting to see the prices come down now because They're running through their stocks that were in the tanks and they're now going out to buy the replacements. So that's why you're starting to see that. All right, that'll do it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. I could not do the show without your support and the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast. So if you'd like, please support them, too, and tell them you heard it here. You can also become a patron at my Patreon page or go to ThePeteCalenderShow.com. Again, thank you so much for listening, and don't break anything while I'm gone.