The Vince Coakley Radio Program | I-77 Toll Project Revival? | Therapeutic Thursday

What is Toyota affordability? It all starts with buying smart, and your Toyota dealer has great deals available to qualified customers on reliable cars and SUVs, including the redesigned RAV-4, spacious Grand Highlander, sporty Camrys, and Corolla's. It means driving for less, with efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid options available throughout the lineup, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, saving you money at the pump. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles. And as the best resale value brand, according to Kelly Blue Book, your Toyota can be worth thousands more than average when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly Blue Books KB.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. Good morning. Welcome to the Vince Coakley Radio program. Glad you are here for our conversation over the next couple of hours. Just a sampling of some of what we will talk about will address the economy. Find out what is happening. Are things picking up or slowing down? We've got an update on what's happening there. Obviously, the continuing war grabbing our attention in the Middle East, and now it looks like we bring another country into the mixed. We'll tell you what country is involved and what exactly happened. There's some mystery. about what is behind it. A really blistering, but I think very right-on commentary about what we witnessed with Anthony Fauci's testimony. I think there's a lot of, a lot that's been made very clear over the last 48 hours or so. We will share this really good column that was posted today. We'll also talk about the national debt and what's happening there and a promise that was made before this particular presidential term. We will also listen to a very interesting eulogy expressed during one of the services for Lindsey Graham. It reveals a lot. That is coming up as well. If you'd like to join the conversation, our phone number 7045, 70179 on 107.9 FM, WBT Charlotte's FM News Talk. I'm going to begin right here at home. And I'm very curious about your thoughts on this particular subject. The Observer has a story about some polling information that is out. And this is on the subject of I-77. Before I go into the polling information, I think it's worthwhile to tell you what I think and feel about this because I think I have a feeling. This is where many, if not most of us are. I think there's a sense by a lot of people of

futility we want something to happen we know something has to happen there's a need for new lanes on i 77 if you were to do a poll you'd probably find that people would prefer not to do tolls but at the end of the day i think a lot of what you're seeing now is a sense of resignation And I'm going to make a prediction. There's going to be reversal on this whole I-77 project, and it's going to go forward. I don't have any doubt about that at all. It's going to happen. And I think largely because the reason I just described, that I think people just have been worn down so much, and they'd rather have some movement forward. on something they may not even necessarily approve of, then to see this thing language for another, what, five, ten years with no change? The Observer reports voters want to see the expansion, irrespective of the toll debate. Traffic congestion, a major problem. Most supporting an expansion of I-77 South, this is according to new polling by a local public relations firm, CLT Public Relations. Half of the voters poll chose tolls, charged the drivers, used the new lanes as the preferred funding method for this project. As you know, there's been an ongoing debate, and one of the new pieces thrown into the mix is that letter from the Department of Transportation, about $300 million in community investments if this project is restored. The survey looked at voters' opinions on a variety of subjects, views the Charlotte City Council, taxes in the city, the tax referendum on transit. According to the poll, less than 20% of respondents supported any form of tax increase to support this project. Less than 20%. That's kind of significant, isn't it? The lobbying and advocacy firms' clients include groups like the Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition and the Apartment Association of North Carolina, understandably. A majority of the poll's respondents... White with around one-third responding identifying as black. Eight in ten homeowners. Half the respondents, Democrats, the rest Republicans, unaffiliated. I-77 South is at the top of the list of concerns as it relates to roads. The section between uptown and the South Carolina border. As you know, the city council voted to rescind support for this project earlier this year. This after neighbors expressed a lot of concern about the impact. Councilmember Malcolm Graham, who voted to rescind support, said in a public forum, the state fumbled the ball when it came to working with the community. The new poll found nearly...

Seven and ten voters were aware of the council's decision to rescind support for the project. Eight and ten also agreed traffic congestion was a major problem. At the same time, the survey showed nearly six in ten disapproved the job the city council is currently doing overall. That's not surprising at all. Voters split on the sales tax, the referendum. It passed last year with 52% of the vote. But I think what you're seeing, I think this is where many of you are. Tell me if this is what's in your heart, a sense of desperation, just freaking do something. Is this where you are? I know for me, and it's kind of interesting. My perspective on this may be a little different. If I'm honest with myself, then it would have been, what, three, four years ago when I lived up on the north side of town because I didn't have to bother with I-77 South. Now that I've been down here, oh my goodness, it's horrible all the time. I don't know. Maybe it's not bad at 3 o'clock in the morning. But it seems it's morning, midday, afternoon, same. Story. What is Toyota affordability? It all starts with buying smart, and your Toyota dealer has great deals available to qualified customers on reliable cars and SUVs, including the redesigned RAV-4, spacious Grand Highlander, sporty Camrys, and Corolla's. It means driving for less, with efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid options available throughout the lineup, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, saving you money at the pump. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles. And as the best resale value brand, according to Kelly Blue Book, your Toyota can be worth thousands more than average when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly Blue Books KB.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. Back to the Vince Coakley Radio program, 20 minutes after 10 o'clock. Getting your thoughts on I-77, do you... Find yourself in a place of resignation that all we're going to get out of Raleigh are crumbs. And ultimately, if we want anything to advance anything, significant road projects, we're going to have to pay for it ourselves and do it in ways that we may not necessarily like. Let's go out to a quick call here from Carmen. Good morning and welcome, Carmen. How you doing today, bitch? Done well. How about you?

Very good. Thank you for taking my call. I guess I have a little different perspective on it. Some of it might be because of my, let's just say, my older age. But this is the kind of project that I remember that this is what government used to do. Because right now it seems like we spend money on all kinds of other BS, I should say, that may only affect or help a certain group. Where this is something that affects everyone from commerce to travelers. Now, I don't even travel down that way, but I still think this is something that the state should pay for. Float the darn bonds, pay for the road, and move on. And what it's paid for, you get some other bonds and do another road. You know, that's just, it's that simple. I'm fully with you, and how long have you lived here, Carmen? It's going on 11 years. Okay, so you've been here probably long enough to see that Charlotte is definitely the red-headed stepchild when it comes to state government. Without a doubt, because I happen to live in Huntersville, so I saw what happened to 77 here, and it was a waste of money. How do anybody uses a toll lane? It's true. Yeah. It's mind-boggling, isn't it? So, I mean, so basically what you're saying is your expectation is that the state has got to come up with the money. This is their responsibility. You're asking, where's the money going? Exactly that. And my feeling is that if our local state representatives can't do anything about it, then boot them out and get some people that will. Because this affects everybody. Like I said, commerce, sales, tourism. It affects everybody. If you can't travel on the roads, who's going to want to be here? Yep. It's pretty basic stuff, isn't it, Carmen? Hey, very much appreciate your call, sir. And that was quite an assumption that you're older than I am. You just never know. So what are your thoughts about this? And see, this is part of where... You know, I remember Rush talking about the fact that he lives in Realville, and I get it. I have given up on the idea that we can count on Raleigh for much of anything. If you're, if you're Raleigh, you know, you're going to get all kinds of things. And one of the reasons is, especially as it relates to Rhodes, this is where those politicians are. And they love to take care of Raleigh. And yet that city, I mean, it's fine. But the truth of the matter is we're larger. And we are certainly, when it comes to the world stage, there's no question in my mind that We stand out far beyond Raleigh. So it's really essential. If you're going to put your best foot forward, your best foot is Charlotte. It's not Raleigh. It's not Greensboro. And all these other places where they've thrown millions upon millions of dollars into road projects. Questionable road projects.

And maybe at some point we'll go through a list of some of those things that have been done in the past. Speaking of money, let's talk about what is happening with our economy. CNBC reports the economy has slowed to 1.5% growth rate in the second quarter. June core inflation at 3.3%. Economic growth weaker than expected in the second quarter. Inflation. held well about the Federal Reserve's goal, according to the Commerce Department. The broad measure of goods and services increased just 1.5% for April through June. Economists have been looking for a growth rate of 1.8, followed by the 2.1% increase in the first quarter. A little disappointing. Inflation. Well above the Fed's 2% target. Inflation readings easing heading into 2026 but accelerated after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February. It set off a surge in energy prices that Fed officials worry will bleed over into the broader economy. Imagine that. Energy goods and services. The price is tumbled by 5.9% in June, helped by a temporary ease in the Middle East fighting that sent gasoline down 9.2%. Housing inflation moderated, up just 0.2%. Goods overall declining by 0.6. Services down by 0.1. Spending held up for the month. Personal expenditures rising 0.3%. Personal income up 0.2%. Hope you're enjoying that. However, consumers dipped into their savings to make ends meet. The personal savings rate declined to 2.7% the lowest in four years. These metrics are not good. And we've discussed this many times before that we're at a place where there is a sense of discomfort among real people living in the real world. And people are looking for solutions. Will they come? I'm highly skeptical because other things seem to be in the forefront of the minds of people in Washington, D.C. right now, including war, which we will talk about coming up. Developing story, we gave you a little bit of a hint about this yesterday. We told you about John Cornyn, who was basically calling out other Republicans about the nomination of Todd Blanche to be the permanent attorney general. Well, there was a deadline of, I think, 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, that was clearly not going to be met. And I was very much anticipating. What has happened now? The Hill reporting scorned senators forced retreat on the Todd Blanche confirmation vote. And guess who else is involved in this? We told you yesterday about this. It's not just John Cornyn out of Texas. It's also someone else who is on his way out. Senator Thom Tillis from right here in North Carolina. They're not backing down in their demands concerning Todd Blanche's nomination.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley canceled the panel scheduled meeting to vote today on Todd Blanche's nomination. An increasingly frustrated John Cornyn told reporters the Department of Justice Stonewalled his request. They've simply refused to cooperate. Cooperate on what, you may ask. So John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, they've been pushing Todd Blanche and the DOJ for formal written declaration that the settlement President Trump made with the IRS is not going forward. The deal included the creation of $1.776 billion in anti-weaponization fund for alleged victims of political prosecutions and agreement for the IRS not to audit the president's finances nor those of his businesses and family members. The DOJ told a federal court last month the fund was effectively dead as it faced bipartisan backlash. Todd Blanche said it would not be going forward, but the IRS audit agreement remains intact. And I, hey, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis have a point here. If you've got an agreement intact and you've got something in writing, you've got to have something in writing to reverse that. Now, the GOP holds a 12 to 10 edge on the panel, giving Todd Blanche a narrow path forward in what would presumably be a party line vote at best. All the Democrats are opposed. So you see where the power, why the power now rests with John Cornyn and tell us. Two key votes. Two key votes. John Cornyn was set to meet with Todd Blanche. Yesterday to discuss the nomination, that meeting was canceled. Senator said after its cancellation, he was not prepared to vote yes. Told reporters he didn't understand the reason for the holdup. Beats me. Maybe they think I'm just going to give up. You know, go along, but they are mistaken. Trump expressing confidence about the nomination during comments to reporters the White House saying John Cornyn may be upset with me because I didn't endorse him, referring to Trump-backed Ken Paxton's victory over John Cornyn in the Senate primary in May. I don't know what it is, but I haven't heard that there's a problem. I've heard he's going through quite nicely. Tell us largely left the deal-making to John Cornyn. But he said during Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing, he wants to stick a fork in that fund. Thom Tillis said ahead of Chuck Grassley's decision, the Thursday vote could be a failure if it were held. He said he wouldn't attend the meeting if no deal was reached. If there's pressure on doing the markup, then I don't want the chairman to have a failed markup. I would just not be there to make a quorum so he wouldn't be confronted with that eventuality. So there you go, this nomination for Todd Blanche. And it's kind of interesting some of the questions about Mr. Todd Blanche. Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, who also lost to a Trump-backed primary opponent. Bill Cassidy told...

Semaphores Burgess Everett on Wednesday, he's worried about lawfare from the DOJ, which has pursued charges against various high-profile adversaries of the president. He said, I have to make sure he's the attorney general who used to be the president's personal attorney, not the personal attorney, who's also the attorney general. That is very insightful. Very, very insightful. What do you think about this? Do you strongly support Todd Blanche and think this nomination should go forward? Or do you have concerns and questions about his objectivity? And this whole deal on the IRS with Donald Trump. What is Toyota affordability? It all starts with buying smart. And your Toyota dealer has great deals available to qualified customers on reliable cars and SUVs, including the redesigned RAV4, spacious Grand Highlander, sporty Camrys, and Corolla's. It means driving for less. with efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid options available throughout the lineup, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, saving you money at the pump. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles. And as the best resale value brand, according to Kelly Blue Book, your Toyota can be worth thousands more than average when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly BlueBookskb.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. Back of the broadcast of the Vince Coakley Radio program, 20 minutes before 11 o'clock. Over on the WBT text line driven by Liberty Bureau at GMC, Don says, Vince, it's amazing to me. Nobody seemed to care about all the landowners and the homes that were displaced when 485 was being built. Living in the North End, and having gone to North Mecklenburg, I know several people personally who were severely impacted. The rule of eminent domain was utilized to justify this. I don't know anything about the neighborhoods this would impact because I've not seen the plan. Having said that, what is the difference? Also, Alan.

I must have been out of my head. Well, let me back this up. Yes, your prediction. I agree with. Commuting for work is a disaster now, no matter the time of day. Many people in the suburbs won't take I-77 from Statesville and Moresville on weekends for dining and other activities, therefore hurting businesses in North Charlotte. I must have been out of my head for considering a job in the city of Charlotte 20 years ago. Thankful for that unanswered prayer. Alan, I get what you're talking about here. You know, it's kind of interesting. It ties in. We discussed this on, I think, Faith Focus Friday, a great post from Steve Crosby. We were talking about how we was thankful for all the prayers that God did not answer. And you have one as well. I agree with your caller. This should be a state project, not a Charlotte driver problem to pay for. We need to stop using our government funds to pay for every outreach project out there. We need to fund government things like roads, police, fire, etc. Yeah, kind of basic stuff, isn't it? This person says I work for a company that does preliminary planning for highway projects throughout the state and Raleigh and the eastern part of the state. Get the biggest part of the money. Because we have offices all over the state. Yep. Raleigh in the eastern part of the state get the biggest part of the money. We've known this for years. Thank you for writing in about this. Danny says you want to talk about a red-headed stepchild. Western North Carolina is it. Russ, earlier you mentioned you were at the just do something point on the I-77 project. I hate being in that position. I don't like when a salesperson puts me under pressure and really don't like when the government. puts us in a desperate situation. They mismanage everything. Then tell us we have to do this thing right now. We get the shiny things and the pet projects. Then they put the squeeze on us to fund public safety roads, schools. There's more than enough money taken in. None of these projects are a surprise. They're just too busy chasing other things and kicking cans down the road until we are put in a desperate position. I hear you. Tim says I live in Gaston County. The I-85 widening project here should have been done 10 years ago. The river bridges over both the Kataba and South Fork Rivers will both have to be replaced. I imagine we're at least two, probably three years out. Have you seen the traffic over here at rush hour? It's terrible. Charlotte needs 77 in the south side of town wide, no worse than our 85 project. I know exactly what you're talking about. I noticed the beginning of those problems in West Mecklenburg County going from 485 on to 85. And I'm just thinking to myself, who is the engineering genius who planned that one?

Because the traffic backs up there. I mean, all you need is one, just one, one tractor trailer trying to merge into traffic on 85 and it's over with. That thing just slows like molasses. And the traffic's backed up on to 45 and it's a mess. Horrible. Jeff writes in, as usual, Thom Tillis, showing when an angry, bitter, and vile person he truly is. Same for John Cornyn. As far as his primary went, he was getting wrecked even before President Trump gave his endorsement. Maybe if the Save America Bill was passed, he'd still have a job. Choices and consequences. And finally, we're killing people. And Trump says we have to slap him a little bit. How seriously is he taking all this? That's a valid question, Dean. Very valid question. Back to the Vince Coakley Radio program, nine minutes before 11 o'clock. Still to come, we have Therapeutic Thursday. What will we talk about today? Well, you will find out shortly as we continue the broadcast. Let's talk about what's going on with the war. An expansion of the war in the Middle East, the Pentagon scrambling for weapons. Trump exasperated. It was interesting the texture just a few minutes ago making reference. Yeah, you know, we decided to. You know, carry out a little mission over there. At some point, it's like, what are we doing? Swatting flies here? Is that what we're doing? The U.S. commander with a two-week planned escalate attacks in Iran. Two ships hit in a drone strike and an Egyptian port. That's all we need to bring another country into this. And not surprisingly, Shell profits surge from the continuing conflict. Shell. Yes, the oil company. They are laughing all the way to the bank. I told you that I've been rereading. In fact, I need to resume reading because I've gotten distracted and started reading and watching other stuff. Creature from Jackal Island. And... After reading this book and reading it a second time, I'm even more convinced that I would have to say a good part of the time what we're watching with war. It's all about money. I don't know that it's even about whatever headlines that are purportedly put out there. to explain why we are there. I told you, oh, in fact, now's a good time. I saved this in the stack. Here it is. This is just another reminder of the kinds of things that go on. I don't know if I've said this before, but let me just tell you where I am now.

Because I have no reservation about telling you that what we did in Libya should be characterized as a war crime. And I think Hillary Clinton and all the people involved in that need to be prosecuted as war criminals. I know that's very strong language. There's no excuse for what happened. And it had nothing to do. Certainly didn't have anything to do with American interests. See, one of the distinctions I think we have to begin to make is difference between American interests and personal interests. American interests and big banker interests. Those distinctions have to be made. This is a really good post from Manipulated History. I want you to listen to this. Mar-Margaddafi kept 143 tons of gold reserves in Libya. After the 2011 invasion, the gold vanished without a trace. Here are the documented facts. Libya held one of the largest gold reserves in Africa, valued it over $6 billion in 2011. Gaddafi intended to use this gold to back the pan-African currency, the gold dinar, to bypass the U.S. dollar. The gold was stored in vaults in Tripoli. and Sebha, independent of Western banks. Following the fall of Tripoli, rebel forces and Western intelligence agencies secured the state vaults. When the audience were conducted, the 143 tons of gold completely missing from the official record. No international investigation was ever launched to track where that gold went.

I'm at the point where I just don't trust any of these people. Right now, I don't know what to tell you about this whole situation with Iran. Because I'm not, we can talk about nuclear weapons, and yes, I get that cover story here. And yet at the same time, I think truthfully, We would have to genuinely ask the question, why are we there? What are we doing? Why now? I think it's a fair question. I no longer take at face value cover stories. I just don't. And I don't care who it is. Because the history, the history shows me in all of these military endeavors. There's no sense to be made out of any of these. There's another interesting item about what's happened in Afghanistan. At some point, I'll share that with you. War is a racket. Don't ever forget. It's a big racket. Hour number two, it's straight ahead right here.

Welcome to our number two of the Vince Coakley Radio program. And as we mentioned, you are welcome to join us in the conversation, 704-5701-079. 704-5701-079. Over on that WBT text line, driven by Liberty, Buick, GMC. We have this from RJ. I guess, referring to the president, maybe? For a short time, he was listening to the neocons. To his regret, he did not understand the Iranians as an enemy either. Kirk writes in, I blame Hillary and Obama for the deaths of Sean, Chris, Glenn, and Tyrone. I believe that's a reference to what happened in Libya. Benghazi, remember that? With the passing of time, that's kind of died as a discussion subject. Tim writes in, every country the Gulf region should join the U.S. and Israel on the war against Iran. If they all participated, it wouldn't take long to put down that regime. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Syria. Egypt. If all those countries put boots on the ground, Iran would be a much less lethal place very quickly. And you know what? The key word in everything you said, Tim, if, if all those countries, because they're not interested in putting boots on the ground any more than we are. It's just, that's it. Also on the text line, venture dead on regarding cover stories and nothing has changed in the last 50 years. Years when Vietnam was sold as necessary to prevent communism from taking over the entire Pacific. We lost that war, 50,000 dead Americans. Today, the entire country of Vietnam is communist, with none of the projected horrors ever happening across the Pacific. Yeah, imagine that.

Let's get to Therapeutic Thursday. And the whole idea behind this is to provide some source of encouragement, hope, but it begins with the insight. And that insight sometimes reveals some things that we've never really put words to or to find. I'm about ready to do that. I told you that I believe we're in the midst of an economic cycle, an economic challenge, that I'm not sure people really understand the depths of, I think there's a lot of denial out there. And I'm just graciously saying to many of you, and I applaud the fact that many of you are doing well. And yet at the same time, I also think it's dangerous for us to, in our own prosperity, lose sight of what has been happening to all of us, all of us. Our spending power has been eaten away. And I don't think it's happening gradually now. I think the pace of this has stepped up. A lot of this is because the fiscal policy exercised by politicians in Washington. And again, do you hear anybody talking about finances and debt? It ought to be at or near the top of the list because many of the problems we're experiencing they created. With the debt. Which leads me to our therapeutic Thursday segment. Have you ever heard of Pina phobia? Pina phobia. I've never heard this word before until I saw this post. Psychologists say the fear of poverty has become a major health, mental health crisis. The fear of poverty. Pena phobia, the persistent fear of poverty or financial ruin, rapidly rising, creating a major psychological crisis. Unlike typical financial stress, which fluctuates with real-world circumstances, peniophobia induces a chronic state of dread that persists even when an individual's income and savings are completely stable. You know, this kind of reminds me of some of the eating disorders? You know, where someone feels like they're fat and the person may be papered then. You know, this may involve somebody who has legitimate issues or it may involve somebody who's still just gripped by fear. Mental health experts and economists find the mere anticipation of future economic hardship can be just as damaging to a person's mental well-being as experiencing actual poverty. Remember the president years ago who said we have nothing to fear but what? Fear itself. It's kind of interesting, isn't it?

So the fear of economic hardship can be just as damaging to your mental well-being as actual poverty. In fact, studies show the fear of unemployment and economic instability triggers severe anxiety, sleep disturbances, and cognitive decline, even for those currently holding secure jobs. I'm wondering, how many of you within the sound of my voice? have entertained fears. What if I lose my job and I lose it all? You may know about some things going on with your company or the economy or the industry, whatever it is, and this is in the back of your mind. And you may not have even identified, wow, that's what this is. It was really interesting to me the other day. I was trying to figure out what motivated some of my behavior in a certain area. And I was reading a social media post and I read it and I thought, oh my goodness. Maybe that is the case with you. You're hearing about this now and thinking, you know what? That's me. I have this penia phobia. From a systemic perspective, this rising anxiety is often less of an individual phobia and more of a rational response to an increasingly precarious environment. With the cost of housing, healthcare education, and retirement climbing continuously, many people feel downward economic mobility is an unavoidable threat rather than a distant possibility. When basic human needs feel structurally unstable. The fear of financial ruin becomes a deeply ingrained survival mechanism. Addressing this modern epidemic of financial dread requires a dual approach. Clinical mental health support? To manage irrational anxiety spirals. That's important. You got to get a hold of that. And systemic economic reforms that rebuild foundational security for a generation facing unprecedented living costs. So we've got to do two things. We've got to address the mental health. That's important. And the other part of this, what sort of foundations can we build to deal with the core issue to make sure there is financial security? I hope this is helpful. Maybe you're in a place where this is an issue of yours. If it is, I'd love to hear from you. You can call or you can text. 7045-70-1079. And I would say, if it's not you, be aware that this may be going on with somebody around you. I encourage people all the time. Keep your ears open and your heart open. Because this may not be your issue. It may be an issue for somebody you know. And perhaps you can be an encouragement and support. As we continue the broadcast of the Vince Coakley radio program, still to come, I dug into my collection of show material during the previous break when I was talking about war, and I found some comments that I had saved that I think you're going to find very insightful.

I'm going to share those on the subject of war as we continue. Also an incredible post in the post about none other than Mr. Science Anthony Fauci. We will share that as well. We will address the subject of the national debt and what is happening there. And we will go into a bizarre eulogy, which... indicates something very interesting about someone's mental health. We'll go into that more. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on RAV4, Grand Highlander, Camry, and Corolla with the features and style you deserve. It means driving for less with hybrid and plug-in hybrid options across the lineup, delivering great MPGs. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles, meaning your car will hold its value for years to come. Shopped Toyota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. Back to 21 after 11 o'clock over on the WBT text line driven by Liberty Bureau of GMC. Kevin writes and Vince, I believe you were insinuating. Somehow the United States had something to do with the missing gold of Moormar Gaddafi. You stated where the gold went was never investigated. The UN did an extensive investigation. I would recommend you review that report linked below. By the way, I clicked on the link. It did not go directly to a report, at least from what I've been able to see here. But anyway, I will take a closer look when I can more thoroughly dive into this. It would be quite interesting to see what the fine folks at the UN had to say. Frank writes in, Agent Orange dismantling the whole cabal of oil tyrants, i.e. Britain. Trump is decentralizing the energy and oil. OPEC will be abolished at the end of all of this. Giving us all more buying power, as you say. Exciting times lay ahead. Part-time, Mid-East oil expert and hobbyist. All right there, Frank. Another taxter, we did not lose the Vietnam War. Nixon made a treaty with North Vietnam ending American involvement in that war. We pulled out. Yeah. Allen says, as you recently mentioned, we need to pray there's a resolution of the war in the President and the National Defense Committee, haven't been able to see, which quickly brings to an end without more bloodshed. Randy says, I'll last my job in May. My savings are depleted. I'm on the verge of losing everything. I am living that fear. Man, Lord help Randy. Right where he is. Just meet every need. That's my prayer. Please keep us posted. And I hope there's an opportunity that helps to turn this around very, very soon for you, Randy. On the fear of poverty.

Someone sent to prayer. Lord, thank you for my many blessings. Forgive me for thinking that I may be someone special and deserve them. Thank you for my blessings. Forgive me for being greedy and asking for more. Thank you for many blessings and forgive me that I need them to be closer to you. Because without them, I may be too weak to find you. Interesting prayer. Kevin, thank you for texting back to put more information about this report, which I will check out later. By the way, on the subject of Libya, Gibral writes in, Good Morning, that gold Gaddafi was holding in his plan for that currency is why Obama and Clinton aided in his extermination. Gaddafi had already given up his weapons. Obama took Gaddafi, shook Gaddafi's hand, then took him out. That was straight gangster. Obama, the smooth criminal. How dare you say that? Folks, yeah, I'll just leave it there. When I started to talk about this whole issue of money and war, it reminded me of something that I saved in my collection of material a few minutes ago. I decided to prepare it to share with you. This is audio from a conversation, an interview with my good friend Congressman Thomas Massie, and he has some very interesting things to say about the Prophet of War. Listen up. People in America do make money off of war, and they make a lot of money off of war, so they want the music to keep going. They don't want the music to stop. Right. And as soon as, you know, Biden was serious about getting out of Afghanistan and did get us out of Afghanistan, we were still spending $50 billion a year in Afghanistan after 20 years. As soon as he got us out of there, guess what? We start spending an average of $50 billion a year in Ukraine. Now that that's winding down, guess what? This thing in Iran is heating up. And regardless of whether our troops engage directly, those are all American munitions. And those stocks are, you know, the people who run those companies are excited that now, you know, as soon as we deplete our stockpiles, we're going to have to fill them back up. It's not like they're holding a bunch of inventory, but the U.S. government does. Ostensibly, those are weapons that are supposed to defend us that are now being used. And so they know we'll buy them back. And I have this theory that there's about $50 billion of year of things that need to get blown up and replaced in order for that segment of the economy to stay healthy.

Isn't it chilling? It's a profit of war, ladies and gentlemen. The profit of war. At some point, it would be great to have someone in the Ovo office with this sensibility to understand. And yet at the same time, I'll just leave it there. I do want to mention a couple of things on the text line. One of them, Tony has written in expressing concern about Randy. They would like to know, Randy, what kind of work you do. So you can send that information along in the text line. And who knows, maybe there's some lifeline that could be provided there. Wow. John has written in as well and said, please add me to the prayer list with Randy. My name is John. John, we are praying with you as well for a breakthrough in these challenging economic times. Just pray for a breakthrough even in this day that you'll instill hope. Instill hope, encouragement, and... This will be looked back on as simply a bump in the road. Pray for both John and Randy. You would prosper them in this season. Still to come? A very brilliant assessment of Dr. Anthony Fauci. I think you will definitely appreciate it. And we will talk about the debt as well as. A bizarre eulogy offered for Lindsey Graham. That much more as we continue our broadcast. Back on the broadcast, 37 minutes after 11. Great post by Miranda Devine, who I understand also did a really good piece on the diary of Anthony Fauci, which really gives you a picture of this man's heart. Anthony Fauci's silence on his monstrous COVID sins speak volumes and solidified him as a reprehensible villain. The words of Miranda Devine. What a cowardly and shameful final chapter for Dr. Anthony Fauci who pleaded the fifth 111 times in the Senate on Wednesday, even though he has a preemptive presidential pardon that gives him immunity from prosecution. In the history of Congress, only a couple of mob bosses have invoked the privilege more. On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. The Machiavellian career bureaucrat said this over and over in the nearly three-hour hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Shameful too with the Democrats and their media handmaidens who continue to run cover for Anthony Fauci, singing his praises and denying their flock the truth about a man who filled his pandemic diary with self-praise and celebrity worship while remaining callously aloof from the human suffering he had caused. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday was confronted.

Actually comforted by the praise of Democrat senators who hailed him as a hero, thanked him for his service to this nation, and sympathized with him as a scapegoat of right-wing conspiracy theorists. New Jersey, Senator... Adam Andy Kim even quoted Theodore Roosevelt's Man in the Arena speech to valorize Anthony Fauci, the former top U.S. infectious disease expert who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades. Like the Black Knight in Monty Python, still pugnacious after being reduced to a bloody stump, the Anthony Fauci puffers refused to see they have no leg to stand on. The damage their censorship did during COVID and their dishonest glossing of Anthony Fauci's reputation dams them. Yet instead of self-reflection in the face of overwhelming evidence of Anthony Fauci's complicity in one of the deadliest man-made health crises in history, they double down. History will not be kind to them either. Senator Rand Paul said admit it was a mistake to fund dangerous research in China. By the way, the Anthony Fauci nemesis, Rand Paul of Kentucky, who leads the committee, and is also a medical doctor who has closely studied the virus and the way it was engineered to hurt humans. admit that the risk of this dangerous research exceeded any possible benefits, ask forgiveness, and pledge to help our government divide safeguards so a man-made epidemic never happens again. There's no defending Anthony Fauci. His sins are too monstrous. I would just add, the problem isn't in forgiving him. It's in the fact that to this day, he has never acknowledged doing anything wrong. That's what's really horrible about this. My goodness. I come back to this over and over. I had a conversation with someone just this morning. Just discussing life. It was a younger person. I was just talking about the importance of getting input from other people, people more mature than you. And one of the things that is helpful in this, it provides another important avenue of self-awareness. Somebody can look at you and say, I know you. And sometimes somebody could say to you, I'm on to you. That's important too. I'm telling you, for people like this, Anthony Fauci and others, there are none. Which is why they believe themselves to be gods. That's what's going on here. And unfortunately, you have plenty of people who indulge them. It's crazy, isn't it?

Kavaris Chris writes in, Thomas Massie has good ideas. I just can't get behind the no borders policies the libertarians push. Huh? No borders policy? Have you heard that out of Thomas Massie? I don't think you're going to hear that out of him. Prophets of war. This is cool. Someone sent its text. Derek writes in, profits, as in P-R-O-P-H-E-T-S of war, equals profits, P-R-O-F-I-T-S of war. That is clever. Vince, 1935, a Marine General Smedley Butler, twice awarded Medal of Honor recipient wrote a book. War is a racket exposing the profit of war. We still haven't learned this lesson. I need to make note of this. You have given me yet another rabbit trail to go down. Shame on you. No, thank you. Seriously. I'm always curious about additional information. Randy, writing back to answer a question from someone in our... Text line, Tony asked what his job is, what his work is. Randy says, thank you, Vince. I was a purchasing manager sitting in that I-85 traffic jam coming back from an interview, which I hope goes well for you. Glad to hear that you had an interview. Also on the text line. Stacey says Brad Pitt played Anthony Fauci on SNL because Anthony Fauci requested. Do you think Brad Pitt will play him in the movie? I don't know that he'd want to touch that one. Don't know about that. And this Vince Anthony Fauci's unwillingness to answer questions. admission we should have never worn those horrible masks it's probably an admission of a whole lot of things whole lot of things ah man i i i before we go to break here i i just when i think of the enormity of the things that i am aware of this man was connected to as me Thinking of myself, I would be in sackcloth and ashes. I'm just saying, I would be in sackcloth and ashes. I couldn't look in the mirror. I couldn't face myself. It's scary that these people can and go right on about their business, fading out into the sunset, enjoying their wonderful pension. Good for them. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on Tacoma, Tundra, and Forerunner with the space and features for any adventure. It means driving for less, with available hybrid options, delivering great MPGs without sacrificing power. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles, meaning your truck will hold its value for years to come. Shop Toyota.com to find out more.

Toyota, let's go places. Over on the WBT text line driven by Liberty Buick GMC, David writes in, Vince, we were told, follow the science. You know, every time I hear that, in the background, I hear a certain song from the 80s. Follow the science. Now the science is pleading the fifth. We're not angry enough. Yeah? I get it. Fully get it. And he writes in, Vince I asked T.J. last night, do you think Anthony Fauci will plead the fifth when he gets to the pearly Bill Gates? I love that. That is so clever. Really clever. Also in the text line. Regarding taking the fifth, in a New York deposition, Eric Trump invoked it 500 times. Maybe that's where Anthony Fauci's lawyers notice the effectiveness of this constitutionally provided hat trick. Ooh. Go ahead. You can play it.

Keep it going. That's got to be the work of science. That's got to be the culprit. Is he the culprit behind that one? Or didn't. Oh, my goodness. Now you're going to be, now you're going to have that song in my head all day today. After hearing that. Oh, my goodness, it is just too much. I'm going to save the story about, this is just too heavy to go into right now. I'm going to save this for tomorrow. A story about the national debt. Because, as you know, obviously very important issue, vitally important issue. I do want to get to this. As you know, Lindsey Graham was laid to rest yesterday in South Carolina. Before that, they had a service in Washington, D.C. And among the people providing eulogy for Lindsey Graham was none other than Sean Hannity. I think you'll understand when you hear this clip. And I rarely talk about other hosts, especially in a negative way on this program. But Sean Hannity is in a category all to himself. To me, just one of the most. I just can't take it. I have not listened to this man for years. You used to listen daily. But I think you'll understand why I don't enjoy listening to this man anymore. Here is his so-called part of his eulogy for Lindsey Graham. My television show that I'm quoting scripture when I say the words, let not your heart be troubled. Well, I am. The answer is yes. John 14. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. That where I am, there ye may be also.

I'll argue in my mind probably has a heavenly version of Mar-a-Lago. It may even be a little bigger. He may have a little more gold in the Oval Office in his mansion in heaven. And I wouldn't be surprised if he added one big beautiful ballroom in an arch somewhere on the property because he would want to obviously duplicate his dearest friend in life. You, Mr. President. Lindsay, my friend, goodbye for now. We will see you again. We will finish the work that you started. Well done. Good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Godspeed, Lindsey Graham. It's a good thing this broadcast is over because I can go find a bucket. I mean, this is supposed to be a eulogy for Lindsey Graham, and yet he used this as yet another opportunity to pucker on the rear end of the president. I can't say that I'm surprised at all. Have yourselves a wonderful day. God bless you. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on RAV-4, Grand Highlander, Camry, and Corolla, with the features and style you deserve. It means driving for less, with hybrid and plug-in hybrid options across the lineup, delivering great MPGs. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles, meaning your car will hold its value for years to come. Shop Toyota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places.