Discover the stark realities of America's energy policies and their ripple effects on your life as we engage in a powerful discussion with Ashley Hayek, executive director of America First Works. Uncover the truth about the Biden administration's stance on energy production, and learn how its consequences are forcing American families into heart-wrenching decisions, all whilst grappling with the paradox of climate advocacy verses private jet usage by those in power. We don't just stop there; national security is at stake with foreign entities holding chunks of U.S. debt, and we dive into the necessity for incentivizing economic vitality that extends beyond the corporate giants.
As Ashley Hayek and I continue to unravel the complexities of these times, we shed light on the critical importance of America-first policies and the mission-driven work of America First Works. The conversation sails from the macro issues down to the actionable steps that could steer us towards a more secure and flourishing future. It's a discussion that promises to equip you with knowledge and insight, drawing a path through the tangle of current policies to a horizon where American prosperity is prioritized. Join us and be part of a discourse that could redefine the direction of our nation.
Discover the stark realities of America's energy policies and their ripple effects on your life as we engage in a powerful discussion with Ashley Hayek, executive director of America First Works. Uncover the truth about the Biden administration's stance on energy production, and learn how its consequences are forcing American families into heart-wrenching decisions, all whilst grappling with the paradox of climate advocacy verses private jet usage by those in power. We don't just stop there; national security is at stake with foreign entities holding chunks of U.S. debt, and we dive into the necessity for incentivizing economic vitality that extends beyond the corporate giants.
As Ashley Hayek and I continue to unravel the complexities of these times, we shed light on the critical importance of America-first policies and the mission-driven work of America First Works. The conversation sails from the macro issues down to the actionable steps that could steer us towards a more secure and flourishing future. It's a discussion that promises to equip you with knowledge and insight, drawing a path through the tangle of current policies to a horizon where American prosperity is prioritized. Join us and be part of a discourse that could redefine the direction of our nation.
Welcome back to Stand. We're with Ashley Hayek, the executive director for America First Works. They're at AmericaFirstWorkscom. We've been talking with her about some of the policies that they're promoting and advocating. It's going to have a positive effect on all Americans, regardless of your race, your gender, your religion or where you land on the political spectrum. So let's check out what they're doing and talk more with Ashley.
Speaker 1:
Ashley, let's talk about energy. It's probably our favorite topic up here in Alaska. However, it's also a little bit of a sore subject because over the past couple years, the Biden administration has been waging an all-out war on our energy production in Alaska. Dozens and dozens of executive orders and actions taken to directly kill and destroy our energy industry. And it's not just energy and concept. Those are our jobs, those are our hardworking families. It's our ability to also be energy independent. It's our ability to also be energy independent. It's our national security.
Speaker 1:
So, instead of coming to Alaskans, who are citizens and workers and families, we're going over to foreign adversaries like OPEC people who want to destroy America and instead becoming more and more energy reliant and dominant on them. It's kind of a parallel of what we're seeing happening that led to this war with Russia and Ukraine right as NATO countries became more and more dependent on Russia for energy. Oh no, all of a sudden we're in a completely foreseeable war with Ukraine. And that's what we're doing. We're becoming dependent on people who want to destroy us. Also, we're less secure.
Speaker 1:
He's been draining the strategic petroleum reserve. We're at our lowest level since around the time that I was born Just going to say that and working families across the country are now struggling just to make ends meet. We have to decide up here in Alaska, many of our families this is literal whether they're going to heat their homes one month in the winter or feed their families, and we should never have to be at a decision like that. But that's because of policies that are not putting Americans first. So I would love to hear from you what's the path to turning this around?
Speaker 2:
A new president, plain and simple. I mean this administration. On day one, when he signed the executive order ending the Keystone pipeline, made it very clear that this would be a war on American energy, and the fact that we are buying oil from Venezuela, who is a hostile country, is an insult to every single American, every single American worker. It's offensive and it's incredibly wrong. And the part that is actually just like really irritates me is not only do you have American families who, to your point, are having to choose between heating and eating, you have an administration taking private flights all over the world, which you know how much energy are they? You know using how much fossil fuel, how much all of these things that they claim that they're against are they using? Because they are elite and selfish and hypocrites. And so if they really care about the climate, then perhaps they should sacrifice all of those and give up all of those private planes that they're taking on taxpayer dollars.
Speaker 1:
Well, it's a really fair point. We the resentment that can build in the hearts of people who have to sacrifice at the family level while they watch leaders who are supposed to represent and be public servants. You know civil service, but they don't. They fleece the people that they're serving and representing so that they can benefit off of them. I agree with you A new person at the top would be great, but we also need new cabinet members and new government appointments by that person, new elected leaders who understand the nuances of energy security and energy policy, because there's these little tiny decisions that are made all throughout the administration and all throughout Congress, even sometimes at state levels, that are this domino effect that trickle down to everybody's pocketbook and everybody's home and it's just crushing us. It's really, really affecting us. Nikki, you and I were talking about something else on break that you wanted to talk with her about.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I wanted to. If I could pivot just a second Ashley to talk about our national debt, because that's another looming crisis that's crushing everybody.
Speaker 3:
And we know it's unsustainable, and we've been saying this since gosh I college for me like 25 plus years ago. Right now, according to the US debt clock, our national debt, including unfunded liabilities, is hitting about $194 trillion. That's why you heard me audience $194 trillion. Just to put that into perspective, that means that the current debt liability per person, per American citizen man, woman and child stands at roughly about $577,000 for each and every American. December 2021 article in the Hill had a similar analysis of this looming and growing crisis.
Speaker 3:
Analysis of this looming and growing crisis. One might argue that, beyond the inflationary concerns and the impact on our ability to continue to do some of the stuff that we're doing to help others across the world, this is a very real national security issue, because people like China and some of our major adversaries own a lot of our debt. So how do we not only rein in this spending spree? How do we begin to reverse it? Because we didn't get here in a day. It took a while, so it's going to take us a while to pull back from the precipice, but if we don't do it soon, it could be too late. So what are your thoughts on what we need to do?
Speaker 2:
Well, it could be too late. So what are your thoughts on what we need to do? Well, it's kind of tied together in a lot of ways Like we're riddled in regulation. It's out of control the amount of regulations on business and just even on our energy industry, for example. But I would even go a little bit further and say you know the fact that we're not growing our economy as well at the way that we should. That's a huge problem too. There's not really an incentive right now.
Speaker 2:
I feel like the only people in this country that are incentivized to have to grow, or who get more, are those that are the big corporations, it's big media, it's our government, and that's a big problem. And they take a lot of perks as well. And we see a lot of our money going abroad when we have so many problems at home. And then how about we just secure our border? I just read an article today that their city of Chicago is spending what over $20 million on migrant camps.
Speaker 2:
Think about the Americans in the city of Chicago who are homeless, who need a better education system, where crime is rampant. We have all of these problems and all we're doing is importing more problems exporting. It feels like nothing, not growing our country's profit, if you will. We are really bad at running a business. The other thing I also think about, too, is as a person. You gave the number of $500,000 per person. What do you get for that? What do you get for that? You know, are your kids in the best schools in the world? No, china's eating our lunch right now. You know, are our streets safe? No, fentanyl's coming across our border. We have some really serious problems in our country and it's only going to get worse if we don't rein in spending, reduce regulation and allow for some growth in the country.
Speaker 1:
I think you set up a really good follow-up question that I have what is the best way to start promoting and spurring on economy in the country? As someone who has self-generated economy a couple times, you're obviously an innovative person. How do we turn us back into a country that does that? We used to do that really well.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and I think it is not just at a federal level, but it's at a state level too. You know, you look at a state like California and you see all of the businesses and people who have left the state because of over-regulation, whereas they're going to places like Florida where there's a lot of opportunity. I think it goes even deeper into our education system, where we start fostering an environment that champions apprenticeship programs, for example, and inspires people to work with their hands. Again. You know, our country is so far behind academically. We don't value, I feel, the American worker the way that we used to, and we should be championing new ideas, like we are the country of innovation. America, you know, brought so many incredible ideas to the new frontier and I think we'll continue to do so. If we champion those values, but instead, when it's cheaper to maybe take an unemployment check, you're not really incentivizing a great workforce.
Speaker 1:
Nobody ever got rich taking checks from the government, that's right. But to your point, innovation, education, creating less obstacles to company and business growth through an appropriate amount of regulation, but not over-regulation. And there's something else I hear Whenever you say California, I just think of the land where crime is legal, because every time I go down there it just seems like what the heck is happening here. And it seems like just an underpinning of all of this and all the comments that you make is it has to be safe. Um, in these places in california where companies are leaving and in some other parts of our country, it's because they can't survive there. It's not safe. Their businesses keep getting looted, keep getting robbed, the constant petty theft. Because you know crimes under a certain amount, you know you could take 100, and when 20 people in and come in and take 100, you're Business can't stay open. We have to have a minimum viable product, if you will, of public safety in order for anyone to be safe. There's some really fascinating academic literature on this that this is essentially what distinguishes prospering countries from those that aren't. It's the public safety mechanism. That's what makes it so that kids can learn, they feel safe in school, they're safe at home so that marketplace can prosper, businesses can prosper.
Speaker 1:
And I think that this move that we've had to really disparage and therefore then defund our police at all levels, without taking a nuanced approach to how we actually hold police accountable, has really contributed to this devolving economy problem. And, of course, when you start taking economy away, you start taking freedom away. When people don't have the freedom of their wallet, they actually don't have personal freedom, which goes back to this larger concept of America. What was America started for? There are many reasons why they came over from England to start, but they really all kind of come back to freedom. Many reasons why they came over from England to start, but they really all kind of come back to freedom.
Speaker 1:
Political freedom, religious freedom, land freedom, thought freedom, economic freedom it all ties down to freedom, which is why you have things like the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights and all these things that cataloged our freedoms, because this is supposed to be the land of the free, which has to also be the home of the brave, and those things have to be preserved and protected in things like public safety. I really appreciate your insights into that. We're going to continue this amazing discussion with Ashley Hayek on the other side of this break. Please visit their website, americafirstworkscom and, while you're on break, hit subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for Stand with Kelly and Nikki. If you leave a review, you'll be entered to win one of our stickers. Stand by, we'll be right back.