Three Guys Around a Table and The Best Of…
Three buddies sitting around a table debating the best of everything and discussing what is on their minds
Three Guys Around a Table and The Best Of…
HOAs, Political Hatred, and School Budget Fiascos: Three Friends Unfiltered
What happens when three friends with different professional backgrounds sit down to discuss the problems plaguing their communities? Raw honesty, unexpected insights, and plenty of laughs.
This week, our conversation begins with the absurdity of homeowners associations—specifically how one neighborhood plans to spend over $1,000 on surveillance cameras to catch someone stealing potted plants. We unpack the psychology behind HOA overreach and the questionable enforceability of their restrictions, sharing our personal experiences with these neighborhood governance structures that often seem more focused on control than community.
The discussion takes a more serious turn as we address the shooting of Charlie Kirk and the troubling rise of political violence in America. We reflect on how drastically political discourse has deteriorated compared to previous decades when figures like Reagan and O'Neill or Clinton and Gingrich could fiercely disagree yet maintain mutual respect and productive working relationships. What's driving this change? We explore several factors: the echo chambers created by social media, the shifting landscape of parenting, and the "self-esteem movement" that has evolved into today's participation trophy culture.
Perhaps most eye-opening is our deep dive into the financial mismanagement plaguing Fayette County Public Schools. Despite their leader being named "Superintendent of the Year," the district faces a budget crisis with questionable spending including international travel, excessive car allowances, and an executive coach—all while contingency funds approach dangerously low levels. We contrast this with properly managed districts that maintain healthy reserves to ensure payroll obligations can always be met.
From serious societal issues to lighthearted debates about Hollywood's most beautiful women, this episode demonstrates that civil conversation about divisive topics isn't just possible—it's essential. Join us for an unfiltered hour that will make you think, laugh, and perhaps view community issues with fresh perspective.
Have thoughts on any of the topics we covered? We'd love to hear from you—drop us a message or leave a review to join the conversation.
three guys around, two orphans around the table guys, we're talking about three friends a lawyer, an engineer and a school superintendent, three orphans if it's done, two, three orphans we're discussing the best.
Speaker 1:I tuned it, I tuned it, I tuned it. You're sure to learn something.
Speaker 2:Three orphans around the table so, uh, there are only two orphans sitting at this table.
Speaker 3:There are three orphans at this table and there's a prince, who has a king for a daddy. That's true, there are three orphans, and we all know it.
Speaker 2:He's a very taken after person who's got lots of money and has got a great future for even more money from daddy Before we get started today.
Speaker 1:Yes, today is what, eddie, before we get started today. Today is the 17th day of September.
Speaker 2:Yes, it is. Guess what else day it is. It is 99 days until Christmas.
Speaker 1:No, guess what other day it is. It's pay me my money in cash day.
Speaker 2:There's no way the Reds can catch you. Yet they cannot catch them.
Speaker 1:There's 10 games left and your Reds are 12 games back. They cannot catch them. Okay, there's 10 games left. Yeah, and your Reds are 12 games back of the Cubs right now, and my Cubs clinched the playoff berth today and I should have taken Producer Melling's money.
Speaker 3:Yes, because his Tampa Bay Devil Rays stink. Did you say Melling or Melling?
Speaker 2:No, it's Melling now.
Speaker 1:Melling.
Speaker 3:He's Mr.
Speaker 2:Melling or Melling. No, it's Melling now. Melling, he's Mr Melling. It's Mr Melling now.
Speaker 1:Mr Melling. Producer Rick Melling Pay me my money. He actually don't owe me money, but one of our avid listeners does too.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's true. You got $30 coming your way, I got $40 coming my way Because Big Baller is stepping up.
Speaker 3:Big Baller, yes, we got to give call out to Big Baller, he knows better.
Speaker 1:But you know what y'all can do. Pay me my money.
Speaker 2:In cash In cash.
Speaker 3:You know what Little Richard said every night before he took the stage Pay me my money, I know what Chuck.
Speaker 1:Berry said it was Chuck Berry. Pay me my money, that's right In cash.
Speaker 2:And guess who of those people had a daddy Little Richard, that's true. Chuck Berry no daddy In cash. All right, All right what are we doing? We're talking about HOAs, I think.
Speaker 3:Hoa, yeah hoa.
Speaker 1:That sounded inappropriate. Yeah, big hoa.
Speaker 3:So HOA, I would totally I mean Time out. If it was the Sopranos, it'd be a hoa, so the HOA.
Speaker 1:you know we talked about this a week or two ago.
Speaker 3:It's only getting worse. Oh it's terrible. All right, go ahead.
Speaker 2:Homeowners Association. Greg and I live in a neighborhood where there is a a homeowners association.
Speaker 3:There is definitely no gate, unfortunately. I have a homeowners association.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's different than ours, though let's be honest about it. We have one that we've got people in charge of it who lose elections, and so they try to exert their power into other things.
Speaker 3:In my neighborhood people don't look inside my house to make sure the paint in my living room matches the kitchen.
Speaker 2:That's because there's a mile between each home, because yours are in a man-trundled community. It's called an estate.
Speaker 1:It's basically a plantation. Moving on, let's see he can't talk about it.
Speaker 3:But anyway.
Speaker 1:Freezing is why I can't talk right now. It is cold, it is very cold's see he can't talk about it.
Speaker 2:But anyway, freezing is why I can't talk right now. It is cold, it is very cold. I see I'm quite comfortable.
Speaker 3:Well, that's because you're wearing a t-shirt. That is a hot pink fishnet muscle shirt with jams and green jellies.
Speaker 2:Why are you dressed that way? You're just trying to deflect away from your daddy. Is he dressing you now in the mornings Do?
Speaker 1:you think it's good use of a homeowners association money to put cameras at the entrance of the neighborhood because somebody has stole a few plants? Seriously and it's the and it says and we're getting them, but with the caveat that we might send them back if they don't record as good as what we want them to, so they took plants from the entrance, yeah, a plant several different times that was replaced.
Speaker 2:Eggplant.
Speaker 1:No, not eggplant In a pot, a potted plant. It might have been an eggplant and pot.
Speaker 2:So well, obviously Daddy's concerned about it. Because Daddy keeps calling, did you silence the phone?
Speaker 1:We may need to take a quick break so that my young son can answer.
Speaker 2:I happen to have my young son in the car and I don't want to hear that kind of language.
Speaker 1:We may have to take a pause for the cause because, one of our fathers keeps calling. And look, my father is deceased, and so is mine.
Speaker 3:My father is also deceased. Your father is right over there, shall I?
Speaker 2:reiterate and we have a legal document that proves it Evidence, valuable evidence.
Speaker 3:Have I echoed the thought that I have buried both my parents? Yes, I have.
Speaker 2:So anyway, getting back to, the cameras so seriously how? Much do the cameras cost? Over $1,000. Over $1,000. How much did the potted plant?
Speaker 1:cost? The Arlo cameras are way cheaper than that first of all.
Speaker 3:So they're buying the cellular cameras, so who's going to be in charge of it?
Speaker 1:They're buying a cellular service for the cameras.
Speaker 3:You know you can buy the game camera, Don't get bogged down in details.
Speaker 1:We've got to have instantaneous Woo woo woo, woo, woo, woo.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's right.
Speaker 1:Someone is stealing the plant. We can't have an SD card that we've got to go get and put on a computer.
Speaker 3:We got to have instantaneous.
Speaker 1:Now who's going to monitor that? That's my problem.
Speaker 3:Who's going to monitor?
Speaker 2:Well, she hasn't won an election recently, so she's probably got a little free time.
Speaker 3:Shout out to RevealTacticam. With internet service for $15 a month you can get live video feed.
Speaker 1:Is this a sponsor? I do love what's happening, but we got Okay, so it's going to monitor it, I assume.
Speaker 2:And you know why? Because she's strong to the finish. And you know why she is? Because she's finished.
Speaker 1:But so we got to have it instantaneous. So if somebody misses with a plant, we got to be on it, like I mean on the eggplant. I don't think there's any eggplants up there no, oh no right now anyway but I mean, is that not crazy, seriously is that crazy.
Speaker 2:So there are several crazy things that came about as a result of the most recent homeowners association meeting. That is number one. Did you go?
Speaker 1:no, this is reading.
Speaker 3:This is reading the minutes that are dumbed down because it was last night right uh, it was, I think so I think because I heard about anyhow, yeah, home title lock go ahead yeah, so they are not a sponsor of this program yes, oh, yeah, yeah, I heard about that too Home home title lock, so guess who's alerted by that is wearing me out about it right now I can see every five seconds Daddy's calling by the way, when we get, when we get done with the podcast tonight.
Speaker 2:do you think daddy would take us for ice cream? Okay, so we'll sit in the back seat and be.
Speaker 1:So the minutes say okay. They say made a motion to spend a thousand. Okay, first of all, the person who made the motion is not a homeowner. Yeah Well, you can't do that then.
Speaker 2:Well, it's details.
Speaker 1:It's the husband, yes. So made a motion to spend a,000 on cameras per in, with the understanding the cameras can be returned if the service is not as expected. Okay, who's going to make that determination? Guess who? Olive oil. And to pay $140 for cellular connection For a month, and they'll be installed in the next two to three weeks.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I bet I know a guy could make those cameras disappear. I bet I know, somebody could make those cameras disappear or get painted black.
Speaker 1:We don't condone thievery. I just know a guy. I just know a guy yeah.
Speaker 3:It's not thievery. I just know a guy, I just know a guy yeah. It's not thievery.
Speaker 1:It's just called vandalism. We're not going to vandalize things, is his name.
Speaker 2:Harshet, harshet, something like that. Yes, yeah, I know a guy. All right, so that's the first thing. Now, what about changing the deeds and restrictions? Yeah, what about changing?
Speaker 1:the deeds and restrictions. Yeah, so they've identified the changes and updates that they want to make, but they don't say what they are. Well, that's not good, but they've got the attorney drafting them.
Speaker 3:Don't I know the attorney.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 3:Oh.
Speaker 1:And then it says Then the secretary will provide the presidents with a document stating the lot address and the homeowners for signature and notary.
Speaker 2:Well, I don't sign nothing.
Speaker 1:Yes, I don't sign anything first of all. Okay, and the board will begin addressing these changes and requesting supports and signatures from every homeowner.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh, what Y'all have fun with that. Yeah, Did they have a quorum last night? I need to find that out.
Speaker 1:There's no chance. They had a quorum of homeowners.
Speaker 3:Well, 0% chance. Then they can't do anything and they can't spend the money. Who cares? Robert's Rules of Order says you can't.
Speaker 1:He doesn't care about Robert's.
Speaker 3:Rules of Order. Isn't that your next door neighbor?
Speaker 1:I don't get bogged down in details like that. So I did look at the restrictions today. All right, do tell. And I do have a question for you guys. Yep, so one of the reasons why I am going to move out.
Speaker 3:besides, the obvious is.
Speaker 1:I need yes, I need a With my race car and stuff. I want a big garage.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So the restrictions say, you know, only garages can't be facing the road, blah, blah, blah. And it says the exact quote. And let me pull it up because I don't want to misquote you, because I want your all's opinion on what you think this means. Let me pull it up because I don't want to misquote you, because I want your all's opinion on what you think this means. And I quote, and I, and, and I have evidence on what I think it means. But it says so our files, here it is. It says something to the effect of, or actually here it is, exactly your file on garages. It says the opening or doors for vehicular entrances to any garage located on a lot shall not face the front line, so you can't have a garage door facing the road.
Speaker 1:Fine, all lots shall have at least a two-car garage and a maximum of a three-car garage. Okay, fine, no fully detached garages are allowed except for the uh master distiller. Well, it is that it well now the question is this this gets to my question. Is it fully detached?
Speaker 3:no, because he's got a breezeway that connects it. That's not considered in architecture, that's not attached.
Speaker 1:So my question Yep, Can I put a humongous garage in my backyard and put a breezeway that attaches my house to it. As far as I read that you can, we have precedent that that's acceptable Correct Yep.
Speaker 2:Yep, Absolutely. I wonder how that would be received. Hey look, what's it saying there about fences. Oh wait, the person up here on the corner up here has a wood fence. I thought you weren't allowed to have those grandfathered in.
Speaker 3:How about the person across the street that has a fence. That's only one side. It's not attached to anything.
Speaker 2:Well, here's the thing that's keeping people out children, and not keeping things in.
Speaker 3:That's true, that's true. So, with regard to Only in the backyard though, yep.
Speaker 1:Yep, yeah it's, I mean so minimum requirement, yeah. So fences, yeah, no offense of wire, wood or chain link are permitted in the heritage other than those required by law, such as security fencing around swimming pools. In no event shall this security fencing infringe upon the utility rights of way or with any building setback. No fence or wall of any nature may be extended toward the front or side street property beyond the corner of the residence.
Speaker 3:So they're saying you can't come inside your house.
Speaker 1:All fences are subject to prior written approval by the developer. Underground pit fences are permitted by the developer.
Speaker 3:That guy's gone Well.
Speaker 1:The developer signed their rights to the homeowners association developers.
Speaker 2:This is all it's all a moot point, because these are unenforceable and what they're trying to get is to make them enforceable.
Speaker 1:So we have to rally the troops to not sign this and they want to make other things mandatory.
Speaker 3:Yes, right, right. I'm totally again. Here's the thing no consequence, no rule. Doesn't matter how they're going to enforce all this. They got that kind of money to fight people. They really want to fight people in court for this it depends on who's in charge of it ridiculous they'll eventually run out of money, I think.
Speaker 2:I think there needs to be some, uh some, you know political races that open up that certain people, would you know, decide to uh, right, run for right, right said races, and then they could get out and they could go vote for me vote for me. They could do.
Speaker 1:They want to win no I tuned it so okay so so anything else on homeowners association I think we all hate them.
Speaker 3:Here's the thing. What a homeowner do you know?
Speaker 1:do you know when I move the next time? And that time is coming quick. Let me just go ahead and tell you, yeah, like when hailey graduates, high school, it's coming quick, do you know? Do you know what kind of homeowners association I'm going to be?
Speaker 3:mine and jie's.
Speaker 1:That's it. That's the list.
Speaker 3:Here's the problem with what I just heard from there, though. So if you buy a big corner lot, I don't care where your house is located.
Speaker 1:Supposedly you can't run out to the side, but everybody does it.
Speaker 3:That's my point, I mean you think about this house?
Speaker 1:up here on the corner it's got a fence that comes out to the sidewall.
Speaker 3:Yes, it does Hello.
Speaker 1:You're correct, hello. According to the way it's written, it's straight back from your house Correct.
Speaker 2:I thought we had already shifted to two orphans talking wrestling.
Speaker 3:You buy a big corner lot and you can't put a fence in your backyard, so most of your yard is going to be outside your fence, the way it's written, which is ridiculous If you think about it, though honestly Think about how small his yard would be fenced in.
Speaker 1:If you think about it honestly, there's not many fences in here.
Speaker 3:No, only people who have pools.
Speaker 1:Except for one, Actually. That's not true. That's not true. The one up here on the corner doesn't have a pool.
Speaker 2:And it's got a fence, and they've got a fence With a bunch of just terrible dogs.
Speaker 3:His is one-fourth of a fence. It doesn't really count.
Speaker 2:Oh, there you go. That's my guy. I just dealt with him the other day.
Speaker 1:I had to text him about something. I'll call him back.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, so anyway, yeah, enough about HOAs we hate them.
Speaker 3:They should all burn. Are you calling me? Oh, he's got a text.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:Look at this text. Is that from your father? My father's been deceased for 31 years.
Speaker 1:Not. According to the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, the legal document that the lawyer I'm sitting across from has reviewed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%. Moving on, we've got to spend a little bit of time talking about Charlie Kirk. That's a big event. It's been a week ago. He was shot in Utah. We got to spend a little bit of time talking about Charlie Kirk. Yes, we do. I mean, that's a big event. It's been a week ago. Yep, he was shot in Utah. Yep. Fortunately, I listened to a thing today that said he died almost instantaneously, which is what we would have expected having to watch it. I'm sorry who did?
Speaker 3:Charlie Kirk, charlie Kirk. Yeah, we're talking about it.
Speaker 1:And that's probably good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what Carrie said, the exact same thing to me. She was like hey, he had to have died instantly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's good. I don't want anybody to be suffering, right. What are your thoughts.
Speaker 2:No one deserves to die based on what they believe. Sure, and I realize there are people out there that talk about. When people say things that they may not agree with, it doesn't mean that another human being has the right to take their life, no question. And um, that's, that's where I am on it. Uh, I'm, I'm really, I'm really hopeful that, um, and maybe I'm being a little moderate here, but I'm really hopeful that the tone in the the country on both sides will temper. Yeah, yeah, let's.
Speaker 2:Ronald reagan was said the best, my favorite president, he's your favorite, probably all of ours, all of us in this room, sure, um, he could disagree vehemently with tip O'Neill and they could go out for cocktails together or go to dinner and talk and have a civil discourse. I'm a social studies teacher at heart. That was one of the founding principles of this country of democracy a civil discourse being able to state your view and, guess what, you may not agree with it, and that is absolutely fine, and you're not a bad person because you don't agree with what I'm saying. We've got to get more to that. That's just my opinion.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean similarly. I mean you think about how far we've fallen since. I mean you're talking Reagan years. That's when you were in your midlife, so I get it. But I mean think about when Clinton was president and Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House.
Speaker 2:Right sure.
Speaker 1:Yep, they didn't love each other, nope, but they got along and got some things done.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:I mean they did some major legislation when Clinton was in office, yep. They balanced the budget, yep. But they weren't best buddies, no but but now you can't say something that somebody disagrees with. Or you'll get shot, or you'll get yeah, or you'll get talked about terribly ostracized or scrutinized.
Speaker 3:I mean, it's unbelievable. Yeah, chris, what's your thoughts? I think it's ridiculous and I think it's absolutely horrific that we have taken. In my opinion, we've gone back in time. 50, 60 years is the way I feel like it.
Speaker 1:So when Mark was 30, 35.
Speaker 3:Exactly. I mean, it's no different than the whole RFK and the whole Martin Luther King and all that when all that went down. We're no different now.
Speaker 1:It seems like it's worse, almost honestly. Well, I think the hatred is worse. I think it's worse in my lifetime, being the youngest of the three. I think, it's now is as bad as it's ever been, I think, the political discord.
Speaker 3:I've never seen politics or beliefs in society be so divisive, society be so divisive and so um, I can't even think of the word. It's it's, it's. It enrages so many people. You know I don't agree with a lot of political opinions, but that's why it's called an opinion. It's mine and everybody has one. Who says mine's right? Who says mine's?
Speaker 3:wrong but I can also understand and agree with other people, generally speaking, you know, I can. I can see both sides sometimes, but I'm not going to commit murder because I don't agree with somebody. And we've become such a hatred we have. We just have huge hatred in society and it's not just political, it's. You know, if you call somebody a man or a woman and they don't identify as that, they take offense to it. We're all as a society, we're all so on edge all the time and just waiting.
Speaker 2:I feel like we're waiting for somebody to say something we don't like so we can react and this is the easiest thing to um like sociologists right now have to be having a field day in terms of research and writing books, because when did all of this start? And it? In my opinion, I have an idea. In my opinion, this is really different from the violence, the political violence of the sixties.
Speaker 1:I have an idea. I do as well.
Speaker 2:And it has everything to do with what I'm holding in my hand.
Speaker 3:What about the other hand?
Speaker 1:I'm not going to talk about what's in that hand. I was going to say do we think social media has got a lot to?
Speaker 2:do with this?
Speaker 1:Yes, it probably does, because you get people behind keyboards who would? Never say things to your face that they would say behind a keyboard.
Speaker 2:It gives them a voice to amp it up and continue to just go and go and go until it becomes part of their, their nature.
Speaker 3:Well, I agree with you and I do think social media has caused a lot of this, but I also think that the reactions that occurred eight, nine, 10 years ago have led us to this. When we started a political movement or I don't even know if it was a political movement, but it did start I mean, the White House was the same as the rest of them and we start pushing things that weren't mainstream society, and then we go so far as to remove statues, then we go so far as to alter things that we've all been taught all our lives, and then we start changing and making it acceptable, mainstream society, acceptable to say say again oh I, today I identify as a toaster oven.
Speaker 2:Well, and we're okay with that.
Speaker 3:Here's the deal and that's not me. I'm sorry, that's not mainstream I don't.
Speaker 2:I don't disagree with that. But what I slightly disagree with is it didn't just start eight, nine, ten years ago. This, this has been going on for a long time. I'll use George Carlin's example of after World War I. There was a term for when soldiers in battle, you know, would get to this point where their nerves had frayed to just this unbelievable extent that their minds just tuned out and they called it shell shock. 20 years later, world War II happens, the exact same condition is renamed battle fatigue. Why? What changed from shell shock to battle fatigue, which later became post-traumatic stress disorder? It's this, taking this simple term, this word what it was and, for lack of a better way of saying it, wimpifying it right to, to take all the meaning out of it.
Speaker 3:This, this stuff, has been going on for a long time I understand what you're saying with that, but let's throw it into. Let's just take it real simple to high school athletics. We talked the other day that I had, you know, I had a greg had a coach that spit tobacco in his face and then gave him the keys to his office.
Speaker 1:That's true.
Speaker 3:I had a coach that would get up in my face and grab me by my face mask and throw me in the mud and drag me through it. But now, as a coach, you can't.
Speaker 2:Coach. Took a wad of keys and hit a kid right in the chest with it, through it about probably 75 miles an hour and guess what Now?
Speaker 3:you can't call a kid a name without losing your job. Yeah, it's so, it's no different than shell shock to battle fatigue, to PTSD.
Speaker 2:But all of this is symptomatic of something else, and that is where does the rearing take place?
Speaker 3:Oh, I agree, it all begins at home, I agree. But I also think I go back to again on the political side, when a lot of things happened, when a lot of things happened, when a lot of things happened. In my mind, I have a point in time when I think a lot of the race problems we have right now started and it may be I mean, it's a very controversial topic 1870? No, absolutely not, absolutely not. And it's when we had the Beer Summit at the White House, when a president got involved.
Speaker 2:Billy Carter.
Speaker 3:When something occurred Jimmy's brother Billy Beer, billy Beer On the campus of Harvard, when a professor couldn't get in his front door, the policeman came, questioned him about it, took him to jail because he didn't provide whatever. And the president of the United States got involved politically him about it, took him to jail because he didn't provide whatever you know is whatever. And the president of the United States got involved politically, professionally and all over the television to sit down to have a beer summit with that professor and the police officer. Why did the president of the United States bring that to light and make that an issue on the political scale? It should never have happened. I think that Then we light up the White House with different rainbow colors. Why? Why are we making a statement as the President of the United States? We don't have to have Red, white and blue is great, that's our country. But why do we have to make a statement that is a polarizing problem in the United States? Why do we?
Speaker 2:do that Like having a military parade.
Speaker 3:What's it have to do? It protects the United States.
Speaker 2:That's not saying hey, we'll the parade does.
Speaker 3:No it doesn't. I'm sorry, you know what.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, no, no. Let's have a war and we don't have to worry about it. That's completely wrong, you're completely off base with it. No, here's where you're slightly wrong Wholly wrong Recency bias. You're only going back to this little. This stuff has been going on for a very long time.
Speaker 3:I think it hit an all-time high with Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Speaker 2:So it skipped the first Trump presidency.
Speaker 3:I think that Trump tried to get it back on track. You know, shut up, temper, all this stuff. It didn't happen. But instead Biden gets in and he's the one that says, oh, let's paint the rainbows on the White House. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 2:I'm going to take maybe a little more secular view and just say that this stuff's been going on for a long time and the biggest issue that I see is social media hiding behind keyboards and the fact if you ever did something as a kid, even though you were extraordinarily wealthy, would your mom or your father at that time I know it's a different daddy now would they discipline you? I wouldn't be sitting Right.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't be sitting Right.
Speaker 3:I still think it all starts at home, if I got in trouble at school.
Speaker 1:I got in worse trouble at home yeah, you were.
Speaker 3:You were not worried about what the principal did no, well school the school punishment was.
Speaker 2:That goes right back to the, to the, to the middle of the 1970s. Uh, a movement and again, just study history, man, that's that's, that's my, that's my life is studying history a movement called the self-esteem movement, where basically that everything shifted to where we have to make kids feel better about themselves and guess what, like it's, that didn't, that didn't happen no mud, that didn't happen in my house, I can tell you it started?
Speaker 1:which house it started?
Speaker 2:the big one. It started in the mid 70s but really picked up steam as you got through the 80s and into the 90s and this whole thing of every kid gets a trophy. Every kid gets a ribbon.
Speaker 3:No child left behind. There is no loser.
Speaker 2:There's just the last winner. You know that is what I'm talking about, If you're not first, you're last.
Speaker 2:And so, guess what, when you study serial killers, they have really high self-esteem. Okay, so the self-esteem movement did exactly the opposite of what society had hoped that it would do and, as a result of that, now these same people are adults and they're now, you know, saying to their kids we can, we can do wrong, you can't say no. I think all of that is a symptom of society. It goes way beyond the simple Democrat versus Republican.
Speaker 3:I didn't say it was Democrat versus Republican.
Speaker 2:No, but you did.
Speaker 3:No, I've talked about two particular presidents that did stuff against the norm, but I agree with what you're saying. I always said it all starts at home. But I have to go so far as to say do you think and you being an educator would be a unique one do you think the majority of people today say seniors at your schools today?
Speaker 2:Older people Like your daddy Right.
Speaker 1:Not that kind of seniors You're talking about, like my daughter, high school seniors. My daughter. Yes, hallie, hallie senior.
Speaker 3:Do you think those kids are part of the generation of? You know, everybody gets a trophy and all that or do you think the majority of people that you deal with in your public school system are the kids that were raised from the homes that disciplined and no, no no, what it's shifted to now is it's it's almost what's the best word to say a disaffected kids today, in terms of this, has desensitized and has de-socialized kids.
Speaker 2:Oh, I agree with that. Kids don't have social skills. Try to have a conversation with a kid that is not raised by a great family. Okay, hallie is a great example of someone who's raised by a great family. You sit and talk to her and she smiles and she's vibrant things like that exactly right go grab any student, that's not and they cannot look at you, they can't talk to you, they can't communicate, they can't communicate effectively with each other, they can't collaborate.
Speaker 2:So those are things that the schools are having to try to teach these kids and uh, you know, when I started this in this business 32 years ago, uh, I know that sounds like a low number what did you do for the prior? 32 years I mean that was after he retired I was given exactly I was given a geography textbook and a key to my classroom and says go, go, teach these kids geography. Okay, nowadays we're teaching a lot more than geography.
Speaker 3:What's that have to say about our future as a society?
Speaker 2:Well, some things need to be changed, and that's something that has to start in the home. Not to be all depressing about it, but that's where it has to begin. I'm having weird thoughts, right now Tendencies.
Speaker 1:I don't disagree with any of that.
Speaker 3:We're ready to move on to a different topic. Oh, I'm ready.
Speaker 1:I've got a topic that I don't know that we can talk about.
Speaker 3:Oh, I like that. Does it have to do with voting no?
Speaker 1:Can we talk about it? I mean it's on the news.
Speaker 2:We're usually not this serious. I know it sucks, it's a news topic.
Speaker 1:Yes, can we talk about the?
Speaker 2:current. Oh, by the way, we all should Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Regardless of what you think of what he said, he did not deserve. We didn't need to have a wife and kids left at home because of political Nobody deserves Nobody, nobody.
Speaker 1:A wife and kids left at home because of political Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody, irregardless of their beliefs, need to be shot. Right Because you have a difference of opinion, correct.
Speaker 3:Because there's plenty of people.
Speaker 1:you guys know there's plenty of people I disagree with.
Speaker 3:I had a guy but but none of them deserve to get shot. Nobody's. Nobody's beliefs or opinions should be a reason to die.
Speaker 1:That's just the way. It is All right what you got. Can we talk about the Fayette County Public Schools?
Speaker 2:Holy cow, I don't know if we can, but I sure would like to Sure. Why not Superintendent of the Year, right he?
Speaker 3:was.
Speaker 1:Superintendent of the Year and how much money have they lost?
Speaker 3:that they don't know they have million with no record I mean, those are details, but yet we also need to buy some land for some access to our new stem building. But and they're we're gonna go eminent domain to the neighborhood and they're uh, why?
Speaker 1:why do you not have a personal driver?
Speaker 2:he has a personal driver no, no, it's, uh, yeah, I do?
Speaker 3:I'm gonna tell my two I'm talking about, not more. I was gonna say, wow, the guy in fayette county he's got an 11150 per month car allowance. What's his salary? It's public oh $375.
Speaker 2:It's good, $377. It's big.
Speaker 3:Wow, and this is his what first full year? Right, he's been here a year now.
Speaker 2:No, he's been here. No, he's been here.
Speaker 3:It's like three real quick.
Speaker 1:But where do you see this heading?
Speaker 1:Because, okay for the people who don't know huge money issues. They had a budget. They were going to have a huge budget deficit. They were trying to sneak through some taxes. They weren't following the appropriate protocol to do the taxes. They got called out on that. Now people are. He had to testify in front of the state legislature yesterday. Yep, it didn't go the greatest, I don't think so. He got. He had some people give him some rough comments and I mean, like Yep, like one of the things was they went to Australia.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for a conference on, like, mental health of children. Correct, because you got to go to Australia to figure that out.
Speaker 1:It wasn't just him, it was two other people and they went and he said I didn't hear this till today. He said the reason why the plane tickets were so high is because there was a shooting at a school which was not technically accurate. There was a shooting in the area of a school but didn't involve anything, and so he had to change his ticket. So he had to buy a ticket later and it cost a lot more he is blamed everyone.
Speaker 2:Why do you have to go to australia?
Speaker 1:you don't um how many times have you been to australia, being the franklin county post?
Speaker 2:ask me how many times in nine years of superintendent I've been out of the state for a conference? Once last year, first time in nine years, and it was, and it was one that was actually paid for it. We didn't have to use any taxpayer dollars to do it.
Speaker 1:So it really is unbelievable. I mean some people in Lexington are just furious. Superintendent of the year. Yeah, so here's.
Speaker 2:Here's what in the state of kentucky, you are required by law to have a two percent contingency. In fayette county schools, their policy states that they must have a six percent contingency. Their budget director warned them up to a year ago hey, we're gonna have to start cutting, cutting down on some, you know. And they ignored those warnings. And now their contingency is dangerously close to the two percent mark. And what happens if it gets below it? Um well, I mean, woodford county is facing a similar issue. Uh, when, uh, you know, before their tax dollars come in, they were talking about having to take out a loan to make payroll. So there are some districts that are not doing it, but Fayette County is the worst example of it that I've ever seen. And yes, this guy was during the end, when all this was going on, he was honored by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators as the superintendent of the year. So hey, good choice.
Speaker 1:So yesterday a senator from, I think, think louisville, but I'm not 100 sure. She questioned why the district was spending 120 000 a month on travel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and 60 000 and why he was getting reimbursements for more than 60 000 a month.
Speaker 1:What it says for and for him was getting reimbursements for more than $60,000 a month.
Speaker 2:Let's see this and for him was getting reimbursed for travel and expenses for $60,000 on top of his $375,000 a year, and it's $1,150 a month and a $25,000 a year executive coach that they pay for him for You're kidding, and the budget director who? Said, said you got a problem suspended yeah imagine, has now filed a lawsuit against them under the whistleblower act. I'm proud of her for doing so.
Speaker 1:Wow, it's bad, it's bad and it's ridiculous but he is the superintendent of the month of the year, of the year so he's got that going for him, yeah, which is nice yeah.
Speaker 2:Now, september, is the time that school districts submit their working budget to the state. Do we want to talk about the Franklin County Schools working?
Speaker 2:budget Go ahead, it is going to have a 9% contingency, so well above where we need to be. What that does for you, by the way, is okay If, if the state has a terrible time and they cut seek, which they've done in the past. So if you get, seek is how we receive money from the state to pay. You know our salaries and all of those things. It's the funding formula. So if the state shorts a quarterly seek payment and you can't and you don't have enough money to pay your payroll, so in our district payrolls about $1.5 million every every every pay right. So for for every month, that's like $3 million a month. So when you have a $93 million budget and you've got a 9.3% contingency, that means you got about $9 million, so you can make three months of your payroll with nothing.
Speaker 2:And that's what the goal is always to be is. I need to be able to pay our folks in case, for a quarter, we get shorted. That's what every superintendent should look to do. That's what we've done. That's what every superintendent should look to do. That's what we've done. And uh, the fact that they don't have that, not even close in fayette county, is uh. And woodford county is talking about having to take out a loan to make their regular payroll how do you punish people like that?
Speaker 3:how do you what?
Speaker 2:do you do to them? I mean well, what's going to happen to him? That was the question, right? He just signed a brand new four-year contract, genius.
Speaker 1:Lifetime contract. If this thing keeps going the way it's going, they'll all be gone, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and could a state come in and fire everybody? I'm guessing.
Speaker 1:They can come in and take over the board. Okay, yeah, that happened in Floyd County, where I'm from.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for a long time. So they can do that at Wood whitford county. Come here and say this is ridiculous, we're taking it over they could.
Speaker 2:Um, it's more, it's more likely in fayette county because of now. There's been this, this legislative hearing.
Speaker 1:It's all over the news media, yeah, yeah so I mean, some of these expenditures are just ridiculous, unbelievable and and I don't remember the exact number else told me because I almost called you when I saw the news tonight and it talked about how their population's not growing a ton the student population in Fit County is, but they've added over 1,000 administrators Not teachers, but 1,000 administrators since he's been there, wow, yep, and his rationale for that was the majority of our new students are English as a second language students and Janie was like what, yeah?
Speaker 2:and yeah, so it's, it's nightmare. Well, let's um. That's a problem. Let's, let's um. Let's end on something more I've got a jovial final topic for all. Right hit it all right.
Speaker 1:Is this the surprise? That? Would chris and I noticed there's no candy bars here again. So somebody failed in the modest task which was their charge.
Speaker 2:It's been a long day. It's been a very long day. Well, it's going to be longer if we don't get our ice cream.
Speaker 1:Since we don't have candy, are we getting ice cream? We go get ice cream.
Speaker 3:Let's go. You guys got to ride in the back, I won't talk.
Speaker 2:You guys each have to do this. I'll turn that car around. You have to blindly rank Yep, these five women. Don't really have to close my eyes. Five, no Five women from from history. It could be modern, could be going back a little bit in terms of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, pop culture, entertainment. This could be very dangerous.
Speaker 1:And there's five, so we just got to say that's a three, that's three and you've got no idea. That's number four, let's go All right.
Speaker 3:The first one We've got to rank them as you tell them yes, and you don't know off by then.
Speaker 1:I've seen this happen with wrestling stuff before. It's fun All right Number one is Grace Kelly.
Speaker 3:She was pretty. Princess Grace was a beautiful woman.
Speaker 2:Yes, she was One through five, and you've seen her, by the way, in Rear Window. Yeah, yeah, two, okay, yeah, I'd have to go with two as well.
Speaker 3:Two, okay, all right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, scarlett.
Speaker 3:Johansson One Three.
Speaker 2:Oh, one One coming in strong. Three for you, you and Colin Joost. Yeah, all right, very good, very good. Angelina Jolie Five. I feel good about my results so far.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go four, five, cause there could always be a weird one that comes in. It's like look, look. Martha Stewart's rocking for me, betty is rocking for one, marilyn Monroe. She's got to be three on my list.
Speaker 3:Do I have three available or four, Four I?
Speaker 2:think Four, yeah, so what do you still have left One? I have five. Oh, you've got one. You've got five. Okay, let's see who wins. You made a mistake here.
Speaker 3:Who wins? Let's look it up. Ready Beyonce, I knew not.
Speaker 1:Are we? Talking country music Beyonce or are we talking rap Beyonce? Are you talking about all the single ladies, beyonce?
Speaker 3:I still think Angelina Jolie's five. I've never found her attractive.
Speaker 2:So Beyonce's one for you, okay.
Speaker 3:I didn't know you were a Beyonce guy Now that we know that Grace Kelly is definitely number one, Grace Kelly.
Speaker 2:Yep, she's pretty Stunningly. Oh my gosh Listen.
Speaker 3:I was trying to come up with some Prince Rainier right.
Speaker 1:Yes, it was Of Monaco right Been there, been to her palace Is.
Speaker 2:Ohio State off this week. Ohio State is going to win this week.
Speaker 1:They're playing bye. So is Kentucky. So is Kentucky. They're playing the bye yeah.
Speaker 3:All right, that was fun, that was a good one, a little serious, a little fun. We didn't talk about harsh shit, but that's cool. No, we didn't Scam scam nobody has urine running down their leg today.
Speaker 1:That means he can't go to Lima, for sure do you want something?
Speaker 2:ice cream dad you ain't got time for that crap.
