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
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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 Orphans Around the Table
Speaker 2three 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 1I tuned it, I tuned it, I tuned it. You're sure to learn something.
Speaker 2Three orphans around the table so, uh, there are only two orphans sitting at this table.
Speaker 3There 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 2He'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 1Yes, today is what, eddie, before we get started today. Today is the 17th day of September.
Speaker 2Yes, it is. Guess what else day it is. It is 99 days until Christmas.
Speaker 1No, guess what other day it is. It's pay me my money in cash day.
Speaker 2There's no way the Reds can catch you. Yet they cannot catch them.
Speaker 1There'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 3Yes, because his Tampa Bay Devil Rays stink. Did you say Melling or Melling?
Speaker 2No, it's Melling now.
Speaker 1Melling.
Speaker 3He's Mr.
Speaker 2Melling or Melling. No, it's Melling now. Melling, he's Mr Melling. It's Mr Melling now.
Speaker 1Mr Melling. Producer Rick Melling Pay me my money. He actually don't owe me money, but one of our avid listeners does too.
Speaker 2Yes, that's true. You got $30 coming your way, I got $40 coming my way Because Big Baller is stepping up.
Speaker 3Big Baller, yes, we got to give call out to Big Baller, he knows better.
Speaker 1But you know what y'all can do. Pay me my money.
Speaker 2In cash In cash.
Speaker 3You know what Little Richard said every night before he took the stage Pay me my money, I know what Chuck.
Speaker 1Berry said it was Chuck Berry. Pay me my money, that's right In cash.
Pay Me My Money In Cash
Speaker 2And 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 3Hoa, yeah hoa.
Speaker 1That sounded inappropriate. Yeah, big hoa.
Speaker 3So HOA, I would totally I mean Time out. If it was the Sopranos, it'd be a hoa, so the HOA.
Speaker 1you know we talked about this a week or two ago.
Speaker 3It's only getting worse. Oh it's terrible. All right, go ahead.
Speaker 2Homeowners Association. Greg and I live in a neighborhood where there is a a homeowners association.
Speaker 3There is definitely no gate, unfortunately. I have a homeowners association.
Speaker 1Yeah, 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 3In my neighborhood people don't look inside my house to make sure the paint in my living room matches the kitchen.
Speaker 2That's because there's a mile between each home, because yours are in a man-trundled community. It's called an estate.
Speaker 1It's basically a plantation. Moving on, let's see he can't talk about it.
Speaker 3But anyway.
Speaker 1Freezing is why I can't talk right now. It is cold, it is very cold's see he can't talk about it.
Speaker 2But anyway, freezing is why I can't talk right now. It is cold, it is very cold. I see I'm quite comfortable.
Speaker 3Well, that's because you're wearing a t-shirt. That is a hot pink fishnet muscle shirt with jams and green jellies.
Speaker 2Why 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 1you 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 2Eggplant.
Speaker 1No, not eggplant In a pot, a potted plant. It might have been an eggplant and pot.
Speaker 2So well, obviously Daddy's concerned about it. Because Daddy keeps calling, did you silence the phone?
Speaker 1We may need to take a quick break so that my young son can answer.
Speaker 2I happen to have my young son in the car and I don't want to hear that kind of language.
Speaker 1We 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 3My father is also deceased. Your father is right over there, shall I?
Speaker 2reiterate and we have a legal document that proves it Evidence, valuable evidence.
Speaker 3Have I echoed the thought that I have buried both my parents? Yes, I have.
Speaker 2So 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 1cost? The Arlo cameras are way cheaper than that first of all.
Speaker 3So they're buying the cellular cameras, so who's going to be in charge of it?
Speaker 1They're buying a cellular service for the cameras.
HOA Drama and Camera Controversies
Speaker 3You know you can buy the game camera, Don't get bogged down in details.
Speaker 1We've got to have instantaneous Woo woo woo, woo, woo, woo.
Speaker 3Oh, that's right.
Speaker 1Someone is stealing the plant. We can't have an SD card that we've got to go get and put on a computer.
Speaker 3We got to have instantaneous.
Speaker 1Now who's going to monitor that? That's my problem.
Speaker 3Who's going to monitor?
Speaker 2Well, she hasn't won an election recently, so she's probably got a little free time.
Speaker 3Shout out to RevealTacticam. With internet service for $15 a month you can get live video feed.
Speaker 1Is this a sponsor? I do love what's happening, but we got Okay, so it's going to monitor it, I assume.
Speaker 2And you know why? Because she's strong to the finish. And you know why she is? Because she's finished.
Speaker 1But 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 2So 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 1no, this is reading.
Speaker 3This 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 2do you think daddy would take us for ice cream? Okay, so we'll sit in the back seat and be.
Speaker 1So 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 2Well, it's details.
Speaker 1It'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 3Yeah, 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 1We don't condone thievery. I just know a guy. I just know a guy yeah.
Speaker 3It's not thievery. I just know a guy, I just know a guy yeah. It's not thievery.
Speaker 1It's just called vandalism. We're not going to vandalize things, is his name.
Speaker 2Harshet, 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 1the 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 3Don't I know the attorney.
Speaker 1No.
Speaker 3Oh.
Speaker 1And 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 2Well, I don't sign nothing.
Speaker 1Yes, 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 3Yeah, oh, what Y'all have fun with that. Yeah, Did they have a quorum last night? I need to find that out.
Speaker 1There's no chance. They had a quorum of homeowners.
Speaker 3Well, 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 1He doesn't care about Robert's.
Speaker 3Rules of Order. Isn't that your next door neighbor?
Speaker 1I 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 3besides, the obvious is.
Speaker 1I need yes, I need a With my race car and stuff. I want a big garage.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1So 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 1Fine, 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 3no, because he's got a breezeway that connects it. That's not considered in architecture, that's not attached.
Speaker 1So 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 2Yep, 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 3How about the person across the street that has a fence. That's only one side. It's not attached to anything.
Speaker 2Well, here's the thing that's keeping people out children, and not keeping things in.
Speaker 3That's true, that's true. So, with regard to Only in the backyard though, yep.
Speaker 1Yep, 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 3So they're saying you can't come inside your house.
Speaker 1All fences are subject to prior written approval by the developer. Underground pit fences are permitted by the developer.
Speaker 3That guy's gone Well.
Speaker 1The developer signed their rights to the homeowners association developers.
Speaker 2This 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 1So we have to rally the troops to not sign this and they want to make other things mandatory.
Speaker 3Yes, 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 2I 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 1They want to win no I tuned it so okay so so anything else on homeowners association I think we all hate them.
Speaker 3Here's the thing. What a homeowner do you know?
Speaker 1do 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 3mine and jie's.
Speaker 1That's it. That's the list.
Speaker 3Here'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 1Supposedly you can't run out to the side, but everybody does it.
Speaker 3That's my point, I mean you think about this house?
Speaker 1up here on the corner it's got a fence that comes out to the sidewall.
Speaker 3Yes, it does Hello.
Speaker 1You're correct, hello. According to the way it's written, it's straight back from your house Correct.
Speaker 2I thought we had already shifted to two orphans talking wrestling.
Speaker 3You 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 1If you think about it honestly, there's not many fences in here.
Speaker 3No, only people who have pools.
Speaker 1Except for one, Actually. That's not true. That's not true. The one up here on the corner doesn't have a pool.
Speaker 2And it's got a fence, and they've got a fence With a bunch of just terrible dogs.
Speaker 3His is one-fourth of a fence. It doesn't really count.
Speaker 2Oh, there you go. That's my guy. I just dealt with him the other day.
Speaker 1I had to text him about something. I'll call him back.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, so anyway, yeah, enough about HOAs we hate them.
Speaker 3They should all burn. Are you calling me? Oh, he's got a text.
Speaker 1Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3Look at this text. Is that from your father? My father's been deceased for 31 years.
Speaker 1Not. According to the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, the legal document that the lawyer I'm sitting across from has reviewed.
Speaker 1Yeah, 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 3Charlie Kirk, charlie Kirk. Yeah, we're talking about it.
Speaker 1And that's probably good.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's what Carrie said, the exact same thing to me. She was like hey, he had to have died instantly.
Political Violence and Civil Discourse
Speaker 1Yeah, and that's good. I don't want anybody to be suffering, right. What are your thoughts.
Speaker 2No 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 2Ronald 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 1Well, 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 2Right sure.
Speaker 1Yep, they didn't love each other, nope, but they got along and got some things done.
Speaker 2Yep.
Speaker 1I 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 3I 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 1So when Mark was 30, 35.
Speaker 3Exactly. 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 1It 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 3I'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 3wrong 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 2I 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 1I have an idea. I do as well.
Speaker 2And it has everything to do with what I'm holding in my hand.
Speaker 3What about the other hand?
Speaker 1I'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 2do with this?
Speaker 1Yes, 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 2It 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 3Well, 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 2Well, and we're okay with that.
Speaker 3Here's the deal and that's not me. I'm sorry, that's not mainstream I don't.
Speaker 2I 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 3This, 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 1That's true.
Speaker 3I 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 2Coach. 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 3you 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 2But all of this is symptomatic of something else, and that is where does the rearing take place?
Speaker 3Oh, 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 2Billy Carter.
Speaker 3When 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 2do that Like having a military parade.
Speaker 3What's it have to do? It protects the United States.
Speaker 2That's not saying hey, we'll the parade does.
Speaker 3No it doesn't. I'm sorry, you know what.
Speaker 2No, 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 3I think it hit an all-time high with Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Speaker 2So it skipped the first Trump presidency.
Speaker 3I 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 2I'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 1I wouldn't be sitting Right.
Speaker 3I still think it all starts at home, if I got in trouble at school.
Speaker 1I got in worse trouble at home yeah, you were.
Speaker 3You were not worried about what the principal did no, well school the school punishment was.
Speaker 2That 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 1which house it started?
Speaker 2the 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 3No child left behind. There is no loser.
Speaker 2There's just the last winner. You know that is what I'm talking about, If you're not first, you're last.
Speaker 2And 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 3I didn't say it was Democrat versus Republican.
Speaker 2No, but you did.
Speaker 3No, 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 2Older people Like your daddy Right.
Speaker 1Not that kind of seniors You're talking about, like my daughter, high school seniors. My daughter. Yes, hallie, hallie senior.
Speaker 3Do 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 2Oh, 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 2So 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 3What's that have to say about our future as a society?
Speaker 2Well, 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 1I don't disagree with any of that.
Speaker 3We're ready to move on to a different topic. Oh, I'm ready.
Speaker 1I've got a topic that I don't know that we can talk about.
Speaker 3Oh, I like that. Does it have to do with voting no?
Speaker 1Can we talk about it? I mean it's on the news.
Speaker 2We're usually not this serious. I know it sucks, it's a news topic.
Speaker 1Yes, can we talk about the?
Speaker 2current. Oh, by the way, we all should Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.
Speaker 1Oh yeah.
Speaker 2Regardless 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 1A 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 3Because there's plenty of people.
Speaker 1you guys know there's plenty of people I disagree with.
Speaker 3I 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.
School Budget Crisis in Fayette County
Speaker 1That's just the way. It is All right what you got. Can we talk about the Fayette County Public Schools?
Speaker 2Holy cow, I don't know if we can, but I sure would like to Sure. Why not Superintendent of the Year, right he?
Speaker 3was.
Speaker 1Superintendent of the Year and how much money have they lost?
Speaker 3that 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 1why do you not have a personal driver?
Speaker 2he has a personal driver no, no, it's, uh, yeah, I do?
Speaker 3I'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 2It's good, $377. It's big.
Speaker 3Wow, and this is his what first full year? Right, he's been here a year now.
Speaker 2No, he's been here. No, he's been here.
Speaker 3It's like three real quick.
Speaker 1But where do you see this heading?
Speaker 1Because, 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 2Yeah, for a conference on, like, mental health of children. Correct, because you got to go to Australia to figure that out.
Speaker 1It 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 2Why do you have to go to australia?
Speaker 1you don't um how many times have you been to australia, being the franklin county post?
Speaker 2ask 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 1So it really is unbelievable. I mean some people in Lexington are just furious. Superintendent of the year. Yeah, so here's.
Speaker 2Here'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 1So 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 2Yeah, and 60 000 and why he was getting reimbursements for more than 60 000 a month.
Speaker 1What it says for and for him was getting reimbursements for more than $60,000 a month.
Speaker 2Let'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 1Wow, 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 2Now, 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 2budget 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 2And 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 3how do you what?
Speaker 2do 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 1Lifetime contract. If this thing keeps going the way it's going, they'll all be gone, yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah, and could a state come in and fire everybody? I'm guessing.
Speaker 1They can come in and take over the board. Okay, yeah, that happened in Floyd County, where I'm from.
Speaker 3Yeah, 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 2Um, it's more, it's more likely in fayette county because of now. There's been this, this legislative hearing.
Speaker 1It'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 2and 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 1Is 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 2It'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 1Since we don't have candy, are we getting ice cream? We go get ice cream.
Speaker 3Let's go. You guys got to ride in the back, I won't talk.
Speaker 2You 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 1And 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 3The first one We've got to rank them as you tell them yes, and you don't know off by then.
Ranking Hollywood's Most Beautiful Women
Speaker 1I've seen this happen with wrestling stuff before. It's fun All right Number one is Grace Kelly.
Speaker 3She was pretty. Princess Grace was a beautiful woman.
Speaker 2Yes, 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 3Two, okay, all right.
Speaker 2Yeah, scarlett.
Speaker 3Johansson One Three.
Speaker 2Oh, 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 1I'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 3Do I have three available or four, Four I?
Speaker 2think 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 3Who wins? Let's look it up. Ready Beyonce, I knew not.
Speaker 1Are we? Talking country music Beyonce or are we talking rap Beyonce? Are you talking about all the single ladies, beyonce?
Speaker 3I still think Angelina Jolie's five. I've never found her attractive.
Speaker 2So Beyonce's one for you, okay.
Speaker 3I didn't know you were a Beyonce guy Now that we know that Grace Kelly is definitely number one, Grace Kelly.
Speaker 2Yep, she's pretty Stunningly. Oh my gosh Listen.
Speaker 3I was trying to come up with some Prince Rainier right.
Speaker 1Yes, it was Of Monaco right Been there, been to her palace Is.
Speaker 2Ohio State off this week. Ohio State is going to win this week.
Speaker 1They're playing bye. So is Kentucky. So is Kentucky. They're playing the bye yeah.
Speaker 3All 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 1That means he can't go to Lima, for sure do you want something?
Speaker 2ice cream dad you ain't got time for that crap.
