The Omaha Bugle-Global News Network

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A thought-provoking look at the news--offering entertaining insights into politics, economics, and popular culture--which are occasionally grounded in actual facts.

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155 episodes
Updated June 25

Episodes155

Newest first

Feb 16, 2023 · 23 min
Balloons, Balloons, Everywhere! . . . Can the United States Detect Invading Weather Balloons? . . .
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff discuss the international crisis caused by the Chinese balloon laden with spy equipment that recently floated across North America before being shot down over the Atlantic Ocean. Jeff wonders whether our defense dollars are being well-spent if we cannot detect a slow-moving "hostile" balloon before it crosses over U.S. territory. Adam and Jeff think that China should have plastered "Happy Birthday Britney!" on the balloon so that it could have plausibly denied any involvement with the balloon. As an alternative, Jeff suggests that the CCP should have offered a young boy named Han to the news media to formally apologize for his Heath-kit balloon floating out of his backyard near Beijing and crossing the ocean in order to deflect blame from the Chinese government. Because the Biden Administration claimed that it did not want to shoot the balloon down over a densely-populated area, Adam and Jeff wonder why the balloon was not shot down over the Alaskan tundra which is not exactly a bustling metropolis. They also debate whether the ballon was merely a provocation to see how the U.S. would react to intrusions into its airspace. Adam also marvels at the route followed by the balloon over the United States as it managed by sheer coincidence to pass over several missile launch sites and military installations.
Feb 16, 2023 · 45 min
Joe Biden's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad State of the Union Address
Send us Fan Mail Always eager to search for nuggets of wisdom in President Biden's public pronouncements, Adam and Jeff review a number of points offered by the chief executive in his 2023 State of the Union address. They point out that the 12 million jobs supposedly created during Biden's first two years of office are largely imaginary, consisting primarily of people returning back to work post-Covid. They also discuss how governments play games with statistics, particularly unemployment figures, in order to make things appear as wonderful as possible to the voting public. Adam considers Biden's speech to be an exercise in fanciful chest-thumping with the occasional factual statement scattered here and there. Unfortunately, Biden ignores the most obvious issues such as China's aggression in the world, the porous southern U.S. border which is more a chalk line than an actual barrier, and the inflation rate which has been kicked upward by such brilliant legislation as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Biden also does not give President Putin of Russia the credit he so richly deserves for unifying NATO, causing most of the European allies to increase defense spending, and unifying the Ukrainian population against the Russian invaders. However, Biden does forcefully demand that wealthy people pay their fair share of taxes even though he has never actually said what percentage of a taxpayer's income would satisfy that requirement.
Feb 13, 2023 · 53 min
Does the United States Have the World's Largest Economy? . . . Has the Chinese Century Already Passed?
Send us Fan Mail The world's two smartest men, Adam and Jeff, consider whether China is poised to wrest the title of the world's largest economy from the United States. The inflexibility of China's mercurial government and its ability to marshall enormous amounts of resources to finish large-scale projects is contrasted with the more open, even anarchic chaos of that of the United States in which many large-scale construction projects can have enormous cost overruns and take added years to complete. Adam and Jeff discuss the many challenges facing China today including a rapidly shrinking and increasingly expensive workforce, a declining growth rate, and a hyper-nationalistic foreign policy that has alienated many nations around the world, including most of those with which it shares a common border. Indeed, Jeff points out that China and Russia have been at each other's throats for most of the past several centuries so it is unlikely that their "eternal alliance" will amount to much more than a few photo opportunities. Adam and Jeff also conclude out that the United States, despite its political divisions and cultural dysfunctions, has the most dynamic economy in the world as well as the dominant banking system and a long tradition of political stability and an on-going adherence to the rule of law. It also boasts a number of allies whose economic and military capabilities dwarf that of China.
Feb 13, 2023 · 41 min
The Pros and Cons of Term Limits
Send us Fan Mail The Omaha Bugle's crack broadcasting team discusses whether members of Congress should be subject to term limits. Adam points out that the decision to limit the President to two terms occurred in part due to concerns that elderly and infirm (but popular) presidents could keep getting re-elected even if they were totally out of their minds. Many people believe that lifetime politicians lose touch with their constituents and look out for themselves more than the voters. Jeff points out that incumbency is an enormous advantage in that 90%+ of the members of both the U.S. House and Senate are re-elected--even though you might not trust them alone with your fine china and silver. Term limits might cause members of Congress to be less beholden to lobbyists but they could also cause members to weigh the views of lobbyists more heavily if they expect to be seeking a job outside of Congress sooner rather than later due to term limits. Adam and Jeff agree that most voters detest Congress as an institution but typically give high marks to their own representatives. Unfortunately, term limits for presidents do not always guarantee outstanding (or even mentally coherent) chief executives so it is ultimately the voters who must bear the blame for the quality of our political leadership.
Jan 28, 2023 · 33 min
The Fed Shows Who's Boss . . . How Government Actions Make or Break Markets . . . Rising Interest Rates Can Cause National Debt to Explode
Send us Fan Mail In the newly redecorated newsroom of the Omaha Bugle which features tasteful original paintings of dogs playing poker, Adam and Jeff discuss the Fed's numerous increases in the federal funds rate over the past year which have led to a doubling of the interest rates most consumers pay. They talk about how these increases will have an explosive effect on the cost of financing the government debt which is now over $31 trillion. Adam and Jeff also discuss the negative effects of rising interest rates on asset market valuations, particularly in view of recent declines in the stock market as well as other, more speculative asset classes such as cryptocurrencies. In short, rising interest rates increase the costs of speculating in various asset classes; the more speculative the asset, the greater the impact rising rates will have on asset values. Adam and Jeff also consider the long-term psychological impact of near-zero interest rates; ultra-low rates encourage government leaders to spend money even more recklessly because the costs of financing increased debt are perceived to b e almost non-existent. Jeff is about to make a really interesting point about they ways in which government debt can be reined in when one of the studio engineers accidentally spills a cup of coffee on the control panel and shorts out the circuits in the studio and cuts of the broadcast in mid-sentence.
Jan 17, 2023 · 45 min
Searching for Treasure in Joe Biden's Garage . . . Is there a Double Standard for Democrats and Republicans when Classified Documents are Involved?
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff describe the recurring appearances of new classified documents that keep showing up in President Biden's house, his garage and in the offices of the Penn Biden Center. They try to make sense of the assertion by Biden supporters that it is different when you offer to give the documents back after getting caught than if you (like Trump) assert any presidential privileges after documents are seized from your home in an early morning raid by the FBI. They also wonder why Biden would be possessing classified documents from his vice presidential days in the first place because vice presidents--unlike presidents--lack any authority to declassify such documents. Jeff and Adam agree that if Biden kept the garage locked, then maybe storing classified documents there would be okay because no one would ever be able to break into a locked garage. Jeff points out that his 7-year old grandson could have found the documents sooner than the battery of government lawyers going through Biden's house. Both Adam and Jeff agree that if Biden's garage is piled floor to ceiling with assorted junk, then it might be safe to store anything in there including the nation's nuclear codes.
Dec 19, 2022 · 58 min
Bringing a Dose of Good Old Fashioned Wokeness to Our Most Insensitive Nursery Rhymes
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff continue carrying the torch of civilization forward and consider how best to rework many traditional nursery rhymes to purge them of their damaging patriarchal white-supremacist homophobic contents.
Dec 16, 2022 · 30 min
The "Parasitic Generation" . . . The Decline of Government Institutions . . . Does Anyone Care About Paying the National Debt?
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff begin their discussion of what Victor Davis Hanson has called the "parasitic generation"; the current governing elites who seem to be content to live off the achievements of past generations. The politicization of formerly stalwart institutions such as the FBI is discussed. Jeff asks how we have managed to increase the national debt from $1 trillion to $31 trillion in the space of four decades, particularly since our infrastructure continues to crumble and our schools sink into mediocrity. The lack of an orderly budgetary process is discussed; it has become little more than a grab-bag of pork and payoffs that has no coherent theme and does not address the most pressing issues facing the country. Adam and Jeff also voice their concerns about the fate of the blue collar workers such as electricians, plumbers and carpenters who are seeing their livelihoods destroyed by unrestricted mass migration and wonder why the trade unions do not speak up for their members.
Dec 14, 2022 · 43 min
Are Electric Cars Environmentally Friendly? . . . Could All Internal Combustion Engines Be Replaced by Electric Engines? . . .Why are Big Projects Designed by Bureaucrats Instead of Engineers?
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff return to familiar territory in calling out the socially virtuous drivers of electric cars who are ingnorant of the actual source of the electricity powering the grid. They point out that more than two-thirds of the electric grid is powered by fossil fuels. The recent (and illegal) attempt by California's governor to ban internal combustion engines by 2035 via executive order is discussed. Jeff suggests that politics is becoming less a legislative process than a forum in which ideologues try to forment hostility toward whatever thing they oppose to deter opponents from voicing their own opinions or pushing their own agendas. Adam and Jeff talk about the "groupthink" that has characterized the government effort to convince drivers to switch to electric vehicles, pointing out that government tax credits are nothing more than subsidies to the wealthier tax payers who can actually afford to buy electric vehicles. Adam also wonders why the socially virtuous drivers of electric vehicles do not worry much about the child labor used in developing countries to secure materials for manufacturing lithium batteries or the environmental costs of disposing of and recycling these materials.
Dec 14, 2022 · 47 min
Steroid Use Among Internet Celebrities . . . Does Anyone Get A Pass for Crimes of Moral Turpitude? . . . Do Prisoner Swaps Encourage Other Countries to Kidnap Americans?
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff convene at the Omaha Bugle headquarters at Asgard to discuss the presence of steroids among celebrities and athletes. Adam talks about his own experiences with performance-enhancing steroids during his power-lifting career. Jeff wonders what anyone who is trying to attract attention on the internet to bolster their audience membership can do to stand out. Can people who are arguably victims or subject to traditional prejudices be held to a lesser standard when they commit crimes? Adam talks about the recent swap of a WNBA basketball player imprisoned in Russia for drug possession with the so-called "merchant of death" and concludes that the deal only made sense for an American politician who is trying to "check all the boxes" to mollify his constituents. Do plain-old heroic marines who have been kidnapped not merit the same priority as basketball players? Jeff and Adam conclude with a discussion of their concerns about the lack of respect shown by both the government and corporate America for the nation's blue collar workers--the only people who know how to make stuff.
Nov 22, 2022 · 50 min
Biden's Cratering Approval Ratings . . . Harris as the Ultimate Impeachment Shield . . . Politics As Religion . . . Supporting the Ever Expanding Welfare State . . .
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff talk about the apparent contradiction of President Biden's abysmal job approval ratings and the absence of any challengers for the 2024 Democratic nomination. Jeff suggests that since you do not have to show up in person to vote, you should not have to show up in person to run for office--a tactic successfully pioneered by Biden in the 2020 campaign (the now praised "basement campaign strategy"). The absence of any effective policing at the southern border of the United States is regarded by Adam as a dereliction of duty by Biden but one which will bring a vast new dependent class into the United States that will name their children "Joe" or "the Big Guy". Jeff argues that a balanced budget amendment is pointless because there are a myriad of ways money can be spent off-budget. Adam and Jeff wonder if appearance in politics matter more than actual achievements: They contend that Biden's executive order to forgive student loans was a well-timed but unconstitutional action to motivate younger voters to vote for their Democratic overlords. Given the delays in challenging over-reaching government actions in court, Jeff wonders if politicians believe they can do whatever they want for as long as they want until they are slapped down by the courts?
Nov 22, 2022 · 38 min
The Omaha Bugle's Purchase of CNN. . . .Times When CEOs Should Avoid Earnings Calls. . . . Why Do "Chicken Wings" Imported from China Have Toenails? . . . President Trump Announces His Candidacy for President. . . . Carbon Footprints and the G-20 Summit .
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff discuss their on-going efforts to purchase CNN after having passed a hat around the office. They express their sympathy for a CEO who was admittedly drunk on an earnings call. Adam points out that you get what you pay for after authorities determined that cheaper imported "chicken wings" from China were actually succulent rat legs. He also talks about former President Trump, who recently announced his candidacy for President in 2024. Jeff wonders whether it would have made more sense to conduct the G-20 summit on a zoom call instead of sending hundreds of officials on private jets down to Bali. He also worries about the "geritocracy" that currently runs the executive and legislative branches of government. President Biden's lack of knowledge about his current location does not seem to affect his popularity; Jeff wonders if it is due to much of the general public not being sure about their own geographical locations.
Nov 16, 2022 · 29 min
The midterm red wave becomes a red puddle. . . . Joe Biden brings a refreshing new view of constitutionality to the executive branch. . . .The dangers of inflation and hyperinflation and having to break a $100 billion bill.
Send us Fan Mail In their detailed post-midterm election analysis, Adam and Jeff conclude that not much changed except that the two parties traded a few seats and the GOP got to pick better parking spaces in the House parking garage. Although tens of billions of dollars were spent and the GOP took control of the House, Jeff thought that the return of political gridlock would be a positive development as it might lead to an absence of new government programs. Noted election analyst and occasional Omaha Bugle contributor Josef Stalin points out that all of this election spending is misplaced because it is far more important to count the votes than to be the one who gets the most votes. President Biden is given some credit for thinking outside of the box and the bounds of the U.S. Constitution for his arguably illegal effort to wipe out hundreds of billions of dollars of student debt with the stroke of a pen. He also gets kudos for pointing out that he cannot guarantee he can get rid of inflation unless Congress passes a new $10 trillion Super-Duper Inflation Elimination Act which will get rid of the problem altogether by making inflation illegal. Adam and Jeff consider the problem of hyperinflation and the issues that arise when you have to get change for your $100 billion dollar bill to feed the parking meter. Also considered by our correspondents is the bankruptcy of FTX, one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges. Although Binance, another leading exchange, offered to buy out FTX (presumably using more cryptocurrency instead of cold hard cash), the deal fell through; this event prompted Jeff to propose that he and Adam mint their own "Von Romer" cryptocurrency so that they can become metaverse billionaires overnight.
Nov 16, 2022 · 31 min
Should hammers be regulated like guns? . . . Is there any Constitutional right to possess a hammer or, indeed, any other hand tools? . . . How might we put an end to school shootings?
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff discuss buying CNN with the spare change laying around the newsroom. The recent assault by a hammer-wielding assailant on Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul, prompts Adam to propose a national registry of hammers complete with background checks and "cooling off" periods. Jeff talks about the Founding Fathers having failed to include any reference in the U.S. Constitution to the right to bear hammers--or, indeed, any other hand tools. The need for mandatory hammer safety courses is considered by Jeff and Adam as well as the glaring lack of hammer-related instruction in America's schools. Adam wonders if nails should be regulated in the same way as bullets so as to limit the destructive impact of hammers. To better ensure that nails are used for construction purposes only, Jeff proposes hiring 87,000 people (perhaps those newly-hired IRS agents who want to earn some extra cash) to follow anyone who buys nails around until they can verify that all of the nails have been used appropriately. Due to the fact that most mass shooters in schools murder their victims within the first few minutes, Jeff proposes that every student (most of whom have honed their shooting skills and eye-to-hand coordination on shoot-'em-up video games) be given a loaded pistol so that they can empty their rounds before a would-be perpetrator gets the first shot off,
Oct 12, 2022 · 42 min
Do we expect less of everyone in today's society--even the really dumb people? Who calls the shots on the college campuses? Do higher grades in the new millennium mean supersmart students?
Send us Fan Mail Always proud to display their command of multi-syllabic words, Adam and Jeff consider whether our society is experiencing a "dumbing down" of expectations. Students who have their feelings hurt or who find a class too difficult for their tastes are often able to petition the administrators to have the offending professor fired. Jeff considers how sympathetic his school administrators would have been (not much) to a petition to have a borderline competent instructor removed for grading too hard. Adam remembers the absolute terror caused by the specter of being held back for a year and the incredible motivation it provided to him to apply himself to his studies--if only for a few frantic days. The grade inflation of the last 30 years (which has seen the average high school GPA rise from 2.5 to 3.2) suggests that students have become much smarter while being far less prepared for college--a truly amazing accomplishment. The creation of magnet schools to draw smart kids to under-performing institutions to preserve educational funding is lauded. Both Adam and Jeff agree that teachers are woefully underpaid and would probably prefer to spend their evenings watching Hallmark movies instead of grading the papers of the kids who will one day petition the principal to fire them. The entire point of higher education seems to be lost on many of today's "whiny" students who seem to be more concerned about having their social virtuousness affirmed than in learning how to be a productive (and employable) member of society.
Oct 12, 2022 · 40 min
Automotive Experts Adam and Jeff discuss some of the pros and cons of electric vehicles . . . Are electric vehicles actually "greener" than their gasoline-powered counterparts . . . Can the electric vehicle be a viable form of transportation for everyone?
Send us Fan Mail Jeff and Adam, who are never shy about venturing into areas that they know little about, talk about the motoring experiences reported by recent Tesla drivers. The advantage of fewer moving parts in the motor of an electric vehicle is offset somewhat by the concern that the enormously-expensive battery packs that fuel electric cars will fail and have to be replaced (and not by D-sized Ever-ready batteries). Jeff talks about his test driving several Tesla cars, largely to impress his children--who were horrified by his continuing to drive a 10-year old Honda Accord, particularly when he would pick them up at school in front of their friends. The thrilling slingshot acceleration provided by electric vehicles is dampened only by the staggering sticker price which probably limits Tesla purchases to the wealthest quarter of the population. Adam wonders if people are buying electric cars to feel socially virtuous even though the electricity used to power these cars is generated mostly by burning fossil fuels. Finally, our correspondents talk about "range anxiety", the malady which affects electric vehicle owners, who find that charging stations are not particularly plentiful in most parts of the country. But the Omaha Bugle listeners can take solace in the fact that two of the Bugle's sponsors, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, will soon have a morphine-based treatment for this debilitating emotional condition.
Oct 5, 2022 · 42 min
The Russia-China Bromance . . . "Blue Light Specials" On the Russian Oil Market . . . The Latest 10 Foot Tall Enemy . . . Russia's Need for Elbow Room . . . China Offers Vague Promises--Not Much Else
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff put on their "geopolitical thinking caps" to discuss the latest "alliance of everlasting friendship" between Russia and China--which will probably last until lunchtime tomorrow. Russia's reliance on exports of gas and oil to keep its economy afloat has likened more than one person to refer to it as "a gas station with nuclear weapons." Developing countries that borrow money from China find that the Gambino Family may have been a more benevolent lender. Russian soldiers are finding that their forced vacations in Ukraine are not up to typical Club Med standards. Putin plans to annex parts of Ukraine he does not control and then, maybe, all of South America. Russia, which covers 1/6th of the world's land, whines about the need to control bordering countries (which are smaller than most states in the United States) in order to bolster its security. China offers its typical rousing support for Putin's adventures in Ukraine by not saying anything about Ukraine or actually doing anything to help boost the Russian military fortunes in Ukraine. Russia wins in incurring more casualties in seven months in Ukraine than the United States suffered in a decade of combat in Vietnam. Xi and Putin both seem to be very happy to have their picture taken together even though the historical enmity between their respective countries suggest that they are in a celibate marriage of convenience. Because Russia will likely be an international pariah for as long as Putin is in power, Putin may consider changing his name to Kandi Khardashian.
Oct 5, 2022 · 30 min
How Many Attorneys Does It Take to Change A Lightbulb? . . .Who "Killed" Ivana Trump? . Who Should Put a Value on Commercial Property? . . . Are Coffins the Best Place to Hide Classified Documents? . . .
Send us Fan Mail In deference to Jeff's background as an attorney, Adam does his part to bolster the image of the profession by pulling up attorney jokes off the internet. Jeff and Adam discuss many of the bizarre conspiracy theories that have cropped up about the death of Ivana Trump and wonder if there are better places to store classified documents than a New Jersey golf course. They also wonder if you can get a tax break by burying your family members in your front yard and, more importantly, how many ex-wives you would have to bury around a golf course to be classified as a tax-exempt cemetery. In considering the controversy of Trump's valuation of his real estate properties, Jeff and Adam point out that it is up to the banks making the loans to order appraisals and do whatever due diligence they need in order to decide whether to make the loans; the New York State Attorney's office (surprise! surprise!) is not typically viewed as an authority on real estate values.
Sep 19, 2022 · 35 min
A Visit to the Trump Store . . . A Sad Day for Teen-age Girls at the Kardashian Store in Miami . . . A New Olympic Event: The Luxury Handbag Toss . . . The FBI's Panty Raid on Mar-o-Lago . . . Barron Trump's Laptop Scandal
Send us Fan Mail Always in search of bargains, Jeff recounts his visit to the Trump Store on Fifth Avenue in New York where you can take care of all of your holiday shopping needs. Adam and Jeff talk about the deeply discounted Trump Pence T-shirts, Trump sportswear, oversized Trump golf balls and MAGA hats actually made in Mexico. Adam brags about his luxurious Trump robe which he may have purchased from a hotel. Adam and Jeff discuss the enormous marketing possibilities that would be available by adding the luxury handbag throw as an Olympic event with numerous sponsors such as Gucci and Fendi. The FBI raid on Mar-o-Lago appears to Adam to be nothing more than a playful panty raid of Melania's undergarment drawer. Adam and Jeff worry that Barron Trump may be communicating with foreign spies while playing Fortnite on his laptop. The fears of a nuclear strike or even nuclear blackmail by North Dakota is also considered--another subject that has been completely ignored by the legacy media.
Sep 19, 2022 · 34 min
Adam talks about Stanley Tools and his extensive collection of hand tools . . . Jeff recalls building a doomed house in the Hamptons . . .Adam boasts that shipping containers would be a virtually indestructible form of housing
Send us Fan Mail Jeff and Adam talk about the incredible intellectual legacy that the Omaha Bugle podcasts will provide to future generations of scholars, political leaders and arsonists. Adam recounts the surprising 180-year history of Stanley Tools, a leading supplier of tools throughout the world and an unwitting sponsor of the show. Adam and Jeff discuss the ups and downs (mainly downs) of home renovations and the sad state of home craftmanship in today's fast-paced society. Jeff bemoans the fact that tenants do not always cooperate with landlords in paying their rent, thus frustrating the landlord's plans to build a rental empire on the backs of the working poor. The follies of Jeff's home construction project in the poor section of the Hamptons is recounted including the fact that the foundation was poured in a reverse layout and a pool of water collected inside the interior walls for years due to a leaky pipe. However, the basement, which flooded with every heavy rain, did provide a sort of indoor swimming pool that anyone could theoretically enjoy. The fact that the same subcontractors work on the cheapest houses and the most palatial estates is not particularly comforting to those who shell out millions of dollars for a custom house. Jeff's many interactions with home insurers is recalled as well as the increasing difficulty he had in getting them to return his calls. The increasingly shorter lives of all home appliances is discussed, particularly air conditioners that last only a few years and are held together with plastic and glue. Adam talk about a house in which all of the walls were crooked even though was reassured by the contractor that they would add enough material to "cover everything up." Shipping containers are offered as an alternative, almost indestructible form of housing, which a homeowner could use as a domicile and get the equivalent of a "hardened" double wide trailer able to withstand the direct hit of an artillery shell. Adam talks about his ill-fated effort to install a water heater in his garage and the map gas gun flame that nearly incinerated his face.