RADIOMarch 08, 2022

EXPLAINED: How gas prices affect EVERY part of your life

A new survey shows 85 percent of American small business owners are concerned about inflation. And now it’s not just inflation Americans must worry about; the cost of oil is skyrocketing too, with gas prices reaching nearly seven dollars in California. In this clip, Glenn explains how those prices can affect your life (and businesses) in ways far beyond filling up your car: 'If you think the supply chain is bad now, how are these truckers going to move goods if they can’t afford the gas?' Plus, Glenn shares statistics that show just how much Americans financially are struggling today…

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: All righty. So let me just go over a couple of things. MetLife and the chamber of commerce has a small business index survey.

And they conducted it in late January. And they found that 85 percent of small business owners, say they're concerned about the effects of inflation on their business.

Up from 74 percent just before the holiday. Almost half of small business owners, 44 percent, say they're very concerned about their higher prices.

Remember, this was in January.

I think things are probably a little worse right now.

Don't you think?

STU: Uh-huh.

GLENN: It's one of those things.

You know, I read the diary of a guy, in Germany. It's fascinating. I'm trying to remember the name of it.

It's fascinating. And during the Weimar Republic. When inflation hit. And hyperinflation.

He said, last week, we didn't know what the word hyperinflation even meant.

This week, it's all anyone is talking about.

That's how fast things -- things happen.

Anyway, 76 percent said, they are finding it difficult to manage higher costs because of inflation. Consumer prices rose 7.5 in 12 months. And in January.

Fastest pace of inflation in four decades. Inflation is not only growing to soaring highs. But it's also increased at a rapid pace. Less than a year ago when the chamber of commerce conducted the same survey, only 16 percent of small business owners, cited inflation has a big concern.

Think of that. Sixteen percent. Now it's 76 percent very concerned. Forty-one percent of owners said they had to downsize by decreasing staff, in order to cope.

More than a quarter of the small business owners surveyed, said the supply chain problems are their biggest concern. While slightly fewer, 24 percent, pointed to COVID-19, as their top trepidation.

Both of these were dwarfed by the 33 percent who said inflation was the biggest concern. Majority of small businesses, 63 percent, said the supply chain had been disrupted by the pandemic.

The problem is, I have a trucker in the family. And the problem is, they can't afford to move the goods.

They're not really getting any money. And increase for the gas, that is really handling all of this.

So these truckers. I mean, how are they going to -- you think the supply chain is bad now. How are these truckers going to be able to do something, if they can't afford the gas?

Think about how much that gas is costing you.

I would love to hear from a trucker.

What does it cost to fill your bank?

I have another question. Those really big barrel things, around the exhaust pipes?

Are those mufflers, on each side of the door?

Those big, huge round -- are those mufflers. I drove by one. I don't know what those are.

I wonder what that is. Anyway, how much does it cost to fill a truck?

Can you even imagine?

And you can't eat that.

STU: Everything -- every single product, obviously, that you utilize, on a daily basis.

Think about just like Uber. Think about the people who get around in Uber all the time.

They obviously will have to jack these prices up. I think they're probably doing it already.

GLENN: But you don't even understand.

You know, think of any medication that you take, that is in a capsule, okay?

Not in a tablet. But a capsule.

That capsule is made from petroleum products.

Everything.

People are not thinking about the natural gas. We're just going to shut down the natural gas pipelines.

Oh, are we?

You know what makes fertilizer?

Natural gas.

So natural gas, having a shortage of natural gas, means you're not having the fertilizer, that you -- you always have. You can't make the fertilizer in the amounts that we need.

So we're buying most of it, already, from Russia, and China.

You think that's going to go well?

How much is it going to cost to get things from China?

If oil is $185 a barrel? How much? How much?

Right now, in California, they are paying $6.95 for regular. For regular.

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: How is that going to impact the people of California?

I mean, the people of California. I mean, you guys have to get out of there. You're so screwed. You're so screwed.

They just passed this thing, where you can't build anymore single family housing.

And they're rezoning things. So you can have multi-family housing in these areas that were zoned forever for single family housing.

You know, when you think about the zoning, you know, you might want to think hmm. If there are four people to a house. Or four families to a house. Instead of one family to a house. How many cars have to be parked on the street?

How many cars are now going to be on that small, little street, just driving?

Gee. Are the schools prepared, for four times as many children?

Is there a food desert? Because there would probably be one now, with four times the people living in this area.

Nobody is thinking about, you can't make one small change, and expect everything to fall into place.

All of this, has been designed, for reasons.

And these -- these Marxists are coming in here, thinking, oh, well. We can -- honestly, it's let's ban Russian oil.

I'm all for it. If we open up our oil. And not our oil reserve.

Not our strategic oil reserve.

Our -- start pumping it.

Open up your pipelines. Start pumping the -- the natural gas again.

It -- guys, if we don't have natural gas, we don't have fertilizer. If we don't have fertilizer, we get half the food, we need, just to fill our own tables with food.

Anyway, you know, the fed keeps saying, oh. No, no, no, no.

You know, it's really -- it's really great. I mean, the median -- the savings. People have more in their savings now, than ever before.

Does that feel right to you?

Do you know people who are like, I have so much in savings. I don't really care.

Right? Does that feel right to you?

I hear that all the time. Well, it's true.

If you look at the total, do Americans -- do just Americans have more in their savings account?

STU: You mean like everyone in the country combined.

GLENN: Everyone in the country combined.

The answer is, yes.

But if you look at the median, no. No. No. Not so true.

Uh-uh. No. Uh-uh.

Median all houses. If you are in the lowest 20 percent, you have zero.

If you are in the second 20 percent, you have $860. If you're in the middle 20 percent, you might be able to scrape up a median, all households, $12,330.

I think that's pretty great. I don't know a lot of people that have $12,330. Do you have that in the bank account?

When you were a median income person, that's a lot of money to have.

STU: Good little nest egg there. It could be getting to certainly an emergency plan, right?

GLENN: Yeah. Top 10 percent. Top 10 percent has $48,100. Wow.

STU: Top 10 percent of earners.

GLENN: Top 1 percent has 1,627,820.

So anybody -- if you are living in the bottom 50 percent, you got nothing. You got nothing.

Top 50 percent. You got something, at the bottom of the top 50.

And you got a lot, if you're in the top one.

STU: This is just cash on hand? This is not like equity on your home, per se. Or is it?

GLENN: Median income. Averages and medians, in the group.

Shows volunteer, average --

STU: I don't know why I'm asking you this question.

GLENN: Yeah. I have absolutely no idea. I don't like into these things.

STU: This is my job to look into these things. And I have to do that. Apparently not.

That's a fascinating thing. This is -- this type of stuff they bring up all the time on the left. This is income inequality. That's the problem. If we just had more equal incomes and higher tax rates, all these problems would be solved. Now, that doesn't make any sense, when you actually break the numbers down.

But this is their case for it. The thing with the maximum amount of savings, that I keep hearing. The government flooded the market with so much money, that many business -- people who worked at businesses, were able to -- you know, in a time that was scary. They were able to put some of this money away. Didn't take trips. Didn't take vacations. Didn't buy high ticket items for a while. Now that things are opening up. They're flooding the market for these high ticket items. That were not being produced in 2020.

And so now, as you always say, too many dollars chasing too few goods. And we're getting to that point where that inflation is hitting really hard. At some point, in the near future, of course, Glenn, because this is transitory, they are going to be able to ramp up production, and meet that demand. And these problems are supposedly going to go away.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: Look at -- look at the energy prices. Look at what's going on with Ukraine and Russia. And how that will affect the global economy. God forbid too that China gets involved in Taiwan. And the same sorts of restrictions.

We really cannot afford to put those restrictions on China. It would ruin the global economy.

Not to mention, our own specifically --

GLENN: Let's just say, they don't take Taiwan. Let's just say, they decide to take a hard line, because they're now blaming us for Ukraine. They're saying, we did it.

And in some regard, you might say, we didn't. But the Biden administration did. And the Biden administration -- or Biden family, along with the Obama administration, probably played a role in this.

However, it's Russia that invaded. Not the United States.

But China is now blaming us. And they are blaming us, internally. Not just externally. Internally. They're saying all of this is going on because of the United States.

So what happens to our supply lines?

What happens to our oil?

If we've decided not to open up oil here, instead, we said Venezuela. Who is, by the way, a -- an in-bed partner with Russia. And Iran, who, by the way, is a partner with Russia and China.

What happens when we're asking all these countries to help us, and they decide, you know what, there's an axis power here.

STU: Right.

I keep thinking about this too. There are so many questions that are open. Think of Russia right now. Who we are -- we are on television, saying, yeah. Boeing can give jets to Ukraine. To go and, you know, do all sorts of things in Ukraine, to protect them. Which, of course, we all want that to happen.

And we will backfill their Air Force. So essentially, we're the ones giving these jets to Ukraine.

We are saying -- we are -- there's published reports all over the place. Of all of these missiles and air defense units. And all the things. Stingers. And javelins. All the things we're giving to Ukraine.

We're saying it. Think about what would happen if Russia were doing the same, when we were going into Iraq.

Right? If they were saying, yeah. By the way, we're sending these weapons.

We're outwardly doing it. And those are the things killing your soldiers. How would we react to that? Not well.

Not well.

And at some point, Russia, especially if they get a really strong resistance for a long period of time, in Ukraine.

Is going to take action against us, whether it's through cyber attacks, or through some other form of economic manipulation.

I don't think they're going to start launching missiles at our cities. At least, not yet.

But there are plenty of things they can do, and given us a taste of it already.

That they can do kind of under the table. Without their hands under it. And affect our lives in real ways.

You think they're ready for a legitimate cyber attack in Russia? Do you think we are prepared for that in any way? How confident are you in our defenses on that?

And our resilience to that?

GLENN: Not at all. Not at all.

STU: Not at all.

GLENN: Not at all. Yeah. I don't think America -- you know, I was trying to explain war to the kids.

Made them cry all weekend.

But tried to explain war to the kid. This is a different war. And this is what Americans need to understand. This is not like the war that all of us have known, if you're my age. Okay?

I'm -- I'm 57, 58. I don't know.

I'm 40.

And -- and, I mean, I remember Vietnam. And I remember it ending.

This isn't even Vietnam. Okay?

What is possible on the horizon here, is World War II, Depression kind of stuff. Okay?

That's what's on the horizon. So please, tell your congressman, and your senators. Hey, shut up about shutting down the Russian oil. Unless it is coupled with opening up our own energy supplies.

I'm all for cutting off Russian oil.

But not if we're taking it from our strategic oil reserves, and then wining and dining Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.

That's suicide.

Call your congressman. And your senator. And tell them to start demanding, we open up our own oil supplies.

Could passengers have SAVED Iryna Zarutska?

Surveillance footage of the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, NC, reveals that the other passengers on the train took a long time to help her. Glenn, Stu, and Jason debate whether they were right or wrong to do so.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: You know, I'm -- I'm torn on how I feel about the people on the train.

Because my first instinct is, they did nothing! They did nothing! Then my -- well, sit down and, you know -- you know, you're going to be judged. So be careful on judging others.

What would I have done? What would I want my wife to do in that situation?

STU: Yeah. Are those two different questions, by the way.

GLENN: Yeah, they are.

STU: I think they go far apart from each other. What would I want myself to do. I mean, it's tough to put yourself in a situation. It's very easy to watch a video on the internet and talk about your heroism. Everybody can do that very easily on Twitter. And everybody is.

You know, when you're in a vehicle that doesn't have an exit with a guy who just murdered somebody in front of you, and has a dripping blood off of a knife that's standing 10 feet away from you, 15 feet away from you.

There's probably a different standard there, that we should all kind of consider. And maybe give a little grace to what I saw at least was a woman, sitting across the -- the -- the aisle.

I think there is a difference there. But when you talk about that question. Those two questions are definitive.

You know, I know what I would want myself to do. I would hope I would act in a way that didn't completely embarrass myself afterward.

But I also think, when I'm thinking of my wife. My advice to my wife would not be to jump into the middle of that situation at all costs. She might do that anyway. She actually is a heck of a lot stronger than I am.

But she might do it anyway.

GLENN: How pathetic, but how true.

STU: Yes. But that would not be my advice to her.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

STU: Now, maybe once the guy has certainly -- is out of the area. And you don't think the moment you step into that situation. He will turn around and kill you too. Then, of course, obviously. Anything you can do to step in.

Not that there was much anyone on the train could do.

I mean, I don't think there was an outcome change, no matter what anyone on that train did.

Unfortunately.

But would I want her to step in?

Of course. If she felt she was safe, yes.

Think about, you said, your wife. Think about your daughter. Your daughter is on that train, just watching someone else getting murdered like that. Would you advise your daughter to jump into a situation like that?

That girl sitting across the aisle was somebody's daughter. I don't know, man.

JASON: I would. You know, as a dad, would I advise.

Hmm. No.

As a human being, would I hope that my daughter or my wife or that I would get up and at least comfort that woman while she's dying on the floor of a train?

Yeah.

I would hope that my daughter, my son, that I would -- and, you know, I have more confidence in my son or daughter or my wife doing something courageous more than I would.

But, you know, I think I have a more realistic picture of myself than anybody else.

And I'm not sure that -- I'm not sure what I would do in that situation. I know what I would hope I would do. But I also know what I fear I would do. But I would have hoped that I would have gotten up and at least tried to help her. You know, help her up off the floor. At least be there with her, as she's seeing her life, you know, spill out in under a minute.

And that's it other thing we have to keep in mind. This all happened so rapidly.

A minute is -- will seem like a very long period of time in that situation. But it's a very short period of time in real life.

STU: Yeah. You watch the video, Glenn. You know, I don't need the video to -- to change my -- my position on this.

But at his seem like there was a -- someone who did get there, eventually, to help, right? I saw someone seemingly trying to put pressure on her neck.

GLENN: Yeah. And tried to give her CPR.

STU: You know, no hope at that point. How long of a time period would you say that was?

Do you know off the top of your head?

GLENN: I don't know. I don't know. I know that we watched the video that I saw. I haven't seen past 30 seconds after she --

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: -- is down. And, you know, for 30 seconds nothing is happening. You know, that is -- that is not a very long period of time.

STU: Right.

GLENN: In reality.

STU: And especially, I saw the pace he was walking. He certainly can't be -- you know, he may have left the actual train car by 30 seconds to a minute. But he wasn't that far away. Like he was still in visual.

He could still turn around and look and see what's going on at that point. So certainly still a threat is my point. He has not, like, left the area. This is not that type of situation.

You know, I -- look, as you point out, I think if I could be super duper sexist for a moment here, sort of my dividing line might just be men and women.

You know, I don't know if it's that a -- you're not supposed to say that, I suppose these days. But, like, there is a difference there. If I'm a man, you know, I would be -- I would want my son to jump in on that, I suppose. I don't know if he could do anything about it. But you would expect at least a grown man to be able to go in there and do something about it. A woman, you know, I don't know.

Maybe I'm -- I hope --

GLENN: Here's the thing I -- here's the thing that I -- that causes me to say, no. You should have jumped in.

And that is, you know, you've already killed one person on the train. So you've proven that you're a killer. And anybody who would have screamed and got up and was with her, she's dying. She's dying. Get him. Get him.

Then the whole train is responsible for stopping that guy. You know. And if you don't stop him, after he's killed one person, if you're not all as members of that train, if you're not stopping him, you know, the person at the side of that girl would be the least likely to be killed. It would be the ones that are standing you up and trying to stop him from getting back to your daughter or your wife or you.

JASON: There was a -- speaking of men and women and their roles in this. There was a video circling social media yesterday. In Sweden. There was a group of officials up on a stage. And one of the main. I think it was health official woman collapses on stage. Completely passes out.

All the men kind of look away. Or I don't know if they're looking away. Or pretending that they didn't know what was going on. There was another woman standing directly behind the woman passed out.

Immediately springs into action. Jumps on top. Grabs her pant leg. Grabs her shoulder. Spins her over and starts providing care.

What did she have that the other guys did not? Or women?

She was a sheepdog. There is a -- this is my issue. And I completely agree with Stu. I completely agree with you. There's some people that do not respond this way. My issue is the proportion of sheepdogs versus people that don't really know how to act. That is diminishing in western society. And American society.

We see it all the time in these critical actions. I mean, circumstances.

There are men and women, and it's actually a meme. That fantasize about hoards of people coming to attack their home and family. And they sit there and say, I've got it. You guys go. I'm staying behind, while I smoke my cigarette and wait for the hoards to come, because I will sacrifice myself. There are men and women that fantasize of block my highway. Go ahead. Block my highway. I'm going to do something about it. They fantasize about someone holding up -- not a liquor store. A convenience store or something. Because they will step in and do something. My issue now is that proportion of sheepdogs in society is disappearing. Just on statistical fact, there should be one within that train car, and there were none.

STU: Yeah. I mean --

JASON: They did not respond.

STU: We see what happens when they do, with Daniel Penny. Our society tries to vilify them and crush their existence. Now, there weren't that many people on that train. Right?

At least on that car. At least it's limited. I only saw three or four people there, there may have been more. I agree with you, though. Like, you see what happens when we actually do have a really recent example of someone doing exactly what Jason wants and what I would want a guy to do. Especially a marine to step up and stop this from happening. And the man was dragged by our legal system to a position where he nearly had to spend the rest of his life in prison.

I mean, I -- it's insanity. Thankfully, they came to their senses on that one.

GLENN: Well, the difference between that one and this one though is that the guy was threatening. This one, he killed somebody.

STU: Yeah. Right. Well, but -- I think -- but it's the opposite way. The debate with Penny, was should he have recognize that had this person might have just been crazy and not done anything?

Maybe. He hadn't actually acted yet. He was just saying things.

GLENN: Yeah. Well --

STU: He didn't wind up stabbing someone. This is a situation where these people have already seen what this man will do to you, even when you don't do anything to try to stop him. So if this woman, who is, again, looks to be an average American woman.

Across the aisle. Steps in and tries to do something. This guy could easily turn around and just make another pile of dead bodies next to the one that already exists.

And, you know, whether that is an optimal solution for our society, I don't know that that's helpful.

In that situation.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Max Lucado on Overcoming Grief in Dark Times | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 266

Disclaimer: This episode was filmed prior to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. But Glenn believes Max's message is needed now more than ever.
The political world is divided, constantly at war with itself. In many ways, our own lives are not much different. Why do we constantly focus on the negative? Why are we in pain? Where is God amid our anxiety and fear? Why can’t we ever seem to change? Pastor Max Lucado has found the solution: Stop thinking like that! It may seem easier said than done, but Max joins Glenn Beck to unpack the three tools he describes in his new book, “Tame Your Thoughts,” that make it easy for us to reset the way we think back to God’s factory settings. In this much-needed conversation, Max and Glenn tackle everything from feeling doubt as a parent to facing unfair hardships to ... UFOs?! Plus, Max shares what he recently got tattooed on his arm.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Demonic Forces to Blame for Charlie Kirk, Minnesota & Charlotte Killings?

This week has seen some of the most heinous actions in recent memory. Glenn has been discussing the growth of evil in our society, and with the assassination of civil rights leader Charlie Kirk, the recent transgender shooter who took the lives of two children at a Catholic school, and the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, how can we make sense of all this evil? On today's Friday Exclusive, Glenn speaks with BlazeTV host of "Strange Encounters" Rick Burgess to discuss the demon-possessed transgender shooter and the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. Rick breaks down the reality of demon possession and how individuals wind up possessed. Rick and Glenn also discuss the dangers of the grotesque things we see online and in movies, TV shows, and video games on a daily basis. Rick warns that when we allow our minds to be altered by substances like drugs or alcohol, it opens a door for the enemy to take control. A supernatural war is waging in our society, and it’s a Christian’s job to fight this war. Glenn and Rick remind Christians of what their first citizenship is.