The podcast has changed a little bit. We've rebranded from Pertinent Information to America: Beer. Baseball. Tyranny. Same focus: talk about things that affect us as people, talk about important things, and learn stuff. This is episode 1. Listen to Joshua and Aaron talk about the plan for the podcast, what are rights, who "gets" rights, and some other topics that will be covered on the new podcast. 

Pertinent Information Podcast

America: Beer. Baseball. Tyranny. Podcast Episode 1

I STRUGGLE every single day with managing my time. I've got a job. I've got kids. I have a wife. I have [many] hobbies. How do I manage my time to fit everything in? Well... I don't. I'm terrible at it. My friend Caleb doesn't have the silver bullet solution, but he has a really interesting time to manage his time at work which, in turn, helps him manage his time for his home life. In this episode, I talk with Caleb about how he schedules his work day out in "blocks." We also talk about how to manage time with family, friends, & hobbies. Take a listen! Links: Lid Canvas Hat CompanyHoover Heights MediaBe Focused time tracking app

How Do You Manage Your Time?

I haven't really touched on Religion up until now on this podcast. This episode will be the introduction to that world. Here I talk with Josh. Josh has an interesting faith story. He started out going to church but was pushed away. He spent the next 10 years as an atheist trying to convert people away from God. Then Josh met Brittany. Brittany was a Christian and her faith was very important to her. Josh really liked Brittany, so he had to figure something out... Take a listen! 

From Atheist to Christian

This episode is a follow-up from episode 5 titled “What is the Primary Duty of a Police Officer?” I’d urge you to listen to that episode before diving into this one. In this episode, I talk with my good friend Steve Clarke. Steve worked as a police officer for 8 years in city and county police departments. He has since moved on to take advantage of another opportunity, but has great insights into the world of being a police officer.We tackle the question: Should morals be used when policing the public? 

Should Morals Be Used When Policing the Public?

We continue our conversation about teacher compensation with Jim Holbeck. Jim has been in education for 39 years, & spent 28 years as a superintendent of the South Dakota school districts of Viborg, Parker, Clark, & most recently Harrisburg. Jim was named "Superintendent of the Year" in 2016 by the South Dakota Superintendents Association. Take a listen.

Talking to a Superintendent About Teacher Pay

If you have been following the Democratic Presidential candidates, you have definitely heard about these two topics. Some candidates believe African American citizens deserve reparations, or the making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged, because their ancestors were slaves in the early days of the US. There also has been talk about forgiving most outstanding student loan debt in the United States. In this episode, I talk with Tobaria about these topics. T would benefit from both of these plans because, well, he's black and has student loan debt. We talk about the logistics of these plans, if they would or wouldn't be a good plan, and more. Take a listen! 

Reparations & Forgiving Student Loans

Sudafed is a popular medicine in relieving head colds and congestion. However, Sudafed, and similar drugs, contain pseudoephedrine which can be used to make methamphetamine. In 2000, US pharmacies pulled medicines containing pseudoephedrine off the shelves and moved it behind the counter and started requiring customers to register when purchasing the medicine. This registration was meant to restrict the amount of pseudoephedrine a single person can purchase. Did this move decrease meth use? Find out in this episode! Referenced in this episode: United States Government Accountability Office reportNational Association of State Controlled Substances Authorities report "Impact of State Laws Regulating Pseudoephedrine on Methamphetamine Production and Abuse"According to the CDC report "Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999–2015"Business Insider graphic "Drug Offences by Substance per State"Matrix Global Advisors study "Understanding the True Causes of the U.S. Methamphetamine Problem"US Customs and Border Patrol Enforcement Statistics FY 2019Meth Seizures by Port by The New York Times

Why Is Sudafed Behind the Counter?

 What is the primary duty of police officers? Some would say it is to protect and serve. Others may say it’s to enforce the laws. Is it to maintain public order and safety, or is it detecting and investigating criminal activities? I this episode of the Pertinent Information Podcast, Josh and I talk about the duties of police officers. We discuss if police officers should enforce laws that don’t necessarily hurt anyone, and should police officers use their own morals when enforcing laws. We talk about the thin blue line and what that even means, and much more. Take a listen. Additional Information: Thin Blue Line Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line,  https://www.thinbluelineusa.com/blogs/thin-blue-line-blog/what-is-the-thin-blue-line,  https://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/169534006-The-thin-blue-line-A-symbol-of-heroism-not-corruption/  Officers per 10,000 PopulationAtlantic City, NJ: 70.9, Chicago: 43.9, New York, NY: 42.3, Sioux Falls, SD: 13.6, https://www.governing.com/gov-data/safety-justice/police-officers-per-capita-rates-employment-for-city-departments.html 

What is the Primary Duty of a Police Officer?

Here's a hot topic for you. I've been fascinated with the narrative that teachers need to be paid more. My gut says they don't. I think as a whole they are paid more than other Americans and actually work less hours. I think it is crazy that teachers in the same district are basically paid exactly the same. Teacher compensation isn't based on performance. It's simply based on length of service. I've never been a teacher, but Tara Rollinger is. Tara has been a teacher for over 15 years at a small school district in Baltic, SD. I am really grateful for my conversation with Tara. I ask her questions around her daily struggles and difficulties as a teacher, are teachers paid fairly, do teachers deserve to be paid more, why is tenure a thing, does she feel safe as a teacher, and many, many more. Enjoy! 

Talking to a Teacher About Teacher Pay

Of registered voters in the United States, almost 40% are Democrats and almost 30% are Republicans. That means around 30%, or around 34 million people, fall outside these two political parties. How come we only think of elephants and donkeys when we think of politics? In this episode of the Pertinent Information Podcast, Josh Sopko and I talk about why we are  in the political party situation we are in, how did we get here, and how do we get away from this standard?  We go into recent third-party candidate wins,  the history of political parties, other voting systems, and more. Data:  July 2018 Registered Voters (RVs) by PartyTotal RVs: 110,943,417Democrats: 44,242,975 (39.88%)Republicans: 32,570,817 (29.36%)Independent: 31,489,028 (28.38%)Others: 2,640,597 (2.38%) Most Recent Data of the Top 3 Third PartiesLibertarians: 511,277 (0.46%)Green Party: 250,000 (0.22%)Constitution Party: 97,983 (0.09%) Ranked-Choice Votinghttps://ballotpedia.org/Ranked-choice_voting_(RCV) In the United States, it is rare for third party and independent candidates, other than those of the six parties which have succeeded as major parties Federalist PartyDemocratic-Republican PartyNational Republican PartyDemocratic PartyWhig PartyRepublican Party The last time it happened was in 1856 when the Republicans supplanted the Whigs, who had withered and endorsed the ticket of the American Party. In the 58 presidential elections since 1788, third party or independent candidates have won at least 5.0% of the vote or garnered electoral votes 12 times (21%).  The last third party candidate to win a state was George Wallace of the American Independent Party in 1968.The last third party candidate to win more than 5.0% of the vote was Ross Perot, who ran as an independent and as the standard-bearer of the Reform Party in 1992 and 1996, respectively.The closest since was Gary Johnson in 2016, who gained 3.3% of the vote running as the Libertarian nominee. The most recent third-party candidates to receive an electoral vote were Libertarian Ron Paul and Yankton Sioux Nation independent Faith Spotted Eagle who received a vote each from faithless electors in 2016.

Democrats vs Republicans - How Did We Get to This Two Party System?

Recently, a group of 9 of us went on a trip to Haiti. We went with an organization called LaGonave Alive.  LaGonave Alive provides scholarships to a number of students to attend school, supports clinics on LaGonave, helps women’s groups, elderly feeding program, orphanages, schools, churches, and other ministries. While we were on LaGonave, we worked at the school LaGonave Alive is building, we packaged meals to give to women and elderly, we played with the students of the school, and so much more. It's really hard to explain what we experienced while in Haiti. So here is my attempt to try. This episode is Part 2 of 2 where Caleb Hoover and I talk through our experiences and try to add context to our trip. Listen to Part 1 here

Haiti Experiences with Caleb Hoover - Part 2

Recently, a group of 9 of us went on a trip to Haiti. We went with an organization called LaGonave Alive.  LaGonave Alive provides scholarships to a number of students to attend school, supports clinics on LaGonave, helps women’s groups, elderly feeding program, orphanages, schools, churches, and other ministries. While we were on LaGonave, we worked at the school LaGonave Alive is building, we packaged meals to give to women and elderly, we played with the students of the school, and so much more. It's really hard to explain what we experienced while in Haiti. So here is my attempt to try. This episode is Part 1 of 2 where Caleb Hoover and I talk through our experiences and try to add context to our trip. 

Haiti Experiences with Caleb Hoover - Part 1

This world is crazy -- Let's talk about it. Civil conversations these days are few and far between. It's OK to disagree. It's OK to have different opinions. It's OK to seek out another perspective. This podcast is dedicated to civil conversations about topics and issues between people who may not see eye to eye. Our goal isn't to change minds. It's simply to talk and hear people out and learn along the way.

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Pertinent Information Podcast

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