578: The Danger of "DO SOMETHING!" Politics

Brian Nichols  0:04  
focusing on winning arguments. We're teaching the basic fundamentals of sales and marketing and how we can use them to win in the world of politics teaching you how to meet people where they're at on the issues they care about. Welcome to The Brian Nichols Show.

recording this on of course, another fun episode I am having a fun conversation with a guy who's running for city council out in California, but before we get there, I want to go ahead and give a shout out to today's sponsor and that is young Americans. For liberty head over the Brian Nichols show.com forward slash ya L and join our awesome friends over at Young Americans for Liberty Young Americans for Liberty. They are currently recruiting campaign field staff to help elect pro Liberty candidates across the country as part of Operation when at the door. These principal candidates are dedicated to fighting for gun rights keeping our troops home, parental rights and education, criminal justice reform ending our senseless spending and many other winning Liberty policies and when I say winning, I mean it their work speaks for itself. These are the guys that pass constitutional carry in Indiana, Texas and Alabama fought the lockdowns every step of the way, all while helping make liberty when so you want to help make a difference and get Liberty candidates elected across the country. Well, if you want to be a part of this amazing team and actually fight to help make an impact in our insane political climate here in 2022. You can join one of these campaigns across the country now through November 8 Gas covered housing fully provided and you'll be compensated a total of $2,800 a month for your work on the campaign trail. How about that get paid for helping win, make Liberty win, go to the Brian Nichols show.com forward slash ya ll to apply and make a real change in this country today. One more time. That's Brian Nichols. show.com forward slash ya l let's make Liberty win. Alright folks, looking forward to today's conversation. I teased it there yes, we're gonna go ahead and introduce a one of our guests today who's running for city council and why not go ahead and let him introduce himself. Check out this quick 43 second video over on YouTube. This is our good friend, Roger Cohen. Here we go up my screen. Let me play.

Dr. Rodgir Cohen  2:26  
Hello Redlands. My name is Roger Cohen and I'm running for Redlands city council district one. I'm standing here at the site of a $30 million home key project which could perpetuate systemic poverty, neglect women with children and target those who are most at risk for health disease, all because of poor planning. The American Lung Association suggests that adults who live this close to freeways or at a greater risk for asthma brought the disease and dementia. This election I ask for your support in order to bring better planning to our community. There are better ways to help people than the previous council has done. Please support Cohen for Redland city council district one.

Brian Nichols  3:08  
All right. Was that compelling? I hope so to make his case, Roger Cohen, welcome to the program.

Dr. Rodgir Cohen  3:14  
Hey, thank you so much for the invitation and being here today. I am grateful to you.

Brian Nichols  3:20  
Absolutely. Roger, I'm appreciated to have you on the program. I always love having phenomenal guests who can promote the amazing things they're doing. Specifically, you're running for city council out in the Redlands but before we get there, I want to get to know you. And I'm sure the audience does as well. So do us a favor, introduce yourself to The Brian Nichols Show audience and what on earth got you wanting to go ahead and run for office with a big L next to your name.

Dr. Rodgir Cohen  3:41  
So I have for a very long time affiliated as a libertarian in my heart. So I was born in Texas. And at the heart of being in Texas, I needed to have that individual liberty and freedom to which became part of my fo son life. Growing up I went to the University of Texas went to law school ended up joining the military became a veteran. And then that libertarian idea of doing no harm to other people has resonated in my life after a military career, to which I carry that mantra to help other people by doing no harm. I ended up living doing two more three more master's degrees and a PhD in ethics and political science. So that's what I do now is I teach political science. And I carry on the idea that we have better ways to do things rather than what the left and what the right provides. So that's me in a nutshell, in Redlands, California, looking at local policies and saying how can we do this better? How can we do this with a free market approach and how can we do things as libertarians better, more efficient and of course, healthier for the people in the community?

Brian Nichols  4:53  
Yep, as you articulated there in your video, and I'm not meaning to start things off. You know, Harry, Brian goes on his soapbox now, but no Truly, I think there is, um, there is value in leading with principles. But I think your average person there, they're not so much concerned with the principles as they are the outcome of set principles, right. And people don't want to believe in an ism, people want to see that their problems they see before them are actually getting taken care of. And right now, a lot of people are looking around realizing that the solutions that have been put forth by the red team and the blue team, they're not really actually solving the problems. And I think that's where not only do we have an avenue to actually, you know, enter into the conversation truly with real solutions, but to your point is their new ideas and their ideas that work. And we know they work because of the principles. So I think it's so important for us to make sure that we are when we're meet, we're reaching out to new people, and we're bringing them into the movement that we're not principally in the death, we're not good idealizing them to death. But rather, we're actually, folks, I'm sorry, meet people where they're at on the issues they care about, because at the end of the day, that's what's going to win them over. It's going to be the emotional trigger that gets them to say, Oh, tell me more, and then on us to uncover what was it that got them to to want them to learn more, and make sure that when we're bringing our solution forward, we're tying the meaning of the value that that solution brings to the problem that they were facing, and make it real. That's me and my soapbox, sorry. I'll turn things back over to the candidate Roger.

Dr. Rodgir Cohen  6:21  
Love that. So that's awesome.

Brian Nichols  6:23  
So talk to us. You're out there. Obviously, you're you're talking to folks face to face every single day. And I just had yesterday we had Gavin Goodman in the program. He's running for Congress down there in Alabama. You know, we hear it all the time cost of living living supply chain, if you're a business owner, it's impacting everybody. Still, I just had a call today, I was getting my woes of my nonstop calls I had today. I had one situation where, you know, the phones that we were looking to get for this one customer had been on backorder, literally for months. So we're at a point now where you're seeing the the long term implications of the COVID lockdowns and, frankly, the insane government response to the COVID-19 that has made what we're experiencing today, even worse than it would have been if it had just government just stayed away. So what are you hearing though? Yeah, I don't mean to pick up maybe a big issue because obviously Redlands California, you're gonna be focusing more on specific issues for city council. So maybe let's focus on Redlands, specifically, from your perspective, what do you hear from voters?

Dr. Rodgir Cohen  7:26  
So I backed up and qualified that I put out two books. The second one's coming out really soon. The first one is I chose to do that I took four issues, and said, What are problems in California? And I took a bit as a libertarian for assembly, you know, I pulled 3.5% the vote, it wasn't like, you know, I did phenomenal. Then I said, Okay, locally, what can I do as a libertarian to change the grassroots? in Redlands, we have massive problem with crime and homelessness, the left and the right offer solutions. So right now in California, we spend a lot of money on left policies, and one of them is called Project homekeeper is where the state of California will fund buying, let's say rundown hotels, and then use those to convert to create a solution to homelessness, crime, and those sounds great. It sounds great if you just want to round up everyone, and throw them in the single place and then forget about them and say, Here I put all the people that don't fit in in society. And we're just going to put them way over there and a commercial zone and not care about their health or wealth. And we're going to say is it for their health, and we're going to provide mental health services and referrals. It is one of the most discriminatory things I believe that the left can do in California. It is targeting people through systemic racism, and decreasing their diversity in the community and decreasing their opportunity to become part of an economic solution for California. We're saying we're going to dump $30 million of your money, taxpayers money, and we're going to take people and put them in the case of Redlands as you saw 30 feet from a freeway system. Now. What that screams to me is two things. People who say diversity don't understand what diversity means. Libertarianism offers diversity. It says I'll do you no harm. I'm not going to create a policy that separates you and makes you part of an idea that you're a pariah of society. Libertarianism a free market solution, we will protect the homeless people and we can integrate people back into society without being discriminatory in our policies. The second thing that the leftist is unfortunately doing is that they think that we could tax and just dump money into problems and not allow the the free markets to solve it. So we don't change fundamental problems in California around permitting around zoning restrictions. And we allow the state to control private property rights so that the free market can't step in to solve the most fundamental crisis in California's history, affordable housing. It goes back systemically for generations creating discriminatory policies that go back multiple generations. And it's been perpetuated by the left. Because of poor planning. They don't understand what they're doing. They think that dumped $30 million around everyone's poor, that solves a problem. But it generationally creates more problems. We see the problems in communities all around California, where ethnocentric communities become generationally and trapped in poverty, not allowing the free market to change and help people out.

Brian Nichols  10:43  
Yep, well, and I said, it sounds like a great idea. Obviously, tongue in cheek, because this goes back to the just it, you see it across the board, when our friends in both parties think that all you have to do is just get your team in control of the government, and then you can fix it right then. And I get more frustrated, frankly, with my friends on the right, because you're supposed to know better, right? Like we know, we see that government is inefficient in every means. But then also when you take control, it's like, well, we're going to do it better this time. Good luck, like no, this is inherently the problem with government and central planning. And to your point, the free market answers a lot of the questions that the left seizes problems, I'll give an example I went to so I'm out here in Indiana now, but I was out visiting the old HQ for the day job back in July. And when I was I sat down in the CEOs office and we were chatting for a while catching back up and something came up. And it was brought up that there was a meeting he'd had with some folks who were like in his masterminds group, and it was talking about the importance of top down equity and making sure you go out and you hire people based on who they are in their demographics versus their qualifications. And he stepped in adamantly said, Absolutely not. Not only do I not agree with that, but you know, I'll give you a case study my company, you look at my company, we don't have the metrics or quotas put in place. But what's happened, the company is over 60% female, the company has over 25 30%, minorities folks, ranging from you know, folks who are from Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Chile, who are working for this company, and you know what, it was entirely spontaneous. And it just happened because the best people came to the job and it wasn't, you know, out of out of, you know, trying to find those people, those people gravitated towards us. So, going back to your point, yeah, if you let the market work if you let the meritocracy if you let value be value, and Don't screw with it, you know, using the thumb of government, then you can actually see a lot of the problems the left identifies will almost instantly overnight get rectified. Just let the market run its course.

Dr. Rodgir Cohen  12:53  
Perfect scenario in solving the homeless crisis in California. We harbor much of the homelessness of the nation, not just because it's beautiful beaches and good weather. I mean, it's 110 degrees. You're horrible, you know, but you know, it's okay. Little rains soon and we'll solve our problems. We won't even talk about the water mismanagement crisis in California. We won't even go there on how we've how we fumbled that football, but individual liberties and freedoms. If you're homeless in this in the city of Redlands. That's exactly why I'm running. And you now become a part of this transition program set up by the Home key project of California. Not only if you lost your identity, the mean the personhood of who you are, if your name was Bob, you now are placed in this transitional house. It it it beyond blows my mind that people think that in an area without housing solution that we could create a transitional housing policy that's equitable, and has human dignity when we place the people in a commercial zone. I don't know about you, Brian. But if you just rounded up every person that you didn't like in your neighborhood, and you placed them in a hotel on the other side of town in the commercial zone next to all the strip clubs and the fast food joints and said good luck getting a job. Those are your two opportunities. I think most people would step back and go wait a minute, who's doing this what is the policy behind diversity and equity? It's a fail. It's a massive fail. For the policy planners, not just the Redlands but also of the state of California. Whoever is deciding that this is an equitable policy. It needs to be stopped now it's spreading nationwide is the golden child for homeless policy solutions. And it won't. Historically, California has separated up until the Civil Rights Act 1964 and voting rights act 265 People In California were separated by color, of course. And there were certain cities in California like Torrance, California that said people of color could not stay in the past dark, and that property inequality has been perpetuated through zoning regulations. So to this day, you have people groups who have to live in certain areas because of house affordability. This city is one of those that perpetuates unknown systemic racism within the libertarian free market concept of allowing property owners to use their properties the way they want. Giving more zoning, allowing properties to build more ad use or build a second and third homes are utilized properties where they want you will solve the crisis of housing policy problems in California. But when you have restrictive zoning that says you can't build on to those areas, and you can't utilize the property the way you as a property owner are entitled to it forces people it forces your lower social economic groups into only areas they can afford, and generationally, will generationally will perpetuate systemic poverty and discriminatory practices. Dumping $30 million into that zone, just unfortunately, will make poverty worse for people. And it will perpetuate that generational gap of access to good education, good health and good jobs.

Brian Nichols  16:17  
Well, in you know, we just talked about here, it's the danger of do not do something politics. I mean, this this is exactly why, you know, you see Elizabeth Warren back with, what was it net neutrality, you want people to die? You see this with COVID? Oh, you don't support the one point something trillion dollar stimulus bill, you just want people to die, right? And this has been the mentality? Well, we have to do something, right. And and you see this, this, this ambition, this desire to do something and that I get it, right, like in sales, I would teach this to my sales team all day long. What do we know sells fear and love? And what's going to be the number one thing to get people to jump on board fear, the fear of what's what's the worst case scenario, and in this case, it's always been push, you want people to die? Well, guess what? Now the impacts of the actual policies that were supposed to stop people from dying are actually causing death, they're causing mayhem, they're causing an unexpected or unintended consequences. But at the end of the day, we're the unexpected. And then it turns into, you know, hey, we have better solutions. And now I think it's time for us to offer those better solutions. And, man, I don't know, Roger, I don't know if you're seeing it in California, of all places. I know I'm seeing it. Now. Finally, now I'm out of Philadelphia, but like people are demanding some some different ways of doing things, and especially in areas that are more open to doing things in a more different way of doing things. And I'd say it's gonna be more of your red states just predominantly, because maybe they're more pro liberty, just by the kind of, you know, the sentiments of what we offer it, you know, hey, our message is very 1776. And that's good. I think that speaks to that audience. That's our arts kind of our market. But there's a another market. It's a market of people who they're politically apathetic, and they just kind of go along to get along, and now they're getting impacted. I, I've been saying this for a while, folks, and darn it, I hate to say I told you so. But you know, what, what have I said, if you don't get involved with politics, politics is gonna get involved with you. And now you're finding out what happens when you sit on the sidelines, he's watched the game. Politics is not a spectator sport, you're gonna get involved, you're paying your taxes, your business got shut down, you are deemed non essential. I'm sorry. Like, if you want things to get better, it requires you to get involved. It requires you to elect people like Roger, like Gavin, like Hector, all these different libertarians that we've had in the show. And it requires you to vote different. It requires you to take a step and get out of your comfort zone, get away from the status quo and embrace a new solution. So with that being said, Roger, do us a favor, please go ahead and direct folks where they can go ahead and follow you learn more about your campaign and the most important thing, send you those sweet dollar bills where they can Roger The floor is yours.

Dr. Rodgir Cohen  18:59  
Hey, I appreciate each and every person who wants to reach out the name of liberty. First, follow me on Twitter, Roger lumber for Redlands Twitter, and you'll be able to follow me there. I think Elon Musk might have identified a lot of bot problems that are on there. So let's stay away from from Twitter, Cohen for redlands.com There's a Donate link. I highly appreciate anything that you can give towards this cause $5 goes a long way. If you really want to talk about spreading the message of liberty on Amazon, you could find all of my books, I'm multiple authors on textbooks, California public policy books, but as these books I have on the free market solution for housing problems. I promise you all of America that the problems of California are coming to you. The Redlands is a is a has put forward one of the most progressive Landlord Protection Tenant Protection rights landlord, anti landlord rights, giving $4,000 to every tenant who's evicted from a landlord. And this is a nationwide model that's going to take us backwards for property owners, but also for rights of people who are now going to be disenfranchised. So help me protect the rest of America because we have policies in here. They're coming out soon liberal but they're just going to spread across America like a virus, and they're going to disintegrate the individual rights of Americans around the nation.

Brian Nichols  20:31  
And who knew that you could do your part folks by stopping the advancement of progressivism and leftism by helping support a guy running for city council out in Redlands, California. How about that? Well, folks, if you enjoy today's episode, I'm gonna ask you to do me a favor number one, go ahead and give today's episode a share. When you do, please go ahead and tag yours truly also go ahead and give Roger a tag as well. Also, if you enjoyed today's episode, tell Roger go ahead and give him a shout. And of course, make sure you tell him you heard him here on The Brian Nichols Show. And then also, by the way, folks, Hey, are you getting value from what we're doing here at The Brian Nichols Show? I certainly hope so. If you are, I'm gonna ask you to do me a favor now. Number one, please. If you want to become a superfan, head over to the Brian Nichols show.com forward slash support, join our Patreon. It's only $5 a month. And if I think The Brian Nichols Show five days a week is worth $5 a month. And if you've been joining us here and growing along with us as we've been reaching 10s of 1000s of folks here over the past four years, and now we're reaching programs like we were on Tim Poole, Tim Poole of all people and we're talking to at that point, hundreds of 1000s of people mind blown. Hey, if you're getting value, and you think that what we're doing here at the program, helping sell liberty, meeting people where they're at and the issues they care about if you think we're doing a good job $5 A month or if you hey, you know, you want make a one time PayPal donation. $5.20 bucks, 100 bucks, anything, it goes right back into what we're doing here at the mission of The Brian Nichols Show, not just meeting people where they're at on the issues they care about, but also helping folks leaving them educated, enlightened and informed. With that being said, Roger, any final thoughts for the audience today?

Dr. Rodgir Cohen  22:03  
Thank you spread liberty and do harm to no other people.

Brian Nichols  22:08  
Amen. All right. Well, folks, if you again, enjoy today's episode, please go ahead and give it a share. And if you're ever on your podcast app, all you got to do click the artwork and your podcast catcher will bring you right over the Brian Nichols show.com where you can find all 575 plus other episodes from over four and a half years of programming. And by the way, for today's episode, the entire transcript is available over at Brian Nichols show.com Plus, you can find us over on YouTube and on Odyssey when you're there make sure you hit that subscribe button and little notification bell so you don't miss a single time we go live but with that being said, it's Brian Nichols signing off here on The Brian Nichols Show for Roger Cohen. We'll see you tomorrow for listening to The Brian Nichols Show. Find more episodes at the Brian Nichols show.com

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