Welcome back to Spirit Squared.I'm Andrew Darrington, your host.Tonight, we're here at the Humidor here in Tyler, Texas.
And the Humidor is one of our great sponsors that we've got on the slate, as well as the Vault Arms, Rex Consulting, Red Construction, and HootPiler, which will be down there next Thursday for our podcast with Scott and his team down there.
So I'm looking forward to that. We also have Raymond Plunkett, who is an insurance guy for us with Goosehead.Thanks so much for you guys' support to our podcast.It's really what you guys do allow us to not only travel, but also our equipment.
And we get to do a lot of fun things with our marketing and all that good stuff.So really appreciate you guys and your support.Before we get started tonight, I want to introduce what I'm having as a beverage.
We've got OKI, which is a new barrel pick that the East Texas Whiskey Club just released.It's pretty good, and Chad was nice enough to get us one of these barrels of 11-year OKI.It's pretty special to us.
The previous one was a 7-year, so it being 11-year, it's super mellow, very, very good.So really, we're going to enjoy that.And tonight, we've got Lauren Binner on. And her husband Josh is here, but he's off mic.
And Lauren, you do a variety of things here locally.You're a political activist.You're a nonprofit founder.And you're also a spiritual seeker.
So I'm super interested to kind of dig into you and what you do and kind of some of the things that you've got.You've had a big year, obviously. So let's talk about your roles.Let's talk first about your role as a political activist.
You were recently on our news station talking about one of the rallies that you got together.So talk to us a little bit about what the last month or so has been like.
Yes, awesome.Well, thank you so much, Andrew, for having us.I'm super excited. to be here.And again, huge shout out to Vault Arms because they've been really supportive of my efforts putting on all the rallies and events as well.
They let me put signs and flyers every single one.So definitely shout out to them.
Yeah, Blake and Virginia Young are big supporters of the podcast.So glad they were there to help you.
I'm very appreciative for all the local small businesses that were supportive of our movement.So it means a lot.And yeah, so I basically was not a political person prior to Trump running for president.
I'm fortunate to say that I voted for him all three times.I am a Trump loyalist, although I don't
I can't say I've agreed with everything he's ever said or done, but following him throughout the years has only strengthened, really, my support for him with everything he's been through and still going through.
He's volunteering to go through this continually.So I've been to, I believe, eight Trump rallies.That's what really started my passion and enthusiasm for the movement.After my first one, I was hooked.
And so I would go to every one that was local to me.I even drove nonstop to El Paso, 12 hours straight to get to a rally, and I ended up being the third person in line at that rally.I got right up. where Trump speaks.
So I've had a lot of media exposure by strategically getting as close as I can to Trump.And with each rally, I would try to get a little bit closer.So there was a lot of media exposure with that.One highlight.
from that was when I was featured on the intro of the Trump and Joe Biden debate of 2020.The news reporters caught some photos and video of me very enthusiastically shouting in support of Trump, and they featured that in one of the intros.
I've had some memories made there for sure.And then I wanted to bring that energy and that enthusiasm back to local.I didn't want to have to travel hours and hours to experience that. Trump parade that ever happened, I didn't organize.
It was a person that we were mutual friends on Facebook that said, hey, do you want to do a Trump flag run?Four people showed up, including myself.And that one was... That's like in 2015, 2016?
No, well, that was after my first Trump rally, which I attended in 2018.And then upon his re-election campaign in 2020, that's when the flag run manifested. Also, 2020 was COVID, so everybody had to social distance.
Yeah, COVID made things different.Yeah, for sure.
So the parades were a way to social distance and still show support.Yeah.And so, like I said, the first one was a four-person turnout.So it was really easy to pick on us.Yeah, that's wah-wah.Yeah, yeah, yeah.And they did.They targeted us.
They got our license plates.They found out who we were online.They started harassing.I was fortunate that- You say who?
I mean, was it just- Local liberals in Tyler?
Yeah, local opposition.It started spreading on Facebook, going wild.Threats and trash talk and all of that.So I felt a little bit defeated because It was only four people.It was the very first one of its kind.
Well, I felt like nobody's going to bully me or intimidate me out of showing support for President Trump.
It's something I believe in.You don't mess with little girls.You don't.You just don't.
Yeah.And I, you know, it kind of became a little bit personal.So I was like, man, we're going to go bigger and better now.So that's what inspired me, kind of getting bullied and trying to get shut down.So I was like, man.
No, I didn't really know anybody.I was born in Tyler, but my parents divorced at three.So I grew up in San Antonio for half my childhood, and then graduated high school from Paris, Texas.
So I had a little bit of diversity in upbringing, but all in Texas.
Yeah, sure.There's a big difference between San Antonio and Paris.
It was definitely.It was still a culture shock, even though it was within the state of Texas.
Yeah, so I have a lot of perspective.
We're like four different states.
And what was I saying?So then I moved to Tyler as an adult, and it's where I was born, so I have a deep connection with it still.
And I appreciate it as an adult.
And yeah, so I started networking.You know, first time I had already been pretty public on Facebook with Facebook people, internet people.
You know, some friends and some, you know, just supporters from anywhere, rallies, et cetera.
And then I started networking.The first place I went to was Tyler Biker Church. It was the first time I ever had any experience publicly speaking with a microphone and everything.So they were really acceptive and supportive.
Then I started finding out who my Republican chairman was, the Republican Party headquarters here in Smith County, Republican Women's Club, et cetera, and started rallying all those people up.
I'd go to as many meetings as I could, and everybody was so supportive and enthusiastic because we were running off of a successful presidency.
So when you would go to these meetings, you would talk about getting a parade together, getting an event together.So it's more than just, hey, look, we're sitting around here.We're talking about these things.And we know what our initiatives are.
We're all like-minded.What can we do from a visibility standpoint to try to maybe show unity, show unification, and try to possibly influence some folks and let them know there's excitement on this side, right?
Exactly, and especially to hopefully appeal to more younger generations because everything I saw was pretty much consistently, you know, people from my parents' generation, not so much my generation or anything younger than that.
I can understand why younger people aren't interested in attending these meetings.There's no real excitement or appeal.So that was a way to show support, and it did turn out to be really fun and exciting.
Our very last one was our biggest and best one.We hosted them over at the HAM, which is the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum.And we all came together.We had almost 300 participants.
We convoyed through three different counties across East Texas, Smith County, Van Zandt We had bikers for miles.We had a fire truck lead the parade.So we all came together.People still talk about it today, how amazing it was.
And that was really an accumulation of all our efforts that I felt really strongly and passionately that we would win in 2020.So after that, I was really disheartened. had to kind of reorientate and adjust then.
But I still supported Trump and tried to come back in 2020, thinking that all the connections that I had made then would manifest into support this time around.But that's not what we saw.
We actually saw people struggling financially to be able to afford an extra tank of gas to drive around town.Or they were too scared to publicly show support with recent. assassination attempts, just a lot of different things.
Politics plays a big role in it too.Not everybody actually supports you.Right.
That's the challenging thing is you're sticking your neck out there for something that you are passionate about and you said that kind of the breaking point for you was that first rally, like only having four and kind of being attacked.
Do you think that that's part of the reason why you just continue to do it?Like you just said, hey, you know, screw the whiplash or backlash I may get that look, I'm just going to keep doing this.
Yeah.I wasn't, I didn't feel, I wasn't going to be intimidated out of showing my support or speaking my mind or standing up for what I believed.
And I felt like that was too important of a cause to be worried about other people's opinions or what was it?
What was it about? the time that he served, you said 2018 was your first rally, right?Okay, so you go to a rally, you're inspired to go to a rally, because he's, you know, he's pretty good.
I mean, he's not Obama talking, let's just be honest, the great order and a great reader of teleprompter, but he's, you know, he's good at rallying people, he's good at inspiring people.
What was it about his first term that inspired you to go to that first rally?And how did he pull Lauren in to that first rally and inspire you to get behind him from that standpoint?
I watched a lot of his rallies.And I followed the turnout.The crowds were massive.I knew that the media was lying about his record. They didn't want to show it.I was like, man, you know, there's no better place on earth than a Trump rally.
Well, I mean, he said that before, and I kind of agree.
Yeah.But I mean, the energy is unreal at like a college football game, too.
But you're fighting for a bigger cause.
OK.So how does that link into who you are?Because we talk about a spiritual seeker.You're a Buddhist. And I want to explore that, because I think that kind of ties into his passion, too.
Because you're seeing kind of the media, you're seeing local opposition trying to suppress and distort, right?And that's what, at least what I hear.And that was a motivator.But how was him personally?
There were parts of his staff that turned out to be, you know, turds. I mean, and he fired him, or they went away, including Pence.I mean, he ended up being a turd.And so what was it so inspiring about him in particular that kind of motivated?
Obviously, he's good at energy and things like that.But what was it that he was saying?What was it that he was doing that kind of got you so motivated to drive in 12 hours and all this other stuff?
Yeah. I feel like I use my gut instincts a lot on things.And I felt like he was being really honest, real, transparent.He wasn't scripted.He was anti-globalist, America first.So he was a nationalist.
I've always felt like the whole new world, one world government thing was obviously not going to benefit us.So I just really like all of his policies.
He was challenging a lot of other world leaders, too.
They were pretty uncomfortable around him.
Yeah, he was an outsider, never really had any political experience.So that, too, is what I'm excited about now, going into his second election.He has all the experience from his first election.Sure.
The results of the 2020 election showed who was with Trump and who wasn't.So it exposed everybody who was only there for maybe their own political gain or whatever. And now, I mean, he is just rocking and rolling.
He knows who's with him, who his loyalists are.
So I'm even more excited now for the potentials of what we can actually accomplish with his prior experience and now a dream team of people behind him who are going to work, hopefully, as tirelessly as he does to change things and turn things around for all of us.
Yeah.So prior to this passion for, and still, we talked about spiritual seeking. Buddhist, which is not super popular, right, in East Texas?Or maybe it is.I don't know.I don't know many Buddhists, to be honest.
I haven't met any other Buddhists in East Texas.OK.So what led you to that religion?
Well, open-mindedness and curiosity.As a child, I was actually really, really depressed.I didn't have a really good support system.I grew up in a toxic environment.I ran away when I was 17.So I grew up really fast.
I really wanted my own independence, freedom.So that's always resonated with me. Yeah.
Where did you run to?Or did you just run out of the house?
So I had a duplex lined up.I had been planning for years.I grew up really fast because I didn't make great decisions.I didn't have a role model growing up.I was an only child.Oh, OK.
That makes it even more interesting.
Yeah, so really, I felt very alone, very isolated.I didn't understand happiness.Like, I would look at my classmates.They were happy.I didn't have any concept of happiness.Like I said, I was suicidal.I took drugs to numb the pain, like everything.
As an adolescent, I really struggled a lot with depression and all of that.And then the open-mindedness and the curiosity, I met somebody through social friends and gatherings. And I was like, oh, wow, that's really cool.
I actually have one other friend from high school who was Buddhist because of his culture.He was Cambodian, but he never really spoke of it.People would kind of ask him, why do you wear this necklace with Buddha?Are you a Buddhist?
But that sparked my curiosity because he was the nicest, kindest, most compassionate, you know, selfless person I had ever met.And I was like, maybe there's a tie because of Buddhism. more open, outspoken, more knowledgeable.
And my curiosity led to epiphanies and realizations and more understanding of just like the ego, my own hindrances, my own mentality that was distorted and
Causing all of this additional suffering so I just kind of woke up so suddenly That it was like I woke up with a new I like a new lease on life new eyes seeing everything for the first time through new eyes So profound so impactful for me that I just delve right in I needed to know everything I need to know more more more So I spent a lot of time listening to Buddhist teachers and philosophy
I started adopting meditation practices and contemplation, reflection, all of that stuff.And I was practicing that for six years until I finally decided to ordain as a nun.I always kind of made excuses.
I was too scared of the unknown, the unexpected, of maybe letting go of all my attachments, because when you ordain, then you basically cut off your ties to everything from
that anybody can abide by is no lying, no killing, no stealing, no intoxication of the mind, no sexual misconduct.
Then when you ordain as a nun, there's three additional precepts, no beautification, no laying down on high or luxurious sleeping places, and no form of entertainment.So I've always kept those precepts with me.
And in Buddhism, you don't have to be ordained as a monk or a nun to achieve enlightenment.They say you can even achieve enlightenment by living by the five basic precepts.So anybody can follow that path, and it's different for every person.
It's very personal and unique to your own self.And that's what's awesome and great about it.And so what was your question again exactly?
Well, I mean, no, you're spot on.You're telling us a little bit about how you got into it and why you're passionate about it.And I think the other reason is you're
you were attracted to his peacefulness, and you didn't have that at that age, and you saw someone who was mentally, you know, all, you know, couldn't control.
And I didn't understand why they were that way, you know, so it was just my own curiosity, you know.
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and I had this tendency to pick the wrong ones.
Well, you're in a strand of lot of women.
Were you picking bad boys, I bet?
I guess.They were just in... Superficial.Yeah, like... And not a little bit...
So I had to kind of- We tend to mature later than you guys do.
Yeah.So after another really bad relationship that was short-lived, but it still did the damage.I was still back at ground one.I was tired of it.I was like, what am I doing wrong?I was so frustrated.I wanted answers.
So I was finally ready to give up my source of income at the time, literally everything.I had to even give up my daughter for two weeks.My mom watched her for me. But obviously being able to let go of entertainment, which is not a big deal for me.
Various worldly things, money, working, all of that.
Yeah.So that was an amazing experience.My teacher, although there's a language barrier, because he is Thai from Thailand, he doesn't really speak English.
But he lives in the US, doesn't he?
Yes.He lives at a Buddhist temple in Hyde Creek, Texas, outskirts, about 45 minutes of San Antonio. And very rural, out in the hill country, it's magnificent, beautiful, amazing.
And although there was a language barrier, there was some translators, some other lay people and other monks that were able to translate everything for me.
And obviously, I'm not even able to articulate what I'm here for or the reasons that I'm here for, but he's able to read my chitta, which is my heart, my soul, my mind, my intentions.
And without even being able to communicate with actual physical words, he was able to give me advice that only, like, how could he even know?Like, that's what I needed to hear.Like, it was such confirmation, undoubtedly.
Like, there's no way he could know that unless he had, you know, the ability to do that.
To read you and be able to see you. Yeah, and maybe feel tension or feel desperation.
Indescribable.But it's very profound, something I'll never forget.Every time I go visit him, same thing.He knows exactly what I need to hear, and I take his word very highly.And I believe he He knows that, so it's all love.It's all peace and love.
So it's great.That's the thing whenever I was reading about, because I haven't done a lot of studying on Buddhism, is that it's a very peaceful religion.
And I think just doing research on Buddha himself, it's very profound that you had someone that grew up with a lot of royalty.I mean, his family was royalty.And then he kind of disemboweled that and said, look, I just want to be at peace.
Because I assume that being part of royalty, there was a lot of baggage that came with that and a lot of issues that came with that.And so he kind of did his own thing.And a lot of people followed that aura that he had.
And this, we're talking 500 years before Jesus was on earth.Again, it's awesome reading it, and it's awesome understanding the concepts, because at its core, it's about peacefulness, and it's about being truthful, and respect, and it's cool.
Now, we get back into politics. You have this enlightenment, and you have this commitment, and all that good stuff.How does that kind of tie in?How does your faith tie into politics?Because sometimes that's kind of oil and water.I know.
And some would say, look, there's, I mean, politics can be pretty rough.Right. dirty, and not peace and love.Yeah, but not peace and love.
I mean, so do you feel like your political, not just your political affiliation, but also your drive to promote this stance, do you think there's a common thread?Or do you think it's more about like, hey, I'm just committed, and I want
You know what I believe to be right to be successful My teacher has never advised me any political way whatsoever like that's nothing that they're permitted to talk about or be an influence on or anything so that's all my own personal, you know beliefs and
But I do believe that the way I, you know, present myself and present everything that I stand for and believe for is definitely filtered through my Buddhist perspective of being peaceful.
I don't see any benefit in talking down on anybody who disagrees with me.I think everybody is a human.They all have feelings.We all want the same things of love and comfort and family, relationships, whatever.
I think that we'd be better off if more people embraced those kinds of values and roles and structures.I think it's a benefit for everybody.
So if I can be an example in any way, shape, or form of those characteristics that I so personally vouch for, because they've benefited me in profound ways.And I've grown as a person.I've overcome my hindrances, my mental, Challenges.Yeah.Challenges.
No.I mean, it's more everybody has challenges, right?
Yeah.But a lot of people get stuck in their old ways.No.They don't have the foresight.
Or they make excuses and then they just fade away.Yeah.They're complacent.They don't want to be uncomfortable.Yeah.And then they grow into a different person.Yeah.That's OK with what's happening.
Yeah, and so I see a lot of people suffering, and the main goal is to end all suffering.And Buddhists believe that basically every form of suffering is self-imposed.
There is pain, but pain is different than self-imposed suffering, which is perpetuated by our own self.And they focus a lot on mindfulness and the power of the mind, because our thoughts create reality.So if we're flooding ourselves with senseless,
or distractions or anything like that.I mean, it's going to lead to your own detriment, your own unhappiness.And so with the politics, I used my own discernment to make my own political opinions.And I believe that overall, They are the white hats.
They're on the side of all of us as a whole.I think we'll all be better off under, right now, a Trump administration.And if you're not open-minded to it, now just be objective.Take your feelings out of it.Breathe.
Remember that you only control your own reaction to things.So if you're super invested in other people's opinions, like if you think people are racist and they hate you, let them.I know that's horrible, but let them think that because they're only
They're only hurting themselves.You're the one that is perpetuating that.So I don't know.I think I see a lot of people that have kind of gone unhinged with the whole Trump presidency.
And if you continue to be worried about abortion, well, I've seen a lot of people that are worried about abortion that are never going to have one.And so if you're continually worried about other people's problems,
then you're never going to find happiness that way.You're always setting yourself up for failure.You're going to be mad.
Yeah, I mean, so you bring up some points of contention.
Because we were going to get into that.And so one of the points of contention.So when you're looking at this year, go ahead and grab your wine here, especially when we're talking about contention here.
When it came down to this year's election, most guys were, their main, Portion of the election or what they voted on was the economy if they were looking at it You know they wanted it to go back.
They wanted to recover They you know stock market still doing well Cryptocurrency still doing well, but the stop the the job market.You know we haven't seen increases in wages in quite some time
And so that's kind of what I think most male voters were looking at.And again, this is just my perspective.I could be wrong.There may be a ton of polls, but they're only going to poll 100 people.
And it's going to be in a certain segment of a certain city and that type of thing.So it's going to be skewed and jaded.It's a lot of times jaded to whatever media outlet you watch.Most women, or at least what I saw,
their big point of contention when considering a Trump presidency was the abortion issue and health care.So tell us a little bit about, you already said, look, if you're never going to have one, that's understandable.
But I may have a niece or nephew, I mean, a niece.I may have a granddaughter that I'm looking at going. Is that not going to be available?And so I've listened to quite a few podcasts on how Republican factions have answered this.
But I want to get a take from you.
Awesome question.So I believe I'm pro-life.I believe every living creature values their own life, even insects, animals, everything.Obviously, no killing is one of the precepts that I live by. So that's a moral, you know, foundational belief for me.
Big, strong believer in karma.
But I mean, life for both.Life for the mother and the baby.
Right, for both.Yes, and so I don't think that abortion should be one of the first choices as a form of birth control, you know.So even what Trump has said, and the state incest, rape, life of the mother.
So those are pretty sensible.He's not coming for you.
If you act responsibly, which is another one, no sexual misconduct, another precept that I live by, I don't think that we should be having one night stands and then going and using abortion as a birth control method.
I think we should be fostering the importance of that activity, because that activity creates life.And then the baby, the fetus, is the one that pays the price.
act very selfish act so that's just something as a mother of three children three different fathers just full disclosure I've had tons of struggle and uncertainty in my life including being in a woman's shelter for ten months with my first child leaving an abusive relationship and all of that so I obviously had that
how, like, casually and nonchalantly and how quickly.It's like the first one, like, well, do you want to keep it?You know, that shouldn't be the first question a mother going through all of these emotions is asked.
Well, can I just get a quick, easy escape?Or what?
And so under that type of fear and anxiety and pressure, you can easily make the wrong decision, especially when you have so many people who are incentivized monetarily or whatever to provide that service for you. That's just a moral thing.
I think that also I'm a big, firm believer in karma.Karma is just another word for action.So it's completely neutral.It's neutral, but it's your intention kind of behind it.
Or obviously, if you do something to hurt another human or something selfishly or ignorantly because you don't know any better, that's going to, it's the law of attraction, cause and effect.
It's going to come back on you, maybe not in that exact same way, shape, or form, But you're going to feel guilt, residual guilt later.Or you might not be able to have another child when you actually wanted one.All the what ifs.
So I apply that very literally to my life.And I try very, very mindfully to live my life very intentionally. I just think with the abortion, I think that there is incentives for people to push that.Obviously, a drug for human smugglers.
These women that are trafficked, they get abortions countlessly.That's horrific.
Yeah, it is.Yeah, we've had a couple of folks come on and talk about human trafficking and how they need the girl to be working again as fast as she can.
It's horrible. And there's government subsidies.We know that there's some links to that.And I think that the argument that I've heard is more about, hey, look, I've got a medical condition, or I have this incest that happens, and things like that.
And personally, I've never heard of someone, because we all know that it's the state's decision now. So if my state doesn't decide it, I have to go to another state.
And I'm not aware of one state that charges you if you drive to another state and have the procedure done.That penalizes you.I've never heard anybody being prosecuted for it, personally.
Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe somebody hears this and attaches some prosecution and jail time that I'm not aware of, but I'm not aware of it.
Right, right.Yeah. sad state of affairs when you look at all the influences that promote promiscuity and casual.
Right.And it's not a federal decision.So are we making a federal decision, a presidential decision, about something that state has decided?Or is there fear that a presidential selection is going to trickle down to the states?I don't know.
But I mean, if my state is pro-abortion, then nothing changes. But nothing changes.The other argument that I've heard of is that the rich need to pay their fair share, which I've watched a ton of video.
And I've never heard a pundit say, I think this is the number.Because I don't know if there's really a number in mind.I mean, we're one of the most taxed Nations as it is it's and and you know that may change.
I hope it does Is that I personally this just my personal opinion?
I would prefer to see more of a consumption tax and more more slated towards that because then Then the people that can afford it and that are are doing the things can pay the more tax I mean you Pat pay it in one way or the other and so I prefer seeing that but I also understand how it be a hindrance
What can you say about the rich paying their fair share?
I agree with the consumption tax because you can choose whether or not you want it.That's more of a commodity or a choice, so it's not imposed on you.
But if I'm living below the poverty level, then I'm not paying, well wait a minute, I'm using WIC, so that's a government subsidy, so I'm not spending the money per se. So that's one argument against that.
But it also doesn't foster a situation where somebody could pull up their bootstraps and get out of it, because now you're taxing me on consumption.I'm making a counterargument for it.
Well? I think that obviously the wealthy, they pay the majority of the taxes as it is.
And owners of businesses.
Yeah, and they create jobs.They have a major impact in the economy.
So if we're punishing success by taxing them more, then that's going to kill incentive or motivation for anybody to actually be a contributing member of society and become successful in all of that stuff.
And just to be clear, when someone says, look, I didn't pay any taxes. and they're a business owner.We're talking about their personal taxes.We're not talking about payroll taxes.We're not talking about taxes that they pay on profit.
They're taxed on all of that, correct?
We're talking about personal taxes where they're just filing a return on what they actually take in as income, which as an owner, I can take in as much as I want or as little as I want. I can put back whatever I like.
Now, bookkeeping can be pretty interesting and ingenuitive, right?And there's folks that pay people to maneuver through that.
But typically, typically speaking, if someone is conducting a write-off, so I own a business and I want to write something off, I'm normally buying something to offset that. that tax, right?
So I'm taxed on income earned and I'm buying something for my business that I can offset, but I'm purchasing something.You see what I'm saying?I'm buying something to offset that tax.So I'm, I'm buying food for a meeting.
I'm buying an asset, a vehicle that I can use in my business.So in some ways one could argue that a business owner is kind of doing a consumption type of tax, offsetting one or another.
That's just the way I'm looking at it as someone who's owned a business before.But when I hear, you've got to pay your fair share, I don't know what that is.It's hard for me to kind of peel that onion a little bit and try to figure out.
Right, and what it boils down to me when I hear it is that we need to lower taxes on the middle class, okay?I'm all for that.How do we do it?
You tell me how we do it and we fund everything that the government is spending, which this week's been pretty silly.I mean, it's
Once Trump announced Elon and Vivek as these czars of kind of the, it's been a pretty funny week because they've been posting a lot of things on X and on Facebook about what the government spends money on.And some of it's, frankly, hilarious.
Wow.Exactly.A couple of years ago, I worked for the Don Puffines for Governor campaign, which was a much more
And now wait a minute, did he support a full elimination?
A complete full elimination, because he had solutions which I think could trickle over to the federal government.
Talk to me about them, I didn't hear about them.
He wanted to do what you said, a consumption tax.He said every year in Texas, we have one of the world's largest economies, we have a surplus of
So he wanted to use that budget surplus every year that we generated to buy down property taxes and then implement Elon Musk and Vivek.So just spending, holding more accountable because there's crazy things that we do blow money and waste money on.
So I feel like it was a very tangible solution.And the Huffines campaign finally put pressure on Abbott to actually give us some property tax relief.It wasn't the solution I was campaigning for.
Right.It was $100,000 on ISD.
Which was a relief.I mean, look, I was happy with something.
Right.I mean, full property tax relief I don't think is real.I don't think it's going to happen in my lifetime.
I think that that's part of the way that we fund our fire department, our police department, our kids going to school, the brick and mortar, their teachers.
There's a variety of things that come out of that that it's great But we're also taxed at a higher rate than most states are now.
We don't have payroll state income tax So that's something else to consider because there's plenty of states that have to deal with that but What do you so what do you think the Opposing side is meaning when it when they say the rich need to pay their fair share
What do you hear when they say that?
I think they're just trying to maybe appeal to the little guy or the majority because the uber elite or rich are a smaller.
But there's donors on both sides that have a lot of money.Soros has a lot of money.I mean, there's tons of donors, all the celebrities.I mean, everybody from Hollywood was calling their actors and actresses and
You know, all the record labels were calling their guys saying, hey, we need you to be visible for Kamala.
You know, so I mean, I think it's kind of a talking point that the Democrats have used for a while to kind of make it look like they're standing up for the middle class and saying, hey, let's, but nothing's been done.There's been no tax cuts.
Taxes have mostly been for the states. similar to the abortion issue.And so it's mostly been the federal government's stayed the way they are.Still have the same taxes I had for the last 20 years.It's very similar to Medicare, Medicaid.
Federal income tax is pretty much across the board the same as it was, and less and less.Now, one of the things that I will say on Trump's last term was he did a fundamental change in the tax structure.
made it more simple, made it to where it was a lot clearer.Like, hey, this is what you can write off, this is what you can't, you don't have a business, this is it, standard deduction, right?
And I'll tell you what, I had to pay a ton in the first year, because I didn't make the adjustment like I should have, and I had to pay a lot more in taxes.And he also staggered, if a couple made a certain amount and you paid a higher tax rate,
That was all things he did during his first administration.Did you benefit?No, I didn't.I pay more in taxes than I did before.But I'm not mad about it.I'm personally not mad about it because if that's the rate you want me to pay, fine.
If I can't live the way I want to live, then I've got to go do something more.I've got to learn a trait.I need to be more marketable.I need to be more energetic. I need to find a side business.
Now, if I'm making a good income, should I have to work a second job?No.But if I am working a job making minimum wage, I should aspire to do more.I shouldn't look to the government to subsidize the way I want to live.
Now, if that's a temporary thing, no problem. No problem at all.There's plenty of people that do it, and they benefit from it.
There's plenty of people that are currently on stage, on TV, that have benefited through a variety of things, reliefs, that our great country provides.So I'm 100% for whatever you tell me I need to do, I'll adjust.Plain and simple.
I don't like the way my state is going, I move states.That's the great thing about being in the United States, right?I was listening to another podcast, and they were talking about the fear of if we had a majority.And we do have one now.
So the election's over, and the Republicans have the White House.They have the House. and the Senate.And now, most political pundits would say, that is not a good thing.Because power in one party means no balance.
And it means there's no competing party that is able to put their mark on agenda. What do you think about that?
True.Well, with the way our political structure is set up, I mean, a president's only there for four years.So that aspect is temporary.And then, I mean, it's only four years.
Right.Well, for some people, that's a long time.It could be they may be in their later stages of life.And that could be impactful for them. I'm a big proponent of term limits.I hope that that comes up in this presidency.
What is your preferred limit to term?
I don't know what it is.I really don't.And to me, if it's eight years, if it's 12 years, if it's 16 years, if it's 15 years, it's whatever.I really don't care.But I don't think lifetime politicians is healthy for a government. I just don't.
And I think that when you have that happen, you have opportunity for corruption.You have opportunity for these folks that show up, and they get rich while they're in office.Self-interest.Yeah, and opportunistic.I mean, there's no doubt in my mind
that there is insider trading that happens.I mean, there's a guy that's on the internet that created an app that actually mirrors the investments that Nancy Pelosi does.So he invests.
He tells you, go invest in this, and you will double your money, or you'll make more money.And that's his app.His whole app is invest like Nancy.Well, didn't they want to prevent that from being able to happen?
Wasn't there something they could talk about? I don't know.I mean, I hope it comes up, because I think that we would be a better republic with that.And I think that with a majority, you would have a better opportunity of getting it through.
But I mean, I don't know if this government wants to do that.I don't know.
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I know it's been spoke up before, but who knows what it's going to be.Let's talk a little bit about Trump's appointments so far.What are some of the ones that stand out to you?We've already talked about Elon.
Right, the dream team with Elon and Vivek. I think that's great.I think they'll be really successful.I think their intentions are good.They've come out to support Trump, and I have all of my faith in him.
The other appointee was... Well, you've got Hedgespitt, and I probably butcher in that name, but he's a defense secretary. Yeah.
Yeah.What's his name?I can't remember his name.And if we had somebody that was looking these things up, we'd be a lot better.But he's great.He's tough.Well, I mean, he's been in politics for a while.
And he's gotten his belly full of a lot of questioning and things like that.
Christine Nolop has also been appointed by Trump.I can't remember what her role was.
You've got, we talked about Getz.Yeah, Matt.Yeah, Matt Getz.That was kind of, to me, a little bit edgy.But I think that's more of a slide towards the opposition. RFK got nominated today for Health and Human Services.
So I mean, that's going to be, he's very well-spoken.He was a libertarian.He ran as a libertarian initially.He even got votes.He got quite a few votes in the national election.
Yeah, for sure.Wow.Well, I mean, there's going to be a lot of people that are just going to be flat out never-troublers.
You know, there's going to be folks that, and the thing is, I learned through the first election, I was very aggressive towards my position.And then the second election, I was still pretty aggressive.But look, we all know that there was tampering.
There's no way, like, I'm not trying to be a conspiracy theorist. The numbers don't add up.Everybody knows it.Everybody can look at it and go, it was COVID.There were a lot of write-in ballots.There was tampering.
And there were officials that weren't allowed to go in, period.There were states that denied access, period.So you can't tell me all this didn't.That's collusion.That is collusion, a definition of collusion. That happened.It's over.It's done with.
We know the recovery wasn't as good as it was.But let's be honest.Biden wasn't given the best salad on the plate.It was getting messy by then.And it got messier.So now we're at a stage where it's pretty rough.There's inflation going crazy.
Out of every situation you could possibly imagine, the rich are getting richer.There's no doubt about it.Wall Street's as high as it's ever been.Crypto's as high as it's ever been.I mean, some of that's due to the recent election results.
But I mean, he's not going to be a lame duck.We know that.He's going to do stuff.He's got these appointees.All the appointees.Tulsi Gabbard's another one they got. nominated.This is going to be, it's going to be a very aggressive agenda.
And it's going to be, I think it's also going to be very aggressive.Look, Trump, I will say this one thing about Trump.
Out of all the Trump, all the presidents I've ever lived through, okay, starting with Carter, moving through Reagan, through Bush, through Clinton, through just all these guys, aged the least out of all of them.
Now, I think that's because he's a businessman, but I also think that's because he's mostly crazy.There's no doubt about it, he's got some craziness in him.
Like, he's got all the tendencies of doing crazy things, but normally you look back in retrospect and you're like, ah, that's why he said what he said, and that's why he did what he did.And some of it's kind of being a
you know kind of a prodder like trying to poke folks and trying to kind of get things instigated and people thinking about things and understanding things and he's he's he admitted himself he's a good weaver he's a good conversational weaver and I think that's part of the the thing that makes him electric at these uh these rallies that you've been to what do you think
He is unmatched.The energy he's able to evoke from all of his supporters, I think, is unmatched.
I've never seen anything in my life like this movement where he's able to rally a million people up at the Capitol who felt disenfranchised, like their vote didn't count because of all the suspicious activity from the election.
I've heard he's got 154 IQ.I mean, he's really smart.He's fully aware of what he's doing.He's self-made.He's competent.He's successful, and he really had nothing at being the president.He's even lost, you know, 25% of his wealth.
His family is, you know, obviously targeted or they're at risk, you know, obviously himself being shot at.They would have been successful.
We wouldn't be sitting here, you know, awaiting the next, hopefully greatest four years of our country's history.So he's the man for the job.He's got the true resiliency that the that this country was founded on, the American spirit.
He's keeping it alive.And obviously, I definitely believe in a higher power.I think divine intervention occurred that day that he got shot and saved his life.
Oh, no.The news media didn't say so.They just moved on to the next thing.
So he's here for a big reason.
What do you think about JD Vance?
Yeah.So I think, like you said, I didn't really know much about who he was until he was appointed by Trump.And then today, I had a chance. to the podcast with Joe Rogan.And it was like a three-hour podcast, so there was a lot covered.
But he seems like an intelligent, likable guy.I agree with most of his stances and opinions on things.
Dude's smart.Yeah.He cusses a lot, though.
He does cuss a lot.So I think that could potentially be a hindrance.I don't personally mind it, because they normally say that if you do cuss, you're honest.Yeah, we're adults.We're adults.Yeah, it's a sign of honesty.
carefully because it has consequences.So if you're being a little bit irresponsible with your speech, that's going to attract some negative repercussions as with Trump's speech.
So if he could be a little bit more diplomatic, that may have convinced some people to vote for him.So being a Buddhist, I would be more reserved.I don't personally have an issue with profanity and stuff.
But in a public setting or whenever there's kids or little peers, I'd rather be more mindful and more because I regard that very highly as well.
My dad being ex-military, and Josh, you can relate to this, Josh the spout, not Josh the camera guy.So my dad's thing was this, if you're having to use profanity, it means you're not intelligent.
Now, I mean, he was saying it more in slang, and I think some of what he does is more appeal to maybe a younger generation that may have a little looser language and stuff like that.That's the way I was raised.
And we don't really curse that much on the podcast either, because my parents are followers.So I try to be nice to them and at least respectful, because I know I'm representing them.
In a formal setting, I wouldn't recommend it.And in an informal setting, I don't have an issue with it at all.I just think that the potential risks involved is not worth it.
Okay, let's take our political hats off, take a deep breath, and let's talk about your nonprofit, Keep Tyler Green.
Yeah, there's a little back story to that.I live off of Highway 64 by the airport in Tyler.I was really fortunate that Tyler Pound
So, I was really fortunate that the particular location that I was at sat behind a vast amount of forest, undeveloped land.Unfortunately, it wasn't my land, so I had no control over what was going to, its fate, what was going to happen to it.
I just know that I cultivated my lifestyle around it, I appreciated it, didn't take it for granted.I could do dishes from my kitchen window and see the I'm very attached to all of that.So I had my own privacy, uh, supplivity.
Um, obviously that made me feel safer too with three young children.
So unfortunately. I wanted to do whatever I could to preserve it.My dad was looking for an additional investment property, just as an investment.Didn't want to develop it, just to save it.
And I was like, hey, I'm really worried that they might sell this property off.And long story short, that's what they did.My dad had given them an offer, a really generous offer.And they declined, and they sold it to a higher bidder.
And they tore everything down. I saw the little animals displaced.I've seen them all displaced.We have little critters running up to our front door.And I value all of that.Life, I think, especially being a Buddhist, everything is interconnected.
We all coexist.We can't exist without oxygen that the trees and the nature provide for us.So when we harm the nature and environment, we're inadvertently harming ourselves as well.And I appreciate RFK.I know we're not doing politics.
with the chemicals and the food and the environment.So right on with that.So they destroyed all that.I was literally sick to my stomach.I was gut-wrenching.It was horrible right there.I mean, that's my house.That's my livelihood.That's my security.
They come at dawn.They bring their excavators, their tractors.They're doing this right in front of me.I can't escape it.This is my house.This is where I live.
Felt like it was like the rainforest in there, just taking it down.Yeah.
I mean, Tyler's beautiful.We're the Piney Woods, you know?And if we're not doing anything to protect them, I mean, we're going to be the Piney Wuz.
There's not going to be any trees left to save if we don't do anything about it.
Yeah.Don't let us be the Piney Wuz.
And so that is really what I did all the stuff to get my 501c3 tax exemption status.So I'm legit.I'm able to start getting funds and doing stuff like that.
What do you plan to do with it?
Well, I want to advocate for sustainable living.I would love to get the community involved.I obviously love participating in my local community.
But I mean, what do you believe that you'd be able to achieve?What are some goals that you have set for Keke Tyler-Green?
Living sourcing and building a network of local, you know farmers there's several people that I know that just they specialize in growing like Cucumbers and peppers another person that knows how to do tomatoes we can barter we can exchange Nonprofit so everything is just for the betterment of so creating a farmer market.
I or holding developers accountable for saving some trees, at least.
I don't know if it's an option, but maybe one day having something like Camp Pilot does, where they actually have land that they actually saved and preserved, and that would only help.
Finding donors that maybe trust me as a founder and a leader and believe in our mission.And that's why I believe in being transparent.I do a lot of live videos. I, you know, just what you see is what you get.
And so I think, you know, with Trump, that worked to his advantage in being elected and gaining the majority voters across America.So there's a lot that I've learned across doing different things that I would apply towards Keith Keller Green.
I founded it.I got my legal, I got, you know, legitimized back in July.But July was also when I organized my first Trump rally for this election cycle.So that took precedent. now or never think.
So now that we have completed the mission, I'm ready to be able to put more time, energy, and focus on that.I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without my amazing, wonderful husband, because he has supported my family.
I finally found the right one.
I finally found the right one.Yes.Yeah. But so very grateful for all of that.
Well, he kept moving around, just dodging you and all that good stuff.
Yeah, so that's why I know I'm going off topic, but family is very important to me.And the conservative side, they're pro-family and all of that.So that's another one of my fundamental values and beliefs is a strong family.We're stronger together.
We can get more done.Two heads are better than one. You know, that really allowed me to be able to dedicate all the time to all of this.
So hopefully with Keep Tyler Green, I can use my past experience from campaigning and networking to, and hopefully trust building.Because with everything that we did for the local MAGA rallies, MAGA markets on the square, it was all community funded.
I didn't set out to even make a profit.I probably didn't make a profit at all.I'm a business woman. I have my freeze-dried candy business.I go to local markets.I network.And I've done that for a couple, two and a half years now.So I would, you know.
It's freeze-dried candy.So it's like space food.
Oh, yeah.Yeah.I've seen it in candy.
All over TikTok.The kids love it.Yeah.Yeah.And I'm super affordable.I take pride in great quality.I design all of my own marketing materials, my labels, my business cards, all my compilers.So I love learning new things.
inspired me to just learn and grow, learn and grow.That's the purpose of life.It's continual learning, continual growing.The moment you stop growing, you start dying.So I really took that to heart.
And I'm very optimistic about what's going to come now, especially under four years of Trump.So I couldn't be more excited and more optimistic.
And I hope he, Tyler Green, will be something else that I can maybe come back another time and talk about all of our accomplishments.
Yeah, absolutely.So typically, typically with the podcast, we finish with shout outs, but I want to flip things around.I don't want to finish.I don't want to finish.
I want to talk about shout outs now, because I want you to talk about some folks that were influential in your pathway.We've already talked about quite a few, but mentors.We talked about your teacher down Rajan Poon, which is the name of my teacher.
He's been ordained.The majority of his life, I think he was in his late teens or early 20s.And he's almost 60, if not 60 now.So he is the second highest in his tenure.And so he's very, he's up there.
But he's been a huge impact in your life.
And my husband, of course.Huge impact.Of course.So those would be my top two, of course.
Do you have any mentors that kind of were instrumental in motivating you or keeping you going when it came to the rallies and organizing people?
He was the whole reason.He's the whole reason.Because like I said, I wasn't political.But he inspired me to reach my own new personal heights.He inspired me to take risks, obviously, put myself out there.
I never did public speaking, event organizing, creating wires.I never did networking.I never did any of that.But my passion for supporting Trump and his cause
It's been ups and downs, but I think the ups far outweigh the downs, especially with the outcome that we've had.So I wouldn't trade it.Trump, obviously, I've followed him across the country.So he's been pivotal.I pay homage to my teacher.
Every year, I go see him and provide offerings for him and pay my respects for him.And obviously, my husband, he's my rock.I couldn't do this without him.He's stuck with me.He's stuck through me.He's compassionate.
He's definitely getting some good Christmas gifts this year.
So I owe it for him because without his support in all those aspects, I wouldn't have the privilege of being able to do what I enjoy and love doing.
Yeah, for sure.All right.So before shout outs, I had call to action kind of listed as something that you wanted to talk about. What's done is done.The election's over.What's happened in the Senate's transition to Republican and the White House.
And even this week, Biden accepted Trump.He was pretty nice to him.He said, welcome back.And then you had the House flip to Republicans as well.So tell us what should we do.Obviously, we've got this that we've created. tonight as well.
So what's the call to action now?
Sure.As far as getting involved in political or whatever, yeah, I think we should definitely stay informed, stay diligent.The fight's not over.We still got a plan for the next four years after Trump.
We've got to rally behind Vance if he's the next best option for us and make sure that we're supporting him.We can get involved at our local level, obviously,
know the abortion issue is something you can you know reach out to your you can lobby for your uh right to an abortion if that's what you want so getting involved at a local level yeah um anybody can you know organize events i was not i didn't have no i didn't go to school for anything like that i just took action you know and i learned along the way and i think that's more invaluable that's more valuable that's invaluable
you know, than anything, because then you build more confidence, more skill sets, you know, you learn from your mistakes.It's only a mistake if you don't learn from it. Take action.Whatever you feel inspired to do.
I try to be better than I was yesterday.So if there's something going on that's holding me up.Last year in December when it was Christmas time, my candy business was doing pretty good.
And I got a little bit too worried about making money that I put everything else aside because I was trying to capitalize as a business owner, an entrepreneur.Every sale matters.
So I disproportionately prioritize making money over all the other aspects of my life.And then I think everything that happens in life is a lesson.So I lost my wedding ring.I wrecked our vehicle.Karma, huh?Karma, big time.
So I was so hyper-focused on just making money that I was letting other things in my life And those were a rude awakening.Sometimes I'm a little bit stubborn, and I need a rude awakening.But I take all those things very seriously.
And I've reorientated, recalibrated.So anything like that, I'm very aware of, very mindful of.You have to kind of humble yourself to realize, hey, you need to fix some things.You need to kind of course correct.So that's how I live my life.
Always look at everything, whether it's a triumph or a struggle, as a lesson, you know?And you have to value all the hard times, because then how will you appreciate the good times?
Yeah, for sure.For sure.Yeah.No, for me, a call to action would be, I mean, recognize what's been decided by the people.Exactly.I mean, that's what an election is.And just like Republicans were licking their wounds after 2020,
A lot of opposition Democrats are licking their wounds now.And there's, I think, I've seen a lot less of the, hey, I want to move to Canada, and I want to move to another country.
So kudos to those mature folks that are recognizing, hey, look, there's a balance of power that happens every two years, every four years, sometimes sooner than that.
And look, everybody's going to be evaluated about what they do, and the decisions they make, and what they say, and how it happens, and what they collude on, and what they do behind closed doors, and conversations, and those types of things.
And the thing for me that I look at with Trump is that, man, he says some really crazy and sometimes dumb stuff, and more than what most presidents should say.But most of the actions that I've seen have been fairly responsible.
But he's not bashful about calling out even members of people around him.And he'll say what he believes. And those people won't support him or they won't be there anymore.That's facts.The market loves him.The rich love him.
They've loved Democrats, too.But the one thing I do like about him is that he has been a peaceful president.
No new wars.And that should mean a prosperous economy. for national economy.And he's very aggressive about other countries paying their fair share.And I like that, too.
So I mean, there's elements we can pick apart with every regimen, every candidate, and things like that.So for me, calls to action are don't put on your Facebook that you're going to move away, because that's disingenuous.
We know you're not moving away.
Unless you're a celebrity and you can or Yeah, they still don't or you know you just don't do Correct You know be be a good neighbor You know don't don't be don't be this person that goes around Loading about this than the other be you know try to understand the other side
I think we've had pretty good, robust conversation about both sides of this political issue.The political issue is that we didn't cover all of them.I mean, there's a ton of them.Some of it local, some at state, some at federal government.
And all of them can be hashed out civilly.Right?And that's one of the things I learned about 2016 and 2020 is that you don't have to air out every position you have on Facebook or any social media to be picked apart or judged on.
You can have those, and you can talk amongst friends in civil quarters about what you think should happen.But the thing is, for someone like yourself, you get motivated, you get inspired, you believe, and you take action.
And if you're not taking action, then you have no position in the situation.So you're just a dormant, you may be a voter, you may be a voter, But you're just a dormant voter.And you've made your voice known at the poll.
If you felt so strongly about Trump not becoming the next president, what did you do to get Kamala re-elected?Because you're, like I was saying, your beliefs don't make you a better person.Your behavior does.And when Joe Biden got in and
whatever the last four years, I prepared.I prepared by investing in a freeze dryer for food security, peace of mind, hedging against inflation.I diversified my assets with crypto, goldbacks, which are awesome, precious metals, and what else?
Firearms and ammunition.I'm familiarizing myself. and Joe every day of my life because there was no benefit or purpose for that.I just, I prepared and I believed wholeheartedly with conviction, you know, what I, in Trump.
And so when it came time to campaign and rally for him, I did it for free.
Yeah, yeah, for sure.Lauren, I loved our time together.It's been so much fun.Did you, did you like it?Was it, is it anything like what you thought it would be?
Yes, all that and more.I've been looking forward to it.I'm so glad you reciprocated my reaching out to you.Yeah, for sure.So I really super appreciate First Podcast.Yeah, yeah.I'm definitely going to shout you out.OK, great.
So this is my first time having a platform to even discuss my spiritual beliefs, my religious beliefs, because that's something.
Yeah, exactly.That's something that I haven't felt really comfortable.I'm not outspoken about.That's another divisive topic that I don't feel like I need to defend.I have no interest in defending it.It's who I am.
If I wasn't Buddhist, I'd fundamentally not be the same person.I'd be a completely different person.
It's part of your story.It is.So I really appreciate that with no pushback or anything.
Yeah, for sure.It's awesome.
So I hope that anybody who does care enough to tune in and listen, hopefully they get something of value or are inspired to take action at a local level or in any way, shape, or form that they can.And I hope I'll see you again.
Yeah, for sure.All right, shout out to Josh, who last minute, our other Josh. showed up to be the camera guy and I don't know about producer.Are you a producer now yet or no?Okay, great.Well, thanks for showing up.All right, guys.
That finished our episode.Looking forward to get this published this coming Saturday.And so our next guest is Scott.He is the owner of Hoot Holler Package Store down in Gumbriel City. Let me tell you something.
This is going to be fun because we're going to be on site.Scott was a former landscaper.He owned a landscaping company and he sold the landscaping company to buy a liquor store.That's all I'll tell you for now.That's pretty interesting for me.
And he's also a sponsor.So looking forward to that.We'll see you soon.Thanks so much.
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