Burritos Shouldn't Cost $20

0:00You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you might not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over$900 on average. Pop over to Progressive.com, answer some questions, and you'll get a quick quote with discounts that are easy to come by. In fact, 99 % of their auto customers earn at least one discount. Visit Progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cash back. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of$946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025.

0:36Potential savings will vary.

0:46What's up? What's up, everybody? Welcome to a brand new episode of Part of the Problem. I am Dave Smith. He is Robbie the Fire Bernstein. He's at home. My God, Robbie Bernstein at home, a rare sight these days. is how you doing sir yeah i don't like it i did a laundry today that really pumps me out and makes me rethink my entire life i prefer being out but luckily i'm back out this weekend newton massachusetts uh somewhere else in massachusetts walpole massachusetts and then uh providence rhode island on sunday and then next week uh if anyone's got a porch in chicago i'm looking at a wednesday show last minute before uh you and i are in madison wisconsin i want to run the fbi thing for you nice people and then uh and on sunday of next week appleton appleton that's right i'm doing madison on sunday you and i are doing appleton over the weekend uh so come porch everybody chicago chicago we should be able to make that happen what's the date someone's got a porch uh next week wednesday someone's gonna have a porch and we'll move 20 tickets in four days i feel good about it we're gonna make it happen chicago make that absolutely happen someone's gonna come through on that one yes we have appleton wisconsin that is um august 13th through 15th um Me and you will be there.

1:55Comicdavessmith.com for those dates. Of course, porchetour.com for all of Rob's dates. And then I do want to just say, almost every year I have to give like a special plug to this, but I just checked earlier today. So I'm at the Comedy Mothership in Austin, Texas, greatest comedy club in the world, on the 28th through the 30th, August 28th through the 30th. The early show Friday is sold out and the rest still have tickets available. These shows always sell out. Every year I'm at the Mothership. the last day for a few weeks before the date people are hitting me up people are posting like how can we get tickets well so if you do want to go make sure you go grab those tickets now comic dave smith uh again for that i like i like to try to you know joe rogan's club is going to sell out no matter um no matter what but i i do like to try to get our fans to you know get you know get them if they want to so go go get them now because they're gonna they're gonna fill up okay Okay, so let's talk about a few things, Rob.

2:55You know, this was kind of interesting because, okay, so there was a topic that I had in mind for our last podcast that didn't make it. Because that's what happens, you know, sometimes we want to talk about things, but we run out of time. And then I was almost kind of like, eh, is it a little bit old now to talk about? But then a huge internet debate sparked that was kind of on the same topic. So I think it's good to talk about. But so the topic I wanted to talk about was Vivek Ramaswamy's speech at Young Americans for Liberty. And then this big debate on Twitter erupted over$20 tacos. And I kind of felt like there were a lot of similarities between, you know, kind of the debate that was happening and the response that Vivek gave and the response that a lot of people gave about kind of the high prices today for young people.

3:52And I thought it was kind of an interesting thing to talk about on the show. So for people who remember that, I think I mentioned this on the show the other day, last week, but I was supposed to go down to Cincinnati to speak at the Young Americans for Liberty event that they were having there. There was terrible weather. All the flights got canceled. I ended up giving my speech remotely. Vivek was there and gave a speech and evidently got booed off the stage. And, you know, I got to say, I was pretty surprised by that because, like, Rob, as you could say, first of all, you know, Vivek isn't exactly as much like, you know, those kids' favorite.

4:34You know, he's not like this is the Ron Paul, you know, students for Ron Paul, you know, this is our people, you know. But still, like, you'd be kind of surprised to see Vivek get booed off stage. And then I've watched, you know, some of the Trump supporters response to this kind of like$20 burrito or taco or whatever it is thing. And there's something I don't know, Rob, you see young people have this visceral reaction to people kind of like telling them that the unaffordability crisis doesn't really exist. and um i don't know i think it's something interesting and something to pay attention to uh when i don't know anytime you kind of see that thing like i was very surprised that the reaction to the bake was quite what it was and i was i i wasn't surprised about the twitter beef but anyway we could get into some of this but i don't know any thoughts that you had on any of that i know me and you talked a little bit about the vape thing uh i don't think it served biden too well when they were up there telling people that their fourth of july barbecue wasn't going to be more expensive because uh look at the price of beans everyone's fourth of july favorite food uh i think uh you know i'm still a working man on a working man's salary and every time i go and shop for anything it certainly doesn't feel like it's cheaper than it used to be and more often than not i do get sticker shock and i i live my life on the road so i'm kind of at the mercy of you know whatever casual food place i'm eating it and yes it does feel like everything is shockingly more expensive uh the most recent version of that that i saw was uh i was out on the road and there was like some you know just rest stop gas station but like one of like the like government rest stops and the water bottle prices were in line with what i see at the airport i now find that general prices are so expensive i don't have the same level of sticker shock at the airport because everything is at airport pricing um and i i think if uh generally speaking you have kids that you know don't really feel like there is an opportunity for home ownership on the larger purchases or maybe they're reluctant to start families and then even on the lower level you're out in the world and you're like oh my god going to a concert now is 125 seeing a movie is i haven't seen a movie in forever but uh you know i'm sure probably 25 bucks uh i mean that's people's lived experiences it's hard to tell people that they're just natalie says 25 25 bucks from i'm saying it's just i i i Listen, I don't have perfect data on current pricing.

7:07I can tell you that when I'm out and about, things do feel more expensive. And I think you'd be hard-pressed to find people that feel like they're walking into most stores and going, oh, that's reasonable. I mean, it happens every once in a while. You know what I mean? But, like, it's not the norm. All right, guys. Let's take a moment and thank our sponsor for today's show, which is The Wellness Company. And they've just launched their new product, Smile. Say bye-bye to receding gums. Gum recession is not just cosmetic. millions of people deal with bleeding gums, tooth sensitivity, and even tooth loss.

7:37And once gums start pulling back, most toothpastes do absolutely nothing to help. But now meet Smile, the wellness company's next generation toothpaste designed to support gum repair, strengthen teeth, reduce sensitivity, and gently whiten your smile. Smile is powered by healing peptides like BPC-157, known for helping reduce inflammation and supporting the repair of gum and bone tissue. The result of using Smile is stronger gums, healthier teeth, and a brighter smile. So head over to twc.health slash problem and use the promo code problem to get 10 % off. Once again, twc.health slash problem, promo code problem for 10 % off.

8:19All right, let's get back into the show. Yeah, you know, no, that's right. And, you know, it's a weird thing, you know, Vivek in his speech for Young Americans for Liberty, I don't know if people saw this, but it was a kind of interesting little viral moment. And he's running for governor there in Iowa. And he's probably like, you know, he's kind of like the most libertarian Republican guy who ran for president in 2024. You know, I don't know. But he talked about a lot of shit that probably like me and you really cared about. And I think me and you always, well, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong.

8:56I don't mean to speak for you, but I think we always kind of had an attitude of like, Vivek had this thing where, look, he's a little too like over polished. There's something, you know, it's, and, and look, his background in the pharma industry is not great, but I think probably both me and you would have gone like, yeah, but there are like several issues that Vivek is inserting that kind of no one else is talking about. And he's talking about, and, and, and that's something valuable. Sorry, did you want to get in there? the vague certainly flirted with some really bad ideas the two biggest ones that come to mind are perhaps mandatory like some sort of mandatory national service to have like a better feeling of patriotism which sounds to me like robbing people of their time and potentially brainwashing them because the idea that you're going to get more out of a socialized program from the government that you have to do service that that's going to be a better better value of kids of just going to work or college then he also kind of was the first one to start talking about treating the drug gangs in south america i believe like terrorists and taking military action against on that drone bombing the cartels yeah yeah so he's a lot smarter and sharper than really you know most most of the republicans and uh he certainly seems more open to a lot of libertarian ideas or pretending that he's in the libertarian lane uh but he does strike me like a guy who if he was in power might have more of like a forcible hand and would be uh okay with playing ball with the current government apparatus more than looking to clean it up with that said he did he did walk right out of doge and say hey this is so yeah well it's kind of it was a little bit unclear what you know kind of happened behind the scenes there um but i was so he gave up and his speech was essentially like it was it was we're for capitalism against socialism you know that was kind of the speech which is not the worst you know thing to to say to young you know libertarians or whatever or young you know kind of i don't know what you the the crowd exactly at young americans for liberty but it's a it's a range of libertarians to libertarian leaning young people and that's one thing but then he framed it as winners versus whiners and that there's the winners and then there's the whiners and then kind of like was it as if that is the same as like capitalism versus socialism like he almost i mean he didn't exactly say this but he kind of equated that the capitalists get out here and win while the socialists on the sideline and whine and like I don't know.

11:32There's just something really off about that because we don't live in anything close to the type of capitalist society that we'd like to and for vague as well. And so when you're talking about how they're like, there are winners and they're like, you know, a lot of people do this all the time. People who believe in like laissez-faire free markets where they almost approach the debate almost with an unexamined given being that we're currently living in a laissez-faire capitalist society. And so then we can extrapolate from there that the people who are doing well are the winners and the people who are doing better just whining that no one wants to buy their goods and services on the market.

12:13But like in reality, Anthony Fauci is a winner in a lot of ways. You see any of the reporting on his net worth, how it did over COVID, Rob? So like he won, at least in one tangible metric. And then I guess me and you were kind of whining about that. Vivek Ramaswamy himself was also kind of whining about that, right? So like there is something where like now you're framing things and I'm sorry, I'll let you go here. But like, I remember having this debate, this really, really dumb guy, libertarian guy, whatever, Austin Peterson. He was really dumb, but he's, I debated him on Israel-Gaza, like at the beginning of the thing.

12:52And I remember he said to me at one point, I said something about how the Israelis have been brutally occupying the Palestinians for like 60 years. And so when something like October 7th happens, that should be something, you know, you gotta address that. So something along those lines. And he goes, I don't know, Dave, this sounds to me a lot like critical race theory. Oh, the oppressed first, the oppressor. And I was like, wait, also, is your understanding that there can never be oppression? Like, is that? Like, I understand that the critical race theorists say that everything can be reduced to an oppressor versus an oppressed, and that's dumb.

13:30But to ever say a group of people was oppressed is wrong. And so in the same sense, you're almost like, well, look, I understand you could bet, like, sometimes it's legitimate to be upset about something. You know, so like, yes, it's, yes, there are socialists who whine about stuff that they're not entitled to, But it just seems like to go there to young people and also, Rob, to be a like a billionaire, you know, telling young people facing this economy. It's just just like I thought you do politics. I thought that's what you're doing here. This is political malpractice. Like Joel Berry arguing that it's cheaper to make burritos at home than at the store.

14:07What are you talking about, dude? This is insane. I want to know, can I complain about corporate welfare? Can I complain about the fact that governments created policies where they steal money from me through inflation? They drive up the cost of goods while returning wealth to individuals that currently own property or stocks. Am I allowed to complain about that? Are you allowed to complain about that it's a rigged system that are robbing from people who are on fixed income and helping the wealthy who already own assets? I mean, the idea that not criticizing the government corruption because that's just complaining.

14:42no i'm looking for this to be a fair system of actual capitalism where people can go compete and do well in the market and we don't currently have that yeah no absolutely and i just like the man there's just something really like the idea that you're gonna win over young people without at least like somewhat kind of acknowledging that there is this thing that really it's like guys like look everybody knows we've like destroyed our currency everybody everybody who lives in the world knows it you know the um here you know what i mean we could go oh actually you know what hold on let me also just address this real quick the other thing about the vivek speech and i know i told you this in the green room rob and i was like maybe there's a little fucked up to be on if i'm being completely honest but like you know i was thinking about this a bit um in the context of You know, there's people like Mom Donnie and, you know, and Vivek and guys like that.

15:42But I did find something a bit strange in the speech, Rob, where he kept referring to the founders like as as we. And he kept going like, listen, we decided way back then we decided that we were going to do it this way and we were going to do it this way. And we were going to do it. And there is something where I go, like, I just remember in an interview where Vivek said that his father opted not to become a citizen because he didn't want to be one. You know, and like there's just something where, like, I think that. You know, there's there's a little bit something about, like, just getting somewhere and then, like, within the first five minutes lecturing everybody else about who we are.

16:26that I do not, I think it's really, really tone deaf in the current political moment. And I also kind of, you know, I got to say this, and this is somebody who has like pretty radical politics and full disclosure here, maybe there's something fucked up about what I'm saying. Because like my genes don't, my lineage doesn't go back that far in the country. You know, like my grandfather came here on my mother's side. I think it was my great grandfather came here on my father's side, but I'm a third or fourth generation, you know, American, depending on how you want to slice that up. There is a little bit different.

17:00I don't know. It's a little bit different to be third or fourth generation than it is to be first generation citizen. That's a little bit different. And I just think that there's something about getting to a place, showing up there day one. Like imagine if I try to imagine that, like everything falls to crap here in America so bad to the point that like I got to grab my wife and my kids and be like we have to like we're leaving our belongings we have to escape out of here type situation and then like Japan is willing to let us in and I'm like oh my god and in Japan not only is it not the nightmare for America but there is like 100 ,000 times more opportunity right let's say I become a billionaire as a first generation, you know, citizen.

17:47It's a little bit something about then getting up there and going, let me tell you something about us. That is just a little bit weird. And I just wonder why instead of that, Vivek wouldn't approach that from instead of saying, no, it's not us. But like, I'm so lucky that I'm here because of that. You know what I'm saying? Like there's a different way to do it where you're not kind of like lecturing. And there is something where you're like, especially look, one of the things that I think rubs people the wrong way about Mamdani, about Mehdi Hassan, about people who about Ilhan Omar, about people who get citizenship and immediately are nothing but critical of the country, not just the government like us, but the country.

18:35It's like just at least incorporate some gratitude into that. would be my advice. You're here for a reason. You became an American citizen for a reason. Incorporate a little bit of gratitude in there. Maybe talk about that too. Like, Ilhan Omar, you're from Somalia, and all you can ever talk about is how racist America is and how awful of it. Like, there's never a point where you go, dude, I could have lived in Somalia, but I'm here. Like, thank the dear Lord. That would help. That would help a lot. And now, Vivek is not the same as those guys. I'm not trying to pretend he is. But Rob, you're talking to an, you're worth, we looked it up, you were right, he's whatever, they say he's worth$3 billion or whatever.

19:19But like, those things aren't always accurate. You're a billionaire. You're talking to a group of like, college kids about their thing. I don't know. I just think framing it as like, you're whiners, and here's what we Americans are for a first generation citizen who's trying to get their votes and excitement like it really literally it was like political malpractice and and same as as the joel barry stuff just really really bad this is not how you should do this the better message is just uh i'm lucky to be here because i cherish these american values you state the values that you cherish and you go and the problem is the corruption in dc that is uh undermining these american values you give your examples and that's what's robbing all of you guys of your opportunity and that's why it's so beautiful to see that you guys understand american values and that you're libertarians and that's why i would like to represent these values to make sure that you can have the opportunity towards a great life i'll write your speeches for you vivek i mean it's unbelievable dude just send your shit to rob it's like unbelievable and i mean this every propagandist every politician everyone giving a speech send your shit to rob he does this like it's almost like an instinct it's like i just touch his knee and he has to help you just send it to him he'll do it he'll hate himself for it that's exactly right rob that's exactly right If he had come there and said, listen, man, I was able to have like, you know how hard it is for so many people who grew up where my family grew up and the struggle, the poverty in the background, how tough it is up there.

20:42And I came here and I have the greatest life ever. And it's because of the values instilled in this country. And that's why it's obviously my obligation. I couldn't even think about not spending the rest of my life trying to fight to keep this place as great as it. You know what I mean? Like you can say the exact same thing, but say it in a way where, you know, like, why not? Look, I'm just saying, Rob, if I that situation, I said like shit goes really, really bad and I got to move to Japan and I become a billionaire and I and all that. I'm going to sit there. If I was talking to a group of 20 year old Japanese people, I would be like I'd be like, I can't express how much gratitude I have to your fathers and grandfathers for building this great country in this great system.

21:24that I'm allowed to come in. You know, how is there none of that? And also, Rob, when you're lecturing them about having fucking gratitude, that's the thing. He's lecturing them about being whiners. This really, both in the example of the Republicans who are shaming young kids over complaining about affordability and in the case of Vivek, it feels a lot like what blew up the Democratic Party of trying to shame everybody into their more socialist agenda. And while pretending that costs were going up for average Americans and they were pushing ESG scores and, you know, the diversity hiring and windmills strategies and average American and transing people and women in sports.

22:10And people are like, what the fuck? My prices are going up and I want to live a better life. And this economy is not great. I don't want to hear about this. And the Democrats were basically, no, shame on you. Shame on you. This is about propping up the other classes. And you're like, no, I kind of care about me right now. And I'm an American. And I want to hear that you're going to go do something for me. And I think it's a losing strategy to try and pretend that things are better than they are, that you're creating more opportunity than you actually are. And trying to just shame people as you're not patriotic or un-American if you're complaining about the fact that we're spending money on a war instead of fixing the economy.

22:45And especially a war when obviously it has at least increased prices to some degree, to some degree as a result of this war. prices are. Right, right. So, right. And then that obviously has effects on other prices, but no, that's exactly right. All right, guys, let's take a moment and thank our sponsor for today's show, which is Ridge. You got to check them out. I've had a Ridge wallet for many years now. I switched from the traditional leather brick in my back pocket, which I did for far too long, but you got to go check out a Ridge wallet. They're unique, slim, modern design. They hold up to 12 cards plus cash.

23:20So it's like a minimalist wallet. It's just everything you need. but I'm telling you, you pull one out, it's a conversation starter. They all look really cool. They have 50 plus colors and styles to choose from. They're all made from premium materials like aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber. All Ridge products have a lifetime warranty, so this is literally the last wallet you'll ever have to buy. There's a reason they have over 100 ,000 five-star reviews online. And losing your wallet is the worst. We've all been there, but with the Ridge AirTag attachment, you'll always know exactly where your wallet is before panic mode kicks in.

23:53And Ridge isn't just about wallets. They create premium everyday carry essentials like key cases, suitcases, rings, all built with the same sleek, durable design. And no matter what you pick, Ridge has free shipping, a 99-day risk-free trial, and a lifetime warranty on all of their products. So for a limited time, our listeners can get 10 % off at Ridge by using the promo code POTP10 at checkout. Just head to Ridge.com and use the promo code POTP10 and you're all set. Once again, Ridge.com, promo code POTP10 for 10 % off. All right, let's get back into the show. You know, when you think about obviously like what the game of, look, it's strikingly identical to what the Biden administration did.

24:42You alluded to this earlier, right? Do you remember the Corrine Jean-Pierre press conferences where it was around the 4th of July when she'd be like, you know, people are talking about price. We have the worst price inflation we've had in, you know, like five generations. And she's going, hot dog buns are down. You remember they would just like pick things and go, but that's actually, you know, they're not telling you the whole truth. And man, you want to try to do this? All right. But it's, but Rob, it's even worse. Just like the Iran war is even worse for Trump than it was. It's even worse because you ran against Biden on this, on this very issue.

25:20And now to find, you know, the support, now you're in this position where you're going, yeah, but the rate was higher. Oh my God. It's like just so pathetic. Prices are out of control. People can't afford it. It's undeniable, just undeniable. And, you know, trying to deny that this is the Biden shit. telling him the economy is great. So anyway, I want to just bring this up on, as best I could tell, this is kind of how it, how it started. It was a Matt Walsh tweet that went super viral. And, you know, Matt Walsh is, you know, it was a big podcast and he's been, you know, I think very reasonable from, from what I've seen of his takes since, since this war in Iran launched.

26:09It's a little bit weird because he works for Ben Shapiro. And so that does just kind of create this thing where like i i don't know well here let's pull up his tweet so this this was his tweet let's just pull it up on the screen and and i'll read it here it says grocery prices are insane this tree got 4.3 million views grocery prices are insane they're still rising addressing this problem should be the number one priority of every elected leader end the stupid foreign wars and focus on this issue it's one of the main reasons socialists are gaining power now um But I would say that the only thing I would say, just being a little nitpicky there, but I think maybe grocery prices, like price, you know, the destruction of the monetary system, the destruction of the currency and everything being so affordable, I would say more than just grocery prices are the thing that they should focus.

27:01But look, it's a banger of a tweet. And how can you deny that? That's a good point. And how can you deny grocery prices are insane? I mean, literally, I remember this and I don't do a lot of grocery shopping. full disclosure. But I remember literally my wife, it might've been a week ago and she called me and she was on her way back from the grocery store. And she goes, I just spent$763 at the grocery store. And as typically as the routine, she calls me, she's telling me that she calls me because she's coming home. So she comes into our driveway. So I go down to meet her to bring the bags up. And I don't know, Rob, just after finding out that you spent like, you know, between 700 and 800, I was expecting a lot more bags.

27:50I'll say that. I was thinking like, you know, if someone says that to you, you're thinking like, oh, so this is going to be like it was one trip, Rob, one trip up the stairs. I didn't have to come back again. Like it was a few bags in each hand and right up. And so, look, I just it's like Joe Biden saying that you can't get covid after you get the jab after everyone, you know, has gotten it or saying that there's no problem with the border saying this is a problem everyone can feel. They know is real. It just seems ridiculous to even have to argue this. But of course, he said he threw in there and the stupid wars stop focusing on that.

28:23And so this pissed off a lot of of of conservatives. this. Now, here's a second tweet, because this is to me, I thought what kind of started shaping the debate is that Andrew Colvitt, wait in now for anyone who doesn't remember, Andrew Colvitt is Charlie Kirk's right-hand man who now took over the Charlie Kirk show. And I don't know his exact position at Turning Point USA, but I met Andrew when I was down there at that event that some people think got him killed and some people, but whatever. I met him, we hung a little bit at that event. But so he posted this. And I thought this tweet led because then this became the whole thing.

29:01So he said, one of our Turning Point USA college students gave me his take on affordability, quote, a burrito shouldn't cost$20. Yeah, a lot of this is hangover from COVID and Biden era inflation, but the lived experience is the same. It just feels like basic things cost too much. Now, let me say something and leave this up here for a second. If you don't mind, Natalie, just pull that tweet back up here because i always want people to see this as i say this you know i i got i don't know you know obviously turning point usa has taken a little bit of a different direction since charlie's been gone um i i gotta tell you personally um i maybe i'll do i've kind of hinted at this before maybe i'll do a full episode on like my thoughts on the charlie kirk and the conspiracies and all this coming up soon.

29:50But let me just say, I'll say this right now, just for this episode. The one thing I think is really fucked up is that Charlie Kirk was adamant that no matter, despite the pressure, Tucker Carlson will never be canceled. You know, like he will never not be invited to our events. Megyn Kelly will never not be invited to our events. Like that last big event he had, you know, not the one he died at, but the one before that was me and Tucker and Candace. And they're never having any of these people back at this point, which I think is kind of lame. But anyway, let me just say something. You know, Andrew.

30:23Dude, look at this fucking tweet. Like, I don't know why, Rob, but there's a moment. Turning point USA. First of all, a lot of this is hangover from COVID and Biden. Oh, yeah, of course. That's all it is. There's nothing to do with anything Donald Trump did. Right. um i have the biden inflation was trump's fault oh my god donald trump spent more money than anyone in history in 2020 and would you believe in 2021 prices went up um i mean don't get me wrong biden kept spending but anyway i'm sorry i just have to pick on this a little bit the lived experience dude if you're not a queer fucking a queer liberation uh college professor Don't ever say lived experience.

31:12Oh, God, I hate leftist terms like this. Hey, Rob, can I tell you something crazy? Every single human experience has been lived. You don't need the word lived in front of it. It is a signal word that lets you know you're speaking some leftist terms. And then to go, it just feels like basic things cost too much. You can put the tweet down. Why do you tweet like this? I thought you're supposed to be the antidote to dumb leftist shit. Does it feel that way? It doesn't feel that way. It is that way. It gives a shit what's your lived experience. Rob, you may have an experience, but I have a lived experience.

31:57Anyway, it's like when they say in living memory. What the fuck does that mean? You remember it? That's what memory means. You don't need to inform me that it's a memory of things that lived. Okay. Anyway, things are more expensive. They don't feel more expensive. They are. This is demonstrable. It's tangible. It's a fact. But I do like that. So now this set off a huge online debate. And Rob, here's the funny thing, right? All of these, they're making all these arguments. So like, well, if you made a burrito at home, it wouldn't cost$20. And well, if you did this and it's like, at the end of it, you're like, yeah, that's true.