there’s no wisdom on the left there are
a lot of say that I you can say that you
seriously think there’s I don’t know it
I don’t say it I know it I lived it I
went to Columbia my professors were
brilliant and had almost no wisdom so
years ago I used to have a radio show in
Glendale with Salem radio called Savin
America and I would go into the building
and there was always this man they would
talk about dennis prager that we all in
LA had heard for many many years and you
had your own show on the other side i
have my smaller to show here getting
started and now from there i mean if you
go online that you type in Prager
University it’s one of the fastest
growing YouTube channels all over the
world they’re getting 2,500 to 4,000
subscribers per day and the message is
specifically around capitalism so today
we’re gonna talk a little bit of
capitalism with the one and only then
it’s Prager great to be with you good to
be with you thank you for waiting by the
way let me explain yeah since it’s my
house so we got the dog didn’t want to
move and the cigar didn’t want to move
so that’s why they’re both that makes a
lot just one and then I make a lot of
dog the dogs three of them now Snoopy
one in the other room so we’re gonna
have to write until Snoopy decides to
come in here so then it’s today I would
like to talk about three different items
okay one of them will be how we form our
opinions another one will be capitalism
and then and then one of them will if we
got time we’ll get into Hitchens I know
you spent some time with Hitchens and to
me is one of the most fascinating
characters out there and I’d be curious
to know what your take will be on that I
grew up in a family where my mother said
they all believed in communism uh-huh my
dad said they believed in imperialism
and I grew up completely confused so on
one side they believed rich people were
greedy on the other side they believed
poor people were lazy and I’m right in
the middle so was the greatest debate of
my life was mom and dad debating so how
was their marriage otherwise well you
know they got a divorce twice you know
they got a divorce it sounds
yeah that you people should marry people
with whom they share values you know
it’s amazing I got into a conversation
one of my friends and he said faith
common faith is more important in common
political beliefs and I said I think
economical believers know important then
it’s an odd statement because whatever
if faith faith translates itself into
real life or it’s pointless if your
religion I’m a I’m a deeply religious
man I have been teaching of the first
five books of the Bible for 40 years and
the fruit of it is the first volume the
book of Exodus the second book my
commentary and explanation is just is
coming out it’s called the rational
Bible so that gives you an idea of how
hard I work on these matters but the
point that I wanted to say to you is
religion has to have values it can’t
just be I believe in God or I believe in
Jesus or I believe in the Torah or I
believe in the Quran it’s got so
therefore what my next question is see
if I know somebody believes in something
I’d still don’t know anything about
their values I only know that they
believe so my point is people should
marry with common values them that’s the
most important even more than common
faith comment yeah because you could
have you can have people of two
different religions who have the same
values and people of the exact same
religion I’m with who agree on nothing
I’m 100% with you right there so now
let’s go let’s go to the first now as
you’re going into that so years ago we
were at Wayne Hughes house you know the
son of I believe what is a public
storage at that time I think he was a
3.8 billion dollar guy and we were in
Malibu
and you were up there speaking and you
said the most interesting thing I was
sitting right in the front and you said
the difference between liberals and
conservatives you said you said five
different things they’re trying to make
good and evil be the same men and women
be the same Oh animal and human rights
always never remember that
that’s impressive I was I vividly
remember
oh you dad and I’m sitting there saying
I’m going back and I’m doing research
I’m like what is this what is he talking
about because uh huh right around that
time my political beliefs as a
capitalist was majorly influenced by a
George Will back in March of oh nine
right and you know George will and so
from there I got into the later Prager
you video a few yes he has that’s right
yes he has and so let’s go to that
Dennis you obviously you look at this
room you got so many books in here this
could be a local librarian luck any
other people could come and sign our
books and start a small side business
like that’s really Channel but you know
if you go back and we look at Dennis at
14 years old 16 years old 18 years old
25 years old 35 years old 45 years old
if we look at Dennis how did Dennis
Prager form his opinions to where you
are today and who influenced it this
will sound boring except for one item I
have the exact same value system as in
high school and in high school I wrote
and I still have the diary the physical
diary I wish I kept the diary the rest
of my life but I didn’t I know what I
want to do with my life I want to
influence people to the good that’s all
I’ve ever been interested in there’s so
much cruelty in and and evil on earth
and I want people to be good but I know
that we don’t start out good human
nature isn’t good it’s not evil but it’s
not good so how do you make people good
or even just better that’s been my
life’s work the one area that I have
changed was done by Ronald Reagan when
Ronald Reagan said government is not the
solution it’s the problem and I realized
oh my god is that true
now nobody denies government has to do
some good it has to put out your fire is
it has to hire police it has to have
armed forces there has to be some degree
of regulation we all acknowledge that
but why would anybody trust a lot of
power in people’s hands the United
States was founded and only the United
States on the belief that limited
government is a moral value without
limited government America is just like
every other place every other number –
having been preoccupied with evil
I realized Reagan’s comment was right in
another way
all the genocides of the 20th century
and there were more genocides in the
20th century than all centuries before
that put together all of them were
caused by big government and nobody
talks about that people say all the time
oh religion has killed people who killed
more people in the name of God people
have killed more people in the name of
secular government than in all the
religions priva get it if there’s no
comparison communism and Nazism killed
more people than then Christianity by
bias by a factor and I’m not Christian
I’m Jewish by a factor of of a thousand
the whole Spanish Inquisition killed
about 6,000 people in 300 years and it
was an evil thing but 6,000 in 300 years
versus 20 million versus 20 million
that’s the minimum figure for Stalin 60
million is the minimal figure for Mao
a third of the Cambodians 4 million
Ukrainians bye-bye Stalin in the in the
early 30s in the Forrest famine he
simply took people’s food away I mean
and it goes on and of course the the
Nazis in the six million Jews so all of
them were secular governments so we’ll
put the secular aside that’s just to
answer the religious Jew challenge
against religion but it’s critical to
note that it’s big government you can’t
slaughter a lot of people without big
government I with one exception the
Hutus and Tutsis that that that was the
one exception but let’s go back to the
question there’s a part of it that
I have a hard time believing you said
there’s only one thing that for you you
wanted to do good and you wanted to make
influence right yes it becomes better
fair enough but you weren’t born this
way I was
there’s no way in so you’re telling me
if that is my nature but but it is also
your own I’m not saying 50% you’re also
made a video that you said you believe
kids are born bad and we gotta make em
good I never said basically nothing like
you know you don’t teach a kid manners
receiver culture boy you say all this
stuff it is 50% environment I was I was
raised with a great value system that’s
what I want to know I wasn’t around was
that maybe your parents my parents
definitely were a factor there’s no
question they talked about ethics a
great deal but I was raised in a
religious home I went to religious
school and I took the stuff seriously
when it says love your neighbor as
yourself I am God and nobody adds the I
am God they don’t remember it’s even in
the sentence it’s God who says love your
neighbor as yourself
not not man not Moses it’s it’s God
ultimately and in other words so God
wants me to be good whew I’ll give you
an example I believe the Ten
Commandments are from God one of them is
honor your honor your father and mother
like almost everybody I had a difficult
time with my parents when I was younger
but I never ever disrespected my parents
I never ignored them
I the moment I left their house at the
age of 20 or 21 from then till the day
they died at 96 and not 90 we cover life
anywhere I was on earth I honored my
parents because I believe God commanded
honor your parents people who think we
can have a great world without God or
naive okay again let’s go back to that
so here’s my question for you now I’m
curious because because what I’m trying
to solve what I’m trying to figure out
is is the following and and and maybe
I’m curious to know where you’re gonna
where you gonna go with this dennis
prager is born in a family where his mom
and dad are Bill and Hillary Clinton
okay if you’re if you who you are but
you’re born in that family would Dennis
today be a very strong liberal and
promoting what you’re promoting on MSNBC
would Rachel Maddow or would you still
be the Dennis Prager today saying I’m
gonna be this conservative you know
libertarian or you’re Republican
whatever maybe and I’m gonna drive it
would be the latter and I know why
really yes you really believe there’s no
doubt in my mind and I’ll tell you why I
I believe in what I believe because of
its moral and because it’s common sense
if if if if liberalism or a leftism made
common sense then I would be a liberal
or a leftist and they’re not the same by
the way I I spent a great deal of time
explaining to liberals that they should
fear and fight the left just as much as
the right does and Alan Dershowitz
agrees Alan Dershowitz prominent Harvard
Harvard professor love law had said to
me on film just a few weeks ago in his
home I am a liberal and the left is my
enemy much more than the right
very few are gonna say that very few
because they don’t have the guts to say
it but some liberals are not leftist but
they’re not courageous but then it’s
this is what I want to challenge you on
and this is what I struggle with again
so so I sit there I have a lot of
friends on the Left friends on the right
friends in the middle and friends who
could give a about politics okay I
got them all and I sit down and I see
these guys that are Democrats and I say
this guy is very smart
okay and and I look at this guy and I
said this guy is very smart aleck this
person is very smart it is but so
there’s a lot of smart good people on
all a a spectrum right and then I dig a
little deeper and then here’s what I
figure out when I dig a little deeper so
I have a friend who’s african-american
and I say growing up who got a hold of
you who was the person that influenced
you the most and then you know he said
well you know I read some of Saul
Alinsky and I read some of you know
Carmen
ARC’s and my professor was a big fan of
you know all these other guys and vid
algo and all these things I read I said
girl let me ask you a question what if
Thomas all got a hold of you all Thomas
all I would never follow it down the
soul I said well what if Thomas all got
a hold of you at a young age would you
have been different you didn’t grow up
with a father figure so what if Thomas
had a hold of you at 14 and so in manga
this guy’s got a PhD he’s a brilliant
he’s a professor principal smart guy and
he sits there after a while he says Pat
honestly I probably would have been on
the other side so the part I’m trying to
get to with this battle that there is
going on right the part I’m trying to
get to with the battle that’s going on
is we have people that grow up and they
say I want to be anything than whatever
my dad was my dad was Ronald Reagan but
he wasn’t around he was always on the
road I’m Ronnie Reagan I’m gonna be a
liberal okay hey my father was a
Democrat and I’m gonna be complete
opposite my ex-husband was this we broke
it up and didn’t work out I’m gonna be
the complete opposite so how much bad
the part now I’m trying to figure out
with you is you said 50/50 was my
environment but you’re saying no matter
what even if it wasn’t that you’re still
gonna have the same belief system how
would that have happened if I’m born in
your family the books I have here are
the books and your influence is gonna be
mainly on one side right but it’s not
because it’s one side if what you’re
saying is true then it’s pointless to
try to influence people morally or
politically or socially or economically
if they are what they are because of
environment and genes then that’s the
end but I believe that humans have free
will I believe that a certain percentage
of humanity hearing a good idea will
then challenge themselves that’s why I
know look we had 600 million views at
Praeger you last year vast numbers and
and and 65 percent of them are under 35
years of a fascinating it’s it’s a big
deal the number of them who say wow I
never heard that before that made me
think is very large there are people who
will hear – when two is four
but they are emotionally committed to
twenty was five I can’t change their
mind but but but but if you’re saying
that then what your theory says that one
day we can have 90 percent of the world
be on the right that’s correct that is
correct you really believe that yes how
because I believe in the human ability
to think rationally however I fully
admit that the world composed today
where so much irrationality dominates
you said you had friends on the Left who
are very smart and you said something
else very well-educated I think those
were the ruling right but you didn’t say
the key word the smart means nothing
educated means nothing wise is
everything there’s no wisdom also define
wise wise why is life experiences wisest
partially life experience wise is
looking at life and making rational wise
conclusions for example it is wiser for
a woman in her 20s to look for a husband
than to just chase a career that’s
wisdom that’s not economics it’s
partially economics because if you care
about human happiness I I don’t have it
I have no issue woman wants a career god
bless her
I married a lawyer if a woman wants a
career it’s a non-issue to me but from
the point of view of wisdom since good
men don’t grow on trees good careers do
because you work hard you’ll have a good
career that’s the way it works but to
find a good man is easy or a 25 then at
45 and I don’t know this cuz I’m a woman
I know this from the thousands of women
who have called my radio show in the
course of 35 years of doing radio but
then as you say something like that so I
know Democrats that have been married
for 45 years and Republicans that have
not so does that mean the Democrat is
wiser than the Republican yes sometimes
they live by value I’m not talking about
what they advocate no
I don’t know I advocacy what they’re up
you know what I tell all my liberal
Jewish relatives with that preach what
you practice
no I’m they live conservative lives and
they preach liberalize so when you say
the tragedy of black life is lack of
fathers they say all racism racism
racism but they all give their kids
fathers the people give their kids
fathers but don’t think it’s necessary
for black kids to have fathers that’s
racist so here’s so here’s what I’m not
talking about so I’m not talking about
you know so far since today yeah we’re
having a conversation okay Paul Mario
and I were having a conversation before
we went with Curtis Stone Curtis Stone
is this celebrity chef he was on
Celebrity Apprentice he’s got all these
big restaurants in Beverly Hills in LA
so we’re at lunch we’re having a debate
over gay and being straight okay and how
does that come up I’m not gonna get into
the details where this conversation led
to what we’re having a conversation over
lunch and I like to kind of process
issues like this so it finally got to a
point where Paul made a company that I
said this is where I no longer debate
because if this is what you’re gonna
agree on I’m not debating anymore we
change the subject I’m not talking about
talking to people that they have to be
right at all cost I can’t do nothing
about those guys right I can’t send
they’re having a serious conversation
because you have to be right I’m talking
about somebody that says you know what
Dennis so I’m in a car I’m driving I got
two guys sitting behind me this is when
Barack Obama is about to pass Obamacare
okay so the wife voted for Barack and a
husband voted for Barack and they both
believe we need to have Obamacare I’m
not saying anything about I’m not
haven’t even brought it up I say hey
guys I got a question for you they said
what’s that I said I got to spend me on
dealing with and his family makes thirty
five thousand dollars per year and they
said wow that’s great and they’re
thinking about coming up with this
additional thing for the family that’s
gonna cost them roughly twenty thousand
dollars a year and they’re gonna go into
debt and into that they don’t have the
money but everybody in the family has
agreed that they should because maybe
they should do it what do you think
about it I asked the wife
she says oh that’s a terrible idea they
should never do that why would you go
into debt not having the money and I
said you know what I agree with you I
said then what do you think about is the
husband and he says terrible idea that’s
not how you handle your finances I said
by the way let me tell you I’m breaking
down the math our GDP is three and a
half trillion dollars and this Obamacare
is gonna cost a trillion to two trillion
dollars why the hell are we coming up
with a program we don’t have the money
for what we’re in debt sixteen trillion
dollars at the time
then they said this makes sense
okay so you’re making my point
so no by my people who are prepared to
hear what I think can be influenced yes
so for me I also I also on the other
side I also believe the Socrates point
of the moment you think you know
everything you don’t know anything
because there’s a part of it that I
think it’s healthy to have a little bit
of doubt didn’t you have a debate with
Hitchens one time and you asked him a
very interesting question you asked him
you said hey Chris you know myself and
Dinesh you know we even though we are
strong in our belief we sometimes doubt
right and he said you asked him of
brilliant question you said do you ever
doubt that you know your atheism
non-existence of God is wrong and he
said the answer that you knew he was
gonna say he answered the answer that
you knew he was gonna say sir says no I
tried but no not at all he says now you
can tell to the audience that there’s a
little bit of a level of arrogance here
versus us we’re not we’re doubting a
little bit and he does I think the
challenge why on the right I had this
conversation with Charlie Kirk as well I
said I think the challenge with the
right sometimes is the fact that there
is a level of I am right no matter what
then a you may disagree hi Dennis I’m
not right no matter what I certain ideas
are right no matter what I don’t care
whether I’m right I care whether I know
what what is right there’s a big
difference yeah my ego is not attached
to my my opinions 0 I am prepared to
change my mind in a nanosecond give
given I I was for minimum wage I was
then I saw the data what number whatever
it was I don’t remember when
was for it was um I don’t I think you’re
not I’m I recently okay yeah III was for
minimum-wage when the New York Times was
against it
the New York Times editorialized the
right minimum wages $0.00 but the the
New York Times has shifted from liberal
to left now it’s now what they would
never agree with that people should look
that up it’s I I wrote a I and many
others have written about when they
advocated they had an editorial the
right minimum wage $0.00 more people are
unemployed you don’t give an opening
work for people who need work habits at
a very early time in their life nobody
lives on minimum wage the rest of their
life if they do there’s something wrong
with their work ethic they should rise
you should become a manager at a
McDonald’s after a certain number of
years you shouldn’t be getting minimum
wage but I finally realized oh my god
we’re putting small businesses out of
business because they work at such a
small margin of profit who’s gonna hire
all of these people but the left doesn’t
care because they consider it a victory
to have the government give more and
more money to people they think that is
it’s a moral and beautiful thing to do
and I think for except in the cases of
where people literally cannot work it is
ruining their character and their life
so I changed my mind on it because of
the evidence are there a lot more things
that can be changed with your mind today
yes anything oh can you provide me
better evidence and I’ll change my mind
for capital punishment if you convince
me that we we are executing Ennis
innocent people yep then we have to do a
moratorium so so fair enough so this is
so and by the way you know one thing you
know about me I was a registered
Democrat I bought a Clinton and I voted
right and and I went in the middle and
I’m independent libertarian I fired me
Carter
I am you voted for Jimmy yes so I
stopped being it that’s why I’m in
America if there was no Jimmy Carter I’d
still be in Iran I wouldn’t be in
America if there wasn’t for Jimmy Carter
I’d probably still be in Iran living
there doing something else with the ship
but you
would be doing well it would be a much
freer country to be Annie Rondon the
Iran under the Shah of course it was an
infinitely morally superior
no dead economically and socially no
doubt about it no doubt about it him his
son and I had a conversation about it
in DC the day I was with Ted Cruz so ok
fair enough so let’s let’s finalize this
topic here this is my processing and I’m
really like I really want to know your
answer like honestly I sincerely want to
know your answer on this and I’m not
trying to get one s or another side how
you having met so many different people
on both side Chris Matthews is not
stupid okay Rachel Maddow is not dumb
elizabeth warren is not dumb now they
may be a little bit sensational there
are very few dumb people that’s the
point that dumb doesn’t mean anything
educated does it mean smart doesn’t mean
the number of uh smart people who
supported communists or nothing is is in
the millions but fair enough to go to
the left and if you talk about values
and principles and all of that there’s a
lot on the left there’s no wisdom on the
left there are a lot of say that I you
can say that you seriously think they’re
lies I know it I don’t say it I know it
I lived it I went to Columbia my
professors were brilliant and had almost
no wisdom they taught me that men and
women are basically the same you can be
brilliant and believe that but you can’t
be wise and believe that the difference
between men and women is huge so you’re
saying the left is smart the writers
wise yes you really saying yes that’s
exactly the people the ideas that’s
correct
wisdom is there are live there are wise
liberals too but there was no wisdom on
the left the left is a nihilistic
destructive force in every society
they’re not touch let first it has
ruined our universities it has ruined
our arts it has ruined our high schools
everything it’s ruining football another
left
touches it ruins okay so let’s do this
just just so just so we we are we are
clear why don’t you define left and
liberal let’s not a difference after
exam please what is it was simplified
simplify in a way we’re sixth grade okay
no no no I do by the way I believe I can
I believe it’s our obligation to make
things as simple not simplistic as
possible
example liberalism believes in that race
is meaningless that character is
everything and skin color is nothing the
left believes that character is much
less significant than skin color the
left the left believes in segregation
racially liberals believe in integration
racially a liberal is opposed to a black
dorm a liberal is opposed to a black
graduation at Harvard a leftist is for
it they have nothing in common the only
thing that the left and the and the
unliberated common they have two things
belief in big government and hatred of
the right that is the only thing that
left ISM and liberalism have in common
okay so tell me who is a liberal and
who’s a left somebody somebody that
people know name right I gave you Alan
Dershowitz he’s a classic liberal okay
professor or Harvard Law voted for Obama
and probably Woodrow typically noted for
Clint fair enough that is correct
who else would be a liberal okay this
there are many my whole family which
people don’t know obviously publicly
there are very few public liberals today
this is a tragedy publicly the
Democratic Party which was once liberal
is now left
Daniel Patrick Moynihan these are names
that will not be known to most of your
viewers senator from New York major
intellectual Democrat he was the man who
alerted the country to the crisis of the
absence of the black father and what was
he called by the left a racist but you
could say it as a Democrat and still be
elected senator from New York not today
a Democrat who said that the biggest
problem in black life is not racism it
is absence of father’s will could not be
elected dog catcher in New York and who
would you say as a left yes so would you
put let me ask you would you put
progressive philosophies in the left or
could progressive be left and liberal
progressive is a larger term for both
liberals and leftists all of you doing
it okay fair enough
well then that kind of redefines when I
use the word left on where your
frustration comes with that because
maybe based on liberal do you think it’s
a good thing moral thing a liberal thing
to have a black dorm ask them that if
they say yes then then ice then I say
then you are a leftist because
liberalism was opposed to racially based
dormitories
you always have strong strong views on
things and that’s that’s what I always
have strong views on things I have
strong views on their.i I know my my
lacunae my laps and my gaps so there I
just don’t have I don’t talk about there
enough so there’s this I have a strong
view okay so you said something you say
means nothing human beings are human
beings I’m a religious man we are
created in God’s image
God is not white or black or yellow or
red God is none is is not color
therefore if we’re in the image of God
color means nothing I’m not okay fair
enough so let’s go back to Adele
let’s put Dennis Prager in a complete
different side we’re not talking Dennis
Prager Dennis Prager was born with these
views Dennis Prager was born with the
way you feel about doing better all that
stuff and you have politically be in the
same place except for what Reagan told
you about limited guys are the reason
for you’ve got a summer that’s fair
enough
right liberal let’s pray pray ground
aside how about the guy that grew up a
Democrat in shifts how about the guy
that grew up a Republican issues how
about the guy that grew up not caring
about politics that how about the
guy that grew up a pro-gun and then
accidentally there was a gun in the
house and somebody killed his
three-year-old daughter and he shifts
and he says nobody should have a gun in
the house and it becomes a anti NRA all
that stuff how about some of those
things so the point I’m trying to get to
is the following
how do people not Dennis Prager how do
people generally cuz I think this is the
issue because if we don’t address this
issue we don’t know what audience to go
to to be able to help them process
issues on how we form our political
beliefs so asking you Dennis from your
experience you’ve debated people you
debated Frank Pastore on Christianity
against Judas and Chris Hitchens you’ve
gone to Israel you’ve done it on the
most wildest place or most incredible
platforms and you’ve debated every put
every topic that has to do a political
pretty much how do people form their
political opinions
on passion when they do it on reason and
morality will win them over I’m a lover
of reason reason is not enough but it’s
absolutely indispensable we are living
in a day of pure passion on the guns
issue
it’s just passion that no more guns no
more guns well how was the what happened
when the government said no more drugs
did it increase or decrease the number
of addicts and the number of killings by
people for drugs so the same people who
want more laws with regard to guns want
fewer laws with regard to drugs why will
it work on guns but not on drugs
they don’t think rationally it’s passion
because we all hate seeing kids killed
interesting so passion reason for action
it is ok that’s right I mean honestly I
kind of wanted to hear your perspective
on that for me you know I sometimes go
through the fact that you have people
that had somebody had an influence in
their lives early on maybe they didn’t
have a father figure but a professor did
you have people that are tradition based
I grew up traditionally black so I vote
Democrat most Armenians are Democrats my
father was in the military some a
Republican you know I am yes I think
most people addition who would not have
happened yeah it’s a tragedy in their
psyche that are purely stubborn you
can’t convince all right so but I’m
telling you if you I really believe that
otherwise I wouldn’t do all the work of
my life I
I’m trying to influence people through
reason and morality and it’s very
effective but it’s not effective on
everybody I admit that that’s why when
he said 90% will eventually be how do we
know no night if they were governed by
reason but people are emotional be
that’s correct I know so you know what
all of life is a battle between the
brain and the mind I got something for
you to think about I had a girl that
came into my office and we were one
night it was one of my new executives a
girlfriend at the time okay and she
always wanted to debate politics with me
so she came into the office one day she
said you know I think it’s this I think
all you care about is capitalism and
money and entrepreneurship and
millionaires
greed and all this other stuff then I
ask you a question kearson know what
you’re gonna say I mean I don’t even
have this thought just came to my mind
right now I said you know over the years
every time I debate politics with
somebody after I find out which way they
lean politically I ask them to follow in
question and it’s it’s interesting cuz I
want to know if there’s a linkage behind
it
I said when you were in high school did
you like math or did you like English or
journalism or you know art and and you
have no idea how often when people say
math that’s a reason they eventually end
up believin in capitalism when they say
art and creativity they go to passion
emotion which is the left how much you
think that side on how we’re wired its
hilt yeah look everybody is wired to
think emotionally that’s that’s some
more than others but everybody is then
as I said life is a battle between the
mind and the brain the brain says I want
cheesecake the mind says you’re already
overweight don’t eat it
most of the time the brain wins the
brain is the animal brain when I cuz
it’s right no brain brain wins because
it’s so powerful the urge to have
cheesecake is greater than the rational
calculation that I will never lose
weight if I keep eating cheesecake are
you saying that because you want some
cheesecake right now no I actually
haven’t had dessert in six months and
it’s not easy but it’s easier after six
months than it was after two months but
yes I I’m talking from experience I’m
talking for any experience but it’s true
for anything you know the the number
what why do they say that College is a
is a rape culture I don’t believe that
college is a rape culture but so many
women have sex that they later regret
having had even though they had it
voluntarily but what they did was they
didn’t they didn’t use their mind for
most women sex is more of a emotional
issue
or can be more than for men men can have
sex and do have sex with just about
anything
not to mention themselves and they just
they want the the male is sexually
phenomenally different from the female
but the the fools who taught me and who
taught now a whole generation in high
school and college have told young women
you are the same as a man sexually they
can have sex without any commitment so
can you so they bought this nonsense so
they have hookups and the depression
rate among young women is is at college
is extremely high I mean tinder doesn’t
help the accessibility and availability
today without your freedom I
if people want tinder they should have
tinder it’s none of my business I’m only
giving a prescription if you want to be
a happier human being if you want to be
a happier human being and you’re a
female then you should think a few times
before having an immediate hook up the
jealous is not a moral message this is a
purely rational message did we listen to
our parents at 18 19 years old I mean I
don’t know about you but you know was a
phase that I went through I don’t know
if you went through your life people yes
I went through we yes I agree with you
but but women pay a bigger price yeah
but you can’t say that at a college you
say fair enough because you know it’s
true you can’t say all these truths at a
college because they’re quote
politically incorrect which means
offensive to the left which wants to
believe that men and women are the same
okay let’s transition to the next topic
let’s transition to the next topic you
know eight years um okay it’s it’s uh by
the way have you ever watched Chris
Hitchens debate his brother that whole
don’t know nine oh my god I debated
Chris Hitchens but I never saw no I mean
I’m brother first of all his brother
doesn’t have a strong personality like
him in the dynamic witty sight
that kind of fear like trying to play
basketball against LeBron James he jumps
40 inches and you jump 10 you just even
though you may be a better dribble or
he’s gonna kick your ass in right
I’m not let or dribble or I can’t jump –
yeah that’s right so so you know what
what makes you believe and I and I have
my own beliefs on this and I’m firm on
it but what makes you believe that the
argument against atheists I’m not even
saying Christianity Mormonism Judaism
Muslim Scientology I’m not even going to
I’m just saying there is a God there is
no God what’s the simplest thing for you
for all these years that you debated if
you want to say one two three or even
one what is the simplest thing for you
to say I know there is a God I don’t
think there is a God I’m pretty certain
but I don’t know I know you’re sitting
there I know this is a cigar because I
can empirically prove it
I cannot empirically prove God but I am
one notch below empirical proof certain
that there is a God who created the
world because the design is so unique
the number of factors that had to come
together to produce life let alone
intelligent life is so beyond the the
probabilities in the in the short 13
billion years or whatever it is that the
universes existed that it can only be
explained rationally by a creator by a
designer to which by the way current
atheists know that that’s true so it’s a
very interesting thing they’re doing
they are so aware about the
improbability of life without a designer
without a creator the improbability of
intelligent life without a designer
creator so now they have a new argument
this isn’t the only universe but there
isn’t a shred of evidence for any other
universe existing nor can we ever know
it that is in its a complete total leap
of faith there are other universes in
which interviewing you there were so is
an infinite number of universes and
everything that could happen happens so
in one universe I’m a turtle
and in another youniverse I’m a pebble
and another youniverse I’m not and so on
but that’s nonsense
I asked Charles Krauthammer who was a
brilliant he is brilliant and wise and
an agnostic is not an atheist I asked
him what do you think of atheism I had
no idea what he’d say he said there were
a lot of dumb ideas out there but that’s
the dumbest that’s Charles Krauthammer
and one of the smartest guys on a stick
and secular very interesting views he
has even in the last election he kind of
got some heat but he’s got very
interesting views okay
let’s transition into capitalism okay so
you got capitalism you got socialism you
got communism okay obviously got a bunch
of other things in there that people
want Marxist and this is amol this other
isms that are out there but let just say
take two three capitalism socialism
communism communism we’re not even in a
debate because let’s just set aside
communism out there on the other side it
doesn’t have a good track record okay I
think there’s only a couple things from
Karl Marx books that I read but I sit
down and say these two points I can
actually buy it that Karl Marx makes
fair enough everything else I just can’t
buy into anything he’s saying
mathematically doesn’t make sense to me
so question for you you got capitalism
you got socialism what’s the difference
you know if you were to simplify it what
is the difference between capitalism and
socialism and does America today is it
truly a capitalistic system that we have
in America today we have a mixed economy
but most every democracy is a mixed
economy where they’re socialism and
there’s capitalism but here is the most
important question since again I think
morally and rationally I ask one
question what has lifted people out of
poverty poverty is the human norm there
was there’s been very little affluence
in human history there is a great deal
of affluence today by affluence I mean
able to have a roof over your head pay
your bills have a car I mean that’s
affluent to have a car and and a place
to live and an air conditioner that’s
affluent
okay in in reality though everyone who
has that has it because capitalism has
lifted billions out of poverty
socialism spends the money that
capitalism creates so your fame is emmm
ever creates wealth only capitalism
creates wealth socialism is a way of
spending the money that is created by
capitalism okay so at what percentage is
it just capitalism I don’t think there’s
that there’s a nation that’s a hundred
percent capitalism is a that of course
because I said earlier right because
there’s no relations so what is the
number in your opinion I’ve done some
research on what the number here is I
have a number for the Laffer curve you
know what what point yak sation does
this do revenues actually drop I don’t
know if they’re what the number is of
because you can’t make a number this
percent is capitalist this percent is
socialist but the the more private
enterprise the more free market the more
people are free I’ll give even medicine
is that this this is not well known and
it should be there is a branch of
medicine that is not covered by
insurance so people have to pay cash
they’re not insured it has become one of
the most lucrative areas of medicine and
the prices keep falling and that is a
cosmetic surgery the surgeons are making
a lot of money and the people are paying
less all because it’s completely free
insurance doesn’t pay for a nose job
insurance doesn’t pay for a breast
implant this is all cosmetic are you
saying they should pay for breath them
no not in the least
they shouldn’t pay for almost anything
there should be insurance just the way
there is in cars
nobody is insured for a lube an oil
change you are insured if you want to
pay less for your insurance your
insured for a serious crash that’s what
we should do for for health insurance
you get cancer and you need chemotherapy
I need insurance that’s too expensive
beyond that it should be cash so let’s
go back to the question again the
question is I’m gonna ask you just
Dennis let’s not do the research but I
know David and christina romer from UC
Berkeley did a research on that what
percentage of taxes there’s the
motivation to create more money go away
okay I was once a different question but
that’s what I want to know okay no you
asked I thought that you were asking
what percentage should be socialist what
percentage should be capital again this
is okay so if you have that’s a
different question
I didn’t have an answer because we can’t
measure exactly what social is what
capitalist but that’s that’s that can be
measured do you do you have you finally
said no what is the answer but I do
believe that is more or less measurable
at what point people are our peoples
ambition to work is shattered by
taxation so I mean your size California
is number one right now in America right
New York’s number eight thousands right
was surprised New York was number number
I can tell you in my own life given that
I pay that I am in a category and my
wife who really knows economics is
present what what what is the category
of our tax right now is it over 50 with
state tax okay between 50 and 55 so I’ll
tell you how it’s affected me I I do a
lot of speaking and I’m paid for my
speeches I give some for free because
it’s the right thing to do but putting
that aside I raised my prices because of
taxes that’s the only reason I raised
the the fee because if I get X amount
for a speech so I have to travel across
the country to give a speech I have to
do my radio show so I’m gone for three
days four oh four one speech I’m not
gonna go away for three days for a half
the amount I will have to write I have
I’ve raised my price because I am in
such a high tax rate so I it’s
discouraged me
speaking that is correct there you go
and so let me ask you this
you don’t believe with 90% of the
policies in California that you’re
living it right okay fair enough
so what point does it meet to get to and
I’m asking you to leave yeah what one
doesn’t need to get to for you to say
honey right I don’t know the answer but
I can tell you why I’m staying which is
the logical question to ask I’m staying
because I love my I have so many friends
here and friends is a is the road to
happiness I’ve written a book on
happiness I do an hour a week of my
radio on happiness I’m a big believer
that happiness is a good thing happy
people do good for the world so I have
all my friends here I have a community
here of a religious community here I and
I love the weather and I love my home
and I love the town that I live in but
it is true that at a certain point it
could get so ownerís
that I would have to leave so mayor via
grocer runs for office he I was a
governor the state of California right
he says we need to go to 74 percent
would you still be here no okay
what would you move to have you thought
about Texas we would welcome you Gloria
would you want to move wat Lordan well I
don’t like the weather anywhere except
the West
we’re blessed you really are was totally
beside from earthquake this is like
profound and by the way right now the
cold November la be in disco and I was
alone if I do I love that if we get down
to 38 degrees to me this is like great
but this is the coldest that ever gets
and in the summer no mosquitoes I grew
up in the East I know what it’s like no
humidity and no mosquitoes I’ll pay a
penalty in taxes for no mosquitoes about
humidity that’s how I that’s how I look
at it yes so so in order to move Dennis
we got to make sure the taxes in
California goes above 70% to move me
yeah to move you yeah that would
probably that would that would no not
probably that would do it so mayor very
gross if you’re watching this we would
like to encourage you to raise the taxes
and run for governor so we can move into
Texas it’s a lot easier to do radio and
interviews with them because it’s going
to be closer than a track the Democrats
don’t care if the middle class leaves
that there’s
they’ve kicked out the middle class of
California California is now basically
the wealthy and the poor can you land on
the left so let me ask you is there a
likelihood of a true capitalistic
Republican governor winning in the state
of California next twenty years only if
the state goes bankrupt and can’t pay
its firemen and its police and its
teachers and people understand why it’s
because they have done deals with unions
that have sucked the money out of the
states got to get to that point I would
be the only point that’s correct what
it’s got to get to yes but they’ll
demagogue it and just say look they’re
lured the rich is still not paying their
fair share that’s what they’ll keep
saying so I had mayor muscle who was a
mayor of Frisco and I don’t know how
much you have that on Frisco and what
happened to them Frisco Texas in 1992
this is amazing Dennis they had 6,000
people living in Frisco in 1992 okay
today they have a hundred seventy two
thousand people there and it’s not
because they’re better at sex than
everybody else in America they attracted
a lot of people to their city and I sat
then and I broke it down with them I
said listen what did you do he was a
three-term mayor what did you do and he
attracted us to move to Texas he drove
us and we sat with Governor Perry and
Nolan Ryan and these guys are
professional recruiters by the way and
it made sense because logistically was
easier for me to fly to Florida in New
York in LA everywhere three hours DFW
good airport loves a good airport simple
place to be but he broke down the math
he broke down the math on how it works
out where he was able to bring
entrepreneurs and all these other guys
who moved to Frisco and this is what
they did and all this other stuff how
much of that do you yourself work with
and bring people to your audience to
actually educate the voters to know that
hey one of two things either me needs to
run for mayor or run for office and run
for governor and have these policies
being driven or two I need to pay a
little bit more attention to who is my
mayor to who vote for my mayor or who to
vote for my congressman or governor so
these things don’t continue how much do
you get into brass tacks and a dollar
specific
so we pay attention to those and do you
think that’s even something that we
ought to be talking about well it’s a of
course it’s important but I chose my
vehicle as I have often flirted with
running for office I was gonna run for
the US Senate from California and then
chose not to and ultimately I based my
choice on my my temperament I have zero
interest in having power I only have
interest in having influence so that’s
why I do my radio show and Praeger you
and my books but it’s a statement that
is a state so why wouldn’t a statement
run for office because again well to run
for office I I couldn’t then do a daily
radio show I I want to influence people
so that they will elect the right people
through office that’s the way I decided
I can only do one I can only do X amount
of things as one person I could do more
I believe with Prager you and books and
lectures and my radio show a national
radio show heard by millions of things
than by being a u.s. senator I know so I
yeah well maybe not senator may be
bigger than that yeah no bigger than
that big president so would you have any
interest in I would have interest in it
so you would have interested in one day
too if somebody could appoint president
rather than having to run I would like
to be a point okay well then that’s not
gonna happen correct that’s why I’m not
running so you have no desire to run
correct zero no I have a desire but but
my my my mind has overwhelmed my brain
it’s sort of like cheesecake so are you
saying the chances of seeing you run or
zero to none it’s it’s minimal do you
agree with that and it was not gonna
why wouldn’t you do it though well I
mean you guys talked about it I’m sure
like I’m sure he president why wouldn’t
you make a run at it and by the way so
here right I
and by the way Dennis this is what I
think would happen if you did let’s just
say you made a run at it okay and you
were only in the run for six months you
and one day you said I’m done okay I
don’t know I think you know you would
bring so much more attention to some of
the things to reason when I agree with
you so even if it’s not a 19-month yes
whatever you do for six months we’ve
sold out so today I just want everybody
know the reason of he and I meeting
together was to strategize on dennis
prager announcing on this show that he’s
seven years right because three years he
can’t really do nothing about it so
seven years then you have to do math age
diet discipline all those things cuz
you’re gonna be on the road non-stop but
i am on the road non-stop nothing’s
gonna change now that’s right in that
way nothing would change so then so then
there you have it I think we just fixed
it today I’m sure when you go parade
your night I’m the first persuasive
person to try to hyper swayed me I’m not
a persuasive because then he would be
running three years and you would be in
the limelight asking other commits
prankish so what do you think about
Dennis and what he’s did have to answer
all those questions okay so a last few
thoughts here to have some fun with and
then we’ll wrap up and let you go back
to what you were doing books obviously
you know I think you’ve read at least
more than five books in your lifetime
and one of the things about you is you
know you wrote one book what book what
book is that by the way Wow I read that
that’s that’s his book yes yeah I read
that boy I really did because to
recognize it among yeah I recognize the
cover yeah I recognize the other so it’s
an important book I explained leftism
Islamism and Americanism so so here’s a
question I’m 21 years old okay I’m
watching this politically I’m curious
but I don’t agree with you yet okay I’m
curious I think you know you come across
as somebody that may I don’t know if I
relate you Dennis what books you think I
ought to read that is gonna help me
reason things better and what were some
of the books that maybe influenced you
the most well first of all if you go to
Dennis Prager
that’s different from Prager ucomm there
actually is a list of the ten books that
have most influenced me so it’s easily
found and I’ll mention some if you want
but please okay so as corny as it sounds
and it’s a tragedy that it sounds corny
far and away the Bible and especially
the first five books which I’m writing
my commentary on called which is known
as the Torah that is without question
the greatest single influence in my life
I am I totally resonate to its values
it’s it’s it’s brilliant I’ll give you I
mean I gave the example of the necessity
of a God to say honey your parents
otherwise a lot of people wouldn’t but
I’ll give you another example the
biblical view is that the world that the
human being outside of God the human
being is the most important thing in the
world more important than the
environment more important than animals
more important than nature it’s more we
are the center of the world in the
biblical world view that is laughed at
at college it’s called the
anthropocentric view of the world they
laugh at it we are nothing we are
absolutely nothing we are coincidental
joinings of molecules and we think we’re
important we’re no more important than
an another animal p-people for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals is opposed
to killing a pig to use its heart valve
to save a human being who were we to
kill a pig to save a human so that’s an
example of whoa I got a very important
value from this book that is in conflict
as it is in so many arenas with modern
thinking okay what other books well a
book that had a permanent impact on me
was man’s search for meaning by Viktor
Frankl F RANKL this man went through the
Holocaust he was a Austrian
psychoanalyst the Jewish psychoanalyst
who was in a Nazi death camp but
survived
lost relatives were murdered by the
Nazis and he explained what has become a
very powerful thing in my life since
high school
he says the greatest yearning of people
more than sex so he’s he’s differing
with Freud more than sex is meaning no
and and he’s is a second I read it I
realize of course there are people who
have little or no sex and have meaning
and who are basically happy but there
are people with a ton of sex who have no
meaning who not one of whom is happy now
it’s best to have sex and meaning just
for the record for both I’d be curious
to know how old Frankel was when he said
meaning over sex and how old Freud was
Freud could have been 22 when he says I
don’t know it’s see I people who think
I’m giving you a hard time no no I love
a hard time nonissue people who think
think beyond their own specific
circumstance otherwise we’re all doomed
then no one can think clearly because
that means only our circumstances
determine that we think but that’s true
for my dogs that shouldn’t be so
yourself sex and meaning is possible yes
I am saying that there but I’m not the
first validation right there for you but
yes there you are if he needed to here
and where he came but but what I what I
what I am saying is that meaning he
taught me through things I learned from
that book meaning is number one and
number two by the way the left gives
people meaning that it does they’re very
passionate but so what a lot of bad
things have given people meaning the
other thing he taught was there is only
one freedom that can never be taken from
us and he learned this in the Nazi
concentration camp the Nazis could do
whatever they wanted with a Jew in the
concentration camp kill him torture and
rape her anything but there was one
thing he said they can’t take from us
how we react
and that’s a very powerful idea that
that’s my choice how I react is my
choice
anyway that’s it’s just a second book
you asked me about me not only give me
one more okay I think that economically
how about give me one on I wanna I want
to study capitalism give me a book
anything by Tom sold you mentioned Tom’s
yeah but I I really do advocate the book
that you read of mine to explain the
difference between left thinking
American thinking and Islamist thinking
because those are the three competing
ideologies in the world today and that
that book will be an eye-opener I worked
very very very oh it was great book yeah
it was and by the way the sole book
Thomas has a thomas wall had a book
where was it reasons where it’s like all
the every basic five chapters know it’s
like everything he was making a point of
us four points five points of five pages
four pages
what was that books named by thomas soul
well anything he wrote is important so
would you put my head up women bongos i
think that to read friedman
that’s a good question they’re both very
excessive he was a student of friedman
yeah in a way there there yeah i guess
in a way that’s true by the way i want
to make a point about soul which a lot
of your viewers won’t know he is black
and if soul were not a conservative he
would be the best known black thinker in
america by far but the media ignore him
he is a luminous mind but they ignore
him because he’s not on the left he’s an
absolute genius it’s right you seen him
go at it with Francis Piven you know
don’t know I didn’t but I pity anybody
who debates it oh my gosh I mean that is
a man that’s got a combination of
passion and reason together I mean
that’s a van and he is as brilliant as
they again when it comes to town the
soul have you read any of Cleon Skousen
books five thousand yearly poor naked
communist mmm-hmm naked communist was
really interesting about the way I read
this guy was a fifteen year CIA agent
and he writes a book called 5000 year
leap and it writes a book called the
naked communist twenty
five points that they want to slowly
because you can’t go automatically from
you know capitalism to communism you
have to gradually push it through right
and kind of like the whole idea about
putting a frog in a pot in boiling him
you got to gradually do it
he explains twenty-five points on how to
do it I thought it was a fascinating
ominous remind me to send a copy will
send a copy over to Dennis so you can
take a look at it so Dennis this has
been a pleasure I really enjoy the way
do you speak Farsi I do speak Farsi let
me tell you my one line in Farsi I want
to hear it
Barry Manisha Ayatollah Donna spooning
barium barium Mahesh a very impish
Ayatollah does bahunam so I tell
everybody what I said
betting vicuna well I also study with
the Ayatollah yeah I was gonna say why
is he saying that I decided I have a
very dark sense of humor
so I have so many Persian friends thirty
years ago I asked what Persian friend is
it I want one phrase in Farsi she said
what how are you is it if I’m kids ample
ie the Ayatollah
how are you was not gonna say Milo I see
what you’re saying let’s all go study
with the Ayatollah I have a chance you
know six weeks after Ayatollah died we
escaped Iran and we went to Germany and
I lived at a refugee camp there for two
years
so Dennis this is their life it has been
thank you so much thank you for telling
you so much and if you haven’t watched
any of its content on Prager you just go
on YouTube type and Prager you it’s
insanity you won’t be able to watch one
I dare you go try watching one you’ll
end up watching six or seven and then
back to back to back again thank you thank you for that yes definitely
a lot of say that I you can say that you
seriously think there’s I don’t know it
I don’t say it I know it I lived it I
went to Columbia my professors were
brilliant and had almost no wisdom so
years ago I used to have a radio show in
Glendale with Salem radio called Savin
America and I would go into the building
and there was always this man they would
talk about dennis prager that we all in
LA had heard for many many years and you
had your own show on the other side i
have my smaller to show here getting
started and now from there i mean if you
go online that you type in Prager
University it’s one of the fastest
growing YouTube channels all over the
world they’re getting 2,500 to 4,000
subscribers per day and the message is
specifically around capitalism so today
we’re gonna talk a little bit of
capitalism with the one and only then
it’s Prager great to be with you good to
be with you thank you for waiting by the
way let me explain yeah since it’s my
house so we got the dog didn’t want to
move and the cigar didn’t want to move
so that’s why they’re both that makes a
lot just one and then I make a lot of
dog the dogs three of them now Snoopy
one in the other room so we’re gonna
have to write until Snoopy decides to
come in here so then it’s today I would
like to talk about three different items
okay one of them will be how we form our
opinions another one will be capitalism
and then and then one of them will if we
got time we’ll get into Hitchens I know
you spent some time with Hitchens and to
me is one of the most fascinating
characters out there and I’d be curious
to know what your take will be on that I
grew up in a family where my mother said
they all believed in communism uh-huh my
dad said they believed in imperialism
and I grew up completely confused so on
one side they believed rich people were
greedy on the other side they believed
poor people were lazy and I’m right in
the middle so was the greatest debate of
my life was mom and dad debating so how
was their marriage otherwise well you
know they got a divorce twice you know
they got a divorce it sounds
yeah that you people should marry people
with whom they share values you know
it’s amazing I got into a conversation
one of my friends and he said faith
common faith is more important in common
political beliefs and I said I think
economical believers know important then
it’s an odd statement because whatever
if faith faith translates itself into
real life or it’s pointless if your
religion I’m a I’m a deeply religious
man I have been teaching of the first
five books of the Bible for 40 years and
the fruit of it is the first volume the
book of Exodus the second book my
commentary and explanation is just is
coming out it’s called the rational
Bible so that gives you an idea of how
hard I work on these matters but the
point that I wanted to say to you is
religion has to have values it can’t
just be I believe in God or I believe in
Jesus or I believe in the Torah or I
believe in the Quran it’s got so
therefore what my next question is see
if I know somebody believes in something
I’d still don’t know anything about
their values I only know that they
believe so my point is people should
marry with common values them that’s the
most important even more than common
faith comment yeah because you could
have you can have people of two
different religions who have the same
values and people of the exact same
religion I’m with who agree on nothing
I’m 100% with you right there so now
let’s go let’s go to the first now as
you’re going into that so years ago we
were at Wayne Hughes house you know the
son of I believe what is a public
storage at that time I think he was a
3.8 billion dollar guy and we were in
Malibu
and you were up there speaking and you
said the most interesting thing I was
sitting right in the front and you said
the difference between liberals and
conservatives you said you said five
different things they’re trying to make
good and evil be the same men and women
be the same Oh animal and human rights
always never remember that
that’s impressive I was I vividly
remember
oh you dad and I’m sitting there saying
I’m going back and I’m doing research
I’m like what is this what is he talking
about because uh huh right around that
time my political beliefs as a
capitalist was majorly influenced by a
George Will back in March of oh nine
right and you know George will and so
from there I got into the later Prager
you video a few yes he has that’s right
yes he has and so let’s go to that
Dennis you obviously you look at this
room you got so many books in here this
could be a local librarian luck any
other people could come and sign our
books and start a small side business
like that’s really Channel but you know
if you go back and we look at Dennis at
14 years old 16 years old 18 years old
25 years old 35 years old 45 years old
if we look at Dennis how did Dennis
Prager form his opinions to where you
are today and who influenced it this
will sound boring except for one item I
have the exact same value system as in
high school and in high school I wrote
and I still have the diary the physical
diary I wish I kept the diary the rest
of my life but I didn’t I know what I
want to do with my life I want to
influence people to the good that’s all
I’ve ever been interested in there’s so
much cruelty in and and evil on earth
and I want people to be good but I know
that we don’t start out good human
nature isn’t good it’s not evil but it’s
not good so how do you make people good
or even just better that’s been my
life’s work the one area that I have
changed was done by Ronald Reagan when
Ronald Reagan said government is not the
solution it’s the problem and I realized
oh my god is that true
now nobody denies government has to do
some good it has to put out your fire is
it has to hire police it has to have
armed forces there has to be some degree
of regulation we all acknowledge that
but why would anybody trust a lot of
power in people’s hands the United
States was founded and only the United
States on the belief that limited
government is a moral value without
limited government America is just like
every other place every other number –
having been preoccupied with evil
I realized Reagan’s comment was right in
another way
all the genocides of the 20th century
and there were more genocides in the
20th century than all centuries before
that put together all of them were
caused by big government and nobody
talks about that people say all the time
oh religion has killed people who killed
more people in the name of God people
have killed more people in the name of
secular government than in all the
religions priva get it if there’s no
comparison communism and Nazism killed
more people than then Christianity by
bias by a factor and I’m not Christian
I’m Jewish by a factor of of a thousand
the whole Spanish Inquisition killed
about 6,000 people in 300 years and it
was an evil thing but 6,000 in 300 years
versus 20 million versus 20 million
that’s the minimum figure for Stalin 60
million is the minimal figure for Mao
a third of the Cambodians 4 million
Ukrainians bye-bye Stalin in the in the
early 30s in the Forrest famine he
simply took people’s food away I mean
and it goes on and of course the the
Nazis in the six million Jews so all of
them were secular governments so we’ll
put the secular aside that’s just to
answer the religious Jew challenge
against religion but it’s critical to
note that it’s big government you can’t
slaughter a lot of people without big
government I with one exception the
Hutus and Tutsis that that that was the
one exception but let’s go back to the
question there’s a part of it that
I have a hard time believing you said
there’s only one thing that for you you
wanted to do good and you wanted to make
influence right yes it becomes better
fair enough but you weren’t born this
way I was
there’s no way in so you’re telling me
if that is my nature but but it is also
your own I’m not saying 50% you’re also
made a video that you said you believe
kids are born bad and we gotta make em
good I never said basically nothing like
you know you don’t teach a kid manners
receiver culture boy you say all this
stuff it is 50% environment I was I was
raised with a great value system that’s
what I want to know I wasn’t around was
that maybe your parents my parents
definitely were a factor there’s no
question they talked about ethics a
great deal but I was raised in a
religious home I went to religious
school and I took the stuff seriously
when it says love your neighbor as
yourself I am God and nobody adds the I
am God they don’t remember it’s even in
the sentence it’s God who says love your
neighbor as yourself
not not man not Moses it’s it’s God
ultimately and in other words so God
wants me to be good whew I’ll give you
an example I believe the Ten
Commandments are from God one of them is
honor your honor your father and mother
like almost everybody I had a difficult
time with my parents when I was younger
but I never ever disrespected my parents
I never ignored them
I the moment I left their house at the
age of 20 or 21 from then till the day
they died at 96 and not 90 we cover life
anywhere I was on earth I honored my
parents because I believe God commanded
honor your parents people who think we
can have a great world without God or
naive okay again let’s go back to that
so here’s my question for you now I’m
curious because because what I’m trying
to solve what I’m trying to figure out
is is the following and and and maybe
I’m curious to know where you’re gonna
where you gonna go with this dennis
prager is born in a family where his mom
and dad are Bill and Hillary Clinton
okay if you’re if you who you are but
you’re born in that family would Dennis
today be a very strong liberal and
promoting what you’re promoting on MSNBC
would Rachel Maddow or would you still
be the Dennis Prager today saying I’m
gonna be this conservative you know
libertarian or you’re Republican
whatever maybe and I’m gonna drive it
would be the latter and I know why
really yes you really believe there’s no
doubt in my mind and I’ll tell you why I
I believe in what I believe because of
its moral and because it’s common sense
if if if if liberalism or a leftism made
common sense then I would be a liberal
or a leftist and they’re not the same by
the way I I spent a great deal of time
explaining to liberals that they should
fear and fight the left just as much as
the right does and Alan Dershowitz
agrees Alan Dershowitz prominent Harvard
Harvard professor love law had said to
me on film just a few weeks ago in his
home I am a liberal and the left is my
enemy much more than the right
very few are gonna say that very few
because they don’t have the guts to say
it but some liberals are not leftist but
they’re not courageous but then it’s
this is what I want to challenge you on
and this is what I struggle with again
so so I sit there I have a lot of
friends on the Left friends on the right
friends in the middle and friends who
could give a about politics okay I
got them all and I sit down and I see
these guys that are Democrats and I say
this guy is very smart
okay and and I look at this guy and I
said this guy is very smart aleck this
person is very smart it is but so
there’s a lot of smart good people on
all a a spectrum right and then I dig a
little deeper and then here’s what I
figure out when I dig a little deeper so
I have a friend who’s african-american
and I say growing up who got a hold of
you who was the person that influenced
you the most and then you know he said
well you know I read some of Saul
Alinsky and I read some of you know
Carmen
ARC’s and my professor was a big fan of
you know all these other guys and vid
algo and all these things I read I said
girl let me ask you a question what if
Thomas all got a hold of you all Thomas
all I would never follow it down the
soul I said well what if Thomas all got
a hold of you at a young age would you
have been different you didn’t grow up
with a father figure so what if Thomas
had a hold of you at 14 and so in manga
this guy’s got a PhD he’s a brilliant
he’s a professor principal smart guy and
he sits there after a while he says Pat
honestly I probably would have been on
the other side so the part I’m trying to
get to with this battle that there is
going on right the part I’m trying to
get to with the battle that’s going on
is we have people that grow up and they
say I want to be anything than whatever
my dad was my dad was Ronald Reagan but
he wasn’t around he was always on the
road I’m Ronnie Reagan I’m gonna be a
liberal okay hey my father was a
Democrat and I’m gonna be complete
opposite my ex-husband was this we broke
it up and didn’t work out I’m gonna be
the complete opposite so how much bad
the part now I’m trying to figure out
with you is you said 50/50 was my
environment but you’re saying no matter
what even if it wasn’t that you’re still
gonna have the same belief system how
would that have happened if I’m born in
your family the books I have here are
the books and your influence is gonna be
mainly on one side right but it’s not
because it’s one side if what you’re
saying is true then it’s pointless to
try to influence people morally or
politically or socially or economically
if they are what they are because of
environment and genes then that’s the
end but I believe that humans have free
will I believe that a certain percentage
of humanity hearing a good idea will
then challenge themselves that’s why I
know look we had 600 million views at
Praeger you last year vast numbers and
and and 65 percent of them are under 35
years of a fascinating it’s it’s a big
deal the number of them who say wow I
never heard that before that made me
think is very large there are people who
will hear – when two is four
but they are emotionally committed to
twenty was five I can’t change their
mind but but but but if you’re saying
that then what your theory says that one
day we can have 90 percent of the world
be on the right that’s correct that is
correct you really believe that yes how
because I believe in the human ability
to think rationally however I fully
admit that the world composed today
where so much irrationality dominates
you said you had friends on the Left who
are very smart and you said something
else very well-educated I think those
were the ruling right but you didn’t say
the key word the smart means nothing
educated means nothing wise is
everything there’s no wisdom also define
wise wise why is life experiences wisest
partially life experience wise is
looking at life and making rational wise
conclusions for example it is wiser for
a woman in her 20s to look for a husband
than to just chase a career that’s
wisdom that’s not economics it’s
partially economics because if you care
about human happiness I I don’t have it
I have no issue woman wants a career god
bless her
I married a lawyer if a woman wants a
career it’s a non-issue to me but from
the point of view of wisdom since good
men don’t grow on trees good careers do
because you work hard you’ll have a good
career that’s the way it works but to
find a good man is easy or a 25 then at
45 and I don’t know this cuz I’m a woman
I know this from the thousands of women
who have called my radio show in the
course of 35 years of doing radio but
then as you say something like that so I
know Democrats that have been married
for 45 years and Republicans that have
not so does that mean the Democrat is
wiser than the Republican yes sometimes
they live by value I’m not talking about
what they advocate no
I don’t know I advocacy what they’re up
you know what I tell all my liberal
Jewish relatives with that preach what
you practice
no I’m they live conservative lives and
they preach liberalize so when you say
the tragedy of black life is lack of
fathers they say all racism racism
racism but they all give their kids
fathers the people give their kids
fathers but don’t think it’s necessary
for black kids to have fathers that’s
racist so here’s so here’s what I’m not
talking about so I’m not talking about
you know so far since today yeah we’re
having a conversation okay Paul Mario
and I were having a conversation before
we went with Curtis Stone Curtis Stone
is this celebrity chef he was on
Celebrity Apprentice he’s got all these
big restaurants in Beverly Hills in LA
so we’re at lunch we’re having a debate
over gay and being straight okay and how
does that come up I’m not gonna get into
the details where this conversation led
to what we’re having a conversation over
lunch and I like to kind of process
issues like this so it finally got to a
point where Paul made a company that I
said this is where I no longer debate
because if this is what you’re gonna
agree on I’m not debating anymore we
change the subject I’m not talking about
talking to people that they have to be
right at all cost I can’t do nothing
about those guys right I can’t send
they’re having a serious conversation
because you have to be right I’m talking
about somebody that says you know what
Dennis so I’m in a car I’m driving I got
two guys sitting behind me this is when
Barack Obama is about to pass Obamacare
okay so the wife voted for Barack and a
husband voted for Barack and they both
believe we need to have Obamacare I’m
not saying anything about I’m not
haven’t even brought it up I say hey
guys I got a question for you they said
what’s that I said I got to spend me on
dealing with and his family makes thirty
five thousand dollars per year and they
said wow that’s great and they’re
thinking about coming up with this
additional thing for the family that’s
gonna cost them roughly twenty thousand
dollars a year and they’re gonna go into
debt and into that they don’t have the
money but everybody in the family has
agreed that they should because maybe
they should do it what do you think
about it I asked the wife
she says oh that’s a terrible idea they
should never do that why would you go
into debt not having the money and I
said you know what I agree with you I
said then what do you think about is the
husband and he says terrible idea that’s
not how you handle your finances I said
by the way let me tell you I’m breaking
down the math our GDP is three and a
half trillion dollars and this Obamacare
is gonna cost a trillion to two trillion
dollars why the hell are we coming up
with a program we don’t have the money
for what we’re in debt sixteen trillion
dollars at the time
then they said this makes sense
okay so you’re making my point
so no by my people who are prepared to
hear what I think can be influenced yes
so for me I also I also on the other
side I also believe the Socrates point
of the moment you think you know
everything you don’t know anything
because there’s a part of it that I
think it’s healthy to have a little bit
of doubt didn’t you have a debate with
Hitchens one time and you asked him a
very interesting question you asked him
you said hey Chris you know myself and
Dinesh you know we even though we are
strong in our belief we sometimes doubt
right and he said you asked him of
brilliant question you said do you ever
doubt that you know your atheism
non-existence of God is wrong and he
said the answer that you knew he was
gonna say he answered the answer that
you knew he was gonna say sir says no I
tried but no not at all he says now you
can tell to the audience that there’s a
little bit of a level of arrogance here
versus us we’re not we’re doubting a
little bit and he does I think the
challenge why on the right I had this
conversation with Charlie Kirk as well I
said I think the challenge with the
right sometimes is the fact that there
is a level of I am right no matter what
then a you may disagree hi Dennis I’m
not right no matter what I certain ideas
are right no matter what I don’t care
whether I’m right I care whether I know
what what is right there’s a big
difference yeah my ego is not attached
to my my opinions 0 I am prepared to
change my mind in a nanosecond give
given I I was for minimum wage I was
then I saw the data what number whatever
it was I don’t remember when
was for it was um I don’t I think you’re
not I’m I recently okay yeah III was for
minimum-wage when the New York Times was
against it
the New York Times editorialized the
right minimum wages $0.00 but the the
New York Times has shifted from liberal
to left now it’s now what they would
never agree with that people should look
that up it’s I I wrote a I and many
others have written about when they
advocated they had an editorial the
right minimum wage $0.00 more people are
unemployed you don’t give an opening
work for people who need work habits at
a very early time in their life nobody
lives on minimum wage the rest of their
life if they do there’s something wrong
with their work ethic they should rise
you should become a manager at a
McDonald’s after a certain number of
years you shouldn’t be getting minimum
wage but I finally realized oh my god
we’re putting small businesses out of
business because they work at such a
small margin of profit who’s gonna hire
all of these people but the left doesn’t
care because they consider it a victory
to have the government give more and
more money to people they think that is
it’s a moral and beautiful thing to do
and I think for except in the cases of
where people literally cannot work it is
ruining their character and their life
so I changed my mind on it because of
the evidence are there a lot more things
that can be changed with your mind today
yes anything oh can you provide me
better evidence and I’ll change my mind
for capital punishment if you convince
me that we we are executing Ennis
innocent people yep then we have to do a
moratorium so so fair enough so this is
so and by the way you know one thing you
know about me I was a registered
Democrat I bought a Clinton and I voted
right and and I went in the middle and
I’m independent libertarian I fired me
Carter
I am you voted for Jimmy yes so I
stopped being it that’s why I’m in
America if there was no Jimmy Carter I’d
still be in Iran I wouldn’t be in
America if there wasn’t for Jimmy Carter
I’d probably still be in Iran living
there doing something else with the ship
but you
would be doing well it would be a much
freer country to be Annie Rondon the
Iran under the Shah of course it was an
infinitely morally superior
no dead economically and socially no
doubt about it no doubt about it him his
son and I had a conversation about it
in DC the day I was with Ted Cruz so ok
fair enough so let’s let’s finalize this
topic here this is my processing and I’m
really like I really want to know your
answer like honestly I sincerely want to
know your answer on this and I’m not
trying to get one s or another side how
you having met so many different people
on both side Chris Matthews is not
stupid okay Rachel Maddow is not dumb
elizabeth warren is not dumb now they
may be a little bit sensational there
are very few dumb people that’s the
point that dumb doesn’t mean anything
educated does it mean smart doesn’t mean
the number of uh smart people who
supported communists or nothing is is in
the millions but fair enough to go to
the left and if you talk about values
and principles and all of that there’s a
lot on the left there’s no wisdom on the
left there are a lot of say that I you
can say that you seriously think they’re
lies I know it I don’t say it I know it
I lived it I went to Columbia my
professors were brilliant and had almost
no wisdom they taught me that men and
women are basically the same you can be
brilliant and believe that but you can’t
be wise and believe that the difference
between men and women is huge so you’re
saying the left is smart the writers
wise yes you really saying yes that’s
exactly the people the ideas that’s
correct
wisdom is there are live there are wise
liberals too but there was no wisdom on
the left the left is a nihilistic
destructive force in every society
they’re not touch let first it has
ruined our universities it has ruined
our arts it has ruined our high schools
everything it’s ruining football another
left
touches it ruins okay so let’s do this
just just so just so we we are we are
clear why don’t you define left and
liberal let’s not a difference after
exam please what is it was simplified
simplify in a way we’re sixth grade okay
no no no I do by the way I believe I can
I believe it’s our obligation to make
things as simple not simplistic as
possible
example liberalism believes in that race
is meaningless that character is
everything and skin color is nothing the
left believes that character is much
less significant than skin color the
left the left believes in segregation
racially liberals believe in integration
racially a liberal is opposed to a black
dorm a liberal is opposed to a black
graduation at Harvard a leftist is for
it they have nothing in common the only
thing that the left and the and the
unliberated common they have two things
belief in big government and hatred of
the right that is the only thing that
left ISM and liberalism have in common
okay so tell me who is a liberal and
who’s a left somebody somebody that
people know name right I gave you Alan
Dershowitz he’s a classic liberal okay
professor or Harvard Law voted for Obama
and probably Woodrow typically noted for
Clint fair enough that is correct
who else would be a liberal okay this
there are many my whole family which
people don’t know obviously publicly
there are very few public liberals today
this is a tragedy publicly the
Democratic Party which was once liberal
is now left
Daniel Patrick Moynihan these are names
that will not be known to most of your
viewers senator from New York major
intellectual Democrat he was the man who
alerted the country to the crisis of the
absence of the black father and what was
he called by the left a racist but you
could say it as a Democrat and still be
elected senator from New York not today
a Democrat who said that the biggest
problem in black life is not racism it
is absence of father’s will could not be
elected dog catcher in New York and who
would you say as a left yes so would you
put let me ask you would you put
progressive philosophies in the left or
could progressive be left and liberal
progressive is a larger term for both
liberals and leftists all of you doing
it okay fair enough
well then that kind of redefines when I
use the word left on where your
frustration comes with that because
maybe based on liberal do you think it’s
a good thing moral thing a liberal thing
to have a black dorm ask them that if
they say yes then then ice then I say
then you are a leftist because
liberalism was opposed to racially based
dormitories
you always have strong strong views on
things and that’s that’s what I always
have strong views on things I have
strong views on their.i I know my my
lacunae my laps and my gaps so there I
just don’t have I don’t talk about there
enough so there’s this I have a strong
view okay so you said something you say
means nothing human beings are human
beings I’m a religious man we are
created in God’s image
God is not white or black or yellow or
red God is none is is not color
therefore if we’re in the image of God
color means nothing I’m not okay fair
enough so let’s go back to Adele
let’s put Dennis Prager in a complete
different side we’re not talking Dennis
Prager Dennis Prager was born with these
views Dennis Prager was born with the
way you feel about doing better all that
stuff and you have politically be in the
same place except for what Reagan told
you about limited guys are the reason
for you’ve got a summer that’s fair
enough
right liberal let’s pray pray ground
aside how about the guy that grew up a
Democrat in shifts how about the guy
that grew up a Republican issues how
about the guy that grew up not caring
about politics that how about the
guy that grew up a pro-gun and then
accidentally there was a gun in the
house and somebody killed his
three-year-old daughter and he shifts
and he says nobody should have a gun in
the house and it becomes a anti NRA all
that stuff how about some of those
things so the point I’m trying to get to
is the following
how do people not Dennis Prager how do
people generally cuz I think this is the
issue because if we don’t address this
issue we don’t know what audience to go
to to be able to help them process
issues on how we form our political
beliefs so asking you Dennis from your
experience you’ve debated people you
debated Frank Pastore on Christianity
against Judas and Chris Hitchens you’ve
gone to Israel you’ve done it on the
most wildest place or most incredible
platforms and you’ve debated every put
every topic that has to do a political
pretty much how do people form their
political opinions
on passion when they do it on reason and
morality will win them over I’m a lover
of reason reason is not enough but it’s
absolutely indispensable we are living
in a day of pure passion on the guns
issue
it’s just passion that no more guns no
more guns well how was the what happened
when the government said no more drugs
did it increase or decrease the number
of addicts and the number of killings by
people for drugs so the same people who
want more laws with regard to guns want
fewer laws with regard to drugs why will
it work on guns but not on drugs
they don’t think rationally it’s passion
because we all hate seeing kids killed
interesting so passion reason for action
it is ok that’s right I mean honestly I
kind of wanted to hear your perspective
on that for me you know I sometimes go
through the fact that you have people
that had somebody had an influence in
their lives early on maybe they didn’t
have a father figure but a professor did
you have people that are tradition based
I grew up traditionally black so I vote
Democrat most Armenians are Democrats my
father was in the military some a
Republican you know I am yes I think
most people addition who would not have
happened yeah it’s a tragedy in their
psyche that are purely stubborn you
can’t convince all right so but I’m
telling you if you I really believe that
otherwise I wouldn’t do all the work of
my life I
I’m trying to influence people through
reason and morality and it’s very
effective but it’s not effective on
everybody I admit that that’s why when
he said 90% will eventually be how do we
know no night if they were governed by
reason but people are emotional be
that’s correct I know so you know what
all of life is a battle between the
brain and the mind I got something for
you to think about I had a girl that
came into my office and we were one
night it was one of my new executives a
girlfriend at the time okay and she
always wanted to debate politics with me
so she came into the office one day she
said you know I think it’s this I think
all you care about is capitalism and
money and entrepreneurship and
millionaires
greed and all this other stuff then I
ask you a question kearson know what
you’re gonna say I mean I don’t even
have this thought just came to my mind
right now I said you know over the years
every time I debate politics with
somebody after I find out which way they
lean politically I ask them to follow in
question and it’s it’s interesting cuz I
want to know if there’s a linkage behind
it
I said when you were in high school did
you like math or did you like English or
journalism or you know art and and you
have no idea how often when people say
math that’s a reason they eventually end
up believin in capitalism when they say
art and creativity they go to passion
emotion which is the left how much you
think that side on how we’re wired its
hilt yeah look everybody is wired to
think emotionally that’s that’s some
more than others but everybody is then
as I said life is a battle between the
mind and the brain the brain says I want
cheesecake the mind says you’re already
overweight don’t eat it
most of the time the brain wins the
brain is the animal brain when I cuz
it’s right no brain brain wins because
it’s so powerful the urge to have
cheesecake is greater than the rational
calculation that I will never lose
weight if I keep eating cheesecake are
you saying that because you want some
cheesecake right now no I actually
haven’t had dessert in six months and
it’s not easy but it’s easier after six
months than it was after two months but
yes I I’m talking from experience I’m
talking for any experience but it’s true
for anything you know the the number
what why do they say that College is a
is a rape culture I don’t believe that
college is a rape culture but so many
women have sex that they later regret
having had even though they had it
voluntarily but what they did was they
didn’t they didn’t use their mind for
most women sex is more of a emotional
issue
or can be more than for men men can have
sex and do have sex with just about
anything
not to mention themselves and they just
they want the the male is sexually
phenomenally different from the female
but the the fools who taught me and who
taught now a whole generation in high
school and college have told young women
you are the same as a man sexually they
can have sex without any commitment so
can you so they bought this nonsense so
they have hookups and the depression
rate among young women is is at college
is extremely high I mean tinder doesn’t
help the accessibility and availability
today without your freedom I
if people want tinder they should have
tinder it’s none of my business I’m only
giving a prescription if you want to be
a happier human being if you want to be
a happier human being and you’re a
female then you should think a few times
before having an immediate hook up the
jealous is not a moral message this is a
purely rational message did we listen to
our parents at 18 19 years old I mean I
don’t know about you but you know was a
phase that I went through I don’t know
if you went through your life people yes
I went through we yes I agree with you
but but women pay a bigger price yeah
but you can’t say that at a college you
say fair enough because you know it’s
true you can’t say all these truths at a
college because they’re quote
politically incorrect which means
offensive to the left which wants to
believe that men and women are the same
okay let’s transition to the next topic
let’s transition to the next topic you
know eight years um okay it’s it’s uh by
the way have you ever watched Chris
Hitchens debate his brother that whole
don’t know nine oh my god I debated
Chris Hitchens but I never saw no I mean
I’m brother first of all his brother
doesn’t have a strong personality like
him in the dynamic witty sight
that kind of fear like trying to play
basketball against LeBron James he jumps
40 inches and you jump 10 you just even
though you may be a better dribble or
he’s gonna kick your ass in right
I’m not let or dribble or I can’t jump –
yeah that’s right so so you know what
what makes you believe and I and I have
my own beliefs on this and I’m firm on
it but what makes you believe that the
argument against atheists I’m not even
saying Christianity Mormonism Judaism
Muslim Scientology I’m not even going to
I’m just saying there is a God there is
no God what’s the simplest thing for you
for all these years that you debated if
you want to say one two three or even
one what is the simplest thing for you
to say I know there is a God I don’t
think there is a God I’m pretty certain
but I don’t know I know you’re sitting
there I know this is a cigar because I
can empirically prove it
I cannot empirically prove God but I am
one notch below empirical proof certain
that there is a God who created the
world because the design is so unique
the number of factors that had to come
together to produce life let alone
intelligent life is so beyond the the
probabilities in the in the short 13
billion years or whatever it is that the
universes existed that it can only be
explained rationally by a creator by a
designer to which by the way current
atheists know that that’s true so it’s a
very interesting thing they’re doing
they are so aware about the
improbability of life without a designer
without a creator the improbability of
intelligent life without a designer
creator so now they have a new argument
this isn’t the only universe but there
isn’t a shred of evidence for any other
universe existing nor can we ever know
it that is in its a complete total leap
of faith there are other universes in
which interviewing you there were so is
an infinite number of universes and
everything that could happen happens so
in one universe I’m a turtle
and in another youniverse I’m a pebble
and another youniverse I’m not and so on
but that’s nonsense
I asked Charles Krauthammer who was a
brilliant he is brilliant and wise and
an agnostic is not an atheist I asked
him what do you think of atheism I had
no idea what he’d say he said there were
a lot of dumb ideas out there but that’s
the dumbest that’s Charles Krauthammer
and one of the smartest guys on a stick
and secular very interesting views he
has even in the last election he kind of
got some heat but he’s got very
interesting views okay
let’s transition into capitalism okay so
you got capitalism you got socialism you
got communism okay obviously got a bunch
of other things in there that people
want Marxist and this is amol this other
isms that are out there but let just say
take two three capitalism socialism
communism communism we’re not even in a
debate because let’s just set aside
communism out there on the other side it
doesn’t have a good track record okay I
think there’s only a couple things from
Karl Marx books that I read but I sit
down and say these two points I can
actually buy it that Karl Marx makes
fair enough everything else I just can’t
buy into anything he’s saying
mathematically doesn’t make sense to me
so question for you you got capitalism
you got socialism what’s the difference
you know if you were to simplify it what
is the difference between capitalism and
socialism and does America today is it
truly a capitalistic system that we have
in America today we have a mixed economy
but most every democracy is a mixed
economy where they’re socialism and
there’s capitalism but here is the most
important question since again I think
morally and rationally I ask one
question what has lifted people out of
poverty poverty is the human norm there
was there’s been very little affluence
in human history there is a great deal
of affluence today by affluence I mean
able to have a roof over your head pay
your bills have a car I mean that’s
affluent to have a car and and a place
to live and an air conditioner that’s
affluent
okay in in reality though everyone who
has that has it because capitalism has
lifted billions out of poverty
socialism spends the money that
capitalism creates so your fame is emmm
ever creates wealth only capitalism
creates wealth socialism is a way of
spending the money that is created by
capitalism okay so at what percentage is
it just capitalism I don’t think there’s
that there’s a nation that’s a hundred
percent capitalism is a that of course
because I said earlier right because
there’s no relations so what is the
number in your opinion I’ve done some
research on what the number here is I
have a number for the Laffer curve you
know what what point yak sation does
this do revenues actually drop I don’t
know if they’re what the number is of
because you can’t make a number this
percent is capitalist this percent is
socialist but the the more private
enterprise the more free market the more
people are free I’ll give even medicine
is that this this is not well known and
it should be there is a branch of
medicine that is not covered by
insurance so people have to pay cash
they’re not insured it has become one of
the most lucrative areas of medicine and
the prices keep falling and that is a
cosmetic surgery the surgeons are making
a lot of money and the people are paying
less all because it’s completely free
insurance doesn’t pay for a nose job
insurance doesn’t pay for a breast
implant this is all cosmetic are you
saying they should pay for breath them
no not in the least
they shouldn’t pay for almost anything
there should be insurance just the way
there is in cars
nobody is insured for a lube an oil
change you are insured if you want to
pay less for your insurance your
insured for a serious crash that’s what
we should do for for health insurance
you get cancer and you need chemotherapy
I need insurance that’s too expensive
beyond that it should be cash so let’s
go back to the question again the
question is I’m gonna ask you just
Dennis let’s not do the research but I
know David and christina romer from UC
Berkeley did a research on that what
percentage of taxes there’s the
motivation to create more money go away
okay I was once a different question but
that’s what I want to know okay no you
asked I thought that you were asking
what percentage should be socialist what
percentage should be capital again this
is okay so if you have that’s a
different question
I didn’t have an answer because we can’t
measure exactly what social is what
capitalist but that’s that’s that can be
measured do you do you have you finally
said no what is the answer but I do
believe that is more or less measurable
at what point people are our peoples
ambition to work is shattered by
taxation so I mean your size California
is number one right now in America right
New York’s number eight thousands right
was surprised New York was number number
I can tell you in my own life given that
I pay that I am in a category and my
wife who really knows economics is
present what what what is the category
of our tax right now is it over 50 with
state tax okay between 50 and 55 so I’ll
tell you how it’s affected me I I do a
lot of speaking and I’m paid for my
speeches I give some for free because
it’s the right thing to do but putting
that aside I raised my prices because of
taxes that’s the only reason I raised
the the fee because if I get X amount
for a speech so I have to travel across
the country to give a speech I have to
do my radio show so I’m gone for three
days four oh four one speech I’m not
gonna go away for three days for a half
the amount I will have to write I have
I’ve raised my price because I am in
such a high tax rate so I it’s
discouraged me
speaking that is correct there you go
and so let me ask you this
you don’t believe with 90% of the
policies in California that you’re
living it right okay fair enough
so what point does it meet to get to and
I’m asking you to leave yeah what one
doesn’t need to get to for you to say
honey right I don’t know the answer but
I can tell you why I’m staying which is
the logical question to ask I’m staying
because I love my I have so many friends
here and friends is a is the road to
happiness I’ve written a book on
happiness I do an hour a week of my
radio on happiness I’m a big believer
that happiness is a good thing happy
people do good for the world so I have
all my friends here I have a community
here of a religious community here I and
I love the weather and I love my home
and I love the town that I live in but
it is true that at a certain point it
could get so ownerís
that I would have to leave so mayor via
grocer runs for office he I was a
governor the state of California right
he says we need to go to 74 percent
would you still be here no okay
what would you move to have you thought
about Texas we would welcome you Gloria
would you want to move wat Lordan well I
don’t like the weather anywhere except
the West
we’re blessed you really are was totally
beside from earthquake this is like
profound and by the way right now the
cold November la be in disco and I was
alone if I do I love that if we get down
to 38 degrees to me this is like great
but this is the coldest that ever gets
and in the summer no mosquitoes I grew
up in the East I know what it’s like no
humidity and no mosquitoes I’ll pay a
penalty in taxes for no mosquitoes about
humidity that’s how I that’s how I look
at it yes so so in order to move Dennis
we got to make sure the taxes in
California goes above 70% to move me
yeah to move you yeah that would
probably that would that would no not
probably that would do it so mayor very
gross if you’re watching this we would
like to encourage you to raise the taxes
and run for governor so we can move into
Texas it’s a lot easier to do radio and
interviews with them because it’s going
to be closer than a track the Democrats
don’t care if the middle class leaves
that there’s
they’ve kicked out the middle class of
California California is now basically
the wealthy and the poor can you land on
the left so let me ask you is there a
likelihood of a true capitalistic
Republican governor winning in the state
of California next twenty years only if
the state goes bankrupt and can’t pay
its firemen and its police and its
teachers and people understand why it’s
because they have done deals with unions
that have sucked the money out of the
states got to get to that point I would
be the only point that’s correct what
it’s got to get to yes but they’ll
demagogue it and just say look they’re
lured the rich is still not paying their
fair share that’s what they’ll keep
saying so I had mayor muscle who was a
mayor of Frisco and I don’t know how
much you have that on Frisco and what
happened to them Frisco Texas in 1992
this is amazing Dennis they had 6,000
people living in Frisco in 1992 okay
today they have a hundred seventy two
thousand people there and it’s not
because they’re better at sex than
everybody else in America they attracted
a lot of people to their city and I sat
then and I broke it down with them I
said listen what did you do he was a
three-term mayor what did you do and he
attracted us to move to Texas he drove
us and we sat with Governor Perry and
Nolan Ryan and these guys are
professional recruiters by the way and
it made sense because logistically was
easier for me to fly to Florida in New
York in LA everywhere three hours DFW
good airport loves a good airport simple
place to be but he broke down the math
he broke down the math on how it works
out where he was able to bring
entrepreneurs and all these other guys
who moved to Frisco and this is what
they did and all this other stuff how
much of that do you yourself work with
and bring people to your audience to
actually educate the voters to know that
hey one of two things either me needs to
run for mayor or run for office and run
for governor and have these policies
being driven or two I need to pay a
little bit more attention to who is my
mayor to who vote for my mayor or who to
vote for my congressman or governor so
these things don’t continue how much do
you get into brass tacks and a dollar
specific
so we pay attention to those and do you
think that’s even something that we
ought to be talking about well it’s a of
course it’s important but I chose my
vehicle as I have often flirted with
running for office I was gonna run for
the US Senate from California and then
chose not to and ultimately I based my
choice on my my temperament I have zero
interest in having power I only have
interest in having influence so that’s
why I do my radio show and Praeger you
and my books but it’s a statement that
is a state so why wouldn’t a statement
run for office because again well to run
for office I I couldn’t then do a daily
radio show I I want to influence people
so that they will elect the right people
through office that’s the way I decided
I can only do one I can only do X amount
of things as one person I could do more
I believe with Prager you and books and
lectures and my radio show a national
radio show heard by millions of things
than by being a u.s. senator I know so I
yeah well maybe not senator may be
bigger than that yeah no bigger than
that big president so would you have any
interest in I would have interest in it
so you would have interested in one day
too if somebody could appoint president
rather than having to run I would like
to be a point okay well then that’s not
gonna happen correct that’s why I’m not
running so you have no desire to run
correct zero no I have a desire but but
my my my mind has overwhelmed my brain
it’s sort of like cheesecake so are you
saying the chances of seeing you run or
zero to none it’s it’s minimal do you
agree with that and it was not gonna
why wouldn’t you do it though well I
mean you guys talked about it I’m sure
like I’m sure he president why wouldn’t
you make a run at it and by the way so
here right I
and by the way Dennis this is what I
think would happen if you did let’s just
say you made a run at it okay and you
were only in the run for six months you
and one day you said I’m done okay I
don’t know I think you know you would
bring so much more attention to some of
the things to reason when I agree with
you so even if it’s not a 19-month yes
whatever you do for six months we’ve
sold out so today I just want everybody
know the reason of he and I meeting
together was to strategize on dennis
prager announcing on this show that he’s
seven years right because three years he
can’t really do nothing about it so
seven years then you have to do math age
diet discipline all those things cuz
you’re gonna be on the road non-stop but
i am on the road non-stop nothing’s
gonna change now that’s right in that
way nothing would change so then so then
there you have it I think we just fixed
it today I’m sure when you go parade
your night I’m the first persuasive
person to try to hyper swayed me I’m not
a persuasive because then he would be
running three years and you would be in
the limelight asking other commits
prankish so what do you think about
Dennis and what he’s did have to answer
all those questions okay so a last few
thoughts here to have some fun with and
then we’ll wrap up and let you go back
to what you were doing books obviously
you know I think you’ve read at least
more than five books in your lifetime
and one of the things about you is you
know you wrote one book what book what
book is that by the way Wow I read that
that’s that’s his book yes yeah I read
that boy I really did because to
recognize it among yeah I recognize the
cover yeah I recognize the other so it’s
an important book I explained leftism
Islamism and Americanism so so here’s a
question I’m 21 years old okay I’m
watching this politically I’m curious
but I don’t agree with you yet okay I’m
curious I think you know you come across
as somebody that may I don’t know if I
relate you Dennis what books you think I
ought to read that is gonna help me
reason things better and what were some
of the books that maybe influenced you
the most well first of all if you go to
Dennis Prager
that’s different from Prager ucomm there
actually is a list of the ten books that
have most influenced me so it’s easily
found and I’ll mention some if you want
but please okay so as corny as it sounds
and it’s a tragedy that it sounds corny
far and away the Bible and especially
the first five books which I’m writing
my commentary on called which is known
as the Torah that is without question
the greatest single influence in my life
I am I totally resonate to its values
it’s it’s it’s brilliant I’ll give you I
mean I gave the example of the necessity
of a God to say honey your parents
otherwise a lot of people wouldn’t but
I’ll give you another example the
biblical view is that the world that the
human being outside of God the human
being is the most important thing in the
world more important than the
environment more important than animals
more important than nature it’s more we
are the center of the world in the
biblical world view that is laughed at
at college it’s called the
anthropocentric view of the world they
laugh at it we are nothing we are
absolutely nothing we are coincidental
joinings of molecules and we think we’re
important we’re no more important than
an another animal p-people for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals is opposed
to killing a pig to use its heart valve
to save a human being who were we to
kill a pig to save a human so that’s an
example of whoa I got a very important
value from this book that is in conflict
as it is in so many arenas with modern
thinking okay what other books well a
book that had a permanent impact on me
was man’s search for meaning by Viktor
Frankl F RANKL this man went through the
Holocaust he was a Austrian
psychoanalyst the Jewish psychoanalyst
who was in a Nazi death camp but
survived
lost relatives were murdered by the
Nazis and he explained what has become a
very powerful thing in my life since
high school
he says the greatest yearning of people
more than sex so he’s he’s differing
with Freud more than sex is meaning no
and and he’s is a second I read it I
realize of course there are people who
have little or no sex and have meaning
and who are basically happy but there
are people with a ton of sex who have no
meaning who not one of whom is happy now
it’s best to have sex and meaning just
for the record for both I’d be curious
to know how old Frankel was when he said
meaning over sex and how old Freud was
Freud could have been 22 when he says I
don’t know it’s see I people who think
I’m giving you a hard time no no I love
a hard time nonissue people who think
think beyond their own specific
circumstance otherwise we’re all doomed
then no one can think clearly because
that means only our circumstances
determine that we think but that’s true
for my dogs that shouldn’t be so
yourself sex and meaning is possible yes
I am saying that there but I’m not the
first validation right there for you but
yes there you are if he needed to here
and where he came but but what I what I
what I am saying is that meaning he
taught me through things I learned from
that book meaning is number one and
number two by the way the left gives
people meaning that it does they’re very
passionate but so what a lot of bad
things have given people meaning the
other thing he taught was there is only
one freedom that can never be taken from
us and he learned this in the Nazi
concentration camp the Nazis could do
whatever they wanted with a Jew in the
concentration camp kill him torture and
rape her anything but there was one
thing he said they can’t take from us
how we react
and that’s a very powerful idea that
that’s my choice how I react is my
choice
anyway that’s it’s just a second book
you asked me about me not only give me
one more okay I think that economically
how about give me one on I wanna I want
to study capitalism give me a book
anything by Tom sold you mentioned Tom’s
yeah but I I really do advocate the book
that you read of mine to explain the
difference between left thinking
American thinking and Islamist thinking
because those are the three competing
ideologies in the world today and that
that book will be an eye-opener I worked
very very very oh it was great book yeah
it was and by the way the sole book
Thomas has a thomas wall had a book
where was it reasons where it’s like all
the every basic five chapters know it’s
like everything he was making a point of
us four points five points of five pages
four pages
what was that books named by thomas soul
well anything he wrote is important so
would you put my head up women bongos i
think that to read friedman
that’s a good question they’re both very
excessive he was a student of friedman
yeah in a way there there yeah i guess
in a way that’s true by the way i want
to make a point about soul which a lot
of your viewers won’t know he is black
and if soul were not a conservative he
would be the best known black thinker in
america by far but the media ignore him
he is a luminous mind but they ignore
him because he’s not on the left he’s an
absolute genius it’s right you seen him
go at it with Francis Piven you know
don’t know I didn’t but I pity anybody
who debates it oh my gosh I mean that is
a man that’s got a combination of
passion and reason together I mean
that’s a van and he is as brilliant as
they again when it comes to town the
soul have you read any of Cleon Skousen
books five thousand yearly poor naked
communist mmm-hmm naked communist was
really interesting about the way I read
this guy was a fifteen year CIA agent
and he writes a book called 5000 year
leap and it writes a book called the
naked communist twenty
five points that they want to slowly
because you can’t go automatically from
you know capitalism to communism you
have to gradually push it through right
and kind of like the whole idea about
putting a frog in a pot in boiling him
you got to gradually do it
he explains twenty-five points on how to
do it I thought it was a fascinating
ominous remind me to send a copy will
send a copy over to Dennis so you can
take a look at it so Dennis this has
been a pleasure I really enjoy the way
do you speak Farsi I do speak Farsi let
me tell you my one line in Farsi I want
to hear it
Barry Manisha Ayatollah Donna spooning
barium barium Mahesh a very impish
Ayatollah does bahunam so I tell
everybody what I said
betting vicuna well I also study with
the Ayatollah yeah I was gonna say why
is he saying that I decided I have a
very dark sense of humor
so I have so many Persian friends thirty
years ago I asked what Persian friend is
it I want one phrase in Farsi she said
what how are you is it if I’m kids ample
ie the Ayatollah
how are you was not gonna say Milo I see
what you’re saying let’s all go study
with the Ayatollah I have a chance you
know six weeks after Ayatollah died we
escaped Iran and we went to Germany and
I lived at a refugee camp there for two
years
so Dennis this is their life it has been
thank you so much thank you for telling
you so much and if you haven’t watched
any of its content on Prager you just go
on YouTube type and Prager you it’s
insanity you won’t be able to watch one
I dare you go try watching one you’ll
end up watching six or seven and then
back to back to back again thank you thank you for that yes definitely
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