It's Independence Day. I don't call it Fourth of July. I call it Independence Day because,

well, it is our Independence Day. And the tradition has been for me to go and reflect

on what happened to our Republic, where it's going. I know I remember I've done

pieces on how to catch wild pigs, liking us the Americans of old to wild pigs who refuse to

be tamed. And then we got used to the government corn and the rest is history.

But John, John, do you remember that joke that we all used to tell in grade school how many

countries have the Fourth of July? No, I don't remember telling it started that joke. I'm sorry.

They all have the Fourth of July. It's just you. Right. We're right in saying only we have the

Independence Day on the Fourth of July. There you go. Well, Charles Lipson, part of the tradition

is reflecting what we're doing, where we're going and thinking about what would our founding

fathers think of us. And I'm looking at at the same time you're we're doing that. I'm looking

up pictures to run for my, you know, my peace on on the Fourth. And I found I found a beautiful

photograph of President Biden lifting a champagne glass and toasting Xi Jinping.

And I'm thinking what would our founders think of Hunter and Joe and the 10, 15, 40 million

dollars, whatever they're talking about. And now we've got affirmative action. So, which has been

outlawed finally, you know, finally, they're pleasing many Greeks and Jews in the listening audience

because we've faced quotas in the past. But that's why Charles Lipson is here with us today

on the Chicago way podcast with Jeff Carlin and me and now Charles Lipson.

Well, John, my tradition is always to have a few bud lights.

Really? Too soon?

Too soon. That's always my time. I do it all the time. The too soon joke. There's affirmative

action jokes somewhere too. That would be too soon. You know, you know, that, that, that was the phrase

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