35 Comments
Jan 6, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

I looked into NFTs as possible income for my art and right away I thought this is bs. The Republican clown show this week has been highly entertaining with the climax yesterday when tRump received one vote from Rapey McForehead Lmao. Thanks Greg 😎

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Helen. I think it can potentially be a nice thing for an artist like you, just as a way for people to show support. That's the only nice thing about NFTs. And who wouldn't rather just have a print?

Expand full comment

My shorthand for NFT is "Non-Flushable Turd" and alas, that still holds true!

Expand full comment
author

Oh, that's good, Geoff!

Expand full comment
Jan 6, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

DeSantis has also a large and annoying troll network working for him- largely thanks to registered foreign agent Christina Pushaw. (Not a good idea to write that comment on Twitter 😬.) Kemp and Noem don’t, as far as I know.

Expand full comment
author

He does, thanks for pointing that out. The professional trolls block me. She's no exception.

Expand full comment
Jan 6, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

This is one of those times that I am glad I am too old to care about bitcoin, crypto, NFT’s etc… I somewhat understand what they are meant to do but I don’t understand it enough to ever participate in anything like this. Bernie Madoff scared me sufficiently enough to ever trust an “investment” vehicle I don’t fully understand. As I’ve stated before, I find Real Estate fascinating. The big ticket properties that sell for $10 million and above are usually paid for in cash. Who has that much cash? Usually, but not always, they are people up-to-no-good.

As for your last paragraph about ticket scalpers, I have an interesting story. I was one of those people who sat on the computer on November 1st for 8 hours the day that Ticketmaster had their “pre-sale” for Taylor Swift tickets. It was incredibly frustrating to keep picking seats and to be told that those seats had “just been sold”. I knew they were going to ticket scalpers, even though this pre-sale was supposed to be a chance for ordinary people to buy the tickets before the scalpers had a chance to buy them. After 8 hours, we were kicked off the system and told all the tickets for that day were gone. We felt disappointed, frustrated, and demoralized. We never buy from Ticketmaster but we viewed this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our teenage daughters to attend this particular concert - next time she comes around they will not be teenagers..

A few weeks ago I received an email from Ticketmaster that said we were being given another opportunity to buy Taylor Swift tickets because we were not able to get them the first time around. We had to commit to a price level and had to accept whatever seats they gave us if we were chosen. Our credit card would be charged up to the amount we authorized and there would be no choice of seats or backing out of the deal. We held our breath and agreed. Then a couple of days later, we received an email that we had the Taylor Swift tickets. The seats that were chosen for us were better than the ones we were trying to get the first time around. The price was also better than what was offered the first time around. My daughters are so excited!

I had been considering filing a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General but because Ticketmaster came through this time, I will not do that. I am still wary of Ticketmaster, but they did come through this time. I don’t think they did this from the goodness of their hearts but rather from the pressure of investigations and the breakup of their (what should be illegal) monopoly.

Expand full comment

Thank goodness, Gail. Glad it worked out for you and your daughters.

Expand full comment
author

I'm glad to hear Ticketmaster made good in this case. They usually don't. Pearl Jam tried to bust up the monopoly decades ago, but for some reason did not win in court, which was disappointing.

We saw Taylor a few tours ago. Got the seats for free from a friend. She puts on a GREAT show. And that was before Midnights, which is such a great album. You'll have a great time, I'm sure!

Expand full comment

I think Ticketmaster may have pushed it's luck one too many times. Tickets to the past two concerts I attended (Wilco & Andrew Bird) were sold by our local radio station WXRT or I would not have gone. One more thing I forgot to mention, we were only allowed to buy two tickets for Taylor Swift. My daughters will be going together. If this had happened a few years ago, they would not be able to go on their own. You have very nice friends to give you the seats - score!

Expand full comment
Jan 6, 2023·edited Jan 6, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

That seems like exactly what NFT's are!

After getting duped into buying Mary Kay in my early 20's, the one thing I absolutely despise is multi-level marketing.

I'm a staunch advocate against it, which is how I know however pious Betsy DeVos (Mrs. Married-into-Amway fortune) acts, I know deep down her heart is three sizes too small.

I always can see a pitch coming when a friend or family member starts acting overly nice to me- which is truly insincere & not friendship & breaks my heart.

Expand full comment

I remember in the early 60's, my mom doing laundry in our Michigan basement (it's actually called a "Michigan Basement") and her warning me to NEVER buy from Amway.

Expand full comment
Jan 6, 2023·edited Jan 6, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

I know and sadly my family members still do. I don't appreciate Amway's tactics. They always befriend my husband randomly at store like Lowe's, overly nice, say to him there is an investment opportunity. I just don't appreciate the ruse because in the end, it's YOU that is in their downline buying all their products. It's very sneaky.

Expand full comment

Ruse it is. Sadly. I have good friends who live in Betsy DeVos's neighborhood (but on the un-ritzy end). It is one of Betsy's 4 houses. Or is it 6...

Expand full comment

Amway, the DeVos “Christian” family’s pyramid scheme — it still infuriates me. A church member used to try to get me and other members to sell it. Exploiting church members was a big part of the DeVos success. I quit going to church about that time, which was also about the time when Koch and Falwell corrupted churches with the Moral Majority bullshit as a scheme to grow membership in the GOP and turn it into a libertarian party.

Expand full comment

I did not know that!

Expand full comment

I learned a lot by reading SHADOW NETWORK by Anne Nelson. Her book is well-sourced and highly recommended by Yale professor Dr Tim Snyder, an expert on how authoritarian regimes happen. He wrote the great little book ON TYRANNY.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks for sharing that. I will say I prefer Amway to whatever it is Erik Prince does.

Expand full comment

Erik the Prince of darkness. Bad DNA.

Expand full comment
author

MLM, cult, cult, MLM. Raniere set up NXIVM that way. They all do it. And there's a reason.

Expand full comment

NXIVM is so disgusting. The most surprising thing to come out of NXIVM is that Keith Raniere is actually sitting in prison.

Expand full comment
Jan 6, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

Amway with more zeroes?

Expand full comment
Jan 6, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

An oxymoron

LEGAL PYRAMID SCAMS

Expand full comment
Jan 6, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

There’s a sucker born….

Expand full comment
Jan 6, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

NFTs should insult the intelligence of every person who hears about them. When I first heard of them and FINALLY, after many tries at understanding, realized that they were digital files that supposedly could not be duplicated or owned by anyone else, I could only laugh. It's the most ridiculous "investment" a person can make, and I'm someone who owned a Pet Rock. They might as well be called SCAMs, for Stupid C*nts Abandoning Money. So, so, so dumb. Dumber than Qevin McCarthy!

Expand full comment
Jan 6, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

At least you could hold a pet rock in your hand! And they were only a few dollars.

Expand full comment
author

The Church, remember, sold indulgences back in the day. You paid so your soul would go to heaven. Now THAT was a scam, one of the most successful of all time.

SCAM, ha!

Expand full comment

Yes, and they are still reaping the benefits of that lie. Although attendance continues to dwindle.

Expand full comment

Very entertaining podcast, Greg. Thanks to Ricky, Lucy, et al., I'm getting closer to having a basic understanding of NFTs. What a great idea to have SCOTUS tax returns audited. Who can we talk to about that?!

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Lynell. I don't think Ethics exist in DC these days, certainly not for SCOTUS judges.

Expand full comment

This is the most important podcast I have ever heard. Rachel Maddow’s Ultra, as important as it is, has taken second place for its relevance. I don’t know who “Moscow Never Sleeps” really is, but his explanation on money-laundering using NFTs and Crypto using the Ricky and Lucy Ricardo and Ethel and Fred Mertz made a complicated process understandable. Americans need to be educated in terms and metaphors we can understand - most of us can’t see behind the curtain, no matter how educated we are. And his commentary on auditable financial transparency into the taxes of SCOTUS (and the leaders in all three branches of government) made me shout out loud, YES! PLEASE! Thank you for inviting this guy on your podcast.

Now send this to everyone in Congress with a note:

“Dear Congress: You’re horrified about mandatory auditing of the taxes of our SCOTUS justices? We can only assume that you know we’ll find a LOT of corruption in their taxes, otherwise, why would that horrify you?!”

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Patricia. I sent your comment along to him so he saw it. : )

Expand full comment
Jan 7, 2023Liked by Greg Olear

“Yippee ki-yay, dumbass.” Oh, I laughed very much out loud!

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Sue. I enjoyed that one, too. (And still have "Die Hard" on the brain, clearly.)

Expand full comment