The Independent Male

09/18/2026

I Just RUINED Waymo for Sean | Chucky 2019 😂

Sean had a great first experience riding in a Waymo here in Denver. So naturally... I had to ruin it. 😂

During our Mile High Fly conversation about autonomous vehicles, Sean tells me how impressed he was with his first driverless Waymo ride.

My response?

I tell him I'm just putting Child's Play (2019) in his head for the next time he climbs into a Waymo—or as we're now calling them, a “WHAMMO.” 😂

Cue the Child's Play scene of Chucky terrorizing an elderly passenger inside a self-driving car.

Sean: “Thanks.” 😂😂

We both had genuinely good experiences with autonomous rides—Sean in Denver and me in San Francisco—but apparently I've watched too many horror movies to simply enjoy new technology without imagining how horribly wrong it could go.

🎬 Clip from our full Mile High Fly conversation:
“We Took Our First Waymo Rides… Then I Remembered Chucky 😂”

09/17/2026

Owning the Libs Is EXPENSIVE 💸 | Mile High Fly

During a recent Mile High Fly conversation about where we're taking the show this fall, Quentin “QTDub” Watts throws out a question that sends the discussion in an entirely different direction:

What tangible value are ordinary supporters getting from the current administration?

Quentin argues that culture-war victories don't necessarily translate into cheaper groceries, affordable housing, lower energy costs, or more money in working families' pockets. Sean takes the argument further, saying that even if racial resentment appeals to some voters, “racism doesn't put food on the table” or make everyday expenses cheaper.

The discussion comes as affordability remains a major national issue. Inflation was 3.4% year-over-year in August, while Americans continue dealing with elevated costs for groceries, gasoline and housing.

This isn't about telling anyone how to vote. It's the question at the center of the clip:

Regardless of the political team you support, what policies are actually making your life more affordable?

🎙️ Quentin “QTDub” Watts & Sean Bailey
📍 Mile High Fly — Denver, Colorado

09/04/2026

Young Minorities in Arkansas Why Stay GET OUT! 🍿

🍿 POPCORN POLITICS

Another disturbing encounter involving Arkansas State Police is making the rounds — and once again, questions are being raised about the amount of force used against a minority who does not appear in the footage to be posing an immediate violent threat.

But I want to approach this one from a completely different direction.

If you're a young minority growing up somewhere where you genuinely believe you're being treated as a target…

WHY STAY?

When you turn 18 or 19, start thinking about your options.

Go to college somewhere else.

Join the military.

Learn a trade and relocate.

Find a job in another state.

But if you truly believe the environment around you is hostile to you, don't spend the next 20 years waiting for that environment to change.

GET OUT OF THERE! 🍿

That's not an excuse for police misconduct. Officers should be held accountable when they cross the line, regardless of who they're dealing with.

And I'm certainly not saying every person — or every police officer — in Arkansas is racist.

I'm asking a different question:

At what point does removing yourself from an environment you believe is working against you become part of taking control of your own future?

🍿 Grab your popcorn.

What say you?

09/03/2026

Caroline Sunshine Just Showed How You Handle Scott Jennings 🍿

🍿 Welcome to POPCORN POLITICS!

Sometimes politics gets so ridiculous that analyzing it isn't enough anymore.

Sometimes you just need popcorn. 😂

For our first episode, pro-MAGA pundit Caroline Sunshine takes Scott Jennings to task over his claims about communicating with Mitch McConnell — and she brings receipts.

But I noticed something else...

Why does Scott always start SQUINTING when somebody brings data, receipts or facts onto the screen? 👀😂

Scott, can you not see it?

Or are you being BLINDED BY FACTS?! 🍿🤣

Whatever your politics, THIS is how I want political talking points challenged: bring the receipts and let everybody watching decide whether the explanation holds up.

Welcome to Popcorn Politics, where I'm done pretending Washington isn't ridiculous.

🍿 Grab a bag.

What say you?

08/24/2026

AI Is Driving Up Beef Prices Too?! 🥩🤖 | Where’s the Beef? Pt. 2

🥩 WHERE'S THE BEEF? — PART 2

Yesterday we talked about tariffs and the administration's attempt to bring beef prices down.

But rancher and money manager Vance Howard of Howard Capital Management just highlighted another piece of the beef-price puzzle that isn't getting nearly as much attention:

DATA CENTERS. 🤖

Think about it.

AI and data-center developers need enormous amounts of land. Ranchers need enormous amounts of land.

And when technology companies arrive willing to pay prices that traditional ranching simply can't compete with, the economics of keeping that land in cattle production can change quickly.

Howard even shared an anecdote about a fellow rancher receiving an extraordinary offer connected to Elon Musk for his property.

Or, as The Godfather might put it...

An offer he couldn't refuse. 😂

But underneath the joke is a serious affordability question.

We're talking about tariffs, cattle supply, drought, feed costs and processing when discussing expensive beef.

Should competition from America's massive data-center buildout be part of that conversation too?

Because if valuable ranchland becomes considerably more profitable as a data-center site than as a cattle ranch, that could create another pressure on the economics of producing beef.

AI isn't just changing our jobs and electricity demand anymore.

It may also be competing for the land that helps put dinner on the table.

Now THAT'S something to chew on. 🥩

Step outside the silo.

08/23/2026

Wait... I Thought Americans Didn't Pay the Tariffs 🤔 | Where's the Beef?

🥩 WHERE'S THE BEEF?!

Apparently... behind a tariff. 😂

President Trump recently announced that the U.S. will temporarily waive higher tariffs on hundreds of thousands of metric tons of imported ground beef in an effort to lower prices for American consumers.

And that's where I'm confused.

For much of the tariff debate, we've repeatedly heard the argument that foreign countries—not American consumers—bear the cost of tariffs.

Okay.

Then why would removing a tariff help make beef cheaper for Americans?

🤯 MAKE. THIS. MAKE. SENSE.

I'm not even arguing that temporarily reducing the tariff is a bad idea. Beef prices are extremely high, and increasing supply could provide some relief—although cattle producers are warning that the policy could hurt American ranchers.

I'm asking a much simpler question:

If tariffs don't raise prices for American consumers, how does removing one lower prices for American consumers?

Maybe there's an explanation.

That's what the comment section is for.

What say you?

Step outside the silo.

08/22/2026

It is sad that this chart will mean NOTHING to the people that it SHOULD. 🙄🤭

Truly fascinating to think about

08/18/2026

Left AND Right Are Rejecting Flock Cameras... That Should Tell Us Something 👀

First it was Oak Park, Illinois, a left-leaning Chicago suburb that voted to terminate its relationship with Flock Safety amid privacy concerns.

Now let's travel south to Hood County, Texas.

This isn't exactly liberal territory.

Yet Hood County commissioners also voted to discontinue the county's Flock camera contract—and Constable John Shirley went out and personally covered and disconnected the cameras.

His concern?

Government surveillance of ordinary citizens and whether that kind of warrantless tracking belongs in a free society.

And THIS is why I find the Flock debate so interesting.

We've already talked about the legitimate benefits of these systems. They can help law enforcement locate missing people and investigate serious crimes.

But concerns about creating a massive, searchable database of Americans' movements aren't fitting neatly into our usual red-team/blue-team politics.

Progressive Oak Park says no.

Conservative Hood County says no.

Maybe privacy isn't supposed to be a partisan issue.

How much surveillance are we willing to accept in exchange for greater public safety?

And more importantly...

Who watches the watchers?

Step outside the silo.

08/17/2026

GOP Doctor Calls Trump's Vaccine Idea ‘Crazy & Stupid’ 😳

🤯 MAKE THIS MAKE SENSE.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy recently sat down with CNN's Jake Tapper and had some VERY strong words about President Trump's push to separate the MMR vaccine.

Cassidy—who is also a physician—called the idea a “crazy, stupid thing” and then explained why.

Separating measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations could mean more injections, more doctor's visits, more time away from work for parents and additional healthcare costs—without evidence that separating the vaccines provides a medical benefit.

And THAT'S where my new segment comes in:

MAKE. THIS. MAKE. SENSE. 🤯

If the current combined vaccine can accomplish the goal with fewer visits, what's the benefit of making families come back multiple times?

Especially while we're simultaneously having a national conversation about healthcare affordability.

This time I'm not asking Democrats.

I'm not asking Republicans.

I'm asking the doctor who's actually a Republican—and apparently he's confused too. 😂

What say you?

Step outside the silo.

08/16/2026

Americans Are BLAMING Trump for Gas Prices... We Have the Receipts 🧾

CNN's Harry Enten just brought out some numbers on President Trump and gas prices that are hard to ignore.

And fortunately...

Pardon me... WE HAVE THE RECEIPTS. 🧾😂

According to the polling data Enten presented, 79% of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of gas prices.

For comparison:

George W. Bush: 75%
Joe Biden: 72%
Barack Obama: 68%
Donald Trump: 79%

That puts Trump's current gas-price disapproval above the other recent presidents in the comparison.

And THAT'S what makes these numbers interesting.

For years we've heard arguments about whether presidents deserve credit—or blame—for what Americans pay at the pump.

But voters apparently have their own answer.

They're holding the current president responsible.

With affordability already a major concern for American households, gas prices are one expense people experience every single time they pull up to the pump.

You can argue about who's ultimately responsible.

But you can't argue with what the polling says Americans believe.

🧾 Receipt checked.

Step outside the silo.