Fred's Front Porch Podcast

Horace, the Intrepid Introvert, is forced into a social situation that brings back memories of the demise of his first marriage.  "As Time Goes By," he learns his experiences are not unique.   Special thanks to my friend, Korali Day, for music she contributed to this episode.  (It's hard to find, but it was perfect for the brief time it was used.)   The original story, that I w...

This week Fred begins with his reflections on the bizarre state of the world before he brings in guest Idealist, Faye Ku to discuss COVID 19, its effects on the each of us, and the possibility of changing the world, even to the point of doing away with money. Stay tuned after the show for a sneak peek into next week's episode. The song, “I'm Talking To You” was performed by the late Kevin Quigley....

This is the extraordinary true story of how Mike Clark, who won Andrew Yang's giveaway of a UBI of $1,000 a month for the next year, and saved the life of a homeless friend.  This is an important point when we are all facing homelessness and economic collapse, ourselves.  Mike joins us on the Front Porch to tell you what happened.  You will want to hear this.

The sequel to "The Haunting of Horace" (also available on this podcast) finds the social outcast pointlessly in love with the most beautiful girl in his high school.  If you've ever dealt with Unrequited Love, this story will feel familiar to you.   Special thanks for my good friend, Chuck Curry, for the use of his Middle School Marching Band's music.  You can find his music here: &...

This is a more personal episode than I normally do.  Last week I had one of the best weeks of my life.  Love came at me from many sides.  I got to do something that made me happier than anything else really can anymore.  I had support from people I've never met, and from people who owe me nothing, and to whom I owe more than I can ever hope to repay. I chronicled my adventure o...

Here's a lively discussion of healthcare, the need for a basic income, identity politics, and a call for unity.  We not only have our first guest, we also have our first member of the youngest generation Wimpy dubs The Doomed. Faye tells fascinating stories of her life, and she makes a strong case for Universal Basic Income.  She was one of the first listeners to the podcast, and she has...

This is my experience with panhandling. I've been forced to be one, myself, in a different way, on several occasions.   The following are the links to back the factual statements I made: https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=184277#.Usw5G7GEit9 https://www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2016/02/22/how-many-homeless-people-are-there-in-america https://brandongaille.com/21-amazing-pa...

This is a difficult subject for many to discuss.  I'm going to let you make your own decisions, and I won't tell you what to believe here.   These notes are simply where I'm dropping links to the research done for this episode. https://www.livescience.com/65501-fetal-heartbeat-at-6-weeks-explained.html https://www.guttmacher.org/united-states/contraception https://www.forbes.com/sites/jo...

Where have all the protest songs gone?  Long time passing... How do you build a community?  We would love to do that with our listeners.   Fred's Idealism leads to talk of a One World Government.  What are your thoughts on that?

Wimpy plays Civilization live while he discusses the political mess that has become the United States with Fred.  

Fred and Wimpy discuss how frightened we should be about the new virus that seems to be threatening the world.  We ask why people seem so eager to conform to the standards set by others.  We discuss the idea that cultures need to adapt, and then to readapt to changing circumstances in order to survive.  Fred suggests a whole new economy.

Is this a story of the supernatural, or is it just a set of interesting hallucinations?  Horace is stalked by phantoms of his past in this eerie story of witchcraft, astral projection, and unrequited love or... perhaps none of those things.  

I'm an Idealist.  I'm sharing my ideas here, but most of them aren't my ideas.  They're Thomas Paine's ideas.  They Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's ideas.  They come from Milton Friedman and Stephen Hawking.  They have been synthesized by Andrew Yang.  These ideas have helped to shape mine.   This is my effort to spread these ideas, and my Idealism, to enough people...

Wimpy and Fred go for a bizarre space walk in considering the possibility of a fourth dimension.  If you pay attention long enough, we also discuss the shrinking attention span, and whether this is a good or an evil.  Finally, we'll have a power struggle about how to end a power struggle. We're featuring the music of Corey Cottrell in this episode once again.  Thanks Corey!   h...

This is Fred's view of being more wealthy than most of the population will ever consider.  This isn't the same as being a millionaire.  This is enough to live for the next 1900 years without ever having to earn any more money.   As always, I invite responsible points of view that differ from mine.

Wimpy and Fred discuss the use of restraint against school children.  Is it ever an appropriate use of force?  Does it create more problems than it solves?  After the break, we talk about the fact that people must now be 21 to smoke.  This is another restraint of the young.  Is this a power play or is it protecting our youth? The music on this episode comes from the incomp...

Christmas is a time of Magic.  There must be something in the air at the Solstice that causes a strange change to come over all of us.  Complete strangers wish each other “Merry Christmas” or some version of “Happy Holidays.”  Charities are swamped with donor and volunteers.  Forgiveness comes more easily.  There seems to be a universal agreement that, at Christmas, love a...

Fred and Wimpy discuss the rise of automation.  While it's wonderful that it can relieve humans of dangerous and mundane tasks, it also eliminates work that humans need in order to have some market value.  When it goes far enough, will automation simply wipe out humanity?

Fred and Wimpy discuss this generation's Generation Gaps (and there are several), as well as the question of whether our sense of security is really justifiable.

Has society become a sort of Borg Collective?  Have we been assimilated by the demands of money, stuck tightly in the hands of the few?  Actually... no, I don't think so.  Wimpy does, though.  Which of us is right?  Join the conversation. Thanks again to Corey Cottrell for the music!

I describe the world in which I would like to live.  This may require you to think, but I'm okay with that. The music this week comes from my late friend, Kevin Quigley.

Wimpy and Fred discuss Greta once again, since she was Time's Person of the Year, and we get to what motivates human beings to do anything.  We don't get to discuss Fred's actual Idealism, but we talk about some of its perceived difficulties.  There's also a deeply insightful conversation about whether a hot dog is a sandwich.   Thanks again to Corey Cottrell for the music!   h...

This is the missing episode!  Wimpy has resurfaced, and we are proud to present our Front Porch discussion of whether everyone is really entitled to an opinion, if all opinions are equally valuable, and you get a little (doubtful) Physics Lesson at the end.  Physicists please, I beseech you, feel free to correct any errors in the science.   Corey Cottrell sings a complete song for u...

Fred discusses marijuana.  Is it a good or an ill?  What's the point of pot?  How does it feel?  There is also a bonus song at the end.  Make sure you stay around for that.

This is a description of what poverty really means, from the point of view of someone who has lived it.  My poverty is much less than that of many others.  I still have a home, food, and medical care.  My clothing is adequate to my environment.  In fact, I have a computer and an internet connection, so I am doing better than a large portion of the world.  Many are worse of...