Support for Donnybrook is provided in part by Design Aire Heating and Cooling.

Well, if you don't know what fair is, you can't make it.

>> Donnybrook is made possible by the support of the Betsy and Thomas Patterson Foundation and the members of Nine PBS.

>> Hey, I tell you what, congratulations to SLU for winning all 19 of their home games.

Listen, uh, Grand Center down that way was buzzing last night.

Missouri Valley Conference tournament is in St.

Louis along with the home show down at the uh Edward Jones Dome.

I'm telling you, St.

Louis is doing all right and so is Donniebrook.

Welcome aboard Alvin Reid sitting in for uh Charlie Brennan this week.

And joining me is media veteran Wendy Whis, one of our founders, Bill Mlen from the St.

Louis Post Dispatch.

We have St.

Sarah Fenske.

St.

Louis.

St.

Louis.

Sarah, that's what we're going to start calling you.

Sarah Fenske from St.

Louis uh magazine and the 314 podcast and Joe Holleman in my chair tonight also from the St.

Louis Post Dispatch.

Well, many of us awoke on Saturday to find out that we were at war uh with Iran and uh Joe, I immediately thought that our two state senators would have uh really impactful statements uh literally by Saturday afternoon.

uh took a little bit of time and uh were you surprised that I don't I won't say that shocked that they didn't give glowing endorsement but just more that they were they weren't really hawkish.

It's maybe let's put it that way.

>> The issue the the the fact that they didn't issue anything because over the weekend I was getting one from every congressperson in the area and no Holly, no Josh Holly, no Eric Schmidt.

So first thing Monday morning I call their people and say did I miss a statement?

direct me to it or could you send me one or call me and crickets.

So that first day they didn't weigh in on it when everybody else for or against was weighing in on it.

So I did find that to be surprised.

Later Monday night Josh Holly told Politico which is a national news organization covers uh the Senate and Congress.

Uh he gave them a comment about saying he supported uh Donald Trump's actions.

And then on Tuesday, Eric Schmidt put a very short line on Twitter.

So, yes, but I was surprised that they weren't out there, you know, uh, thumping the tub for it, if you will.

>> I feel like this is not that popular with their core voters.

Like, everything I'm seeing poll-wise is that, uh, you know, a lot of conservatives are against this.

And so, I get that they're kind of trying to walk this line.

Nobody wants to get on Donald Trump's bad side.

But at the same time, they've got to know like there's Missouri people with young men.

They don't want their young men sent over to the Middle East and women.

>> Well, I was going to say, you know, if if everything works out well and we're out of there and we have our own new favorite personal Ayatollah in charge, then everybody will say it was a good thing.

But right now, no one knows whether this is going to work out or not, >> right?

And there I mean there are just so many plates spinning.

And as far as the polls, I don't think I'm the only one who's kind of suspicious of the polling apparatus that we have in this country today.

Uh I I my first reaction was that if if Iran is part of this access of if you will of of of evil uh Allah 2026 then my first concern and it was it was voiced by administration officials that and certainly uh journalism uh journalists I should say they're concerned about terrorism acts of terrorism and I think these I think these politicians are very aware of that.

So, nobody wants to be, as you said, tub thumping at at such an early >> uh I was on KTRS today, um your former station, and Howard Richards was on uh with Frank and I, and he's a ex CIA person for 13 years, and he espoused the same fear.

Yeah, I think they're he said there was really he said, "I'm worried about sleeper sales.

I'm worried about um some things being activated here in the United States of America."

So, you know, we pray that that doesn't happen.

I I I think that with this administration and this is not to make anything frivolous about this but Saturday morning as I said I awoke to learn this news and it was like everything that was planned for the day on Saturday now didn't take a backseat to this but it just put kind of a downer on what was turned out to be a very nice Saturday.

Do do you think people are just worn out from something like every day coming out of Washington?

>> I feel worn out.

I mean, when I woke up Saturday morning, I was like, "Wait, what?"

Like, "No, I don't want this right now.

This feels like it felt like a throne of anxiety and exhaustion.

>> I to take the other side of that for only this.

I don't think there's a lot of question that Iran is a bad actor on the world stage."

So, this idea if they are, no, they are.

I I mean, you know, and what was very evident and I thought it was very clear was all the Democrats who were issuing statements, of course, decrying President Trump were all starting with Iran is a terrible place.

They're an evil.

You know, they we're not saying that we don't want them to have nuclear weapons.

They've been sponsoring terrorism.

However, I mean, they were leading in trying to say that we all know these guys are bad actors and we've known it for 45 years.

But wasn't >> well Iraq everybody Saddam Hussein was a bad guy.

But you you look back do you think Iraq was worth the blood and money we put into it?

>> No.

But I also think Iran is a completely different animal.

I think you when you have every country around there endorse the attacks.

Every Iranian who's not in Iran is going yay.

The only people who seem to be having a hesitation are the people here are Democrats in America.

Right.

That's, you know, I I mean, so >> I don't think just wait.

But but when you ask their neighbors, ask the neighbors what they think.

And every country came out and said, "Right on."

>> No, no.

The Warner out of Pennsylvania said, "Most of our allies out there begged the United States not to attack Iran."

>> If you're talking about France and England, I'm talking about neighbors.

>> No, that's what he was talking about.

>> Egypt, Saudi Arabia.

Okay.

>> Okay.

I just his interview said all of the countries in the region who are our allies begged us not to do it with the exception of is of Israel.

>> CIA that's his I mean that's his statement.

I'm not saying it's true or false but that's what he said.

>> It's hard but it's it is hard to it's hard to react negatively when you see Iranians in the street cheering.

that that is >> I think it's also well documented on how Iran's society is conducted >> and no one wants to talk about that.

I mean if there was ever a repressive regime, if there was ever a repressive government, Iran checks absolutely all the boxes.

>> Well, we'll see what happens.

>> That's not the That's not the argument I'm making.

I think and I think most Democrats are saying there should be congressional approval before we attack somebody else's country.

All right.

Meanwhile, in the state of Missouri.

All right.

Like Clinton, >> the police board.

All right.

Uh, you got that one in quick.

We'll next week, okay?

Cuz I ain't going to let that slide.

All right.

Um, let's keep going.

>> Meanwhile, in St.

Louis, uh, the police board.

Okay.

Well, you know, they're going to break the city with the raises that they want to give the police.

According to the mayor, the mayor was in Jeff City pleading for the state to take over legal fees if they can.

And in the meantime, the board has squaltched any civilian review board.

Sarah, it just keeps getting worse, doesn't it?

>> Yeah.

I mean, there's a lot of city residents who are really wound up about this right now.

And I would say Mayor Cara Spencer is chief among them.

She is so angry about what is happening here.

The latest chapter on this, you know, the budget thing is going to be the big fight going forward.

But sort of side note is we used to have a civilian oversight board and it looked at cases of officer discipline and would sort of review what should happen here.

Well, they disbanded that board when the state board came into place and they said, "Okay, we're gonna probably have to reconfigure this."

Well, now we find out no, it's not going to be reconfigured.

The attorney for the police board, who seems to be the one and only person on that board who's talking publicly to anyone, says, "Well, I don't think we're allowed to have any civilian oversight board.

It would be illegal to allow them to look at cases of officer discipline."

And then he says, "I don't think we need a civilian oversight board because we, the state appointed uh police commissioners, they are the civilians.

They are overseeing."

That was so insulting to city residents to say these people who were chosen by the governor that the city largely didn't vote for.

These are the civilians providing oversight to our police department.

>> Well, I'm a city resident.

I wasn't insulted.

>> I mean, they are citizens.

They are civilians.

>> And now we have we have a board.

What it is is there are five people you don't want on there.

>> Would not get elected by the residents.

>> I didn't know we were going to vote on civilian review boards.

We're going to have a citywide run.

>> They were not chosen by anybody who was voted for by city residents and they could not be tapped under that system.

They were chosen by the governor.

>> So they were they were political appointments which is exactly what a civilian board would be from somewhere else.

It's just what politics you like better.

So >> they do not represent the city of St.

Louis.

And it is insult to injury to say yes this is your >> well and and and which board member is now supposed to be looking into this >> Sonia >> Sonia Jake and you know I mean I was in favor of the state takeover and and I still defend the pay raises I think you have to pay the police more to keep them but I was not so enthused about some of the governor's elections and Miss Gray who has a history of bad judgment is now going to be in charge of figuring out what we're going to do.

It's that's a little frightening >> in in terms though of of of the police budget and bankrolling.

And this is going to just bear with me for a second.

I am an adopted child.

I was adopted when I was six months old.

So, I'm not sure that that that part of it or six months, excuse me, I was six weeks old.

So, I'm not sure about the retroactive portion of this, but in my opinion, if the state wants to govern the St.

Louis city police force, then they have to pay for the St.

Louis police force and and all that that entails.

You don't get to just say, "Yes, when everything's great and we're flush with cash, that's terrific."

They want this, so they should pay for it.

>> As far as law, Absolutely.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

I thought the Civilian Review Board is a different >> Oh, absolutely.

No doubt about it.

But there have been so many police board stories this week.

And actually the old civilian review board didn't do much as I recall.

>> You couldn't even name the people who were on it.

>> Well, and it was also a case they couldn't actually take action.

IAD still had control internal affairs.

What they could review what they could do was review the findings of IAD and look at it.

It wasn't like the civilian review board was conducting an investig.

>> Okay.

All right.

Well, we are going to conduct what we have to do from time year to year.

We got Donnie Bash coming up.

It is not too late to get tickets to Donny Bash.

Let's talk about that right now.

Welcome back, Wendy.

Downtown there's food carts.

They're open late at night.

Isn't that a good thing?

Because I mean, you know, people are out having a good time and they want to get something to eat.

But apparently there's some residents in downtown that thinks they are a problem or at least leading to problems.

>> Yeah.

See, I think we have to people have to get on the same page in terms of of definition.

Do we want do we want to be bug tussle Arkansas or do we want to be a major player when it comes to nightife?

I understand that there have been some devastating tragedies uh after hours and you know some very bad actors uh in in the downtown on the downtown scene.

But these little these food vendors are kind of giving us a sense of big city life.

And you know, when the clubs close, I have a hard time believing that gang bangers, if they call them gang bangers anymore, are saying, "Hey, let's go to the falafel stand and really tear it up."

I I don't think that's happening.

And one of the vendors, you know, they've been there through thick and thin.

They've they're they're trying to get their businesses going.

I I I certainly understand residents who want the the the street traffic to go home, but you live in downtown St.

Lewis, there are going to be skyscrapers.

There are going to be hopefully crowds.

You know, that's part of living.

That's part of city living.

So, I I we can't we can't be, you know, we can't have one leg in Green Acres and then one leg in Manhattan.

We have to figure out what we want to be and be that.

>> And it's such a frustration.

I mean, being downtown later at night, it is really hard to find something to eat.

There are very few restaurants down there now.

And many of them they close their kitchens at like 9:30, 10 o'clock.

It's ridiculous.

And so I think this really is these these carts are doing a brisk business and they say they're particularly doing it late at night.

So to me it seems like why would we want to quash that?

>> Well, I think also it it's more foot traffic which is makes things safer.

You know the the residents complaining.

One of them is Dan Pister whose brother Nick was such a good friend.

And I hate to be against Dan on this, but geez, if you're going to live downtown, this is it's like moving next to the airport and complaining about noise.

You know, if you're going to live downtown, you have to expect there to be noise at at 1:00 and 2:00 in the morning.

Otherwise, you you can move to a quiet neighborhood.

>> I I think that people want to minimize it, but I understand what Dan is saying.

I sympathize with what Dan is saying, but it's another NIMI issue.

You don't want that noise in your backyard.

And it's funny because when I bring up Nimi, people get upset and I'll go, "Wait a minute.

St.

Charles protested against the data center."

I'm betting you nobody from St.

Charles is down in Fesus >> protesting against that data center because they don't care.

So, I get where Dan is coming from.

But like you said, downtown's supposed to be busy.

It's supposed to be big.

It's supposed to be noisy.

And when bars let people out at midnight or so, it's nice to be able to go get a hot dog or a falafel, whatever, hang out.

Now, let's go back to a a previous subject, but it would be nice if there was a police officer or so walking around down there establishing a presence so that because one of the complaints was not necessarily the carts or the stands, it was people who would be there then would get into conflicts.

So the idea is downtown needs more police if it wants to be Manhattan, there needs to be some presence where people feel safe and if people start acting like knuckleheads, there's a police officer or two walking that street who can run them off there.

>> I mean, you have enough police officers if you wanted to control downtown between 11:00 and 2:00 in the morning, you could do it.

>> Where do you take them from?

>> I I 300s there.

Oh, whoa.

Okay.

Take them from somebody else's neighborhood.

I got you.

How about sending him in from Kirkwood, Alvin?

How about >> Well, I mean, no, no, I said Memphis, the entertainment police like district.

They take her from all over the state.

Oh, speaking of states, for you Beverly Hillbillies fans, bug tussle was in Tennessee, not Arkansas.

>> Okay.

And the Missouri Valley game at the Edward Jones Dome.

>> Say again.

I'm sorry.

>> It's the Missouri Valley Conference.

>> It's at Enterprise Center.

>> That's what I thought.

You said Edward Jones.

>> Um, no.

Oh, I said the home show is at Edward Joe.

>> I'm mistaken.

>> That's all right because we got we got so much going on.

All right.

All right.

Going on in uh courtrooms coming up here shortly.

Okay.

Former I guess speaker of the house John De is facing two years because he got a little fast and loose with the uh um COVID money and he's facing two years.

Now, I'm not comparing the two crimes, but the former Flores police officer who was taking women's phones and stealing their uh photos that were on there, he's also facing a two-year sentence.

Bill, I'll let's talk about deal first.

Do you think that that's fair?

It was two two years enough for what he did.

>> Oh, you know, I I I don't really know.

I mean, the argument that, well, he did pay the money back strikes me also as kind of an odd argument and just that I would have more sympathy for Mr.

Deal if he was broke and and you know, Jabar stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family.

The idea that this is a wealthy lawyer who sto essentially stole that money just because he thought he was smart enough to do it.

Uh but you know, the legislators are the ones who write the statutes and and they're soft on white collar crime because they know if they're ever going to get jammed up, this is the sort of thing they're going to do.

So two years, you know, it it's not a a heavy sentence, but uh I think it's probably fair.

>> I think the fact that he paid the the money back, I think that makes it even worse for me.

That's what I'm saying.

I meant to say >> for me because he was pay as it was he was paying his country club.

He was he was paying for his country club you know.

So in other words yeah I'm so I'm I'm so actually flushed with cash that I can afford it and I'll pay you back the stuff that I stole the money that I stole.

That's just a that's a double insult and I don't want to I don't want to minimize what he is facing.

He's a human being who made a mistake and I feel sorry for him.

I feel sorry for people who care about him.

But I think that this is really really serious.

>> And he'll be going to a minimum security camp.

>> Exactly.

So it's it's it's you know, okay, anybody here who would like to do his two years for him, you can sign up for it.

>> No, that's what I'm saying.

It is a penalty.

>> Steal the money, Joe.

>> But but it's a penalty.

So I I guess he's only going to do two years.

That sounds like an awful lot if it's your two years.

I will say this.

I think that paying the money back actually I disagree with you on that.

I think that's good because at least the taxpayers not out the money.

This was taxpayers money.

It was government money.

Uh, ARPA funds, COVID money.

So, the fact that he paid it back because usually when you get sentenced, it's you do this time and pay restitution.

That's part of his sentence.

>> Almost nobody does.

Well, good.

Then he don't have the money.

That's why they're criminals.

>> Well, and that's why he's doing two years.

>> He's a criminal just because he thought he could get away with it.

Had the money.

So, I it it doesn't make me more sympathetic to Mr.

Deal.

>> It doesn't mean, but it's better.

But again, sympathetic.

He's doing two years in prison.

I would be mad if he'd have gotten probation.

And also, the feds set up guidelines for sentencing.

21 to 27 months.

This falls right in the middle.

So, it's not like there, you know, when you hear these cases where somebody does a terrible crime and they're they're suggest the judge goes, I sentence you to 6 months.

The feds have a bracket to fit in.

This fits right in.

>> Well, that could still happen.

He hasn't been sentenced yet.

That's true.

That's the recommendation.

I think I I think two I I think two years come back.

If they give him less than two years, if they don't follow that recommendation, the police officer, >> I have I'm fine with the two years.

Now, let's talk about another two years.

>> I do want to say I'm not that offended if deal gets two years.

I get Bill's point.

I think it's a good one.

I am offended by the idea of this police officer getting >> That's where I was going because I'm going to say I don't know what it is about this seat.

Okay.

>> BUT I'M JUST GOING TO SAY that this police officer deserves to spend some time in uh prison.

I think two years might be a little bit extreme because he's being charged for the for what he stole out of the phone.

If he had just taken phone numbers or just had taken someone's photos, I don't think he would be facing two years.

I think it's what >> what he did is he combed through these women's photos.

He did it intentionally to multiple women looking for their personal photos so that he could later use it for his own nefarious purposes.

Texted it to himself.

It is such a violation.

No woman can feel safe on the roadways knowing that someone who has the power over you can pull you over, ask to see your phone.

A lot of people don't know that they have the right to say, "You're not allowed to see my phone.

I've got to comply with the officer."

Turn over the phone and the next thing you know, he's using it for a lascivious.

>> I mean, it's a cyber it's a cyber version of sexual abuse.

>> Yes.

Thank you, >> okay.

I mean, and so the idea that two years again, it was one of those I was glad to see that somebody didn't pitch probation.

It's like good.

At least there's going to be some time associated.

>> It ought to be five years.

>> And that's what I was gonna ask you.

You think that's five years?

>> I THINK IT'S five years.

And it's such a violation of the public.

>> If I if because of the nature of the photos he took, seems like that's >> that does matter.

>> It does.

>> It does matter.

Invasion of privacy.

>> Invasion of privacy.

If if all he did was take if if all he did was take phone numbers or photos or whatever, but but not of a >> if he takes if he takes a photo of my cat off my phone, yeah, I'm not going to be quite so insulted.

I might actually be fine with the guy getting probation even though it is a violence.

>> There are degrees of crime.

So the cat's down here taking a nude photo of somebody that's way up here.

Okay.

I mean, >> all right.

I I'm I'm just to me >> and he could send it to people.

I mean, it's just it's just a very bad thing.

>> I'm not saying it's not bad.

I'm saying that two years, put it this way.

If he got one year, I would not >> I I just would say that that's >> What is with the person in that chapter?

>> I'm not I am not defending.

All right.

I'm not defending him in the least, but I'm not >> defending you either because I know I know that you're going to help us out because we need your help here at PBS and we really really appreciate it.

Let's talk about that.

You're a courageous.

>> All right.

Nationally, there is a bill that is uh proposed.

Probably won't pass in the Senate, but it would make you would have to prove you're an American citizen to vote.

Not to register, but to vote.

Okay.

And the state of Missouri is trying to pass a similar bill.

Wendy, I think this is a little bit drastic.

How about you?

Well, I think that immigration is one of the top issues in in in the country today and let me finish my sentence before you jump on me, please.

Um, I think that when it comes to the highly charged when it comes to the integrity of our our elections, I don't I don't care how far you have to go to make sure that that is that that that there's there are safeguards in place.

I I don't care how far you have to go to make sure that the the right people get on planes.

I don't care how far you have to go.

I mean, I I I think and I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, but I am okay with these with these safeguards if it is to protect the integrity of our elections.

>> Okay, Wendy, I am older than you.

So, when you talk about being old and I think that this integrity of elections is, as the president would say, a hoax.

I think that our elections have run fine for years and years and years and suddenly there's this election integrity thing and the 2020 was stolen and we have and and I think that I think it's nonsense and I think this is mostly to prevent people from being able to vote because I mean not many people or I should say not a great majority of people have proof of citizenship which is either a passport or a birth certificate.

>> Do you see the irony of somebody from Chicago talking about the integrity when it comes to elections?

>> They're all fair.

Of course I do.

Okay.

Of course I do.

>> All right.

Just saying.

>> I just I I think that what we've done is we've made it that one side has made it like that the vast amount of Americans are just completely so helpless and incapable of actually getting a copy of their birth certificate.

And I just don't see it that hard.

I think it's much a do about nothing.

If they're saying, "Hey, this election coming up in 10 months from now, you're going to have to prove your citizenship."

And you're saying, "There's no way I can I can get a copy of my birth certificate."

Just can't do it.

I think that's overblown.

It's a hobgoblin that the one side has put up that say vast majorities of people won't be able to get birth certificates.

I just don't believe.

>> Well, let me tell Sir, you know, and I think it's going to be selectively enforced, Joe.

I think that in rural Missouri, you know, you know the people and you know, you're signed in, but in the city that we're going to have Republican uh poll watchers being strict about this and I don't think it is so easy for people to produce their birth certificates.

>> I I tend to agree.

One, there is a one, it's a cost to it.

Okay?

I mean, I got mine this >> uh because I was getting my uh the the True ID, what do we call our driver's license?

real ID, true ID.

But anyway, it's no hassle.

I did have to pay for it.

Also, there are I I would say this, a lot of seniors go back to where they don't have their original birth certificate and quite frankly may not have been born in a hospital.

And you are you're basically telling them that they can't vote and I I something's got to be worked out.

>> I think it's amazing though since it seems that older people vote more than younger people.

>> That's realiz they don't have to prove they were born and you're saying they can't.

How do you know they are so incapable of doing this?

>> No, because a lot of seniors were not born in hospitals and especially a lot of African-American seniors from the south, they have no record of their birth.

>> And I think, you know, this is an issue where if if you're middle if you're middle class, you have a nice filing cabinet, you know, where your birth certificate is.

There is a lot more chaos for people who are lower income.

They're moving a lot.

Their parents might not necessarily be on top of their stuff.

The idea of having to go get some certified copy of something that your parent lost because your parent wasn't paying attention.

I mean, talk about a hobgoblin.

The idea that there's a whole bunch of like undocumented people voting in this country.

It is just not happening.

But instead, we have to go through the theater.

It's like how every time we go to the airport, we all have to take off our shoes and hand them over the liquids just because, oh, something might happen.

We're about to do that with voting.

Make it hard for everybody because we are afraid that one person might slip through.

>> So, you don't want it on the airplanes.

>> I think some of the things that we do at airports are not actually conducive to currently what might happen.

They're inconvenient.

Certainly >> they are.

Sure.

We have 38 states that require photo IDs when when you when you vote.

Uh Missouri is one of them.

There are 12 that do not.

So >> Okay.

All right.

Okay.

The state is uh our our auditor is looking at the regional arts commission.

Now I'm kind of surprised because you know they do nothing but great work.

But uh taking a look at how the some of the money was spent because of a whistleblower situation.

So Joe, I mean, are they just kind of looking for something where there's nothing, you think, or or where is this coming from?

>> Well, um, first of all, I think they should look and maybe they are there is nothing there.

Uh, I always like to keep in mind is that anytime anybody's opposed to an audit of an entity that gets its money from taxpayers, I'm for auditing them all.

Uh they talked about there was allegations of using money for personal use, illegal improper use of credit cards, you know, kind of like the school board here in the city.

So there are some questions be raised and they are a tax supported entity.

So the auditor can go in and take a look.

If there's something there, they'll find it.

If there's not, there's not.

So I welcome an audit of not only the regional arts commission, but any other place that gets tax money.

>> Well, okay.

I was going to say now you took the words right about say it sounds like the state should just audit every not forprofit and every entity that gets taxpayer money.

You say that that's fine if we if we had enough players.

Absolutely.

In fact, every every office in the city of St.

Louis was audited back by Margaret Kelly in the 1990s.

Every single one.

>> So, and I don't think you know in some departments most departments made improvements.

So, the idea of say I don't think we should audit I think they should all be audited.

But the first thing I I I noticed in that story, and Alvin, I know that your father always told you never begrud somebody else salary.

When I saw that the CEO of our little arts commission is making $196,000 a year, I thought that's a bit much.

>> Agreed.

Agreed.

So, so you know, I I'm I'm in favor of an audit just because wow, if the CEO is making 196 grand, I would like to see the book >> with 13 people working for for that person.

You know, that I I think the audit brings up some terrific questions and that's what it's all about.

And I will also say like Scott Fitzpatrick, the state auditor, the way that this works is they get a whistleblower tip, they do a little looking into it and they say, "Is this bonkers or not?"

when they reach this point, it's because they think there's something substantiated there.

So, I don't know what's going to come out.

It's obviously way too early for us to get this audit, but I think, you know, it's good.

You get a tip.

You want somebody who has the ability to pry those records open in a way that journalists don't.

It's great to have them looking.

>> I was at Scott Chop at the Scott Joplain house few weeks ago.

They rag time.

They have a ragtime piano show every month.

And they didn't have any money.

I mean they didn't have heat on you know there was you pay pass the hat around and pay so >> I just know that if we find out about a receipt from the chop house all >> bets are off I would agree with that real quick does it count is this taxpayer money if you get your money from like the hotel like that that I mean I know that that's where they get the money and I know that's just a nuance I just would say do we consider that taxpayer money or do we >> what is it 58 something.

It's the tax that other people pay here and we pay it somewhere else.

>> Okay.

All right.

I see.

And I'm not Yeah, I just >> generally speaking, >> we pay it when we go to Ecuador.

>> Okay.

We Let's go to the letters.

>> Why should Congressman Bell or anyone attend the State of the Union address in person?

They can all watch what the rest of the country sees from the comfort of their homes.

It's not as though the event includes a Q&A session.

That from Tim Ngi of Wildwood.

As members of Congress, the job requires them to deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

That includes attending the State of the Union addresses and not enriching themselves through insider information.

Paired the two, did you, Larry Snow of Alton, Illinois?

You can write us at Donny Brook Care of 9PBS 3655 Olive Street, St.

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Send us an email to donnybrook@9pbs.org.

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I actually did that for the first time two weeks ago.

All right, we are coming back with Donnie Brook Last Call on the 9PBS YouTube channel.

And don't go away just yet.

We got another little pledge talking to we're going to do with you.

Thanks for tuning in.

>> Donnybrook is made possible by the support of the Betsy and Thomas Patterson Foundation and the members of Nine PBS.

away.