Episode 227

full
Published on:

2nd Jun 2026

The Surveillance Stack That Makes UBI a Leash

Palantir tracks every digital transaction, IDEMIA harvests biometrics, and Allied Universal has cameras on every corner — the compliance infrastructure isn't coming, it's already here. Ron Lynch says UBI is the carrot that locks you into that stack. Without a middle class, you get feudalism with Wi-Fi; tiny homes with shared kitchens are cages with better branding. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley walk through what a 38-year-old's daily life looks like in twenty years under this model. The quote that sticks: "The problem with UBI is not the check, it's the chain." Ron draws the line between freedom — the ability to choose — and liberty — actually doing it.

Timestamps:

  • (00:20) Surveillance stack already running – Palantir, IDEMIA, Allied Universal
  • (02:31) No middle class left – feudalism returns, just with Wi-Fi
  • (04:58) Tiny homes, shared kitchens – Ron calls them cages, not communities
  • (08:49) Buy back meth towns – Ron's pitch for cultural villages instead
  • (10:30) Three to five hours – all humans ever needed to survive daily
  • (13:05) Not the check, the chain – Ron's one-line verdict on UBI
  • (17:00) 38-year-old in twenty years – what daily life actually looks like
  • (19:37) No collective human experience – technology breaks the last shared moment
  • (20:07) Photo albums hit the table – every phone disappeared immediately
  • (21:30) Freedom vs liberty – ability to choose versus actually doing it

Connect:

🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X

Transcript
Alex:

The first episode asked whether UBI works in theory.

2

:

This one shifts to what's actually been

built — biometric systems, behavioral

3

:

prediction networks, physical surveillance

that already covers every major city.

4

:

The policy debate is running a

decade behind the infrastructure.

5

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yes.

6

:

Yes, yes, yes.

7

:

I mean, so your...

8

:

But your film documents a very specific

infrastructure already in place.

9

:

Ron Lynch: Yes.

10

:

Jerremy Newsome: for behavioral

prediction, Allied Universal for physical

11

:

security, IDMIA for biometric harvesting.

12

:

a scenario where a crisis event

becomes the mechanism for locking

13

:

citizens into digital compliance,

which feels very real to me, with

14

:

income access as the compliance carrot.

15

:

structural Logic embedded in any large

scale unconditional payment system.

16

:

at a sufficient scale, every remaining

recipient share would increase when the

17

:

total number of recipients decrease.

18

:

Walk us through how

that incentive operates.

19

:

Like who benefits from that dynamic?

20

:

Or well, better yet,

maybe who engineers it?

21

:

Who's engineering that dynamic?

22

:

Ron Lynch: So it's, i- it's a cr-

you're s- you're seeing it expressed

23

:

politically in a number of ways.

24

:

One is the debt's out of control,

spending's out of control,

25

:

corruption's out of control, global

climate problems, food resources.

26

:

We have finite petroleum that

we manufactured this year.

27

:

We didn't have finite petroleum last year,

but now we have a war, and so we have

28

:

finite petroleum that's gonna lead to

finite fertilizer, finite food production.

29

:

Probably not in America, but that's

gonna result in prices going up.

30

:

So there's these global

players, and I don't...

31

:

I'm not gonna tell you that

there's an individual that's

32

:

twisting a mustache in a back

33

:

Jerremy Newsome: Mm-hmm.

34

:

Ron Lynch: But I'm gonna tell you that

35

:

Jerremy Newsome: Hmm.

36

:

Ron Lynch: of the digital world

and the political world saying,

37

:

"We have too many people.

38

:

We need to ha- we need to reduce our

population and control our population

39

:

'cause we're destroying the planet."

40

:

That thought permeates the dialogue.

41

:

So you go, "Okay, the, the s-

the, the leaders of the world are

42

:

saying there's too many people.

43

:

how do they plan on having less people?"

44

:

Well, China had the one-child policy,

and it appears, if you believe the

45

:

statistics, that their population's

gonna be cut in half in the next 50

46

:

years because of that one-child policy.

47

:

our policy going to be we create

consternation that we have war, or we

48

:

have people leave the country, or we have

poor ch- just a me- mess of poor people?

49

:

Here's the challenge with UBI in that.

50

:

you make people comfortable

with s- X amount of money, are

51

:

eliminating the middle class, and

the middle class was fundamentally

52

:

invented in industrialization.

53

:

There used to be really rich people

and peasants, and the middle class

54

:

came out of factory workers and

buying your own home and your own car.

55

:

This is a relatively new

phenomena, the middle class.

56

:

If eliminate desire for progress

because people are comfortable,

57

:

and young people can't afford a

house 'cause a house is $800,000...

58

:

I have a friend who was really

excited 'cause their kid was making

59

:

a, a, what they thought was a

great wage at $14 an hour at their

60

:

job, and I said, "You know what?

61

:

When I was a grocery checker in

:

62

:

That was 40 years ago.

63

:

So that wage should be much higher.

64

:

Well, you're gonna eliminate people's

ability to want to progress forward.

65

:

There's n- if there's no place for mo-

mo- upward mobility, then nobody's gonna

66

:

desire to do it, that elimination of

middle class provides us with an upper

67

:

class and a lower class, and that's

a technocracy based in feudalism.

68

:

And that's where this UBI con-

discussion is ultimately headed

69

:

Jerremy Newsome: Hmm.

70

:

Hmm.

71

:

Ron Lynch: the poor, the couch-surfing,

entertained poor, and they become...

72

:

I mean, it's, on, on a

spreadsheet, that's a liability.

73

:

And then you have the rich

and the super rich, and there

74

:

will be nothing in the middle.

75

:

Do you think if we get to

a, a, true Marxism in this

76

:

Jerremy Newsome: In a

77

:

Ron Lynch: a check 'cause they

got so much, do you think they're

78

:

gonna burn down the mansions?

79

:

You think they're gonna

destroy the castles?

80

:

No, they're gonna populate them with

the rich and build a gate around them.

81

:

And oh, wait, that's

already happening, isn't

82

:

Jerremy Newsome: lot of places.

83

:

Ron Lynch: in this

84

:

Jerremy Newsome: In a lot of places.

85

:

Ron Lynch: Incredible homes

with gates and security guards,

86

:

and you're not allowed in.

87

:

And then, you know what people need?

88

:

They need tiny homes.

89

:

They need container homes.

90

:

They need pocket homes in towers with

shared kitchens where eight kids live

91

:

in 2,000 square feet and work at a t-

a tech company and share a kitchen and

92

:

have their meals Uber brought to th...

93

:

That's birds in a cage.

94

:

Jerremy Newsome: Mm-hmm.

95

:

Ron Lynch: And we're teaching

our young people that that's they

96

:

can hope for, and that's great.

97

:

You will own nothing and be happy.

98

:

Well, you'll own nothing and be

miserable because they can't do

99

:

anything about your happiness.

100

:

That's your own choice.

101

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

102

:

Yeah, correct.

103

:

Ron Lynch: gets built, the cage is

built, and that's, like, this is a

104

:

very important moment for humanity.

105

:

Jerremy Newsome: So probably two

questions then, I think maybe for

106

:

me would be, it also sounds like

there's a number somewhere as well

107

:

Ron Lynch: as well

108

:

Jerremy Newsome: that could

109

:

Ron Lynch: could alleviate stress,

110

:

Jerremy Newsome: but also still be a hand

111

:

Ron Lynch: hand

112

:

Jerremy Newsome: a handout.

113

:

Ron Lynch: some

114

:

Jerremy Newsome: Something that's

like, "Hey, we'll take care of some of

115

:

these main challenges and struggles,"

but you still have to do something and

116

:

earn something and create something.

117

:

Because

118

:

Ron Lynch: something because

119

:

Jerremy Newsome: does stem from AI

and robotics are g- are generating

120

:

Ron Lynch: generate income

for people who have a

121

:

Jerremy Newsome: new

surplus in five years.

122

:

People have to work less.

123

:

Ron Lynch: less,

124

:

Jerremy Newsome: that do everything,

therefore we get more time back,

125

:

and if we have more time back,

126

:

Ron Lynch: more

127

:

Jerremy Newsome: we should be

more productive with that time.

128

:

Ron Lynch: less.

129

:

Is,

130

:

Jerremy Newsome: Ron, that you feel

is adequate or are we just talking we

131

:

shouldn't do UBI at all and we should just

continue what we're, what we're doing?

132

:

Ron Lynch: No, I think that we're

going through a transformation, and I

133

:

think the healthiest path through the

transformation is lowering the cost,

134

:

taking those resources that we're now

saying are surplus resources, which we

135

:

haven't proven that, by the way, but let's

just say they are, and applying those to

136

:

generalized services that make life which

are currently some of the most expensive

137

:

services, like education and healthcare,

that e- the entire society benefits

138

:

Jerremy Newsome: Mm-hmm.

139

:

Ron Lynch: systems like that that work?

140

:

Could we lower the...

141

:

I mean, we tax gasoline, right?

142

:

Why?

143

:

' Cause we can.

144

:

a hidden tax, take it from the population.

145

:

Well, remove that.

146

:

The p- price of g- gas lowers.

147

:

Inc- increased supply.

148

:

We have the capacity to do that.

149

:

We have new energy coming on l- I

don't even know why we're on gas.

150

:

We should be moving towards

a hydrogen-powered planet,

151

:

hydrogen is free and abundant.

152

:

So th- this is the challenge when you're

in the upper echelons of, I'll say,

153

:

planet management, when, when you're

in the C-suite of how the Earth runs.

154

:

Gosh, if we went to hydrogen, the

entire economy would collapse because

155

:

we couldn't charge anybody for anything.

156

:

You're kind of having that

conversation with robotics and AI,

157

:

Jerremy Newsome: I mean, which

is the problem that Tesla ran

158

:

into, Nikola Tesla, right?

159

:

I mean, if energy is free and easy and

simple, who's making all the money?

160

:

Ron Lynch: Right, and, and so then you go,

well, things aren't that expensive, right?

161

:

So y- there isn't a need for money

because if we, if energy is free,

162

:

transportation's free, trucking is free.

163

:

Oh, gosh.

164

:

So the advantage becomes, oh,

robotic factories, robotic farms,

165

:

robotic fac- transportation.

166

:

Then I say fine.

167

:

Let's just go down that s- that...

168

:

It's science fiction is happening

at a faster rate every day.

169

:

years ago, we'd be having this

conversation and going, "This is nuts.

170

:

This isn't gonna happen in our lifetime."

171

:

And now we're like, "This is gonna

happen in the next five years."

172

:

So if we, if we go down that path,

then I go, "Fine, what will people be?"

173

:

Are you enjoying synthetic films?

174

:

Are you enjoying synthetic paintings?

175

:

Are you enjoying synthetic songs?

176

:

Are you enjoying synthetic writing?

177

:

And the answer is generally no.

178

:

I can't, I can't...

179

:

I don't see the humanity in that.

180

:

So my belief is, and I wrote a separate

book on this called Manifesto for a

181

:

Modern Millennium, and it's short.

182

:

So it's my extension of Thomas

Paine's, Common Sense where I wrote

183

:

like, "Hey, if our forefathers knew of

digitization and what's coming, what

184

:

are the other rights that they would

have written into the Bill of Rights?"

185

:

And at the end of this, I kind of

paint a vision for America where we

186

:

buy back all of the cities of the

agricultural areas that have been

187

:

destroyed by corporate farms by meth.

188

:

We have a lot of small towns in America

that are really meth towns, and it's

189

:

I've drive through them, and it's, you

go to this town, and the town's kind of

190

:

abandoned, and there's one bar, and you

go into the bar, and it's drunks, takers,

191

:

drug dealers, and the five old people that

stayed in the town that can't get out.

192

:

Like, it's n- it's not a great picture.

193

:

But there's tons of beautiful

homes and real estate that

194

:

would love to be restored.

195

:

We go, "Hey, if we can work remotely and

do artistic things, why don't we celebrate

196

:

our cultures and quit saying everybody has

to look like they shopped at The Pottery

197

:

Barn, and we all have to dress alike?"

198

:

And go, "It's okay to be Irish.

199

:

It's okay to be German.

200

:

It's okay to be Korean."

201

:

Let's build towns around our cultures and

produce the foods, the art, the fabrics,

202

:

the textiles, have these great places to

visit, 'cause I would love to live in my

203

:

town and I'd love to go visit your town.

204

:

And trade actual money for actual goods

that I knew were tactically made by a

205

:

human being, and enjoy your food and your

music, supported free economics that AI

206

:

and robotics and free energy give us.

207

:

And let us be humans with

those tools instead of let's be

208

:

slaves because of those tools.

209

:

They should not displace humanity.

210

:

They should allow us to And I'm all

for four-day, six-hour-a-day workweek.

211

:

I think that's f- f- You go back

to when we were tribal, five hour-

212

:

three to five hours a day is what

it took a human being to survive.

213

:

convinced ourselves out of guilt and

shame and wealth and abundance and

214

:

materialism, "Oh, we gotta spend 12 hours

a day working and two more commuting,

215

:

otherwise we're just not doing enough."

216

:

Well, that's utter bullshit.

217

:

A human being can survive on three

to five hours a day of Now think

218

:

Jerremy Newsome: Focused,

direct, intentional work.

219

:

Sure.

220

:

Ron Lynch: you guys have

had jobs in your life.

221

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yep.

222

:

Ron Lynch: We've all had jobs.

223

:

How much of your job was

really productivity a day?

224

:

Jerremy Newsome: And that--

225

:

Ron Lynch: three

226

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah, and that's

actually when I worked at Nationwide

227

:

Insurance forever and a half ago, I

t- I told my boss, I'm like, "Why do

228

:

I have to be here nine hours a day?

229

:

Because the truth is, like, what if I

just come in for four hours, I don't

230

:

eat, I barely use the bathroom, maybe

ever, I almost never drink water, and

231

:

I just get the exact job that you're

paying me to do, just get it done in

232

:

four hours versus nine, and just leave?"

233

:

Ron Lynch: Everybody can, everybody can do

that, and that can be done in every single

234

:

job that's currently in the economy.

235

:

Yeah, I, and I believe that.

236

:

I,

237

:

Jerremy Newsome: Powerful quote.

238

:

Ron Lynch: to

239

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah, powerful quote.

240

:

Ron Lynch: I, I used to run a company,

and you could not talk ... I had one

241

:

assistant that could talk to me for 15

minutes in the morning from 8:00 to 8:15.

242

:

You could not meet with me before 12:00.

243

:

And at 1:00, anybody could we- meet

with me on any topic, because I had

244

:

to get my stuff done in the morning,

and once I did, I was yours, baby.

245

:

And I think that that's really

true for most people unless you

246

:

are ... Now mind you, I live on a

farm now, and I have projects that

247

:

take all day, but I love that.

248

:

I love the physical

249

:

Jerremy Newsome: choice.

250

:

Totally.

251

:

Totally.

252

:

Ron Lynch: Yeah, and I, if I don't wanna

work for, I, I mow my lawn out front.

253

:

It's two acres, and I

mow it with a push mower.

254

:

People are like, "Why don't you have

a ri- riding mower to get a beer?"

255

:

Because I would look like Family Guy.

256

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yep.

257

:

Ron Lynch: I would, I would, I

would be 300 pounds, and I would

258

:

have, I would drink six beers.

259

:

So no, I push my mower and

it keeps me in great shape.

260

:

I'm, I'm in pretty good

shape for a 60-year-old man.

261

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

262

:

Ron Lynch: So it's why the, the, are

limiting our choices through s- the

263

:

illusion of liberty that's not liberty.

264

:

The, the problem with UBI is

not the check, it's the chain.

265

:

Jerremy Newsome: Mm.

266

:

Mm.

267

:

I love that.

268

:

Dave: I,

269

:

Jerremy Newsome: okay.

270

:

Speak--

271

:

Dave: yeah, a

272

:

Jerremy Newsome: Dave.

273

:

Dave: more about your...

274

:

I love your frameworks too

when I was, researching you.

275

:

So you run this Marketing Mercenary.

276

:

It's this course that takes low-paid

copywriters and, to this, these

277

:

great creative director levels,

and you got this MBA-style program

278

:

Ron Lynch: Mm-hmm.

279

:

Dave: If someone's job is getting repriced

or replaced by AI right now, what are the,

280

:

what are the capabilities, the mindsets?

281

:

What would you hand them to increase their

odds of owning the new intersection rather

282

:

than waiting for someone to rescue them?

283

:

Ron Lynch: Absolu- and

everybody has this freedom.

284

:

They just have to have the ... All th-

all things start with awareness, right?

285

:

Like Alcoholics Anonymous,

once you got a problem.

286

:

awareness is always the first step.

287

:

Now, are you not capable of doing?

288

:

Hmm.

289

:

Not a lot.

290

:

Dave: Hmm.

291

:

Ron Lynch: you going to

be when you grow up?"

292

:

of, "What are you going to do?

293

:

What are you going to make?"

294

:

So we tend to g- we, we're in a

society that programs us to think

295

:

we are a thing, that we are a cog.

296

:

when we work in a company, a founder

created a company, and this is

297

:

what stops companies from growing.

298

:

I founded this product or this

service, and I deliver it, and now

299

:

I'm selling it, so now I need someone

in fulfillment, and now I need a

300

:

customer service person, and now

301

:

And you start to replace

the tasks with people.

302

:

Those people see themselves as the task.

303

:

Jerremy Newsome: Mm-hmm.

304

:

Mm-hmm.

305

:

Ron Lynch: when you need your f- how,

are you smarter than your iPhone?

306

:

so.

307

:

When your iPhone can't do

something, what do you do?

308

:

You download an app that can do it.

309

:

I got about eight, 80,

umteen apps on my phone.

310

:

Well, you are smarter than your iPhone.

311

:

Get a new app.

312

:

Dave: Mm-hmm.

313

:

Ron Lynch: intersection is- W- when I

take a company and I grow it, I remove

314

:

the pyramid thinking of, "I'm the

pharaoh that founded this pyramid."

315

:

And I go, "No, no, no, no, no.

316

:

You're the player on the pinball machine."

317

:

We're gonna invert this, and we're

gonna put an array of people that

318

:

make sure that the thing grows, the w-

product's wonderful, and everything's

319

:

taken care of, and you're gonna pull

two flippers a day: creative decisions

320

:

no one else can make, and financial

decisions no one else can make.

321

:

And everybody can be the pinball

player in their own life instead

322

:

of trying to be the pharaoh.

323

:

you, you h- have to simply gain

mastery of three or four things.

324

:

What is my mastery?

325

:

Well for, for Ron, it's actually

cooking, going back to the

326

:

grocery store, and movie making.

327

:

Cooking demos, made movies, great.

328

:

Now I do one demo in the grocery

store and I sell it to 15 people.

329

:

I do one demo on television and I

sell to 15 million people, and it's

330

:

recorded and I ... It's the same damn

demo, and I'm not selling the food

331

:

processor, I'm selling the omelet.

332

:

'Cause people want the result, they

don't want the pro- food processor.

333

:

But I show them that that's

how they have to get it.

334

:

So you have to think of

your life in that way.

335

:

Okay, so then there's psychology involved.

336

:

So I understand psychology, I understand

human behavior, I understand business

337

:

and offers, I understand filmmaking.

338

:

So now I own an intersection.

339

:

Jerremy Newsome: Mm-hmm.

340

:

Ron Lynch: Someone has a company

and they say, "We wanna grow."

341

:

And I'm like, "I understand how

to grow companies through media.

342

:

Let me help you."

343

:

Now I'm a specialist.

344

:

Well, everybody who gets

paid over $100,000 a year is

345

:

a specialist in something.

346

:

If you're under $100,000 a

year, you're replacing a task.

347

:

you have to move from task replacement

to intersection replacement, and anybody

348

:

can do that just by learning one or two

things, or exposing one or two things

349

:

they already know and aren't doing.

350

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

351

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

352

:

I'm gonna use your mind for a little

bit, Ron, since you're such a...

353

:

I would call you a visionary.

354

:

twenty years from now, man, twenty

years from now, if the value creation

355

:

alternative wins and the framework that

you and I describe really does scale,

356

:

what does a normal thirty-eight-year-old

daily life look like?

357

:

And how does it feel emotionally

compared to what they have now?

358

:

Ron Lynch: 38-year-old?

359

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

360

:

So that's me, I'm thirty-eight.

361

:

So, twenty years from

now, how's thirty-eight?

362

:

Ron Lynch: Okay.

363

:

So th- at 38 you are gonna

be on your sixth year of

364

:

having moved out of the city.

365

:

You are gonna have spent your

first probably, it ... Your

366

:

life was started in one of two

places: the country or the city.

367

:

So you are either b- belong to

progressive, robotic parents who love

368

:

the system and the corporations And you

went, "Oh, no, I've had enough of this.

369

:

I'm moving to the country where I can own

my own home and do my craft business or

370

:

my creative business, and I can provide

to the culture because my kids deserve to

371

:

live in this country, open, safe culture."

372

:

Or you were born into

that culture, and you

373

:

Dave: Hmm.

374

:

Ron Lynch: and you worked there for

five or six years and went, "Great.

375

:

I'm getting the hell out of here."

376

:

Because culture is always more

important to people than corporate.

377

:

And you're gonna wanna You have to

t- you have to take a bite of the

378

:

apple to know what it tastes like.

379

:

know people that have been,

380

:

Jerremy Newsome: Mm-hmm.

381

:

Ron Lynch: in the culture and

then tried the religion and

382

:

then went back to their culture,

383

:

Jerremy Newsome: Sure.

384

:

Ron Lynch: right?

385

:

So we go, we gotta s- we have to see.

386

:

We're curious creatures,

so we have to do that.

387

:

But I think we have the opportunity, like

I said earlier, to have a, a world full of

388

:

villages that we love to live in and love

to visit that provide us with a lifestyle

389

:

that's supported by the technologies that

bring the efficiencies to the culture.

390

:

So I, there, there will

always be murderers.

391

:

There will always be,

392

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

393

:

Yeah.

394

:

Ron Lynch: be people

that make bad decisions.

395

:

There will always be drug addicts.

396

:

There'll...

397

:

Th-that will always occur, but maybe

we can catch them faster, I, I mean,

398

:

by catch them, like, like network of...

399

:

Maybe it

400

:

Jerremy Newsome: It's a

401

:

Ron Lynch: And I think that, that

we're, we're looking t- at technocracy

402

:

instead of culture, and we have to

learn how the one supports the other

403

:

and not the one replaces the other.

404

:

Jerremy Newsome: good line.

405

:

Ron Lynch: the crazy thing about

technology is technology thus far is

406

:

the culmination of collective human

experience that endeavors to ensure there

407

:

is no more collective human experience.

408

:

Jerremy Newsome: smokes.

409

:

Yeah.

410

:

Ron Lynch: It's i- it's isolating us.

411

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

412

:

Ron Lynch: all...

413

:

Even my kids come over.

414

:

I have all my kids here.

415

:

I, I've got a bunch of them.

416

:

I got three with spouses, so I got

six kids in my living room and a baby,

417

:

Sunday, and they're all on their phones.

418

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

419

:

Ron Lynch: They're...

420

:

My family's together, and

everybody's on their phone, so

421

:

I did the unconscionable thing.

422

:

I walked into the garage, and

I pulled out a bucket of photo

423

:

albums, and I just dropped

424

:

Dave: Oof.

425

:

Ron Lynch: on the coffee table.

426

:

Dave: Oh, wow.

427

:

Ron Lynch: Suddenly, were a family,

428

:

Dave: Hmm.

429

:

Ron Lynch: just like that.

430

:

the technology with culture, and

now it was memories and stories

431

:

and them teasing each other, and d-

they're interacting like a family

432

:

suddenly again with the introduction

of photographs of their childhood.

433

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah, that's beautiful.

434

:

Beautiful.

435

:

And I love that emotion to that

story because, I mean, I, I'm

436

:

sure everyone listening can feel

that to a lot of, I mean, so many

437

:

different degrees, in, in the case

of it happens so, so, so frequently.

438

:

But I mean, that's not gonna

go away though, Ron, right?

439

:

Like, technology is gonna get

faster, more accessible, more free.

440

:

I, I, I think that there's a, a very

good chance that the division continues

441

:

or can continue to become bigger.

442

:

What's that linchpin that stops it?

443

:

Ron Lynch: You, the individual,

is always it's choice.

444

:

It's your freedom of choice.

445

:

That is, freedom is the ability to.

446

:

Liberty is the step into

expressing the freedom.

447

:

It's making the choice

and doing the thing.

448

:

Jerremy Newsome: Shoot.

449

:

Ron Lynch: but liberty is

when you act upon freedom.

450

:

Jerremy Newsome: That's good.

451

:

Ron Lynch: task that I would,

I would give everybody.

452

:

Everybody's got a digital phone, your

phone is telling you once a week how

453

:

much time you spent on your phone

daily, and nobody talks about that.

454

:

It's like we all have personal

shame of like, "Oh my God, I spent

455

:

six and a half hours a day with my

phone, and my phone just told me."

456

:

Find your number, whatever it is,

whether it's five hours or six

457

:

hours or eight hours or 12 hours.

458

:

Try to cut that number in fif- in half.

459

:

Try to go on a phone diet.

460

:

And what happens when

you go on a phone diet?

461

:

Just cut the number in half and

just realize these are intellectual

462

:

calories that you're stuffing your

face with, they're dead calories.

463

:

Your phone is junk food.

464

:

And you go, "I'm gonna put that thing...

465

:

I'm gonna strive to get that

number at 50% in the next week."

466

:

Well, shit, that means

I have to go do things.

467

:

Jerremy Newsome: Mm-hmm.

468

:

Ron Lynch: have to interact with people.

469

:

I have to go outside.

470

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

471

:

Ron Lynch: D- do it, do it for a week

and see how much better your life is.

472

:

See how much lower your anxiety is,

'cause anxiety is fear of the future.

473

:

Depression is fear of the past.

474

:

Jerremy Newsome: It's an end of...

475

:

Ron Lynch: go g-

476

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

477

:

Ron Lynch: give those, give that...

478

:

Cut the number in half for a week

and tell me you don't feel better.

479

:

What if you used your phone...

480

:

My son got me a brick for Christmas, and

I don't know if you know what a brick is.

481

:

This is this ch- device that

looks like a chunky chocolate bar.

482

:

It's a square that sits on my fr- fridge.

483

:

And it lo- I-- We went in and

programmed my phone to lock social

484

:

media apps and from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM.

485

:

So I don't have X or Facebook

or anyth- just in those hours.

486

:

And I'm like, "Oh, this is

great," because I have limited my

487

:

access and my life became better.

488

:

I'm like, "Okay, what, how

else can I use this tool to

489

:

Dave: Hmm.

490

:

Ron Lynch: I need to communicate with

people, but I've learned if I'm gonna

491

:

communicate, I'm gonna come to my office,

492

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

493

:

Ron Lynch: pick up my phone or

494

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

495

:

Ron Lynch: and communicate with

people, and then I'm gonna leave

496

:

and I'm gonna go work on my land.

497

:

My life is much, much better.

498

:

I consult companies every week, so I

have about 12 hours of consulting I do.

499

:

When I'm not consulting, I'm doing

things on the land and I'm why I can

500

:

write a Substack article a day, is I'm

thinking about stuff that bugs the hell

501

:

out of me, and my writing is my therapy.

502

:

Jerremy Newsome: Speaking of, where

can people find you on Substack, Ron?

503

:

Ron Lynch: They, they ... And, you can

find me under my name, Ron Lynch, but

504

:

they oddly gave me They subs- they,

they give you a subscription name.

505

:

I did not pick this name,

but I think it's hysterical.

506

:

It's R2BU.

507

:

So if you're a Star Wars

508

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.

509

:

Ron Lynch: get the, the

implicit humor in that

510

:

Jerremy Newsome: Yes.

511

:

Ron Lynch: I am R2BU on Substack.

512

:

So Ron Lynch on Substack.

513

:

And

514

:

Jerremy Newsome: Right on.

515

:

Ron Lynch: business, politics,

filmmaking, all this, this nonsense.

516

:

Alex: Ron's laid out the vision

— craft towns, creator economies,

517

:

technology as a tool, not a trap.

518

:

But the distribution machine

is still controlled by someone.

519

:

Who owns that pipeline, and what

dismantles it, is what's up next.

Show artwork for Solving America's Problems

About the Podcast

Solving America's Problems
Solving America’s Problems isn’t just a podcast—it’s a journey. Co-host Jerremy Newsome, a successful entrepreneur and educator, is pursuing his lifelong dream of running for president. Along the way, he and co-host Dave Conley bring together experts, advocates, and everyday Americans to explore the real, actionable solutions our country needs.

With dynamic formats—one-on-one interviews, panel discussions, and more—we cut through the noise of divisive rhetoric to uncover practical ideas that unite instead of divide. If you’re ready to think differently, act boldly, and join a movement for meaningful change, subscribe now.