Wolf Schaefer Podcasts

Jeff Basinger, an attorney from Columbia, Missouri, fights for the initiative process in Missouri. This process allows citizens to directly petition the government for ballot measures, giving them the ability to exercise direct democracy. In essence, it is democracy in action. However, certain people within the government have taken it upon themsel…

I’m going on hiatus for a few weeks. But before I go, I’d like to introduce you to a new project I’m working on, called “Dirt Road Radio.” If you’re interested in joining an effort to help heal our national divide, we would love to hear from you! Go to www.dirtroadradio.com, check it out, and fill out the contact form. We would love to hear from yo…

This week we discuss Artificial Intelligence (AI). We'll unravel the differences and similarities between human intelligence and AI, explore misconceptions, fears, and concerns surrounding the technology, and illuminate its true nature as a tool created and controlled by humans. We'll discuss how AI is misunderstood and feared, delve into the misus…

The recent Supreme Court decision that removes race from consideration in Affirmative Action has had a seismic shift in college admissions. The ruling appears to be based on the concept of “Meritocracy,” where students admitted into college are considered on the basis of merit - especially academic achievement. In this podcast, we discuss how the c…

Sam Fieldman, the national counsel for Wolf-PAC, joins us to discuss their bold, citizen-driven initiative to enact an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The proposed amendment, intended to loosen the grip of corruption and vested interests in Congress, aims to overhaul our faltering campaign finance system. As Constitutional Amendments hold prima…

In this week's episode, we delve into a thought-provoking discussion with three pivotal personalities from the Missouri Equity Education Partnership, or MoEEP. We address the pressing need for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within Missouri's educational system. You may wonder, isn't educational equity a reality already? Our guests paint a c…

Today we talk with our semi-regular guest, Nathan Falcone, about Social Democracy. Well, we start off talking about Social Democracy, but we wander boldly into other topics. We meet in person at a coffee house called “Toasted,” in High Ridge, Missouri. This is also the first recording for Nathan’s new podcast called “Reason Will Prevail.”…

Today we talk with ChatGPT about Artificial Intelligence. Yes, we have a conversation with an AI bot about AI technology. We'll discuss what is meant by AI, how it can help us as individuals, how it threatens us, how it will change society, how our government should regulate AI and what might happen to people that don't keep up with developments in…

Tim Gibbons, the Communications Director for the Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC), drops by to talk about the crisis in our heartland. We discuss the problems with foreign ownership of American farmland, the loss of family farms to corporate interests, the consolidation of hogs and cattle into four major meatpacking companies (two of which are f…

The forces of White Christian Nationalism have been building since the 1960s, and today we can no longer ignore the threat it presents to our democracy. We are now at a crossroads, where Americans must make a choice; do we get involved and fight for our democracy, or do we sit passively while our freedoms are taken away? In this podcast, we briefly…

Bernadette Holzer and Chris Burgess join the podcast to talk about Dirt Road Radio (DRR) - a new streaming radio station that seeks to tell a better story about rural life in America. DRR will connect rural communities across the country through music, arts & culture, news & opinion, and good, honest conversation. Why is Dirt Road Radio a necessary…

In this podcast, we explore the accelerationist movement, which seeks to hasten the collapse of the current social, economic, or political order to establish a new world order. Accelerationism can be seen in the writings of Senator Josh Hawley, who has advocated for "immanentizing the Eschaton," or bringing about the end times to create a new order…

This week we chat again with Nathan Falcone. Our topic today? Politics and Corruption. Nathan is a lifetime resident of Cedar Hill, Missouri, a small unincorporated town of about 1700 people. He describes himself as having "an absurd love" of politics, and he believes that society is unnecessarily divided, and through discussion, we can heal the di…

Shavanna Spratt, Executive Director of St. Louis-based organization Da Hood Connect, drops by to talk about the organization. She emphasizes Da Hood Connect’s commitment to addressing and reducing barriers faced by Black and/or under-resourced communities through education, advocacy, and connections. Leveraging media and entertainment, including a …

In this podcast we discuss the technique used by authoritarian and fascist leaders to erode democratic values and manipulate societies into submission by blurring the line between legal and illegal behavior. We look at how individual citizens often disengage and become cynical in the face of threats to democracy, thereby reenforcing the movement aw…

In this episode we talk about how the modern controversy over abortion might lead us down a dark path where, as history has shown, our nation may end up forcing sterilization on certain people. We also talk about the modern day controversy over pronouns and the cesspool that the Arkansas legislature has inadvertently entered when trying to legislat…

This week we chat with Nathan Falcone, a lifetime resident of Cedar Hill, Missouri. Nathan describes himself as having a keen interest in politics, which he describes as "an absurd love." He believes that society is unnecessarily divided, and an open discussion of major issues may help alleviate this problem of division. In this episode, we talk ab…

In this episode, we discuss the danger of hyper-conservative media and its impact on American democracy. This danger is particularly noticeable by the way that extremist messaging on terrestrial radio in rural areas has poisoned political discourse in the United States. Fear and intolerance has been magnified and weaponized. So how do we fight this…

In today's podcast, we explore the concept of the "common good" and its importance in shaping a just and equitable society. Throughout history, philosophers have emphasized the significance of shared values, collective responsibility, and public institutions in promoting the well-being of all individuals within a community. However, the forces of i…

In this podcast episode, we explore the complex and multifaceted controversy surrounding free speech. We examine historical events where people have freely expressed their views and opinions resulting in controversy and emotional upset. We delve into the recent phenomenon of "cancel culture" and the moral and ethical issues involved, and we discuss…

Why are farmers in the Netherlands protesting? Recent changes in Dutch environmental laws have put the squeeze on farmers in the Netherlands, so they've have taken their protests to their government. While it's true that our methods of farming - and living in general - must change in order to sustain a livable environment, it may be a mistake to fo…

Folks on the extreme right say that we here in the U.S. do not live in a democracy. They say that we live in a "Constitutional Republic." This is a dangerous belief, because to say that we do not live in a democracy is to say that we are not governed by the will of the people. This mindset opens the door to tyranny, because after all, why fight for…

Do we have the right to be misinformed? What is misinformation? And should social media companies - and our government - censor us for misinformation? In this short podcast, we lay out the problem. We don’t offer any solutions, but we provide a bit more context on a highly complex and controversial topic.…

Tim Ely, co-leader of the St. Louis Chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, drops by to talk about the organization. Citizens’ Climate Lobby - or CCL for short - is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy climate change organization focused on national policies to address climate change. They not only directly lobby politicians, but they also…

In today's free-form discussion, we talk about progressivism, wokeism and that Chinese balloon that created a stir as it floated over our nation.By Dan Schaefer

When people lose confidence in local police, things can get very bad. The threat of demoralized cops walking off the job has politicians in many states panicking. Their solution? Seize control and centralize authority over local police departments. This is not a good development for democracy.By Dan Schaefer

Disruption for its own sake will deliver a system of government that’s far worse than anything we have today.By Dan Schaefer

In today’s short podcast, we’ll discuss how the lack of cooperation between our two main political parties has resulted in ridiculous manufactured issues as part of a culture war and an overall lack of progress on the issues that really matter to Americans.By Dan Schaefer

Randi McCallian, U.S. Congressional Candidate for the 8th district in Missouri, drops by to talk about the big issues that Congress will face in the upcoming session. We talk about the debt ceiling, the farm bill, climate change and more. We also discuss why the Democrats haven’t been doing so well in rural areas and what they need to do about it.…

In this short podcast, we discuss how 2023 is pivotal, as it sets the stage for a highly consequential election in 2024. Many state legislatures this year are trying to reduce our self-determination and may even decide to override our votes for president in 2024. We must not allow this to happen!By Dan Schaefer

In this very short podcast, we talk about the origins of Christmas and how our modern day practice of it is part of a tradition that spans back thousands of years. We also talk about how the holiday evolved to become associated with the birth of Jesus. Finally, we talk about how the necessity of love that Jesus talked about 2,000 years ago is just …

Brian Mistrot, founder and President of an organization known as One Nation Movement (ONM) stops by to talk about their mission of strengthening the civic infrastructure of our democracy, specifically by focusing on restoring confidence in our elections, environmental solutions and fiscal responsibility. ONM is a conservative organization - conserv…

What is the “Deep State?” What do politicians mean when they refer to our democratic institutions as “Deep State?” The answer is that they are attempting to delegitimize the institutions that are designed to root out political corruption. They’re essentially trying to put the fox in charge of the chickens. Don’t fall for it!…

Tim Gibbons, the Communications Director for the Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC), stops by to talk about a crisis in the heartland - a very real crisis that puts our food supply at risk. The family farm is disappearing and being replaced by big ag. Why is that a problem? Well, for starters, much of big ag is run by - and controlled by - foreign…

This week we talk with Bobby Bostic, who was recently set free after being imprisoned for 27 years for a crime committed when he was 16. Mr. Bostic last appeared on this podcast in April 2021, and we now catch up with him as he works toward fulfilling his vision of helping people in his community avoid the “school to prison pipeline.” We talk about…

Karma Metzler Fitzgerald drops by to talk about politics from a rural Idaho perspective. Karma ran for the state house in this past election and was barely edged out by her opponent, losing by just 85 votes. We talk about the issues facing Idaho farmers and ranchers, the difficulty campaigning as a Democrat in a fairly red area, how national issues…

Michael Baumli stops by to talk about his state senate campaign. Michael ran as a Democrat in Missouri State Senate district 12, which is in an area in Northwest Missouri that is highly Republican. We talk about the issues that matter to rural voters, the types of messaging they receive from both parties, the importance of community and what politi…

Meet Jojo Stewart, a mom in a rural area in the Ozarks in southern Missouri who’s recently become a political activist. She organizes political events in her community, and she maintains a blog that provides a great perspective of life in the rural heartland. We talk about the big events of the day and how it affects people living in the Ozarks.…

Overall, corporate and government censorship is viewed upon negatively, but in a rush to have open and free online dialog in a sort of online “town square,” are we exposing ourselves to more harm than good? As we wage online wars over manufactured issues, what happens when they spill over into the real world? And are these online wars distracting u…

In today’s short opinion piece, we discuss what we believe is a New American Revolution and what that means to our precious republic. Has everyone in this revolution thought it through? What happens after the revolution? Will our democracy survive, or will we go down the path of fascist rule by oligarchy?…

Curtis Vaughn stops by to talk about his primary campaign for the U.S. Senate, running as a Republican. Listen as Curtis explains how he ran his campaign on a shoestring budget, and even attempted to bike 250 miles in the hot summer sun just to participate in a Republican debate. He was largely shunned by the party, but he kept coming back, because…

Dr. Robynn Kuhlmann, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Central Missouri, joins the podcast to talk about a possible state constitutional convention. Currently, 44 states in the union have provisions for holding constitutional conventions, though it rarely happens. In Missouri, the voters this November will decide whether…

Tara Anura, candidate for Missouri State Senate District 16, discusses the issues that are important to the people living on the Ozark plateau. We last talked with Tara on June 5 of this year, and in this discussion, we catch up on how her campaign is going. We also talk about women’s rights, extremism, education, the Agape Boarding school tragedy …

We see oppression happening in other countries - particularly oppression against women - and we may believe that it can only happen “over there.” But that may be a disastrously bad assumption. We’re already seeing the erosion of women’s rights right here in America, and it may only be the beginning of a far more extensive campaign to destroy our de…

Senator Josh Hawley has now declared war on history. This podcast is a rebuttal of Hawley’s allegation that our current understanding of history does not give proper credit to the Holy Bible and its effect on the founding of our nation.By Dan Schaefer

Tom Bastian, Deputy Director for Communications at the ACLU of Missouri, drops by to talk about changes in our voting laws and what the ACLU is doing about it. This is a follow-up to the interview we aired a few weeks ago when we talked with the Missouri Secretary of State John “Jay” Ashcroft and the local director of the League of Women Voters, Jo…

Adam Sommer drops by to talk about the Heartland Pod, where he co-hosts “A podcast for the rest of us;” that is, a podcast specially made for the American Heartland. The Heartland Pod looks at American politics from a Heartland perspective, focusing on facts and fundamental fairness, yet not afraid to embrace the humorous as well. Overall, the Hear…

Henry Martin, Democratic candidate for Missouri's 6th Congressional District, joins us again on Democracy on the Move to discuss how his campaign is progressing. He won the primary, so now it's on to the general election in November. We discuss the problems facing Missouri as well as the rest of the nation, including the economy, Roe v Wade, Januar…

In this special Wednesday edition of Democracy on the Move, we talk with the Missouri State Coordinators for the Forward Party, Lisa Douglas and Blake Ashby. Who is the Forward Party? What is their goal? Where do they stand on the issues? What is their political philosophy? If you’re curious about this rapidly growing political party, listen to thi…

Missouri Secretary of State John “Jay” Ashcroft joins us to discuss a new voting law in Missouri and how it impacts upcoming elections. In many ways, voting access has been expanded, though voter identity rules have been tightened. (People can still cast provisional ballots without an ID, BTW.) We then talk with Joan Hubbard, a director of the loca…