Empire, Deterrence, and Assimilation: Why the Bar Matters at Home and Abroad

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Ahead of Trump’s speech, right-wing influencers worked themselves into a frenzy over rumors of a new war with Venezuela—treating the prospect of conflict as something to celebrate. In this commentary, Chris calls out the disturbing enthusiasm for sending young Americans to fight and die, the hypocrisy of self-proclaimed Christian values, and America’s endless addiction to “wars” we never seem to win. From Afghanistan to the so-called wars on terror, drugs, and poverty, the lesson is clear: we were promised restraint, not reckless escalation. The question is simple—when will we finally stop cheering for war?

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Staying up late paid off—this was a different kind of Trump speech. No teleprompter, fewer crowd-pleasing riffs, and a noticeable shift in tone toward acknowledging real economic problems. Yes, there were inaccuracies and familiar exaggerations, but this time the speech was lighter on gimmicks and heavier on responsibility. Using Jingle All the Way as a metaphor, this episode digs into leadership, credibility, and the danger of making promises you can’t—or won’t—keep. Is this the beginning of a long-overdue pivot, or just a brief pause in the performance? The midterms, inflation, and voter patience will decide.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Target-date funds are sold as the easy, worry-free choice for 401(k) investors—but that simplicity is disappearing fast. As Jason Zweig warns in the Wall Street Journal, Wall Street has a habit of taking elegant ideas and burying them under fees, complexity, and opaque strategies. In this episode, Chris explains why target-date funds have always been problematic, how over-diversification and mediocre performance leave investors just treading water, and why “alternatives” are likely the next thing quietly stuffed into these portfolios. If you think you’re safely set it and forgetting it, you may actually be volunteering to be the last buyer in Wall Street’s game of musical chairs.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  A heartbreaking Wall Street Journal report from McDowell County, West Virginia exposes the limits—and unintended consequences—of decades of anti-poverty programs. Billions in federal spending, from welfare to Medicare and Medicaid, have failed to revive a county that’s lost nearly 70% of its population. Instead, dependency has replaced aspiration, and entire towns are fading away. In this episode, Chris revisits Appalachia, the legacy of LBJ’s Great Society, and the harsh reality of economic decline. Drawing on Joseph Schumpeter’s “creative destruction” and a blunt insight from comedian Sam Kinison, we ask the uncomfortable question: would it be better to help people move to opportunity rather than endlessly pouring money into places with no future—and even return some areas to nature?

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Washington keeps insisting that rate cuts will make housing affordable—but reality says otherwise. Despite the Fed lowering rates yet again, mortgage rates climbed, applications dropped nearly 4%, and the average 30-year fixed hit 6.38%. In this episode, Chris breaks down why the Fed doesn’t actually control mortgage rates, how $38+ trillion in debt and reckless fiscal policy are keeping borrowing costs high, and why empty political pressure won’t fix the problem. Until Congress gets serious about budgets, debt, and fiscal discipline, expect higher rates—and more broken promises on affordability.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  As the president prepares to address the nation, the economic reality facing everyday Americans is stark—and the polling reflects it. With economic approval hovering in the mid-30s and affordability still squeezing households, this episode cuts through the spin to examine why voters remain unhappy. From a mediocre jobs market and rising youth unemployment to AI-driven layoffs and tariff policies that raise manufacturing costs, the challenges are real and measurable. The message is simple: gimmicks won’t fix this. Acknowledging the problem and pivoting toward policies that actually bring prices down may be the only way forward—politically and economically.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Just as predicted, Congress is moving to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies—another massive cash infusion for insurance companies, paid for by the public. Despite earlier promises, Republicans joined Democrats to force a vote on a three-year extension, adding hundreds of billions in new spending with no real reform attached. In this episode, Chris breaks down who really benefits, why Washington smiles while taxpayers lose, and how both parties continue to protect the same powerful interests. In the end, it’s not red versus blue—it’s the insurance industry versus everyone else.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  From around-the-clock stock trading to app-based parlay bets on NFL games, Wall Street is blurring the line between investing and gambling—and it’s not to help individual investors. This episode breaks down why 24/7 markets serve the exchanges and trading firms, not everyday traders, and why day trading remains a losing game despite all the flashy tools and screens. With platforms like Robinhood openly embracing casino-style behavior, the warning is clear: the house always wins, and the “innovation” is just another way to separate fools from their money.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  From America’s uneasy military footprint in Syria to the broader question of assimilation at home, this episode tackles two issues that are often discussed separately—but shouldn’t be. Why are U.S. troops stationed in places with no clear mission, and what happens when deterrence disappears? Drawing on insights from Victor Davis Hanson, Rand Paul, and history itself, the discussion argues that Americans should never be left as sitting ducks overseas. At the same time, it turns inward to the assimilation debate, questioning an immigration model that prioritizes numbers over shared values, cultural cohesion, and accountability. An empire that won’t defend its people abroad—and won’t insist on assimilation at home—eventually weakens itself on both fronts.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Drawing on Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s warning about “defining deviancy down,” Chris takes a hard look at how political tribalism erodes basic standards of decency. From influencers tying themselves in knots to defend indefensible remarks, to a culture that shrugs at cruelty and even celebrates violence, we examine how society lowers the bar instead of calling bad behavior what it is. Real unity and moral clarity, the argument goes, require the courage to criticize our own side—and to say plainly that some actions and statements are wrong, no matter who says them.