Q&A | DeProgram with Ted Rall and Jamarl Thomas

Have a question for Ted and/or co-host Jamarl Thomas? Join the hosts of "DeProgram" for a full hour of nothing but LIVE Q&A! Any topic, any question, goes—it's up to you. Q&A extras are every Monday and Wednesday at 12 noon Eastern time. Raising the Minimum Wage and Linking It to Productivity: The hosts argue for a dramatic increase in the federal minimum wage to $40 or higher, citing decades of stagnant wages despite massive productivity gains since 1970. They contend official inflation understates real costs and that wages should reflect both inflation-adjusted value and company productivity. Higher minimums ripple upward, reduce inequality, and have not caused unemployment in states that raised them. They prioritize worker dignity and societal stability over pure market forces. Automation, Job Loss, and Societal Stability: Discussion centers on how rising labor costs accelerate automation, especially self-driving trucks, threatening millions of middle-class jobs in driving, mechanics, and logistics. The panel warns this hollows out the working class, particularly affecting young men who need purposeful work to avoid violence and unrest. They debate balancing technological progress with government intervention to protect stability, favoring infrastructure rebuilding over unchecked capitalist automation. Critiques of Official Economic Statistics: The speakers expose how government unemployment and inflation figures are manipulated by excluding food, energy, and other major costs, understating real hardship. Shadow Government Statistics is cited as a better measure. This manipulation keeps public perception calm and prevents demands for change, even as rent, groceries, and essentials soar far beyond reported rates, fueling calls for major wage adjustments. Working Across Ideological Lines (Left-Right Collaboration): Ted Rall and Jamarl Thomas defend collaborating with conservative producer Robby West despite political differences. They reject purity tests and siloed friendships, valuing honest belief, shared working-class concerns, and personal bonds over labels like "racist" or "fascist." They emphasize economic protectionism, complicated life stories, and the value of engaging diverse views rather than canceling people with "unapproved opinions." Christianity, Zionism, Dispensationalism, and Israel: Robby West, a Christian nationalist, strongly criticizes Christian Zionism as biblically unfounded, tracing it to John Nelson Darby’s demonic-influenced teachings and the Scofield Reference Bible. He argues modern Israel support contradicts New Testament theology, promotes a counterfeit chosen-people doctrine, and enables genocide using U.S. tax dollars. He urges Christians to read the Bible directly instead of following Zionist-influenced preachers. Young Men, Testosterone, Marriage, and Social Order: The conversation explores how lack of meaningful work for young men leads to boredom, violence, and societal instability. Marriage reduces testosterone and aggression by channeling it productively. The hosts link automation-driven job loss to potential chaos, arguing stable societies need purposeful roles for men — through work, marriage, or military service — rather than allowing them to "run feral." Moral Value of Ideas vs. Being a "Good Person": Panelists debate whether good intentions suffice or if underlying ideas matter. Nationalism, religion, and racial superiority can lead to violence despite nice individuals. They discuss inherent worth of people, disagreements on abortion (framed as killing babies in the womb vs. necessary wrong), and how ideologies shape actions with real-world consequences, rejecting pure relativism. French Resistance Story and Historical Collaboration Purges: Ted Rall shares a personal family anecdote from WWII: his grandfather, a partisan, executed a Red Cross war profiteer upon returning home, witnessed by his young daughter. It illustrates the brutal Épuration period of summary justice against collaborators after liberation. The story highlights resistance, community justice, moral complexity in wartime, and how children understood the context of occupation and retribution. MERCH STORE: https://www.deprogram.live https://x.com/tedrall https://x.com/JamarlThomas LIVE ON RUMBLE: https://rumble.com/c/DeProgramShow SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2kdFlw2... APPLE MUSIC: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...