💰 "Immigration Is THE Solution" - Financial expert Shelly Fishman's bold claim about solving America's workforce crisis | Buckmaster Show

🔮 Economic Prophet Dennis Hoffman Warns of "Brand America" Crisis - ASU economist reveals the hidden dangers lurking beneath Arizona's economic surface

Based on the Buckmaster Show for 4/29/25, a daily radio show in Tucson, AZ, interviewing local newsmakers. Analysis and opinions are my own.

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😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
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The Buckmaster Show talked about why the economy is having problems right now. 📉 Three experts explained that fewer people are visiting America 🇺🇸 because they're worried about our country, which hurts businesses in Arizona 🏜️ that depend on tourists. They also discussed how we don't have enough workers for all our jobs 👷‍♂️👷‍♀️ because older people are retiring 👴👵 and fewer babies 👶 are being born. One solution could be letting more immigrants 🛬 come work here. They also talked about how airline pilots ✈️ only get paid 💰 when the airplane is actually flying ✈️, not when it's sitting at the airport. 🛬🏢

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🗝️ Takeaways

• 🌎 America's international image is suffering severe damage, with 60% of Canadians canceling US trips, threatening Arizona's vital tourism industry

• 💸 The first 100 days of the new administration have seen the worst market performance since Gerald Ford took office after Nixon

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Demographic decline, not just politics, is creating fundamental economic challenges requiring immigration as a potential solution

• ✈️ Pilots and flight attendants only get paid when aircraft doors are closed, not during delays or boarding

• 📊 Arizona's tax revenue showing mixed signals: strong individual income tax, weak sales tax, mediocre corporate tax

• 🇺🇦 Ukraine's limited air war stems from Russia's robust surface-to-air missile systems, not a lack of will

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Economic Anxiety and the 'Brand America' Crisis: Buckmaster Show Reveals the Truth Behind Market Jitters

In the latest edition of the Buckmaster Show on April 29, 2025, host Bill Buckmaster brought together a powerful trio of voices to dissect the economic uncertainty plaguing Arizona and the nation. As someone who's followed this show for years, I can tell you this was one of those episodes where the truth was laid bare—no corporate sugar-coating, no political spin, just raw economic reality served up with expert analysis.

The 'Brand America' Crisis: Professor Dennis Hoffman Speaks Truth to Power

ASU's Professor Dennis Hoffman didn't mince words about what's happening to the American economy. As Director of the Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research, Hoffman painted a picture of an economy teetering on the edge, with consumer confidence having "gone way south."

"The confidence even among Republicans has eroded a bit," Hoffman noted, highlighting that we should all be paying attention when even the traditionally optimistic GOP voters are worried.

And why wouldn't consumer confidence be plummeting? Something is fundamentally broken when the wealthiest nation on earth can't keep its supply chains functioning or maintain its global reputation.

Perhaps the most telling moment came when Hoffman expressed deep concern about America's international image, quoting Treasury Secretary Besitz: "America First does not mean America alone." This acknowledgment of brand damage strikes at the heart of America's soft power – that intangible quality that has long fueled our economy through tourism, education, and international business.

"I'm concerned about when I hear about airline flights being way down. I'm concerned about how popular we are and our goods are in foreign countries," Hoffman said, pointing to tangible evidence of America's declining global appeal.

The professor highlighted that this reputation crisis is already hitting Arizona where it hurts – in tourism dollars. "Canadians, 60% said they have canceled trips to the United States," he revealed. This represents an economic gut punch for a state that depends heavily on snowbirds and international visitors.

Funny how the "Make America Great Again" crowd seems to have forgotten that a great America is one the world actually wants to visit, do business with, and invest in. Who could have possibly predicted that nationalist rhetoric might damage international relationships?

Market Realities: Shelly Fishman Reveals the Demographic Time Bomb

Financial advisor Shelly Fishman delivered perhaps the most sobering market assessment, noting that”

"For the first 100 days since the inauguration of a president, the markets have not had such a bad 100 days since the first 100 days of Gerald Ford."

Remember when certain politicians promised economic miracles? I'm still waiting for my miraculous tax cut to trickle down through my leaky economic ceiling.

But Fishman's most fascinating insight came when he discussed a New York Times opinion piece suggesting that the world's economic problems stem not from leadership but from demographic challenges. He outlined how diminishing populations in developed countries create economic pressures that no politician, regardless of party, has truly solved.

"Our economies depend to a very large extent on growth," Fishman explained. "And the reason they depend upon growth is that, for instance, people are living longer. As a result, a larger percentage of the money that we spend on just having the civilization be supported is now more and more going to older people."

When Buckmaster asked about solutions to the shrinking workforce problem, Fishman didn't hesitate:

"It is a solution. It is THE solution," he said, referring to immigration. "It's just not a solution that's politically viable under these current situations. We need to increase the workforce."

Imagine that – actual economists suggesting that welcoming more workers into our country might benefit our economy. But why trust experts when we have cable news pundits telling us immigrants are the source of all our problems?

Fishman also predicted that tomorrow's GDP growth numbers would show around 1% growth—a significant slowdown from the 2-3% under the previous administration—suggesting early signs of stagflation, that dreaded combination of rising prices and slowing growth.

The Human Cost: Jeff Latas on Aviation's Perfect Storm

As retired JetBlue Captain Jeff Latas revealed in his segment, the economic anxiety permeating the nation takes on human form when you consider the aviation sector.

Perhaps the most shocking revelation for listeners came when Buckmaster expressed surprise at learning that pilots and flight attendants are paid only when the aircraft door is closed, not during delays or while passengers are boarding.

"The pay starts when the door shuts in the airplane, and typically, when the brake is released, a pilot punches his clock," Lattice explained. "And the clock stops when the door opens."

Latas painted a picture of an industry facing immediate cutbacks, yet staring down a severe staffing crisis in the not-so-distant future. The coming pilot shortage, he explained, stems from an aging workforce approaching retirement and the massive investment of time and money required to become a commercial pilot.

"It takes longer than that to become an airline pilot. You cannot become an airline pilot in a year," Latas emphasized when discussing controversial flight schools like the one operated by United Airlines, where students are now suing over inadequate training resources and unexpected dismissals.

"If you decide to just go, 'Okay, I want to be a pilot,' you go and you get your private license and your instrument license and commercial license, then you get your multi-engine stuff. It's going to cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars," Latas revealed.

This is another example of how our economy increasingly reserves career opportunities for those who can afford massive upfront investments—the perfect system if your goal is to maintain intergenerational wealth inequality.

The Ukraine Reality Check

In a brief but insightful discussion about Ukraine, Latas explained why air warfare has been limited compared to ground combat in the ongoing conflict.

"We Americans are used to, anytime the USA goes to war, you see this huge amount of air power going in and basically just stomping the enemy," Latas explained. He noted that Russia's robust surface-to-air missile systems make air operations extremely dangerous without the sophisticated countermeasures and massive air power the U.S. typically deploys.

It's a sobering reminder that American military exceptionalism doesn't automatically translate to other contexts – a lesson we seem to relearn with every international conflict.

Looking Forward: Finding Hope in the Chaos

Despite the economic jitters and geopolitical tensions discussed on today's show, Jeff Latas's perspective on timing and cycles is wise. Just as he noted that today's aspiring pilots will likely have excellent careers fifteen years from now despite current turbulence, perhaps our economic challenges, too, shall pass.

The cycles of economy and industry have always moved through difficult patches toward eventual recovery. But that recovery doesn't happen automatically – it requires informed citizens demanding more innovative policies.

As we face the twin challenges of demographic decline and global reputation damage, perhaps it's time to reconsider some of our most deeply held assumptions about immigration, international cooperation, and economic growth. The experts on today's Buckmaster Show seemed to suggest as much, even if they couched it in careful, measured language.

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Join the Conversation

What's your take on Professor Hoffman's concerns about "Brand America"? Do you agree with Shelly Fishman that immigration is THE solution to our workforce challenges? How are economic anxieties affecting your own financial decisions?

Share your thoughts in the comments below. Let's create a community dialogue that pushes beyond the talking points and gets to the heart of the economic realities we're all facing.

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Quotes:

• "America first does not mean America alone." - Treasury Secretary Besitz, quoted by Professor Hoffman while discussing damage to America's international reputation

• "There's a reason that the world is a mess and the mess is an economic mess... population and depletion over the past 40 years." - Shelly Fishman referencing a New York Times opinion piece about fundamental economic problems

• "For the first 100 days since the inauguration of a president, the markets have now not had such a bad 100 days since the first 100 days of Gerald Ford." - Shelly Fishman on the current market performance

• "Immigration is a solution. It is THE solution." - Shelly Fishman on addressing workforce shortages

• "The pay starts when the door shuts in the airplane... and the clock stops when the door opens." - Jeff Latas revealing how airline crews are paid only when the aircraft door is closed

• "Canadians, 60% said they have canceled trips to the United States." - Professor Hoffman on tourism decline

People Mentioned:

• Bill Buckmaster - Host of the Buckmaster Show

• Dennis Hoffman - Director of the Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research at ASU and professor of economics; warned about damage to "Brand America" and its economic consequences

• Shelly Fishman - Financial advisor who noted market performance is the worst since Gerald Ford's first 100 days and declared immigration as "THE solution" to workforce shortages

• Jeff Latas - Retired JetBlue Captain who revealed pilots only get paid when aircraft doors are closed and explained the coming pilot shortage

• Mike Noble - Pollster from Noble Predictive Insights who conducted surveys showing Arizonans are very concerned about the economy

• Treasury Secretary Besitz - Quoted as saying "America first does not mean America alone"

• Donald Trump - Implied as the current president whose administration has seen poor market performance in its first 100 days

• Gerald Ford - Former president whose first 100 days were compared to the current administration's market performance

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