Main Street Idaho Podcast Episode 4: Representative Josh Wheeler & Senator Treg Bernt
“The more prosperous business community you have in the state, the better off the state is then the better off the citizens are.”
“The Big tent Republican approach is very much needed in this state. And it’s okay to be different. It’s okay to have different perspectives, but at the end of the day, we’re all conservative Republicans.”
Brennan Summers (00:00):
Welcome to Main Street Podcast, an opportunity to talk to I Idaho's elected leaders about the issues that matter to you. Hello, we are here with Senator Treg Bernt and Representative Josh Wheeler of the Main Street Caucus. Gentlemen, I just watched for the first time the movie twins and so Arnold Schwartzenegger, Danny DeVito and who's who. Neither of you look like Danny
Senator Treg Bernt (00:26):
DeVito, Arnold Schwartzeneger.
Brennan Summers (00:28):
But in essence, we have a senator from the west side of the state, certainly not a Meridian, and we have somebody legislator on the house side from Eastern Idaho. Right. So on appearance, you guys are pretty different, but just like in the movie, I think as we dig in a little bit more, we'll find there's a lot of commonalities here. So Senator, why don't we start with you and give you a shot to explain. First off, who are you, what are you doing here?
Senator Treg Bernt (00:49):
That's a great question. Well, I'm actually from Pocatello. I'm an east Idaho and I moved over to the Treasure Valley in 2003, got heavily involved with community, got elected to the Meridian City Council. From there I got reelected and got elected to the Senate. I'm a small business owner. I have three kiddos. We just dropped two of them off to at Boise State this past weekend and we're empty nesters. And I got to tell you, that's a weird feeling, but public service has always ran deep in our family and so it's been a true honor to be able to serve in the Senate.
Brennan Summers (01:23):
And not to steal any of your thunder, but just recap. Former city councilman, right? Small business owner,
Senator Treg Bernt (01:29):
Family. Love to coming out. Let's,
Brennan Summers (01:30):
All right. Alright, Josh, now we really let you in here. Why don't you tell us a little bit about you?
Representative Josh Wheeler (01:35):
Well, I'm an Idaho boy, born and raised here in Eastern Idaho. Graduated from Hillcrest High School back in 95, go Knights and married my high school sweetheart. We went away to go to school and came back as quick as we could. My wife did a residency program in Poel, the Portos family Medicine program. And then I came back to work with my family business. So I'm a third generation small business owner, which is its own unique set of challenges and story. And we raised six beautiful kiddos here in Eastern Idaho. And I got involved in local politics strangely enough after we lost a 10 year old son to cancer.
(02:19):
And people who live here or people who come here, they see it, they sense it. There is such a community, any shadow is such a group of good people that will rally around you in your dark times. And I really felt like I had to find a way to give back after that. And I had a friend who pointed out to me that there was an open seat on Ammond city council and that I ought to get involved in that way. And that felt like the right thing. Of course, then it wasn't an open seat. There were two other candidates that chose to run for, but we won that election. And then I really just felt a similar calling frankly, when this election came up, but I felt like needed to be an option to represent district 35 here in eastern Idaho. And so we put ourselves out there and had a very hard fought, interesting campaign and won. And here we are. And so honestly, it's been an incredible way for me to give back. You learn so much more about your community, about your state that you would never learn any other way,
Brennan Summers (03:21):
And both freshmen in the legislature. But we're here on a platform of the Main Street caucus and this was your guys' brainchild, right?
Representative Josh Wheeler (03:29):
I'm a bad politician when it comes to taking credit for everything. I give a lot of credit to a lot of people who've brought this together. And I mean, maybe I'll just tell my sort of version, my perspective of how we got to this point. One of the things that formed very early on in my first legislative session and a little before that is something called the East Idaho Coalition. And that's just a group of more than a dozen of our Eastern Ad O legislators who just wanted to find a good space to come together, talk like adults in the room about policy, wonky stuff sometimes, and just be able to bounce ideas off each other and know that that was a trusted space, that we'd be able to ask hard questions and frankly have better legislation come out of it. And that was just a huge boon to me as a freshman legislator to know that I had these experienced legislators, both senators and representatives that were mentoring me. And then as I met Reg and we hit things off and I think without actually actively recognizing how many commonalities we had, a lot of our conversation was how do we take that statewide? How do we give that same kind of opportunity to all of as many legislators as we can throughout the state? And so that's kind of where we started to build the model off of Eastern Idaho Coalition.
Senator Treg Bernt (04:53):
I would agree a lot with what Representative Wheeler said at the end of the day where there's strength in numbers and the vast majority of Idahoans expect Idaho's solutions. And right now you see a lot of vitriol, you see a lot of divisiveness in our party and we wanted to put together a group of reasonable conservative Republicans that care a lot about Idaho and want to serve and want to get it right.
Brennan Summers (05:21):
It seems simple, but to those who have just tuned in that we need to take this back a little bit to Schoolhouse Rock. Government 1 0 1. Let's start with this is a Main Street caucus. Some people, their understanding of caucus is the Iowa Caucus exists and we elect presidents or from parties. Let's go back. First off, why don't we start with what is the caucus and then let's get into how this actually functions in Boise. Senator, do you want to start? Sure.
Senator Treg Bernt (05:47):
So a caucus is a group of like-minded individuals, in this case, legislators that get together and we discuss policy. In this case we discuss and we are together as one. That doesn't mean that we always disagree. I believe the disagreement leads to big ideas and I think at the end of the day that's the most important thing. But a caucus, this caucus is we're not trying to take anything away from a Republican caucus that currently exists. This is just a group of, again, like-minded individuals who care a lot and want to see reasonable policies supported and put forward in the out of state legislature.
Brennan Summers (06:28):
Give us an example of some other caucuses that might be existing over in the legislature right now. You mentioned the Republican caucus as a whole. We got Main Street Caucus. Where else do like-minded people group up over
Senator Treg Bernt (06:36):
There? I'm part of another caucus. I'm part of the Sportsman's caucus. Okay. We discuss a lot of issues related to hunting and out the outdoors and conservation, et cetera. And so we meet once a month and we discuss those policy issues as well. So very similar in how we operate.
Brennan Summers (06:55):
And so with these caucuses, you talked about like-minded Main Street, it evokes this feeling of I'm walking down Main Street chamber business and both of you being small business owners yourselves, is that kind of one of the focuses that you were hoping this caucus would achieve is economic growth?
Representative Josh Wheeler (07:10):
I don't understand. Yeah. I mean one of the things that we believe in strongly is that the least regulated amount of business that you can have is the more prosperous business. The more prosperous business community you have in the state, the better off the state is then the better off the citizens are. And we believe in responsible growth. One of the things that I recently heard, governor little comment is that change is inevitable. But adapting to and adjusting to that change is a choice. And we believe that we've got to make those choices and that means having some of these hard conversations that Senator Burt referred to. It means some disagreement without being disagreeable, without bullying one another into trying to look at it one way or the other. So those are a couple of the big ones. And then some of those just frankly, old Republican principles. We believe in the rule of law. We believe in supporting our first responders, law enforcement. We believe in finding the smart solutions for healthcare throughout the state. Those are some of the principles that we really stand for. And again, I think most importantly to me is just having a trusted space where legislators can work with one another and know that in the very next moment they're not going to be thrown under the bus on whatever the social media sight of the day is. I think it's acts these days, I can't remember the name,
Senator Treg Bernt (08:38):
But that doesn't mean where we play Patty Ke and smile at each other and everything's great. We disagree. I don't agree with my wife 100% of the time, let alone fellow legislators. And so I think that's a reasonable approach. Now,
Brennan Summers (08:55):
You talked a little bit about strength in numbers as you guys group up in this caucus, what are some of the goals you're hoping to accomplish in the upcoming session? And maybe, well, let's start with, let's look back. What are you proud of that the caucus was able to do this last session then let's forward of what are you hoping the Caucus canoe in the coming session?
Senator Treg Bernt (09:11):
Number one, I think first and foremost, one of the first things that came out of the gate was, and I think that this has been discussed in past podcasts, is Launch Launch. That was a great initiative that obviously provides scholarships for in-demand careers for students that are coming out of high school, graduating that maybe aren't fully interested in a four-year degree, but have something to give and something to give to community. And they want to maybe go to a community college, et cetera, to study and to get a certificate of such. And I think that those jobs are very much needed. Career technical education as well is another great example.
Representative Josh Wheeler (09:53):
Yeah, I mean, I'll piggyback right off of Senator Burn said one of my favorite words was career technical education. I mean, one of the things that you saw, our Main Street Idaho caucus members help get put together as the Career ready students program, which is kind of the part of the pipeline before launch where we get students pointed at these career technical opportunities while they're still in middle school and high school. I think launch is a great example. I mean, the other one I think you'll find that probably all of our main Street Idaho Cox members are proud of is the property tax relief bills and sector. And that's one that you can see the caucus worked with the whole Republican caucus to get that done and give credit where credit was due. Everybody worked hard to make that one happen. And then you'll see some that we had members that are on different sides of votes, but they had some real serious discussions before they got to that point. And in the end of the day, a lot of what our members recognize is we represent our constituents. And a constituent in District 35 a lot of times has some different ways they want to see things done than a constituent in, I mean, district 21 or maybe even in district one. I mean, we have to keep that in mind. And that's one of the things that's really important to us as members of Main Street Sierra Caucus. Sure,
Senator Treg Bernt (11:13):
The Big tent Republican approach is very much needed in this state. And it's okay to be different. It's okay to have different perspectives, but at the end of the day, we're all conservative Republicans. Again, a Kune County Republican maybe is a little bit different than a Bandit County Republican, but at the end of the day, we're all playing for the same team, and I think that's what's most important.
Brennan Summers (11:35):
Yeah, let's elaborate on that because we've heard the idea that the worst thing you can do is speak ill of another conservative that's come out Reagan rule, that's the Reagan rule. But in Idaho, that's definitely not the case. And you gentlemen have had targets on your back from the left for some of your votes as being far too conservative. But also from the right at times they will paint you with the Republican in name alone. How do you find this meeting where you're able to say, I'm a conservative Republican? Well, you got people to the right of you that say no and people left of you that's saying, well, that's not where you should be either.
Senator Treg Bernt (12:06):
No, that's a great question. I just recently read a book, it's Love Your Enemies by Arthur C. Brooks. And if you guys haven't read it, I would highly recommend it. It provides great perspective on what we're coming from as a caucus. But inside the book there's a quote and it says, when elephants fight the grass, it's the grass that suffers. And so at the end of the day, I approach it as I listen to my constituents, we pass legislation and we debate regarding what is coming from our different districts and from our constituents. And ultimately it's our constituents that we listen to and who are most important. But at the end of the day, if we don't do that, it's the grass that suffers, right? It's the constituents who suffer the most and they're the ones that need reasonable policy lawmaking more than anyone.
Brennan Summers (12:59):
And the average constituent out there, maybe not even the average voter, just the average constituent, they might not know your name, they might not know what a legislator does, let alone a caucus. Aaron
Senator Treg Bernt (13:09):
Wheeler's pretty popular guy.
Brennan Summers (13:11):
He's a very popular guy, especially over here. They know he
Senator Treg Bernt (13:13):
Walks down this street, everyone waves.
Brennan Summers (13:15):
That's true. He signs autograph regularly, which unless
Representative Josh Wheeler (13:18):
You need somebody for pickup basket,
Brennan Summers (13:20):
It's not that good. How do you take an approach to informing your constituents of some of these very complicated issues? We talk about launch, talk about some of the water issues representative, why don't you come in and say, and help us see, how do you go about helping the people in your district understand some of these difficult things going on in Boise?
Representative Josh Wheeler (13:37):
Yeah, I'm glad you're asking that, Brennan, because the truth is that is one of our goals as the main Street Idaho caucus. One of the things we've heard from most of our members is help us tell the story. Tell the good story. Because it's so easy to get buried of the noise. And I'll tell you honestly for me, Brennan, so freshman legislators, this is my first time over there, honestly, the first year, do you feel like a freshman? Depends on the, that's why I grew the beard. So I feel less like a crasher. But the honest truth is for me, I haven't been that far away from my family, from my wife and kids in a long time. And so to be that far apart every day and then to call home and try to explain to my wife, to my sweetheart of 25 years, Hey, here's going on here was the good things.
(14:24):
And it actually took me a while. Honestly, it took me probably about four weeks into the session to realize I better tell her the good stories over here. Just marinating in some of that nastiness. And it's so easy to find the junk. It's so easy to pick up the trash, especially if you get out there on the social media or what have you. But then to be able to tell her the good stories, the property tax relief that was coming, the stuff that we did for education, the stuff that we're doing for infrastructure, the way that we're empowering local government to make decisions that are going to be best for, whether it's the people in Montpelier, Idaho or whether it's the people over Meridian. I mean, those are different solutions. And so telling that story to her, to me, that's why I want Main Street to do to as many of our constituents as they can is tell that story of all the legislators who have chosen to be involved in mainstream, because there are so many of 'em, and I know you've interviewed some of 'em already, some of the work they're doing is fantastic.
(15:21):
Whether it's finding Medicaid cost relief or program improvements, whether it's school facility funding. I mean, that's stuff that my sweetheart cares about. And so to me that means I know many of my constituents are going to care about it too. And
Brennan Summers (15:35):
Most things in life, it seems like the negative is just easier to find and it's easier to explain. And you too, I've seen it, you've had Z, the mailers could come out campaign season. It's so much easier to explain how awful of a job you've done in a couple sentences versus explaining some of the good stuff you've done. So Senator, if I'm sitting in Meridian and I'm thinking, where can I find what actually my senator in Boise is doing? Where might I look to get some of the stuff that you're actually up to?
Senator Treg Bernt (15:59):
So I mean, as a legislator, it's really tough to hide and not saying that I would ever want to, but I have social media platforms from Twitter to Facebook to Instagram, and we have a great team that we all do, I believe a good job messaging what's going on during session and out of session who we're talking to, the meetings that we're having at Main Street with Main Street businesses, with Main Street people at our individual cities. And for example, in my district this next week, they're having a Medicaid town hall talking about Medicaid and what that looks like, managed care, et cetera. And so you can find those messages on my social media platform. I think that same thing with Josh and other main Streeters as well.
Representative Josh Wheeler (16:50):
Yeah, absolutely. And then as much as we can, if you go to the Main Street Idaho website, we will amplify those messages as much as we can. One of the things we've done is we've made connections with a lot of the local papers. And so you're seeing op-eds come out from either from individual Main Street, Iddo caucus members, or from as much of the caucus as can. And one that, I'll give you example of that, most recently came out Chanel Dixon and incredible representative from over in the Twin Falls area. She is doing her homework and working hard to better understand the fentanyl issue and how mandatory minimums could better serve all the citizens of Idaho, help our kids be safer. And I'm here to tell you, that's some work. She's doing some homework. I don't think people realize that. We want people to realize that we won't tell that story and say, so when that shows up in committee, when it gets to the floor, people understand, Hey, look, here's the work that main legislators have been doing to make that happen.
Senator Treg Bernt (17:52):
Right? It is just important to stay above the fray. That's what people want. They're sick of the divisiveness. They're sick of the fighting, they're sick of the name calling people. Our constituents want legislators to get together to come up with solutions for Idaho. It's, that's simple. It's not rocket science. It's the legislators. Sometimes we complicate it and we're here to simplify it and to get stuff done. And that's what we aim to do.
Brennan Summers (18:17):
Yeah, they say Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, don't talk religion or politics. I think it's doing it wrong. Right. I agree. And I know you two have, you've mentioned already on this podcast that talking like adults in the room of coming together and disagreeing better, let's have a little conversation about what's the state of civility of Idaho politics, where are we struggling, and what are some action points that your listeners here on the podcast can do? And then maybe what some other legislators could do. To your point, Senator rise above the frame, disagree better.
Senator Treg Bernt (18:48):
Yeah, I mean, one thing that comes to mind, one thing that we need to realize is that when you disagree, that doesn't mean, I think big ideas come from disagreement. I expect disagreement. I think that competitiveness comes from disagreement. We're always better with this agreement. That's fine. We're not asking for perfection, we're just asking for us to be more respectful. Civility is an interesting word. I think it's important, but I think that we need to be respectful and we need to really not draw a hard line in the sand and say either you're 100% with us or we're going to throw you out in the water. That's not what constituents want. Ultimately, it's okay to navigate those gray areas. And I'm not saying that we shouldn't stand up for our core values. That's not what we're seeing at all. We need to stand up for who we are and what we represent, but we need to be able to be open-minded in those discussions as well, because there might be something there that we're missing.
Representative Josh Wheeler (19:55):
What I'll say, Brennan is just one. And here's what I mean by that. Again, I've had Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas dinners. I got four beautiful daughters. I got two wonderful sons. I got a raft of different opinions. When I get those people all to G. And what I will say is just one more question. Just ask one more question. That person, when they bring that view that is frankly insane, that seems crazy to you, you can ask just one more question. Well, why do you feel that way? Well, where did you hear that? And well, what do you think that means that we need to do A, B, C, whether it's policy or how we treat each other. I mean, being willing to ask a question rather than just a past judgment, I think is one of the ways that we can, let's just call it save Thanksgiving dinner. And all I'll say is I've tried to live that way in my family. I've tried to respect my kids whatever age they were, and give them opportunity to explain to me why that's the way they feel. Even when I disagree with 'em. I think that we can disagree and not demonize. And that's what's happened is especially on the national scene, demonization has become the way to operate. And Idaho doesn't need that. That's not how Idaho built the incredible state that we built.
Senator Treg Bernt (21:16):
Are we able to give standing ovations?
Brennan Summers (21:19):
That's it, right? A podcast. That was an ain man. Hey, was to drop the mic. We want to give this guy a hug right now. That's exactly
Representative Josh Wheeler (21:27):
What we're talking about.
Brennan Summers (21:29):
Print work. He's a good one, right? That's why nobody loves
Senator Treg Bernt (21:31):
Him. I'm screaming, oh yeah, you could sense that passion, but absolutely well done. That's exactly how we feel,
Brennan Summers (21:37):
Right? And we look at our documents, our founding documents. To your point, Senator Disagreement brought us the constitution, but so in compromise, and it required none of our founders to actually get rid of their core beliefs. So I love this idea that you just taught us, we can ask more questions, we can disagree better and still stand under ground. This is fantastic. Did
Senator Treg Bernt (21:55):
Jefferson and Adams get along the second act of their lives? I mean, they were together. They were considered the north and south pole of the Declaration of Independence. They became moral enemies when they were running against each other and they got political. They found a way to become friends again.
Representative Josh Wheeler (22:18):
And let me add to that, Benjamin Rush helped bring him together as friends. There's a founding father. We don't talk about that much, and that's okay. He didn't do that much, but he did help those two old war horses come together.
Senator Treg Bernt (22:33):
I think it's impossible.
Brennan Summers (22:34):
So the moral of the story of this is more Adams and Jeffersons, less Hamiltons and burs, right? Yes. We don't need to be shooting each other over in Boise. We can disagree. We can come together. Now, Jim, let's talk about some things we're excited about. When you look at the next session coming up, what gets you excited? What gets you ready to make that trip back over to Boise to spend those long days in the Capitol? What are you looking forward to, Senator?
Senator Treg Bernt (23:01):
One thing that I'm working on, I have a friend who is and myself, we're going to do some legislation regarding drunk driving, mandatory minimums, maybe create some more tax policy regarding maybe giving breaks to Idaho citizens during certain times of the year. Those are some things without getting into some details, but those are some things that I'm going to work on that I'm really excited about this next upcoming. That's
Brennan Summers (23:29):
A great teaser. Now remind us what committees you've been sitting on.
Senator Treg Bernt (23:32):
So I'm the vice chair of state affairs, and I also sit on a local government and taxation.
Brennan Summers (23:37):
Fantastic. And both in the Senate, you with US representative, what are you looking forward to?
Representative Josh Wheeler (23:41):
So I'm on the house side. I'm on health and welfare, then energy environment, technology and commerce and hr. And actually what I'm working on, one that's commerce and HR related is, and it's also related to career technical education again, but I want to make sure that we can do some skills-based hiring and not just have degree required hiring. Because a lot of times, even in our state employment, we have jobs and job descriptions, and it says a four year degree or minimum required. And you might have a guy that's got 20 years experience in the industry that didn't get that particular degree or didn't get a degree, and he is absolutely the right person to take the state to the next level, and we're leaving him out in the cold. Or we're going to get these kids that will go through the IHA launch program and they will come out with incredible skills, certifications and experience, and they might be the right solution. So that's one that I'm working on. We mentioned a couple others already, I think that I'm excited about to support other members. The fentanyl thing, there is a Medicaid conversation going on with pretty much all of our Main Street Idaho members that I think is really valuable. That is a complicated issue, but I think we're going to have some solutions. We're going to see some solutions. And those are a few, there's more. But
Brennan Summers (24:54):
Yeah, all I'm sure, I
Representative Josh Wheeler (24:55):
Know you're lip on top.
Brennan Summers (24:56):
We are in touch and we got to know, what are you eating? What restaurant do you recommend? What are you reading? What book do you recommend? And then what are you watching? What movie can you recommend, Senator?
Senator Treg Bernt (25:05):
Great question. So since Top Gun, I think that the latest movie that I watched, sound of Freedom, great movie. Every Republican in the entire nation is seen that movie awesome. Highly recommend it. Reading a book right now called The Courage to Be Disliked, great philosophical approach to interpersonal relationships, pretty fascinating. And anyone that knows me, I'm a reading guy, and without a shadow of a doubt, the best place to eat in downtown meridian of Main Street, mainstream Meridian cahoots.
Brennan Summers (25:41):
Cahoots. You got to love cahoots. And this isn't endorsed. They're not paying you for this. They're not free endorsement by
Senator Treg Bernt (25:46):
You. If you are Meridian, I, you know exactly where you'll find me at noon on a Tuesday.
Brennan Summers (25:50):
That's what a good time. I love it. Great Recommendations.
Representative Josh Wheeler (25:53):
That's amazing,
Brennan Summers (25:54):
Josh.
Representative Josh Wheeler (25:55):
Let's see. Well, let me start with, I'll start with the book. The one I would recommend, frankly, because I feel like it changed my life just a few years ago, and it's nice to go back and revisit it, but it's The Happiness Advantage. I mean, it's just an incredible kind of deep dive into positive psychology and the Body Keeps Score and why that's important. People are funny because you think of my district, you think of District 35 and you're thinking agriculture and small towns. You don't know the restaurants unless you get out.
Brennan Summers (26:28):
He's get up at somebody, let
Representative Josh Wheeler (26:29):
You get out there. I don't,
Brennan Summers (26:30):
He should be able to.
Representative Josh Wheeler (26:32):
I'll just tell you the one that comes to my mind first of mind, because it's one that my family will literally say, we should drive up there and get a burger, right? Like the best burger you'll ever have. And that's the American brakeman in Victor.
Brennan Summers (26:43):
Oh, fantastic. It's like
Representative Josh Wheeler (26:44):
Right as you come into Victor, it is the most incredible burger you'll ever have. Make sure you check their hours. The one thing that's a little wonky about 'em, it's like tax policy. You're not quite sure when it's going to be Incredible Burger though, and gosh, the movie. Well, I mean, TR Stole the obvious one, but I mean, honestly,
(27:03):
Barbie, no. If you got kids, you got kids, you go take him to see the new Spiderman cartoon baby across the spider spider. Awesome.
(27:13):
Well, that's the fun one.
Brennan Summers (27:15):
Well, I appreciate indulging me on that. I've now got a couple new places to eat and a couple new movies to watch,
Senator Treg Bernt (27:20):
Meet when you come to
Brennan Summers (27:21):
Meridian. Appreciate it. That's everybody listening. Do you hear that? Absolutely. Trey will pay for all of our food down there. Codes. All right, gentlemen, we've covered a lot Today. We talked about why we put together Main Street Caucus, the goals of, we talked about how we may be able to disagree better. We looked at our founding Fathers, might be an example of how we in Boise can come together and solve more problems as we depart, I think of the young families you have relative, and as you're in this position of influence, what are you hoping they're watching and learning from you? Is it okay if we start with you, Senator? Yeah,
Senator Treg Bernt (27:50):
So Idaho has given me a ton. I've been super blessed in my life to enjoy all things Idaho, and if there's one thing that I truly want for my kiddos is to have the same type of Idaho that I grew up in. And so huge blessing. It choked up a little bit, but huge blessing in my life to be able to walk down those halls at the Capitol and to really do great things for Idaho. Hopefully my kiddos have an opportunity to enjoy the things that I've been blessed with as well.
Brennan Summers (28:21):
Matt's wonderful.
Representative Josh Wheeler (28:23):
Josh. I think mine's pretty similar because what I want, and the reason I'm so glad that the Main Street Caucus exists, and we're going to tell this positive story, is I want my kids to hear the good stories of Iddo, right? It's real easy to find the new story that something wacky happened, right? No, I mean, I want my kids, I got two daughters that are going to end up in the healthcare industry. I got one that's going to be an incredible educator. I got one that I don't know what she'll do with her life, honestly, but she'll be the greatest politician or business owner of all of us. And my son's still little. He's 10 years old, but I just want them to understand and see and be grateful for the Idaho that gave them the life that they have, that gave them the life that I have. And to be reminded, like I said, the reason I got popped in, this is the community that lifted me up, and I want them to always remember that and see that over and over again in the good stories.
Brennan Summers (29:20):
Well, gentlemen, we're grateful. We're grateful that you've cut aside the time for us. We're not in favor of carve outs, but you carved out some time for us, which we appreciate Senator coming over, representative you came across the street, but we still appreciate it just as much. Thanks. This has been a wonderful time. It's been optimistic and positive, and we'll hope to have you back soon. All right. For sure. Okay, we're here with Senator Trig, burnt representative Josh Wheeler, and we'll see you next time.
