Poly can mean "many." Ticks are blood sucking parasites. Put those two words together and it sure sounds like "politics." We think you can figure out where we see the parallel.

It's been since 1835 that our nation, the Good Ol' U.S. of A, has not carried national debt. President Andrew Jackson was in the White House when we, as a nation, was debt free. Since then, the income to outgo as been staggeringly "in the red."

No company or individual can survive operating this way but our nation has continued the downward spiral into massive debt: To the tune of 38.5 trillion dollars. Do we really realize how much debt that is?

In this podcast, not only do we vividly illustrate this but we also put the blame where it belongs. And when it comes to having to "pay the piper," well, it's not going to be a pretty picture.

What's the answer? Let's talk about it.

As we enter 2026, we take a look back at some of the notable events of the past year. Some good...some not.

Political, financial, personal, and spiritual pinnacles and pits punctuate our look back. And we look forward to just how much of a rollercoaster this next year just might be.

From horrific deaths to widespread youth revival, we're seeing events that are shaping the nation. We've also seen even more undermining of our nation through political polarization via partisanship.

Will we survive this next year? It all depends on our foundation:

Solid rock or shifting sand.

What's your favorite Christmas song?

Both Jay and Tom agree that "Joy to the World" is each of their absolute favorite. However, research tells us it was not intended to be a Christmas song. Written in 1719 by Isaac Watts, it was meant to be a celebration of the Messiah's Second Coming. Read the lyrics with that in mind and you'll see what we mean.

However, in 1833, Lowell Mason created a melody for the verses and it soon became a celebration of Jesus' first coming as well.

And if you haven't heard the story Jay loves to tell at this time of year about "Wally's Christmas Play," you'll be touched by the message.

The infinite becomes finite. How can God become man? Our discussion today lays out the explanation, giving us what we need to maintain or change our focus of the celebration of Immanuel, God with us, that many heathen around the world participate in.

The over 300 Old Testament prophecies Jesus fulfilled, should cause every person to stop and consider that His birth, death, and resurrection wasn't just so we could give each other gifts and eat more desserts than we should.

"The Reason For the Season" isn''t just a nice platitude. We're celebrating the birthday of our soon returning King."