Advertise on podcast: Clayton Craddock: Deep Cuts

People keep saying we need a "big market" team in the NBA Finals to keep fans interested. But like Shaq said, “Social media is the market now… nobody cares what city you're in anymore.” OKC is playing high-level ball. San Antonio won 5 rings without NY, LA, or Chicago. in the NFL, Green Bay, KC, and New England built NFL dynasties. The A’s, Reds, Pirates, and Twins all had their runs in MLB. Meanwhile, the NBA kept pushing: Lakers – 39 national games Warriors – 36 Celtics/Knicks – 34 Mavs/Suns – 30 But the best records this year? Celtics, Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Bucks. Only one is a so-called “big market.” Why does this obsession with "big media markets" still exist when most people outside those cities couldn’t care less? It’s crazy to me that some people still think the world revolves around New York or LA. News flash: that ship sailed decades ago. At this point, do fans really care where a team plays, or are we all just here for great basketball? I'm for the latter. I’m Clayton Craddock—a father, business owner, musician, and truth-seeker who believes in asking hard questions and thinking independently. I share my thoughts on ‘Deep Cuts’ to challenge the status quo and dig beneath the surface. If you would like to connect, please get in touch with me at [email protected] Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

I’m Clayton Craddock—a father, business owner, musician, and truth-seeker who believes in asking hard questions and thinking independently. I share my thoughts on ‘Deep Cuts’ to challenge the status quo and dig beneath the surface. If you would like to connect, please get in touch with me at [email protected] Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

Can someone please explain this whole “heaven” thing to me? So when we die, we reunite with old friends and family—cool. But… which version of them? The vibrant, full-of-life version? Or the barely-there hospice version? Do kids who die young stay kids forever? Do we all just hang out with Paul Robeson, Michael Jackson, JFK, FDR, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Toussaint Louverture, and Julius Caesar at some heavenly hangout? And hold on…which Michael Jackson shows up—Off the Wall MJ or post-2000 MJ? Seriously. I’ve got questions. Heaven, as described by the legendary Ohio Players: Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

Problem. Reaction. Solution. A trick governments, big corporations, whoever holds power turns on people all of the time it seems. The game? First, they create a problem. Then, they sit back and wait for us to freak out. When the panic hits its peak, they come waltzing in with a solution, all polished and ready. But here's the catch: the solution usually fixes nothing. Instead, it tightens their grip. Think Things Through is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Take New York City's congestion pricing for example. They claim it's to reduce traffic and help the environment. But, for years, they've been narrowing roads, adding bike lanes and pedestrian plazas, and blocking off streets. Traffic got worse. Cars crawled, emissions increased because vehicles are idling longer, and people got frustrated. That's the reaction they wanted. And their solution? Charge drivers more money to use the same congested streets they made worse. It's like setting a fire and then charging people to use the emergency exit. This isn't just a New York thing. Look at the housing crisis in cities like San Francisco. They put in place zoning laws and building restrictions that make it nearly impossible to build new homes. Surprise, surprise—there's a housing shortage. Rent goes through the roof. People are desperate. What's the solution? Government-subsidized housing and rent control. Sounds helpful, but these fixes often make things worse or add new problems. Meanwhile, the government gains more control over housing. The 2008 financial crisis? Banks made reckless loans, betting on risky mortgages. The bubble burst. Everyone panicked. The same big banks that caused the crash got bailed out. They got billions, while regular folks lost their homes. Problem. Reaction. Solution. The banks messed up, we paid the price, and they came out stronger. Think bigger—after 9/11, the government said, "We need to keep you safe." People were scared and angry. The solution? The Patriot Act. It gave the government massive surveillance powers, letting them watch us like hawks. Did it make us safer? Maybe. But it also stripped away a ton of our privacy, and those powers didn't go away when the fear faded. The pattern is everywhere. They create the mess, we react, and they clean it up in a way that benefits them. It's not about keeping us safe or solving problems. It's about control. So next time a crisis pops up, don't just ask, "How do we fix this?" Ask, "Who benefits?" Was it avoidable? Why does the solution feel so ready, like they had it waiting in their back pocket? The more we question, the harder it is for them to keep running the same old scam. Clayton Craddock is a devoted father of two, an accomplished musician, and a thought-provoker dedicated to Socratic questioning, challenging the status quo, and encouraging a deeper contemplation on various issues. Subscribe to Think Things Through HERE, and for inquiries and to connect, email him here: [email protected]. Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

A friend of mine brought to my attention a Joe Rogan Podcast episode that aired on July 19, 2024. Joe was speaking with fellow comedian Sam Morril, and about halfway through, the conversation turned serious for about four minutes. Joe remembered something a firefighter had told him about wildfires and how there would be a disaster one day. The firefighter told him, "One day, it's just gonna be the right wind, and a fire is gonna start in the right place, and it's gonna burn through LA all the way to the ocean, and there's not a f*****g thing we can do about it." He continued with, "We get lucky with the wind." "But if the wind hits the wrong way, it's just going to burn straight through L.A., and there’s not gonna be a thing we can do about it." It sounds like some crazy doomsday warning you hear but don't quite believe will ever come true. But here we are, six months later, watching this nightmare unfold before our eyes. L.A. is facing one of the worst wildfires in its history. We're seeing entire neighborhoods totally destroyed on the news, lives being turned upside down, and families are left to pick up the pieces. Some of my friends who live out there have been seriously impacted by this, and it's sad to witness so much devastation. What frustrates me is the instant finger-pointing that happens every time a disaster like this strikes. Blame is thrown at the L.A. mayor, Gavin Newsom, Trump, climate change, Democrats, DEI policies—pick your scapegoat. The reality is this didn't come out of nowhere. The warning signs have been there for years, and the conditions for disaster have been getting worse. California's wildfire problem is no secret—thousands of them happen every year. Most wildfires are sparked by human activity. Others start through natural causes like lightning, but what can realistically be done to prevent earthquakes or hurricanes? And it's not just California. Look at Lahaina, Maui—a historic town I visited a few years ago that was pretty much wiped off the map by a devastating fire that claimed lives and destroyed homes. Think about the floods in North Carolina that have left people struggling, and they are still on the road to recovery. I think about the billions of taxpayer dollars sent overseas to fund wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. I can't help but wonder—why isn't that same level of urgency and funding going to help Americans facing disasters at home? Are there funds outside of FEMA to help Americans? Some argue we can do both—help abroad and take care of our own—but is that realistic? Is federal funding so limitless that billions can go to foreign wars while communities here struggle to recover? And even if the money exists, why does it feel like so little is reaching places like Lahaina or flood-ravaged parts of the U.S.? These are hard questions, and I don't have all the answers. Can we really prevent the wildfires that are destroying L.A. right now? How do we still feel safe in places prone to wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, or earthquakes? And how do we balance helping others overseas with taking care of our own communities? It's overwhelming, but ignoring the problem clearly isn't working. After seeing these tragedies, the wildfires in L.A., floods in North Carolina, or the devastation in Lahaina, people often ask, "Why didn't we do more to prevent this?" But what can we really do? Clayton Craddock is a devoted father of two, an accomplished musician, and a thought-provoker dedicated to Socratic questioning, challenging the status quo, and encouraging a deeper contemplation on various issues. Subscribe to Think Things Through HERE, and for inquiries and to connect, email him here: [email protected]. Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

This guy destroyed lives during COVID. He locked down the country, crushed small businesses, separated families, and pushed vaccine mandates that forced people to choose between their jobs and their personal health decisions. He called people “fringe” and demonized anyone who dared to question his authority. And when truckers stood up for their rights, he went full dictator—freezing bank accounts, calling in police, and treating working-class people like criminals. Justin’s resignation is long overdue, but it’s not enough. Every leader who treated their people like second-class citizens during COVID needs to be held accountable. They can’t just walk away from the damage they caused. People suffered, and it wasn’t “for our safety.” It was about control, plain and simple. Leaders like Gavin Newsom, Jacinda Ardern, Emmanuel Macron, Andrew Cuomo, Kathy Hochul, and Gretchen Whitmer are all cut from the same cloth. They imposed destructive lockdowns and mandates, wrecked economies, and crushed the lives of everyday people, all while living comfortably above the rules they forced on everyone else. These clowns abused their power. They locked down schools, caused mental health crises, and destroyed livelihoods under the guise of “keeping people safe.” Meanwhile, they ignored the science they claimed to follow and played politics with our lives. Think Things Through is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. It wasn’t just about Covid with Trudeau, though. Bari Weiss broke down all his issues in her latest piece in The Free Presstoday. In her piece, she wrote about how Trudeau’s tenure sparked widespread discontent across Canada. It was driven mainly by his horrible economic policies, costly programs, and runaway spending that left Canadians poorer. His carbon tax and ineffective social programs have made things worse for Canadians, and rising youth unemployment and controversial immigration levels have fueled frustration. Violent crime has increased, and his harm reduction approach to justice has drawn criticism for leniency. Under his government, censorship has tightened, antisemitism has grown, and drug and assisted suicide policies have faced backlash for their dire consequences. We need to remember what they did and make sure it never happens again. Don’t let them rewrite history. Don’t let them off the hook. And don’t ever let fear give politicians a blank check to abuse their power. Clayton Craddock is a devoted father of two, an accomplished musician, and a thought-provoker dedicated to Socratic questioning, challenging the status quo, and encouraging a deeper contemplation on various issues. Subscribe to Think Things Through HERE, and for inquiries and to connect, email him here: [email protected]. Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

"We're going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes, similar to X." "Fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created." I wonder if all of this change from Zuckerberg would have happened if Kamala Harris had won. Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

I remember when the NYC subway wasn’t a total nightmare. I’ve been here long enough to see it go from bad to better, then completely fall apart again. Delays, derailments, overcrowding—they’ve all become the norm. And let’s not forget: people have been getting pushed onto tracks for years, but it’s only gotten worse. Sure, the odds of being attacked on the subway are still slim, but they’re a lot less slim than they used to be. In 2019, there were 326 felony assaults through November—about one assault for every 5.2 million rides. Fast forward to 2024, and there were 521 assaults in the same period, but with 30% fewer rides. That’s now one assault for every 2.3 million rides. Would you want to be one of the 521? Why is even one assault acceptable? This isn’t happening in cities all over the world. So why is it happening like this in NYC? Think Things Through is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The system has been broken for years, and the MTA has done nothing to prove it can fix it. It has a long history of wasting money and making terrible decisions. Politicians slashed funding and diverted money to their pet projects, leaving the subway to rot. After decades of promises to upgrade, the MTA is still running 1930s technology. Instead of fixing the basics—like signals and tracks—it has blown billions on shiny new stations that didn’t add a single extra train or inch of track. Now, Kathy Hochul is trying to sell congestion pricing as the solution. Tolls start at $9 but will jump to $12 and hit $15 by 2031. Does anyone honestly believe this money will fix anything? Based on the MTA’s track record, it will disappear into the same black hole of mismanagement. So here’s the question: What’s the actual goal of this congestion tax? How will this money fix the subway for good? And if things somehow improve, will they ever eliminate the tolls—or is this just another permanent tax on New Yorkers? From where I stand, it seems to be just another cash grab from an agency that has been failing New Yorkers for decades. FYI: The video above was from 2018. Clayton Craddock is a devoted father of two, an accomplished musician, and a thought-provoker dedicated to Socratic questioning, challenging the status quo, and encouraging a deeper contemplation on various issues. Subscribe to Think Things Through HERE, and for inquiries and to connect, email him here: [email protected]. Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

People keep telling me, “Clayton, if you move down south, you're going to get lynched! Especially with a white girl! You’re safe here in New York!” Really? I beg to differ. I mean, have we all been sleeping through the recent news? Columbia University is right in our backyard with their blatant hatred of Jews on that campus earlier this year, and we're pretending racism only happens below the Mason-Dixon line. I hate to break it to you, but New York isn’t exactly an anti-racism utopia. I'm glad racists are finally showing their true selves and not hiding like they usually do up in the Northeast. Racism is everywhere! I'd rather deal with it without being cold and stepping over needles and rats (and paying crazy taxes to Kathy Hochul and Eric Adams). Enjoy your commute! Original post: https://x.com/onslowroper/status/1831828200315330612?s=46&t=ZLcyv2pjxVmxycJ3udUoHw Clayton Craddock is a devoted father of two, an accomplished musician, and a thought-provoker dedicated to Socratic questioning, challenging the status quo, and encouraging a deeper contemplation on a range of issues. Subscribe to Think Things Through HERE, and for inquiries and to connect, email him here: [email protected] Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

Remember when Dan Quayle's political career tanked because he couldn't spell "potato"? Or when Howard Dean's White House dreams went up in flames because he got a little too excited at a rally? And we have this clow again. Trump has single-handedly transformed the presidency into a national sideshow, and the world’s watching in disbelief as he somehow edges closer to taking the stage again. Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

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Do you ever find yourself questioning the media's grasp on reality? Have you ever felt a surge of anger at the sight of unchallenged political fabrications? These 'facts' that are taken for granted can be maddening. Many people are tuning out of politics entirely, either not voting or picking "none of the above." When they boycott the system or make a pointless choice, it's their way of saying the system is rotten. I've been getting more cynical because of the conflicting and confusing political news. Am I the only one who feels this way? What can be done to change this? Can we ever trust the media and political system again, or are we stuck with this mess? Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

They should make the propaganda less obvious. It's like when they kept saying Biden was "sharp as a tack," the vaccine was "safe and effective," the economy is "booming," and certain policies are "for the greater good." Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe

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Matt Barnes, who used to play in the NBA, and Sage Steele, a well-known sports journalist, recently talked about their experiences with the COVID vaccine rules. They both mentioned how the information available at the time wasn't clear or reliable. Steele clarified, “I wasn’t anti-the-shot… I just need more time,” emphasizing her desire for more information before deciding on such an important decision. Matt echoed this sentiment, stating, “We were the guinea pigs… whatever they put in us, we were the guinea pigs,” questioning the potential long-term effects of the COVID jabs. Sage said, “I was never a conspiracy theorist. I just want truth. And when I see lies, immediately, then you go, well, what else have you lied to me about?” In September 2021, Sage Steele spoke on a podcast about feeling "defeated" by having to get a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine to keep her job after her employer, Disney, issued a mandate in July 2021. In a similar vein, Matt Barnes, a studio analyst for NBC Sports California, shared that he had a similar experience. During an appearance on VladTV, he stated, "I was forced to do it to keep my job." How would you feel about getting vaccinated if it was a requirement for your job? Get full access to Think Things Through at thinkthingsthrough.substack.com/subscribe