Enshittification at City Hall: Taxes, Surveillance, and the Freedom to Get Screwed

Dan Griffin and Corey Walsh host Joshua Ferguson of The Hourly Struggle to discuss his viral Fullerton, CA city council speech introducing “enshittification” as a way to describe government deterioration that benefits public-sector unions and officials while residents pay more and get less. Ferguson explains Fullerton’s proposed half-cent special sales tax pitched as infrastructure funding, arguing money is fungible and would backfill salaries and pensions amid budget failures, missing funds, and lawsuits, while fear-mongering tactics were used to justify it. The conversation expands to local surveillance (Flock/ALPR/Axon), lack of transparency, and Ferguson’s lawsuit after accessing public records via an unsecured Dropbox link exposing misconduct. They connect these dynamics to partisan hypocrisy, expanding federal power, libertarian party dysfunction, and the appeal of DSA-style candidates amid economic stagnation and corporate-government predation.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:15 Enshittification Explained

05:07 City Council Clip Breakdown

09:17 Tax Measure Backstory

15:45 Fear Tactics and Flock Cameras

19:46 Surveillance and FOIA Hypocrisy

28:18 Power Ratchet and Partisanship

33:49 Taleb Quote Debate

37:41 Libertarians and Real Politics

41:33 Libertarian Movement Problem

42:48 Two Parties Myth Explained

45:59 Convention Chaos and Infighting

48:23 Mises Caucus Rise and Sellout

52:24 Debate Stage Barriers

53:18 Tulsi Gabbard Disillusionment

58:28 Trump Relevancy and COVID Parallels

01:02:15 Tim Pool Rant

01:04:42 DSA Surge and Economic Anger

01:15:36 Monopolies Walmart and Amazon

01:21:51 Why Young Voters Turn Left

01:23:41 Foreign Policy Capture

01:24:53 Why DSA Sells

01:26:00 Defense vs Healthcare Choice

01:27:53 California One Party Reality

01:37:50 Prop 13 and Pensions

01:41:34 Social Security Ponzi Fight

01:44:32 Local Recalls and Zombies

01:47:23 Newsom and GOP Weak Bench

01:54:23 No Values No Principles

01:59:56 Wrap Up and Plugs