Filtered: Are We Spending Ourselves Miserable? Money, Kids & Trump’s Fake “Efficiency”

Americans say they need more money to feel secure, but fresh polling shows the real frustration is about how we save and spend, not just how much we make. In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we unpack the gap between income and happiness, from everyday coffee victories to long-term financial freedom.

Then we widen the lens:

• Kids & social media bans, Malaysia, Australia, Denmark, and Norway move toward under-16 bans as research mounts on smartphone-driven anxiety and depression.
• Trump’s “DOGE” department – The Department of Government Efficiency quietly disappears while the deficit soars and drug prices remain protected.
• Rand Paul vs. Trump on Venezuela – Why strikes and quasi-war powers could splinter Trump’s anti-war base.
• Kash Patel & FBI abuse of perks – SWAT teams and government jets allegedly used to protect his girlfriend, and what that reveals about power and hypocrisy.

TJ ties all of this back to one core question: Are we structuring our money, politics, and tech in ways that make us freer, or just more miserable?

Topics covered:

• Money, happiness and why saving matters more than we admit
• Social media, teen mental health, and Jonathan Haidt’s warnings
• Government “efficiency” theater vs. real spending cuts
• War powers, Venezuela, and Rand Paul’s libertarian alarm
• Kash Patel’s ethics scandal at the FBI
• Using your money and career to buy independence, not more stress

Subscribe for more unfiltered analysis on money, media, and power.

You can also watch the video version on YouTube: Filtered with TJ Walker.