Customs may be a pain when you're traveling, but it's a necessary instrument the government uses to regulate trade. And it has a very fascinating history. Your passport please?
AI Summary
# Customs and Duty: The Hidden History Behind Border Checkpoints
Josh and Chuck break down the fascinating world of customs and tariffs, tracing how America's customs service became one of the most powerful government agencies and how it shaped the nation's expansion and revenue. From Alexander Hamilton's brilliant idea to fund the government without direct taxation, to the Wild West days of Prohibition when rum runners outran customs boats, the hosts explore how this single agency spawned the Coast Guard, Border Patrol, and the DEA before eventually getting folded into the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. They also walk you through what actually happens when you come back through customs as a traveler, including surprisingly detailed rules about what you need to declare and some hilariously strange regulations that have been put in place over the years.
Casablanca
1943
1h 42m
★ 8.1
"Like Casablanca. I've still never seen that. — Chuck mentions Casablanca as a classic movie he hasn't seen but feels he should before dying."
— Chuck
"I watched Dexter some, but that wasn't exactly. — Chuck discusses watching Dexter and notes it went off the rails toward the end."
— Chuck
Hill Street Blues
1981
TV-14
★ 7.6
"I watched The Wire, and I watched Hill Street Blues in the 80s. — Chuck mentions watching Hill Street Blues as a cop show he enjoyed in the 1980s."
— Chuck
"I think I realized after our talk, when I said I didn't watch, was it NYPD Blue? I think I realized. No, you said Law and Order. — Josh corrects himself noting he mentioned Law & Order rather than NYPD Blue as an example of cop shows Chuck avoids."
— Josh
NYPD Blue
1993
TV-14
★ 7.0
"I think I realized after our talk, when I said I didn't watch, was it NYPD Blue? — Josh mistakenly references NYPD Blue but quickly corrects to Law & Order."
— Josh
"I think that, yeah. Yeah, it was definitely overshadowed by the wire, because they both came out at about the same time. — Chuck discusses how The Shield was overshadowed by The Wire despite being a well-made show."
— Chuck
"Yeah, and the wire was so great. — Josh mentions The Wire as a great cop show that overshadowed The Shield."
— Josh
This Is Spinal Tap
1984
1h 22m
★ 7.4
"You still haven't seen Spinal Tap, have you? I have. — Josh asks if Chuck has seen This Is Spinal Tap and references the famous cucumber/tinfoil joke from the film."
— Chuck
Total Recall
1990
1h 53m
★ 7.3
"They have x-ray rooms, like in Total Recall, where you just walk everyone through this room. — Chuck compares airport security x-ray rooms to the sci-fi technology in Total Recall."
— Chuck
True Detective
2014
★ 8.3
"Like, there were several episodes that were like episode four, the first season of True Detective, just insane from beginning to end. — Chuck compares standout TV episodes to True Detective season one, episode four as exemplary television."
— Chuck
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