Craig DeLuz on American decline—when faith, family, and truth vanish, chaos takes root. From D.C. crime drops to California’s moral decay, he and Peter Vazquez expose the Vanboolzalness Crisis and call for courage to defend liberty, punish evil, and reclaim America’s soul.
Look to your left. Look to your right. What do you see? A nation confused, distracted, and divided—where crime is coddled as compassion, virtue is mocked as vice, and truth has become theater. Yet in the noise, a few voices still rise above the chaos.
Project 21 Ambassador Craig DeLuz joins host Peter Vazquez on the Voice of Liberty: Next Steps Show to pull back the curtain on America’s managed decline—and to talk about what happens when faith, family, and freedom are no longer negotiable.
From the streets of California to the neighborhoods of New York, Peter and Craig cut through the political fog with numbers that matter and principles that endure. When others offer narratives, they measure results. When others cry “racism,” they point to responsibility. And when the so-called experts rewrite failure as progress, they call it what it is—the Vanboolzalness Crisis.
“The group that was supposed to judge me by the content of my character judged me by the color of my skin.” – Craig DeLuz
This episode is not polite dinner conversation—it is a challenge. It confronts the lies that fuel lawlessness, the moral cowardice of leadership, and the illusion of progress sold to a weary public. From President Trump’s decisive restoration of order in D.C. to the war of ideas shaping New York’s future, every topic hits where it hurts: in the heart of America’s conscience.
And just when the dust settles, Stefan Padfield of the Free Enterprise Project joins to call for something radical: unity built not on illusion, but on truth. Focused fighting, not blind compromise. Courageous dialogue, not utopian fantasy.
This is not another political show. This is a call to reclaim sanity. To tell the truth with courage. To punish evil, reward work, and put government back under the rule of law.
America is not collapsing by accident. It is being managed into mediocrity—and it will only be redeemed by those bold enough to stand.
🎙 Listen now to The Next Steps Show with Peter Vazquez.
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The Next Steps Show with Peter Vazquez
Featuring C. Craig DeLuz, Project 21 Ambassador & Media Veteran
Peter Vazquez:
Look to the left, look to the right—what do you see? In a world that changes daily, what will you do next? Welcome to The Next Steps Show, your starting point for real discussion and direction.
It is me, Peter Vazquez—the conservative New Yorker sharing our lunch hour together. A Puerto Rican who grew up in the ghetto, now hosting a conservative radio show. I love America, I love Jesus Christ, and I love liberty.
Today we celebrate “Be Bald and Be Free Day.” I am part of that tribe—not by choice! But let us not forget those who lost their hair fighting cancer or disease. Over six million Americans know that struggle. Humanity needs more empathy; the news has become entertainment, and the truth too often becomes theater.
Enough drift. Crime steals childhoods. Families pay the price. Here on The Next Steps Show, we measure results—not narratives. What works should stay; what fails must go.
Three decades in the trenches taught me one thing: results matter.
And now, it is my honor to introduce another warrior for truth, C. Craig DeLuz—Project 21 Ambassador, media veteran, policy advocate, and school board leader.
Segment 1 – Craig’s Journey
Craig DeLuz:
Born and raised in Richmond, California, I grew up in a tough neighborhood—think Coach Carter. I attended Chico State University, met my wife there, and that is where I began understanding my conservative roots.
As a business major, studying economics and finance taught me about how the world truly works. Numbers do not lie. My professors challenged liberal narratives with facts.
At Chico, I ran the student enterprises—third largest employer in town. During student elections, a professor claimed there would never be a Black student body president at Chico State. I decided to run. I won—with over 50% of the vote.
The Progressive Student Union supported me because I was Black. The Young Americans for Freedom supported me because of my record and ideas. That moment opened my eyes. The people who were supposed to judge me by the content of my character—did not. And the ones who were not expected to—did.
That was the turning point.
Segment 2 – Trump’s D.C. Takeover and Crime Reality
Peter:
You recently wrote “Trump’s D.C. Takeover Is Working.” Critics say federalizing the D.C. police is dangerous. What do you say to that?
Craig:
I waited for the data before publishing. When the first month’s numbers came in, the results spoke loud and clear—
• Homicides down 60%.
• Robberies down 40%.
• Car thefts down 20%.
• The longest stretch without a homicide in D.C. history.
The left called it a “manufactured crisis,” yet people in low-income neighborhoods felt safer for the first time in years. They were grateful. Even Mayor Muriel Bowser has since acknowledged the success.
The problem is simple: Orange Man Bad. If Trump did it, they must oppose it. That mindset—putting politics over people—is killing our communities.
Peter:
Exactly. In New York, 61% of residents worry about crime, yet the state touts “2.9% decreases” in statistics. But felony assaults are up 40% since 2019. Leaders like Governor Hochul push policies built on racial division, not results. That is the Vanboolzalness Crisis—the lifestyle of deception.
Craig:
They also manipulate baselines. Crime may be “down” from the 2023 highs, but it is still much higher than pre-2020 levels. The defund-the-police movement caused a spike in crime, and when they reversed it, they pretended they had solved it.
Police now face impossible conditions—risking their jobs, pensions, even their freedom for doing their duty.
Segment 3 – The Second Amendment Truth
Peter:
Critics say “more guns mean more violence.”
Craig:
That is false. There is not a single study proving that claim. Firearms are used over two million times a year for self-defense. The Second Amendment protects all others. As comedian Dave Chappelle once said, “The First Amendment is first for a reason; the Second is in case the first does not work out.”
History proves this: every tyrant disarms the people before enslaving them.
Segment 4 – Restoring Unity Through Truth
Peter:
Joining us now is Stefan Padfield, Executive Director of the Free Enterprise Project. Stefan, you speak about “Focused Fighting.” Tell us more.
Stefan Padfield:
It means acknowledging real differences without demonizing one another. We will not always agree, but we can identify areas of shared purpose—child labor, free speech, honest markets—and work together on them.
Unity does not mean pretending we are the same; it means cooperating where truth allows.
Peter:
Some on our side fear compromise.
Stefan:
They should. But not all on the left are extremists. There are honest actors willing to do good if we approach wisely. The goal is not surrender—it is progress through discernment.
Even negotiation models and AI analysis show that acknowledging differences while staying truthful is the key to rebuilding civic trust.
Peter:
I call that dialogue. Frederick Douglass said it best: “I will partner with anyone to do good and no one to do evil.”
Segment 5 – The Call to Courage
Peter:
America is not collapsing by accident. It is being managed into mediocrity by a cartel of confusion. We call it the Vanboolzalness Crisis—where crime is called compassion, vice is praised as virtue, and lies are sold as leadership.
But the cure is older than the crisis. Tell the truth with courage. Defend faith and family. Punish evil, reward work, and restrain the state.
We have the tools to rebuild. The only question is whether we will use them.
God bless America—and God save New York.
C. Craig DeLuz
Project 21 Ambassador, Policy Advocate, Host of The Rundown
Website: craigdeluz.com | X: @CraigDeLuz
Project 21: project21.org
Stefan Padfield
Executive Director, Free Enterprise Project
Website: nationalcenter.org | freeenterpriseproject.org
The Next Steps Show with Peter Vazquez
Broadcast on The Voice of Liberty Network – WYSL 1040AM / WLEA.
