Slate News Slate Money | The Dire Costs of the LA Fires
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Jan 11, 2025 The podcast dives into the destructive wildfires in Los Angeles, exploring the economic fallout and the ethical dilemmas of prison labor in firefighting. It also tackles Meta’s controversial changes to content moderation, raising concerns about the spread of harmful speech. With New York City's new congestion pricing, the discussion shifts to urban commuting issues, drawing comparisons to London's strategies. Finally, the hosts touch on quirky topics like the cottage cheese trend and the burdens of household chores.
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Fire Impact Zone
- The LA fires primarily affect residential areas, unlike floods/hurricanes that impact urban areas.
- This highlights the difference in how disasters affect various zones.
Insuring Wildfires
- Insuring against mass events like wildfires poses unique challenges due to the unpredictable and large-scale losses.
- This differs from insuring against individual events like burglaries, which are statistically manageable.
Prison Labor Firefighting
- California uses prisoners as firefighters, paying them far less than regular firefighters, raising ethical concerns.
- These prisoners face higher risks with less training, and their criminal records often bar them from future firefighting jobs.