How Do We Fix It?

Stifle that yawn. Infrastructure just got exciting again.President Biden announced a $2 trillion plan to rebuild roads and rails, repair bridges, modernize airports and seaports, create hundreds of thousands of union jobs in the solar and wind power industries, boost housing, expand broadband access to regions that are poorly served, and speed-up the transition to a climate-friendly economy. Total spending on his proposals could be as much as $4 trillion over the next decade. We explain the President's ambitious plan, which amounts to the biggest spending initiatives in decades, and look at how to pay for it with one of the nation's top experts on the budget and taxes— Maya MacGuineas, President of the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.Maya MacGuineas praises recent efforts to spend big on COVID relief, and also discusses ways to restore fiscal balance through reducing unproductive tax breaks, and reforming the tax code. "The bad news is that we had a mountain of debt before the crisis and we have a much larger mountain now."In their conversation in the second half of this episode, Jim takes a deeply skeptical look at the Biden infrastructure proposals, while Richard applauds the President for going big and tackling a huge piece of public policy that was usually neglected by prior administrations.Recommendations: Richard calls "Minari" and "The Father" two remarkable new films that are well-worth watching. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our lives depend on it and most of us don't give it a moment's thought. But when the electricity goes off we feel frustrated— powerless.America's grid was an engineering triumph of the twentieth century, but as the recent sudden freeze and severe power outages in Texas have shown, our electricity infrastructure is fragile and in need of basic repair, especially as the world faces the growing reality of extreme weather events and climate change. On their own solar and wind power are not enough to meet rapidly growing electricity demand. What are other viable, carbon-free alternatives?We discuss strengthening the grid, re-imaging it according to modern values, and our relationship with electricity with cultural anthropologist, Gretchen Bakke, author of "The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future.""It's not just that electricity is a modern marvel," Gretchen tells us in this episode. "It almost starts to feel like a natural right. With the pandemic, we really feel how important electricity is to being connected with the world. Everything is plugged in."Recommendation: Jim is watching the hilarious French TV series, "Call My Agent" on Netflix. Richard suggests that we watch more movies and TV shows with subtitles from all parts of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our obsession with what is normal and acceptable is at the heart of how we view mental health. It is also the source of stigma around many forms of mental illness. In this podcast with anthropology professor, Richard Grinker, we ask how do we fix it? What are successful ways to challenge stigmas, as we help millions of people reach their full potential? Richard discusses the findings in his uplifting new book, "Nobody's Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness."Social distancing, remote learning, and disruption of social supports during the COVID pandemic are likely to lead to an even greater crisis of mental illness. But Richard sees hope in this moment. "The pandemic provides us with an opportunity to make progress in destigmatizing mental illness," he tells us.Though the legacies of shame and secrecy are still with us today, Richard says that we are at the cusp of ending the marginalization of the mentally ill. In the twenty-first century, mental illnesses are fast becoming a more accepted and visible part of human diversity. We discuss his groundbreaking reserch.Recommendation: Richard has just and much enjoyed "The Quiet Americans: Four CIA Spies at the Dawn of the Cold War — a Tragedy in Three Acts", by Scott Anderson.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When social media burst on the scene, many of us were in awe of its great potential. For the first ten years of Facebook, public reaction to this new form of communication was overwhelmingly positive, but now that we have a better understanding of how social media is shaping our world, there are growing calls for fundamental reform. Should tech monopolies be cut down to size and broken apart? Or is a much more careful, nuanced approach needed from Congress? MIT Management Professor Sinan Aral has spent two decades studying how social media changed American politics, the economy, and even our personal health. He is the author of the recent book, "The Hype Machine". As an entrepreneur and investor, he has a deep understanding of the perils and promise of social media. We publish extracts from his interview with the podcast, "Democracy Works". "We absolutely must get past this question of is social media good or evil," says Sinan Aral. "The answer is 'yes'. The question is how are we going to harness the promise of social media and avoid the peril."This episode was made with the help and support of the Democracy Group podcast network. Special thanks to Jenna Spinelle, Communications Specialist at the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. Recommendation: Richard recommends learning something new before we emerge from our constricted lockdown lives during the pandemic. In recent months, he has taken a course on Dante's Divine Comedy, learned how to build a fire, and operate a small powerboat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk is an entrepreneur and out-of-this-world thinker, who has shaken up two vital industries that were dominated by giant multinational corporations with companies that began life as startups. Tesla's breakthrough with electric cars is well-known, but many of Musk's most stunning innovations have come with SpaceX, which pioneered reusable rockets— slashing the cost of space launches— flew astronauts into space, and landed rockets on boats. Next is the development of Starship. Musk also wants to send hundreds if not thousands of humans to Mars. Our guest, Eric Berger, is a senior editor at space and technology news website, Ars Technica, and author of the new book, "Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days that Launched Space X." He takes us on a fascinating journey, as we look at the remarkable changes in the space race, and what may be coming in the next few years."This is the most exciting time to write and think about space in my lifetime," Eric tells us on "How Do We Fix It?" "There is so much activity at NASA as well as in the private sector, as well as internationally with China, Europe, Russia, and Japan. All are doing pretty interesting things in space, and in the United States, the commercial sector has been extraordinarily active.Recommendation: Jim watched "My Octopus Teacher" on Netflix. Filmmaker Craig Foster forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The January assault on the U.S. Capitol and the depth of toxic partisanship lead us to question our past assumptions about the American electorate and its relationship with the government.This episode features two experts who have spent many years trying to understand us. Frank Luntz is one of the best-known pollsters and political communications experts in America today. We hear edited extracts from a recent interview he recorded with Harvard Law School Professor and attorney, Lawrence Lessig, on the podcast, "Another Way by Lawrence Lessig".Ethan Porter is an assistant professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, and the author of the new book "The Consumer Citizen" He investigates how voters' everyday experiences as shoppers and consumers influence their political behavior. We hear extracts from his interview on the podcast, "Politics in Question"."How Do We Fix It?" and both of the podcasts featured in this episode are members of The Democracy Group podcast network."The single best decision that was made since the election was Twitter kicking Donald Trump off because he can't add to that ugliness anymore", says Luntz, who is a committed Republican."Government provides people with a lot of benefits that they just don't know about", says Porter. "Because they have a consumer mentality, they become frustrated with government and they want to punish it."Recommendation: "News of the World" with Tom Hanks is based on a popular novel by Texas writer, Paulette Jiles. Her latest book is "Simon The Fiddler" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even before the alarming and violent January 6 assault on the Capitol, American politics was in danger of spinning out of control— bumping up against the guardrails of our democratic institutions.On social media and in the civic square, many have separated into two camps that seem to hate the other side. We have become estranged from family and friends over politics.More than ever, we need nuance. In this episode, our guest is a liberal writer and feminist, Meghan Daum, who is increasingly critical of her own side: the left. Meghan wrote the book, “The Problem With Everything. My Journey Through The New Culture Wars.” She’s also the host of “The Unspeakable”, a podcast that celebrates disagreement and encourages guests to speak uncomfortable truths. “We are not allowing ourselves to sort through our confusions. You have to be on one side or the other,” says Meghan. “If you’re not conflicted, you are either lying to yourself, or you’re not very smart.”Recommendation: Jim recommends “Post Corona”, a podcast series hosted by Dan Senor that predicts how COVID19 will transform our world— indefinitely. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More than 10% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but injection rates are lower in black and brown communities, and many people express doubts about the shots made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Vaccine hesitancy presents a barrier in the fight against coronavirus. A recent poll by Pew Research Center found that "Black Americans continue to stand out as less inclined to get vaccinated than other racial and ethnic groups: 42% would do so, compared with 63% of Hispanic and 61% of White adults."Our guest, Dr. Wrenetha Julion, professor and department chair at Rush University College of Nursing, discusses causes of vaccine hesitancy and how to encourage more people to take a high-effective vaccine against the virus.  Vaccine hesitancy "is a significant problem," says Wrenetha. "It stems from a long history of mistrust and mistreatment of African-Americans and other groups in healthcare systems and research. Unfortunately, those things stick in people's minds." We examine the impact of the Tuskegee experiment and look at Wrenetha's suggestions for building vaccine trust in marginalized communities. Recommendation: Richard is reading The Divine Comedy, a 700-year old epic poem about heaven, hell, and purgatory by Dante Alighieri. Jim recommends "Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start and Why They Don't Go Away", by Heidi Larson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the recent storming of the US Capitol and the loss of both the White House and U.S. Senate, it's tempting to believe that civil war will break out among Republicans— a party deeply split between traditional conservatives and Trump-supporting populists.We decided to find out what two young Republicans say about the future of their party, and the need to confront those who believe in conspiracy theories and are nostalgic for a return to a mythical past.  Our guests are Danielle Butcher and John Olds. Danielle, who was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 List, co-founded the American Conservation Coalition, a non-profit group that backs free-market solutions for environmental problems. John Olds, Executive Director of Gen Z GOP, is a Republican activist and senior at George Washington University.Both Butcher and Olds are outspoken critics of Donald Trump. They believe that Republicans must develop constructive policies on climate change, racial inequities and student debt. Both support market incentives to solve a range of problems.Recommendation: Jim Meigs is reading The Federalist Papers, 85 essays written in the 1780's by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even before coronavirus led to social distancing, widespread working from home, and lockdown restrictions, loneliness was becoming a defining condition of the twenty-first century. Today, this pandemic of pain and isolation is far worse. One of many recent polls found that more than three in five Americans say they are lonely, with more and more people reporting feeling like they are left out, poorly understood, and lacking companionship. Other surveys overseas have similar findings.Our guest, the British economist, Noreena Hertz, is the author of "The Lonely Century: How to Restore Human Connection in a World Pulling Apart." Her new book, published February 2, is a personal and deeply-researched investigation into the roots of the loneliness epidemic, how the pandemic and the 2020 election exacerbated the problem, and what we can do to come together. "Loneliness levels have significantly and not surprisingly increased during the pandemic, particularly among the young, women, and people of low income", Noreena tells us. In our interview, we discuss the importance of the workplace in enhancing community, the need to reinvigorate our neighborhoods, and how governments and private enterprise can react to the increase in loneliness and alienation. We also learn more about the link between loneliness and the rise of right-wing populism.Recommendation: Richard and Jim frequently use Wikipedia, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Wiki co-founder, Jimmy Wales, is the guest on a recent episode of "the Economist Asks" podcast, hosted by Anne McElvoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.