Words & Numbers

In this second of a two part series, Max Borders joins us to discuss his recent book, After Collapse: The End of America and the Rebirth of Her Ideals. Despite the title and the subject matter, it is an honest but upbeat analysis of political, economic, and cultural changes that have put us on a path to transformation. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/01/oregon-decriminalizes-all-drugs-offers-treatment-instead-jail-time/4311046001/ https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2018/03/more-imprisonment-does-not-reduce-state-drug-problems https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2681083/ https://news.yahoo.com/fbi-informant-panic-ruining-friendships-042446613.html Foolishness of the Week https://www.foxnews.com/media/cnn-chris-cuomo-andrew-cuomo-nursing-home-scandal https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9256103/Chris-Cuomo-fire-saying-brothers-COVID-deaths-coverup-scandal.html Topic of the WeekAfter CollapseThe Social SingularityFuture Frontiers Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Max Borders joins us to discuss his recent book, After Collapse: The End of America and the Rebirth of Her Ideals. Despite the title and the subject matter, it is an honest but upbeat analysis of political, economic, and cultural changes that have put us on a path to transformation. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits 30 minutes’ worth of Googling Krogerhttps://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/employment/supermarkets-grocery-stores-united-states/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/999141/gross-margin-of-kroger/ https://thehill.com/policy/finance/537002-kroger-closing-two-stores-after-city-orders-higher-pandemic-pay-for-workers https://www.workforce.com/news/labor-and-benefits-expenses-in-supermarkets http://s1.q4cdn.com/137099145/files/doc_downloads/irw/fact_books/2016-PDF-Fact-Book.pdf MOMA https://dnyuz.com/2021/02/05/facing-deficit-met-considers-selling-art-to-help-pay-the-bills/ Foolishness of the Week https://apnews.com/article/house-gop-votes-greene-d00c46241478d39db3996a36f5cbf91e https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/greene-blasts-morons-who-stripped-her-of-committee-posts-hours-after-expressing-contrition/ar-BB1dqCPl Topic of the WeekAfter CollapseThe Social SingularityFuture Frontiers Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal policies have been hitting small businesses particularly hard. From the lockdown to heightened IRS scrutiny to an increased minimum wage to an expanded estate tax, many federal policies harm small businesses more than corporations and so jeopardizes the livelihoods of almost half of American workers. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Chick-fil-A https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/south-carolina-chick-fil-a-manager-covid-19-vaccine-drive-thru Dodger Stadium https://news.yahoo.com/dodger-stadiums-covid-19-vaccination-233339650.html Foolishness of the Week Impeachment 1 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/30/us/politics/trump-butch-bowers-impeachment.html Impeachment 2https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/30/politics/butch-bowers-deborah-barbier-trump-impeachment-team/index.html Topic of the Week The War on Small Businesseshttps://insidesources.com/the-war-on-small-business/ Minimum Wage Costs 1.3 Million Jobshttps://reason.com/2019/07/08/cbo-says-15-federal-minimum-wage-will-cost-1-3-million-jobs/ List of Minimum Wage Peer-Reviewed Researchhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1fbSTGYQP5ObsEMjgbDWB2W8pgz64XZS5/view?usp=sharing The Economics of the Estate Tax https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SrMWCAq-HfJdRGBjjQ7kr-KMTGlJjKvX/view?usp=sharing Survey of Businesses Owners on the Effect of the Estate Taxhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1741-6248.1996.00303.x Union Contracts Tied to Minimum Wagehttps://www.forbes.com/sites/edrensi/2017/01/19/why-it-is-that-unions-fund-the-fight-for-15/ States to Tax Stimulus Loan Forgiveness https://advocacy.sba.gov/2020/11/03/some-states-may-tax-forgiven-ppp-loan-proceeds/ IRS Targeting Small Businesses https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/tax-compliance/news/21205514/irs-expected-to-audit-more-small-businesses-in-2021 Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we discuss a smorgasbord of topics related to the division of power among the branches: pardons, judicial review, agencies, and bureaucracy. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/01/21/census-estimates-show-population-decline-in-16-states Foolishness of the Week https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/01/21/covid-vaccines-coronavirus-internet-ads/ Topic of the Week: Powers of U.S. Government’s Branches Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 206: A Dutch immigrant gives us a view of the United States from the outside, and a view of the Netherlands from the inside: immigration, taxes, social safety nets, and community. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/17/3rd-antitrust-lawsuit-hits-google-447741 https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share https://www.statista.com/statistics/265773/market-share-of-the-most-popular-social-media-websites-in-the-us https://www.wired.com/2002/11/u-s-v-microsoft-timeline/ https://www.kwtx.com/2021/01/15/3-with-covid-19-owe-lives-to-girl-17-who-smelled-smoke-from-early-morning-fire/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/17/live-politics-updates-joe-biden-inauguration-donald-trump-impeachment/4196264001/ Topic of the Week Bass Van Der Vossen https://www.basvandervossen.com https://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/bas-van-der-vossen https://www.amazon.com/Defense-Openness-Freedom-Solution-Poverty/dp/0190462957 Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The riots in Washington DC and the riots in Seattle have revealed some troubling hypocrisy. Many of those who were for one were against the other. While the impetus behind them was different, the justifications people invoked were the same. This inconsistency is what happens when we ignore principles in favor of justifying outcomes. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Parler https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9130649/Conservative-social-media-platform-Parler-banned-Apple.html Pilot Threatens to Pull The Plane Over https://www.businessinsider.com/video-american-airlines-pilot-threat-strand-trump-fans-dc-phoenix-2021-1 Foolishness of the Week Race Offender Registry https://nypost.com/2020/12/30/leader-of-blm-inspired-group-calls-for-race-offenders-registry Topic of the Week Arash Ayrom https://www.facebook.com/arashayrom/posts/10224723291979277 Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the start of a new year, James and Ant look at the phenomenon of nostalgia. Why do we tend to look back on the past with a fondness, and what dangers does that imply for how we look at the present? Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Walk with Shawn https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/black-man-scared-to-walk-in-neighborhood-joined-by-75-neighbors/ Expunging Marijuana Records https://chicago.suntimes.com/cannabis/2020/12/31/22208659/cannabis-marijuana-illinois-expunge-pardon-pritzker-legal-pot Foolishness of the Week Bill de Blasio https://us04web.zoom.us/j/3262037742?pwd=K2kzWGw5eVdBbCttVVo0MnVaeFdVdz09 https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-andy-cohen-rants-mayor-de-blasio-dance-new-years-eve-show-new-york-20210101-azfjzrhbl5aizbsqibzrcm6v7a-story.html Topic of the Weekhttps://www2.census.gov/library/publications/1956/demographics/p60-23.pdf https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MAPAINUSA646N https://www.newser.com/story/225645/average-size-of-us-homes-decade-by-decade.html Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We haven’t seen widespread adoption of alternative energy because, for many decades, energy generated from fossil fuels was cheaper. As with any technology, as time progressed, superior technologies evolved. Also, as time progressed, demand for alternative energy increased, resulting in economies of scale. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Federal Reserve Database https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881600Q#0 https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/COMPRNFB#0 Jeff Bezos: Richest Person in the World https://www.npr.org/2020/12/10/944620768/theres-rich-and-theres-jeff-bezos-rich-meet-the-members-of-the-100-billion-club The Richest People Who Ever Lived https://www.finance-monthly.com/2019/02/who-is-the-richest-person-that-ever-lived/ Average Person Spends 44 Years Looking at Devices https://www.studyfinds.org/screen-zombies-average-person-spends-44-years-looking-at-devices/ Foolishness of the Week Secret Witness https://thehill.com/homenews/news/531668-washington-post-identifies-powells-secret-witness-as-pro-trump-podcaster Topic of the Weekhttps://www.cmu.edu/epp/people/faculty/lynne-kiesling.html https://ourworldindata.org/cheap-renewables-growth https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286674124_Deregulation_innovation_and_market_liberalization_Electricity_regulation_in_a_continually_evolving_environment Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Christmas special is a montage of “best of” moments from Words and Numbers. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all our listeners and supporters! Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The tool each of us uses most often - language - presents an interesting contradiction. To communicate ideas clearly and efficiently, words must have meanings. Yet, because language is an emergent phenomenon, words and words’ meanings change. This has important implications for everything from how we interact with each other on a daily basis to what rights the Constitution claims to protect. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick HitsPresidential Restraint https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/10/politics/joe-biden-audio-civil-rights-leaders/index.html Should Biden Pardon Trump? https://theconstitutionalist.org/2020/12/13/joe-biden-should-pardon-donald-trump/ Foolishness of the Week MAGA Protesters https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/protesters-chant-destroy-the-gop-at-pro-trump-rally-1102967/ Topic of the Weekhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregardless https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_québécois_de_la_langue_française https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2392586/Oxford-English-Dictionary-admits-used-wrong-sense-word-literally.html Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices