Words & Numbers

For many children, compulsory education and authority figures tend to inadvertently turn off their sense of curiosity and wonder about the world. Additionally, assigned districts can limit school choice for many parents and mandatory curricula can put unnecessary stress on educators. Are there solutions to these problems within the current framework? Is there any evidence to support changing the way we approach schooling to benefit children, parents, and teachers? Where did all these mandates originate? Join Antony Davies, James Harrigan, and special guest Kerry McDonald, author of Unschooled, as they discuss the public school system and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits: Beach umbrellas https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/menendez-urges-aggressive-action-protect-beachgoers-dangers-flying-beach-umbrellas/ https://www.nsc.org/in-the-newsroom/nsc-statement-on-new-cdc-data-showing-a-rise-in-accidental-death Candidates reticent to mention Obama https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/democrats-want-have-it-both-ways-barack-obama/595270/ Foolishness of the week: Soy sauce https://www.9news.com.au/national/soy-sauce-could-be-banned-under-alcohol-sales-restrictions-in-the-northern-territory/71ef616f-778a-4c24-bf95-a63e2627b00f Topic of the week: Unschooling: Kerry McDonald https://fee.org/people/kerry-mcdonald/ Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1641600632/ 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

As we reach pivotal milestones, such as the legal driving age, we’re met with serious questions: Who decided I’m not old enough to vote? Why can I drive but not enter a bar? When do I have to buy health insurance? Am I ready for all this? Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies as they weigh the pros and cons of transitioning from a minor to an adult live from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers.  Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits Brim’s Snack Foods https://www.apr.org/post/life-so-delicious Facts about small businesses https://sbecouncil.org/about-us/facts-and-data/ $20 an hour minimum wage https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/454212-rashida-tlaib-minimum-wage-should-be-20-an-hour-not-15 Foolishness of the week Montgomery county, Maryland wants to require landlords to provide air conditioning https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/as-temperatures-rise-montgomery-asks-should-landlords-have-to-provide-ac-to-tenants/2019/07/16/4b5c7406-a7dc-11e9-86dd-d7f0e60391e9_story.html Topic of the week: When does a person become an adult? Ages of majority across the states https://hrpo.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/5-Determining-Legal-Age-to-Consent.pdf Bill calls for raising the smoking age to 21 https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-introduces-bill-raise-federal-legal-smoking-age-21 Legal drinking ages across countries https://drinkingage.procon.org/minimum-legal-drinking-age-in-190-countries/ Legal marriage ages across states https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/table_marriage 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

Citizens United, a conservative non-profit corporation, was once caught in the crosshairs of campaign finance law. The company violated the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act by broadcasting a political film within 30 days of a primary election. The Supreme Court split 5-4 on the issue. Did the court side with the free speech of a corporation? What happens when there are two different visions of the First Amendment? Are corporations people? Join James Harrigan, Antony Davies, and special guest Trevor Burrus as they recount the courtroom drama of Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits The bystander effect https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31157529  The world is becoming a better place https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP59tz2WreY Advances toward a cancer cure https://www.studyfinds.org/strategic-medicine-researchers-develop-trojan-horse-drug-that-tricks-then-kills-cancer-cells/ Foolishness of the week https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/health/beef-environment-resources-report/index.html Topic of the week: Political Speech and the Citizens United Decision Trevor Burrus https://www.cato.org/people/trevor-burrus Trevor Burrus on Twitter https://twitter.com/tcburrus McCain-Feingold, Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act https://ballotpedia.org/Bipartisan_Campaign_Reform_Act Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission https://ballotpedia.org/Citizens_United_v._Federal_Election_Commission https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/michael-moore-trumpland-might-have-been-illegal-citizens-united-its-all Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce https://ballotpedia.org/Austin_v._Michigan_Chamber_of_Commerce 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

As people like, share, and upload on social media platforms, data is generated by users and gathered by tech companies. It’s a bit unclear, however, how companies handle user data. Is selling or storing user data a problem? Does the Fourth Amendment protect internet privacy? Should the government get involved?Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies—live from the University of Arizona!—as they discuss End User License Agreements, copyright law, data breaches, and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits President Trump may not block critics from his Twitter feed https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/us/politics/trump-twitter-first-amendment.html CBO estimates of the effect of a minimum wage hike https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/08/cbo-estimates-effects-of-house-democrats-15-minimum-wage-plan.html Foolishness of the week Google recorded then leaked conversations that Google Assistant overheard https://mashable.com/article/google-assistant-recordings-leaked/ Topic of the week: Privacy Expectation of privacy https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/expectation_of_privacy Katz v. United States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katz_v._United_States Olmstead v. United States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmstead_v._United_States 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

When it comes to the final frontier, we must inevitably outline the government’s role in interplanetary colonization. Perhaps during the next century, there will be deliberation between cosmic pioneers, space entrepreneurs, and elected officials. Who owns the resources on asteroids and other celestial bodies? What might a galactic congress look like? And what’s maritime law got to do with it? Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan as they mine that asteroid and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Show Notes: $10 quintillion asteroid https://www.foxnews.com/science/nasa-headed-towards-giant-golden-asteroid-that-could-make-everyone-on-earth-a-billionaire Rep. Amash quits the Republican party https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rep-justin-amash-announces-quitting-republican-party-op/story https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/04/us/politics/justin-amash-trump.html Foolishness of the week Buttigieg calls for national service programs https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/03/us/politics/buttigieg-national-service.html How to pronounce Buttigieg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT36PvjxbRA Topic of the week: Who owns space? Heinlein: The Man Who Sold the Moon https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Sold-Moon/dp/0671578634 General Mining Act of 1872 https://legcounsel.house.gov/Comps/Act%20Of%20May%2010,%201872-(Mining%20Law%20Of%201872).pdf Law of the Sea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_sea 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’s guest, Robert McDonald, author of Confounding Father talks about the quintessential American philosopher: Thomas Jefferson. During the birth of America, innumerable obstacles stood in its way. What followed was the triumph of the first Americans, from a revolutionary war to purchasing Louisiana and everything in between. Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan for a cheerful, optimistic ode to the spirit of America on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits Disney heir calls for wealth tax https://www.npr.org/2019/06/28/736993245/disney-heiress-calls-for-wealth-tax-we-have-to-draw-a-line San Francisco bans vaping https://fee.org/articles/san-francisco-becomes-first-us-city-to-ban-sale-of-e-cigarettes-a-healthier-alternative-to-smoking/ Foolishness of the week Democratic debates and yoga games https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/450540-marianne-williamson-sends-out-healthy-alternative-to-debate Topic of the week: Robert McDonald on Thomas Jefferson Confounding Father https://tinyurl.com/y39dpz5g Thomas Jefferson’s Lives: Biographers and the Battle for History https://tinyurl.com/yxtgkhng 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

There appears to be a large problem in America with outcome-based thinking, particularly with regards to hot-button political issues. We skip straight to the ending we want and argue for it until we’re blue in the face, and everyone who doesn’t want the same must be evil, stupid, or both. But what if we started the conversation in a different place? What if we started it at the principles that lead to the desired outcome? Would the conversation change? James Harrigan and Antony Davies dig into the subject during their second live recording from FEEcon 2019 on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers  Quick hits From janitor to Executive Vice-President https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/27/a-janitor-invented-flamin-hot-cheetos-and-became-a-pepsico-exec.html Lost wallets experiment https://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-people-are-honest-lost-wallets-experiment-20190620-story.html Foolishness of the week Manufacturing czar https://triblive.com/opinion/donald-boudreaux-save-us-from-a-manufacturing-czar/ Topic of the week: Principle and Outcome Federal receipts are 18% of GDP https://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/articles/2016-12-01/myths-and-facts-about-the-us-federal-debt 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 word “equality” is a tricky one. It means different things to different people in different contexts. Do we mean “income equality”? “Wealth equality”? “Equality before the law”? And how does that sync up with “fairness”? Why are so many fine with professional athletes and movie stars making hundreds of millions of dollars but not CEOs? Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan as they delve into the subject live from FEEcon 2019 on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits: Tulsi Gabbard https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/congresswoman-used-toffee-to-unite-republicans-and-democrats/ People spending more on the Internet than at restaurants https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-15/americans-now-spend-more-at-internet-stores-than-restaurants Foolishness of the week: O.J. Simpson “has a little getting even to do” https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/06/oj-simpson-twitter-has-a-little-getting-even-to-do Topic of the week: Inequality: The problem of inequality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCjWG8RqH4w 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

As the saying goes, if you want less of something, tax it. Recently, a House bill was proposed that would raise the taxable income cap for Social Security to about $400,000. Although there seem to be many reasons to cheer, would this create unintended consequences? What could be done instead? Is privatization the way to go? Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies this week as they suggest an elegant solution to a sticky situation on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits Ladybugs: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-06-06/cloud-of-ladybugs-in-california-so-large-it-appears-on-weather-radar Influencer can’t sell 26 shirts: https://www.indy100.com/article/instagram-influencer-arii-t-shirt-sales-followers-fail-twitter-response-8936836 Foolishness of the week Over-the-counter birth control: https://www.livescience.com/24940-birth-control-pill-over-the-counter.html   Topic of the week: Social Security The SECURE Act: https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/how-secure-act-could-impact-retirement-savings/ 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

If life is an inalienable right, does that take the death penalty off the table? Is there really a need for social safety nets? Taxation, the Articles of Confederation, the Postal Service, and more come together this week as James Harrigan and Antony Davies explore their ambivalence (it doesn’t mean what you might think it does) on many controversial topics on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Come to FEEcon 2019! Show Notes: Arthur Laffer awarded Medal of Freedom The top half of income earners pay 97% of the federal taxes Spelling Bee winners Foolishness of the week UBI could solve childhood obesity Topic of the week: Ambivalence Join the conversation Words & Numbers Backstage Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter Let us know what you think at: wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices