The State of Us

Some schools are nixing homework while others are teaching resilience. The number of hours doing homework for middle and high schoolers has been increasing in contrast to lower test scores and increasing academic anxiety. Justin and Lance talk about the importance of homework and failure.tags: education, politics, school, college, university, higher education, high school, middle school, homework, failure, success, teachers, teaching, solution, system, government, generation, parenting, parents, truechat

There is a lot wrong in the world, but it is crucial to also know what is going right. Hundreds of millions of people gained access to basic necessities in 2018. Justin and Lance highlight some of the positives from last year to keep them motivated for 2019.tags: politics, humanitarian, aid, syria, middle east, yemen, poverty, hunger, water, clean, vaccine, health, improvement, positive, news, truechat, children, hunger

President Trump's address to the nation made several claims. Justin and Lance share information on the Coast Guard, illegal drugs, immigration, and crime. The facts are important in understanding these critical issues.tags: border, wall, immigration, immigrant, patrol, violence, crime, facts, illegal, coast guard, information, government, congress, senate, mitch McConnell, trump, donald, president

From Medicare shortfalls to the Wall and the United States role in Syria, a lot happened over the past week. Justin and Lance make sure that nothing was missed and discuss the importance of each issue.tags: politics, news, medicare, healthcare, costs, insurance, company, companies, premium, syria, middle east, turkey, president, trump, emergency, wall, donald, immigration, border, southern, truechat

The United States has seen a 700% increase in our incarcerated population since the 1970s. What is the problem and how can we fix it? The Last Mile is a non-profit working to address these problems and has a proven track record of success. Tulio Cardozo joins Justin and Lance to share his experience as a formerly incarcerated person and how The Last Mile made is possible for him to realize success.tags: politics, prison, government, people, citizens, recidivism, rate, employment, labor, shortage, truechat, the state of us, solutions, inmate, population

The state of California has a number of new legislative measures taking effect this year that make significant changes to gun rights, sexual assault policies, straws in restaurants, what kids get in their fast food meals, and more. Historically, California acts as a testing ground for many laws that ultimately affect us all. Justin and Lance review the implications of these policies.

From US-China relations and the Mueller Probe to Parkland Shooting and Tensions Over Immigration, there was certainly no shortage of news this year. Our team is going to break down the most significant events and review some things you might have missed. Justin and Lance are joined by an education veteran, Mike Mays.tags: syria, middle east, war, government, politics, tax, border, wall, security, immigration, mueller, investigation, china, united states, relations, media, civil, truth, truechat

Over Christmas, President Trump remained steadfast in his position on the government shutdown and also stood by his criticism of the Fed raising interest rates. Justin and Lance discuss Trump's decisions and tactics while also examining the United States' role in the killing of more than 4,600 civilians in Yemen.tags: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Middle East, policy, Donald Trump, President, Congress, wall, border, shutdown, government, issues, events, federal reserve, bank, fed, financial, markets, business, truechat, justin t weller, lance jackson

Nearly 60 million Americans live in small towns and rural areas. The problem is that these places are dying, both economically and culturally. Is rural America worth saving and, if so, what needs to be done to make it happen? Justin and Lance both live in rural America and share their unique perspective on the future of small towns.tags: politics, america, government, tax, incentive, small, town, usa, rural, urban, benefits, suburbs, poverty, election, donald trump, president, congress, council, truechat, justin t weller, lance jackson

Universal or unconditional basic income has started an interesting conversation about the future of our society. Basic income may hold the answers to simplifying the tax code, fixing unemployment, healthcare, social security, and more. Scott Santens rejoins Justin and Lance to share his experience living with a basic income.tags: basic, income, universal, unconditional, medicare, medicaid, social, security, tax, code, fix, law, government, united states, future, republican, democrat, solution, scott santens, podcast, truechat