Rethinking Politics

37: Derek Chauvin, Infrastructure, Border Crisis, & More

Once again, we had too much to cover in a week and not enough time to dedicate an episode to each topic. We analyze the hottest political topics and recent events while providing you with our most controversial view yet: Joe Biden is actually doing almost none of the things that people were afraid/hoping he would do.

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Josh Hild on Pexels

36: Equality, The American Dream, & The Power of Words

This is an odd episode title, but a fantastic episode. We look at how our vocabulary shapes the way we talk about important issues which in turn shapes the very way we think about those issues. We then expound on how one word: equality, has actually shaped the political culture that we live and breathe today. The culture war today is dominated by assumptions about equality that have shaped the American Dream, Nature, Justice, and Merit. 

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash

35: Gun Control

In the wake of the recent shootings, the question of gun control is once again pushed to the front of the pack. In this episode, we throw in our two cents. Rather than assuming that the ends justify the means, we look first at whether or not gun control can be justified on a principled basis. We then look at what the practical ramifications of gun control are and how that impacts the efficacy of gun control policies. 

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Thomas Def on Unsplash

 

34: The Atlanta Shootings & Racism

There was a shooting spree in Atlanta Georgia on March 16th. Eight people were killed and more injured before the suspect was arrested later that night. But within a day, a large number of headlines were not about the shootings, but racism. We ask: why is the new definition of racism the default lens through which so many see the world? How does focusing primarily on racism change how we see things and does it help us see the world more clearly? 

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod

Photo: Kat Wilcox from Pexels

33: Crypto Currencies & The Origins of Money

As Crypto currencies and other alternative currencies rise in popularity, the dollar becomes less and less secure. In today's episode we take a look at why the dollar is struggling, what the alternatives are, and how we got here in the first place. You can’t answer these questions without knowing something about the nature of money itself. So we answer questions like: what is the history of money, why do societies use money, why do certain goods become money vs others, and what that means for the current monetary landscape. We also address the common historical trend for money to be debased and eventually move towards paper and inflation to benefit agents of government.

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod

Photo: Bermix Studio on Unsplash

32: Energy Policy & The Texas Outage

The Texas Power outage was a massive failure of some kind, but what exactly caused it? While every Op-ed on the subject seems to already have their partisan answer, a closer look reveals just how messy it is. All of the simple answers for what caused this catastrophe; Wind Power, Fossil Fuels, Deregulation, and Texas’ Power Independence do not address just how inept the modern power grid really is. In this episode we discuss what went wrong, why the system is set up the way it is, and why power grids in the US will continue to struggle until major changes are made. 

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod

Photo: Mathew Henry on Unsplash

31: Minimum Wage & The Poor

In this episode, we take a look at the now tabled proposal to increase the federal minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour. The main reason people want to increase the minimum wage is to help the poor. The first half of our discussion focuses on sorting through the evidence to determine whether minimum wage does in fact help the poor at the expense of businesses as its advocates hope. In the latter half, our discussion shifts focus towards understanding poverty better by addressing the many misconceptions about "the poor".

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

30: Loan Forgiveness & Student Debt

As the question of student loan forgiveness is being discussed on the federal level, we thought it would be a good time to take a look at student debt. With almost 50 million people currently holding student debt in the US, this issue is a big one.  But the underlying issues are more complicated than the existence of debt, and simply forgiving that debt will not solve the problem. Instead of debating student loan forgiveness, we focus on the underlying reasons for the current student debt crisis and what we can do to fix it.

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Vasily Koloda on Unsplash

29: Impeachment, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Gamestop, Covid, & More

A lot has happened so far this month, and in this catch-all episode we try to hit on as many of them as we can. And as always, we bring our own take and offer some insight into the implications and importance of these many issues. We cover the impeachment trial, Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Stimulus Bill, Covid lockdowns, Gamestop, and Robinhood.

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod   
Photo: AhmadArdity on Pixabay

28: Big Tech & Free Speech

(Episode Description Censored) 

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: dole777 on Unsplash