Words & Numbers

In part 2 of this two-part episode, Steve Horwitz joins us to discuss the realities and myths surrounding gender discrimination and the gender pay gap. 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 HitsWomen comprise 67% of HR workforce https://www.hrdive.com/news/hr-is-overwhelmingly-white-and-female-data-indicates/548600 Venezuelans making their own gas https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-pdvsa-gasoline-feature-idUSKBN27Z1LR Foolishness of the Week 14 hours for a burger https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8972231/In-N-Burger-chain-opens-two-Colorado-outlets-leading-fights-epic-14-hour-lines.html Topic of the Week Steve Horwitz https://www.amazon.com/Steven-Horwitz/e/B001JP8I1I Lawsuits under the equal pay act https://www.eeoc.gov/statistics/eeoc-litigation-statistics-fy-1997-through-fy-2019 Unemployment rates for men and women https://fred.stlouisfed.org

In part 1 of this two-part episode, Steve Horwitz joins us to discuss the realities and myths surrounding gender discrimination and the gender pay gap. 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 HitsWhat the Constitution means to me https://constitutionbroadway.com Foolishness of the Week Student loan forgiveness https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2020/11/16/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-figures-in-my-plan/ Topic of the Week Steve Horwitz https://www.amazon.com/Steven-Horwitz/e/B001JP8I1I Lawsuits under the equal pay act https://www.eeoc.gov/statistics/eeoc-litigation-statistics-fy-1997-through-fy-2019 Unemployment rates for men and women https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS14000001 https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS14000002 Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mail

One of the unintended consequences of government overreach is that everything becomes politicized. Much of the acrimony in our political environment is due to the fact that the government has (and often uses) the power to tell people how to live their lives. That power, in turn, comes from the fact that the people ask government for more and more stuff, handing over more of their power with each request. 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 HitsExtreme Poverty on the Rise http://toinformistoinfluence.com/news/business-54448589 Happiness is Genetic https://nypost.com/2020/11/06/nearly-half-of-happiness-is-genetic-so-most-of-us-are-doomed/ Foolishness of the Week 2020 Presidential Denial Topic of the Week: Politicizing Government Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wo

In this second of a two-part series, we continue the conversation with Clark Neily about differences in publicly provided and privately provided goods and services. 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$10,000,000,000,000,000,000https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hubble-space-telescope-rare-asteroid-16-psyche-worth-10000-quadrillion/?ftag=CNM-00-10aag7e Foolishness of the Week Chaotic election https://www.yahoo.com/now/final-yahoo-news-you-gov-poll-biden-leads-trump-by-10-as-voters-fear-a-chaotic-election-day-132235742.html Stressful electionhttps://www.studyfinds.org/2020-election-day-most-stressful/ Topic of the Week https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZTUb9gKQildyeIAUM9BxEL49_XSsKS0z/view?usp=sharing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sour_Grapes_(2016_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset_Limited Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.fac

Some goods and services we choose to provide via the government (mail delivery). Some we choose to provide via markets (grocery stores). And some we choose to provide via government and markets working together (road construction), or via them working in competition (education). This week, Clark Neily joins us to compare and contrast publicly provided and privately provided goods and services. 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 Fake Instagrammers https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-instagrammers-are-faking-the-luxury-of-a-private-jet-for-just-dollar64-an-hour Foolishness of the Week Gettysburg https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/10/26/gettysburg-trump-black-lives-matter-clashes/ Topic of the Week https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZTUb9gKQildyeIAUM9BxEL49_XSsKS0z/view?usp=sharing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sour_Grapes_(2016_film) https://en.wikipe

Periodically, the Congressional Budget Office forecasts federal debt, revenue, and spending. For decades, the CBO has underestimated the future debt. If we adjust CBO’s forecasts by their historical error, we get a clearer picture of where the federal government’s finances will be in the next decade. Interestingly, the debt is approaching a point not seen since the first decade of our history when Congress replaced Continental dollars with the US dollar we use today. 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 The Irish and the Choctaw https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/world/coronavirus-ireland-native-american-tribes.html Foolishness of the Week Presidential Debates https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2020/08/14/presidential-debates/ Topic of the Week CBO’s Long Term Outlook https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56516 Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backs

The United States is poised to rack up a record trade deficit this year. Politicians and the media will make a big deal about this, but the truth is that trade deficits really don’t matter. Trade is simply an exchange. So long as it’s voluntary, by definition, both parties are better off. 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 US Debthttps://www.cnn.com/2020/10/08/economy/deficit-debt-pandemic-cbo/index.html https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GFDEGDQ188S Facebook Currencyhttps://news.trust.org/item/20201012143626-bfcy3 Foolishness of the Week Super Trump https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/520540-trump-wanted-to-rip-open-shirt-to-show-superman-t-shirt-when-leaving Topic of the Week Trade Deficit https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/IEABC Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What Y

James and Ant offer a post-game discussion of the first Presidential debate. Unfortunately, “post-game” is the right word because, for as much as the left and right bicker, the two parties have become largely the same. Regardless of who wins, the government goes on doing the same things it has always done. Mostly what people do now is to root for their team, not out of principle, but because it’s their team. 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 Swearing Parrots https://www.insider.com/foul-fowl-language-2020-9 Armenia and Azerbaijan Conflict https://www.cbsnews.com/news/armenia-azerbaijan-clash-nagorno-karabakh-why-it-could-get-uglier/ Foolishness of the Week Mask Bashing https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/top-trump-campaign-official-ridicules-joe-biden-s-mask-wearing-n1242041 Topic of the Week: The Presidential Debate Join the Conversation Word

We devote plenty of time to discussing things that the government does wrong. This week, we change gears as Clark Neily joins us to discuss things throughout history that the Supreme Court has done right. 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 Deaths by Car and SUV https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/passenger-vehicle-occupants https://newsroom.aaa.com/tag/driving-cost-per-mile/ Term Limits for the Supremes? https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/25/democrats-introduce-bill-to-democratize-supreme-court-limit-terms-to-18-years/ Rationing https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/other/uk-supermarkets-tesco-and-morrisons-are-rationing-toilet-paper-and-hand-sanitizer-as-fears-of-panic-buying-return-one-worker-said-their-store-was-worse-than-a-bad-christmas/ar-BB19pTBr Foolishness of the Week Time Travelling Professor https://www.law.cornell.e

Little by little, things appear to be getting back to normal following COVID and the lockdown. James and Ant discuss what the world will look like as we recover from COVID. 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 Emu Today and Tomorrow https://www.emutoday.com Flight to Nowhere https://gizmodo.com/australias-7-hour-flight-to-nowhere-sells-out-instantly-1845101789 First Annual Clusterchuck https://www.pittwire.pitt.edu/news/history-professor-s-far-flung-fun-brings-students-together Trump Endangering Journalists https://thehill.com/homenews/media/517270-msnbc-trump-endangering-journalists-undermining-freedoms-with-comments-about Foolishness of the Week Supreme Court Appointment https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/over-our-dead-bodies-liberals-threatens-to-burn-it-all-down-if-gop-replace-ginsburg-before-election-day Topic of the Week: Things Returning to Nor

Roger Ver, founder of bitcoin.com joins us this week to discuss the emergence of cryptocurrency as the answer to the problem of inflated sovereign currencies. Widespread adoption of cryptocurrency will likely emerge at about the same time that the US dollar begins to lose its value to the inflation needed to fund the government’s insatiable appetite for debt. 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 Payroll Tax Deferral https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/11/business/trump-payroll-tax-cut.html Mumbai Traffic Lights https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/05/india/mumbai-traffic-lights-tests-scli-intl/index.html Foolishness of the Week Joe Exotic https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/amazon-picks-up-show-starring-nicolas-cage-as-joe-exotic-the-tiger-king/ Topic of the Week: Cryptocurrency Roger Ver https://www.rogerver.com Bitcoin.com https://www.bitcoin.com/ Join the Conversati

Andrew Heaton joins us to discuss comedy, politics, and that we can’t seem to laugh at ourselves anymore because our politics have become our religion.

Our response to COVID has imposed changes across the whole economy. One of the industries that is likely to bear the lion’s share of those changes is higher education. COVID policies are laying bare the fact that both students and administrators have come to regard college less as a place to obtain an education than as a place to obtain a four-year “experience.” 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 Virtual Graduation https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/25/asia/india-university-virtual-reality-graduation-scli-intl/index.html Flying Cars https://dnyuz.com/2020/08/29/humans-take-a-step-closer-to-flying-cars/ Foolishness of the Week Drones and Drugs https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/36013/mexican-drug-cartel-now-assassinating-its-enemies-with-improvised-explosive-toting-drones Topic of the Week How Not to Be Terrible at College https://fee.org/shows/audio/words-nu

Steve Horwitz is back with us this week to discuss the Great Depression. The story that’s commonly handed down in high school history courses doesn’t match what economists and historians have come to understand about it. The government’s response was less an exercise in macroeconomic policy than it was an exercise in social engineering. The lessons of what didn’t work and why are important to us as we struggle with the COVID economy. 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 How Not to Be Terrible at College https://fee.org/shows/audio/words-numbers/how-not-to-be-terrible-at-college#player Liquid Democracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_democracy Post Office https://facts.usps.com/top-facts/ https://thehill.com/homenews/house/513241-house-passes-25b-bill-to-boost-postal-service https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2013/jul/24/american-postal-workers-union

Todd Zywicki, Professor of Law at GMU and head of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau’s Task Force on Consumer Financial Law joins us to discuss the pros and cons of consumer protection and financial regulation. 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 Covid Caseshttps://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Cases.aspx Nathan Benefield on Covid Cases https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/closer-look-coronavirus-numbers-pa-nathan-benefield/ Hospital Utilization Data https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/covid19/report-patient-impact.html#anchor_1594393649 The Long Arm of the California Tax Office https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/california-dems-wealth-tax-follows-people-who-move-out-of-the-state/ Foolishness of the Week Wisconsin Requires Face Masks at Home https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/511483-wisconsin-state-agency-requires-employees-to-wear-masks-

For two millenia, economics was a field of philosophy. Starting in the late 1800s, economists began to employ mathematical modeling in their thinking. The requirements of mathematical modeling have led modern economists to begin by assuming that humans behave in certain ways. This week, Steve Horwitz joins us to discuss Austrian economics, which is a school of thought that goes back to economics’ philosophical roots by beginning with questions, rather than assumptions, about how humans behave. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Shampoo Assistants https://nypost.com/2020/08/08/ny-dems-push-for-law-mandating-training-for-shampoo-assistants/ Democratic Campaign https://theweek.com/speedreads/929999/biden-campaign-reportedly-making-ruthless-cuts-convention-speaking-list Foolishness of the Week Bernie’s Latest Wealth Tax https://www.nytimes.com/2019/

In past episodes, we’ve discussed problems with policing including qualified immunity and the militarization of police. In this episode, we revisit the topic from the perspective of a former police officer. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Fitch https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/united-states-outlook-revised-to-negative-from-stable-by-fitch/ar-BB17qy05 Foolishness of the Week Capitalism https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/07/07/seattle_city_councilwoman_we_will_not_stop_until_we_overthrow_capitalism_replace_it_with_socialism.html Topic of the Week Ian Adams https://scholars.org/scholar/ian-adams Data on Police Shootings https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/four-years-in-a-row-police-nationwide-fatally-shoot-nearly-1000-people/2019/02/07/0cb3b098-020f-11e9-9122-82e98f91ee6f_story.html Police Shootings, Racism, and Statis

The Constitution leaves policing up to the states. There is no provision for a national police force. Yet, numerous federal policing bodies have emerged and now the federal government is employing them in Portland in a manner that is a disturbing reminder of other governments’ secret police forces. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Balloon-Based 4G https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/balloons-bring-internet-to-20000-square-miles-of-kenya/ Google Employees Working at Home until 2021 https://nypost.com/2020/07/27/google-will-let-employees-work-from-home-until-july-2021/ Foolishness of the Week Washington Football Team https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/23/washington-redskins-new-team-name-washington-football-team/ Topic of the Week: Federal police action Clark Neily on Twitter https://twitter.com/ConLawWarrior Join the Conversation Words &

Conspiracy theories arise in part from our penchant for seeking patterns in random events and in part from our need to feel in control - to be able to explain the inexplicable. Some conspiracy theories are amusing, some will fool even skeptics, and some are dangerous. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Minimum Wage https://reports.nlihc.org/sites/default/files/oor/OOR_BOOK_2020.pdf https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2018/pdf/home.pdf Goya https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/donald-trump-goya-beans/ Foolishness of the Week Masks and Rights https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/may/1/forced-face-masking-civil-rights-offense/ Topic of the Week: Conspiracy Theories Elders of Zion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion The Clinton Hit List https://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2016/08/10/the-list-of-clinton-associat

The Founders established the three branches of government to provide checks on one another. But parties have come to supplant these institutions as the focus of loyalty for politicians. In this episode, we explore what the rise of parties means for our system of checks and balances. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/books/cooperation-and-coercion/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Economic Update https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/EMRATIO https://www.macrotrends.net/1377/u6-unemployment-rate COVID Party https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/i-thought-this-was-a-hoax-patient-in-their-30s-dies-after-attending-covid-party Foolishness of the Week Upward-Thrusting Buildings https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/jul/06/upward-thrusting-buildings-ejaculating-cities-sexist-leslie-kern-phallic-feminist-city-toxic-masculinity Topic of the Week: Parties and Institution