Words & Numbers

The National Association of Realtors recently agreed to pay almost half a billion dollars in a class action suit involving sellers fees. This week’s guest, Judd Bristo, is unique in being a listener, an economist, and a realtor. We asked Judd to come on to talk about the settlement and the complex world of real estate commissions. Foolishness of the Week: 04:38 Main episode: 07:03 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/15/economy/nar-realtor-commissions-settlement/index.html https://qz.com/drug-resistant-bacteria-international-space-station-1851421829 Foolishness of the Week https://www.tiktok.com/@deathby2wheels/video/7357790629394386219 Topic of the Week https://www.nar.realtor/newsroom/nar-reaches-agreement-to-resolve-nationwide-claims-brought-by-home-sellers https://juddb

Foolishness of the Week: 06:30 Main episode: 09:25 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1183025683040361&id=100039988210787&mibextid=oFDknk&rdid=38pxUZNFlwwAi8YH https://nypost.com/2024/04/15/us-news/californians-arming-themselves-over-border-issue/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/12/politics/biden-student-loan-forgiveness/index.html Topic of the Week https://rumble.com/v4p4qlw-the-kim-iversen-show-live.html Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig More Ant on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/antonydavies Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies

James has an ax to grind. Google made him mad. FedEx made him mad. Many things make James mad. But this week, he tells us why. Foolishness of the Week: 16:22 Main episode: 20:01 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/constance-bay-man-loses-bid-to-recover-cost-of-life-saving-u-s-brain-surgery/ https://www.beeculture.com/deregulating-honey-in-missourithere-are-19-ways-to-kill-a-bill-and-only-one-way-to-pass-it/ https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/08/trump-media-stock-drops-more-than-10percent-to-open-trading-week.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/ar-BB1ldavJ Foolishness of the Week https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/book-ban-campaigns-hit-4-240-titles-last-year-here-are-the-top-10-targets-bf785117 Topic of the Week https://suitefeedback.com/amazon-custom

James recently wrote an article on the price of admission and food at baseball fields over the years. To look at the prices, it appears that baseball has shifted from entertainment for the working classes to entertainment for the middle and rich classes. Or perhaps we’ve simply all become richer and baseball has simply followed along. Foolishness of the Week: 13:07 Main episode: 16:09 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-income-households.html https://www.aceee.org/files/proceedings/2004/data/papers/SS04_Panel1_Paper17.pdf https://www.wsj.com/articles/californias-crazy-fast-food-minimum-wage-takes-effect-negative-repercussions-7ae3e9ae https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/san-diego-fast-food-minimum-wage/3475150 https://ww

We all know that the FDA saves lives by keeping bad drugs off markets. But far fewer of us understand that the FDA costs lives by keeping good drugs from markets. Often all it takes to see this other side of the FDA is to be confronted with a life threatening disease for which there are treatments - just not FDA-approved treatments.  Foolishness of the Week: 08:38 Main episode: 14:53 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/optimist-pollster-finds-americans-are-far-more-alike-than-different-in-this-election-year/ https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/ohio-man-brings-voters-of-all-stripes-together-to-agree-to-disagree-over-dinner-and-a-dialogue/ https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/24/playground-bullies-do-prosper-and-go-on-to-earn-more-in-middle-age Foolishness of the Week

Each election cycle, we’re treated to politicians and their supporters crying about the disappearing middle class. So many people repeat the mantra that most of us just accept it as fact. It turns out that those people are right - the middle class is disappearing. Where they get the story wrong is that it isn’t bad news. It’s excellent news. Foolishness of the Week: 09:12 Main episode: 15:32 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/the-ftc-bans-ai-impersonations-of-individuals-and-unveils-greater-powers-to-win-stolen-money-backhttps://www.cnn.com/2024/03/17/health/marriage-divorce-rates-wellness/index.html Foolishness of the Week https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/21/24079371/google-ai-gemini-generative-inaccurate-historical Topic of the Week https://youtu.be/b8soxNZzVlE?s

Spike Cohen, 2020 Libertarian Party Vice-Presidential nominee, joins us this week for a two part series in which we discuss the upcoming election, the Libertarian Party, the future of politics in America, and his work in single-issue activism - You Are the Power. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Topic of the Week https://www.youarethepower.net https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Cohen Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig More Ant on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/antonydavies 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 #A

Spike Cohen, 2020 Libertarian Party Vice-Presidential nominee, joins us this week for a two part series in which we discuss the upcoming election, the Libertarian Party, the future of politics in America, and his work in single-issue activism - You Are the Power. Foolishness of the Week: 11:05 Main episode: 13:14 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.thecollegefix.com/gmu-economist-reported-to-dei-office-for-criticizing-plan-to-mandate-dei-courses/ https://masoncore.gmu.edu/mason-core-course-categories/just-society/ https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/11/nearly-half-of-parents-financially-support-adult-children-study-shows.html Foolishness of the Week https://www.mediaite.com/news/tucker-carlson-already-pushing-stolen-election-conspiracy-theories-about-2024/ Topic of the Week https://www.youarethep

The United States has been a two party system almost since its inception. In modern times, this has led to the Democrats and Republicans having a virtual monopoly on the political landscape. Despite the fact that a plurality of Americans don’t identify with either party, they won’t allow a third party to compete. And what’s the only thing worse than a two-party system? A one-party system. Foolishness of the Week: 06:08 Main episode: 09:41 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://archive.triblive.com/opinion/featured-commentary/in-defense-of-price-gouging/ https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/01/the-us-national-debt-is-rising-by-1-trillion-about-every-100-days.html Foolishness of the Week https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/16/opinion/ezra-klein-biden-audio-essay.html Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.f

Last week, we recorded live from Hampden-Sydney College. This week’s episode is the Q&A from that recording. Foolishness of the Week: 09:21 Main episode: 10:05 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://studyfinds.org/is-everyone-angry-toxic-outrage-culture-consuming-society-like-never-before/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13119241/Trump-threatens-biggest-stock-market-crash-HISTORY-loses-Biden-claims-five-things-DOJ-investigate-Haley-wild-speech-MAGA-fans-South-Carolina-primary.html Topic of the Week https://www.hsc.edu Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig More Ant on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/antonydavies Let

Last week, we talked about the incongruity of not only having a majority of voters not like either major party candidate, but to have those two candidates appear twice in back-to-back elections. This week, we explore what happens when a President is incapable of fulfilling the duties of the office. Foolishness of the Week: 11:01 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-trump-raise-the-settlement Foolishness of the Week https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/02/15/barbara-lee-minimum-wage/72611446007/ Topic of the Week https://www.hsc.edu Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig More Ant on YouTube https://www.youtube.

Last week, we talked about the incongruity of not only having a majority of voters not like either major party candidate, but to have those two candidates appear twice in back-to-back elections. This week, we explore what happens when a President is incapable of fulfilling the duties of the office. Foolishness of the Week: 09:59 Main episode: 12:50 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2024/02/blazing-saddles-five-funny-facts-at-50/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/taylor-swift-biden-psyop-conspiracy-b2489364.html Topic of the Week https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-25/ Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.

  The Trump vs Biden election of 2020 was noteworthy because, for so many voters, it wasn’t a matter of selecting the person they thought was best suited for the job so much as a matter of selecting the person they thought was least ill-suited. As if it isn’t weird enough that, out of 200 million or so adults, the best we could do was to bring Trump and Biden to the fore, here we are in 2024 apparently set to do the same thing all over again. Foolishness of the Week: 09:10 Main episode: 13:33 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/06/trump-election-case-appeals-court-denies-ex-president-immunity.html Foolishness of the Week https://studyfinds.org/mixed-reality-headsets/ Topic of the Week https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/biden-trump-campaign-longest-ever-age-7e849b34 ht

People used to scared about the federal debt. But it's been so huge for so long that people have lost interest. Yet, despite people's lack of attention - or perhaps, in part, because of it - the debt has continued to grow. For the past 50 years or so, it has been doubling every 8 to 9 years. Foolishness of the Week: 09:10 Main episode:  13:36 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/12/06/new-fafsa-may-launch-with-old-inflation-data-resulting-in-less-college-aid.html?fbclid=IwAR1Z0ny8wwaMEEA0nyaJGxEGF3Hvbeq9XtAJpVmQLYtfyMdKNmDS-loexes https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/01/27/is-the-journalism-death-spasm-finally-here-00138187 Foolishness of the Week https://nypost.com/2024/01/26/news/un-fires-staffers-who-allegedly-took-part-in-october-7-hamas-terrorist-attacks-on-isr

Many people share an intuition that “excess” profits are a sign of something having been stolen from labor. Karl Marx shared this intuition and formalized it in his writings on the surplus value of labor. Foolishness of the Week: 05:48 Main episode: 11:55 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPkJH6BT7dM https://studyfinds.org/childless-millennials-parents/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/19/us-inflation-caused-by-corporate-profits Topic of the Week https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GFDEBTN Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig More Ant on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/antonydavies Let Us

For whom does the corporation exist: investors, workers, customers, the community? Economists tend to answer, "investors." That's not to say that workers, customers, and the community aren't important, but rather that the corporation exists to further the interests of the investors. Where the interests of the workers, customers, and community coincide with those of investors, the corporation also cares about those groups. But where their interests conflict with those of investors, the interests of investors take precedence. That's the principle of "shareholder value." The principle of "stakeholder value" holds that the corporation should consider the interests of workers, consumers, and the community even when they conflict with the interests of the investors. Foolishness of the Week: 08:15 Main episode: 12:29 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://w

Economic "degrowth" seems to be the new socialism. Like the old, it promises all manner of wonderful things, from equality to a cleaner environment. And like the old, it will deliver nothing but misery. Foolishness of the Week: 10:24 Main episode: 13:35 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.ambito.com/politica/ley-omnibus-el-gobierno-busca-que-ya-no-se-use-la-palabra-gratis-prestacion-estatales-n5908723 https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S6-C1-3-1/ALDE_00013300/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/06/politics/lloyd-austin-hospitalization-officials/index.html/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/secretary-defense-lloyd-austin-hospitalized-middle-east-missions-rcna132612/ Topic of the Week https://theconversation.com/degrowth-slowing-down-rich-economies-to-de

Intuitively, people understand the value of time. We consider it every time we decide to put off something we want now for something better later. Psychologists call it, “delayed gratification.” But when we think about things like banks and landlords and Wall Street, we fail to see the time value of money driving people’s behaviors. Foolishness of the Week: 14:15 Main episode: 18:13 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits http://nutritionpair.com/ www.wfla.com/news/dave-chappelle-ends-show-early-walks-off-stage-at-hard-rock-live/ Foolishness of the Week www.wsj.com/articles/yellen-biden-economy-inflation-prices-dc9902f2 Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig Mor

Colleges and universities, for years now self-proclaimed bastions of “safe spaces,” are allowing some students to express anti Semitism and call for genocide. Should colleges allow this in the name of free speech, or should it disallow it in the name of protecting students? Congressional hearings into prominent universities appear to reveal administrators picking a third and worse option: selectively allowing or disallowing free speech depending on at whom the speech is directed. Foolishness of the Week: 08:15 Main episode: 11:36 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/12/23/biden-pardon-state-level-marijuana/72015078007/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/sorry-but-potatoes-may-soon-no-longer-be-considered-a-vegetable/ar-AA1lRk

We respond to an article that claims that “the good life” has become so expensive as to be beyond the reach of most Americans. We conclude that what is beyond the reach of at least some Americans is the ability to perform simple math. Foolishness of the Week: 05:33 Main episode: 09:16 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/other/tsa-self-screening-is-the-next-big-step-for-airport-security/ar-AA1lH2XJ  Foolishness of the Week https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/electric-vehicle-ev-guilbeault-1.7061381 Topic of the Week https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-dream-cost-3-4-million-house-college-cars-retirement/ https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUS Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.you