Words & Numbers

Episode 524: The Ratchet Effect

Ant and James dissect the constant involvement of government in "emergencies," which seem to happen once a decade. For some reason. 0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 0:50 The Ig Nobel Prize: Are Rich People More Selfish? 5:13 Rising Oil Prices and the Real Cost of Policy Decisions 7:20 Trump’s $5,000 Checks and the Inflation Problem 10:22 The Lindsay Clancy Trial and a Bizarre Jury Split 12:22 Foolishness of the Week: A Five-Year-Old, a Pond, and CPS 15:32 Foolishness of the Week: Punished for Stopping a Mass Shooter 18:17 The Affordability Crisis and Government Intervention 19:58 The Ratchet Effect: Why Government Power Never Shrinks 21:15 From the Great Depression to COVID: A Century of Expanding Government 24:14 The 2030s: Social Security and the Coming Wealth Tax 25:50 The 2040s: The Debt Crisis and a Digital Dollar 32:27 The 2050s: Population Decline and Universal Basic Income 34:11 How Temporary Government Powers Become Permanent 35:27 Socialism, the Berlin Wall, and North vs. South Korea 40:11 Social Security Insolvency and America’s Growing Debt 42:11 Property Taxes, Ownership, and the Erosion of Economic Freedom 47:01 How Young People Can Prepare for Social Security’s Future 50:21 Retirement Savings and the Coming AI Bubble 54:32 AI Regulation, Government Protection, and the Ratchet Effect

Episode 523: It’s Always 9/11

Ant and James reflect on 9/11, both the day and its legacy. 0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 0:24 Citizens United, Super PACs, and Money in Politics 6:48 Corporate Donations, Trump, and Political Influence 10:50 AI Is Putting an Entire Industry Out of Business 13:56 AI, College Cheating, and the Future of Education 17:28 Foolishness of the Week: Trump Threatens to Halt Trade 20:48 Why Trade Deficits Aren’t What Politicians Think 22:24 25 Years Later: Remembering 9/11 25:25 Where We Were When the Attacks Happened 29:03 How 9/11 Changed America Overnight 31:39 Fear, Terrorism, and the Wars That Followed 9/11 34:22 How 9/11 Changed the Nature of War 35:17 The War on Terror and America’s “Wars on Nouns” 42:28 TSA, Security Theater, and the Post-9/11 Surveillance State 44:30 The Militarization of American Law Enforcement 46:06 Did Americans Trade Freedom for Security? 48:31 Fear, Crime, and the Lasting Legacy of 9/11 50:32 Closing Thoughts: Have Some Charity in Your Heart

Episode 522: Disinteresting Rates

What's the deal with bonds and interest rates? Find out on Words & Numbers, where we will use both words and numbers to get to the bottom of things. 0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 0:42 Free Speech and the First Amendment 7:45 Rutgers Dean Caught Recording Students 09:55 Renaming the Great Lakes “Lake America” 11:41 Foolishness of the Week: George Santos Gets Banned From Kalshi 14:27 Is the Government Running Out of Places to Borrow? 20:24 Why Treasury Investors Are Demanding Higher Returns 22:10 The Federal Debt and the Interest Rate Spiral 24:06 Can the Government Tax Its Way Out of the Deficit? 26:24 Will the Government Eventually Monetize the Debt? 27:43 The Federal Reserve vs. the Treasury 33:05 Scott Bessent’s Plan to Push Interest Rates Down 36:42 Is the Treasury Gambling on Short-Term Debt? 41:37 Is the Treasury Trying to Conduct Monetary Policy? 44:38 Are We Seeing the Beginning of a U.S. Debt Crisis? 49:03 Can Social Security Force Congress to Confront the Debt? 51:35 Closing Thoughts: Find an Excuse to Be Nice

Episode 521: A Priest Walks Into a Podcast

A priest shows up. Antony doesn’t confess, James doesn’t convert, but they all talk about human dignity. Checkout Fr. James Martin, SJ 's book, 'Work in Progress.' https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062694480 0:00 Introduction and Overview 0:29 The Ultimate Quiet Quitting Story 4:32 Scott Bessent’s $950 Billion Bond Buyback Plan 8:05 Is the Treasury Conducting Its Own Monetary Policy? 12:14 Foolishness of the Week: American Airlines Does It Again 16:57 Father James Martin on Pope Leo, AI, and Human Dignity 20:50 What Happens When AI Meets Humanlike Robots? 22:48 AI, Loneliness, and Replacing Human Relationships 24:57 Can Free Markets Serve the Common Good? 29:22 Property Rights, Poverty, and the Role of the Church 34:53 Who Gets to Define the “Common Good”? 36:17 Subsidiarity, Data Centers, and Local Decision-Making 41:18 Human Rights vs. Human Flourishing 43:38 Wealth, Profit, and the Morality of Capitalism 48:00 What Did Jesus Mean by “The Poor Will Always Be With You”? 51:22 Individual Charity vs. Community Responsibility 55:15 Social Media, Human Dignity, and the Loss of Community 1:00:09 Father James Martin’s Work in Progress

Episode 520: The Death of Data

When government statistics are under question, it gets pretty hard to know what the hell is actually going on. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 00:32 Civil Disobedience, Crime, and Flock Cameras 06:17 License Plate Tracking and the Surveillance State 10:52 Rising Treasury Yields and Federal Borrowing 12:20 Surge Pricing, Markets, and Government Intervention 15:48 Monopolies, Standard Oil, and De Beers 20:01 Foolishness of the Week: Trump Tariffs on Brass Instruments 24:02 The Death of Reliable Government Data 27:00 Why Politicizing Economic Data Matters 30:21 Immigration Data, Jobs, and the Economy 33:01 Immigration and Social Security 36:39 Migrant Workers, Business Planning, and Regulation 41:39 Why Reliable Data Keeps Prices Lower 44:06 Final Thoughts on Kindness and Grace

Episode 519: Of Course Clark is Right

Clark Neily joins us once again, this time to discuss the thorny matter of constitutional interpretation. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:26 TSA Phone Searches and the Right to Privacy 06:26 The University of Michigan Abandons Traditional Grades 10:31 Foolishness of the Week: Transgender Athletes and the WNBA 18:48 Clark Neily on How to Read the Constitution 21:54 Originalism vs. Textualism 27:02 Applying the Constitution to Modern Technology 30:31 Wiretapping, Smartphones, and the Fourth Amendment 33:06 Constitutional Rights at the Border 36:54 What the Constitution Really Means by a “Jury” 40:22 Original Meaning and the Second Amendment 50:01 The Right to Bear Arms and Resisting Government 57:36 Equal Protection and the Fourteenth Amendment 01:09:49 How Far Does the Second Amendment Go? 01:13:35 What Does It Mean to “Infringe” a Right? 01:25:14 The Forgotten Privileges or Immunities Clause 01:27:07 Closing Thoughts

Episode 518: Potluck

This week Ant and James seem not to have much of a point, but that's never stopped them before, and it sure didn't stop them this week. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 00:24 Caleb Hammer, Personal Finance, and Economic Hypocrisy 05:13 Thomas Jefferson, Hypocrisy, and Judging Ideas vs. People 10:00 Political Tribalism and Why People Stop Thinking Critically 14:46 Government Ownership of Corporations and Modern Socialism 20:51 Gas Prices, Oil Company Profits, and Government Taxes 26:43 Foolishness of the Week: The Reflecting Pool Fiasco 31:28 The 2028 Election, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and John Fetterman 33:48 Russia’s Nuclear Threats and the War in Ukraine 41:35 China, Population Collapse, and the Future of Global Power 49:18 Closing Thoughts

Episode 517: A Cornucopia of Foolishness

All foolishness all the time, with the connoisseur of foolishness himself, Wes Westmoreland. 00:00 Introduction 00:43 American Airlines Travel Horror Stories 06:25 Is the GOP Becoming Socialist? 12:34 Goldfish Rights, Animal Rights, and Ethical Contradictions 17:03 Tim Walz’s “Gender Dolls” for Children 20:32 Crossbow Mishap at the County Fair 22:07 Zohran Mamdani, Grocery Stores, and Reparations 24:16 Democrats, Republicans, and the 2026 Midterms 29:57 Iran, Endless Wars, and Foreign Policy Failures 34:05 Anthony Fauci Takes the Fifth 111 Times 41:46 Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

Episode 516: Save Our Children! | Guest: London River

The adult entertainment industry has been sounding the alarm about the erosion of our rights for years. Adult actress London River joins us to explain. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 00:43 Zohran Mamdani’s Housing Proposal and Rent Control 03:44 Foolishness of the Week: Do Goldfish Have Rights? 07:51 Introducing London River 09:55 The SAVE Act and Online Age Verification 11:35 Why Adult Websites Oppose ID Verification 13:26 Parents, Government, and Protecting Children Online 17:55 Privacy, Databases, and the Future of the Internet 20:23 Is Age Verification a First Amendment Issue? 24:01 Free Speech, the Second Amendment, and Government Overreach 26:02 Supreme Court Rulings on Online Speech 29:14 Why the Adult Industry Is the “Canary in the Coal Mine” 31:29 Defending Free Speech Before It’s Too Late 35:47 Soft Authoritarianism and Expanding Government Power 38:13 Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

Episode 515: Government’s Footprint

What do population growth rates and movement among the states have to do with one another? More than you might think. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 00:56 Thomas Massie on Congress and Presidential Power 03:34 A Promising New Alzheimer’s Treatment 07:03 Foolishness of the Week: California’s Town Council Refuses to Leave Office 08:40 America’s Population Slowdown and Why It Matters 11:03 Immigration, Social Security, and Demographic Challenges 12:11 States Competing for Residents 17:19 Technical Difficulties 17:55 Does Bigger Government Lead to Better Outcomes? 20:20 Why Americans Are Leaving High-Tax States 23:26 Government Growth, Incentives, and Long-Term Stability 26:19 Immigration, Welfare, and Population Policy 28:38 Remote Work Is Reshaping State Economies 30:36 Competition Between States and the Future of America 31:51 Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

Episode 514: Birthright Citizenship

Is birth enough to determine who should be a citizen? We (and the Supreme Court) weigh in. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 00:39 Disclosure Day, Spielberg, and Hollywood’s Creativity Problem 05:26 Foolishness of the Week: Air Conditioning and Energy Politics 13:58 Trump’s Meme Stock and Cryptocurrency Profits 23:39 Birthright Citizenship and the 14th Amendment 26:28 What Does “Subject to the Jurisdiction” Mean? 30:18 Original Intent vs. Constitutional Text 33:50 Textualism, Originalism, and Justice Scalia 37:03 Can Birthright Citizenship Be Changed? 42:34 Why Constitutional Intent Isn’t Always Enough 47:13 The Limits of Constitutional Interpretation 52:39 How Constitutional Amendments Should Work 56:46 Supreme Court Justices, Brown v. Board, and Closing Thoughts

Episode 513: The Real Independence Day

Was July 4, 1776 the actual day of our independence from Great Britain as most Americans believe? While James is indisposed, historian Rob McDonald joins me to discuss the actual facts of America’s founding.

Episode 512: What Do You Meme?

Memes are apparently unavoidable, and most of them suck. Here we talk about some of the suckiest ones. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 00:51 Japan’s Food Tax and Why Groceries Shouldn’t Be Taxed 02:38 State Sales Taxes on Food Across America 05:04 Flat Taxes, Tax Complexity, and Scotland’s Simplicity 06:18 Remembering Historian Gordon Wood 07:37 AI Corporations and the Future of Legal Personhood 13:30 Foolishness of the Week: Trump’s Repeated Iran Peace Claims 18:08 Responding to Socialist Memes 19:04 Does Capitalism Create Billionaires Instead of Healthcare? 22:11 Obamacare, Health Insurance, and Government Bureaucracy 25:24 Why Misleading Memes Spread So Easily 29:12 Is Poverty a Product of Capitalism? 34:08 Elon Musk, Billionaires, and Wealth Creation 42:20 Infinite Growth, Capitalism, and the Laws of Thermodynamics 45:55 Why Political Memes Make Public Discourse Worse 48:13 Patreon Updates and Closing Thoughts

Episode 511: Happy Juneteenth! | Guest: Tom Krannawitter

You should absolutely care about Juneteenth. Tom Krannawitter joins us to talk about why. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:20 Two Dan Sullivans Running in Alaska 02:57 Lawyers Using AI in Federal Court 04:10 Foolishness of the Week: Switzerland’s Population Cap 10:12 Fear of Declining Living Standards 12:03 Juneteenth with Thomas Krannawitter 13:13 The Origins of Juneteenth 16:03 Why the 13th Amendment Completed the American Founding 18:59 Juneteenth and the Fourth of July 24:21 America’s Anti-Slavery Principles 30:17 Jefferson, Slavery, and the Declaration of Independence 32:46 The Truth Behind the Three-Fifths Compromise 37:05 Jefferson’s Personal Contradictions 43:36 Why America’s Founders Saw Slavery as Wrong 48:01 Why Juneteenth Should Unite Americans 52:04 Aristotle, Freedom, and Forgiveness 55:41 Black Wall Street and the Promise of Liberty 59:20 Jefferson’s Grave and the American Story 01:01:54 Lincoln, Equality, and Richard M. Johnson 01:07:15 Why Juneteenth Matters Today 01:08:18 Waypoints Teaching and Closing Remarks

Episode 510: Artificial Sanders Socialism

Ant and James change things up a bit this week by talking about a great idea from Bernie Sanders. Most of that is true. Ant and James do, in fact, talk about an idea Bernie Sanders has. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:19 IRS Tax Forms, Privacy, and Dual Citizenship 05:29 Public Opinion Polls and Political Popularity 09:17 Foolishness of the Week: Jill Biden and Joe Biden’s Debate Performance 15:02 Virginia’s New Electric Vehicle Tax 18:49 Trump, AI Regulation, and Government Oversight 20:53 Bernie Sanders Wants Public Ownership of AI Companies 23:44 Who Should Benefit from AI Wealth? 26:01 Why Government Ownership Would Hurt Innovation 29:44 Would AI Companies Leave the United States? 31:28 Is Bernie Serious or Just Campaigning? 33:15 Closing Thoughts

Episode 509: The Girlfriend Experience

Why look for a girlfriend when you can just build one yourself? 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 00:38 China Influence Operations and Free Speech 05:07 Pope Leo’s Slavery Apology 12:53 Kash Patel Website Hacked by Malware 15:44 The Growing Trend of AI Girlfriends 20:15 Why Young Men Trust AI Companions 24:19 Is AI Becoming Sentient? 29:06 The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence 33:04 AI Romance and Falling Birth Rates 39:40 Will AI Replace Human Jobs? 45:51 Closing Thoughts - Get the book by Ant & James: Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! ⁠⁠http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com⁠ Antony Davies on X ⁠⁠https://x.com/antonydavies⁠ James R. Harrigan on X ⁠⁠https://x.com/JamesRHarrigan

Episode 508: Insider Everything

Should insider trading be allowed? It seems like a straightforward question, so how did we end up also talking about sports betting and Polymarket? - Get the book by Ant & James: Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! ⁠http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Antony Davies on X ⁠https://x.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on X ⁠https://x.com/JamesRHarrigan

Episode 507: Free These People

The inimitable Matt Kibbe, of Kibbe on Liberty joins us to spill the beans. Which beans? You’ll have to listen or watch to find out. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:24 Brazil’s Failing Medical Education System 04:59 Older Americans Turn to Marijuana Instead of Doctors 07:11 Kari Lake, Ambassadorships, and Political Loyalty 11:16 Trump, Obama, Third Terms, and Autocracy 14:40 Introduction: Matt Kibbe Joins the Show 16:24 Building Free the People and Communicating Liberty Through Storytelling 19:50 Why Stories Matter More Than Numbers in Economics 24:49 Libertarian Messaging and Reaching New Generations 28:04 Why Heroes Are Hard to Find 31:30 Trump, Influence, and Decentralized Cultural Power 33:54 Jordan Peterson, Responsibility, and Optimism 37:26 Fear, Freedom, and the Appeal of Certainty 42:12 Libertarianism, Progress, and Political Tribalism 45:12 Announcement: Words & Numbers Partners with Free the People 49:50 Growing Audiences, Social Media, and the Future of the Show 51:32 Closing Remarks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Episode 506: Where Have All The Men Gone?

What the hell is wrong with young men, and is there anything we can do to help? Max Borders joins us to diagnose the problem and offer a possible solution. Disclaimer: Max and James are starting a new project together. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:24 The 25th Amendment and Presidential Incapacity 04:05 Biden, Kamala Harris, and Political Responsibility 06:25 Gerald Ford, Nixon, and Presidential Stability 08:36 Gas Prices and the Federal Gas Tax Debate 11:56 Age Verification Laws and VPN Workarounds 15:52 Introduction to Max Borders and the Crisis Facing Young Men 19:06 Toxic Masculinity, Smartphones, and the Rise of the Manosphere 21:55 Role Models, Mentorship, and the Loss of Masculine Guidance 27:42 Feminization, Ambition, and the Balance Between Masculine and Feminine Virtues 33:08 Young Men, Dating Culture, and Social Withdrawal 38:49 Dating Apps, Workplaces, and the Decline of Real-World Relationships 42:53 Young Men Falling Behind in Education and Life 48:25 Parenting, Discipline, Trauma Culture, and Resilience 59:08 The Manosphere, Positive Masculinity, and the Chrysalis Project Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Episode 505: Owning the (Post) Libs

How did all the Post-Liberals get on the Goulash Train? And what are Post-Liberals? And what is (or more to the point, was) the Goulash Train? With guest Phil Magness. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:44 Fast-Track Degrees and Credential Culture 03:53 Online Learning and Gaming the System 05:11 AI, Universities, and Lecture Ownership 08:04 AI Replacing Professors and Higher Ed Decline 09:55 The Collapse of Higher Education 11:29 Credentials vs Real Education 12:54 Guest Introduction: Phil Magness 13:56 Viktor Orbán and Hungary’s Political Shift 16:11 Hungary, Russia, and Ukraine Context 17:44 Orbán’s Election Loss and Fallout 19:29 Why Hungary Matters to the U.S. 20:45 Post-Liberalism Explained 27:36 Carl Schmitt and Authoritarian Theory 31:21 Hungary as a Model for Post-Liberalism 36:11 State Power, Economics, and Policy Failures 41:37 U.S. Connections and the “Goulash Train” 46:27 Post-Liberalism as a Fringe Movement 49:20 Liberalism vs Post-Liberal Ideology 51:38 Historical Parallels and Authoritarian Models 54:53 U.S. Political Implications and Closing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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