Words & Numbers

Latest Episodes:

Episode 12: In My Safe Space May 03, 2017

Show notes

This week on Words & Numbers James and Ant talk about the “safe spaces” movement on college campuses. Spoiler Alert: they don’t think campuses should be all that safe…at least not for ideas. College is the one time in a person’s life when just about every idea is on the table, and we do no one a service by declaring certain topics settled or off limits in the name of making people feel “safe.”

Learn More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/5905d8ade4b03b105b44b95c

https://fee.org/articles/the-campus-counter-revolution-against-liberty/

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Episode 11: Actually, Life is Pretty Awesome Apr 26, 2017

Show notes

This week, James and Antony take a brief departure from talking about the growing national debt, and our absurd tax system to discuss the numerous ways in which more economic and personal freedom has made people wealthier, more equal, and better off all over the world. We're actually living in pretty amazing times.

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Episode 10: Hypocritical Partisans Pass Political Power Apr 19, 2017

Show notes

This week, Antony and James are equal-opportunity offenders, discussing the way power not only changes hands from one party to another, but support for political ideas flips back and forth as well. Neither the right nor the left is immune to this kind of hypocrisy. Editor's note: According to James, "All the other political philosophers will point at me and laugh, but I said Paine when I meant Madison." This heinous error is about 5 minutes in, and we apologize.

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Episode 9: Even Economists Can’t Do Their Own Taxes Apr 12, 2017

Show notes

In honor of Tax Day, Antony Davies & James R. Harrigan talk about the absurdity of the US tax code. If your tax situation is more complicated or more uncomfortable than you like dealing with, you can pay another human being to do your taxes so you don’t have to. There are dependents, mortgages, deductions from energy-efficient household additions, charity, student loan interest ... even with a Ph.D. in economics, it’s hard to understand!

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Episode 8: Taxing Robots Does Not Compute Apr 05, 2017

Show notes

This week, Antony and James break down Bill Gates' recent suggestion that companies that use robots instead of human workers should pay employment taxes in order to fund new welfare programs.

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Episode 7: The Arts Will Survive Without Your Taxes Mar 29, 2017

Show notes

This week, James & Antony experiment with a slightly longer format, and get into the issue of government funding for the arts.

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Episode 6: We're Becoming a Nation of Pets Mar 22, 2017

Show notes

This week, Antony & James take on the idea of "victimless crimes" and discuss the odd and growing trend of governments regulating some private activities such as pornography, while others like smoking marijuana are increasingly allowed. People imposing their values on others seems to boil down to an inability to appreciate that others have different preferences, but it all results in Americans losing freedom and instead becoming a nation of pets.

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Episode 5: Blocked by a State's Wall of Taxes Mar 15, 2017

Show notes

This week, James & Antony discuss the case of Connecticut's budget shortfall. The state hopes to solve their financial problems by raiding the retirement accounts of previous Connecticut government employees who have moved out of the state, and take 30% of those savings. This plan would hurt retirees, break promises, and trap many people in the state based on a policy that may be illegal.

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Episode 4: Women Prosper When Markets Are Free Mar 08, 2017

Show notes

This week, in honor of International Women's Day, Antony & James discuss the strong correlation between economic freedom and gender equality found across the world. They argue that if you want to see a world of increasing equality and opportunity for women, you also want to free the economy from central planning and control.

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Episode 3: The Problem With Alternate Facts Mar 01, 2017

Show notes

In this week's episode, Antony & James talk about alternative facts and how false, partisan data skews important discussions about public policy.

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