Words & Numbers

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-

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.c

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

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 Conversa

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-cl

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

Rob McDonald returns for the second of a two-part series in which we discuss the Founding and his new book, The American Revolution. 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 Misunderstanding Research https://www.thecollegefix.com/scholar-forced-to-resign-over-study-that-found-police-shootings-not-biased-against-blacks/ https://www.pnas.org/content/116/32/15877 Faithless Electors https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-faithless-electors-can-t-go-rogue-electoral-n1231394 Foolishness of the Week Kanye West https://www.showbiz411.com/2020/07/06/kanye-west-used-his-presidential-announcement-as-a-lure-to-sell-merchandise-online-this-afternoon Topic of the Week Rob McDonald https://teachingamericanhistory.org/blog/the-american-revolution-professor-robert-mcdonalds-new-core-document-collection/ Books https://www.ama

Rob McDonald joins us this Fourth of July week for the first of a two-part series in which we discuss the Founding and his new book, The American Revolution. 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 30 Hour Work Week? https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2020/06/01/adam-grant-on-how-jobs-bosses-and-firms-may-improve-after-the-crisis Woodrow Wilson https://www.bloombergquint.com/politics/princeton-axing-woodrow-wilson-s-name-from-public-policy-school Foolishness of the Week L’Oreal https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/504865-loreal-will-remove-words-whitening-fair-and-lightening-from Phil Magness on Civil War Monuments https://www.aier.org/article/what-the-data-say-about-civil-war-monuments/ Topic of the Week Rob McDonald https://teachingamericanhistory.org/blog/the-american-revolution-professor-robert-mcdonalds-new-core-

Clark Neily joins us to discuss policing, the origin and effect of qualified immunity, and what the courts have said about whether police have a duty to protect citizens. 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 Lottery Winners https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/arizona-couple-win-dollar410-million-mega-millions-jackpot-thanks-to-family-birthdays-lucky-penny/ar-BB15J25k Invite Someone to Dinner to Berate You https://reason.com/2020/02/04/white-women-saira-rao-dinner-regina-jackson-liberal/ Police Ordered to Turn off Body Cameras https://reason.com/2020/06/19/san-francisco-police-were-ordered-to-turn-off-body-cameras-in-raid-on-journalists-home/ Foolishness of the Week Minnesota Mayor Finds “Chief” Offensive https://www.foxnews.com/politics/duluth-minnesota-mayor-remove-chief-microaggresion https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/06/19/minn

In this episode, we answer listener questions that we didn’t have time to cover in the previous listener special episode. 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 Deepfake https://www.forbes.com/sites/robtoews/2020/05/25/deepfakes-are-going-to-wreak-havoc-on-society-we-are-not-prepared/#3748f25d7494 https://www.instagram.com/p/BypkGIvFfGZ/ Oscars https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/movies/oscars-diversity-rule.html Foolishness of the Week VA Hospital https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/62-year-old-patient-missing-since-may-found-dead-va-hospitals-stairwell/EBWXDSM3IJBCLNGXOHLUYPAVYY/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter htt

Deficit Day - the hypothetical day on which the federal government’s tax revenues for the year run out - lands on June 21. Not only is that the earliest Deficit Day has fallen since World War II, the date will get revised to even earlier in the calendar if the government undertakes more stimulus spending. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The riots sweeping the country are the result of a perfect storm. It’s about racism, but more. It’s about police accountability, but more. It’s about too many people being out of work, but more. The first step to solving our problems is understanding that they are often more complicated than they appear. 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 SpaceX https://www.spacex.com/ Food Prices https://apnews.com/54f1efe0afa71b0a939fda91cf917366 Foolishness of the Week Minneapolis Mayor https://www.foxnews.com/politics/minneapolis-jacob-frey-white-supremacists-out-of-state-instigators-george-floyd-protests Topic of the Week: Riots and Police Response https://streamable.com/u2jzoo https://v.redd.it/jjclrdzp8x151 https://v.redd.it/zepg0b43ly151 https://v.redd.it/v8x8isj0xz151 https://v.redd.it/mztm15kh00251 https://gfycat.com/misguidedrecklesscod https://v.r

In this episode, we answer listener questions. 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 Doordash https://themargins.substack.com/p/doordash-and-pizza-arbitrage Joe Biden https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/amazon-joe-biden-taxes Foolishness of the Week Biden Aims at Charter Schools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgVbi0oD8uM Topic of the Week Your Questions! Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In New York City, stop and frisk was controversial because it was a violation of the Fourth Amendment. As implemented, police would stop and frisk people without showing probable cause that the people were committing, or might be committing, a crime. The courts subsequently required that police demonstrate probable cause. But social distancing laws appear to be poised to take the place of stop and frisk, creating the opportunity for police to violate people’s Fourth Amendment rights. 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 Microsoft Wrong about Open Source https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/18/21262103/microsoft-open-source-linux-history-wrong-statement Elon Musk https://www.chron.com/news/article/As-it-prepares-to-fly-humans-Elon-Musk-s-SpaceX-15275155.php] Foolishness of the Week Don’t Swim in New York https://www.the-sun.com/news/847367/bill-de-blasio-

This week is part two of Stossel in the Classroom meets Words & Numbers. We continue the conversation with John Stossel about economics, politics, and society. 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 Peer to Peer Charging https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339350758_P2C2_Peer-to-Peer_Car_Charging Baseball! https://apnews.com/6195fbe572aa83a0616053e9133a8551 Foolishness of the Week Lorena Gonzalez https://timesofsandiego.com/business/2020/05/10/san-diegos-lorena-gonzalez-slams-elon-musk-over-tesla-threat-to-leave-california/ Topic of the Week Stossel in the Classroom https://stosselintheclassroom.org/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let Us Know What You Think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan

John Stossel joins us this week to talk about economics, politics, and society. This is part one of two, so be sure to tune in next week for more exciting discussions! 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 Naomi’s Potato https://twitter.com/khaleesi_101/status/1255817022551863296/photo/1 Glass in the Soviet Union https://www-jstor-org.authenticate.library.duq.edu/stable/4202738?seq=7#metadata_info_tab_contents South Korean Baseball https://www.thewrap.com/espn-finds-a-sport-will-air-south-korean-baseball-games/ Foolishness of the Week Students Sue Colleges for Their Money Back https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/angry-undergrads-are-suing-colleges-for-billions-in-refunds/ar-BB13t6wd Topic of the Week Stossel in the Classroom https://stosselintheclassroom.org/ Join the Conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/13002

A depression differs from a recession in both the severity of the downturn and the duration. Recessions typically last months; the Great Depression lasted a decade. Importantly, the Great Depression started as an economic phenomenon, but the current “Great Suppression” started as a policy phenomenon. State governments deliberately shut down an otherwise vibrant economy. As we prepare to restart our economic engine, we consider things the government did right and did wrong in attempting to restart the economy during the Great Depression. Live with Stossel May 1st, 2020 @12 pm ET http://sitc.org/live 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 Disincentives of Unemployment Benefits https://www.npr.org/2020/04/21/838879361/bitter-taste-for-coffee-shop-owner-as-new-600-jobless-benefit-closed-her-busines Forgivable Loan Backfire https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/22/sh

In times of crisis, humans develop a dangerous, asymmetric view of events. We readily see the damage the crisis causes, but we don’t readily see the potential damage that proposed solutions can cause. And when information is uncertain, we tend to believe the worst about the crisis while tending to believe the best about proposed solutions. There is mounting evidence that this is playing out right now with the decision to shut down the economy in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 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 We Deal with Lockdowns https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/04/15/coronavirus-police-maryland-town-urge-residents-wear-pants/5140750002/ Ghosts https://www.indy100.com/article/indonesia-ghosts-terrifying-coronavirus-lockdown-stay-home-9462511 Australia Trend https://www.sadanduseless.com/bin-isolation-outing/ Ital

Vernon Smith, winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in economics joins us on this episode to talk about the economic impact of the coronavirus and why, though we will have to push through some pain, we can be optimistic about the future. 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 Sweden’s Approach to Coronavirus https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/10/europe/sweden-lockdown-turmp-intl/index.html Non-essentials https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-walmart-target-stop-selling-non-essential-items-select-states-2020-4 Michigan Governor https://dailycaller.com/2020/04/11/gretchen-whitmer-gardening-seeds-non-essential/ Foolishness of the Week Pope Francis – On Universal Wage https://www.businessinsider.com/pope-francis-it-might-be-time-to-consider-universal-basic-wage-2020-4 On “Nature’s Response” https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/491734-pope-says-coronavir

In response to the virus, state and city governments are exercising powers that they wouldn’t have in normal times. State and local governments are ordering businesses to close, restricting people’s right to travel, and talking about legally suspending rent and debt payments. This week, Clark Neily joins us to discuss the black, white, and gray constitutional areas of governmental powers in times of crisis. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! https://isi.org/cooperation-and-coercion-preorder/ Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits Math Teacher https://twitter.com/DakSt8Football/status/1243687140799766532/photo/1 Venezuelan Warship https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-52151951 Earliest Recorded Use of the F-Word https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8189047/Worlds-earliest-record-F-word-discovered-manuscript-written-bored-Scottish-student.html Foolishness of the Week The Social Distancing Police https://www.forsy