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Episode 29: Do Americans Still Have Freedom of Speech
These days, everybody is nervous about what you can say in public without getting slammed by retribution. But is that a free-speech problem, or does …
8 years, 9 months ago
Episode 28: Child Labor Was Wiped Out By Markets, Not Government
In 1938 the US government passed the Fair Labor Standards Act mandating a forty hour work week, establishing a minimum wage, and prohibiting child la…
8 years, 10 months ago
Episode 27: The Illusion of School Choice
In private schools, as in private enterprise in general, poor performance drives funding away by driving paying customers away. Yet in public schools…
8 years, 10 months ago
Episode 26: Has Tipping Gone Out of Control
In 1922, famed etiquette writer Emily Post advised her readers that 10% is the standard for tipping your waiter. Since then, “gratuity creep” has bee…
8 years, 10 months ago
Episode 25: Is UBI Better Than Welfare
A viewer recently asked us what Words & Numbers thought of Universal Basic Income. Antony Davies likes the idea of it, provided it’s done well, but …
8 years, 10 months ago
Episode 24: Is Income Inequality Real?
Income inequality has been in the news more and more, and it doesn’t look good. It’s aggravating to see people making more money than you, and we’re …
8 years, 10 months ago
Episode 23: The Illinois Budget is a Mess
This week on Words & Numbers, Antony Davies and James R. Harrigan tackle the disaster that is the Illinois state budget crisis. Pro-tip: Don't le…
8 years, 11 months ago
Episode 22: Do Airlines Charge Too Much?
This week on Words & Numbers, James R. Harrigan and Antony Davies tackle the issue of airline pricing. Why do they charge what they do? What do those…
8 years, 11 months ago
Episode 21: Let Amazon Play Monopoly
Amazon’s offer to buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion sounds pretty great to both parties, but it seems that isn’t good enough. The proposal has a lot …
8 years, 11 months ago
Episode 20: Just Say No to the War on Drugs
Ted Cruz recently asserted that the United States military needs to be sent to Mexico to attack the drug cartels head-on. This is a bad idea. But so…
8 years, 11 months ago