Episode 90 – Redlining and Reparations with Charles Marohn
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Release Date: 09/07/2021
181 – Escaping the Housing Trap with Chuck Marohn
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
The housing market today is in an increasingly unsustainable paradox: younger Americans need houses to be more affordable so that they can become homeowners. Meanwhile, homeowners and the entire U.S. economy need houses to rise in price to make them a secure and profitable investment. Thus, we are trapped between making homeownership increasingly difficult or sinking the economy. Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by president of Strong Towns Chuck Marohn to discuss his latest book: . About Chuck Marohn From Charles Marohn (known as “Chuck” to friends and...
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180 – Uncap the House with Jeff Mayhugh
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
What if the surest way to reduce the harmful effects of self-serving politicians in Washington D.C. is to have more of them? Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Jeff Mayhugh to explain how the artificial “cap” the nation put on the number of representatives in the U.S. House almost a century ago has made government less representative and responsive. Returning to the Founding Father’s understanding of how people might best be represented by their leaders will require a lot of hard work, but it has the potential to benefit all Americans all across the political divide....
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179 – I, Tony with Tony Woodlief
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
What if the real division in America isn’t between Republicans and Democrats, Red States vs Blue States, or liberals and conservatives but between the American people and a small group of the political elite whose function is to divide the rest of us? Tony Woodlief joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to discuss how we may not be as divided as we think and how federalism holds the solution to many of the policy battles of the moment. About Tony Woodlief Excerpts from Tony’s bio in the and on his : Tony Woodlief is State Policy Network’s Senior Executive Vice...
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178 – Revolt of the Independents with Lura Forcum
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
The 2024 presidential election witnessed a historic number of independent voters—more independents voted than Democrats and they came close to surpassing Republicans. It would seem that now is the time for those who are dissatisfied with both parties to dismantle the two-party duopoly of American government. And yet, the Republican and Democratic parties collectively control all branches of governments at all levels. Why is that? What would it mean for Americans to embrace an “independent” politics and how likely is that to occur? What do independent voters...
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177 – Dear Mr. President with Destry Edwards
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Former president Chester A. Arthur is probably best remembered for his mutton chops and as a trivia question. But he did play a surprising role as a reformer when the nation was in the grips of political corruption. And the story of how he found the courage to do so holds some lessons for how we might interact with political power today in hopes of a better tomorrow. Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Destry Edwards to discuss his new documentary , and how a single citizen can have an outsized effect on our political system. About Destry Edwards Destry...
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176 – Consuming News Responsibly
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
In this era of information overload it’s easy to join the ranks of the too online, filtering our every thought through the latest thing Trump tweeted or how the resistance is reacting. And it’s just as easy to check out entirely and pretend like the news doesn’t matter or, if it does, it’ll have to be someone else’s problem for now. Are there healthier ways to approach the news? How can we maintain sanity in a seemingly endless supply of hot takes and outrage-of-the-moments? Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by Avi Woolf, JB Shreve, and Blake Fischer as they discuss...
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175 – The Two James Burnhams with David Byrne
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
James Burnham was one of the most significant intellectual influences on the conservative movement of the twentieth century. As an anti-Communist hardliner, his views on dealing with the Soviet menace head on ultimately shaped US foreign policy in the Reagan administration. And his work at William F. Buckley’s National Review gave the fledgling magazine its foreign policy heft. Throughout his long public career, there emerged two James Burnhams: one who provided the early scaffolding to neoconservative ideas and the other who inspired paleoconservatives. Saving...
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174 – Triggering Straussians with Greg Collins
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
In his perpetual quest to mildly trigger his Straussian pals, Josh invites fellow Millennial and Burkean conservative Greg Collins on to discuss how Leo Strauss misconstrued Edmund Burke’s political views and lasting impact. Also discussed are Burke’s complex views on natural rights, manners, reform, revolution, social contract theory, classical liberalism, and Rousseau. Fair warning, dear listener, this one gets nerdy in a hurry! About Greg Collins From The Kirk Center Dr. Gregory Collins is one of the most celebrated Burke scholars of the rising generation. He is a...
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173 – The Fertility Gap with Clara Piano
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
The Right has long had a thing or two to say about the importance of the family and its role in national stability and prosperity. But there are sharp divisions regarding what political implications can be drawn from this idea, and what policies should be pursued to protect and strengthen families. Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis welcomes economist Clara Piano to the show to talk about the government’s role in pro-natal and pro-family policies, the ideal population size, the challenges of under/over-population, ethical consumerism, and what some of today’s Right have in...
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Roundtable - Conversing Across the Political Divide
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Is civil discourse even possible across the political divide when that divide seems so insurmountable? How do we maintain or even strengthen relationships when we don’t see politics the same? The latest Saving Elephants roundtable brings together panelists who all have experience in communicating across the divide: (former Acton Institute podcast host), (), Will Wright and Josh Burtram (), Elizabeth Doll (), and Calvin Moore ().
info_outlineAmerica’s history of bigotry and racism have left wounds that fester to this day. How might the country make amends to those racial minorities who were harmed? To what extent are white Americans responsible for addressing wrongs perpetrated by their ancestors? To what extent can the effects of these past sins be measured and known?
These are not easy questions, nor is there much consensus on where we go from here. But there is one area where both conservatives and liberals may be able to find common ground: addressing historic wrongs committed by the practice of redlining at the local level. Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined again by Charles Marohn to discuss the history of redlining, its effect on American minorities, and a possible path forward to making restitutions consistent with conservative principles. Much of their discussion centers around an article Marohn wrote for Strong Towns entitled The Local Case for Reparations.
About Charles Marohn
Charles (or “Chuck” to friends and colleagues) Marohn is the founder and president of Strong Towns, a nonprofit that supports thousands of people across the United States and Canada who are advocating for a radically new way of thinking about the way we build our world. Marohn is a professional engineer and a land use planner with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota.
Marohn grew up on a small farm in central Minnesota. The oldest of three sons of two elementary school teachers, he joined the Minnesota National Guard on his seventeenth birthday during his junior year of high school and served in the Guard for nine years. In addition to being passionate about building a stronger America, he loves playing music, is an obsessive reader, and religiously follows his favorite team, the Minnesota Twins. Chuck and his wife live with their two daughters in their hometown of Brainerd, Minnesota. You can find him on Twitter @clmarohn
Listener Mail
Josh responds to a listener’s message asking if he would encourage his listeners to get the COVID-19 vaccine.