The Financial Flipside Podcast, Episode 30B: Resignation-gate, part 2
The Financial Flipside Podcast
Photo via on Pexels Although , the Great Resignation is still going strong: as of the beginning of June 2022, Americans , and data from the a global survey by Price Waterhouse Coopers found that up to . Further, the Great Resignation is , which have long been believed to be more stable (however far that belief is from the reality of most of the sector’s workers). With all that in mind, we are back with the second half of our Great Resignation episode. This time around we’re talking about factors that influence quitting, lying flat, labor costs, worker-management relations,...
info_outline
The Financial Flipside Podcast Episode 30
The Financial Flipside Podcast
Odds are, you know someone who has moved on from their job recently, whether a co-worker, family member, or friend. Maybe you’ve made a similar transition yourself. If so, you may be part of the Great Resignation, a socio-cultural phenomenon that is baffling researchers and reporters, and which is causing no small degree of anxiety among employers. As we explore in this episode, the reasons that people are leaving their jobs are complex and really get to the heart of why we work in the first place. Also in this episode: life updates, an inside view of what happens when accountants fire...
info_outline
The Financial Flipside Podcast Episode 29
The Financial Flipside Podcast
This episode, we’re talking about the tax gap, that is the yawning void between how much tax is owed and how much tax gets paid to the IRS. Where does the tax gap come from (hint: not always where you think)? Why are some people so reluctant to pay their fair share, despite having more than enough money to do so? We also take a detour into dynastic wealth, moral millionaires, and what money does to our brains.
info_outline
The Financial Flipside Podcast Episode 28
The Financial Flipside Podcast
Infrastructure touches every aspect of our lives, from the roads we drive on to the water we drink to the electricity powering the laptop I’m using to type these show notes. If part of our country’s (or city’s or state’s) infrastructure falls apart, we often end up paying for it in ways both big and small. Infrastructure projects are also really expensive, making them sites of debate about who pays and what's worth paying for.
info_outline
The Financial Flipside Podcast Episode 27
The Financial Flipside Podcast
On this episode of the podcast, we’re talking about scarcity, both the economic concept and how it plays out in our daily lives. Along the way, we’ll discuss sneaker drops, free markets, living wages, human nature, and moments when instinct takes over. We also dedicate our Flipping the News segment to examining the financial aftermath of the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.
info_outline
The Financial Flipside Podcast Episode 26
The Financial Flipside Podcast
A quick note: This episode was recorded on October 31, 2020, before Election Day or any of the subsequent events surrounding the results or the transition process.
info_outline
The Financial Flipside Podcast Episode 25
The Financial Flipside Podcast
Your hosts take look at the history of reparations in the US, examine some of the past and present barriers to reparations for slavery, and discuss what a national reparations program might look like in our current moment.
info_outline
The Financial Flipside Podcast Episode 24
The Financial Flipside Podcast
We’re back, and we’ve come bearing gifts in the form of retooled format (including a new segment!). Join us as we recap a weird tax season, take a look at the storylines that emerged after the Treasury Department finally released data about who received PPP loans, and wrap up our discussion of economic indicators with a deep dive into the stock market.
info_outline
The Financial Flipside Podcast Episode 23
The Financial Flipside Podcast
Though it may be hard to believe, the US economy isn't officially in a recession. In this episode we talk about why that is, what economic indicators tell us about the economy, and what they sometimes leave out. Plus, we discuss some tips for weathering an economic downturn, recession declaration or no.
info_outline
The Financial Flipside Podcast Episode 22
The Financial Flipside Podcast
After some time off, a move (L), and a partial pivot to video (J), the Financial Flipside Podcast is back! For our first episode of 2020, we thought it would be a good idea to talk about a goal that heads up so many of our lists of New Year’s resolutions: getting organized. Specifically, we’re talking about business systems, those combinations of processes, workflows, and tools that we use to do everything from monitoring cash flow to training employees to literally keeping the lights on.
info_outline
NB: There were some mic issues in this episode, so you may notices that the audio sounds a little metallic in places. We hope that you'll join us for what we believe is an interesting dive into a complicated topic, sound not withstanding-L
How does one right a wrong, when that wrong forms a crucial part of who you are? How does one right a wrong that you’d rather leave in the past, even while apologizing in the present? Is it possible to address the material consequences of slavery without monetary payments?
The United States has been both wrestling with and dancing around these weighty and other weighty questions surrounding reparations for slavery in some form since the late 18th century. In this episode, we take a look at the history of reparations in the US in particular, examine some of the past and present barriers to reparations, and discuss what a national reparations program might look like.
But first, in this episode's Flipping the News segment, we try getting to be bottom of a question that’s on lots of people’s minds lately, namely, what’s going on with the post office? The US Postal Service is a lifeline for many, even when the country isn’t in the middle of a both pandemic that has seen a boom in online shopping and an election season that might be conducted largely via mail. Given the circumstances and the postal service’s reputation for dependability, it’s no surprise that what appears to be a slowdown in the speed of mail the coincided with the appointment to of a new Postmaster General and a worrying lack of funding for USPS has resulted in public outcry, a Congressional hearing, and at least twenty threats of lawsuits.
Mentioned on the show:
Flipping the News: Checking the Mail, or what’s wrong with the post office?
From Business Insider: Why the US Postal Service is in a funding crisis, and what that means for the upcoming election
Why the post office is vital for small businesses. (NBC News)
How postal service delays are hurting small businesses, many of whom were already struggling in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic (CNN, Vice, Chicago Tribune)
Bonus: The NY Times set up a system to track the speed of mail delivery in an attempt to confirm that reports of mail slowdowns across the US were/are true.
The Brookings Institution explains how the US Postal Service is governed and funded.
From US Today:The postal service as a lifeline for those in rural areas.
How did a business logistics specialist with no knowledge of the postal service end up running it? Ask the Secretary of the Treasury, writes the NY Times.
The post office takes center stage in the fight over mail-in voting and stimulus funding, with the President threatening block stimulus spending in order to withhold funding from USPS in the hope of preventing widespread mail-in voting. The response: 20 state attorneys general threaten to sue the federal government, and Louis DeJoy ends up testifying in Congress about cost-cutting measures, delivery delays, and voting by mail. (CNN, CNN, NBCNews).
Where we are now: The President walked back his threats about USPS funding, DeJoy agreed to pause many planned cost-cutting measures until after the election, though he didn’t specify which ones, which has been confusing for postal workers. The mail? Still delayed, according to the head of the Postal Workers Union. (Vox, Washington Post, Forbes)
The Main Event
NB: The prince mentioned at 22:54 is Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, a statesman, revolutionary, and campaigner for the rights of indigenous Hawaiians in the House of Representatives, who deserves much better than the name butchering that he received from me (L), even though I practiced. You can read a little more about his extraordinary life here.
From History.com: A brief history of reparations in the US
Kali Holloway on the Compensated Emancipation Act and the US Government’s history of refusing to make restitution for slavery. (The Nation)
From The Atlantic: Ta-Nahesi Coates 2014 piece, “The Case for Reparations” and revisiting the article for The New Yorker in 2019.
Coates’s opening remarks at his 2019 testimony before Congress on the legacy of slavery and restorative justice. You can view his remarks in video form here, and the entire hearing is available for viewing on C-SPAN and testimonies from all of the participants are available via the House Judiciary Committee’s website.
The joint Congressional statement apologizing for slavery and segregation (2009)
More about the late Representative John Conyers’ (D-MI) attempts to convene a working group to explore reparations for, and the long-terms impact of, slavery in the US.
From Code Switch: The story behind “40 Acres and a Mule”
Bonus: What reparations look like in New Zealand (Planet Money; audio with transcript)
Another take on how reparations for slavery could work in the US (Quartz)