FEEcast

The Foundation for Economic Education proudly presents our weekly show FEEcast, a lively and intelligent exploration of today’s most interesting stories and issues through the clarifying lens of economic thinking.

Are Women Being Underpaid? 12/14/2018

Are Women Being Underpaid? Do women get paid 80 cents on the dollar compared to men? That figure has been a political football, but is it overagreggated? How much are pay differences a matter of employer bigotry versus employee choice? FEEcast discusses this hot button issue. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7910651

Do we have a “Truth Crisis” in America? 12/07/2018

Do we have a “Truth Crisis” in America? With the 24-hour news media, countless blogs and videos, and near-infinite social media commentary, there’s a lot of noise out there. As a society, we are all struggling to combat disinformation, or “fake news,” and get at the truth. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Joined by guest Jon Miltimore, the FEEcasters discuss how to combat fake news and how constant advisories on everything from romaine lettuce to FBI Russia investigations begin to lose their sense of importance. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7825895

Makeup, Macs, and Markets 11/30/2018

Makeup, Macs, and Markets ‘Tis the season for holiday sales, so the FEEcasters discuss the economics of the products they’ve got their eyes on: makeup and Apple products. Celebrity-driven brands are disrupting the established players in the beauty care industry by expanding the diversity of the skin tones they serve. And Apple stock is down due to soft iPhone sales. It all goes to show that, now matter how dominant a company may seem, the consumer holds the ultimate power to make or destroy business fortunes. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7721423

Amazon’s HQ Tax Breaks: FEEcast Debate! 11/16/2018

Amazon’s HQ Tax Breaks: FEEcast Debate! Cities and states across the country have been courting Amazon. Each eagerly wanted to host the retail giant’s second headquarters. And each offered billions in tax incentives and cash handouts to entice the company. Now Amazon has made its decision, and “HQ2” ended up being HQ2 + 3. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7573757

How Election Season Sets Us against Each Other 11/02/2018

How Election Season Sets Us against Each Other Every year, political strife gets more rancorous and invades more of our lives. On the fringes, our hyper-politicized climate even precipitates violent atrocities. Is this a reflection of how much government itself has steadily encroached on our lives? What perspective can we adopt to foster harmony? Watch this episode of FEEcast to find out! Note: FEEcast will take a week off next week. See you again on November 16! /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7403285

Halloween Costume Controversies 10/26/2018

Halloween Costume Controversies From Kendall Jenner to Elizabeth Warren, cultural appropriation is in the news. And coverage of the topic always ramps up as Halloween approaches. Who is allowed to dress up as whom? What should we consider offensive, and how should we respond to offense taken by others? The FEEcast crew, joined by T.K. Coleman, considers these questions, as well as the economics of Halloween costumes and a recent law passed against adult trick-or-treaters. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7314260

Sears Was the 20th Century’s Amazon 10/19/2018

Sears Was the 20th Century’s Amazon After 132 years, Sears is filing for bankruptcy. But it’s not necessarily over for the company which has a surprising and honorable history of disrupting racial hierarchies in the days of Jim Crow. On this episode of the FEEcast, Richard, Anna Jane, and Marianne discuss the company that was truly the Amazon of the 20th century and tackle the question: how likely is it that today's corporate giants will stand the test of time? /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7232354

What We Hear When Taylor and Kanye Get Political 10/12/2018

What We Hear When Taylor and Kanye Get Political How do our “moral taste buds” (in psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s terminology) shape the way we hear statements from across the political divide? The FEEcasters discuss! /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7157780

Why Did Amazon Raise Its Minimum Wage? 10/05/2018

Why Did Amazon Raise Its Minimum Wage? Jeff Bezos announced that Amazon will raise its minimum wage to $15/hour. This made Bernie Sanders happy, but will it lead to layoffs? And what’s up with Bezos turning around and voicing support for increasing the federal minimum wage? Is all this really about compassion or about using government to squash the competition? Tune in to FEEcast for an in-depth discussion. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7130734

Who Helps Working Americans, Bernie or Bezos? 09/28/2018

Who Helps Working Americans, Bernie or Bezos? Senator Bernie Sanders recently proposed “Stop BEZOS” (Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies), a tax bill that doesn’t hide its chief target: Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon. But would this law help low-income workers or hurt them? Find out on FEEcast! /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7100930

What Teachers Can Do to Raise Their Pay 09/21/2018

What Teachers Can Do to Raise Their Pay Teacher pay has again been a hot button issue this back-to-school season, as unions have protested for raises and received sympathetic coverage from the media. But are school teachers really underpaid? And if so, what can they do about it? The FEEcast crew and special guest TK Coleman discuss the numbers, economics, and ethics of the matter. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7071121

Hurricane Economics 09/14/2018

Hurricane Economics Hurricane Florence was descending upon the US east coast as this FEEcast was recorded. The panel, along with guest Jon Miltimore, FEE.org’s managing editor, discuss the economics of hurricanes. It turns out economic laws still apply during natural disasters. The FEEcasters discuss the “Broken Window Fallacy,” the issue of “price gouging,” and more. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7042381

Libertarians in Cars Getting Tickets 09/07/2018

Libertarians in Cars Getting Tickets Georgia recently became a “hands-free” state by banning texting while driving. Many consider this a common-sense policy, but the law of unintended consequences has a way of surprising those who assume that new laws are the way to solve every problem. The FEEcasters discuss this and share some of their own experiences on the road. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/7014957

Is College Necessarily a Smart Move? 08/31/2018

Is College Necessarily a Smart Move? CNBC recently reported that Google and Apple, among other big companies, have stopped listing a college degree as a requirement for potential employees. But these checkboxes were always a lot more negotiable than people realize. What do employers really want? What is the value and the cost of a college degree? Is it a good bargain for everybody? Are there better and cheaper ways of getting what college offers? The FEEcasters discuss all this and more. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6987668

Self-Help Vs. Victimhood Politics 08/24/2018

Self-Help Vs. Victimhood Politics Podcasters like Tim Ferris and Joe Rogan draw millions of listeners who are more interested in self-improvement than identity politics. Are these “podcast bros” (as the New York Times has dubbed them) placing too much emphasis on individualism and not enough on collective injustices? Or are they offering an empowering alternative to debilitating narratives of victimhood? The FEEcasters are joined by guest-host Sean Malone to discuss! /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6962632

The Scooter Revolution Will Be Privatized 08/17/2018

The Scooter Revolution Will Be Privatized In this episode, FEEcast explores the philosophy and economics of private property. Why is it important? Should property rights be “balanced” against other rights? Watch, consider, and comment! /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6932125

Voting with Your Feet 08/10/2018

Voting with Your Feet California cities have been banning things left and right. Regulations and high taxes have made living in the state an expensive and burdensome proposition. Harried residents have been fleeing to less-oppressive states. By doing so, Americans are “voting with their feet” against oppressive policies. This “power of exit” is an important curb on government power: not only on the state level but on the national level as well. In this episode, the FEEcasters explore the concept of “jurisdictional comp /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6907727

Environmentalists Are Grasping at Straws 08/03/2018

Environmentalists Are Grasping at Straws Drinking straws are being banned and phased out by cities and corporations under pressure from environmental activists. Is this moral progress or just a moral panic? What is the psychology behind such campaigns? And what are the economics of their consequences? The FEEcasters have a freewheeling discussion on the matter. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6883045

Hayek’s Powerful Critique of Socialism and Central Planning 07/27/2018

Hayek’s Powerful Critique of Socialism and Central Planning F.A. Hayek was a creative genius who generated some of the biggest, most fascinating ideas in the social sciences. Most famously, he offered powerful critiques of central planning. And his classic book The Road to Serfdom showed that economic planning inexorably leads to misery and dictatorship. The FEEcast crew discusses the ideas of this profound thinker. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6857172

Is Democratic Socialism Even Possible? 07/20/2018

Is Democratic Socialism Even Possible? Democratic socialism is trending hard, especially after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won a recent Democratic primary for a congressional seat in New York. But does “democratic socialism” offer anything more than a rebranding of a failed ideology? Can the death toll and abysmal economic track record of socialism be wiped clean by attaching the word “democratic” to it? Can democracy and socialism even co-exist in practice? The FEEcasters discuss these questions and more. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6831329

What Is the True Meaning of the Fourth of July? 07/06/2018

What Is the True Meaning of the Fourth of July? When we celebrate the Fourth of July, what are we truly celebrating? Is it our country’s government and whatever policies it happens to pursue? Or is it the ideals upon which the country was founded? What are those ideals and what has been the American experience that resulted from them? What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism, between society and the state? The FEEcasters explore these questions and more. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6779160

When Adults Tattle on Child Entrepreneurs 06/29/2018

When Adults Tattle on Child Entrepreneurs A lady the internet has dubbed “Permit Patty” recently called the police to report an 8-year-old entrepreneur for selling water bottles without a permit. Why do so many have such a deeply ingrained permission-based mindset and predilection to tattletale? The FEEcast crew discuss many types of entry barriers, from minimum wages to internet sales taxes, plus a recent significant Supreme Court decision on labor unions and worker rights. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6754685

Is It Okay to be Incredible? 06/22/2018

Is It Okay to be Incredible? Pixar’s Incredibles 2 recently had the biggest opening of all time for an animated film. In the first Incredibles being super is stigmatized and only mediocrity is acceptable. Is that so different from the real world? Recounting memories from their own childhoods, the FEEcasters discuss some of the ways our culture suppresses excellence in the name of equality. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6730776

How to Land a Job Without a College Degree 06/15/2018

How to Land a Job Without a College Degree FEEcast is thrilled to have TK Coleman as our guest in this special episode recorded at FEEcon 2018. TK is the co-founder and Education Director of Praxis, a company that offers young people an alternative program to college that includes a professional development boot camp and a paid apprenticeship at a startup. TK breaks down many of the ways young people can go beyond credentials and resumes to signal value to potential employers. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6709402

Africa Needs Freedom, Not Hand-Me-Downs 06/15/2018

Africa Needs Freedom, Not Hand-Me-Downs FEEcast is honored to have Magatte Wade as our guest in this special episode recorded at FEEcon 2018. Magatte is a Senegalese entrepreneur and the founder of . She is also the subject of an upcoming documentary short in FEE’s “How We Thrive” series. Magatte rejects the casting of the people of her country and continent as helpless charity cases. What Africa needs, she insists, is not handouts or hand-me-downs, but freedom: especially the freedom to lift themselves up through commerce. As she explains to the FEEcast panel, Africans deserve better than perpetual dependence. Like all people, they deserve the dignity of trade, work, and self-reliance, which is the only path toward eradicating poverty instead of merely ameliorating it. Show Notes: /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6709011

Why Domino’s Pizza Is Paving Roads 06/15/2018

Why Domino’s Pizza Is Paving Roads Domino’s Pizza is paving over potholes to preserve the cheesy integrity of their pies. Is it just a PR stunt? A sincere gesture of goodwill? Or is it also in their economic interest? Do roads and other “infrastructure” goods need to be provided by the government? Or do private individuals and organizations have incentives to provide such “public goods”? The FEEcast panelists explore these questions and also celebrate the recently completed FEEcon! /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6708905

Capitalism Isn’t Only for Capitalists 06/01/2018

Capitalism Isn’t Only for Capitalists Capitalism is a top trending search term. What does it actually mean? Is it an economic system run by capitalists or swayed by consumers? Does it benefit capital at the expense of labor or is it responsible for the rising living standards or workers in industrialized countries? The FEEcast crew discusses this much maligned and much misunderstood term. /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6655381

How Socialism Devastated My Country 05/25/2018

How Socialism Devastated My Country FEEcast welcomes Jorge A. Jraissati, a recent émigré to America from Venezuela, which is suffering a horrific economic and humanitarian crisis. In a recent video, HBO’s John Oliver, sitting in a market economy’s lap of luxury, insisted that socialism is not to blame for Venezuela’s plight. But Jraissati, who actually lived through Venezuela’s nightmare, begs to differ. He explains how socialist ideology and big government policies plunged his once-prosperous country into the depths of hunger and c /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6630907

Is Socialism the Best or Worst Ism? 05/18/2018

Is Socialism the Best or Worst Ism? Did you know the word “liberalism” used to mean the opposite of what it does now? In this episode, the FEEcast gang discuss how that happened as well as the meanings of the words “progressivism” and “socialism.” They also explore socialism in the real world. What has it done for the countries that came closest to implementing it? Do the Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, etc) count as socialist successes? Richard Lorenc, Brittany Hunter, Dan Sanchez, and Anna Jane Parrill discuss these topics an /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6606335

Marvel Movie Economics — Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther 05/11/2018

Marvel Movie Economics — Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther In this episode, FEEcast has its first guest! We welcome Sean Malone, Director of Media at FEE and creator of the hit YouTube video “What’s Wrong with Wakanda.” Sean and crew discuss what superheroes can teach us about economics, politics, and life itself. Explore the economics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with FEEcast! /episode/index/show/feecast/id/6583134

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