Words & Numbers
Antony Davies and James R. Harrigan co-host Words & Numbers, where they take a non-partisan look at current events through the eyes of an economist and a political scientist. The show is aimed at interested non-experts. Regular episodes come out each Wednesday.
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Episode 377: Real Estate Insider
05/01/2024
Episode 377: Real Estate Insider
The National Association of Realtors recently agreed to pay almost half a billion dollars in a class action suit involving sellers fees. This week’s guest, Judd Bristo, is unique in being a listener, an economist, and a realtor. We asked Judd to come on to talk about the settlement and the complex world of real estate commissions. Foolishness of the Week: 04:38 Main episode: 07:03 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 376: Interest Rates Up, Down, or Sideways?
04/24/2024
Episode 376: Interest Rates Up, Down, or Sideways?
Foolishness of the Week: 06:30 Main episode: 09:25 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 375: Google and FedEx Anger James
04/17/2024
Episode 375: Google and FedEx Anger James
James has an ax to grind. Google made him mad. FedEx made him mad. Many things make James mad. But this week, he tells us why. Foolishness of the Week: 16:22 Main episode: 20:01 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 374: The Price of Baseball
04/10/2024
Episode 374: The Price of Baseball
James recently wrote an article on the price of admission and food at baseball fields over the years. To look at the prices, it appears that baseball has shifted from entertainment for the working classes to entertainment for the middle and rich classes. Or perhaps we’ve simply all become richer and baseball has simply followed along. Foolishness of the Week: 13:07 Main episode: 16:09 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 373: FDA: Friend or Foe?
04/03/2024
Episode 373: FDA: Friend or Foe?
We all know that the FDA saves lives by keeping bad drugs off markets. But far fewer of us understand that the FDA costs lives by keeping good drugs from markets. Often all it takes to see this other side of the FDA is to be confronted with a life threatening disease for which there are treatments - just not FDA-approved treatments. Foolishness of the Week: 08:38 Main episode: 14:53 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 372: Where’s the Middle Class?
03/27/2024
Episode 372: Where’s the Middle Class?
Each election cycle, we’re treated to politicians and their supporters crying about the disappearing middle class. So many people repeat the mantra that most of us just accept it as fact. It turns out that those people are right - the middle class is disappearing. Where they get the story wrong is that it isn’t bad news. It’s excellent news. Foolishness of the Week: 09:12 Main episode: 15:32 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 371: An Interview with Spike Cohen, pt. 2
03/20/2024
Episode 371: An Interview with Spike Cohen, pt. 2
Spike Cohen, 2020 Libertarian Party Vice-Presidential nominee, joins us this week for a two part series in which we discuss the upcoming election, the Libertarian Party, the future of politics in America, and his work in single-issue activism - You Are the Power. Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 370: An Interview with Spike Cohen, pt. 1
03/13/2024
Episode 370: An Interview with Spike Cohen, pt. 1
Spike Cohen, 2020 Libertarian Party Vice-Presidential nominee, joins us this week for a two part series in which we discuss the upcoming election, the Libertarian Party, the future of politics in America, and his work in single-issue activism - You Are the Power. Foolishness of the Week: 11:05 Main episode: 13:14 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 369: A One-Party System?
03/06/2024
Episode 369: A One-Party System?
The United States has been a two party system almost since its inception. In modern times, this has led to the Democrats and Republicans having a virtual monopoly on the political landscape. Despite the fact that a plurality of Americans don’t identify with either party, they won’t allow a third party to compete. And what’s the only thing worse than a two-party system? A one-party system. Foolishness of the Week: 06:08 Main episode: 09:41 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 368: Hampden-Sydney College Q&A
02/28/2024
Episode 368: Hampden-Sydney College Q&A
Last week, we recorded live from Hampden-Sydney College. This week’s episode is the Q&A from that recording. Foolishness of the Week: 09:21 Main episode: 10:05 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 367: Live from Hampden-Sydney College
02/21/2024
Episode 367: Live from Hampden-Sydney College
Last week, we talked about the incongruity of not only having a majority of voters not like either major party candidate, but to have those two candidates appear twice in back-to-back elections. This week, we explore what happens when a President is incapable of fulfilling the duties of the office. Foolishness of the Week: 11:01 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 366: What’s Up With the President?
02/14/2024
Episode 366: What’s Up With the President?
Last week, we talked about the incongruity of not only having a majority of voters not like either major party candidate, but to have those two candidates appear twice in back-to-back elections. This week, we explore what happens when a President is incapable of fulfilling the duties of the office. Foolishness of the Week: 09:59 Main episode: 12:50 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 365: Democracy Might Not Be a Good Thing
02/07/2024
Episode 365: Democracy Might Not Be a Good Thing
The Trump vs Biden election of 2020 was noteworthy because, for so many voters, it wasn’t a matter of selecting the person they thought was best suited for the job so much as a matter of selecting the person they thought was least ill-suited. As if it isn’t weird enough that, out of 200 million or so adults, the best we could do was to bring Trump and Biden to the fore, here we are in 2024 apparently set to do the same thing all over again. Foolishness of the Week: 09:10 Main episode: 13:33 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 364: $34 Trillion
01/31/2024
Episode 364: $34 Trillion
People used to scared about the federal debt. But it's been so huge for so long that people have lost interest. Yet, despite people's lack of attention - or perhaps, in part, because of it - the debt has continued to grow. For the past 50 years or so, it has been doubling every 8 to 9 years. Foolishness of the Week: 09:10 Main episode: 13:36 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 363: Labor and Marx
01/24/2024
Episode 363: Labor and Marx
Many people share an intuition that “excess” profits are a sign of something having been stolen from labor. Karl Marx shared this intuition and formalized it in his writings on the surplus value of labor. Foolishness of the Week: 05:48 Main episode: 11:55 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 362: Shareholders and Stakeholders
01/17/2024
Episode 362: Shareholders and Stakeholders
For whom does the corporation exist: investors, workers, customers, the community? Economists tend to answer, "investors." That's not to say that workers, customers, and the community aren't important, but rather that the corporation exists to further the interests of the investors. Where the interests of the workers, customers, and community coincide with those of investors, the corporation also cares about those groups. But where their interests conflict with those of investors, the interests of investors take precedence. That's the principle of "shareholder value." The principle of "stakeholder value" holds that the corporation should consider the interests of workers, consumers, and the community even when they conflict with the interests of the investors. Foolishness of the Week: 08:15 Main episode: 12:29 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 361: Degrowth
01/10/2024
Episode 361: Degrowth
Economic "degrowth" seems to be the new socialism. Like the old, it promises all manner of wonderful things, from equality to a cleaner environment. And like the old, it will deliver nothing but misery. Foolishness of the Week: 10:24 Main episode: 13:35 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 360: Time is Money
01/03/2024
Episode 360: Time is Money
Intuitively, people understand the value of time. We consider it every time we decide to put off something we want now for something better later. Psychologists call it, “delayed gratification.” But when we think about things like banks and landlords and Wall Street, we fail to see the time value of money driving people’s behaviors. Foolishness of the Week: 14:15 Main episode: 18:13 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits / Foolishness of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 359: A Conflict of Moral Principles
12/27/2023
Episode 359: A Conflict of Moral Principles
Colleges and universities, for years now self-proclaimed bastions of “safe spaces,” are allowing some students to express anti Semitism and call for genocide. Should colleges allow this in the name of free speech, or should it disallow it in the name of protecting students? Congressional hearings into prominent universities appear to reveal administrators picking a third and worse option: selectively allowing or disallowing free speech depending on at whom the speech is directed. Foolishness of the Week: 08:15 Main episode: 11:36 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 358: The Cost of the Good Life
12/20/2023
Episode 358: The Cost of the Good Life
We respond to an article that claims that “the good life” has become so expensive as to be beyond the reach of most Americans. We conclude that what is beyond the reach of at least some Americans is the ability to perform simple math. Foolishness of the Week: 05:33 Main episode: 09:16 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 357: Biden’s Wealth Tax
12/13/2023
Episode 357: Biden’s Wealth Tax
More frequently, politicians are talking about a wealth tax. As with the income tax back in the early 1900s, politicians promise that the tax will only be one or two percent and will only apply to the rich. But, as with the income tax, if politicians can convince voters to allow the government to impose a tax on wealth, it will be less than a decade before that new tax hits the middle class. Foolishness of the Week: 15:15 Main episode: 19:45 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 356: Social Distancing and Masks: Again?
12/06/2023
Episode 356: Social Distancing and Masks: Again?
A new outbreak of a communicable disease in China has officials there calling for masks and social distancing. This week, we talk about what lessons we learned from the last go around and how people might respond in this country to a reprise of social distancing and masking. Foolishness of the Week: 07:23 Main episode: 11:23 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 355: It's Time for Libertarians to Grow Up
11/29/2023
Episode 355: It's Time for Libertarians to Grow Up
We recently moderated the South Carolina Libertarian Party’s Presidential debate. We had a great time and the candidates were serious people. But the contrast between our excellent experience in South Carolina and Libertarian party hijinx we’ve seen in the past spurred this conversation. Is the Libertarian Party a political party or a philosophical society? The latter’s goal is to delve deeply into important questions about the economy and polity. The former’s goal is to win elections. Foolishness of the Week: 08:37 Main episode: 14:05 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 354: Academic Fraud
11/22/2023
Episode 354: Academic Fraud
Three former professors discuss the fraud that universities are perpetrating on students and taxpayers.. Foolishness of the Week: 11:59 Main episode: 15:20 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 353: What’s a Few Trillion Among Friends?
11/15/2023
Episode 353: What’s a Few Trillion Among Friends?
Over ten years ago, we predicted that, as the Federal government approached insolvency, the Federal Reserve would start printing money to monetize the government spending, and that that would give us sustained inflation in the 5% plus range. We saw the 5% plus inflation and, as the Fed fought it, we then saw interest rates skyrocket. Trillion dollar plus deficits are the new normal, Social Security is within a decade of becoming insolvent, and that will mean even more borrowing. It appears that people are just now becoming aware of the problem. Unfortunately, it's almost too late to do anything about it. Foolishness of the Week: 07:46 Main episode: 14:20 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 352: Fraud, Fairness, and Value
11/08/2023
Episode 352: Fraud, Fairness, and Value
An elderly couple, an antiques dealer, and an African mask spark a conversation about fraud, fairness, and value. Foolishness of the Week: 11:00 Main episode: 13:14 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 351: The Snooty Stuff
11/01/2023
Episode 351: The Snooty Stuff
Composer and musician Josh Nichols was annoyed when, on an earlier episode, James referred to “high culture,” and Ant said, “you mean the snooty stuff?” Being a classical composer and, importantly, making money at it, Josh joins us to set the record straight as to why we should all be more appreciative of “the snooty stuff.” Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Topic of the Week Josh Nichols CACI Josh's Compositions Metropolis Amazon Link to CD Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 350: The Economics of Taylor Swift
10/25/2023
Episode 350: The Economics of Taylor Swift
Fans are applauding Taylor Swift for contributing billions to the country’s GDP. Yet Taylor Swift (three-quarters of a billionaire) is doing less for the economy than what many billionaires, who we vilify, do. Why do we applaud one business person and vilify the other? Foolishness of the week: 09:33 Main episode: 14:24 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Foolishness of the Week Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 349: Should Experts Dictate What Teachers Teach?
10/18/2023
Episode 349: Should Experts Dictate What Teachers Teach?
More than a decade ago, experts decided to change how students are taught to read. Without testing whether the new method worked or, apparently, even checking in with actual teachers, the experts forced the change. What resulted was a generation of children with reduced reading abilities. The experts have now reversed course. People make mistakes like this all the time. When the people who are making the decisions are the same people who live with the consequences of the decisions, errors get detected and fixed relatively quickly. There's nothing wrong with experts weighing in on the best way to do things. But when those experts are allowed to impose their wills on others, the people who live with the consequences are no longer the people making the decisions. What often results is decades of living with "solutions" that do more harm than good. Main episode: 06:47 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Quick Hits Topic of the Week Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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Episode 348: Error Corrections
10/11/2023
Episode 348: Error Corrections
From time to time, listeners write to tell us what we’ve gotten wrong. This week, we go back through predictions and analyses we’ve made that have turned out to be wrong. Main episode: 12:09 Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! See More Ant and James! Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Words & Numbers Backstage More James at Smoke & Stories More Ant on YouTube Let Us Know What You Think mailto:[email protected] Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter #AntonyDavies #JamesRHarrigan #WordsAndNumbers #economics #government #politics #policy #libertarian #classicalliberal #podcast #educational
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