According2Sam Podcast

The Bible states that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and I’ve observed that those who are obsessed with money are capable of almost anything. In Shakespeare’s play "The Merchant of Venice," the character Shylock exemplifies this love for money; he profits by lending to desperate neighbors at exorbitant interest rates. This practice, known as usury, was condemned as a sin by the Catholic Church and was therefore illegal in 16th-century European culture, but only for Catholics. Shylock’s character is inspired by Jewish families in Europe who circumvented these usury laws because they were not Catholic. In some instances, Catholics would conspire with Jews to bypass these restrictions for profit. How is usury being used today to keep people and nations in debt, and what evil has been done to achieve that goal? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #249.

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Rachel and Garrett, a young married couple, were invited to a star-studded town hall event with Kamala Harris, hosted by Oprah Winfrey. Alongside numerous celebrities joining via Zoom, voters from across the country participated as well. A studio audience of voters also posed questions to Harris. Rachel and Garrett shared their struggles with housing costs, explaining that they had to share their home with family members due to the high cost of living. They asked Harris, "What is your plan to lower the cost of living?" Vice President Harris told them that "rightly having the right to have asportations, and dreams, and ambitions for your family", the American dream has become far more elusive. She added, “and we need to deal with that.” What are her plans to deal with the high cost of living? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #248.

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When George W. Bush was sworn in as President in 2001, his first major initiative was a massive tax cut. The economy had been thriving during the final years of the Clinton administration, and the government was running surpluses. Bush argued that the surplus was the people’s money and promised to return it through tax cuts. However, just a few months after Congress passed his tax cut, nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in a terrorist attack on American soil, leading the nation into war. Following the attack, the economy slid into a recession. With the tax cuts yet to be implemented, many questioned the wisdom of proceeding with them. Bush pressed forward. He had another plan to stimulate economy. How did Bush use the housing market to boost the economy? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #247.

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After the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession, there was widespread desire for a rapid recovery. Little attention was paid to learning from the crash or holding anyone accountable; the focus was solely on returning to normal as quickly as possible. However, some economists cautioned that a swift recovery would merely be 'kicking the can down the road' and could lead to an even deeper recession in the future. They advocated for a slower recovery, which would have resulted in reduced short-term growth but potentially positioned the nation more robustly in the long run, avoiding heavy debt for future generations. These warnings were largely ignored. Now, nearly two decades later, should these economists have been taken more seriously? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #246.

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During the George W. Bush administration, Dick Cheney was often seen as a villain by many Democrats. As Vice President, Cheney was widely believed to be the real power behind the throne. Democrats blamed him for the invasion of Iraq, for policies such as rendition and waterboarding, and for various other humanitarian concerns. They accused Cheney and Bush of war crimes and labeled their foreign policy as imperialistic. Cheney was frequently compared to Darth Vader, the iconic villain from the Star Wars franchise who leads the empire and embraces the dark side. However, now that Cheney has endorsed Kamala Harris in this year's election, Democrats are singing a different tune. How has Cheney's endorsement exposed Democrats as hypocrites, and what does it signify about the current state of their party? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #245.

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The Russians have been accused of attempting to influence American voters once again, marking the third consecutive election with such allegations. We were first told of Russia's alleged interference during the 2016 election, when reports surfaced that the GRU had purchased Facebook ads and collaborated with Wikileaks to release damaging documents from the DNC, which suggested they had rigged the primary for Hillary Clinton. In the 2020 election, there were claims that Russia sought to influence voters with a laptop containing scandalous and criminal information about Joe Biden's son. Now, with less than 60 days before the 2024 election, new allegations suggest that Russia is trying to influence voters by paying influencers and content creators large sums of money to produce content they were already creating. Based on the first two allegations, how seriously should we take this latest accusation? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #244.

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The California State Legislature has passed a bill to include illegal immigrants in a new program aimed at helping Californians become homeowners. The program, called the "California Dream for All," offers up to $150,000 in down payment assistance for those who qualify. If Governor Newsom signs the bill into law, illegal status will not disqualify applicants. The controversial bill comes at a time when middle-class California families are struggling to afford homes due to a lack of inventory. Although the "California Dream for All" program was designed to address this issue, including illegal immigrants will intensify the housing crisis. When Nancy Pelosi was asked about this contradiction, she said that legalizing these immigrants is her solution. Are Democrats really interested in solving the housing and immigration issues in America? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #243.

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Vice President Kamala Harris finally gave an interview after being the Democratic nominee for president for over a month. CNN's Dana Bash conducted the interview, of both Harris and her vice-presidential pick, Tim Walz. The interview was brief and predictively lacking substantial pushback or follow-up questions from Bash, contrasting sharply with her more rigorous questioning of figures like Donald Trump or J.D. Vance. It was a softball interview, and Bash's first question was notably soft: "What would you do on day one in the White House?" This question suggested a fresh start for Harris, despite the fact that her "day one" in the White House was already three and a half years ago. Harris's response: "It's time to turn the page.” Does Kamala Harris represent a genuine turning of the page? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #242.

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This year’s presidential election is the first in half a century without a Bush, Clinton, Obama, or Biden on the ticket for either major party. This could mark the end of a long political dynasty. With 70% of Americans believing the country is on the wrong track, this is a change election. Kamala Harris is positioning herself as the change candidate, even though she is part of the current administration, which has been in power for the past three years. Harris argues that as Vice President, she had no role in shaping the administration’s policies or decisions, but this raises a significant issue: if she wasn’t involved in those decisions, where does she get the experience needed to effectively lead? Is Harris genuinely a candidate for change, or merely a continuation of the political status quo? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #241.

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There was a lot of excitement about the final night of the DNC as rumors circulated about a possible special guest appearance. Don Lemon went viral with his speculation that it could be Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. Given the array of celebrities who had already appeared on previous nights, this wasn’t entirely far-fetched. Lemon also suggested that the special guest might be former Republican President George W. Bush, which, surprisingly, wasn’t entirely implausible either. It would have been fitting for the current Vice President to join with three heads of the past four administrations, representing 28 of the past 32 years, to blame all of the nation’s problems on the four years of Donald Trump. Harris complains about what she and Biden inherited from Trump, but what about what they inherited from the two decades before Trump? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #240.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.according2sam.com