Alabama Liberal

In the second part of our “Big Things” trilogy, we look at the biggest thing: climate crisis. After debunking the various (cough, bullshit, cough) climate change denials, we look at getting rid of fossil fuels and what that would really mean. Questions asked (and answered) include: Is climate crisis contributing to terrorism? Is it more of an economic threat than people realize? How can we focus on the end of the world when bigger stories like Brangelina’s split keep happening? Why don’t people talk about all the jobs climate change kills rather than big oil creates? Is nuclear power really dangerous? Why do some Democrats have a cozy relationship with natural gas? And what an actual “Green Revolution” would look like with you getting back thousands of dollars a year in energy costs…

In one of our best episodes yet, Brody and Michael go deep on a topic often discussed, but rarely understood: education. Questions are asked (and answered) like: why are teacher’s unions the most misunderstood organizations in America? Why are they so often scapegoated for education’s ills? Why are Charter Schools a “cure” that’s worse than the disease? What’s it really like to teach a classroom of kids? Why is 6th grade the worst age group to teach? What the hell does a Social Sciences coordinator do and why do they get paid more than the actual teacher? Why should “No Child Left Behind” be thrown in a trash can? Would getting rid of “Common Core” just lead to more inequality? Can lack of education lead to genetic poverty? Michael talks his teaching experiences from rough inner-city schools to conservative Charter ones. Brody explains what’s really wrong with education, the three P’s–politicians, public administrators, and parents, and what an “underwater degree” is. And an end note about his son starting preschool, and how education inequality is really the beginning of income inequality and American inequality.