Amplifying Thought Leaders Podcast

Pop quiz: what's seven trillion dollars times zero? The current amount of economic stimulus in the American economy. Despite printing four trillion dollars and seven trillion dollars in deficit spending since this time last year, economic growth is still below what it should be, hence talk of the new great depression.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How many of the major pandemics of the 20th century resulted in a second wave that was worse than the first, and how that seems to be playing out with COVID-19
• How one man became the richest in Germany during the worst period of hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic in the 1920s
• What it means to be in a depression versus a recession, and what can be said about the recent and current state of the American economy in this regard
• Why Rickards says deflation rather than inflation will be brought about by the response to COVID-19

Jim Rickards is an American lawyer, economist, investment banker, speaker, media commentator, and New York Times bestselling author of multiple books on matters of finance and precious metals. His most recent book, titled The New Great Depression: Winners and Losers in a Post-Pandemic World was released just this month, and presents an uplifting message: no matter how bad things get economically, there are ways for individuals to not only preserve wealth, but make money and prosper.

Rickards shares his expertise on a range of topics, including the current state of disinflation and where it will lead, why the velocity of money is the real cause of inflation and what happens when there is no velocity, reasons for the 22-year downward trend in velocity and the even more significant drop during COVID-19, ways for individuals to protect themselves financially—regardless of the economic situation, nominal versus real interest rates, why cryptocurrency will not play a role in the international monetary system, the new strain of SARS-CoV-2 and why it is evidence that the lockdowns don't work, and more.

Is it true that the military vote is always for the republican candidate? Evidence suggests that this is the case for military officers, but that doesn't account for 85-86% of all military personnel. For Don Inbody, this was an open space ripe for investigation.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Whether higher voter turnout impacts the outcome of elections one way or the other
• Whether internet security is strong enough to support online internet voting
• Why it's not feasible to commit voter fraud on a scale large enough to have a meaningful impact on the outcome of an election
• How Florida and Texas handle absentee ballots, and why all states should follow suit

Don Inbody is a retired senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University who specializes in American civil-military relations and public opinion. For 28 years, he served as a Navy officer, which gives him unique insight on his areas of expertise.

During the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, there was a major question surrounding Florida absentee ballots, which were assumed to be from military personnel overseas. Initial reactions by both political parties at the time seemed to confirm a major underlying assumption: the large majority of the absentee votes from military members overseas would be cast for the republican candidate (Bush). This sparked Inbody's interest in military voting.

Based on the fact that non-whites in the military are largely overrepresented compared to the American population, as well as the understanding that, in general, non-whites tend to vote democrat, Inbody wondered what it was about being in the military that would make those individuals vote republican instead.

The question of whether enlisted personnel indeed voted republican versus democrat, and if so, why that might be the case, formed the crux of Inbody's dissertation and book, The Soldier Vote: War, Politics, and the Ballot in America. His research was based largely on a poll he took on enlisted personnel in 2008. His findings were contrary to the popular belief: in terms of party and ideology, enlisted personnel mirrored the rest of the American population, meaning there was an even split, more or less.

Inbody touches on the key takeaways of his book, discusses the importance of making voter IDs free and easily accessible to everyone, how the voting process can be improved, and much more.

Tune in, and follow Inbody on Twitter @inbodyd.