This short episode is an introduction to what is likely to be a controversial issue before too long - whether the United States should launch its own central bank backed digital currency, or CBDC.  An Executive Order signed by the President in March directed a number of members of the Administration to look into U.S. digital currency.  With the growth of the cryptocurrency market, governments are starting to want a piece of that pie, but with government involvement in digital currency come a lot of risks related to the privacy of individuals.

Despite the claim of Vice President Kamala Harris that our border is secure, millions have illegally entered our nation during the Biden Administration and, yet, the Administration continues to ignore this crisis and to deny its existence.  The refusal of the federal government to take actions actually to secure the border is forcing governors in the most affected states to take actions to shine a light on the real situation in the hopes that those in Washington, D.C. will finally understand that something must be done if the nation is to be secure.

Without a question, gas-powered vehicles have a down side - pollution, accidents, congestion - but they also offer a kind of mobility - automcobility - that allows us independence, self-determination, and the ability to live and work in places of our choosing.  Automobiles also connect us to one another, allowing us to travel far distances on our own schedules and with our own itineraries.  A part of the American story, today's push to outlaw new sales of such vehicles based upon claims that we can all simply replace them with today's electric vehicles, overlooks all the downsides that exist today for electric vehicles and is likely motivated by an intent to control, as much as any intent to protect the environment.

Education has societal value.  But an individual's choice of course of study and what to pay for that study is that individual's own decision.  Even more so a personal individual decision, is the decision to borrow money to pay for an education.  As with any loan and investment with those borrowed funds, the person agreeing to pay back those funds should evaluate the return on investment and decide if the loan is worth it and if that borrower will be able to live up to the agreement being made to repay it.  It is not the responsibility of those who chose not to borrow such funds to pay them back.  A government program that simply wipes away a portion or all of such debt of some individuals is merely a means of buying votes, less ugly perhaps that 19th century bribery and intentional intoxication to get votes, but vote buying nonetheless.

This episode poses the theory that the focus on Donald Trump - both by his supporters and his opponents - is not as much about who he is but what he stands for.  Donald Trump was not a career politician.  He was not a creature of decades inside the Beltway and he did not accept in opposition to his plans that things simply were not done that way or that they were always done some other way.  To be sure, he has many personal quirks - or worse - but he was something refreshing in politics - with Donald Trump, what you saw - and heard - was what you got.  Now, as we move forward - either with or without Trump involved in the political arena - it cannot be ignored that the American people want something different. They do not want to ruled by a lifelong set of political elites in Washington.  They want someone who will shake things up in order to get things done.  Donald Trump gave some hope that could be done and whether you love him or hate him specifically that fact scares a lot of people.  And, whether the Republican Party's future should involve him or not, he has sparked a debate worthy of having - how do we turn things around in Washington to stop them from being done as they have been for decades.

It is never a bad time to be reminded that part of the genius of the system created by our founders is that it is based on a system that intended to leave more power to the states and local governments - those closest to the people - and less for the federal government.  As more and more policy actions are being taken at the federal level, perhaps it is time we, as a society, ask whether we might not be more satisfied with government if more decisions were made closer to home.

With the recent passage of federal legislation packed full of various incentives to shift to cleaner energy, it seems the perfect time to re-release this episode to get back to the basics of where we are in terms of energy options and what is still lacking if we are effectively to shift society away from traditional sources of energy, such as oil, gas, and coal.

This is a re-release of the 11th episode of the podcast.  The episode explores how the movement known as feminism - once a general call for equal treatment of women - has done more to harm the female gender than to help it.

This episode is a re-release of Episode 7, originally recorded on February 28, 2021.  It explores the history and purpose of the Second Amendment and why it is a right critical to all other freedoms.

This is a re-release of the podcast's very first episode, with a new introduction to remind all of us how special this great nation we call America truly is.