Defending Ideas

Housing affordability is one of the most important issues for Utah voters, and for too many families, owning a home may feel out of reach. Amid rising housing costs, many Utahns are wondering what can be done to make homeownership more affordable.

On this episode, Nic Dunn welcomes back AEI Senior Fellow and Defending Ideas Feature Contributor Beth Akers for another Defending Enterprise installment. Beth sits down with local and national housing experts to help listeners understand the problem and what state leaders in Utah are doing about it. 

Guests:

• Dejan Eskic, senior research fellow with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
• Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics with the Cato Institute
• Steve Waldrip, senior advisor to the governor for housing strategy and innovation

Show notes:

• Publications | 2024 Voter Priorities - Sutherland Institute

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.



Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

With Utah's 2024 legislative session now in the rearview mirror, what actually passed, and will it benefit Utahns?

Sutherland Institute was involved with legislation impacting issues including religious freedom, family policy, education and elections. On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with Sutherland's policy experts to profile these issues and discuss the policy impacts of what passed and what failed. 

Interview Guests:

• Stan Rasmussen, VP of Government Affairs
• Christine Cooke Fairbanks, Education Policy Fellow
• Bill Duncan, Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow
• Derek Monson, Chief Growth Officer

Show notes:

• Small steps to big wins – 5 legislative victories that will benefit Utahns - Sutherland Institute
• Publications | 2024 Voter Priorities - Sutherland Institute

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Education has become one of the most polarized issues in state and national politics in recent years. The debates over what should be taught to students, and even the overall purpose of education, prompt an important question: What is the right vision for education in America?

Rick Hess joins Nic Dunn on this week's episode to discuss his new book, co-authored with Michael McShane: Getting Education Right: A Conservative Vision for Improving Early Childhood, K–12, and College.

Rick is a senior fellow and the director of education policy studies for the American Enterprise Institute. He argues that we need to refocus education on its proper institutional and civic purpose, offering a vision for how to orient future education policy discussions in a way that should be broadly popular among Americans.

Sutherland's education policy fellow, Christine Cooke Fairbanks, also joins the discussion to show how principles like elevating families and strengthening parent-teacher partnerships can be successfully implemented, citing examples in Utah.

Show notes:

• Getting Education Right: A Conservative Vision for Improving Early Childhood, K–12, and College | American Enterprise Institute – AEI
• Frederick M. Hess | American Enterprise Institute – AEI
• Christine Cooke Fairbanks – Sutherland Institute

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

What is going on at the U.S./Mexico border in Texas? After a wave of national news coverage profiling recent significant increases in border crossings, questions remain about the legal conflict between state and federal authorities over who is actually in charge of border security.

On this episode, Deseret News Politics Reporter Brigham Tomco joins host Nic Dunn to give a first-hand account of what's actually happening at the border based on his recent coverage for the Deseret News.

Later in the show, Sutherland Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow Bill Duncan joins to discuss the legal battle between Texas and the federal government. Bill and Nic go over the arguments on both sides as the issue moves through the judicial process.

Finally, Sutherland Chief Growth Officer Derek Monson sits down with Nic to explore why this issue is so polarizing, offering some tips for how to discuss contentious topics like this with more respect for those who disagree.

Show notes:

• What’s happening in Eagle Pass Texas - Deseret News
• What’s behind the mess at the Texas border? - Sutherland Institute
• Brigham Tomco - Deseret News

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.


Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Should municipal governments be allowed to use ranked choice voting for local elections? The Utah State Legislature has recently taken up the question. On this episode we explore how this form of voting works and discuss new Sutherland survey data showing that most likely voters in Utah support keeping the option.

Host Nic Dunn is joined by Josh Daniels, a former Utah County Clerk who is currently with Utah Ranked Choice Voting, and Derek Monson, Sutherland's chief growth officer, who has written extensively about ranked choice voting.

Show notes:

• Publications | Ranked Choice Voting Survey - Sutherland Institute
• Publications | Benefits and Drawbacks of Ranked Choice Voting - Sutherland Institute
• Policy | Elections - Sutherland Institute
• HB 290 Ranked Choice Voting Amendments (utah.gov)

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

What if many of the challenges American society is facing today – declining happiness, "deaths of despair," eroding civic engagement, insufficient upward mobility – all tie back to one major institution?

Brad Wilcox returns to the show to discuss his new book: "Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization." He and host Nic Dunn discuss the evidence for marriage and family being the biggest predictor of happiness in adults, why this institution may seem under attack in some circles, and what to do about it.

Show notes:

• Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization
• American Enterprise Institute book event with Brad Wilcox
• Is Getting Married A Good Idea? | IN 60 SECONDS (youtube.com)

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.


Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Utah could strengthen religious freedom protections in a significant way during the current legislative session, with the passage of a state version of a "religious freedom restoration act."

Sen. Todd Weiler joins host Nic Dunn to discuss Senate Bill 150 Exercise of Religion Amendments, which would create a higher standard in the law to prevent undue restriction of religious liberties.

Sutherland Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow Bill Duncan then joins the discussion to respond to criticisms of the bill and make the case for why this kind of law is the right approach for Utah.

Show notes:

• SB 150 Exercise of Religion Amendments (utah.gov)

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.


Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

What are the right ingredients for creating the best chance of upward mobility for the most people? Policy experts and elected officials trying to reduce poverty have asked versions of this question for decades. There's a strong argument to be made that Utah has the answer.

A new report from the Archbridge Institute ranks social mobility in all 50 states, with Utah taking the top spot as the best state in the nation for opportunity. Nic Dunn sits down with the authors of this new study to discuss their findings. Gonzalo Schwarz is the President and CEO of the Archbridge Institute. Justin Callais is a Research Fellow with Archbridge, and he teaches economics and finance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

They outline why Utah does so well in social mobility metrics, where the state can still improve, and what other states could learn.

Show notes:

• Social Mobility in the 50 States - Archbridge Institute
• The Archbridge Institute is an independent nonpartisan public policy thinktank based in Washington, D.C.
• Guest opinion: Utah tops social mobility rankings: What others can learn, what can be improved - Archbridge Institute

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.


Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Sixty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson launched America's "War on Poverty." The goal? To equip Americans stuck in poverty with the tools to achieve success. If we fast forward to 2024, we might ask: Are we winning or losing the war on poverty?

On this episode we explore why the national effort to address poverty started with laudable goals, how the government policies that have resulted since haven't actually lived up to the initial aspiration, and what to do about it.

Nic Dunn is joined by Angela Rachidi, Senior Fellow and Rowe Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, where she focuses on poverty, safety net programs, family policy and workforce development. Angela points out flaws in existing federal anti-poverty efforts, explaining how the success sequence is a better framework on which to build policies to address poverty.

Show notes:

• Poverty & Public Policy: Safety-Net Programs Need Reform | National Review
• Dynamics of Families After a Nonmarital Birth | American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• Policy | Success Sequence - Sutherland Institute

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Is work a punishment or a blessing? This question is often at the heart of debates about how to help people striving to get out of poverty as well as discussions on the role of things like work requirements. Utah has an answer to this question, and on this episode we explain why many other states are looking to Utah's unique approach to welfare and workforce development.

Nic Dunn sits down with two different guests this week to discuss "The Utah Model" and how the way government programs are set up can either help or hurt those working to escape poverty.

Mason Bishop is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the principal and owner of WorkED Consulting. He is the author of "The Utah Model," an AEI paper that outlines why Utah's approach to colocating safety net programs and workforce development resources under one state agency has benefited Utahns. Mason also outlines why this is the only one of its kind throughout the nation and why other states are taking interest.

Nate McDonald is the former deputy director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services.

Show notes:

• The Utah Model: Workforce Programs and Services Integration Tool Kit | American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• Reform This Workforce Law and Bring on State Policy Entrepreneurs | American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• Why America needs a new welfare reform movement - Sutherland Institute
• Department of Workforce Services (utah.gov)

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.




Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.