Defending Ideas

This week’s episode of Defending Ideas brings you another installment of our feature segment: Defending Enterprise, with contributor and AEI Senior Fellow Beth Akers.

Beth joins Nic Dunn to provide listeners with a guide to what candidates for office in 2024 might say about the economy – and how voters can stay focused on policy proposals that support and defend our free enterprise system. Beth dives into the causes and responses to ongoing inflation, including the role of deficit spending and whether current efforts to create a “soft landing” are working. She also touches on economic issues that often find their way into campaign rhetoric, including free trade vs. protectionism, whether raising taxes on businesses and the wealthy is wise, and how we ought to view issues like the minimum wage and immigration with respect to their impacts on the workforce.

Show notes:

• Beth Akers | American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• President Biden Remarks on Deficit Reduction | C-SPAN.org
• Federal Reserve Chair News Conference | July 26, 2023 | C-SPAN.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, 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.

Americans don't trust the news media. Polling data shows over and over that many Americans tend to believe the press is politically biased and not trustworthy. At the same time, it seems that our collective ability to engage in healthy, robust debate has also declined.

Is there a link between diminishing trust in the press and the dying art of public discourse? On this week's episode, 20-year TV news veteran Glen Mills joins Nic Dunn for a status check on the health of public debate, and the state of one of the most important and impactful institutions of civil society: the news media.

Glen shares insights drawn from his decades of broadcast experience spanning Idaho, Wisconsin, Colorado and Utah, covering news, politics and more. The discussion showcases how the news industry has changed, how Americans' ability to debate ideas has suffered, and some ideas for how to fix both.

Show notes:

• Confidence in U.S. Institutions Down; Average at New Low (gallup.com)
• Americans Remain Distrustful of Mass Media (gallup.com)
• News Media Viewed as Biased but Crucial to Democracy (gallup.com)
• Glen Mills | LinkedIn

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.

We often hear that the best way to prepare the next generation for a successful life is through a quality education. But what about another institution of civil society that might actually play a bigger role in upward mobility and human flourishing?

On this episode we profile the recently created Utah Office of Families and show you why the best way to equip children with the tools for a successful life is to elevate the importance of strong, stable and healthy families.

Host Nic Dunn sits down with guest Aimee Winder Newton, senior advisor to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and director of the Office of Families. Aimee outlines an approach to family policy in Utah that seeks to support and strengthen all families, while recognizing the positive impact that married couple households have on child outcomes.

They also discuss the importance of education, work, and marriage before childbearing (the success sequence) as a framework for the next generation – and talk about why better tracking of family structure data is crucial for good policymaking.

Show notes:

• Utah Office of Families | Governor Spencer J. Cox
• Aimee Winder Newton | Governor Spencer J. Cox (utah.gov)
• Success Sequence - Sutherland Institute
• Publications | Utah Family Miracle - Sutherland Institute
• Tracking ‘two-parent privilege’ in Utah - 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.

Trying to get out of chronic poverty is challenging. Sometimes, government programs designed to help can actually make upward mobility feel harder to achieve.

On this episode, we talk with Chris Robinson, Graduated Circle Leader with the local nonprofit Circles Salt Lake. Chris shares what it was like when she lived in poverty and relied on government benefit programs to provide stability for her family. She describes her own experience facing “benefits cliffs” that too often disincentivized work.

Chris is joined by Michelle Crawford, Executive Director of Circles Salt Lake, who gives an overview of the work Circles does to help its program participants escape poverty and move toward self-reliance. Together, Chris and Michelle provide a very human angle to a complex policy issue, shedding more light on the importance of refining anti-poverty efforts to better support upward mobility for more Americans.

Show notes:

• Home - Circles Salt Lake
• How programs to help the poor can harm upward mobility - 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.

Child care is frequently at the center of family policy debates in Washington, D.C. and in state capitals across the country. As evidenced by the Biden administration's proposal in April 2023, often the core focus is promoting broad access to licensed institutional child care as a tool to maximize parents' participation in the workforce.

But the state of Utah's approach has been markedly different – elevating families by incorporating the diverse needs and preference of parents into the conversation. State Rep. Susan Pulsipher joins the show to discuss her legislative work on child care issues, which includes tools to support working parents as well as those who leave the workforce to raise children.

The episode will leave you with a unifying goal: to help families move closer to what they identify as the ideal arrangement for their children and achieve the work situation that best supports that ideal.

Show notes:

• Work/Life Balance Preferences: Utah Parents
• HB0015 Child Care Amendments (utah.gov)
• HB0170 Child Tax Credit Revisions (utah.gov)
• HB0375 Office of Child Care Amendments (utah.gov)
• Parents want more time with their kids. We should find ways to help them - 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.

Religious faith is often viewed as a source of division, and sometimes there's an expectation that people of faith should keep their religion confined to their private lives. This week's discussion shows that religious differences can actually lead to bridges of cooperation to solve some of our biggest challenges, and that faith has an important role in public life.

Special guest Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America and a University of Utah Impact Scholar, joins host Nic Dunn to discuss pluralism, diverse democracy, and how to value the contributions of faith in society even if your own views of theology differ.

Following the interview with Eboo, Nic is joined by Sutherland Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow Bill Duncan and Chief Growth Officer Derek Monson. They discuss how to translate the idea of religious pluralism into principles that are changing public policy for the better.

This episode is part of Defending Ideas' ongoing feature: Defending Faith.

Show notes:

• Eboo Patel - Interfaith America
• Beacon Press: We Need to Build
• Eboo Patel - Deseret News
• Building bridges - religions' role in our societies | Eboo Patel | TEDxChicago - YouTube

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.

Debates about climate change, energy policy and the environment can feel very polarizing. These discussions often pit right and left against one another, while also suggesting fossil fuels and free enterprise are at odds with environmental stewardship.

Our guest this episode is Rep. John Curtis, who represents Utah's 3rd Congressional District and has also headed the efforts of the Conservative Climate Caucus. The discussion touches on his message that fossil fuels are actually an important part of the solution to climate change, and that energy can be affordable, reliable and clean if we leverage free enterprise rather than push against it.

Show notes:

• U.S. Representative John Curtis (house.gov)
• Conservative Climate Caucus | U.S. Representative John Curtis (house.gov)
• Congressional Series 2023: Rep. John Curtis - YouTube

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.

Rep. Blake Moore of Utah's 1st Congressional District joins the show to discuss runaway federal spending and how to shift away from America's "debt culture." The congressman talks with Beth Akers, AEI senior fellow and Defending Ideas feature contributor, on our new monthly feature segment: Defending Enterprise.

Show notes:

• Sutherland Institute Congressional Series 2023: Rep. Blake Moore - YouTube

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.

Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah's 4th Congressional District joins the show to discuss upward mobility, with a special focus on the importance of options in both K-12 and post-secondary education, the role of the family, and how transportation and infrastructure play an important role.

Show notes:

• Home - Burgess Owens (house.gov)
• Education and the Workforce (house.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.

A Massachusetts couple's application to become foster parents was denied by the state. The reason? Their Catholic faith. Sutherland Institute Religious Freedom Policy Fellow Bill Duncan returns to the show to walk us through why the state denied an otherwise exemplary foster couple, Mike and Kitty Burke, and why the lawsuit the Burkes filed in response is on solid legal footing.

Show notes:

• States should welcome religiously motivated foster parents (washingtonexaminer.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.