Do women get paid 80 cents on the dollar compared to men? That figure has been a political football, but is it overagreggated? How much are pay differences a matter of employer bigotry versus employee choice? FEEcast discusses this hot button issue.

Show Notes:

Harvard Study: "Gender Wage Gap" Explained Entirely by Work Choices of Men and Women

Truth and Myth on the Gender Pay Gap

The Wage Gap Between Men and Woman Virtually Disappears When Differences in Behavior Are Taken into Account

Not All Gender Pay Gaps Are Worth Worrying About

With the 24-hour news media, countless blogs and videos, and near-infinite social media commentary, there’s a lot of noise out there. As a society, we are all struggling to combat disinformation, or “fake news,” and get at the truth. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Joined by guest Jon Miltimore, the FEEcasters discuss how to combat fake news and how constant advisories on everything from romaine lettuce to FBI Russia investigations begin to lose their sense of importance.

Show Notes:

Daryl Davis: Making Friends From Enemies

There’s No Such Thing as “Her Truth” or “His Truth”—Only the Truth

George Orwell: Looking back on the Spanish War

‘Tis the season for holiday sales, so the FEEcasters discuss the economics of the products they’ve got their eyes on: makeup and Apple products. Celebrity-driven brands are disrupting the established players in the beauty care industry by expanding the diversity of the skin tones they serve. And Apple stock is down due to soft iPhone sales. It all goes to show that, now matter how dominant a company may seem, the consumer holds the ultimate power to make or destroy business fortunes.

Show Notes:

How Kylie Jenner Is Changing the Face of Entrepreneurship

A 'Made in America' iPhone Would Cost $2,000, Studies Show

Capitalism Encapsulated: Mises in Four Easy Pieces

I, Pencil

Apple CEO Tim Cook on privacy: 'we have to admit when the free market is not working'

Apple CEO Tim Cook explains why Apple products were exempt from Trump’s China tariffs

Cities and states across the country have been courting Amazon. Each eagerly wanted to host the retail giant’s second headquarters. And each offered billions in tax incentives and cash handouts to entice the company. Now Amazon has made its decision, and “HQ2” ended up being HQ2 + 3.

The FEEcasters are fans of Amazon (except, ahem, for Marianne), but they disagree on one thing: how should we think about the tax breaks Amazon got? Are they welcome tax relief or crony-capitalist subsidies? It’s debate time on FEEcast. What do you think? 

FEEcast is taking a break next week. FEE wishes you a happy Thanksgiving!

Show Notes:

What Ocasio-Cortez Gets Right about Amazon's $2 Billion Government Handout

Tax Breaks Aren't Subsidies

Amazon Snags $2 Billion in Bribes and Tax Credits From New York and Virginia

Amazon HQ2 Is the Only Competition Where the Losers Are Winners

Every year, political strife gets more rancorous and invades more of our lives. On the fringes, our hyper-politicized climate even precipitates violent atrocities. Is this a reflection of how much government itself has steadily encroached on our lives? What perspective can we adopt to foster harmony? Watch this episode of FEEcast to find out! Note: FEEcast will take a week off next week. See you again on November 16!

Show Notes:

Four Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Mass Violence—A Social Psychologist’s Perspective

Hannah Arendt on the Link Between Bureaucracy and Violence

Who I'm Voting For

From Kendall Jenner to Elizabeth Warren, cultural appropriation is in the news. And coverage of the topic always ramps up as Halloween approaches. Who is allowed to dress up as whom? What should we consider offensive, and how should we respond to offense taken by others? The FEEcast crew, joined by T.K. Coleman, considers these questions, as well as the economics of Halloween costumes and a recent law passed against adult trick-or-treaters.

Why Halloween Costumes Used to Be Terrible | Richard Lorenc

Don't Vote Like a Halloweener | Lawrence W. Reed

Halloween Has Been Commercialized Too, Thank Goodness | James Walpole

Peace, Love, and Cultural Appropriation | FEEcast

Cultural Appropriation Is Love | TJ Brown

Cultural Appropriation Is Intellectual Property on Stilts | Pierre-Guy Veer

After 132 years, Sears is filing for bankruptcy. But it’s not necessarily over for the company which has a surprising and honorable history of disrupting racial hierarchies in the days of Jim Crow. On this episode of the FEEcast, Richard, Anna Jane, and Marianne discuss the company that was truly the Amazon of the 20th century and tackle the question: how likely is it that today's corporate giants will stand the test of time?

Show Notes:

Sears, the store that changed America, declares bankruptcy

How Sears mail-order catalogs undermined Jim Crow racism

Antitrust Myths and the Fall of Sears

Chris Kjorness on How Capitalism Midwifed the Birth of the Blues

Only 53 US Companies Have Been on the Fortune 500 since 1955, Thanks to the Creative Destruction That Fuels Economic Prosperity

Taylor Swift recently broke her political silence by endorsing Democratic candidates and dishing out progressive buzzwords. These words were music to some ears and noise to others. Kanye West is rarely silent (as Swift knows from experience), particularly about politics these days. Kanye recently made more waves in his MAGA hat, first on SNL, then on Twitter, where he called for abolishing the 13th amendment. Where some detected a pro-slavery message, others inferred a critique of the prison system. How do our “moral taste buds” (in psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s terminology) shape the way we hear statements from across the political divide? The FEEcasters discuss!

Show Notes:

Why Conservatives Can't Understand Liberals (and Vice Versa)

5 Possible Reasons Incivility and Outrage Are on the Rise

How Facts Get Chosen and Minds Get Changed

Jeff Bezos announced that Amazon will raise its minimum wage to $15/hour. This made Bernie Sanders happy, but will it lead to layoffs? And what’s up with Bezos turning around and voicing support for increasing the federal minimum wage? Is all this really about compassion or about using government to squash the competition? Tune in to FEEcast for an in-depth discussion.

*After this recording concluded on Wednesday, news broke that Amazon will discontinue monthly bonuses and stock options for warehouse workers.

Show Notes:

Is Amazon’s Minimum Wage Move a Political Ploy?

https://fee.org/articles/is-amazon-s-minimum-wage-move-a-political-ploy/

The New York Times Explains Why the Minimum Wage Should Be $0.00

https://fee.org/articles/the-new-york-times-explains-why-the-minimum-wage-should-be-000/

Higher Minimum Wages Can Mean Fewer Work Benefits

https://fee.org/articles/higher-minimum-wages-can-mean-fewer-work-benefits/

Amazon's hourly workers lose monthly bonuses and stock awards as minimum wage increases

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/03/amazon-hourly-workers-lose-monthly-bonuses-stock-awards.html

Amazon eliminates monthly bonuses and stock grants after minimum wage increase

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/3/17934194/amazon-minimum-wage-raise-stock-options-bonus-warehouse

Senator Bernie Sanders recently proposed “Stop BEZOS” (Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies), a tax bill that doesn’t hide its chief target: Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon. But would this law help low-income workers or hurt them? Find out on FEEcast!

Show Notes:

Bernie Sanders' Stop BEZOS Campaign Ignores Several Basic Economic Realities

Bernie Sanders’s Tax Bill Would Wreak Havoc on the Working Poor

Are Food Stamps Really Reducing Labor Costs for Amazon?