Forgotten America

Today Nolan Gray joins Garrett to discuss how principles of market urbanism and regional planning can be applied to rural America. He is one of the authors of the Cardinal Institute’s recent paper entitled Homegrown Revival: Removing Barriers to Home Based Entrepreneurship in West Virginia. Nolan shares the importance of building an ecosystem of entrepreneurs rather than relying on corporate welfare and explains the role local power can have in creating a brighter future for rural American towns.

Gordon Tomb is a senior fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation in Harrisburg, PA, a free-market think tank focused on Pennsylvania state policy and a senior advisor with the CO2 Coalition founded with the purpose offor the purpose of educating thought leaders, policy makers, and the public about the important contribution made by carbon dioxide to our lives and the economy. Gordon joins Garrett today to discuss climate change, energy policy, and rural America.

James Franko, President of the Kansas Policy Institute, joins Garrett to explore the Sunflower State. Garrett & James discuss everything from the appropriate degree of doneness for a steak to Kansas tax reform. We learn that even flat Kansas has elevations to rival the Mountain State, and we dive into local Swedish art, the demographics of Kansas, increasing mechanization's impacts on the local economy, and Trump’s legacy in the Great Plains.

Peter J. Hill is Professor of Economics Emeritus at Wheaton College and a Senior Fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center in Bozeman, Montana, where he currently resides. He joins Garrett on Forgotten America to discuss free-market environmentalism (FME) and the property rights framework he uses to evaluate conservation issues. P.J. also gives us a look back into the truth about the Wild West and whether or not it was really all that wild.

Our newest team member, Andrew Bambrick, joins Garrett to discuss his home state of New Jersey and what it was like growing up in the small town of Hammonton in southern New Jersey. He tackles stereotypes that come from shows like the Sopranos and Jersey Shore, talks about the cultural and political differences between north and south New Jersey, and he shares why he loved growing up in the Garden State.

The opioid crisis is in the news with the death of Michael K. Williams. West Virginia is suing Purdue Pharma over its role in the opioid crisis. However, today’s guest, Jacob Rich, an analyst with the Reason Foundation and Senior Contributor with Young Voices, says that the majority of the blame should be placed on the government. In today's episode, we discuss the history of the opioid crisis, government’s role in exacerbating it, policies that can alleviate the crisis, and predictions about the future

Jessi Troyan and Jessica Dobrinsky from team Cardinal take over the Forgotten America podcast this week. They chat about why they chose to stay in West Virginia, how Jessica transformed from an avid Bernie supporter to a leading young voice for conservatives in West Virginia, their mutual love/hate relationships with Pittsburgh, and their perspectives on West Virginia culture.

Many people think that all of West Virginia is coal country, but that simply isn’t true. Garrett joins his wife, Kimberly, on this episode of Forgotten America to discuss life in the southern coalfields, how her upbringing was different from his in the Mid-Ohio Valley, the strength of the Appalachian woman, and the future of West Virginia.

John Charles Jr is the President & CEO of the Cascade Policy Institute in Portland, Oregon. He and Garrett discuss land use policy & how it affects individuals and economies. This is one of those policies that the average person doesn’t know much about but that massively affects everyone’s lives. This episode covers everything from zoning to lite rail to urban sprawl to the housing crisis. Listen in and tell your friends all about land use policy and how it’s making their lives more expensive and diff

Robert Graboyes, a healthcare economist for the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, joins Garrett today to discuss the healthcare system in America. He talks about its purpose, why it’s broken, and the high stakes of getting it right. They also discuss such topics as innovation in health care and the history and effects of certificate of need laws. If you are constantly frustrated by American health care, this is the episode for you.