On today's show I had a great conversation with Jamaal Bowman, a middle school principal and former teacher running as a Democrat for US Congress in NY-16. We talk about meditation instead of detention, treating students like humans instead of cogs in a machine and community schooling, among other things. Please consider supporting Jamaal's run for US Congress by visiting his website, Twitter and Facebook pages.

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Today we welcome New York State Senator of the 34th Senate District, Alessandra Biaggi.  

Alessandra came out of nowhere, it seemed, with the last state senate election and strongly defeated an incumbent Democratic senator. She has had numerous successes with legislating since being elected on November 6, 2018. We have a great conversation in which Alessandra discusses some of her personal struggles that enable her to face the challenges of her senate run. Alessandra also provides some real nuggets of wisdom about the political process itself and she takes a hard stance on the recent crackdown of subway fare evaders. As a resident of the district she represents I can attest that she is working very hard to help our district.  

New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi can be found on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Here are some links to some helpful items mentioned in the show: 

New Leaders Council 

The Pied-à-terre tax is a proposed tax on a second, luxury home that could potentially generate $800 million a year in revenue for New York. 

Silver v. Pataki is the case that was referred to by the Senator surrounding the New York state budget process. 

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Today we step away from the Bronx to interview NYTimes best selling author and Professor of Economics, Bryan Caplan about his book Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration. We also discuss his future book about Poverty and some other interesting "food for thought" topics. Note: Not all of the views Bryan expresses in this episode are a reflection of my own, I just wanted to present someone with a different perspective on these ideas.

Bryan Caplan can be found on Twitter and at http://econlib.org

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Today we welcome Ed Garcia Conde of the successful publication Welcome2TheBronx.  We discuss the emerging gentrification of the Bronx and community land trusts as a strategy to defeat gentrification. We also talk about what true affordable housing means.  Ed also discusses healthy food as a right of all residents regardless of income and we highlight some people and organizations that are working on this issue. You can find Ed on the web at Welcome2TheBronx, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for listening!

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Dave Lopez the co-owner of Gun Hill Brewery, in the Bronx, discusses the brewery’s involvement in the community and how to make running a business enjoyable for the community and owners. You can find out more about the Gun Hill Brewery by visiting their website.  Also find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest information and upcoming events.

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A short introduction to what this podcast is about by your host James Oehler. Thanks for your support!--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/appSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fringe-voices/support