Hawk Talk

Immigration policy in the United States is fraught with obstacles. Visas, green cards, and work permits all have complicated stipulations that must be followed. What does the process of legal immigration entail? What are the costs, monetary or otherwise? Is there an incentive to immigrate illegally? Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies as they discuss the astonishing personal experiences of two special guests on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers.

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Quick hits

Workers are fleeing big cities

https://www.wsj.com/articles/workers-are-fleeing-big-cities-for-small-onesand-taking-their-jobs-with-them-11567848600

Foolishness of the week

Oregon wants to ban self-checkouts

https://reason.com/2019/09/06/union-backed-ballot-initiative-would-limit-grocery-stores-to-2-self-checkout-machines/

Topic of the week: Pitfalls of Legal Immigration

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Many proposed solutions to society’s problems produce unintended consequences. Some laws passed in good faith, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, have adverse effects on the very people they intend to help. How many laws like this are there? What do people do about them? How do businesses deal with such laws? Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies as they dive into the unforeseeable results of mixing good intentions with public policy and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers.

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Quick hits

Being the victim and the perpetrator in the same case

https://slate.com/technology/2019/08/maryland-sk-court-case-teen-sexting-child-pornography.html

Turning sign language into speech

https://www.blackbusiness.com/2019/05/roy-allela-black-engineer-invents-gloves-turn-sign-language-audible-speech.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR1eM20XHy03gUnCjvwy5XjkAt69auKNhszwtYQqUJhZVrd3y1NO6tjV_II

Foolishness of the week

Mayor de Blasio wants to abolish gifted classes

https://reason.com/2019/08/28/de-blasio-advisory-group-wants-to-abolish-gifted-classes-in-nyc-public-schools/?fbclid=IwAR1NhDE1augEPuYkpFcn1yIFmCgMq0OFHM3VU4lsKWsGUgL6BggK2MhK87c

Harrison Bergeron

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron

Topic of the week: Unintended Consequences

A380 is too quiet

https://www.wired.com/2008/12/a380-is-so-quie/

The Cobra Effect

http://freakonomics.com/podcast/the-cobra-effect-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

Payday lending

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-political-assault-on-paydays-1464909417

Americans with Disabilities Act

https://www.nber.org/papers/w6670

Bernie Sanders’ green electrical grid

https://berniesanders.com/issues/the-green-new-deal/

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If you haven’t seen either of the previous Democratic primary debates, here’s a summary: Twenty candidates debate free health care and slavery reparations, among other things. Instead of talking about eliminating the federal debt, the candidates talk about adding to it. Additionally, the top candidates don’t get to debate the issues fully. All this raises a few questions: Who’s in charge of choosing the broadcast networks? The moderators? The questions asked? What effect do these choices have on the quality of the debates? Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan as they discuss the primary debates and more in this special episode of Words & Numbers featuring bonus material.

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Quick hits

Monopoly socialism https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/23/us/monopoly-socialism-board-game-trnd/index.html

NASA plans mission to a gold asteroid

https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1169605/Asteroid-news-NASA-scientists-16-psyche-asteroids-mining-gold-platinum 

Foolishness of the week

Minneapolis bans drive thrus

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/08/09/minneapolis-bans-new-drivethrus

Topic of the week: Democratic debates

Reporter bias ratings

https://reporterbias.com/

DNC is a private corporation

https://ivn.us/posts/50-ways-the-democratic-and-republican-parties-are-the-same

Candidates

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/08/2020-candidates-president-guide/582598/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/us/politics/2020-presidential-candidates.html

Polling numbers

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/democratic_nomination_polls/

Ford-Carter debate

https://youtu.be/BuaPct7gH1w?t=152

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Which historical figures do you respect? Which economic concepts should be taught to children? How do you trust statistics? James Harrigan and Antony Davies take questions from the crowd on topics ranging from incentives to trade-offs to research data to US treasury bills and more in this week’s episode of Words & Numbers.

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Quick hits

Birth rates dropping

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7312075/Birth-rate-England-Wales-hits-80-YEAR-low.html

Noam Chomsky

https://truthout.org/articles/noam-chomsky-life-expectancy-in-the-us-is-declining-for-a-reason

Foolishness of the week

Robot racism

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/01/tech/robot-racism-scn-trnd/index.html

Topic of the week: Listener questions

Milton Friedman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EwaLys3Zak

F.A. Hayek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnMd40dqBlQ

FRED: Federal Reserve data

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/

Bureau of Labor Statistics

https://www.bls.gov/

Pew Research

https://www.pewresearch.org/

Gallup

https://www.gallup.com/home.aspx

United Nations Development Programme

http://hdr.undp.org/en/data

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When it comes to wildlife conservation and other environmental concerns, the ideas of free markets and private property are frequently laughed off as silly by the planet’s most strident defenders. However, the incentives—the motivations to behave in a certain way—that come along with private property are strong. After all, we never worry about cows going extinct. But can these insights on property and incentives be extended to other aspects of our lives and our world? Special guest Howard Baetjer, author of Free Our Markets: A Citizen’s Guide to Essential Economics, joins Antony Davies and James Harrigan as they explore this and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers.

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Quick hits

Pickle ball

https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2019/07/26/pickleball-prison-cook-county 

Air conditioned shirts

https://www.winknews.com/2019/08/01/sony-to-sell-air-conditioner-shirts-to-keep-you-cool-as-soon-as-next-year/

Foolishness of the week 

Rudeness in the grocery stores

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/os-ne-2nd-walmart-urinator-20190802-uogo4be7mbhivezdystbc2rnvm-story.html

Topic of the week: Howard Baetjer and Economic Stories

Howard Baetjer

http://wp.towson.edu/baetjer/

Free Our Markets: A Citizen’s Guide to Essential Economics

https://www.amazon.com/Free-Our-Markets-Essential-Economics/dp/098442542X

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For many children, compulsory education and authority figures tend to inadvertently turn off their sense of curiosity and wonder about the world. Additionally, assigned districts can limit school choice for many parents and mandatory curricula can put unnecessary stress on educators. Are there solutions to these problems within the current framework? Is there any evidence to support changing the way we approach schooling to benefit children, parents, and teachers? Where did all these mandates originate? Join Antony Davies, James Harrigan, and special guest Kerry McDonald, author of Unschooled, as they discuss the public school system and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers.

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Quick hits:

Beach umbrellas

https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/menendez-urges-aggressive-action-protect-beachgoers-dangers-flying-beach-umbrellas/

https://www.nsc.org/in-the-newsroom/nsc-statement-on-new-cdc-data-showing-a-rise-in-accidental-death

Candidates reticent to mention Obama

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/democrats-want-have-it-both-ways-barack-obama/595270/

Foolishness of the week:

Soy sauce

https://www.9news.com.au/national/soy-sauce-could-be-banned-under-alcohol-sales-restrictions-in-the-northern-territory/71ef616f-778a-4c24-bf95-a63e2627b00f

Topic of the week: Unschooling:

Kerry McDonald

https://fee.org/people/kerry-mcdonald/

Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1641600632/

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As we reach pivotal milestones, such as the legal driving age, we’re met with serious questions: Who decided I’m not old enough to vote? Why can I drive but not enter a bar? When do I have to buy health insurance? Am I ready for all this? Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies as they weigh the pros and cons of transitioning from a minor to an adult live from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. 

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Quick hits

Brim’s Snack Foods https://www.apr.org/post/life-so-delicious

Facts about small businesses https://sbecouncil.org/about-us/facts-and-data/

$20 an hour minimum wage https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/454212-rashida-tlaib-minimum-wage-should-be-20-an-hour-not-15

Foolishness of the week

Montgomery county, Maryland wants to require landlords to provide air conditioning

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/as-temperatures-rise-montgomery-asks-should-landlords-have-to-provide-ac-to-tenants/2019/07/16/4b5c7406-a7dc-11e9-86dd-d7f0e60391e9_story.html

Topic of the week: When does a person become an adult?

Ages of majority across the states

https://hrpo.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/5-Determining-Legal-Age-to-Consent.pdf

Bill calls for raising the smoking age to 21

https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-introduces-bill-raise-federal-legal-smoking-age-21

Legal drinking ages across countries

https://drinkingage.procon.org/minimum-legal-drinking-age-in-190-countries/

Legal marriage ages across states

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/table_marriage

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Citizens United, a conservative non-profit corporation, was once caught in the crosshairs of campaign finance law. The company violated the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act by broadcasting a political film within 30 days of a primary election. The Supreme Court split 5-4 on the issue. Did the court side with the free speech of a corporation? What happens when there are two different visions of the First Amendment? Are corporations people? Join James Harrigan, Antony Davies, and special guest Trevor Burrus as they recount the courtroom drama of Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers.

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Quick hits

The bystander effect

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31157529 

The world is becoming a better place

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP59tz2WreY

Advances toward a cancer cure

https://www.studyfinds.org/strategic-medicine-researchers-develop-trojan-horse-drug-that-tricks-then-kills-cancer-cells/

Foolishness of the week

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/health/beef-environment-resources-report/index.html

Topic of the week: Political Speech and the Citizens United Decision

Trevor Burrus

https://www.cato.org/people/trevor-burrus

Trevor Burrus on Twitter

https://twitter.com/tcburrus

McCain-Feingold, Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

https://ballotpedia.org/Bipartisan_Campaign_Reform_Act

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

https://ballotpedia.org/Citizens_United_v._Federal_Election_Commission

https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/michael-moore-trumpland-might-have-been-illegal-citizens-united-its-all

Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce

https://ballotpedia.org/Austin_v._Michigan_Chamber_of_Commerce

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As people like, share, and upload on social media platforms, data is generated by users and gathered by tech companies. It’s a bit unclear, however, how companies handle user data. Is selling or storing user data a problem? Does the Fourth Amendment protect internet privacy? Should the government get involved?Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies—live from the University of Arizona!—as they discuss End User License Agreements, copyright law, data breaches, and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers.

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Quick hits

President Trump may not block critics from his Twitter feed

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/us/politics/trump-twitter-first-amendment.html

CBO estimates of the effect of a minimum wage hike

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/08/cbo-estimates-effects-of-house-democrats-15-minimum-wage-plan.html

Foolishness of the week

Google recorded then leaked conversations that Google Assistant overheard

https://mashable.com/article/google-assistant-recordings-leaked/

Topic of the week: Privacy

Expectation of privacy https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/expectation_of_privacy

Katz v. United States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katz_v._United_States

Olmstead v. United States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmstead_v._United_States

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When it comes to the final frontier, we must inevitably outline the government’s role in interplanetary colonization. Perhaps during the next century, there will be deliberation between cosmic pioneers, space entrepreneurs, and elected officials. Who owns the resources on asteroids and other celestial bodies? What might a galactic congress look like? And what’s maritime law got to do with it? Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan as they mine that asteroid and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers.

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Show Notes:

$10 quintillion asteroid

https://www.foxnews.com/science/nasa-headed-towards-giant-golden-asteroid-that-could-make-everyone-on-earth-a-billionaire

Rep. Amash quits the Republican party

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rep-justin-amash-announces-quitting-republican-party-op/story

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/04/us/politics/justin-amash-trump.html

Foolishness of the week

Buttigieg calls for national service programs

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/03/us/politics/buttigieg-national-service.html

How to pronounce Buttigieg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT36PvjxbRA

Topic of the week: Who owns space?

Heinlein: The Man Who Sold the Moon

https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Sold-Moon/dp/0671578634

General Mining Act of 1872

https://legcounsel.house.gov/Comps/Act%20Of%20May%2010,%201872-(Mining%20Law%20Of%201872).pdf

Law of the Sea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_sea

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