Hold These Truths with Dan Crenshaw

Texas Public Policy Foundation's chief economist Vance Ginn joins us to examine the economic and fiscal policies that are unnecessarily burdening taxpayers, devaluing the dollar, incentivizing unemployment, and creating the current supply chain and energy crises. We discuss what an ideal tax and regulatory system should look like, and have a broader philosophical conversation about the purpose of taxation.

Vance Ginn, PhD, is the chief economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the former associate director for economic policy of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the Executive Office of the President during the Trump administration. Follow him on Twitter at @VanceGinn.

Manhattan Institute economist Brian Riedl joins us for a 30 minute crash course on the federal debt, budget, and taxes. We cover budget gimmicks in the Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending bill, misconceptions about the Child Tax Credit and wealth taxes, government shutdowns and debt ceilings, and what happens when the 100+ trillion dollar debt avalanche hits the American economy.

Brian Riedl is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, focusing on budget, tax, and economic policy. Previously, he worked for six years as chief economist to Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and as staff director of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth. Follow him on Twitter at @Brian_Riedl.

The progressive movement wants you to believe that freedom means the right to have all of your needs fulfilled by the services of others. Their rationale goes like this: with your basic needs met, you are free to pursue your dreams. It's become a pervasive talking point among the left in our cultural and political debates.

On this special solo episode, Dan argues why this redefinition of freedom is wrong and the consequences for the individual and the civilization that adopts it. If America is to remain the "shining city on the hill" - then its citizens must again embrace the foundation of true freedom: fortitude.

When an ideological movement attempts to end all policing, jails, drug treatment facilities, psychiatric care, and shelters - what kind of civilization do you get? Michael Shellenberger returns to expose how progressive policies have caused the skyrocketing rates of addiction, overdoses, crime, and homelessness in San Francisco and other major cities. We also assess the current state of the climate debate as Europe and California face escalating energy crises thanks to unreliable renewables.

Michael Shellenberger is the author of "San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities" and "Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All." Follow him on Twitter at @ShellenbergerMD.

With the Facebook "Whistleblower" report, the authoritarian left is using a statement we can all agree with ("Teenage bullying is wrong!") to justify unaccountable government oversight and censorship of big tech. National Review's Andy McCarthy joins us to explain how some Republicans are falling into the Democrats' censorship trap, why the left and right truly do not see eye to eye on this issue, and modifications we could make to Section 230 to stop big tech's censorship of conservatives without destroying our 1st Amendment rights. We also looked at the legal implications of Governor Abbott's prohibition on vaccine mandates and Attorney General Merrick Garland's investigation of parents as "domestic terrorists" for protesting their school boards' mask mandates.

Andy McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency. He served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Follow him in Twitter at @AndrewCMcCarthy.

Pharmaceutical opioids and the flood of Chinese fentanyl infiltrating our southern border have created a crisis that's killing hundreds of thousands of Americans every year and leaving millions more in the downward spiral of addiction. Until recently, our only way of dealing with the problem has been prison, rehab, methadone, or some combination of the three. Daniel Powell joins us to look at how we got here, the new medical innovations in combating America's worst epidemic, and the regulatory reforms we need to keep moving forward.

Daniel Powell has over 20 years in developing and selling technology-based products. He has served in multiple leadership roles including software engineering, program management, marketing & business development. Over his career, Mr. Powell launched over 18 medical device products including those for Deep Brain Stimulation for movement disorders and Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Epilepsy. Most recently he co-founded and serves as CEO of Spark Biomedical, developing a novel, wearable neurostimulation solution to address opioid withdrawal and addiction.

Another policy deep dive episode that will make you a lot more knowledgable about our healthcare system and what's happening with Medicare. Lanhee Chen joins us to break down the $1 trillion component of Bernie's $3.5 trillion "human" infrastructure bill, which supposedly expands Americans access to Medicare. We also cover the funding challenges with the current Medicare program, better ideas to help the working poor, debunk some myths about Britain and Canada's single payer systems, and ask whether or not Obamacare lived up to its promise of equalizing healthcare access for all Americans.

Lanhee J. Chen, Ph.D. is the David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public Policy Studies at the Hoover Institution and Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer in the Public Policy Program at Stanford University. Follow Lanhee Chen on Twitter at @lanheechen.

Bernie and the Squad want you to believe poverty and income inequality are worse than ever in America. But what's the truth? Dr. Scott Winship, director of poverty studies at American Enterprise Institute, joins us to look at the current state of poverty in America. We examine Bernie's claims that the rich are stealing wealth from the middle class, assess how our social welfare programs and safety net benefits are impacting everything from employment to income mobility to intergenerational poverty, and ask what reforms we could implement to help Americans who are truly trapped in the poverty cycle.

Dr. Scott Winship is a senior fellow and the director of poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he researches social mobility and the causes and effects of poverty. He also focuses on economic insecurity and inequality, among other poverty issues. Follow him on Twitter at @swinshi.

Bari Weiss joins us to look at how the woke progressives' monoculture, intolerance, and cowardice, which has been creeping into America's most treasured institutions for decades, has finally taken over. Bari describes in vivid detail what it was like to be an editor at the NY Times when their owners caved to the journalists who claimed their lives were "in danger" because of a Tom Cotton oped. And we discuss what conservatives need to do better to reach liberals and moderates who believe in the core first principles which created America, and which the progressive movement is seeking to erase from the culture.

Bari Weiss is the host of Honestly Podcast and a writer on Substack. From 2017 until 2020, Bari was a staff writer and editor for the Opinion section of The New York Times. Before joining the Times, Bari was an oped editor at the Wall Street Journal and an associate book review editor there. Her first book, "How to Fight Anti-Semitism," was a Natan Notable Book and the winner of a 2019 National Jewish Book Award. Follow Bari on Twitter at @BariWeiss.

Dan joins his friend and fellow veteran LTC Daniel Gade, PhD to recount their post-combat injury experiences with the VA's perverse structure of incentivizes which cause veterans to become sicker, poorer, and disempowered. We look at the policies and culture which enable this victimhood mentality among injured and non-injured veterans alike, and what we should be doing to help our veterans thrive in civilian life.

LTC Daniel Gade, PhD is the co-author of "Wounding Warriors: How Bad Policy Is Making Veterans Sicker and Poorer." He is a twice wounded retired US Army lieutenant colonel, professor, public policy leader, and former US Senate candidate from Virginia. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielMGade.