Millions of Americans believe that everything from groceries and cars to homes and vacations has become impossibly expensive. But are things actually less affordable than they were in the past, or are we measuring affordability the wrong way?In this episode of Sanity Check, Cal Beisner revisits a question raised during his recent appearance on David Wheaton’s The Christian Worldview: Why are so many Americans, particularly younger generations, increasingly attracted to socialism? One commonly cited reason is the perception that the American economy no longer provides an affordable path to a good life.Beisner examines that claim by looking beyond sticker prices and comparing the cost of goods over time in inflation-adjusted dollars, quality, quantity, amenities, and—most importantly—the amount of time an average worker must labor to afford them. Using housing as a primary example, he shows how dramatically the size, quality, comfort, and amenities of the average American home have changed over the past 75 years.From housing and automobiles to air travel, clothing, food, and technology, the evidence tells a more complicated story than the popular narrative of an ever-worsening affordability crisis. Beisner also considers the notable exceptions of education and medical care and explains why their rising costs deserve particular attention.What does this mean for Christians thinking about economics, socialism, and the state of American prosperity? And what should we make of the widespread belief that the good life is increasingly out of reach?Listen to this episode of Sanity Check to examine the “affordability crisis” from a different perspective.<a href='https://thechristianworldview.org/'>https://thechristianworldview.org/</a><a href='https://humanprogress.org/u-s-housing-became-much-more-affordable-over-the-last-40-years/'>https://humanprogress.org/u-s-housing-became-much-more-affordable-over-the-last-40-years/</a> Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Millions of Americans believe that everything from groceries and cars to homes and vacations has become impossibly expensive. But are things actually less affordable than they were in the past, or are we measuring affordability the wrong way? In this episode of Sanity Check, Cal Beisner revisits a question raised during his recent appearance on David Wheaton’s The Christian Worldview: Why are so many Americans, particularly younger generations, increasingly attracted to socialism? One commonly cited reason is the perception that the American economy no longer provides an affordable path to a good life. Beisner examines that claim by looking beyond sticker prices and comparing the cost of goods over time in inflation-adjusted dollars, quality, quantity, amenities, and—most importantly—the amount of time an average worker must labor to afford them. Using housing as a primary example, he shows how dramatically the size, quality, comfort, and amenities of the average American home have changed over the past 75 years. From housing and automobiles to air travel, clothing, food, and technology, the evidence tells a more complicated story than the popular narrative of an ever-worsening affordability crisis. Beisner also considers the notable exceptions of education and medical care and explains why their rising costs deserve particular attention. What does this mean for Christians thinking about economics, socialism, and the state of American prosperity? And what should we make of the widespread belief that the good life is increasingly out of reach? Listen to this episode of Sanity Check to examine the “affordability crisis” from a different perspective. https://thechristianworldview.org/ https://humanprogress.org/u-s-housing-became-much-more-affordable-over-the-last-40-years/ Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Millions of Americans believe that everything from groceries and cars to homes and vacations has become impossibly expensive. But are things actually less affordable than they were in the past, or are we measuring affordability the wrong way?In this episode of Sanity Check, Cal Beisner revisits a question raised during his recent appearance on David Wheaton’s The Christian Worldview: Why are so many Americans, particularly younger generations, increasingly attracted to socialism? One commonly cited reason is the perception that the American economy no longer provides an affordable path to a good life.Beisner examines that claim by looking beyond sticker prices and comparing the cost of goods over time in inflation-adjusted dollars, quality, quantity, amenities, and—most importantly—the amount of time an average worker must labor to afford them. Using housing as a primary example, he shows how dramatically the size, quality, comfort, and amenities of the average American home have changed over the past 75 years.From housing and automobiles to air travel, clothing, food, and technology, the evidence tells a more complicated story than the popular narrative of an ever-worsening affordability crisis. Beisner also considers the notable exceptions of education and medical care and explains why their rising costs deserve particular attention.What does this mean for Christians thinking about economics, socialism, and the state of American prosperity? And what should we make of the widespread belief that the good life is increasingly out of reach?Listen to this episode of Sanity Check to examine the “affordability crisis” from a different perspective.<a href="https://thechristianworldview.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://thechristianworldview.org/</a><a href="https://humanprogress.org/u-s-housing-became-much-more-affordable-over-the-last-40-years/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://humanprogress.org/u-s-housing-became-much-more-affordable-over-the-last-40-years/</a> Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.&nbsp;

The Affordability Crisis—Is It All in Your Head?

Could rising carbon dioxide levels actually be changing the chemistry of our blood? A new study makes the startling claim that increasing atmospheric CO₂ could eventually make the atmosphere toxic—but does the evidence really support such a dramatic conclusion?In this episode, Dr. David Legates takes a critical look at the study behind the headlines. He examines its analysis of more than two decades of U.S. health data, which finds that blood bicarbonate levels increased as atmospheric CO₂ rose, and asks the obvious question: does correlation really mean causation?Dr. Legates then looks at the basic physiology of carbon dioxide and blood chemistry. Given that the human body constantly produces CO₂ at concentrations vastly higher than those found in the atmosphere, is it actually plausible that a relatively small increase in outdoor CO₂ could produce the changes the researchers claim?He also examines the study’s reliance on observational data, the many other factors that can affect blood chemistry, and the assumptions involved in projecting a relatively short-term trend fifty years into the future. The result is a useful reminder that an alarming headline is not the same thing as scientific evidence—and that extraordinary claims require more than a correlation and a straight-line projection.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260814235845.htmhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-026-01918-5https://doi.org/10.1111/apha.14066 Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Could rising carbon dioxide levels actually be changing the chemistry of our blood? A new study makes the startling claim that increasing atmospheric CO₂ could eventually make the atmosphere toxic—but does the evidence really support such a dramatic conclusion? In this episode, Dr. David Legates takes a critical look at the study behind the headlines. He examines its analysis of more than two decades of U.S. health data, which finds that blood bicarbonate levels increased as atmospheric CO₂ rose, and asks the obvious question: does correlation really mean causation? Dr. Legates then looks at the basic physiology of carbon dioxide and blood chemistry. Given that the human body constantly produces CO₂ at concentrations vastly higher than those found in the atmosphere, is it actually plausible that a relatively small increase in outdoor CO₂ could produce the changes the researchers claim? He also examines the study’s reliance on observational data, the many other factors that can affect blood chemistry, and the assumptions involved in projecting a relatively short-term trend fifty years into the future. The result is a useful reminder that an alarming headline is not the same thing as scientific evidence—and that extraordinary claims require more than a correlation and a straight-line projection. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260814235845.htm https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-026-01918-5 https://doi.org/10.1111/apha.14066 Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Could rising carbon dioxide levels actually be changing the chemistry of our blood? A new study makes the startling claim that increasing atmospheric CO₂ could eventually make the atmosphere toxic—but does the evidence really support such a dramatic conclusion?In this episode, Dr. David Legates takes a critical look at the study behind the headlines. He examines its analysis of more than two decades of U.S. health data, which finds that blood bicarbonate levels increased as atmospheric CO₂ rose, and asks the obvious question: does correlation really mean causation?Dr. Legates then looks at the basic physiology of carbon dioxide and blood chemistry. Given that the human body constantly produces CO₂ at concentrations vastly higher than those found in the atmosphere, is it actually plausible that a relatively small increase in outdoor CO₂ could produce the changes the researchers claim?He also examines the study’s reliance on observational data, the many other factors that can affect blood chemistry, and the assumptions involved in projecting a relatively short-term trend fifty years into the future. The result is a useful reminder that an alarming headline is not the same thing as scientific evidence—and that extraordinary claims require more than a correlation and a straight-line projection.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260814235845.htmhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-026-01918-5https://doi.org/10.1111/apha.14066 Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.&nbsp;

Is Carbon Dioxide Making Our Blood Toxic?

Welcome to Created to Reign, produced by the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. On this podcast, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, Dr.  David Legates,  and special experts in science, economics, theology, ethics, and public policy strive to think Biblically about creation care, global warming, and the world’s poor.Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Welcome to Created to Reign, produced by the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. On this podcast, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, Dr. David Legates, and special experts in science, economics, theology, ethics, and public policy strive to think Biblically about creation care, global warming, and the world’s poor. Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Welcome to Created to Reign, produced by the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. On this podcast, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, Dr.&nbsp; David Legates,&nbsp; and special experts in science, economics, theology, ethics, and public policy strive to think Biblically about creation care, global warming, and the world’s poor.Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.&nbsp;

Created to Reign Trailer!

Welcome to Sanity Check (formerly Created to Reign), a production of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. On this podcast, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, Dr. David Legates, and experts in science, economics, theology, ethics, and public policy strive to think Biblically about creation care, global warming, and the world’s poor.

News

Science

Religion & Spirituality

Christianity

Politics

Welcome to Sanity Check (formerly Created to Reign), a production of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. On this podcast, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, Dr. David Legates, and experts in science, economics, theology, ethics, and public policy strive to think Biblically about creation care, global warming, and the world’s poor.

Share Sanity Check

Sign up to save your podcasts

Sanity Check

Sanity Check episodes

About Sanity Check

More shows like Sanity Check

Renewing Your Mind

The Briefing with Albert Mohler

VOMRadio

In the Market with Janet Parshall

The WallBuilders Show

Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Breakpoint

The World and Everything In It

The Sword & The Trowel

I Don't Have Enough FAITH to Be an ATHEIST

The Alisa Childers Podcast

Socrates in the City

The Seth Gruber Show

Ask Ligonier

The Natasha Crain Podcast