The Best Paragraph I've Read:

If you're worried about the short-term economic outlook, I have bad news: The long-term outlook is worse.  That's what emerges from the latest long-term budget outlook released by the Congressional Budget Office last week.  It contained this sobering number: The agency expects annual economic growth to average just 1.6% over the next three decades - down by about a quarter of a point from its forecast a year ago - and just 1.5% by the 2040s.  The US hasn't had trend growth that slow since the 1930's.  Only a bit of this is because of the pandemic.  Most reflects longer-lasting forces, namely demographics and productivity.  

This paragraph comes from an editorial in the Wall Street Journal titled: "Demographics, Debt Hang Over US Growth."  The author is Greg IP.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/demographics-and-debt-hang-over-long-term-u-s-growth-11601467381

Zac and Don discuss this bleak long term economic outlook.  They talk about America's declining population - is this a problem?  If it is a problem can it be solved?  They also talk about the national debt and if this is actually a problem.

In the podcast Zac and Don also discuss ideas from the following books:

Day of Empire by Amy Chua

https://www.amazon.com/Day-Empire-Hyperpowers-Global-Dominance/dp/1400077419

The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton

https://www.amazon.com/Deficit-Myth-Monetary-Peoples-Economy/dp/1541736184 

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

Warren went to talk to Susie's father to get his blessing.  This, he already knew, would be easily had.  But Doc Thompson took a while - quite a while - to get to the point.  He started by explaining that Harry Truman and the Democrats were sending the country straight to hell.  Pouring money into Europe after the war through the Marshall Plan and Berlin airlift was just proof that the policies of that devil Roosevelt were still in place, and that Truman was sending the country straight into bankruptcy.  Look at how the Soviets got hold of the atomic bomb right after Truman had dismantled part of the military.  Senator Joe McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee was proving what Doc Thompson had known all along, that the government was riddled with Communists.  HUAC was finding Commies everywhere.  The government was downright ineffectual - or worse - when it came to dealing with Communism.  Truman had lost China for democracy.  He would never be forgiven for firing the heroic General Douglas MacArthur for insubordination after he made repeated efforts to go around Truman and get approval to attach the Chinese Commies in Manchuria.  But it was probably too late for even MacArthur to save the country now.  The Communists were taking over the world, and stocks were going to be nothing but valueless bits of paper.  So Warren's plan to work in the stock market was going to fail.  But Doc Thompson would never blame Warren when his daughter starved... ... ... 

This paragraph comes from the book "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life."  The book is written by Alice Schroeder.

https://www.amazon.com/Snowball-Warren-Buffett-Business-Life/dp/0553805096/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1601602036&sr=1-2

Zac and Don discuss the day after the election.  They discuss whether today's feeling about the election is any different than how people have felt in the past.

Another Best Paragraph I've Read:

"The win-over-reasonable-Republicans-with-reason strategy is weak sauce. That leaves the Democrats with one other choice: total political warfare. The Senate’s Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer—with the backing of Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi—needs to threaten massive retaliation. Should McConnell try to ram a Trump nominee through, Schumer ought to vow that the Democrats, if they win back the Senate and Biden is elected president, will demolish the filibuster, which will allow the Senate to proceed to make Washington, DC, a state (two more senators, who are likely to be Democrats!) and that they will move to add two or four more seats to the Supreme Court. (There is nothing in the Constitution that limits the court’s size to the current nine justices.) In other words: They will implement a Republican nightmare (which, as it happens, can be justified on arguments of equity and fairness)."

This paragraph comes from Mother Jones.  The article is titled: "To Honor Ginsburg, Democrats Have One Choice: Go Nuclear."  The article is written by David Corn.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/09/ruth-bader-ginsburg-death-democrats-whats-next-mcconnell-trump/

Zac and Don wonder if our current leaders are pushing too hard to change the traditional rules of government.

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"America’s fractious and tragic response to the COVID-19 pandemic has made the nation look more like a failed state than like the richest country in world history. Doom-scrolling through morbid headlines in 2020, one could easily believe that we have lost our capacity for effective crisis response. And maybe we have. But a major crisis has a way of exposing what is broken and giving a new generation of leaders a chance to build something better. Sometimes the ramifications of their choices are wider than one might think."

This paragraph is from an article in the Atlantic titled: "Get Ready for the Great Urban Comeback."  The article is written by Derek Thompson.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/10/how-disaster-shaped-the-modern-city/615484/ 

Zac and Don talk about how and if cities will change from Covid-19.  They also discuss whether Americans should move back to rural areas and If there is anything we can learn about Walt Disney's dream of building EPCOT.

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

During the public comment period of the Lincoln City Council meeting on Aug. 31, Ander Christensen stood at the lectern and dared to speak truth to power... ... ... “We have been casually ignoring a problem that has gotten so out of control that our children are throwing around names and words without even understanding their true meaning, treating things as though they’re normal... ... ...  I go into nice family restaurants and I see people throwing this name around and pretending as though everything is just fine. I’m talking about boneless chicken wings. I propose that we as a city remove the the name ‘boneless wings’ from our menus and from our hearts.”

This paragraph comes from the Washington Post.  The article is titled: "Nebraska man says ‘boneless wings’ are blasphemy and the time for change is now."  The article is written by Tim Carman.  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/09/04/nebraska-man-says-boneless-wings-are-blasphemy-and-the-time-for-change-is-now/

Zac and Don discuss if boneless wings should be called something different.  They also discuss whether making such a change would give American society a win that they could build on.  

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

When I was a child, doctors giving vaccine shots used to hand out candy or a little toy to take the sting and fear out of the shot. A similar idea could rescue the U.S. economy when one or more COVID vaccines are approved by the FDA and widely available for mass uptake... … ...

The “adult” version of the doctor handing out candy to children, fortunately, points toward a solution: pay people who get the shot....

How much? I know of no hard science that can answer that question, but my strong hunch is that anything less than $1,000 per person won’t do the trick. At that level, a family of four would get $4,000 (ideally not subject to income tax) – a lot of money to a lot of families in these difficult times, and thus enough to assure that the country crosses the 80 percent vaccination threshold.

This paragraph comes from The Brookings Institute.  The article is titled: "Want Herd Immunity?  Pay people to take the vaccine."  The article is written by Robert E. Litan.  https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/want-herd-immunity-pay-people-to-take-the-vaccine/

 Zac and Don discuss whether paying people to get the Covid-19 vaccine is a good idea.

Another Best Paragraph I've Read:

We used to have a lot of ticker-tape parades. The most famous was perhaps the Victory Parade of World War II but we used to have many parades to celebrate technological and cultural milestones. There were huge celebrations, for example, when the final spike of the transcontinental railroad was nailed, when the Brooklyn Bridge was completed, and the Statute of Liberty dedicated. In the 1920s and 1930s there were big celebrations for aviation pioneers including for Charles Lindburgh, Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes and that tradition continued in the 1960s and 1970s with multiple parades for the astronauts:

During the early space program, there were also several NYC ticker-tape parades for astronauts—not just the Apollo 11 heroes, who went on a world tour after the Moon landing, but missions before and after as well... … …

One of the last big ticker tape parades was in November of 1998 for John Glenn and the astronauts of Space Shuttle Discovery but since then the number of such parades has declined.   Why? Has the number of accomplishments worthy of a parade declined? Or have we become complacent or even cynical about progress?  When the time comes, I hope that we will enthusiastically celebrate science and the success of a COVID vaccine.

This paragraph comes from MarginalRevolution.com in a blog post titled: "What has Become of the Ticker-tape Parade?."  The blog post was written by Alex Tabarrok.   https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2020/08/where-has-the-ticker-tape-parade-gone.html

Zac and Don discuss whether America is too cynical and should have more parades to celebrate accomplishments.

Another Best Paragraph I've Read:

Great powers generally avoid war when they clearly recognize each other’s red lines and convey the determination to enforce their own. But today’s great-power clashes are unfolding in places—from the South China Sea and Ukraine to cyberspace—where borders are blurry and the potential for miscalculation is inherent. The danger is compounded by the technological upheaval that is simultaneously occurring, with innovations in fields like artificial intelligence, robotics and space flight sparking unpredictable new arms races.... … ...

This paragraph comes from an editorial in the WallStreet Journal titled: "Plagues Are Back.  Will Wars Follow?"  The editorial is written by Vance Serchuk.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/plagues-are-back-will-wars-follow-11598915607 

Zac and Don Discuss if America is thinking enough about war.

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

Honestly, I don't envy students entering college.  Course work without campus life sounds efficient, but unexciting.  It also seems like something that should be cheap - basic calculus hasn't changed since the 17th century, and course materials and lectures are widely available online for free.  But another 17th-century creation, Harvard University, says it won't discount its $49,653 yearly tuition.  Freshmen have the option of living on campus, but must take classes online, and be tested for Covid-19 every three days.  Room, board, and the rest bring the bill to $72,391 a year.

... ... ... for the first time the inertia might be getting shaken because parents are seeing their kids at home and recognizing how little substance there is behind so many university classes...  "Students are looking at what they're missing about universities, and classes are not even making the top 10 list."

This paragraph comes from Barrons in an article titled: "Why It Could Be Time for a Crash in College Tuition."  The article is written by Jack Hough. 

https://www.barrons.com/articles/time-for-a-crash-in-college-tuition-51598047615

Zac and Don discuss if paying for college is worth it during Covid-19.  They discuss if the college business model should be reconsidered.  

Zac and Don mention the Bryan Caplan Book: "The Case Against Education."

https://www.amazon.com/Case-against-Education-System-Waste/dp/0691174652/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1599189657&sr=8-1

Don mentions the Revisionist History Podcast:

Episode 5: Food Fight

http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/05-food-fight

Episode 6: My Little Hundred Million

http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/06-my-little-hundred-million

The Best Paragraphs I've Read:

"It is puzzling that Aaron Burr is sometimes classified among the founding fathers.  Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Franklin, and Hamilton all left behind papers that run to dozens of thick volumes, packed with profound ruminations.  They fought for high ideals.  By contrast Burr’s editors have been able to eke out just two volumes of his letters, many full of gossip, tittle-tattle, hilarious anecdotes, and racy asides about his sexual escapades.  He produced no major papers on policy matters,constitutional issues, or government institutions.  Where Hamilton was often more interested in policy than politics, Burr seemed interested only in politics.  At a time of tremendous ideological cleavages, Burr was an agile opportunist who maneuvered for advantage among colleagues of fixed political views."

"Duels were also elaborate forms of conflict resolution, which is why duelists did not automatically try to kill their opponents.  The mere threat of gunplay concentrated the minds of antagonists, forcing them and their seconds into extensive negotiations that often ended with apologies instead of bullets.  Experience had taught Hamilton that if he was tough and agile in negotiations he could settle disputes without resort to weapons.  In the unlikely event that a duel occurred, the antagonists frequently tried only to wound each other, clipping an arm or a leg.  If both parties survived the first round of a duel, they still had a chance to pause and settle their dispute before a second round.  The point was not to exhibit deadly marksmanship; it was to demonstrate courage by submitting to the duel."

"With the population widely dispersed, newspapers were unabashedly partisan organs that supplied much of the adhesive power binding the incipient parities together.  Americans were a literate people, and dozens of newspapers flourished.  The country probably had more newspapers per capita than any other.  A typical issue had four long sheets, crammed with essays and small advertisements but no drawings or illustrations.  These papers tended to be short on facts – there was little “spot news” reporting – and long on opinion.  They more closely resembled journals of opinion than daily newspapers."

These paragraphs come from the biography, "Hamilton" by Ron Chernow.  This biography was the basis for the hit musical - Hamilton.    

https://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Hamilton-Ron-Chernow/dp/0143034758/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3VXURRPD3ZWVM&dchild=1&keywords=hamilton+book&qid=1598617246&sprefix=hamilton%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1

Zac and Don discuss their impressions of the musical and biography.  They also talk about America's Founding Fathers and ways that people can think about them today.  In addition, Zac and Don talk about the concept of Dueling and their impressions of Mt. Rushmore. 

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"I love football. Love it. Love it. I think it’s the last bastion of hope for toughness in America in men, in males."

This quote comes from Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh.  The quote was said in 2015 during an interview with HBO Real Sports.

https://footballscoop.com/news/six-things-we-learned-about-jim-harbaugh-on-hbos-real-sports/

Zac and Don discuss whether this quote can actually be applied to football and America.

Another Best Paragraph I've Read:

“Life is about tradeoffs,” wrote Sasse, the former president of Midland University, in a letter to Big Ten presidents and chancellors published on Tuesday. “But the structure and discipline of football programs is very likely safer than what the lived experience of 18-to-22-year-olds will be if there isn't a season.”

Pundits all over right-wing media did the same. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk called the Big Ten’s decision “disgusting and pathetic,” and college football figures appearing on Fox News urged universities not to cave to Covid-driven cowardice. “When they stormed Normandy, they knew there were going to be casualties,” Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz said Tuesday.

This paragraph comes from Politico in an article titled: "College Football is Disappearing.  MAGA World is blaming the left." The article is written by Tina Nguyen.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/13/college-football-coronavirus-maga-394505

Zac and Don discuss whether canceled football seasons could be a winning political issue this fall.

Another Best Paragraph I've Read:

“Whether he was going to be exposed to it on the football field versus the classroom or going to a restaurant or going to Walmart or anything like that, that’s obviously a risk we’re willing to accept,” Mike Kuczynski said of his son moving to Florida. “I think, overall, the country is in a better situation to fight through it as a country instead of hiding from it.”

This paragraph comes from the Washington Post in an article titled: "As high school football seasons are canceled, players are moving to states that plan to play."  The article is written by Roman Stubbs.  

Zac and Don discuss whether players moving states to play football is an example of the kind of toughness that Harbaugh talks about.

Here is the link to the George Carlin comedy bit on the words of Baseball vs Football:

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

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"So I can understand that teachers are nervous about returning to school. But they should take a cue from their fellow essential workers and do their job. Even people who think there’s a fundamental difference between a nurse and a teacher in a pandemic must realize that there isn’t one between a grocery-store worker and a teacher, in terms of obligation. People who work at grocery stores in no way signed up to expose themselves to disease, but we expected them to go to work, and they did. If they had not, society would have collapsed. What do teachers think will happen if working parents cannot send their children to school? Life as we know it simply will not go on."

This paragraph comes from an essay in the Atlantic titled: "I'm a Nurse.  Teachers Should Do Their Jobs, Just Like I Did."  It is written by Kristen McConnell.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/im-nurse-teachers-should-do-their-jobs-like-i-did/614902/

Zac and Don discuss if teachers should be considered essential workers like nurses.  They discuss if the hospital and school comparison is a fair one.

Another Best Paragraph I've Read:

"As the plot line advances, so do expectations: If people can muddle through a few more months, the vaccine will land, the pandemic will end and everyone can throw their masks away. But best-case scenarios have failed to materialize throughout the pandemic, and experts — who believe wholeheartedly in the power of vaccines — foresee a long path ahead.

“It seems, to me, unlikely that a vaccine is an off-switch or a reset button where we will go back to pre-pandemic times,” said Yonatan Grad, an assistant professor of infectious diseases and immunology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Or, as Columbia University virologist Angela Rasmussen puts it, “It’s not like we’re going to land in Oz.”

This paragraph comes from a Washington Post Article titled: "A Coronavirus vaccine won't change the world right away."  The article is written by Carolyn Y. Johnson.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/08/02/covid-vaccine/

Zac and Don discuss whether America has unrealistic expectations surrounding a Covid-19 vaccine.  

Here is a link to the Bill Gates interview that Zac and Don refereced.

https://www.wired.com/story/bill-gates-on-covid-most-us-tests-are-completely-garbage/

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

“But they don’t have ‘F-you money’ anymore,” a former reporter said of the Bancrofts. “They’re nice and rich, but not ungodly so. It matters to the younger generation.”

This paragraph comes from a 2007 New Yorker article titled "Paper Chase."  It was written by Ben Mcgrath.  

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/05/14/paper-chase-3-2

Another Best Paragraph I've Read:

“The people who love him and the people who hate him are equally irrational,” said Ashlee Vance, Mr. Musk’s biographer. “It reminds me of Steve Jobs. It’s way beyond business or celebrity. It strikes me as religious, more than anything. His fans are acolytes.”

This paragraph come from the New York Times.  The article is titled "Elon Musk, Blasting Off in Domestic Bliss."  The article is written by Maureen Dowd.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/25/style/elon-musk-maureen-dowd.html

Zac and Don discuss how our society views billionaires.  They discuss whether we should admire or be annoyed by them.

Another Best Paragraph I've Read:

“The things he’s done on the business side I would tell you have all been positive. Does that offset all the harm he’s done? Economically, yes, for me, that’s been beneficial. Socially, how it hurts people, how I view the world, no, I would rather have less money to have a better world. But, OK, my punishment is I have more money to have a more f---ed world.”

I asked whether he thought it was fair for the richest to keep getting richer.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Is war fair? Do people die in a war? Yes. You’ve got a virus that is affecting people. It’s pretty clear who it affects.” He meant people who were old and sick. “So nature is saying, ‘I’m going to pick on you.’ Is it fair? Is it right? No.” His voice was as steady and calm as ever. “But that’s life.”

This paragraph comes from Bloomberg Businessweek.  The article is titled "Covid Conversations With One of America's Richest Men."  The article is written by Max Abelson.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-07-14/coronavirus-conversations-with-one-of-america-s-richest-men

Zac and Don discuss how Billionaires may view the world.  Both Zac and Don recognize that they are not billionaires and are not speaking from experience.     

Here is a link to Jeff Bezos July 29th, 2020 testimony to congress.