Words & Numbers

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. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers 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 Join the conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let us know what you think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers 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 Join the conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let us know what you think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest, Robert McDonald, author of Confounding Father talks about the quintessential American philosopher: Thomas Jefferson. During the birth of America, innumerable obstacles stood in its way. What followed was the triumph of the first Americans, from a revolutionary war to purchasing Louisiana and everything in between. Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan for a cheerful, optimistic ode to the spirit of America on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits Disney heir calls for wealth tax https://www.npr.org/2019/06/28/736993245/disney-heiress-calls-for-wealth-tax-we-have-to-draw-a-line San Francisco bans vaping https://fee.org/articles/san-francisco-becomes-first-us-city-to-ban-sale-of-e-cigarettes-a-healthier-alternative-to-smoking/ Foolishness of the week Democratic debates and yoga games https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/450540-marianne-williamson-sends-out-healthy-alternative-to-debate Topic of the week: Robert McDonald on Thomas Jefferson Confounding Father https://tinyurl.com/y39dpz5g Thomas Jefferson’s Lives: Biographers and the Battle for History https://tinyurl.com/yxtgkhng Join the conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let us know what you think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There appears to be a large problem in America with outcome-based thinking, particularly with regards to hot-button political issues. We skip straight to the ending we want and argue for it until we’re blue in the face, and everyone who doesn’t want the same must be evil, stupid, or both. But what if we started the conversation in a different place? What if we started it at the principles that lead to the desired outcome? Would the conversation change? James Harrigan and Antony Davies dig into the subject during their second live recording from FEEcon 2019 on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers  Quick hits From janitor to Executive Vice-President https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/27/a-janitor-invented-flamin-hot-cheetos-and-became-a-pepsico-exec.html Lost wallets experiment https://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-people-are-honest-lost-wallets-experiment-20190620-story.html Foolishness of the week Manufacturing czar https://triblive.com/opinion/donald-boudreaux-save-us-from-a-manufacturing-czar/ Topic of the week: Principle and Outcome Federal receipts are 18% of GDP https://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/articles/2016-12-01/myths-and-facts-about-the-us-federal-debt Join the conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let us know what you think mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The word “equality” is a tricky one. It means different things to different people in different contexts. Do we mean “income equality”? “Wealth equality”? “Equality before the law”? And how does that sync up with “fairness”? Why are so many fine with professional athletes and movie stars making hundreds of millions of dollars but not CEOs? Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan as they delve into the subject live from FEEcon 2019 on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits: Tulsi Gabbard https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/congresswoman-used-toffee-to-unite-republicans-and-democrats/ People spending more on the Internet than at restaurants https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-15/americans-now-spend-more-at-internet-stores-than-restaurants Foolishness of the week: O.J. Simpson “has a little getting even to do” https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/06/oj-simpson-twitter-has-a-little-getting-even-to-do Topic of the week: Inequality: The problem of inequality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCjWG8RqH4w Join the conversation Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let us know what you think: mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter: https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the saying goes, if you want less of something, tax it. Recently, a House bill was proposed that would raise the taxable income cap for Social Security to about $400,000. Although there seem to be many reasons to cheer, would this create unintended consequences? What could be done instead? Is privatization the way to go? Join James Harrigan and Antony Davies this week as they suggest an elegant solution to a sticky situation on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick hits Ladybugs: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-06-06/cloud-of-ladybugs-in-california-so-large-it-appears-on-weather-radar Influencer can’t sell 26 shirts: https://www.indy100.com/article/instagram-influencer-arii-t-shirt-sales-followers-fail-twitter-response-8936836 Foolishness of the week Over-the-counter birth control: https://www.livescience.com/24940-birth-control-pill-over-the-counter.html   Topic of the week: Social Security The SECURE Act: https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/how-secure-act-could-impact-retirement-savings/ Join the conversation Words & Numbers Backstage: https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ Let us know what you think: mailto:wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Antony Davies on Twitter: https://twitter.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If life is an inalienable right, does that take the death penalty off the table? Is there really a need for social safety nets? Taxation, the Articles of Confederation, the Postal Service, and more come together this week as James Harrigan and Antony Davies explore their ambivalence (it doesn’t mean what you might think it does) on many controversial topics on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Come to FEEcon 2019! Show Notes: Arthur Laffer awarded Medal of Freedom The top half of income earners pay 97% of the federal taxes Spelling Bee winners Foolishness of the week UBI could solve childhood obesity Topic of the week: Ambivalence Join the conversation Words & Numbers Backstage Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter Let us know what you think at: wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Only twice has the U.S. House of Representatives impeached a president, and never has the Senate voted to remove an impeached president from office. People tend to think of impeachment as a judicial tool that should be used rarely and only when a president has broken the law in some egregious way. But impeachment was designed as part of the checks-and-balances. It is a political tool. On this week’s episode of Words & Numbers, join Antony Davies and James Harrigan as they discuss what impeachment is and how the political process might work better if impeachment were used more often. Come to FEEcon 2019! Show Notes: Artificial intelligence learns to spot cancer Employment changes over the past century Sanders says that teacher salaries should start at $60,000 Foolishness of the week MSNBC asks political candidate how MSNBC can do better for him Topic of the week: Impeachment How does impeachment work? Join the conversation Words & Numbers Backstage Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter  Let us know what you think at: wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If the federal government disappeared, would there still be a United States? Does every country fall on a spectrum between two extremes, capitalism and communism? Are there any good reasons to restrict voting rights? This week, James Harrigan and Antony Davies answer questions about the subjective theory of value, debts to society, guns vs. butter, and plenty more in this week’s jam-packed episode of Words & Numbers. Come to FEEcon 2019! Foolishness of the week Pennsylvania Mayors Pew Poll on Views About Gun Regulation Topic of the week: Listener questions Join the conversation: Words & Numbers Backstage Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter Let us know what you think at: wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Americans, as individuals, carry a lot of debt. But don’t panic! Not all debt is created equal, and not all debt is necessarily a bad thing. Some debt—like mortgages, vehicles, even some college degrees—can be good debt. There are also bad kinds of debt, too. But the thing about individual debt is that it’s the individual's responsibility and really only the business of the borrower and the lender. Once the government gets involved, though, things can get messy. Just how messy and in what ways? Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan as they sort through the bills in this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Come to FEEcon 2019! Show Notes: Amazon hiring robots $6 trillion war Foolishness of the week: Limiting credit card interest rates Topic of the week: Good debt and bad debt: Household debt Join the conversation: Words & Numbers Backstage Antony Davies on Twitter James R. Harrigan on Twitter Let us know what you think at: wordsandnumberspodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices