The Big Life Questions Show

Will our corrupt and immoral but incompetent president actually pull off stealing the 2020 presidential election and permanently destroying U.S. democracy? The answer may not shock you, but it should outrage anyone who believes in justice, fair elections and true democracy. 0.30 Coin flip 2.50 Helpfully announcing the crime in advance 4.50 The Blue Shift is real (as Trump well knows) 5.50 Can the press do anything useful? 10.45 Could Trump's voter suppression strategy backfire? 14.00 Florida  

Show Notes Here we tackle the stagnation of the American political parties and what might enable third parties to get more traction. 0.40 The stagnation of the two-party system 5.30 the role of the Republicans  6.30 The history of the two-party system in the US 9.45 Mechanisms that help entrench the two parties 10.45 Voting systems - Winner-Take-All versus Proportional Representation 17.00 The Media & Political Polarization 19.00 Potential catalysts for the emergence of third parties in the US 25.45 The Wisdom of the People, Or Not

Show Notes Given Joe Biden's age and position in the polls, this might be the most important vice presidential selection in recent memory. Here, Chris and Doug talk about who Biden should choose and why - and who our cohosts think he will pick.    0.40 Doug's decision criteria 2.00 The Washington Post VP quiz 13.30 The four women who pass the first-level screen 19.30 Who Doug and Chris each prefer as VP 22.50 Strong women gender bias 25.45 Will Trump dump Pence?   Link Who do you think Joe Biden should choose for VP?  

Show Notes Donald Trump is sending law and order forces into American cities to "combat violence", evidently as a political strategy to improve his chances of re-election. Where is this leading, what are the consequences for America, and will his political strategy work?   0.30 Chris' assessment of the situation 5.10 Trump's political strategy of emphasizing urban violence 9.55 Trump as a law and order President 12.10 "Solving" imaginary problems 15.00 Sidebar on AOC 16.15 Election Polls

Show Notes With more than 14 million people in the United States currently unemployed, Chris and Doug  discuss what the government could actually do to create more good jobs.   0.40 How to think about the Government's Role in the Economy 1.30 Income inequality 6.25 Mission based investments 12.30 The link between health insurance and employment 15.30 Government deficits and The Deficit Myth 18.00 The Problem with Trickle-Down Economics   Links The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton

Show Notes Here we contemplate whether or not the United States has a path through its COVID 19 response mess. and, if so, how. 0.40 Why are we in such a bad place? 10.50 The testing quagmire 13.45 Japan Inc 16.20 If Biden wins, what happens in our fight against COVID? 24.20 A Mary Trump diversion 28.50 The school opening debacle

Chris and Doug discuss an earth-shattering topic -- at least for American sports fans. Our cohosts debate the pros and cons of Major League Baseball and the National Football League playing their seasons. Also, Chris throws in a few Netflix recommendations. 0.40 Some Big Ifs 3.15 A flawed notion of a baseball season 10.45 Deep dive on the NFL 15.30 Should the NFL delay the start of the season? 18.05 A radical idea from Chris 

With America in crisis on multiple fronts, Doug and Chris discuss what makes each of us proud to be an American, and where the American experiment still has lots of work to do. 1.00 The idea of America 2.45 Do we have a lot to be proud about? 4.15 Is America exceptional? 5.00 Some good stuff about America 9.15 America-centricity 14.30 Is politics entertainment? 16.45 Chris says Put Your Mask On!

Chris and Doug explore how Trump plan to win reelection by bringing us all together and emphasizing social justice. Oh, wait...  0.30 Yes, this is a rhetorical question 2.50 Will running his campaign based on fear and resentment work? 4.00 The public opinion polls 7.45 What about Trump's law and order message? 12.00 Are the liberals going to take away everyone's guns? 13.55 The changing U.S. racial demographics  16.15 Trump and the Supreme Court

Show Notes 2020 is shaping up to be the most tumultuous year in many of our lives -- and we haven't even gotten to the November election yet. Between COVID-19, controversy surrounding Black Lives Matter protests, and global economic turmoil, can we expect anything positive from this year? What could possibly give us hope? 0.50 The protests and hope 2.50 What's driving the civil unrest? 5.00 Political leadership (in the U.S.) and the will of the people 10.30 The instability of the current situation 14.30 The Baby Boomers and generational transformation 17.10 "Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

Show Notes Biden is starting to talk like he's open to being more progressive, given the conditions facing the country. How far left should he go? If he wins, should the Democrats push for a New New Deal and, if so, what should these programs include? 0.45 It's past time for a New New Deal 3.50 How much will Biden push for it? 7.50 The Core of a New New Deal 12.05 The 5-Prong New, New Deal 21.00 The elephant in the room

America is in turmoil. One week ago an unarmed black man, George Floyd, was murdered by a Minneapolis cop for the possible misdemeanor of passing a counterfeit $20 bill to a Chinese restaurant. Protests are happening throughout the country. And, as usual, Trump is throwing gasoline on the fire. What can America learn from this, and will we ever learn it? 2.00 America's little progress on institutional racism 4.00 What can white people do about this? 6.10 Getting shot and killed while out running in broad daylight 12.00 The systematic pattern of injustice 16.45 The crisis of presidential leadership    

Habits are very powerful, nearly all psychologists and behavior change experts would agree. In this episode, Doug and Chris discuss their best habits (pretty easy to report) and worst habits (with no filters). Note - even best habits taken to an extreme can become dysfunctional.  4.30 Chris's Best Habits, The Shorter List 6.30 Giving People Your Full Attention 9.15 Doug's Comprehensive List of Bad Habits 10.45 Weighing Yourself Obsessively 11.15 Bracketology 16.50 A Quick View of Chris' Worst Habits 22.15 Exercise, per Doug 23.30 Daily Coffee Ritual Links Our Immigration Episode

Inspired by listener feedback, Doug and Chris dive into the issue of government deficits, tell bad economics jokes (well, Doug does), and talk about whether the United States can afford to fight climate change as it rings up huge government deficits and unemployment stats. 2.50 Doug's joke from an economist 5.55 Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) 7.20 Balanced budgets and austerity programs 10.55 Federal jobs guarantees 12.45 Republicans, deficits, and hypocrisy 16.05 Climate change reversal and deficits 20.10 Creating a new economy

Chris and Doug discuss the biggest issue of the moment, if not the era: Is reopening the states to reinvorate the economy an essential move or fatal madness? And if reopening results in more deaths and economic hardship, who will Trump blame? 1.15 Our first listener message and next week's episode 3.45 The reopening and the virus 8.00 Testing in the U.S. 10.00 Leadership and credibility 11.30 The problems with COVID-19 data 18.25 What do the American people think about reopening? 19.10 The 2020 election