America Trends

Conservatism has been the prevailing political ideology in America since the 1980’s, when Ronald Reagan’s brand came to dominate America’s political culture.  It was a rather pragmatic version, often cutting deals with Democrats to get 80 percent of what he wanted.  His belief that winning elections was for the purpose of governing.  Much of what … Continue reading EP 492 Are We Still Living in Ronald Reagan’s America?

On January 6, 2021, the day our Capitol was invaded by insurrectionists, QAnon became the most violent manifestation of its most fervent fever dreams and joined with other right wing extremists of all stripes to declare that ‘the storm’ they have long talked about was here. Mike Rothschild a chronicler of the movement since 2018 … Continue reading EP 491 The QAnon Storm Can No Longer Be Ignored

Democrats and Republicans agree on little else, but both seem to buy into the notion that heavy expenditures on capital projects related to infrastructure will reap great dividends for the near and long term.  Who can argue that new roads, bridges, water systems and broadband enhancement are not beneficial?  But are the use of federal … Continue reading EP 490 Is Infrastructure Spending As Wise a Use of Federal Dollars as Suggested?

There are short and long term trends as it relates to migration across America.  For years, the south and the southwest have been gaining population while the Midwest and Northeast have been stagnant or losing ground.  And even in places like New York City, some tragic event or spate of bad governance may drive people … Continue reading EP 489 Americans on the Move in the Wake of the Pandemic

It’s hard to consider the place we’re in as a country and not wonder if something is lacking in the way we teach civics and United States history.  ( I must have missed the chapter about trying to undo fair and free election results by storming the Capitol.) Waving the flag and spouting platitudes about … Continue reading EP 488 Don’t Know Much About History.

 In the Zoom era, businesses are investing millions into global collaboration technology.  Yet the slickness of Big Tech stands to mask-and perhaps exacerbate the real issue: doing business across borders has less to do with technology and everything to do with being culturally agile.  Instinctively we sense this.  How do you react when put in … Continue reading EP 487 Cultural Agility Required in the 21st Century

It’s not just as a result of the pandemic that men are having a difficult time engaging with other guys in a bond of friendship.  This trend has been going on for a while and is likely exacerbated by the fact that many friendships are formed in the workplace, which is now undergoing great change.  … Continue reading EP 486 American Men Having a Hard Time Making Friends

A great idea is one thing.  Operationalizing that idea is another.  Haven’t we all had the one big notion that we thought would be a million dollar opportunity?  As you’ll hear in this podcast, I shared mine with our guest.  Yet, like most of us, I never went the extra mile to try to fund … Continue reading EP 485 Do You Have What It Takes to Build a Startup?

I really enjoyed reading this book its an amazing adventure. Jon K

Defund the police?  Provide less immunity for their bad acts?  Create a national standard for their training and ways to de-escalate a situation?  Augment the term public safety to include social workers and mental health specialists?  Depending upon who you talk to, all of these matters are part of the concept of ‘police reform’.  The … Continue reading EP 484 Police Reform On the Horizon

Dan Glickman has had a very interesting life.  Following his years as a Congressman from Kansas, he became Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Agriculture and later the president of the Motion Picture industry, replacing the legendary Jack Valenti.  In his new book, “Laughing At Myself: My Education in Congress, On the Farm and the Movies’, he … Continue reading EP 483 Going Back Down on the Farm With Dan Glickman

The enhanced Child Tax Credit(CTC) was signed into law by President Joe Biden as part of the American Rescue Plan.  While temporary to start, if successful, it may well be remembered as the most important  part of that legislation.  Some social scientists are comparing its potential impacts for children and middle and lower income families … Continue reading EP 482 New Federal Tax Credit May Be a Game Changer in Reducing Child Poverty

Our guest likes to use the straws metaphor to get across the point that all the users of the world’s most precious resource must accept that given population growth and climate change, one of the key solutions to a growing water crisis is to recognize that if your straw stays in the glass, some else’s … Continue reading EP 481 Water: Too Many Straws and Not Enough Supply

Your office for the duration of the pandemic was wherever you, your phone and computer were.  And while some companies are calling everyone back into the office, many others have recognized the value and benefits of remote work.  The work from home trend is now being factored into the culture of many companies as positions … Continue reading EP 480 Remote Work Enters the Business Lexicon to Stay

Our guest dedicates his book to ‘the 86 percent of Americans who are currently exhausted, miserable, and desperately seeking a way out of the culture of contempt’.  I’d imagine many of you are among that legion, so why are we letting only 14 percent of our nation lead us into deadlock, dysfunction and national decay, … Continue reading EP 479 Is There a Way Out of Our Toxic Polarization?

 If you google ‘work too much’ you will find lots of references to the ill effects of an unbalanced life when you spend too much time on the job.  These effects include harmful medical, mental and social consequences.  A new study discussed in this podcast attributes 745,000 thousand deaths worldwide in 2016 to the cause … Continue reading EP 478 Working Too Much Can Be a Matter of Life and Death

Despite major advances in medical science and epidemiology over the last century, the United States has not significantly improved its ability to predict and handle public health emergencies.  With our fractured system of local, state and federal responsibilities our historic approach to responding to health crises has been uneven.  Its a continuing theme in the … Continue reading EP 477 America’s Response to Health Crises

 You hear the terms ‘cancel culture’ and ‘wokeism’ bandied about these days as if people even understand what they mean.  If we’re honest our political divide, now of legendary proportions, results in each side not listening to the other. Yet the terms cancel and woke, derisive in tone, have been appropriated by the right to … Continue reading EP 476 Who Is Canceling Who in Our Culture?

There is growing immediacy to issues surrounding criminal justice in America.  The focus is often on police violence, mass incarceration, and inequities in how justice is meted out depending on the color of the skin of the perpetrator or the victim. Yet one element of this system that has gotten little attention is the broken … Continue reading EP 475 Public Defenders Are on A Hamster Wheel of Justice

While the economy is showing signs of life as restrictions have been lifted on businesses and the pump has been primed by the federal government throughout the pandemic, there are concerning signs that inflation may eat away at some of the gains we are seeing. The question is whether this will be a short term … Continue reading EP 474 Inflation is Up, Up and Away in America’s Economy