Episode 524: The Ratchet Effect

<p>Ant and James dissect the constant involvement of government in &quot;emergencies,&quot; which seem to happen once a decade. For some reason.</p><p><br></p><p>0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview</p><p>0:50 The Ig Nobel Prize: Are Rich People More Selfish?</p><p>5:13 Rising Oil Prices and the Real Cost of Policy Decisions</p><p>7:20 Trump’s $5,000 Checks and the Inflation Problem</p><p>10:22 The Lindsay Clancy Trial and a Bizarre Jury Split</p><p>12:22 Foolishness of the Week: A Five-Year-Old, a Pond, and CPS</p><p>15:32 Foolishness of the Week: Punished for Stopping a Mass Shooter</p><p>18:17 The Affordability Crisis and Government Intervention</p><p>19:58 The Ratchet Effect: Why Government Power Never Shrinks</p><p>21:15 From the Great Depression to COVID: A Century of Expanding Government</p><p>24:14 The 2030s: Social Security and the Coming Wealth Tax</p><p>25:50 The 2040s: The Debt Crisis and a Digital Dollar</p><p>32:27 The 2050s: Population Decline and Universal Basic Income</p><p>34:11 How Temporary Government Powers Become Permanent</p><p>35:27 Socialism, the Berlin Wall, and North vs. South Korea</p><p>40:11 Social Security Insolvency and America’s Growing Debt</p><p>42:11 Property Taxes, Ownership, and the Erosion of Economic Freedom</p><p>47:01 How Young People Can Prepare for Social Security’s Future</p><p>50:21 Retirement Savings and the Coming AI Bubble</p><p>54:32 AI Regulation, Government Protection, and the Ratchet Effect</p>