Government Managed Insurance
Love the show and seeing what you're building at BP. I wanted to get your thoughts on a convergence of two topics you've covered recently and a proposed solution. You've covered how some home insurance companies in riskier geographies are elected to not cover individuals going forward. You've also covered how the US gov't is looking into a tax-prep alternative since companies like TurboTax and H&R Block did not keep up their end of the bargain in terms of providing a free option for low-complexity tax returns. Could you envision a scenario where there is a government option for home/auto insurance? The big insurance companies are making huge profits meaning they are overcharging for insuring assets for their value and giving that money to shareholders (top ~50% of earners) and themselves.. The industry would appear to be run mostly on computer-developed risk tables and not difficult to manage at a high level. The gov't could charge for a lower profit % and use the proceeds to fund FEMA which basically serves as gov't backed insurance payout service. Do we have a winner?
What are the numbers for people who actually support spending billions in Ukraine?
What are the numbers for people who actually support spending billions in Ukraine while ignoring the border crisis, budget crisis, East Palestine OH crisis, and Maui crisis? What sources are there showing overwhelming support for this wild spending? I feel like congress is spending on a limitless credit card, like they know the nation is on it's death bed and the balance will never have to be resolved.
Unrealized Gains question
Krystal, you had an interesting point today on unrealized gains. How would you propose measuring the value of an unrealized gain for privately held small business owners? Presumably Breaking Points has grown significantly in value since you started it. How would you pay the unrealized gain on your business? Likewise, what happens in the case of an unrealized loss?
Russell Brand - sexual predator or cancel culture victim?
I'm sure that a fair number of BP viewers and listeners are also followers and fans of Russell Brand's channels - and almost everyone will have picked up on the recent news of multiple accusations of sexual assault against him. Of course, Brand strongly denies it all and suggests that he is the victim of a "co-ordinated media attack" which aims to silence his anti-establishment voice. This claim has been strongly supported by several prominent people, including Elon Musk, Alex Jones, Andrew Tate and Donald Trump Jr - all guys of unquestionable moral integrity, for sure - but I still believe that whenever such allegations are made, we should listen to them carefully and evaluate the evidence fairly and impartially. At BP, you have always done this better than anyone else - and I think we'd all like to know your analysis of this his rapidly unfolding story.