What books to read to get a foundation for the broader implications of news headlines
I’m someone who only within the last 6 months to a year has become more interested in the news. I’m 26 and haven’t given it too much thought until this past year. I find it interesting to read things from multiple points of view, but I often find that I don’t have a great understanding of the broader issues around things like the economy, the incentives that large institutions have in conjunction with their ties to large corporations, and other things like that. I’d like to know where to turn (books, podcasts, lectures, whatever) to begin learning tab out the broader implications of what happens in the world of the news. Thanks so much!
Can we still spend our way out of crisis?
Hey y'all, Previously the thesis of progressives regarding federal spending has been "we can print money to solve x problem without causing inflation. we do it all the time." Now that we have supply-chain induced inflation combined with corporations increasing their prices, does that thesis still stand? Could we pass large federal spending packages without inducing a financial crisis or do we have to cede idealogical territory to deficit hawks and only put forth budget neutral legislation like Biden attempted with BBB. Thanks in advance
Troop Pay and the NDAA
With the NDAA being signed and being the largest defense budget ever, can you two speak to defense spending and military members pay? This one had a few useful and laudable benefits to military members, but in general, even as the budget gets bigger, Congress always tries to find ways to reduce or pay, cut our benefits, or restructure our bonuses to make the more taxable. I think if we can figure out how to shift public conversation towards this, it would show how much of a giveaway to defense contractors the NDAA is.
Government Spending vs Taxation
You both seems to focus on increasing taxes a fair amount, especially on the wealthy. While I am not generally opposed to that idea, I think it's somewhat a misguided approach to funding social spending programs. Why do you seem to go that route more than that of calling out spending failures by the government when those spending failures could have the potential to fund the social spending without having to raise taxes on anybody?