Insight to Action

Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue EducationGuests: Dean Clancy, Senior Policy Fellow at Americans for ProsperityHere are the other episodes in the series: A Personal Option Series - A Personal Option For Health Care - https://share.transistor.fm/s/d4e27f20A Personal Option Series - Good Health Insurance at an Affordable Price - https://share.transistor.fm/s/a9edb2a8A Personal Option Series - Are Affordable Drugs Possible Without Price Controls? - https://share.transistor.fm/s/2cfdb74bA Personal Option Series - Seeing the Doctor of Your Choice - https://share.transistor.fm/s/1152346fA Personal Option Series - Up Front Pricing - https://share.transistor.fm/s/437637d3 A Personal Option Series - The Right to Try Experimental Treatments - https://share.transistor.fm/s/19e89f55Here are some additional links: A Personal Option for Health CareHealth Care: a Personal Option v. 'The Public Option'Facebook Live: Empowering Solutions to Health Care for Americans

Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue EducationGuests: Dean Clancy, Senior Policy Fellow at Americans for ProsperityHere are the other episodes in the series: A Personal Option Series - A Personal Option For Health Care - https://share.transistor.fm/s/d4e27f20A Personal Option Series - Good Health Insurance at an Affordable Price - https://share.transistor.fm/s/a9edb2a8A Personal Option Series - Are Affordable Drugs Possible Without Price Controls? - https://share.transistor.fm/s/2cfdb74bA Personal Option Series - Seeing the Doctor of Your Choice - https://share.transistor.fm/s/1152346fA Personal Option Series - Up Front Pricing - https://share.transistor.fm/s/437637d3  Here are some additional links: A Personal Option for Health CareHealth Care: a Personal Option v. 'The Public Option'Facebook Live: Empowering Solutions to Health Care for Americans

Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue EducationGuests: Dean Clancy, Senior Policy Fellow at Americans for ProsperityAdditional Links:A Personal Option for Health CareHealth Care: a Personal Option v. 'The Public Option'Facebook Live: Empowering Solutions to Health Care for Americans

Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue EducationGuests: Dean Clancy, Senior Policy Fellow at Americans for ProsperityAdditional Links:A Personal Option for Health CareHealth Care: a Personal Option v. 'The Public Option'Facebook Live: Empowering Solutions to Health Care for Americans

The world is watching as the Taliban retakes Afghanistan. In America, opinions on who is to blame and what should have been done are being shared everywhere. In this Insight to Action, I talk with John Byrnes and Russ Duerstine, both with Concerned Veterans for America. They explain why this all happened, the reality of the situation in Afghanistan, and why veterans who served there shouldn't feel like it was all for nothing.

We hear the warnings that leaving will create a vacuum, a vacuum that will be filled with enemies of America who will use their new power to plan and execute plots against the United States. The only way to prevent that from happening, we're told, is to prevent our enemies from having a safe haven. But is this true? I'm Duane Lester and in this episode of Insight to Action, I speak with John BYnres, the Director of Education for the Concerned Veterans for America, and Tyler Kotesky, a Senior Policy Analyst with Americans for Prosperity, about what they call the “safe haven myth.”

Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue EducationGuests: Dean Clancy, Senior Policy Fellow at Americans for ProsperityAdditional Links:A Personal Option for Health CareHealth Care: a Personal Option v. 'The Public Option'Facebook Live: Empowering Solutions to Health Care for Americans

Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue EducationGuests: Dean Clancy, Senior Policy Fellow at Americans for ProsperityAdditional Links:A Personal Option for Health CareHealth Care: a Personal Option v. 'The Public Option'Facebook Live: Empowering Solutions to Health Care for Americans

You hear a lot of chatter about Medicare for All, but what exactly do proponents of that plan want? What is the plan? Are we looking at just expanding the current program, or is this something entirely new? In this Insight to Action, Charlie Katabi, Americans for Prosperity's Health Policy Analyst, explains not only what this would look like, but how it could make things a great deal worse.

There are new stories of Veterans Administration cooking the books. Instead of taking care of veterans who need health care, the VA seems to once again be covering up long wait times and possible refusals to allow vets to get care in the community. In this Insight to Action, Darin Selnick and John Byrnes of Concerned Veterans for America, explain what they are seeing and what can be done to correct it.

Right now in the United States Congress, there is a bill that will implement price controls on prescription drugs. While some might think this sounds like a good idea, history has shown the disastrous consequences of price controls. In this Insight to Action, Dean Clancy, Americans for Prosperity's Senior Health Care Policy Fellow, and Geoff Holtzman, the Director of Communications for the Health Care Priority Initiative, explain not only the dangers of price controls, but better alternative solutions to high drug prices.

Advocates of civil asset forfeiture claim it is a powerful weapon in the failed war on drugs. But is it? In this Insight to Action, we talk with Dr. Brian Kelly about the conclusions of his study, “Does Forfeiture Work?” Also joining the podcast is Jeremiah Mosteller, the Senior Policy Analyst, Criminal Justice Reform for Americans for Prosperity and Dr. Dick Carpenter, who serves as a senior director of strategic research for the Institute for Justice

How will the Protecting the Right to Organize Act impact independent contractors and members of the gig economy like Uber drivers? How will it change the lives of folks paying their bills by delivering meals for DoorDash? What are businesses who rely on independent contractors supposed to do if they are forced to hire people they can't afford? In this Insight to Action, we talk with Tom Bingham, a member of the Stand Together Community who works in the gig economy, about his experience and what worries him most about the PRO-Act.

On March 1st, Americans for Prosperity New Mexico hosted a press conference moderated by the ACLU and featuring the co-founders of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. The press conference was to urge support for HB4, which would bar the use in state courts of the qualified immunity defense. HB4 became law in New Mexico on April 7th. How did this ideologically diverse coalition come together? That's what we're talking about today on Insight to Action.

With the entrance of a new administration, how have the goals of the Foreign Policy priority initiative adjusted? What is the goal now that the Biden Administration is in the White House? I'm Duane Lester and in this Insight to Action, I talk with Julianna Heerschap from Americans for Prosperity's Policy Department and John Byrnes and Russ Duerstine from Concern Veterans for America. We talk about Afghanistan, the Veterans Administration and the greatest national security threat facing America today. Spoiler – it isn't China.

Show Notes & Timestamps Do we have a spending problem or a taxing problem? [2:00]Where is the biggest problem with spending? [3:07]Outside of the biggest problem, what is something else we should know about where spending is concerned? [6:37]Isn't this just money we owe ourselves?  [7:38]What is the Stand Together Vision for federal spending? [10:25]How do we look at spending through the lens of equal rights? [15:59]How do we look at spending through the lens of mutual benefit? [18:51]How do we look at spending through the lens of openness? [22:29]How do we look at spending through the lens of self-actualization? [24:21] The Stand Together Vision: We break barriers that stand in the way of people realizing their potential. This moves our society toward one of mutual benefit, where people succeed by helping others improve their lives. History demonstrates people are capable of extraordinary things when they have the opportunity to learn, contribute, and succeed. We can transform society by breaking the internal and external barriers that prevent people from realizing their potential, enabling all people to improve their lives and find fulfillment by helping others do the same.Our GuestAdam Millsap is a senior fellow at the Charles Koch Institute (CKI) with a focus on economic opportunity. His research and writing covers urban development, population trends, labor markets, and federal and local urban public policy. Prior to joining CKI, Millsap served as assistant director of the L. Charles Hilton Jr. Center for the Study of Economic Prosperity and Individual Opportunity at Florida State University. He also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in economics there, and at Clemson University and George Mason University. Millsap's published works include the book Dayton: The Rise, Decline, and Transition of an Industrial City, and a range of op-eds and commentaries in national outlets such as USA Today, US News and World Report, Real Clear Policy, and The Hill, as well as regional outlets such as the Detroit Free Press, Orlando Sentinel, Cincinnati Enquirer, Orange County Register, and others. He is also a regular Forbes contributor. Millsap earned his master's degree and Ph.D. in economics from Clemson University. He also holds a B.S. in economics and a B.A. in comparative religion from Miami University in Ohio.

Show Notes & TimestampsThe debt is more than 100% of our GDP. Why is that important? [2:49] What is driving the debt? [3:56]Isn't this just money we owe ourselves? What's the big deal? [6:00]Is there a threat of China calling in debt we owe them?  [8:07]The Stand Together Vision:We break barriers that stand in the way of people realizing their potential. This moves our society toward one of mutual benefit, where people succeed by helping others improve their lives.History demonstrates people are capable of extraordinary things when they have the opportunity to learn, contribute, and succeed. We can transform society by breaking the internal and external barriers that prevent people from realizing their potential, enabling all people to improve their lives and find fulfillment by helping others do the same. How does the debt create barriers to people realizing their potential and violate equal rights? [9:15]How does the debt prevent or violate the principle of mutual benefit? [11:25]How does it contribute to a more closed society or more closed economy? [12:27]How can debt impact a person's ability to self-actualize? [14:51]What is the Stand Together vision for solving the debt crisis? [19:04]At 21:15, I mention Indonesia's actions in ending farm subsidies. It was actually New Zealand. You can read about it here. Our GuestAdam Millsap is a senior fellow at the Charles Koch Institute (CKI) with a focus on economic opportunity. His research and writing covers urban development, population trends, labor markets, and federal and local urban public policy. Prior to joining CKI, Millsap served as assistant director of the L. Charles Hilton Jr. Center for the Study of Economic Prosperity and Individual Opportunity at Florida State University. He also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in economics there, and at Clemson University and George Mason University.Millsap's published works include the book Dayton: The Rise, Decline, and Transition of an Industrial City, and a range of op-eds and commentaries in national outlets such as USA Today, US News and World Report, Real Clear Policy, and The Hill, as well as regional outlets such as the Detroit Free Press, Orlando Sentinel, Cincinnati Enquirer, Orange County Register, and others. He is also a regular Forbes contributor.Millsap earned his master's degree and Ph.D. in economics from Clemson University. He also holds a B.S. in economics and a B.A. in comparative religion from Miami University in Ohio. 

Show: Stories From California - Kira Davis Explains the Impact of AB5 Date Recorded: March 5, 2021Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue Education, Americans for Prosperity Education and TrainingGuests: Kira Davis, Independent Writer, Podcaster, and Film-maker

Show: What is good energy policy for 2021?Date Recorded: January 20, 2021Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue Education, Americans for Prosperity Education and TrainingGuests: Clint Woods, Policy Fellow for Regulations at Americans for ProsperityErica Jedynak, Director of Economic Opportunity at Stand Together

Show: A Personal Option For Health CareDate Recorded: January 13, 2020Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue EducationGuests: Dean Clancy, Senior Policy Fellow at Americans for ProsperityAdditional Links:A Personal Option for Health CareHealth Care: a Personal Option v. 'The Public Option'Facebook Live: Empowering Solutions to Health Care for Americans

Show: Do States Need a Bailout?Date Recorded: February 1, 2020Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue Education, Americans for Prosperity Education and TrainingGuests: Anna McCauslin, Senior Policy Analyst, State Fiscal Policy at Americans for ProsperityMichael Lambert, Federal Policy Analyst at Americans for Prosperity

Show: Understanding the Dangerous Possibilities of the PRO-ActDate Recorded: February 5, 2020Host: Duane Lester, Director of Issue Education, Americans for Prosperity Education and TrainingGuests: Akash Chougule, Vice President, Economic Opportunity Initiative at Stand TogetherAusten Bannan, Senior Policy Analyst - Employment Policy at Americans for ProsperityAdditional Links:The PRO Act Is Anti-workerAFP: Reject the PRO Act