The Ragin' Moderate Podcast

The infamous "Gender Pay Gap" isn't a myth. But it sure ain't 79 cents, either.

The latest GDP statistics just got released, and the media were happy to announce that our economic growth is solid. Except for those who insist that it’s a disappointment. Yikes! This week on the Ragin’ Moderate, we’ll spend 5 minutes clearing it up for you.  

Top Democrat and Republican leaders might not have a lot in common ideologically. But last month, they appeared to work in tandem to thoroughly puzzle the American public. As a result, most Americans are still totally confused about the implications of the recent tax overhaul. Never fear, because we brought in Ryan Frailich (a REAL LIFE EXPERT!) to sort this all out. (17 minutes)

Republicans and Democrats have unrealistic ideas about how best to tame the unruly national debt- not that either party REALLY worries about it at all. Sounds like the moderates are going to have to come in and clean up the mess.

If you're (A) a xenophobic, closed-borderist who wants an end to immigration, or (B) an open border utopianist who doesn't mind a free-for-all on our southern border, you will HATE these common sense ideas for moderate immigration reform. (27 minutes)

In the second installment of our three-part series on Immigration Policy, we fact check the prevailing narratives swirling around the Left and Right. Along the way, we'll finally get some answers to our questions about the impact of unauthorized immigration on our economy, our communities, and even our hemisphere. (23 minutes)

Immigration policy is complex, controversial, and overwhelming. In this first installment of a multi-episode series, the Ragin' Moderate Podcast tackles our history of nativism in America, fuzzy math with deportation data, the end of DACA, and the next steps in the USA's messy immigration debate. (22 minutes)

We at the Ragin' Moderate Podcast need to rant a little bit about something that's always on our minds, especially lately: if you're an activist who's trying to ban abortion, or fix the debt, or stop our impending descent into fascism, the worst thing - LITERALLY THE WORST THING! - you can do is turn the majority of Americans against you. (Are you listening, Antifa?) [21 minutes]

It's high time we change the way states draw their congressional districts. Unfortunately, the majority parties in both Blue and Red states are dragging their feet. Time for moderates to step in and demand reform. Here's how. (28 minutes)

Moderate or centrist politicians are an endangered species in Washington DC. It hasn't always been this way, and if our special guests Nick Troiano & Alan LaPolice have anything to say about it, independent-minded moderates are poised to make a comeback. (27 minutes)

While the country is focused on the latest scandals (real or imagined), there's some major tax reform in the works. Get the lowdown on the GOP's plans to overhaul the tax code. (29 minutes)

Americans spend more on health care than the rest of humanity, and yet we get consistently mediocre results. In this week's episode of the Ragin' Moderate Podcast, we look at healthcare systems from around the globe - some admirable, some terrible - and try to construct the Best Health Care System Ever. (39 minutes long)

The Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. “Obamacare”) has polarized the nation since conception. And if conservatives can ever get their act together, the law will be on the chopping block. But should it be? And can we do better? The Ragin' Moderate Podcast is going to snap on some rubber gloves and give the ACA a thorough checkup- or maybe an early autopsy. (33 minutes)

American college campuses have become a key battlefield in the current debate over the First Amendment and "political correctness." We all say we love Free Speech, but some of the main players are- in a word- "deplorable." What's a moderate to do?! (23 minutes)

Democrats advocate for it. The American public demands it. So why do so many economists think a big minimum wage hike is a bad idea? The Ragin' Moderate Podcast presents a quadriptych to clear it all up. (28 minutes)

China will soon surpass the United States in GDP, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The coming years are almost certain to fundamentally change US-China relations. But what kind of changes are we looking for? (24 minutes)

The Social Security program is remarkably popular, but its financial outlook is unquestionably grim. A late-breaking bill promises to reform Social Security as we know it- but will it work the way we want it to?

In this week's double stuffed 48 minute episode, we use honest-to-goodness, peer-reviewed studies to evaluate the oft-repeated claim that the media is biased. Guess what? It is. Guess what else? It's more complicated than just "left and right"...

Since 2000, two presidential elections have resulted in the loss of the mathematically more popular candidate. Is it time to drop the Electoral College's "Winner Take All" System? Or does the method make sure all voices are heard? The Ragin' Moderate Podcast- duh- has an opinion.

Donald Trump and his supporters are convinced that voter fraud may contaminate the election. Is there any truth to this? The Ragin' Moderate investigates.

Donald Trump is quite simply not ready for Prime Time. But his movement isn't over. In fact, Trumpism could survive - and even thrive - with a slightly more disciplined, focused candidate.

Hillary Clinton's campaign insists that Emailgate is a non-issue, and yet Donald Trump threatens to throw her in prison over it. This sounds like a job for the Ragin' Moderate Podcast.

Common Core is based on sound educational theories. So why is it meeting such resistance from families, teachers, and politicians? [006-The Ragin' Moderate Podcast]

Admit it: trade policy is totally boring. And yet, multinational agreements like NAFTA and TPP have suddenly been thrust into the spotlight. But do these types of free trade agreements actually work? And for whom?

We'll analyze a multitude of gun policy ideas. Some of them have been successful, others not. Even so, we'll find out that we are still very much in the dark when it comes to gun policy effectiveness.

There are few things as quintessentially American as apple pie, baseball, and firearm use. Since we don't know anything about apple pie or baseball, I guess we'll have to talk about firearms. In this episode, we look at the big picture of guns in America and highlight the major fault lines between the Left and the Right.

Whether you're a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, we can all agree on one thing: our two main presidential candidates are terrible. In this episode of the Ragin' Moderate, we analyze why this happened- and how to fix it.

The first episode of our series explains why you should feel perfectly OK labeling yourself "the M word."