Two Sense Podcast

What do Norman Rockwell, Iranian protests over head coverings, and Northwestern's denial that a slogan “from the river to the sea '' is indeed anti-semitic have in common? Rockwell, influenced by the four freedoms enumerated in a state of the union address by FDR and impressed with a town meeting in vermont in which a patient audience of fellow citizens listened with respect although in silent disagreement — painted the first of his “four freedoms” pictures,  which he called freedom of speech. Scott and Harry worry that the underpinning of our freedoms and the constitution that embodies them are threatened by our current unwillingness to engage in open, truthful  and respectful dialogue. Along the way they discuss the complexity of our federal system with its dual sovereignty (federal and state), the many other safeguards reflected in checks and balances at the founding, and, in the area of corporate governance, the wisdom of separating the roles of CEO and Chairman. Scott and Harry remind us that checks and balances play a role in both government and the private sector. They conclude the conversation with some concrete suggestions on how we can move forward by returning  to fundamental principles.

Harry declares that “easy money is always a cultural phenomenon”.  This kicks off a lively and insightful conversation about the causes and effects of interest rates, inflation, unemployment, and of course, easy money. Scott remarks on the utopian roots of a culture of easy money, its dangers and the alternatives. As usual, Scott and Harry take us back in time and around the globe to anchor the conversation historically and globally.

Scott and Harry reflect on the extraordinary leadership of the late Queen Elizabeth II. What are the lessons we can derive from her selfless leadership? The pageantry of her funeral speaks to a view of kingship that inspires awe, reverence, and love. Scott reminds us that the Bible wants to limit the power of kings to remind us that there is only one true king, that God rules above all human beings.

Taking a deep dive into England’s recent economic and political woes, Scott and Harry reflect on the historically large role of the Bank of England.  Discussing such factors as  keeping interest rates close to zero and printing money, Scott quotes Warren Buffett in observing that pension funds were the ones “swimming naked”.  Analyzing the global situation from both historical and current trends, as well as the role of journalism and “telling the story accurately'', they both offer thoughtful and practical recommendations for swimming out of our current quagmire.

Scott and Harry take us on a deep discussion of realpolitik as it relates to the war in Ukraine. Harry asks Scott if Zelensky is truly a “Churchillian figure”? What makes this war in Europe different? Should Ukraine concede the Donbass region and Crimea as some suggest? Scott reminds us of the dangers of modern day idolatry and Putin’s desires to be a G-d/king. In thinking about the conflict from this perspective, what kind of deterrence can we offer? What is Putin’s end game? Broadening the conversation to China’s desire to conquer Taiwan, they discuss if we can or should support the Taiwanese in the same way.

Join these two successful business leaders as they delve into the fundamental definitions that guide so many of our conversations about our economy. Scott and Harry begin by offering a definition of capitalism and socialism. Then they share the common misconceptions surrounding those definitions. In defining different kinds of ownership and risk taking, they then take a deep dive into three kinds or stages of capitalism: shareholder, stakeholder and ESG. They discuss the liabilities of having elected officials set the rules, yet Scott advocates for a government enacted carbon tax. They wonder if Karl Marx were alive today how different these suggestions would be for how to overturn capitalism.

Join Scott and Harry as they grapple with the role of culture, the values of our society as it informs and guides our economic policies. Have we lost faith in the integrity of our social policies and institutions? A case is made that culture, our values, inform the economic decisions we make, and sometimes those policies compete with the facts on the ground. So in an effort to curb inflation, do we create more unemployment? This, they say, is a cultural question as much as it an economic one. Defining and measuring inflation and how it impacts our trust in the value of the dollar in our institutions, is of concern to all of us thinking about the well being of future generations. Scott and Harry ask us to think about what we owe future generations, and how that will impact the choices we make today.

Scott and Harry discuss the importance of culture as a set of beliefs, and how it irrigates and animates all things we hold dear from law to  politics to economics. Giving examples from history, they discuss the importance of trust and the nature of our social connections. They ponder the question, what happens when cultures collide?

Are you optimistic about the future? In this podcast, Scott and Harry explore decades past - notably the 60's and 70's to understand the present time of malaise. What are the dangers of short-term thinking to tackle large and important issues? "Short-termism" forebodes a lack of seriousness and an inability to be realistic about the current situation in favor of quick fixes and immediate gains. Replete with examples from economics and politics, the co-hosts illustrate how short-term thinking has led to our present situation in society. Can faith and believing create a different perspective for more long-term thinking? Join Two Sense Podcast in this positive conversation on how we can create a healthier perspective for ourselves and our leaders.

Is a university education useful? In this far reaching conversation about bigness as it relates to the university, Scott and Harry bemoan the universities as the upstream cause of many of society's problems from the lack of diverse opinions tolerated on the university campus, the effects of the astronomical rise in college tuition, the consolidation of textbook publishers and more. Harry posits that the populists movement that pervades our society stems from a lack of understanding of a distinction made in the Federalist Papers between passions and interests. Scott and Harry cogently discuss why we need to renew our vocabulary about the dangers of teaching through the myopic lense of passions versus the more scientific, verifiable, and transparent lense of interests.

Scott and Harry take a deep dive into the grand narratives that we entertain from crime, attacks on capitalism, and foreign policy to illustrate how these grand narratives act to actually subvert truth. They speak of the dangers of bigness and empire-building and the demise of journalistic integrity.

Join Scott and Harry on a broad and freewheeling discussion on Putin's empire-building through hybrid warfare, the proliferation of conspiracy theories from the left and the right that is corroding our ability to distinguish theory over fact, and finally the effects all this has on young people today.

Scott and Harry introduce some of the "big ideas" that they will continue to refer back to in subsequent episodes. They begin with asking aspirational questions such as: Are extreme views losing favor and is moderation back in vogue? What is the impact of culture on our political, economic and educational institutions? How can Judeo-Christian ethics inform our conversation? Come along in this deep conversation of things that really matter.