The Economy Is Weird Right Now
We’re low on workers and chicken wings.
Job numbers are lousier than expected, supply chains are wrecked across several industries, cargo ships are backed up in ports, and Biden is pulling a Trump by insisting we "buy American." On this Monday's Reason Roundtable, Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Nick Gillespie try to gauge what the heck is happening with the economy right now.
Discussed in the show:
1:09: Lousier-than-expected job numbers, supply chain failures, and cargo ships backed up. Is this all the new normal?
18:52: Workers' strikes in response to vaccine mandates conflict with Biden's pro-union agenda.
36:28: Weekly Listener Question: In regards to our country's budgeting process, when do each of you foresee the proverbial fiscal can getting kicked off the proverbial fiscal cliff resulting in a new fiscal reality being forced on all of us?
48:00: Media recommendations for the week.
This week's links:
- "Inside America's Broken Supply Chain," by David J. Lynch
- "World leaders reach landmark deal on a global corporate tax rate," by Silvia Amaro
- The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America, by Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch
- "Biden's labor secretary is stumped by the worker shortage," by Dan Primack
- "Fed to the lions: Jerome Powell's 'taper' chase may cost him his job," by Charles Gasparino
Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
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Audio production by Ian Keyser
Assistant production by Regan Taylor
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve