Broken Healthcare, The Value of Protest, Labor Unions, Syria, Thoughts on Trump

This 'listener mailbag' show begins with Mike and Jay taking a question from a listener who wonders if it's fair to conclude that healthcare in the United States is broken given the far greater amount per capita the U.S. spends to get results not too different from other rich, developed countries. Mike says yes, and Jay doesn't quite say no, though he points out some important features of the United States that may make international comparisons somewhat tricky. Next is a listener who writes in to argue against Jay's seeming dismissal of protests by telling the story of how his experience attending a march led him to become deeply involved in politics. Jay responds by acknowledging that in some cases a protest experience can be a springboard for greater political action, but argues that in most cases that isn't what happens. Then it's a listener questioning the value of labor unions. Mike says that while it's true that unions may have been slow to adapt to a globalized market, they still have a critical role. Jay, who points out that unions have done a lot of good in the past, is a lot more skeptical about their continued relevance. After that the Guys make some recommendations for books that cover Clinton shenanigans - books that aren't partisan hit-jobs but rather well-researched examinations written by highly respected authors. (Yes - those sort of politics books *do* exist.) This is followed by several questions about Syria, involving the president's authority to authorize military action and a more macro-level look at U.S. policy in Syria and the Middle East as a whole. Mike and Jay close the show by answering a listener who wonders what it would take for Jay to be personally appalled by Donald Trump, and what, if anything, Mike likes about the president. **Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible**. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to [politicsguys.com/support](http://www.politicsguys.com/support).Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesThe Politics Guys on Facebook | XListener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys.The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.