The Optimists Have Questions…

What this episode covers

Fourteen questions. Zero softballs. Listeners from Tacoma to Montreal wrote in to ask about retirement savings, taxing capital gains, home-buyer assistance programs, corporate profits in the tariffs era, what one state employee can or cannot accomplish, and whether meaningful economic reform will arrive before Millennials drop dead. And more. The inbox did not disappoint.  00:00 Announcements 01:59  Is a retirement savings crisis brewing?  04:32  Tax credits for first-time home buyers… good idea? 08:10  What if tax breaks for capital gains only applied to new investments? 13:39  Explain the $1,700 tax credit scholarship program in OBBA? 16:23  Are institutional investors wrecking the housing market? 21:37  What quick policy moves could reverse worsening inequality? 27:32  Will meaningful reform arrive before Millennials retire? 30:56  Is a hotel tax the right way to fund a stadium? 33:05  Can I move the needle on labor policy from inside the system? 35:08  Why has the responsibility and risk for employment shifted onto workers? 37:50  Is fixing the care economy easier than we think? 40:47  Do rent caps work? 44:50  Can we prevent price gouging by companies? 47:53  If states roll out good policies, does the federal government need to do it too? Still have questions, concerns, or worries?  Send them to [email protected] Keep Optimist Economy podcasting: https://optimisteconomy.com See our faces on the Optimist Economy YouTube channel⁠⁠. Commune with fellow Optimists on our Substack chat. We’re on  Instagram at ⁠⁠@optimist_economy or TikTok at ⁠⁠@optimist_economy.  There’s a t-shirt in your size here. https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy