The Relevance of the Federalist Papers Today

On October 9, 2024, Allen Thomas, Tom Krannawitter, Lorne Levy, and Trent Loos joined the show. Filled in for Kim Monson while she traveled, guiding discussions on the Federalist Papers, progressivism, and constitutional principles throughout the broadcast Analyzed how the Founders understood diversity versus progressive interpretations, traced progressivism’s roots to post-Civil War rejection of constitutional self-governance, and called for active citizen engagement against the administrative state. Understanding Diversity Through the Federalist Papers Start listening at 30:14 – Hour 1 Dr. Tom Krannawitter, founder of the Substack “Zetetic Questions” and author of “Vindicating Lincoln,” dissects the fundamental difference between how the Founders understood diversity and how progressives wield the term today. Madison and Hamilton, writing as Publius, championed a diversity of interests as protection against majority tyranny, yet always emphasized the necessity of unity around constitutional principles. Krannawitter traces the progressive movement’s roots to post-Civil War intellectuals who rejected constitutional self-governance in favor of a European-style administrative state staffed by credentialed experts. The conversation reveals how 150 years of progressive momentum has wrapped its tentacles around virtually every major American institution. Universities, Hollywood, and media now advance an ideology fundamentally incompatible with the Founders’ vision of self-governing citizens. Krannawitter issues a call to action: those who love freedom can no longer remain passive spectators while progressivism continues its march through American institutions. “We are becoming increasingly centralized, increasingly bureaucratic, increasingly regulated, subsidized, controlled, restricted, and we’re beyond the point now of doing nothing. We who love freedom can no longer just do nothing and pay attention to our business and our kids, right, and our private life and hope that things will get better.” Tom Krannawitter, Author and Constitutional Scholar Navigating Mortgage Markets After the Fed Rate Cut Start listening at 62:42 – Hour 2 Lorne Levy of Polygon Financial Group explains the counterintuitive market reaction following September’s Federal Reserve rate cut. Despite expectations that the cut would unleash housing market activity, mortgage rates have actually climbed back into the lower sixes as the 10-year Treasury broke above 4%. The Fed’s subsequent signals that future cuts may be smaller than anticipated, citing strong employment data and economic resilience, have pushed rates higher rather than lower. Levy counsels prospective borrowers to get pre-qualified and act when opportunities present themselves rather than waiting indefinitely for rates to drop further. The market’s short-term memory means data revisions and mixed signals create windows of opportunity that close quickly. “I always tell people to get pre-qualified, be ready when opportunity shows itself. If there’s an opportunity to refinance, jump on it, because you can always do it again six months to a year later, rather than just waiting and waiting and hoping rates drop lower because they may not.” Lorne Levy, Mortgage Specialist, Polygon Financial Group Wildfires, Cattle, and Climate Policy Deception Start listening at 69:39 – Hour 2 Trent Loos, traveling to assess wildfire damage in North Dakota, reports on a natu...