Why Is It So Expensive to Build Stuff in America?

Why Is It So Expensive to Build Stuff in America?

We're in the midst of a great affordability crisis. It's not just the inflation crisis. It's a greater cost crisis of the last few decades. Everything that matters most in life—health care, housing, education—is getting more and more expensive. Why? One way to investigate this question is to look at the cost and speed of building physical things in America. We build urban transit more slowly than we used to, we build highways more slowly than we used to, we build energy infrastructure more slowly than we used to, we build skyscrapers more slowly than we used to, and we build housing more slowly than we used to. Brian Potter, the author of the newsletter 'Construction Physics,' explains the forces behind the great slowdown, why it matters, and how to turn things around. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Brian Potter Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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America's Tax System Is Broken

America's Tax System Is Broken

If you're a typical worker with a salary, you have almost no control over how much tax you owe. But if you own a company worth billions of dollars, the income tax is, in the words of my guest today, "...

24 Maalis 1h 4min

The Casino-ification of America

The Casino-ification of America

In 2017, Americans legally bet about $5 billion on sports. Last year, that number rose to $160 billion. Gambling hasn’t just taken over sports. It’s invaded culture, politics, and even international w...

20 Maalis 1h 11min

"Yes, AI Is a Bubble. There Is No Question."

"Yes, AI Is a Bubble. There Is No Question."

The AI buildout continues to break records, as the hyperscalers pour hundreds of billions of dollars into chips and data centers, even as investors punish their stock prices. But the revenue side of t...

17 Maalis 1h 9min

The Pill That Works Even When You Know It's Fake

The Pill That Works Even When You Know It's Fake

Why do placebo effects work, even when patients know that they're taking a sugar pill? How do "nocebo" effects work, and why do some people hold onto beliefs that they suspect might bring them pain an...

13 Maalis 1h 11min

The Economic Crisis of the Iran War Goes Far Beyond Oil

The Economic Crisis of the Iran War Goes Far Beyond Oil

The Strait of Hormuz is the tiny bottleneck that could destabilize the global economy. As a critical passageway for crude oil, natural gas, and critical inputs for fertilizer, computer chips, and plas...

10 Maalis 55min

"American Democracy as We Know It Might Not Survive This Technology"

"American Democracy as We Know It Might Not Survive This Technology"

What happens when the two biggest stories in the world—the Trump White House and the development of advanced artificial intelligence—collide? Well, nothing good, apparently. When contract negotiations...

9 Maalis 1h 4min

Trump Is Doubling Down on Iran. How Should Democrats Respond?

Trump Is Doubling Down on Iran. How Should Democrats Respond?

Donald Trump’s polling has continued to edge down week after week. And yet approval of the Democratic Party is still stuck near its all-time low, according to Gallup and other surveys. One interpreta...

6 Maalis 42min

The Four Ways That the Iran War Could End

The Four Ways That the Iran War Could End

Dramatic regime change. Moderate regime evolution. A calamitous regional conflict. Or … no change at all. Today we consider how the Iran conflict might evolve following the killing of Supreme Leader K...

3 Maalis 55min

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