Τα καλύτερα Nice Things podcast (2024)

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The War on Drugs 33:22

28d ago33:22

33:22

In many cases, the government's attempts at regulating health care markets are complex, convoluted operations—and seeing the consequences of those policies can be tricky. Other times, however, it is very straightforward: the government just says "no." When that happens, it doesn't matter what patients need or what doctors want. In its rush to preve…

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Dial 'T' for Terrible Telehealth Laws 32:21

1M ago32:21

32:21

When Mike Abell's young son was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, a phone call proved to be a vital lifeline. Today, that phone call might be illegal—thanks to some strict limitations that New Jersey places on telemedicine calls with doctors in other states. "As parents of a child with cancer, you're already fighting an impossible journey…

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The Case of the 17,000 Missing Kidneys 39:46

1M ago39:46

39:46

There are more than 100,000 Americans on the waiting lists to receive an organ transplant, and many of them will die without ever getting one. At least some of those lives would be saved if the monopoly government contractors managing America's organ donation system weren't so bad at their jobs, argues Jennifer Erickson. "Monopolies don't work and …

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Permission Slips for Innovation 31:08

2M ago31:08

31:08

Dr. Jay Singleton remembers the moment when he realized that Certificate of Need laws were serious business. "He stood up and stared at me and hit his hands on the table," Singleton recalls. "And he said, 'well, we're going to fight you on this.'" As we explained in last week's episode of Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Singleton has been trying to …

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Who Decides What Health Care Is 'Needed'? 31:32

2M ago31:32

31:32

In a functioning market, entrepreneurs feel encouraged to bring new products and services to consumers—and get rewarded when those efforts succeed. Too often, that's not how it works in health care. Patients end up paying the price. On this week's episode of Why We Can't Have Nice Things, host Eric Boehm dives into the murky waters of certificate o…

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Can Mark Cuban Make Prescriptions Affordable Again? 53:59

2M ago53:59

53:59

Why are prescription drugs so expensive in the United States? "Drug prices in this country are so high because there is zero transparency in the system, and when there's zero transparency in a market, there is no way for it to be efficient," says Mark Cuban, the serial entrepreneur, investor on Shark Tank, and guest on the first episode of the seco…

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Trailer: Why We Can't Have Nice Things Season 2 2:05

2M ago2:05

2:05

What's wrong with American health care? That's the question that drives the new season of Why We Can't Have Nice Things, the Reason limited-run podcast series. Over the past few months, host Eric Boehm has been speaking with some of the doctors, medical professionals, and activists who are pushing back against the special interests, government cont…

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Vol. 1 Num. 02 1:44:36

11M ago1:44:36

1:44:36

Boxes, check. Packing tape, check. U-Haul, check. In this edition, Josh tells us all the reasons he has to move and the series of unfortunate events that have occurred since moving to Toledo. Josh and AK also discuss feeling sentimentally attached to property, not necessarily their location. You’ll also hear Josh’s 2015 astrological reading from Ja…

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Vol. 1 Num. 01 1:14:50

12M ago1:14:50

1:14:50

In this edition, Josh Kelly and AK Dash discuss how he recently turned his in-law’s family reunion into a family feud (and not the kind hosted by Steve Harvey). Josh also shares a story from when he was 10-years-old and how his Dad tried to hook up with his own cousin. Needless to say, it wasn’t Coeburn, Virginia’s finest moment. This Is Why We Can…

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Can You Afford Tariffs on Tin Cans? 23:43

1y ago23:43

23:43

You probably don't think much about tin cans, even when you're buying one. It's the product inside the can—soup, beans, maybe hairspray or sunscreen—that seems to matter. But the humble tin can is both a crucial component of modern, globe-spanning supply chains and a product of them: About half of the metal used to make tin cans in the U.S. is impo…

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The 'Chicken Tax' That Makes Pickup Trucks More Expensive 24:24

1y ago24:24

24:24

The brief trade war between the U.S. and Europe in the early 1960s might seem hardly worth remembering—and it pales in comparison to the political and cultural upheaval that defined that decade. But any American who has bought a pickup truck in the past 50 years has been collateral damage in that conflict—a conflict that started because European fa…

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Bootleggers, Baptists, and Ballots 25:53

1y ago25:53

25:53

Arkansas has some of the strangest liquor laws in the country—or at least the most politically contentious. Unlike a lot of other places, the state allows counties to hold referendums to decide whether they will allow the retail sale of alcohol. That is, whether they will be "wet" or "dry." And when those elections take place, it's often existing l…

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Jones Act Traffic Jam 26:36

1y ago26:36

26:36

From his second-floor office overlooking the harbor in Norwalk, Connecticut, Bob Kunkel can see Long Island looming over the horizon to the south. It's only about 10 miles away, straight across the blue waters of the Long Island Sound. But shipping anything from Connecticut to Long Island—or back again—likely means loading a truck, sending it down …

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The Ghosts of Protectionism Past 23:27

1y ago23:27

23:27

It's now been nearly 100 years since Congress overhauled the United States' general tariff system—a system that is by now "quite antiquated and designed for a different time and a different economy," says Ed Gresser. And that's not all, says Gresser, a former assistant U.S. trade representative who now serves as vice president for the Progressive P…

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Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The Great Baby Formula Shortage of 2022 21:47

1+ y ago21:47

21:47

"When you walk into the store and there you don't see that packaging…you start to panic," says Kenzie Jaicomo, a new mom whose child was just a few months old when a sudden shortage of baby formula hit the United States last year. "What am I going to feed my baby?" she remembers thinking, staring at an empty shelf in a neighborhood grocery store. I…

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Trailer: Why We Can't Have Nice Things Season 1 1:37

1+ y ago1:37

1:37

Trade crossed with politics equals protectionism. That's the formula for Why We Can't Have Nice Things, a new limited-run podcast series from Reason launching on August 3. Join host Eric Boehm over the next six weeks as he examines how markets could deliver the goods for consumers—if only the government didn't keep getting in the way. The show will…