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Defending Ideas: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Sutherland Institute
Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.
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- 6 days ago41 min
America has a community problem. Here’s why it matters | Michael Tanner
What would America look like without strong families, churches, civic organizations and local communities? We're starting to find out and the picture is...not good. But there is a better way to live.Michael Tanner, Senior Fellow at FREOPP, joins host Nic Dunn to explain why civil society is so important and why its decline should concern all Americans.Tanner and Dunn explore how good civil society can strengthen relationships, increase happiness, reduce political tribalism, and help Americans rediscover a sense of shared community. They discuss why Americans should put down their phones, ignore most national political battles, and spend more time investing in family, friends, and faith communities.Show notes:Civil Society Under Threat – https://freopp.org/whitepapers/civil-society-under-threat/Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.
- 1 weeks ago45 min
Can states lead the next welfare reform movement? | Daniel Erspamer
America’s social safety net is supposed to help families through difficult times, ultimately moving people toward work and independence. But navigating a maze of disconnected programs and agencies can make that goal harder to achieve. The good news is that there is a solution.On this episode of Defending Ideas, host Nic Dunn talks with Daniel J. Erspamer, CEO of the Pelican Institute, about Louisiana’s effort to create a “One Door to Work” model. This initiative brings safety net and workforce programs together around a common goal: helping people get jobs and achieve financial independence.They discuss what Louisiana has accomplished, what the state learned from Utah, the federal barriers that remain, and why giving states more flexibility could lead to better welfare reform across the country.The conversation also explores why state-led experimentation has played such an important role in past welfare reforms and why a new generation of states could help reshape America’s safety net around upward mobility.Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.
- 2 weeks ago46 min
Can the states fix what Washington can’t? | Sen. John Curtis
Could giving states more freedom to experiment help America find better answers to our toughest challenges? On this episode of Defending Ideas, Sen. John Curtis of Utah joins host Nic Dunn to discuss how state-level experimentation can lead to better policy on some of the country’s most difficult questions. From AI and data centers to wildfire prevention, forest management, and public lands, Curtis and Dunn explore why a marketplace of ideas generally leads to better outcomes than a one-size-fits-some approach. Curtis also explains why he believes policymakers should embrace pilot programs, encourage innovation, and demand accountability so they can learn what works – and what doesn’t.Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.
- 3 weeks ago41 min
The Next Welfare Reform: Paul Ryan on Work, Technology, and RISE Pilots
Thirty years after the landmark welfare reform law, what should the next generation of social safety-net reform look like?Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan joins Defending Ideas to discuss the future of welfare reform and how policymakers can build a system today that helps more families move toward work and economic independence.Speaker Ryan and host Nic Dunn examine RISE pilots, a state-led approach that tests whether combining multiple welfare benefits into a single, trackable monthly payment can simplify the social safety net, improve work incentives, and help families move out of poverty.The conversation explores how technology could help reduce benefit cliffs, better coordinate programs, and improve accountability. Ryan explains why states should have the freedom to test different welfare reform approaches and why good data is essential if we want to know what works before expanding reforms more broadly.Ryan, who is also the founder of the American Idea Foundation, a professor of the practice at the University of Notre Dame, and a Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Practice of Public Policy at AEI, discusses with Dunn universal basic income and why RISE offers a more promising path forward for welfare reform and, ultimately, people's economic independence.Show Notes: Reforming the Safety Net through RISE Pilot Programs - American Idea FoundationAmericans Are Getting Caught in the Safety Net - Paul Ryan and Les Ford Wall Street Journal op-ed The Safety Net We’d Build Today: Empowerment Accounts as a State-Led Pilot Concept - Nic Dunn report for Sutherland InstituteDefending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.
- Aug 18, 202641 min
The hidden problem with America’s safety net | Erine Gray
America spends a ton of money on our social safety net, yet many people still feel trapped. That means maybe the biggest problem isn't how much we spend.On this episode of Defending Ideas, Erine Gray, founder and CEO of Findhelp, joins Nic Dunn to explain why navigating America's fragmented network of government programs, nonprofits, churches, and other community organizations can be just as hard as qualifying for the benefits themselves.Gray shares the personal experiences that led him to build Findhelp, what he learned working inside Texas' public-benefits system during the financial crisis, and why he believes AI, better data, and greater coordination could make the safety net more effective, without adding more programs or spending.Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.
- Aug 11, 202638 min
Why America needs a principled center-right | Todd Weiler
What can Utah teach America about the future of conservatism? On this episode of Defending Ideas, Nic Dunn sits down with Todd Weiler, the new president and CEO of Sutherland Institute and a member of the Utah State Senate. They discuss the future of the conservative movement, the importance of principled and evidence-based policymaking, and why states may be better positioned than Washington, D.C., to tackle some of America's biggest challenges by bringing policymaking closer to the people it affects.Weiler shares his vision for Sutherland and explains why Utah's experience – from family policy and religious freedom to immigration, affordability and a citizen legislature – offers lessons that other states and the nation can learn from.They also explore why returning to true center-right conservatism could be the way to fix many of the rifts in our current politics.Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.
- Aug 4, 202643 min
Why our children need more education choices | Shaka Mitchell & Christine Cooke Fairbanks
No two children learn exactly the same way. So why should families be expected to rely on a one-size-fits-all education system? In this episode of Defending Ideas, Nic Dunn speaks with Shaka Mitchell of the American Federation for Children and Sutherland Institute education policy fellow Christine Cook Fairbanks about the growing movement for education choice. They discuss how parents have driven recent reforms, the legal and political challenges facing education choice programs, the new federal education freedom tax credit, and how policymakers can build an education system that serves children rather than forcing every kid into the same model.Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.
- Jul 28, 202639 min
Should county clerks be nonpartisan? | Kevin Johnson & Brian McKenzie
We want referees to enforce the rules, not play for one team. Should the same principle apply to county clerks and elections officials? In this episode of Defending Ideas, host Nick Dunn sits down with Kevin Johnson, Executive Director of the Election Reformers Network, and Davis County Clerk Brian McKenzie to discuss whether county clerk elections should be nonpartisan. They explore the unique role of election administrators, the political pressures they can face, and whether removing party labels could strengthen public confidence in elections.Show notes: Reform Options for County Clerk Elections Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.
About Defending Ideas
Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.
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