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Optimist Economy: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Kathryn Anne Edwards and Robin Rauzi
Economist Kathryn Anne Edwards and co-host Robin Rauzi talk about the fundamentals of the economy and how to build a better future one problem and solution at a time. Our premise is that the United States has remarkable economy — and yet for tens of millions of Americans it is not performing up to its potential. It could be more open to aspiring workers, less hostile to change, safer for workers, less risky for retirees, and so on.
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- 2 weeks ago51 min
The U.S. is in the Hole. Will We Stop Digging?
(Originally aired June 10, 2025) The national debt is $36 trillion. That could be a panic-inducing big number. So maybe it will help to understand how we ran up that debt. We've blown 37% of it on tax cuts, with precious little to show for that. But 28% went to stabilize the economy during two major crises (in ‘08-’09 and during the COVID pandemic), which is when you do want the federal government to pull out its credit card. Good news is we don’t have to get the debt to zero. We just need to get it moving in that direction. And for listeners waiting for MMT (Modern Monetary Theory) to make a cameo, that moment has arrived. Support Optimist Economy by becoming a paid Substack subscriber here, or by making a contribution at https://buymeacoffee.com/optimisteconomyComplete show notes with links to articles and data at optimisteconomy.com.You can also find Optimist Economy on: TikTok YouTube Instagram Read more: From Riches to Rags: Causes of Fiscal Deterioration Since 2001 [Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 2024] Economic Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act [Congressional Research Service, 2025] Is Modern Monetary Theory Nutty or Essential? [The Economist, 2019]Is This What Winning Looks Like?: Modern Monetary Theory, the buzziest economic idea in decades, got a pandemic tryout of sorts. Now inflation is testing its limits. [New York Times, 2022]
- Aug 11, 202638 min
Occupy! An Unfinished Uprising: The Invitation (Ep. 1)
Optimist Economy is on break this month, but we know that optimist listeners are interested in tales of economic history, issues of inequality and movements for change. So we thought some of you might enjoy "Occupy!" a six-part narrative series about Occupy Wall Street, the 2011 protest village that lasted nearly two months and turned a spotlight on systemic economic inequality in the U.S.---EPISODE 1: An InvitationIn 2011, a handful of skeptical New Yorkers answer a call to Occupy Wall Street. What they find feels less like a protest and more like a glimpse of a different world—one where people openly share stories of debt, hardship, and frustration. They start to build an anti-capitalist village in a tiny Manhattan park — under the watchful eyes of police. This is the first episode of Future Hindsight’s brand new 6-part series, OCCUPY! An Unfinished Uprising. Subscribe to Future Hindsight wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss a single episode!Want to dive deeper? Listen to these episodes of Future Hindsight: For a conversation on activism with a co-founder of Occupy Wall Street, tune in to this episode with Micah White: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/micah-white For a recap of how American capitalism evolved into what it is today, listen to this episode with Kurt Andersen: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/americas-evil-geniuses-kurt-andersen On solidarity and mutual aid, listen to this conversation with Manuel Pastor: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/solidarity-and-mutuality-manuel-pastor Credits: Host / Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer / Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker Audio Producer: Zack Travis Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin Archival research: Marisa Holmes Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group. Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support. Distributed by PRX.
- Aug 4, 202650 min
Stop Donating Your Vacation Days to Your Boss
Nearly 90% of private-sector workers get paid vacation days from their job, but a Pew survey found 46% leave at least some of it on the table. Government survey data also show that the share of workers who are on vacation in any given week has fall by about half between 1980 and 2022. Blame thin staffing, guilt culture, and “PTO bundles” that push people to ration days between vacation days and sick leave. The fix exists elsewhere: the European Union, for instance, guarantees 20 paid days a year. If a Costco cashier is able to vacation in Europe twice, so should you.Chapters:0:52 Announcements2:53 Retcon Marathon11:01 Terms & Conditions: Statutory Leave12:04 Big Pilcrow: Vacation Days14:03 Why Do We Think We Can't Take Time Off?16:01 No Staffing Slack in the Office16:51 Vacation Guilt is a Real Thing18:51 What's Worker Power Got to Do With It?20:20 Decline in Days Off: What the Data Says21:17 Vague Numbers of Vacation Days24:23 Cost of Travel is Up24:56 Statutory Leave Could Create Jobs26:28 What are Workers Leaving on the Table?28:48 How Much Does Vacation Time Cost Employers?31:08 Vacation Marxist Economics-Style34:40 The Curse of the Long-Weekend Vacation38:21 Could the Government Mandate Vacation Time?42:46 Executive Orders: ACFC wins and Americans with Children Act46:23 Spiritual Sponsors: Lizards! Donate to Optimist Economy: https://optimisteconomy.com Video-curious? Watch the Optimist Economy YouTube channel. We’re also on Instagram at @optimist_economy or TikTok at @optimist_economy. Chat with other Optimists on Substack. Find utility with our merch: https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy Got economic questions, concerns, or executive orders? Send them to optimist.economy@gmail.com
- Jul 28, 202648 min
The Government is Already Paying for Your Health Insurance, Buddy
About 18% of U.S. GDP every year gets spent on health care. Half of that, 9%, is coming from the government, which is about the whole cost of other countries’ public health programs. In other words, for what the U.S. spends on Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, VA benefits, and the tax write-off for employer-sponsored plans, we could have free basic health insurance for everyone. This is why the co-authors of the 2023 book “We’ve Got You Covered” describe the current health insurance system as a total tear-down. We could have universal insurance coverage for all with no tax hike if we started building from the ground up.Chapters:0:00 Announcements 0:58 Retcon — Costco cashier's $33/hr job and career security2:49 Terms & Conditions — Political economy, Cost Sharing, Gatekeeping7:45 The Big Pilcrow: “Americare… Just Enough” 8:08 Healthcare vs. health insurance — why this is really an insurance/payer fight12:53 We have 5+ public health programs already17:07 Health economist Amy Finkelstein's research: "It's a tear-down, not a fixer-upper"19:55 The proposed system — universal basic coverage + letting “rich people rich" without letting them opt out28:11What Americans would love or hate40:44 This health world changed a lot since Obamacare43:20 Executive Orders — Airport boarding pass warnings, living-roof bus stops45:20 Spiritual Sponsors — Resurrection fern, Aunt Fern46:42 Credits Donate to Optimist Economy: https://optimisteconomy.com Video-curious? Watch the Optimist Economy YouTube channel. We’re also on Instagram at @optimist_economy or TikTok at @optimist_economy. Chat with other Optimists on Substack. Find utility with our merch: https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy Got economic questions, concerns, or executive orders? Send them to optimist.economy@gmail.com
- Jul 21, 202648 min
Mr. Justin Time Sets a Cruel Work Schedule
Just-in-time scheduling lets an algorithm decide when — and whether — millions of people work. Surveys find 40% of shift workers (mostly in retail and food service) don’t know their schedule a week in advance. They can also get sent home mid-shift or asked to be on call, unpaid. Studies show that more than 50% of hourly workers’ income swings up to 30% month-to-month, making it hard to budget for rent, qualify for benefits, or plan. A landmark study done at The Gap a decade ago proved stable schedules boost not only morale, but sales, so this isn't even bad for business. We already have fair workweek laws in many big cities, but this is a no-brainer for an update to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Chapters:1:01 Announcements — Review shoutouts, Benevity donor thanks.2:15 Retcon — July 4th recap, AI job-loss predictions walked back.7:29 Terms & Conditions — Just In Time scheduling and clopening.10:21 The Big Pilcrow: Underwork — Why part-time and shift workers get scheduled unfairly.13:50 How the BLS tracks part-time hours by industry.17:05 Economic vs. non-economic part-time reasons.25:05 The Gap Study — Predictive scheduling boosted sales 7%.28:22 Consequences — Income volatility and benefits fraud traps.32:06 Fair workweek law and bills35:20 Labor market regulation as low-cost policy.41:59 Executive Orders — Credit card charge names, smaller jar lids.43:52 Spiritual Sponsors — WaPo editorial takedown, new yoga studio.48:12 Credits Donate to Optimist Economy: https://optimisteconomy.com Video-curious? We have clips on the Optimist Economy YouTube channel. Follow us on social media, now including Facebook! We’re also on Instagram at @optimist_economy or TikTok at @optimist_economy. Chat with other Optimists on Substack. Optimist Merch: https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy Got economic questions, concerns, or executive orders? Send them to optimist.economy@gmail.com
- Jul 14, 202644 min
Young Americans Should Be Raising Hell About Social Security
Nobody has more riding on any changes to Social Security than people under 40. The trust fund is currently projected to run dry in the fourth quarter of 2032, but it could be sooner. Every election, starting in November, selects the lawmakers who will shape the program’s future. Neglecting to fix its finances will mean an automatic 22% cut to everyone's benefit. But for Millennials and Zoomers, what’s at stake isn't your elders’ monthly check — it’s the only life insurance, disability insurance, and old-age poverty insurance guaranteed to follow you through every job you'll ever have.Chapters:1:21 Announcements — Unbleeped feed, subscribe reminders.2:23 Retcon — Seed OK savings accounts follow-up.4:36 Terms & Conditions — Social insurance vs. private insurance.8:42 Big Pilcrow — Under 40? Time to tune in to the Social Security debate.11:51 Youth Skepticism — Why young people have always doubted Social Security, and how that's politically exploited.16:56 OBBA Impact — How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut Social Security's revenue.18:37 Immigration Trends — Deportations and lower immigration also hurt.21:11 Elections Have Begun — Social Security as a live political battleground.22:35 First Beneficiaries — What studies of early recipients tell us.30:36 Otherwise Uninsurable Risks — Death, disability, savings, longevity, inflation.33:17 Paid Family Leave — Could Social Security's model extend to paid leave?34:21 Claim Ownership — Youth should own this program.37:08 Cuts by Geography — Rural states will get hit hardest if cuts come.38:27 Executive Orders — Casting ages, cosmetic disclosure.40:22 Spiritual Sponsors — World Cup, Jeopardy! triumph. Donate to Optimist Economy: https://optimisteconomy.com Video-curious? Watch the Optimist Economy YouTube channel. We’re also on Instagram at @optimist_economy or TikTok at @optimist_economy. Chat with other Optimists on Substack. Find utility with our merch: https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy Got economic questions, concerns, or executive orders? Send them to optimist.economy@gmail.com
- Jul 7, 202652 min
Simple Immigration Economics: Bigger is Better
(Originally aired 6/24/2025) One in five workers in the United States was born in another country. Without them, the country’s prime-age workforce would be shrinking, and thus so would our economy. So the calumny (Terms & Conditions) directed at immigrants is at odds with the basic fact that the U.S. needs them. What about depressing wages? Research finds such a mixed bag of results that the overall effect is about zero. Indeed, if the goal is to save “American jobs” or help American workers, there are a lot more effective ways to spend $185 billion than on a massive crackdown on immigration rules. Chapters:00:02:34 Announcements00:05:55 Retcon00:10:43 Terms & Conditions 00:12:21 Big Pilcrow00:43:07 Executive Orders00:49:12 Spiritual Sponsors Donate to Optimist Economy: https://optimisteconomy.com Video-curious? Watch the Optimist Economy YouTube channel. We’re also on Instagram at @optimist_economy or TikTok at @optimist_economy. Chat with other Optimists on Substack. Find utility with our merch: https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy Got economic questions, concerns, or executive orders? Send them to optimist.economy@gmail.com
- Jun 30, 202652 min
America at 250: Case for the Defense
It’s the United States’ semiquincentennial … and one of us is not feeling it. The other is literally carrying a flag in her bag — and that’s just her road flag. Kathryn Anne Edwards makes her case for optimism right now: The U.S. is undergoing one of the most dramatic demographic and cultural shifts of any industrialized nation. Americans agree that Congress is broken. And the people's agenda on wages, childcare, money in politics, and Social Security polls above 80%. Maybe this isn’t a backslide. It's just what clearing the air looks like. Chapters:00:01:21 Announcements00:04:10 Retcon: More on the national anthem00:06:36 Terms & Conditions: Origin of "the melting pot"00:08:01 Big Pilcrow: Make Robin Optimistic about America00:48:17 Executive Orders: End gerrymandering; mandatory hearings on supermajority issues00:50:03 Spiritual Sponsors: Knicks celebrations; bourbon in Louisville Donate to Optimist Economy: https://optimisteconomy.com Video-curious? Watch the Optimist Economy YouTube channel. We’re also on Facebook somewhere (search for it), on Instagram at @optimist_economy or TikTok at @optimist_economy. Chat with other Optimists on Substack. Find utility with our merch: https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy Got economic questions, concerns, or executive orders? Send them to optimist.economy@gmail.com
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About Optimist Economy
Economist Kathryn Anne Edwards and co-host Robin Rauzi talk about the fundamentals of the economy and how to build a better future one problem and solution at a time. Our premise is that the United States has remarkable economy — and yet for tens of millions of Americans it is not performing up to its potential. It could be more open to aspiring workers, less hostile to change, safer for workers, less risky for retirees, and so on.
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