How Do We Fix It?

It's the biggest issue of the Presidential campaign that the candidates are not talking about: bloated government and the poor delivery of services.   From very long TSA airport security lines to the dysfunction at your local DMV, our interactions with government can be extremely frustrating.  Exceedingly complex rules and laws make things even worse.    For decades, Philip K. Howard has been a leading voice on how to streamline government and make it work for all of us. His latest book is "The Rule of Nobody: Saving America From Dead Laws and Broken Government." He's the founder of the good government group, Common Good.   In this 12-minute episode of "Fix It Shorts," Philip gives alarming examples of how regulations have programmed officials and politicians of both parties to follow rigid rules that often leave very little...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With technology in overdrive, self-driving cars are no longer a fantasy.  The first autonomous cars and trucks made by major auto manufacturers could be on the road within several years.   But "Fix It" guest Eddie Alterman, Editor-in-Chief of Car and Driver magazine says not so fast.  "It's a scary concept anyway you look at it," he tells us.    "The autonomous car is a very inelegant, very complex and a very fraught solution to the problem of texting while driving... and of information coming into the car when people should be driving."   For Google, Apple, Microsoft and other big data companies, autonomous cars are a big opportunity. Instead of keeping their eyes on the road, motorists could use their driving time to consume more digital media.    But Eddie Alterman says a mix of self-driving and traditional vehicles on the road would create danger. "People will deal with or accept flawed humans crashing into each other. I don't think people will accept supposedly fail-safe machines crashing into... &n

The numbers are alarming.  A 2015 Gallup poll found nearly 70% of U.S. employers say they're either bored or disengaged at work.   The cost to employers has been put at more than $500 billion in lost productivity. The cost to workers is incalculable - in human misery, unnecessary stress and lost opportunity.   Workplace psychologist Ron Friedman is the author of "The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace." Ron says there's an astonishing gap between the latest science and most the modern workplace.  He has some great tips for both employers and employees.     Ron's solutions for employers: An engaged workforce is more creative, focused and stay with their company for a long period time. This saves money. Employees need to be competent and connected to one another, yet they need to have autonomy - feeling they have choice in how they go about doing their work. Invite employees to share their ideas. Encourage learning:...  See acast.com/privacy for privac

"Stuff happens," says homeland security expert and mom of three, Juliette Kayyem.   The government has got to find a better way to talk about the threat of terrorism and natural disasters. Most of us need to have a better plan to prepare.  "We talked in a way when people would either tune out or freak out," says Juliette of her time as a top official at The Department of Homeland of Homeland Security. "We are all in this together," she tells on this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" Her new book is "Security Mom: An Unclassified Guide to Protecting Our Homeland And Your Home." The book is packed with common-sense ways to think about positively about a difficult subject. Juliette's solutions: The government shouldn't scare, but prepare. Pretending that America is invulnerable is both unrealistic and unhelpful to citizens. Homeland security is not just about tragedy or terror, it's what all of us can do every day to keep ourselves strong, safe and prepared.  Families...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy

"At the end of the day everybody is biased," says our guest, John Gable, founder CEO of AllSides. "You're biased by what you know. You're biased by what you know and you're biased by your entire human existence before then." AllSides is unique in how it covers the news - displaying stories on its front page - from different points of view. It urges readers to "engage in civil dialog and discover a deeper understanding of the issues." The left-hand column at AllSides has stories from liberal-leaning sites (New York Times, Huffington Post, Salon), the right column features conservative-leaning media coverage of the same event (Fox News, The Blaze). The centrist column plays things down the middle (USA Today, Christian Science Monitor). "Part of what we do is help people understand that they are biased as well," says John. With deep experience in technology and his former involvement in political campaigns, he understands how so many of live in a bubble - only listening to those...  See acast.com/priva

Too often, news coverage is all about clashes, controversies and contests.  The way the media cover major events can have a profound impact on our view of the world.  In this episode, Jim and Richard - both journalists themselves - are joined by David Bornstein, who writes for the Fixes blog of The New York Times and is co-founder of SolutionsJournalismNetwork.org.  "The news tends to focus far more on what's wrong than on the credible efforts around the world of people who are trying to fix things, whether they are successful or not." David tells us.   "I think the main thing is that the problems scream and the solutions whisper. The problems are always clamoring for attention. Solutions, you...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the approach of Earth Day, this show looks at the clean air, carbon-free case for nuclear power. And it challenges the view held by many environmentalists that the only way to save the planet is for all of us to get by with less. Guest Michael Shellenberger is is coauthor of An Ecomodernist Manifesto, a which argues that human prosperity and an ecologically vibrant planet go hand-in-hand. In 2007, Michael received the Green Book Award and Time magazine's "Hero of the Environment." His recent TEDx talk is "How Humans Save Nature." Nuclear power is an anathema to many of his fellow environmentalists, but Michael tells us its a crucial form of energy that "produces zero air and water...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You can't have too much of a really good thing. That's why we decided to invite Lenore Skenazy,founder of Free Range Kids, to make a welcome return to "How Do We Fix It?" She was a guest on an earlier show. Lenore is the passionate and playful campaigner, who says most American kids don't have nearly enough unstructured free time, when they can be curious and engage the world on their own terms. "Free time is unsupervised time," Lenore tells us. "It's not a parent sitting there saying 'oh, that was really good, or try it this way.' Sometimes you've got to do things that are really bad and try it the wrong way, because that's the creative process." Lenore says parenting styles have changed in the past 30 years, especially for many urban and upper-middle classes Moms and Dads. Risk avoidance seems more important than stimulating a child's imagination. "Think back on your own childhood. Your parents loved you...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We have a problem in our society. Too many people don't understand science or the importance of the scientific method. Many children aren't learning the basics of math and science, which closes off a broad range of career opportunities. It's also a problem in our civil society. A broader understanding of how science works would help parents know why they need to vaccinate their kids or what's going on with climate change. Science evangelist Ainissa Ramirez has some great fixes. She's the author of "Save Our Science" and "Newton's Football," a lively book about the science of America's favorite sport. Ainissa is dedicated to making science fun for people of all ages. Her excellent two-minute podcast, "Science...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode looks at the simple, highly personal way that living room conversations allow people of different viewpoints to really hear each other. A progressive activist, Joan Blades was deeply involved in starting MoveOn.org in the late 90's. More recently she has also worked on ways to encourage respect and dialog among liberals, independents and conservatives. She is the cofounder of LivingRoomConversations.org. In part one last week (episode 43), we looked at why Americans need to find new ways to speak about our differences, such as visiting websites with opposing political opinions, and having conversations that are not vindictive. "It's actually really fun having a living room conversation," says Joan. "They're more fun than if you have a bunch of people around that you know what they're going to say. We get to laugh about our differences once we...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How can you talk to people you disagree with? We Talk to Joan Blades, the founder of MoveOn.org about how to bridge the partisan divide. This show is another response to the deep partisan divide in America - part one of a fascinating conversation with Joan Blades. Much of our political campaign has been dominated by personal insults, name-calling and dogma. Voters have rewarded politicians who use anger and blame others for the country's problems. Individual citizens are part of the problem and the solution. "We live with the dysfunction of partisan behaviors and believe we must and can do better," says Joan, co-founder of LivingRoomConversations.org. She makes the case for personal dialog across party lines, arguing that it's a key part of changing the way all of us think about politics. A strong progressive, who co-founded the liberal activist group,

Let's face it. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have won far more votes than almost any "expert" forecast. The reason may well be that emotions and learned behavior from others play a far bigger role in our decision making than most of us realize. Our "Fix It" guest Mark Earls - the HERDMeister - is an award-winning British writer and consultant on marketing, communications and human behavior. In his latest book, "Copy, Copy, Copy," Mark shows how we vote and buy stuff by copying others - our friends, family and our neighbors."   "Donald Trump is "much smarter than we give him credit for," says Mark.. "He gets that people need to feel stuff rather than think about it."  In his advertising work, Mark has used the lessons of behavioral science and marketing success...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

More than any time in recent decades, American politics are deeply divided. Compromise is a dirty word. "The way that we're running the country is that we're not running the country," says our guest Mark Gerzon, author of the new book, "The Reunited States of America." As President of Mediators Foundation, the group he founded 25 years ago, Mark has brought people together in conflict zones around the world Concerned about increasing polarization in the U.S., Mark is working on the ideological frontier between left and right. "We can work together to solve the problems we all face in a country we all love," Gerzon tells us on this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" But what we have now is a permanent campaign by both parties. "And after election day they start the next campaign." "We can't solve any of the problems we face if we're tearing each other down the whole...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From the American Revolution and the Founding Fathers - through wars, economic change and the struggle for civil rights, American history is overwhelmingly dominated by the achievements and errors of men.  Women - because they were largely excluded from public and professional life for most of our history - play a relatively small role in the established narrative of our past.  "Role models have a huge impact on the way young girls and women in general think about themselves," says Joan Wages, President and CEO of The National Women's History Museum. "We need more women role models out in the public sphere so we know about them." In this episode, Joan tells about the campaign for building a National Women's History Museum in Washington D.C. The Museum's website states: "It will be centrally located near the world's most prestigious museums and monuments in our Nation's Capital."  Fewer than 20% of the Members of Congress are women.  In corporate boardrooms the numbers...  See acast.com/privacy for p

For its opponents, Obamacare is a disaster - a classic example of over-reach by an Administration that wants to expand the size and scope of the Federal government. Supporters say The Affordable Care Act is a triumph, benefiting countless millions of Americans, while reducing the threat of personal bankruptcies in medical emergencies crippling healthcare costs. "We have decreased the rate of the uninsured by about a third," says our guest Megan McArdle, a columnist at Bloomberg View. But Obamacare poses a potentially fatal threat. "What people are doing is they're gaming the system." Some with health emergencies, who have inadequate medical insurance are "signing up for a few months, using a ton of services and then dropping it again." Several large insurance companies say they are losing money on the government-run exchanges. UnitedHealth, the nation's largest health insurance firm, warned it would have to pull out if market conditions didn't improve. Exchange enrollments...  See acast.com/privacy

Debbie Galant talks about what it's like to live with breast cancer.  What she learned along the way amount to solutions for what can be a desperate, lonely experience. From the shock of her first diagnosis to sometimes wrenching, sometimes funny conversations with her doctors and family, Debbie gives us valuable lessons about how to survive and recover, physically and emotionally. "You are pitched into this world of fear... this incredible world of fear," she tells us. "You're making a lot of decisions in that period, but you're really in a primal place." Her journey includes how to "de-code" her oncologist, and learn from a nurse-navigator to dealing with her own emotional roller-coaster ride.  She also talks about a vital ingredient: humor. "Going into a doctor's appointment with a sense of humor, as opposed to a sense of dread, really helped." Debbie, her husband Warren Levinson, and son Noah tell their story in the podcast, "Chemo...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informati

Anti-lock brakes make many motorists drive faster. Introducing helmets and face masks in football raised the risk of concussions. Financial regulators and central bankers played a role in creating conditions that led to the 2008 mortgage meltdown. The illusion of safety can lead to reckless behavior. These fascinating insights are part of "Foolproof - Why Safety Can Be Dangerous and How Danger Makes Us Safe", the recently published book by Greg Ip, chief economics commentator at The Wall Street Journal. "Life is about risk," Greg tells us in this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" When we believe the world is safe, it affects our behavior. "Many positive things happen from taking risks and we should not let the pendulum swing all the way to the other side - trying to eliminate all risks from our lives." Our collective aim to make life safer comes into conflict with the equally strong desire to make things bigger and more complicated. It is in our nature to safeguard our world - and...  See acast.com/pri

Before The U.S. and other nations can be successful against Islamic State (ISIS) and other global jihadists, we must understand the difference between Islam and Islamism. That's the argument from our guest on this week's episode, Maajid Nawaz. "It happens to be that today we are dealing with an insurgency that's rising and growing within my own Muslim community," he says. It doesn't help to deny it." A Sunni Muslim and a former Islamist fundamentalist, who is founding chairman of the London-based counter-terrorism foundation, Quilliam, Maajid makes a powerful argument for freedom, tolerance and respect. He says that President Obama and many other liberal-minded politicians and journalists have been reluctant to call Islamist ideology by its proper name. "Here's where people become paralyzed by political correctness," he argues. "We are unable to say 'Islamist extremism' as distinct from Islam the religion." "I call this the Voldemort affect," citing the villain in the Harry...  See acast.com/privacy

We'd like to think that science should exist outside of politics and researchers follow the truth wherever it goes. But the ideal of rational non-ideological science is under attack at many colleges and universities, says our guest, Alice Dreger. An historian who studies human sexuality and the ethics of medical research, Alice is the author of the provocative new book, "Galileo's Middle Finger." "I'm really looking at how activists go after scientists who have ideas that the activists don't like - usually about human identity," she tells us. Unsurprisingly perhaps, this show includes explicit content, including a description of a sex act. But the main focus is about the threat to academic freedom.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the dry prairies of Southeast Oregon by members a small militia group is the most recent chapter in the very long-running dispute over land in The West. Our guest is environmental historian Nancy Langston, author of “Where Land and Water Meet. A Western Landscape Transformed.” In some western states the Federal Government owns more than half the land. This set the stage for impassioned arguments between ranchers, conservationists, corporate interests, local communities and native American tribes. All have a role to play. As for the seizure of government property, "there is very, very little local support for the militia's tactics for this kind of violent anarchy," Nancy Langton told us on this episode. "They have nothing to do with this region and I don"t think there are many local ranchers or anybody else in the community who approve of their methods." But there is considerable support for changing the...  See acast.com/privacy for pri