#378 But the World Didn't End..

·32 min·3 clips

How America's lack of hospital beds during COVID exposed decades of planning failures.

Wes Tankersley and Robert Watson open by thanking Patreon supporters and discussing election changes set for January. They analyze the election outcome, noting it combined electoral college and popular vote victories, with Robert fielding calls from Europe. The hosts debate how inflation, particularly grocery prices, impacted women voters and the economy. They transition to infrastructure issues, criticizing poor planning for electricity demand from Bitcoin mining and AI, as well as hospital bed shortages during COVID. Wes shares examples from Idaho, where population growth strains roads and power imports from Washington occur. Robert explains how COVID exposed decades of underfunded hospital capacity, blaming state and local leaders. The hosts stress voting in local elections, with Wes noting Idaho's ballot included a constitutional proposition on ranked-choice voting. They discuss legislative transparency, criticizing bills packed with unrelated earmarks like Ukraine funding. Robert advocates for clean bills and grassroots issue advocacy. The conversation shifts to media, with Wes describing TikTok censorship and Robert watching CNN via Mar-a-Lago during the election. They critique media bias, with panels lacking ideological balance. Robert hopes for improved governance and civil debate, separating presidents from policies. Wes concludes by encouraging support through Patreon and subscriptions.

As heard by us

A conversational review of political change, hospital capacity, and long-term public planning.

Wes Tankersley and Robert Watson use expected political change in January as a way into a broader conversation about public planning: roads, electric-vehicle readiness, and the hospital capacity failures exposed during COVID.

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Why you'd press play

You get the morning-after political mood, COVID hospital-capacity arguments, and electric-vehicle planning in one unusually wide-ranging conversation.

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