Why Does Congress Suck?

In which John Green seeks to explain why the United States congress has become so astonishingly inefficient that it can’t even reach a compromise to avert disaster, and why—thanks to clever redistricting—most congresspeople are now incentivized not to work seriously on policy. Along the way there’s a bit of historical context, a lot of frustration, some screaming, and a celebration of the beginning of the 7th year of the vlogbrothers channel.

Thanks for sticking with us, nerdfighters. (And thanks for reading the entire dooblydoo!)

The 51st State

In which Hank discusses some of the many historic events of November 6th 2012.

Policy and Politics: Brotherhood 2.0 Week Begins

In which John discusses the tax proposals of the two major candidates for President while arguing against the hysterical rhetoric that marks contemporary political discourse. This is the first of six consecutive daily videos Hank and I will be making to fulfill the first of our two outstanding punishments. Also discussed: the difference between ordinary income and capital gains, and the theory behind taxing capital gains at a lower rate than ordinary income (which both candidates favor, just to different degrees).

Understanding the National Debt and Budget Deficit

In which John discusses the US national debt, the federal budget deficit, plans for shrinking or eliminating the deficit, and tries to provide some context to the political rhetoric and statistics that are constantly thrown around in an election season. Along the way, I hope you’ll understand why the United States’ sovereign debt hasn’t led us to an economic crisis, but also why budget deficits need to shrink in order to ensure that credit remains inexpensive and the US continues to enjoy the trust of the world economy. (Friendly reminder: Educational videos, by extensive precedent, are allowed to be longer than 4:00.)

Here’s why I think the gold standard is a bad idea: 1. By restricting money supply to the supply of gold, you risk shrinking the money supply just because of a shock leading to a disruption in supply from mining. This creates a lot of volatility in the money supply for no reason. 2. The gold standard limits a government’s ability to respond to changes in the market, which can (and has) led to unescapable deflationary spirals. 3. Far from inspiring investor confidence, its implementation would crush it:http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/gold-369936-standard-money.html