Episode 54

Reparations, Boudin Recall, NYC Casinos, Campus Free Speech

Ravi first reminds listeners to subscribe to two new podcasts – the Desi Crime Podcast, and Stitch This with Cory Bradford – as well as the Lost Debate newsletter. The hosts then begin with Chesa Boudin’s recall in San Francisco and the proposal to bring casinos to NYC before moving to an update on the free speech controversy at Georgetown Law. Ravi, Cory, and Rikki then turn to the complex debate over reparations and touch on the bipartisan gun talks in the Senate before wrapping up with another one of Ravi’s radical ideas.  

SHOW NOTES

Ravi runs down the policies that put San Francisco’s now former district attorney, Chesa Boudin, out of a job. Cory and Rikki follow up with some stats and examples illustrating why voters turned on Boudin and discuss whether more progressive DAs could be next.

Rikki and Cory express their skepticism at the concept of three casinos in NYC as Ravi wonders why the government regulates gambling differently than other vices.

Rikki brings us an update on Ilya Shapiro’s resignation from Georgetown Law and the free speech controversy that’s followed him for the last five months.

The hosts then turn to the incredibly complicated matter of reparations for slavery. Ravi covers the question of blame versus responsibility as the hosts debate what is owed and how – or whether, even – the legacy of America’s foundational sin can ever be redressed.

Ravi critiques the incremental gun reform package that seems to be taking shape in bipartisan Senate talks as Rikki argues a piecemeal approach to progress trumps no progress at all.

And finally, Ravi’s wild idea: non-compete agreements to rein in the many politicians forever aspiring to higher office by forcing them to focus on their current jobs.

Boudin Recall [01:50]

San Francisco recalls liberal DA Chesa Boudin (YouTube, 06/08)
Progressive Prosecutor Movement Tested by Rising Crime and Angry Voters (The Wall Street Journal, 06/05)
The People vs. Chesa Boudin (The Atlantic, 05/20)
San Francisco district attorney could lose his job in blow to national movement (Politico, 06/01)
Why San Francisco’s clash with its district attorney matters (The Economist, 06/05)
Chesa Boudin says recall is ‘scapegoating’ in Chronicle interview (San Francisco Chronicle, 06/02)
Tech’s Looming Radical Chic Throwdown (Puck, 12/14/2021)
Will Chesa Boudin recall’s ‘unprecedented’ effort courting S.F.’s Asian voters pay off? (San Francisco, 05/27)

NYC Casinos [14:37]

If New York City Gets Las Vegas-Style Casinos, What Else Will It Get? (The New York Times, 06/04)
New York City casinos: What to know about the state’s big bet (Gothamist, 05/01)
Casinos and Economic Development: A Look at the Issues (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 01/01/2013)
Why Casino-Driven Development Is a Roll of the Dice (Bloomberg, 03/06/2017)
NY Gaming Revenue Growth And The AGA’s “State Of The States” Report (NY Sportsday, 05/16)
Why a $1.2 Billion Gambling Mecca Has Fallen on Hard Times (The New York Times, 08/16/2019)
Gambling Statistics 2022: How Many People Gamble? (Earthweb, 06/03)

Ilya Shapiro [20:30] 

Why I Quit Georgetown (The Wall Street Journal, 06/06)
Lecturer resigns from Georgetown Law over Ketanji Brown Jackson controversy (YouTube, 06/08)

Reparations [25:00]

Five areas California’s reparations panel says the state should focus upon (The Hill, 06/05)
Slave reparations advocates hail historic California report (AP, 06/01)
Why we need reparations for Black Americans (Brookings, 04/15/2020)
The Case for Reparations (The Atlantic, 06/2014)
Six questions about slavery reparations, answered (CNN, 08/15/2020)
The Impossibility of Reparations (The Atlantic, 06/03/2014)
The Case against Reparations (National Review, 05/24/2014)
Biden privately tells lawmakers not to expect much on reparations legislation (Politico, 06/03/2021)

Gun Reform [35:45]

The House passed wide-ranging gun control legislation, but it is certain to fail in the Senate. (The New York Times, 06/08)
Senator Murphy Joins Jake Tapper on State of the Union to Discuss Ongoing Gun Safety Talks (YouTube, 06/05)
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy says bipartisan gun reform talks don’t involve an assault weapons ban, expanded background checks (Insider, 06/05)
How one lawmaker wants to curb gun sales: a 1,000% tax on semi-automatic weapons (CBS News, 06/06)
Voters Say They Want Gun Control. Their Votes Say Something Different. (The New York Times, 06/03)

Ravi’s Radical Idea [41:48]