PODCAST

I Believe

Joel K. Douglas

Philosophy from the American Experiment joelkdouglas.substack.com

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

15:14

How do we bring manufacturing back to America?

I Believe ·

2025/02/25

A quick note before we dive in. This week, “I Believe” officially hit the numbers to rank as a Top 10% global podcast for all of 2025. Of course, it’s still February, and we have plenty of room to grow. I just want to take a moment to say thanks for listening!…How do we bring manufacturing back to America?🎙️ Tariffs Built American IndustryIn the early 1800s, the United States was still an economic underdog. We had won our independence from Britain, but economically we were far from

14:12

Should America give our surplus grain away every year?

I Believe ·

2025/02/18

Should America Give Our Surplus Grain Away Every Year?This week, the nation’s Food for Peace Program—and all other United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programs—found themselves on the chopping block.Before we go any further, let’s get on the same page.American agriculture is national security.Second, let’s share some quick history.On July 10, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act, allowing the president to ship

16:26

Why Is Remembering American History So Hard?

I Believe ·

2025/02/11

Why is remembering American history so hard? It’s a question that needs an answer because Black history is American history, and federal agencies decided to ban Black History Month. Black history isn’t just Black history. It’s a record of our constant battle between order and justice. To erase it is to erase the struggle that defines our national identity. It may be easier to maintain a neat, sanitized version of our history than to confront the struggle and resistance justice demands, but that ease

10:51

Who is the Champion of 'We, the People?'

I Believe ·

2025/02/04

Before we discuss progressives today and ask, “Who is the Champion of ‘We, the People?’”, we need some context. We gauge progress by whether our decisive efforts move America closer to achieving its six national goals.Both conservative and progressive principles are essential for effective governance. Without both sets of principles, we cannot achieve America’s goals.But progressivism’s focus drifted. To meet our goals, we must restore it as a center of gravity—focused on the people, not just the

11:12

Instead of Waiting for Washington to Work for Us...

I Believe ·

2025/01/28

I love hearing from listeners and readers. While I don’t always respond with a dedicated piece, I genuinely appreciate the feedback and seriously consider the questions.This week, John left a comment at Substack on Reward Work, Build Opportunity:"Perhaps, instead of waiting for Washington D.C. to work for us, those with skills needed to stimulate the economy and create new jobs could work together."I love the comment. It challenges the premise that “We, the People,” have a collective mandate to

12:37

What Would Repealing Birthright Citizenship Mean?

I Believe ·

2025/01/25

We often hear that land doesn’t vote; people do. How about a different perspective? Land doesn’t have rights, but land endows rights.What would repealing Birthright Citizenship mean?We often hear that “land doesn’t vote; people do.” This phrase highlights the humanity of our democratic republic. The adage emphasizes rights of the individual and the collective power of the electorate to shape governance and policy. But, the viewpoint oversimplifies the intertwined relationship between people and the

17:17

Reward Work, Build Opportunity

I Believe ·

2025/01/21

Last week, David Leonhardt, writing for the New York Times, questioned whether any of President Biden’s legacy would endure. Most Americans view his term unfavorably. Parties with one-term presidents often see those presidencies as failures and shift their focus to the future. However, Leonhardt highlighted one aspect of Biden’s agenda that may leave a lasting mark. This is the idea that “the federal government should take a more active role in both assisting and regulating the private sector than

14:32

Should China have Access to Rare Earth Elements in...

I Believe ·

2025/01/14

Should America take economic control of Greenland? Both the Prime Minister of Denmark—who oversees Greenland’s foreign affairs—and the Prime Minister of Greenland have repeatedly said that the territory is not for sale and have rejected the idea of annexation.But American interest in Greenland has already had its intended effect. Forbes reported that Denmark is “open to a dialogue with the Americans on how we can cooperate, possibly even more closely than we already do, to ensure that American

24:47

Why do we need more H-1B Visas?

I Believe ·

2025/01/07

H-1B visas have been an item of hot discussion lately. On New Year’s Day, Newsweek detailed, “At the end of December a bitter row broke out within Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement over H-1B visas, pitting business figures such as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy who believe they boost the U.S. economy against more nativist elements who think they harm American workers. And, speaking to The New York Post on December 28 Trump defended H-1B visas.”This recent debate reveals a deeper

21:06

To Love Your Country, Love Your Countrymen

I Believe ·

2024/12/24

I Am and the Burning BushThis is not a religious piece. But stick with me for a minute.I grew up attending small country churches. As a young boy, I asked my mother, “Who made God?” She had the answers. No one made God. God has always been and always will be—the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Of course, this answer was not satisfactory to me. As a boy and now, my limited human capacity to understand infinity, quantum physics, and whether all time and space can exist simultaneously

17:52

DOGE Alert! Let’s raise wages to fully fund social...

I Believe ·

2024/12/17

Can we raise wages to fully fund Social Security?Social Security is societal insurance, not an individual retirement plan. Its purpose is to protect society by ensuring a basic level of income security, particularly for the elderly, disabled, and survivors of deceased workers. It is a safety net to prevent poverty and economic distress in vulnerable populations. This fosters societal stability. Unlike a private retirement plan, Social Security pools contributions from the workforce to provide

13:00

Do women belong on ground combat teams?

I Believe ·

2024/12/10

Last week, I analyzed Air Force Captain Lacie Hester’s Silver Star to highlight a contradiction. We can’t claim to value the military’s ability to achieve decisive effects while categorically excluding women from combat roles. I concluded that if we intend to value results over diversity, we should be ready to welcome any capable individual—male or female—who can help achieve efficient violence in support of national objectives.This week, I’m pushing that logic a step further. If women belong in

17:57

Unenforceable Ideals

I Believe ·

2024/12/03

This Week’s Theme: Unenforceable IdealsThis week, we explore three unenforceable ideals—situations where two conflicting truths can’t coexist.First, we draw parallels between Prohibition and illegal immigration, highlighting the government’s struggle to control the demand for goods and services.Second, we examine the logical inconsistency of supporting stricter climate change regulations while opposing overturning Chevron deference.Last, we address the contradiction of prioritizing military

22:26

Should we deport illegal immigrants?

I Believe ·

2024/11/26

Should we deport illegal immigrants en masse? What options do we have?SituationOn November 21, 2024, Dara Lind, a Senior Fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote a fantastic piece published in the New York Times titled, What ‘Mass Deportation’ Actually Means. Ms. Lind superbly outlines the legal and logistical challenges of such a venture. She states: “Deporting one million people a year would cost an annual average of $88 billion, and a one-time effort to deport the full unauthorized

14:18

Presidential Review of Admirals and General Officers

I Believe ·

2024/11/19

If we are going to have meaningful discussions, we need to realize that there are legitimate points on both sides of issues.I advocate for dissenting points of view in operational and leadership matters. Dissent drives innovation. Even when we disagree with a position, failing to present it drives groupthink. Groupthink stifles growth.Discussions about military governance and leadership have to balance civilian oversight with the military’s singular purpose: to protect the nation by achieving

6:22

If we were angels, we would need no government

I Believe ·

2024/11/12

I believe in America—Conceived in liberty, Born at war, Founded on the promise that we are all created equal. Endowed by our Creator with the gifts of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. We pledged to each other Our lives, Our fortunes, Our honor. From the beginning, the Almighty declared, “In the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread.” By the work of our hands, we shape the means To warm our homes, To fill our tables, To keep the promise of plenty. And though— If we were angels, We’d

10:23

Did the American Founding Fathers support the...

I Believe ·

2024/11/05

Did the American Founding Fathers support the Electoral College?Days at elk camp are long. We rise in the wee hours of the morning and hike with headlamps through the mountains in the dark to be where we think elk will be at first light. At the end of the day, we wait where we think the elk will be at last light and hike out with headlamps. We meet at camp at night to share our experiences, food, and drink. Success in the field probably means your group is the last to return to camp, but no one

11:48

What does it mean to vote?

I Believe ·

2024/10/29

What does it mean to vote?You voted for me to go to war in IraqA little more than ten years ago, I had a conversation with a woman who strongly opposed the war in Iraq. By then, the war was hugely unpopular. Iraq wasn’t a threat to American sovereignty. They didn’t have weapons of mass destruction ready to rain down on our allies. They maybe didn’t need a new form of government and certainly didn’t want America to help them get there.Since I had carried a rifle in Iraq, I thought she could cut her

21:08

What can we do to make life better for Americans?

I Believe ·

2024/10/08

Here we are, celebrating our second anniversary. One hundred and four weeks in a row. Hooray for us!I believe in the institution of the American democratic republic and its foundational ideals of individual liberty and personal responsibility. I aim to strengthen the American philosophy that the Almighty grants us all freedom of choice. Freedom of choice is the opportunity to struggle and overcome. President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft said, “We must dare to be great, and we must realize

12:44

Why do we treat small businesses like corporations?

I Believe ·

2024/10/01

A one-size-fits-all approach to both small businesses and large corporations isn’t appropriate.We need to legislate livable wage requirements for large corporations and give small businesses that pay livable wages tax incentives.The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its ProfitsIn September 1970, the New York Times published an article by Nobel laureate economist Milton Friedman titled The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits. Friedman wrote the article

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