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PODCAST

Edifice of Trust

Victor C. Bolles

The Edifice of Trust is a podcast that provides discussion and analysis of today"s current events from the perspective of America"s Founding Principles. Based on Enlightenment philosophy as espoused by John Locke and economic freedom as described by Adam Smith, the host, Victor Bolles, provides listeners a path toward understanding current events from these timeless principles. Many Americans believe that the country is moving in the wrong direction, the podcast tries to point out a new course that

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All Episodes

11:19

Look in the Mirror

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/12/05

Our political leaders try to blame others for all the problems we face. Illegal immigrants, greedy corporations, drug cartels, white men, you name it. They want us to believe that we are victims not responsible for the difficulties that afflict us. But like the Michael Jackson song, Man in the Mirror, if we want to make the world a better place, the first thing we must do is change ourselves. In this commentary we look at why change is up to us.

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09:32

Conflation Nation

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/11/25

President Trump conflates his interests and desires with those of the country and accuses any who opposes him of sedition or treason. He accuses Marjorie Taylor Greene of being a traitor for pushing the release of the Epstein materials even those this was clearly the will of the people. A 35% approval rating means that he does not represent the will of the people but is actually opposing it. In this commentary, we look at how autocratic leaders conflate their will and the peoples' will.

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06:49

Unfinished Revolution

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/10/31

An article in the most recent issue of the Atlantic Magazine casts doubt on the validity of an originalist interpretation of the US Constitution citing the hopelessly archaic and undemocratic beliefs of many of the Founders. But the progressive reforms recommended by the author would only facilitate the concentration of power in the Executive Branch that President Trump is currently attempting. In this commentary we look at how only an originalist interpretation of the constitution can prevent this

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11:18

Affordability Agenda

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/10/27

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is running for mayor of New York City on what he calls an affordability agenda. He apparently does not realize that it is capitalism that makes things affordable. Socialism just makes things scarce. In this commentary we look at why Mr. Mamdani's affordability agenda is doomed to failure (and some other matters).

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07:13

Explain This

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/10/17

The situation in the Middle East is changing quickly. The euphoria of a ceasefire and exchange of hostages has deteriorated into the reality of public executions on the streets of Gaza. But the war against Israel is only one front of the larger war against the West. In this commentary we look at the threats to the peaceful Middle East we hoped would follow this ceasefire.

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10:45

Darkness before Dawn

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/10/03

Remember the old saying, “it is always darkest before the dawn?” This maxim is intended as a message of hope. No matter how bad things are there is always the hope of a better future, and we are currently living in pretty dark times. But this future dawn doesn’t just happen. We have to make it happen. In this commentary we look at some things we can do to help bring on the dawn.

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08:44

Unaffordable Abundance

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/08/27

Realizing that having no message other than resistance to President Trump will not gain them enough seats to wrest either the House or the Senate from the Republicans, Democrats are seeking a new message to attract voters. One idea gaining popularity is the Abundance Movement that is based on the book Abundance written by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. In this commentary we look at the pros and cons of some of the authors ideas.

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09:30

Three Kevins

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/07/14

Rumors are flying around Washington about the imminent (and perhaps untimely) departure of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell along with speculation about possible replacements for this critical role. In this commentary we look at some of the implications of this change in leadership at this institution forced to take on outsized responsibilities for the US (and world) economy.

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10:26

The Difference between Capitalism and Socialism

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/07/02

The difference between capitalism and socialism is easy to explain, capitalism creates wealth and socialism distributes wealth. The important thing to keep in mind is the difference between creators and distributors. In this commentary we will look at some of those differences.

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13:44

You Are Not Entitled to Anything

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/06/11

What kind of Post-Trump world do we want to live in? The MAGA-Republicans and progressive left Democrats are in a bitter fight for the vote of American citizens, one side offering tax cuts galore for wealthy citizens and favored industries (funded by massive and unsustainable increases in the public debt), the other side offering an avalanche of benefits for favored identities and favored industries (funded by massive and unsustainable increases in the public debt). In this commentary, we look at

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14:10

The First Step toward a Post-Trump World

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/05/31

There are many barriers to our goal of rejuvenating America in a post-Trump world. The first step in this rejuvenation effort is getting a government that works so that we have a solid foundation which can support our efforts. The US congress can’t pass a budget, can’t manage our finances and can’t get important policies approved with a bipartisan consensus. In order to get a government that works we must reform Congress. In this commentary we discuss some of the important reforms needed to set

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25:25

Critical Elements for a Post-Trump World

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/05/15

If we believe that the second Trump administration is the culmination of a vicious downward spiral that has afflicted the United States throughout the 21st century and we want to do something to break out of this malaise then we cannot replicate the same old politics of the past. We must do something different to change the slope of this spiral. In this commentary we look at four critical elements to create a virtuous upward spiral for America.

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11:07

Preparing for a Post-Trump World

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/05/01

You may think it is premature to start thinking about what we need to do after Donald Trump leaves the White House. But it is not! In 2028, it is likely that the MAGA Republicans will nominate a Donald Trump clone and the progressive Democrats will nominate someone even further left than Kamala Harris recreating the divisive 2024 election all over again. In this commentary we will discuss why we need a plan to break America out of its populist death spiral.

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04:54

You Have Reason to be Yippy

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/04/11

President Trump claimed that he paused the implementation of his tariff program because of yippy investors. But when market fundamentals have become meaningless and trade relations developed over many decades, are thrown out the window, the movements of markets boils down to one thing, whatever President Trump last said. And even worse, no one has any idea what he will say next. I don’t know about you but that makes me pretty yippy.

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08:02

Unintended (but not Unexpected) Consequences

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/04/02

Commentators are pointing out all the obvious unintended consequences of President Trump’s tariff plan which he plans to announce on April 2nd, Liberation Day. But there may be other consequences in places you haven’t looked. In this commentary we look at the political consequences of a protectionist import substitution regime.

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07:25

Fentanomics

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/03/14

Do punitive tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China have any chance of slowing the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into the US? Nothing else has worked. But President Trump’s plan ignores one major factor. The insatiable desire of Americans for drugs, even at the risk of their own lives. In this commentary we look at the likely outcomes of this strategy and take a peek at the underlying motivations for punitive tariffs.

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07:19

Antifragile Man

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/03/06

Antifragile is a concept created by Nasim Taleb, author of the Black Swan, to describe the ability to gain and prosper amid confusion and disorder. Certain people thrive in this environment and President Trump is a prime example of this ability. In this commentary we discuss how antifragility is this secret sauce that contributes to America’s greatness.

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05:52

Why???

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/03/04

Why in the world would two world leaders invite reporters into a meeting to negotiate a vital agreement to end the war on Ukraine. President Zelensky was about as eager to sign that agreement as a tienda owner on the lower east side agreeing to pay some thug for protection against gangs (of which the thug was a member).In this commentary we look at the underlying causes why this meeting was such a disaster.

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08:06

The New Epithet

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/02/25

After Hoover Institute fellow Niall Ferguson criticized the Trump administration’s tactics in negotiating a peace agreement for the war in Ukraine, Vice President JD Vance called Ferguson’s critique moralistic garbage and accused Mr. Ferguson of being a globalist, apparently the lowest of the low in the MAGA world. In this commentary we try to understand the real reason for Mr. Vance’s heated response.

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07:41

Who Is Ripping Off Whom?

Edifice of Trust ·

2025/02/14

President Trump is constantly threatening to impose tariffs on countries that export more goods and services to the United States than they buy from us creating a trade deficit. He believes that a trade deficit is losing big time. But Mr. Trump’s economic thinking is old fashioned and wrong-headed, like thinking that foreign countries pay for tariffs. In this podcast we look at why trade deficits are a good thing for the United States.

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