About this episode
<p>Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. In this update of an episode from 2025, Stephen Dubner finds one of the few people in Washington who is willing to tell the truth — and it’s even worse than you think.</p> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>SOURCES:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/people/jessica-riedl/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jessica Riedl</a>, budget and tax fellow at the Brookings Institution.</li> </ul></li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>RESOURCES:</strong> <ul> <li>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/us/politics/doge-musk-trump-analysis.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?</a>" by Emily Badger, David Fahrenthold, Alicia Parlapiano, and Margot Sanger-Katz <i>(New York Times,</i> 2025).</li> <li>"<a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/correcting-the-top-10-tax-myths?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=email" rel="noopener noreferrer">Correcting the Top 10 Tax Myths,</a>" by Jessica Riedl <i>(Manhattan Institute,</i> 2024).</li> <li>"<a href="https://media4.manhattan-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/Budget-Chart-Book-2024.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spending, Taxes, and Deficits: A Book of Charts,</a>" by Jessica Riedl <i>(Manhattan Institute,</i> 2024).</li> <li>"<a href="https://reason.com/2024/07/13/the-debt-lies-we-tell-ourselves/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Why Did Americans Stop Caring About the National Debt?</a>" by Jessica Riedl <i>(Reason,</i> 2024).</li> <li>"<a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/a-comprehensive-federal-budget-plan-to-avert-a-debt-crisis-2024" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Comprehensive Federal Budget Plan to Avert a Debt Crisis,</a>" by Jessica Riedl <i>(Manhattan Institute,</i> 2024).</li> <li>"<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2023/10/6/when-does-federal-debt-reach-unsustainable-levels" rel="noopener noreferrer">When Does Federal Debt Reach Unsustainable Levels?</a>" by Jagadeesh Gokhale, Kent Smetters, and Mariko Paulson <i>(The Wharton School of Business,</i> 2023).</li> <li>"<a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/the-limits-of-taxing-the-rich" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Limits of Taxing the Rich,</a>" by Jessica Riedl <i>(Manhattan Institute,</i> 2023).</li> </ul></li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>EXTRAS:</strong> <ul> <li>"<a href="https://freakonomics.com/podcast/farewell-to-a-generational-talent/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Farewell to a Generational Talent,</a>" by <i>Freakonomics Radio </i>(2024).</li> </ul></li> </ul> <p> </p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>