The third and final installment of our American Healthcare series examines the evolution of the American hospital system. There are more than 6,000 hospitals in the United States and several distinctions among them. After a quick recap of the first two episodes, we look primarily at the peculiar designation of nonprofit hospitals, their relationship to practitioners and their role in driving costs in the system. We conclude the series with a few hot takes from medical professionals, some basic p...
Sep 11, 2022•1 hr 13 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 continue to discuss the healthcare industry—this time with insight from some of the international Unf*ckers. Plus, 99 has the sniffles and sounds like Squidward. And, as always, (somehow) there’s singing. Enjoy! Listen to Episode 72: This Healthcare is Killing Us: The perpetual cycle of money madness. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:06:35 Twitter Shout Outs: 01:18:01 Instagram Shout Outs: 01:18:01 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:50:47 Reviews: 01...
Sep 10, 2022•1 hr 26 min
We're re-releasing our Labor Union episode in honor of Labor Day. For Unf*ckers outside of the United States, this is the day government set aside as a token of appreciation to the labor movement for eight hour days, weekends, anti-child labor laws, protection from discrimination and more. (In reality, it was a consolation prize after Grover Cleveland jailed Eugene Debs and sent federal troops to beat the shit out of Pullman railcar workers on strike.) We celebrate this glorious day by giving me...
Sep 05, 2022•1 hr 15 min
The first installment of our healthcare series encapsulated the magnitude of the industry that accounts for 20% of our nation’s GDP and how efforts to pursue universal healthcare were scuttled over the years. Today’s episode examines the role of private insurance in our system and details how Obamacare came to life with little discussion around a public option or the possibility of Medicare for All. Chapters Intro: 00:01:58 Chapter One: Understanding the scope of healthcare. 00:03:12 Chapter Two...
Sep 03, 2022•54 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 continue talking about the student debt announcement and its impact, address more feedback from the healthcare episode, plus feedback from the last show notes re: Big Pharma, natural medicine and vaccines. Listen to Topical Cream 6: Biden’s Big Student Debt Announcement. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:09:22 Facebook Shout Outs: 01:37:40 Twitter Shout Outs: 01:45:19 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:50:47 Outro: 01:51:16 Resources UNFTR Merch Store...
Sep 01, 2022•1 hr 52 min
Lily Geismer wrote an incredible book called Left Behind . Unf*ckers who listened to our three part series on the Clinton years are familiar with it and know how important it was to framing this series. We had some follow up thoughts and questions for this esteemed author and are thrilled she obliged. Max and Lily have a wide ranging conversation about her book and the long tail effect of Clinton’s brand of neoliberalism in the second installment of Phone a Friend. Resources UNFTR Episode: The C...
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 2 min
It’s here! It’s finally here! Today we review our predictions for student debt relief and square them with Biden’s proposed plan. There’s a lot to like about the announcement, several unanswered questions and some gaping holes in the plan going forward. Max breaks down the politics, the details and biggest misses of the Biden student debt relief plan and why it’s in danger of being PITOTWIU. Resources The Balance: How Much Trump's Tax Cuts Cost the Government World Population Review: Average Fam...
Aug 28, 2022•22 min
In today’s Show Notes Max and 99 talk for 30 hours…Okay, exaggeration. But they talk for a long while, because there’s a lot of U.S. healthcare feedback to run through, as the Unf*ckers are so smart and dedicated (as usual). All hail Nettie. Listen to U.S. Healthcare. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 UNFTR Healthcare Update: 00:03:13 Emails: 00:08:13 Facebook Shout Outs: 01:57:12 Twitter Shout Outs: 02:02:30 Instagram Shout Outs: 02:05:05 Substack: 02:06:57 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 02:10...
Aug 26, 2022•2 hr 16 min
A note for one of our original Unf*ckers. Sending our love, light, and thank yous to Nettie for being the patron saint of this show, and making us all better. If you're able, please consider donating to Nettie's fund: www.facebook.com/donate/1765854323761747/2174011309435518. Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 26, 2022•17 min
Today we’re doing some level setting on healthcare in the U.S.—a long requested topic. We navigate this unf*cking based on direct queries from the Unf*ckers, creating a baseline that helps establish a foundation for related features down the road and an understanding of the moving parts and shared language for the challenges we face. Stay tuned, as next week we’re going to delve deep into the Affordable Care Act. Chapters Intro: 00:01:28 Chapter One: 00:02:40 Chapter Two: 00:09:31 Chapter Three:...
Aug 20, 2022•1 hr 14 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 shoot the shit and catch up on what the world’s been up to since they took a lil vacation. Listen to Max Unfiltered. Listen to A Chat with Tom McGovern. Listen to UNFTR x Best of the Left. Listen to The Clinton Years (Parts One, Two, and Three). Listen to UNFTR X News Beat. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:18:00 Facebook Shout Outs: 01:25:54 Twitter Shout Outs: 01:28:03 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:35:30 Reviews: 01:46:52 Outro: 01:48:58 Resour...
Aug 18, 2022•1 hr 50 min
Countless Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people go missing or are murdered across Canada and the United States in an ongoing genocide receiving inadequate attention from media, governments, and law enforcement. Who’s taking and killing them, and why isn’t more being done? News Beat podcast— Manny’s other love —speaks with Native women on both sides of the border who break down the causes and perpetrators of these atrocities and seek justice for the many mothers, daughters, sisters, aunt...
Aug 14, 2022•1 hr 8 min
This episode is a re-release of sorts. Due to the amount of positive feedback we received on our Clinton Years series, we decided to put the series together into one seamless episode to make it easier to share. Access the essays for Parts One , Two , and Three . Chapters Special Intro: 00:00:06 Prologue: 00:02:53 Chapter One: 00:07:36 Chapter Two: 00:32:26 Chapter Three: 00:40:31 Chapter Four: 00:52:42 Chapter Five: 01:16:21 Chapter Six: 01:26:39 Chapter Seven: 01:34:38 Chapter Eight: 01:43:36 C...
Aug 10, 2022•2 hr 7 min
If not for Best of the Left, we are not. The person who put UNFTR on the map has graciously allowed us to drop his very special 1,500th anniversary show on our feed. The episode is titled “America, A Beginner’s Guide” and it’s an earful. A masterpiece written, crafted and produced by our friend and mentor Jay Tomlinson, one of the pioneers of political podcasting. Access the transcript here . Resources Episode page The Jingles - Media Manipulation Tactic Explainer Songs Sally McConnell-Ginet: Wo...
Aug 06, 2022•1 hr 35 min
The man behind the curtain. The fifth Beatle. The ace up our sleeve. Max interviews UNFTR’s ultimate secret weapon, Tom McGovern. Tom is the genius behind the show’s myriad theme songs, signature parodies like Oh, Canada and Independent Platform Man and the musical touches sprinkled throughout our episodes. We convinced Tom to come out of the recording booth long enough for us to praise him. Then he saw his shadow and went back into the booth. Max and Tom have a wide ranging discussion about mus...
Aug 04, 2022•1 hr 13 min
We bid Unf*ckers adieu for a couple of weeks with some quick ruminations about from whence we came and where we’re headed. In this brief reflection, Max and crew address the cacophony of issues swirling about in our heads as we head toward the midterms. There are countless battles to be fought and won in service of the planet. But for now, Max puts down the brushes and canvas and saves the hat for another day. Resources The Knowledge Project Ep. #83: Brian Koppelman: What Really Matters Julia Ca...
Jul 30, 2022•8 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 discuss the finale of The Clinton Years and review Unf*cker feedback, share some book love and we hear from Manny Faces about his other project, News Beat. Listen to The Clinton Years (Part One). Listen to The Clinton Years (Part Two). Listen to The Clinton Years (Part Three). Chapters Intro: 00:00:00 Emails: 00:04:13 Facebook Shout Outs: 01:02:48 Manny's Corner: 01:06:24 Twitter Shout Outs: 01:11:49 Substack Shout Outs: 01:16:36 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memb...
Jul 28, 2022•1 hr 30 min
Part One of “The Clinton Years” examined Bill Clinton’s legacy through the lens of their foundation work and stubborn insistence on the private sector’s ability to cure everything from poverty to climate change. Part Two went back to the beginning to uncover the roots of Clinton’s neoliberal philosophy that would guide his decades in public service. In this final episode of the series, the rubber meets the road as we review the policies, laws and moments that have come to define the decade of th...
Jul 23, 2022•1 hr 8 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 discuss listener feedback from Part Two of The Clinton Years, the powerful Jesse Jackson tie-in (including the incredible audio treatment courtesy of Manny Faces) , and Max hinted at how this three-part series was going to culminate. Listen to The Clinton Years (Part One). Listen to The Clinton Years (Part Two). Chapters Intro: 00:00:00 Emails: 00:10:23 Twitter Shout Outs: 01:20:09 IG Shout Outs: 01:24:22 Substack Shout Outs: 01:25:05 Buy Me A Coffee Donations +...
Jul 21, 2022•1 hr 34 min
In Part One of “The Clinton Years” we started our journey in the present day by examining the structure and programs of The Clinton Foundation. Many of Clinton’s earliest ideas in public service remain very much a part of the Clinton ethos and belief system to this day. Early evidence of the reliance on public/private partnerships and adherence to free market ideology can be found in Clinton’s formative years when the Democratic Party was reeling from Ronald Reagan’s takeover of the American pol...
Jul 16, 2022•1 hr 1 min
In today's Show Notes Maxisode, 99 and Max discuss recent political changes across the globe, the state of conservative education outlets and what to expect from the upcoming Clinton episodes. Listen to The Clinton Years (Part One). Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:02:03 Twitter Shout Outs: 00:52:19 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:59:33 Reviews: 01:07:41 Outro: 01:09:10 Resources William MacAskill: Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Help Others, Do Work That Ma...
Jul 14, 2022•1 hr 12 min
When we think of prosperous eras in modern U.S. history, conservatives often point to the Reagan administration as a crucial turning point. To the corporate class, there’s a good deal of truth to this, but mostly to the extent that the seeds of neoliberalism planted in the 70s were watered during this period. The full blossom would come under President William Jefferson Clinton. Today, establishment democrats recall the Clinton years with the same fondness conservatives treat the Reagan era with...
Jul 09, 2022•48 min
In today's Show Notes Maxisode, 99 has terrible audio (sorry!), we finally put the condiment war to rest and enjoy our usually smattering of Unf*cker write-ins on an assortment of topics like health care, the DNC and of course, PragerU. Listen to Fuck U, PragerU. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:12:41 Facebook Shout Outs: 01:13:27 Twitter Shout Outs: 01:17:35 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:28:56 Outro: 01:37:50 Resources Emily Ladau: Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to...
Jul 08, 2022•1 hr 39 min
For years, the propagandists with the greatest visibility in the United States were on television; the ones who contributed most to the “manufacture of consent.” Think Fox News. And we’ve covered many of the dark, hidden figures looming in the background churning out the ideas that make it into the mainstream and out of Tucker Carlson’s mouth. Uncle Milton, James Buchanan, Lewis Powell, The Koch Brothers, Robert Mercer, Peter Thiel and the myriad think tanks like Mercatus, Cato and Heritage. Tod...
Jul 02, 2022•58 min
In today's Show Notes minisode we talk about the backwards SCOTUS decision and how we even got to this point, and chat about the $5 Gasoline episode as well as some older ones (The Assange Problem, Capitasociafascilibdemarxism, etc.). Listen to $5 Gasoline. Listen to Unf*cking Flashback: Peak Oil. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 SCOTUS Chat: 00:03:00 Emails: 00:19:10 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:51:59 Twitter Shout Outs: 00:55:54 Substack Shout Outs: 01:09:27 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:14:0...
Jun 29, 2022•1 hr 45 min
I know, I know. Didn’t we just do this episode? Kinda, sorta. But not to this extent. In our Peak Oil episode we reviewed the history of oil as a commodity, currency and weapon on the world stage. This episode picks up where we left off to drill deeper (pun intended) into the story of crude and how it shows up as $5 gasoline at the pumps. We debunk several myths surrounding high gasoline prices and unequivocally point the finger at who’s to blame. Chapters Intro: 00:00:16 Part 1: 00:01:14 Part 2...
Jun 25, 2022•43 min
Hey Unf*ckers, it’s Max. Just wanted to weigh in very quickly. This is an episode that we’ve dropped already, it’s called Peak Oil. We dropped it a few months back to try and explain why oil prices were so high. It is a very deep dive into the history of oil prices, commodities markets, and all of the factors that go into the price of oil and the exchanges that they’re traded on. So we go through the history of the Mercantile Exchange, adding oil as a commodity on the exchange in the early ’70s,...
Jun 24, 2022•1 hr 35 min
In today's Show Notes minisode we review Phone a Friend feedback, welcoming some Prestige Heads into the Unf*cking family, argue about the new Matilda movie and Max loses the ketchup v mustard debate. Listen to Amazon (Part 2). Listen to Phone a Friend. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:03:37 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:30:13 Twitter Shout Outs: 00:34:39 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:41:51 Reviews: 00:49:08 Outro: 00:50:40 Resources The Guardian: 'It was a great run': rebel grocer Pi...
Jun 22, 2022•54 min
Our inaugural edition of Phone a Friend, where we interview luminaries in different fields, features Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison from the American Prestige podcast. The pair answer some easy questions on lighthearted topics like Israel/Palestine, the war in Ukraine, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and whether the United States even has a foreign policy anymore. Chapters Intro: 00:00:43 Israel/Palestine: 00:07:25 U.S. Relations with China: 00:16:51 R...
Jun 20, 2022•49 min
Here's a sneak peak at the inaugural drop of Phone a Friend, a new Unf*cking series where we interview people smarter than Max. (The possibilities are endless.) This episode features Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison from the incredible foreign policy podcast American Prestige. Resources Daniel Bessner Derek Davison American Prestige Podcast -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. ...
Jun 19, 2022•4 min
