Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Show overview
Why We Can't Have Nice Things launched in 2023 and has put out 14 episodes in the time since. That works out to roughly 6 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a monthly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 24 min and 32 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language News show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 1.6 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. Published by Why We Can't Have Nice Things.
From the publisher
A Reason magazine podcast series about the frustrating and foolish policies that drive up prices and limit the availability of vital goods and services. From the regulations that caused a baby formula shortage to the laws that make prescription drugs more expensive, host Eric Boehm explains how these counterproductive policies get made—and why they can be so difficult to undo.
Latest Episodes
S2 Ep 6Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The War on Drugs
How the FDA and DEA overrule the interests of doctors and patients.
S2 Ep 5Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Dial 'T' for Terrible Telehealth Laws
How restrictions on telemedicine are forcing doctors to choose between following the law and obeying their ethical obligations.
S2 Ep 4Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The Case of the 17,000 Missing Kidneys
Also: Could legalizing the sale of kidneys and other organs save lives?
S2 Ep 3Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Permission Slips for Innovation
Part Two: How Certificate of Need laws limit access to health care, and why those rules can be so difficult to dislodge.
S2 Ep 2Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Who Decides What Health Care Is 'Needed'?
Too often, it's government bureaucrats acting under the influence of special interests and against the wishes of doctors and patients, with sometimes tragic results.
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Can Mark Cuban Make Prescriptions Affordable Again?
Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs project brings a bit of free market flair to the health care industry, but the lack of meaningful price signals is only part of the problem.
S2 Ep 1Trailer: Why We Can't Have Nice Things Season 2
A new season brings six new stories about how the government is making Americans poorer and sicker.
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Can You Afford Tariffs on Tin Cans?
"There's nobody that says, wait, is this good for America? Is this good for the American consumer?"
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The 'Chicken Tax' That Makes Pickup Trucks More Expensive
"It's not easy to make one of these rules, but it's a thousand times harder to get rid of one."
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Bootleggers, Baptists, and Ballots
"You need an argument for why this is good for society. That's important, but you also need money."
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Jones Act Traffic Jam
"It's just a very classic case of everything wrong with Washington."
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The Ghosts of Protectionism Past
The U.S. tariff code is "quite regressive and somewhat misogynist" because the most powerful lobbyist in Washington is muscle memory.
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The Great Baby Formula Shortage of 2022
A combination of "absurdly high" federal tariffs and excessive FDA regulations created the conditions for a crisis.
Trailer: Why We Can't Have Nice Things Season 1
A six-part podcast series on trade policy launching next week