Apologies to Shawn's fans. He had technical issues that caused him to drop from the podcast. Sorry you all missed his great comments on the big question.

The Thought Provoker:

Sam is up first this week. Why don't people recognize the booming economy right now?

Next up, Matt.  Two exciting trials are going on right now. One trial features Chad Daybell trying to avoid the death penalty for things he and Lori Vallow are alleged to have done. In the other, The first criminal prosecution of a former US president. Which of the two is more important? Should we pay attention to either of these?

Finally, Shawn. Libertarians and laws: Malum in se is a Latin phrase  (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases) meaning 'wrong' or 'evil in itself'. The phrase is used to refer to conduct assessed as sinful or inherently wrong by nature, independent of regulations governing the conduct. It is distinguished from malum prohibitum (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malum_prohibitum), which refers to acts that are wrong only because they are prohibited by law. An example of malum in se would be murder, rape, or theft. Tax law or Driving without a seatbelt would be Malum prohibitum.

We have lots of scriptures informing us on this topic. How about the "Malum in se" standard for deciding laws and how harsh their punishments should be? Good idea? Bad idea?

The Big Question:
As I've been reading the Book of Mormon recently, I have been reading. I have been looking hard for any mention of abortion, gender dysphoria, or homosexuality. I cannot find anything in the scriptures that suggests that an individual who undergoes a transgender operation is going to be kept out of the Celestial Kingdom. I don't see any evidence that a person who is gay can't go to the Celestial Kingdom. I see a lot of evidence that people who cheat, lie, steal, or who do not use their wealth to take care of the poor will go to hell. Rather than worrying about the social issues the parties use to divide us, can’t we all unite behind stronger punishment of lying, cheating, and stealing (Alma 1:17-18)? Shouldn’t we worry more about promoting peace and helping the poor than we do about these other social issues?