Child care is frequently at the center of family policy debates in Washington, D.C. and in state capitals across the country. As evidenced by the Biden administration's proposal in April 2023, often the core focus is promoting broad access to licensed institutional child care as a tool to maximize parents' participation in the workforce. But the state of Utah's approach has been markedly different – elevating families by incorporating the diverse needs and preference of parents into the conversation. State Rep. Susan Pulsipher joins the show to discuss her legislative work on child care issues, which includes tools to support working parents as well as those who leave the workforce to raise children.The episode will leave you with a unifying goal: to help families move closer to what they identify as the ideal arrangement for their children and achieve the work situation that best supports that ideal. Show notes:Work/Life Balance Preferences: Utah ParentsHB0015 Child Care Amendments (utah.gov)HB0170 Child Tax Credit Revisions (utah.gov)HB0375 Office of Child Care Amendments (utah.gov)Parents want more time with their kids. We should find ways to help them - Sutherland InstituteDefending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Religious faith is often viewed as a source of division, and sometimes there's an expectation that people of faith should keep their religion confined to their private lives. This week's discussion shows that religious differences can actually lead to bridges of cooperation to solve some of our biggest challenges, and that faith has an important role in public life.Special guest Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America and a University of Utah Impact Scholar, joins host Nic Dunn to discuss pluralism, diverse democracy, and how to value the contributions of faith in society even if your own views of theology differ. Following the interview with Eboo, Nic is joined by Sutherland Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow Bill Duncan and Chief Growth Officer Derek Monson. They discuss how to translate the idea of religious pluralism into principles that are changing public policy for the better. This episode is part of Defending Ideas' ongoing feature: Defending Faith. Show notes:Eboo Patel - Interfaith AmericaBeacon Press: We Need to BuildEboo Patel - Deseret NewsBuilding bridges - religions' role in our societies | Eboo Patel | TEDxChicago - YouTubeDefending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Debates about climate change, energy policy and the environment can feel very polarizing. These discussions often pit right and left against one another, while also suggesting fossil fuels and free enterprise are at odds with environmental stewardship. Our guest this episode is Rep. John Curtis, who represents Utah's 3rd Congressional District and has also headed the efforts of the Conservative Climate Caucus. The discussion touches on his message that fossil fuels are actually an important part of the solution to climate change, and that energy can be affordable, reliable and clean if we leverage free enterprise rather than push against it.Show notes:U.S. Representative John Curtis (house.gov)Conservative Climate Caucus | U.S. Representative John Curtis (house.gov)Congressional Series 2023: Rep. John Curtis - YouTubeDefending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Rep. Blake Moore of Utah's 1st Congressional District joins the show to discuss runaway federal spending and how to shift away from America's "debt culture." The congressman talks with Beth Akers, AEI senior fellow and Defending Ideas feature contributor, on our new monthly feature segment: Defending Enterprise. Show notes:Sutherland Institute Congressional Series 2023: Rep. Blake Moore - YouTubeDefending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah's 4th Congressional District joins the show to discuss upward mobility, with a special focus on the importance of options in both K-12 and post-secondary education, the role of the family, and how transportation and infrastructure play an important role. Show notes:Home - Burgess Owens (house.gov)Education and the Workforce (house.gov)Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

A Massachusetts couple's application to become foster parents was denied by the state. The reason? Their Catholic faith. Sutherland Institute Religious Freedom Policy Fellow Bill Duncan returns to the show to walk us through why the state denied an otherwise exemplary foster couple, Mike and Kitty Burke, and why the lawsuit the Burkes filed in response is on solid legal footing. Show notes:States should welcome religiously motivated foster parents (washingtonexaminer.com)Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Imagine you're offered a raise that, if you accepted, would actually make your family worse off.This is the experience of some families in poverty when they hit something called the benefits cliff. This "cliff effect" is triggered when a family's increase in earned income prompts a disproportionately larger decrease in the benefits they receive through federally funded public assistance programs.This week's guest is Kelsey Underwood, vice president of strategy and product for the Georgia Center for Opportunity. She joins the show to discuss how the benefits cliff can disincentivize work, negatively impacting families struggling to escape poverty. She also touches on GCO's efforts in various states to clear obstacles to upward mobility for impoverished Americans. The discussion centers around the dignity of work that fosters upward mobility and identifies resources available to policymakers and business leaders to help address the issue.Show notes:Home - Georgia Center for OpportunityHome - Benefits CliffsDefending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

It's common for voters to complain that Congress doesn't do enough on a number of different issues, citing gridlock and political dysfunction. But what about areas where it would actually be better if Congress did less? On this episode, we discuss why education has become such a polarized issue, and why Congress is ill-suited to make real progress on behalf of students. Sutherland Institute Education Policy Fellow Christine Cooke Fairbanks joins the podcast to argue for returning more of these contentious issues – education in particular – to the states. Show notes:How members of Congress should approach education policy (Utah Policy op-ed)Why Congress can’t deliver on education policy - Sutherland InstituteWhy Utah students would benefit from the ‘success sequence’ (Salt Lake Tribune op-ed)Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

These days it’s popular in some circles to be very critical of capitalism and free enterprise. In fact, some polling data shows a decline in American voters' support for capitalism. But the polarization around America's economic system is actually harming our ability to advance a principled and pragmatic approach to economic opportunity. American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Beth Akers joins the show to rebut the overly simplistic "capitalism vs. socialism" polarized framing you usually hear. In this episode, you'll be equipped with the best approach to acknowledge capitalism's shortcomings, while still being a firm defender of our free enterprise system. Before joining AEI, Dr. Akers worked as a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a visiting research scholar at the Federal Reserve Board, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a staff economist at the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush. Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Utah has enjoyed a longstanding perch atop various state economic and societal rankings, including job growth, happiness, upward mobility, and more. New research shows how that success is tied to the stability of Utah families, and why the decline in some key indicators of family structure should concern you. Sutherland Institute Visiting Scholar Brad Wilcox joins the podcast to discuss his new report: "The Utah Family Miracle: Five Policy Ideas to Keep Utah Families Strong and Stable."The report - issued jointly with Institute for Family Studies and co-authored by Jenet Erickson and Patrick Brown - unveils how marriage and family structure are significant contributors to Utah’s best-in-the-nation status for things like economic opportunity, happiness, and strong civic and social life. The report explores the significance of data showing that marriage and family formation are on the decline. It also offers five concrete policy recommendations to Utah policymakers that will maintain and build upon Utah’s success as a national leader for strong families and a vibrant economy.In addition to his role with Sutherland, Brad is the director of the National Marriage Project, a professor of sociology at University of Virginia, a senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, and a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.Additional show notes:Access the full report here.Read "The ‘Utah family miracle’ and why it matters," originally published in Deseret NewsVisit the Sutherland family policy issues page: Policy | Family - Sutherland Institute Utah survey data on working parent preferences: Parents want more time with their kids. We should find ways to help them - Sutherland InstituteDefending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Some Americans say they don't want to celebrate Independence Day anymore. The reason? They're frustrated with the results of various political disagreements in the country. But what if this refusal to celebrate is actually uncovering a deeper – and more prevalent – misread of the American idea? Sutherland Institute President and CEO Rick Larsen joins the podcast to re-center the public debate about whether America is worth celebrating on this simple truth: today's American experiment is about us.Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

Imagine you’re a small business owner. Should the government be able to coerce you and your business to express an idea you disagree with? The United States Supreme Court, ruling in favor of a small website creation business called 303 Creative, says no ruling in favor of free expression.Sutherland Institute's court expert Bill Duncan, VP of Policy Derek Monson, and guest Marian Edmonds-Allen of New York City-based Parity discuss why the court got it right, and how our society can accommodate both free speech and differing views. Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.

In a win for the constitutional separation of powers, the United States Supreme Court overturned Pres. Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. Sutherland Institute's court expert Bill Duncan and guest Beth Akers of American Enterprise Institute weigh in on what the ruling means for the rule of law and the student loan issue moving forward. Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.