Upward Social Mobility is a podcast mini series on navigating American life during COVID and a contentious political climate.

It is November of the year 2020 in the United States. Many Americans are trying to find or define life again. They are struggling with their value systems, and how that orients them in relation to living in this country. Should they aim to be rich? Should they aim to be happy? Should they go woke or broke? Or is America just a pit stop?

The term ’social mobility’ describes how we move through different stages of our lives. In this mini series, we focus on three forms of mobility -- physical, income, and transportation. These three forms of mobility are the pillars to upward social mobility in the United States.

Guests featured in this mini series:

• Part 1 | Sam Blake Reporter, dot.la Web | Twitter | LinkedIn
• Part 2 | Mariya Frost Director of the Coles Center for Transportation, Washington Policy Center Web | Twitter | Facebook
• Part 3 | Chris Cargill Eastern Washington Office Director, Washington Policy Center Web | LinkedIn
• Part 4 | Scott Hadzik Department Chair, Professor, Weber State University Department of Automotive Technology Web | LinkedIn

Transcription

A bold, inspirational and first of its kind campaign to highlight free markets has hit Washington state billboards, computers, and smartphones, but it might not contain the message you'd expect. Before getting into the logic behind Washington Policy Centers' seemingly counter intuitive Free Markets Destroy advertising campaign, here's some background.

A 2019 Gallup poll showed Americans don't believe in socialism during the past few years. However, young adults overall impression of capitalism and free markets has declined steadily. Most fair-minded Washingtonians have been shocked by the recent events in Seattle's failed city leadership. Any political movement concentrated on turning Seattle into an American socialist experiment are ripping the city apart.

In Portland, a similar situation is playing out. Protesters view capitalism as the enemy, and they are intent on ruining the city's bottom line.

We have a real problem in this country. Young generations are warming to the idea of socialism and are skeptical about our free market system. They lay all of the challenges we have as a society at the feet of capitalism. What they want is change and reform. They want to destroy what's broken and replace it with something better. We are in a fight of our lives advocating for free enterprise. It's the future of the country.

What young people have never heard until now is that it's markets that actually bring about change through a process known as creat...