{"podcast":{"title":"Optimist Economy","slug":"optimist-economy-7257068","podcast_index_feed_id":7257068,"rss_url":"https://publicfeeds.net/f/14811/feed-rss.xml","website_url":"https://optimisteconomy.com/","image_url":"https://f.prxu.org/14811/images/160bea8c-1709-420c-9302-11462f46d1b6/20250316_120343_934a657c8303c901ea17b8b7452ae07d.png","author":"Kathryn Anne Edwards and Robin Rauzi","episode_count":62,"summary":"Optimist Economy is the anti-doomscroll economics podcast. Work rules, tax fairness, healthcare, housing costs, retirement security — the economic forces shaping American life have real problems. But also real solutions. Each week, economist Kathryn Anne Edwards and editor Robin Rauzi break down one problem and solution with data, history, humor, and a belief that tools to build a better economy exist. We just haven't tried them. New episodes on Tuesdays. ✨ Support the podcast at: optimisteconomy.com ✨ Ask questions or share your economic worries with us at: optimist.economy@gmail.com","last_synced_at":"2026-07-07T18:17:17.071935+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/optimist-economy-7257068"},"episode":{"title":"Boomers Didn’t Ruin Everything. Really.","slug":"boomers-didn-t-ruin-everything-really","published_at":"2026-03-10T08:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/optimist-economy-7257068/boomers-didn-t-ruin-everything-really","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/optimist-economy-7257068","url":"https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_14811_c49c5bb1-2d0c-4389-b3b8-c8300b1fe7f8&uf=https%3A%2F%2Fpublicfeeds.net%2Ff%2F14811%2Ffeed-rss.xml","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/sblTq32fyWAjsHzze2LG/dovetail.prxu.org/14811/c49c5bb1-2d0c-4389-b3b8-c8300b1fe7f8/260310_OE_207_Boomers_Final_Chapters.mp3","summary":"The popular narrative is that baby boomers rode cheap houses and 401(k)s to wealth, dismantled the welfare state behind them, and left everyone else to fight over scraps. But conflating boomers and conservatives lets the latter off the hook for 25 years of tax cuts and disinvestment in children. It erases the Black boomers, poor boomers, and pensionless workers who never got a slice of that wealth. And it lays the groundwork for the one policy outcome its loudest advocates actually want: gutting Social Security. Who really benefits when you decide your parents' generation is the enemy? Support Optimist Economy by donating: https://optimisteconomy.com Video clips are on the Optimist Economy YouTube channel⁠⁠ . Follow us on Instagram at ⁠⁠ @optimist_economy or TikTok at ⁠⁠ @optimist_economy . Or meet other Optimists on our Substack chat . Optimist merch provides great utility: https://merch.ambientinks.com/collections/optimisteconomy Send your economic questions, concerns, or executive orders to optimist.economy@gmail.com","meta_description":"The popular narrative is that baby boomers rode cheap houses and 401(k)s to wealth, dismantled the welfare state behind them, and left everyone else to fi…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2978,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/optimist-economy-7257068/episodes/boomers-didn-t-ruin-everything-really/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/optimist-economy-7257068/boomers-didn-t-ruin-everything-really.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}