Why America Can't Build Anymore | Philip Howard

This week’s podcast is a conversation with Philip K. Howard, founder of Common Good, to discuss the crippling bureaucratic red tape stifling America’s ability to build and innovate. In this eye-opening episode, Howard delves into his Manhattan Institute paper, Escape from Quicksand: A New Framework for Modernizing America, revealing how a compliance-driven system has paralyzed infrastructure projects—like the $42.5 billion broadband initiative with zero results after four years. From the New Deal’s rapid achievements to today’s endless legal labyrinths, Howard proposes a bold solution: a framework rooted in human responsibility and accountability to restore America’s can-do spirit. Tune in to learn why we’re stuck, how we got here, and what it’ll take to break free.