Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed a series of big tax cuts back in 2012, pledging to put money back in the hands of individuals and grow the economy. It became known as an experiment in “trickle-down,” or supply-side economics. So: What do we talk about when we talk about trickle-down? This week we’re exploring what happened in Kansas and why with The Budget Guy Stan Collender, The Washington Post’s Max Ehrenfreund, listener Mary Lynn Baker and others. Then, author T.R. Reid answers our Make Me Smart question, and the Make Me Smart community has some thoughts on possible nicknames for itself.
Links to a few things we talked about this week: Will Rogers’ definition of “trickle-up” economics in his syndicated column circa 1932, the Laffer Curve and the beauty of the Kansas sky.
Correction (June 20, 2017): A previous version of this story misspelled Max Ehrenfreund’s name. The text has been corrected.
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