Friedberg argues IgG/IgM tests should have been prioritized because they work like pregnancy kits, unlike expensive PCR tests.
“You should still have the PCR tests, but they're expensive and they take a long time to run and they require chemical labs and all this stuff.”
Friedberg argues remdesivir should be widely available without compassionate use filing since there's no mortality from taking it.
“Remdesivir should be broadly and widely available right now. People shouldn't have to file for compassionate use to get it.”
Friedberg says the US missed the boat on IgG and IgM antibody tests to know who has been infected.
“But what we really have missed the boat on, and we're still missing the boat on, is knowing who's been infected and to what extent this thing has actually spread already.”
Friedberg advocates ending qualified immunity, demilitarizing police, and retraining them for mental health and empathy rather than trigger-readiness.
“I I'm a huge fan of ending qualified immunity. I think that doesn't make any sense. I think we have to stop arming our police like their military. Don't train them like the military.”
Friedberg argues happiness comes from relative standards and progression, not absolute living standards.
“Well, I don't think happiness comes from, you know, absolute standards of living. I think happiness arises from one's relative standard of living, whether that's relative to how you lived last year or how you're living relative to your neighbor and seeing some progression over time is the only thing that keeps people happy. It's otherwise society decays.”
Friedberg argues private enterprises can allocate capital faster and smarter than government funding sources.
“I think it's about, you know, we we can aggregate more money through a central source, some federal grants or or what have you.”
Friedberg notes Chevron doctrine overturn removes agencies' authority to impose regulatory rules without congressional mandate.
“And the Chevron doctrine basically allowed agencies vested agencies authority to make regulatory, rules that can then be imposed legally, statutorily.”
Friedberg proposes two separate programs for highly skilled workers, citing Operation Paperclip which recruited 1,600 German scientists between 1945-1959.
“Well, I think there should be two separate programs for what we could call highly skilled workers.”
Friedberg states Fannie and Freddie have issued or supported about $8 trillion in home loans combined.
“So Fannie and Freddie combined have issued or supported about $8,000,000,000,000 of home loans. The initial view on that would be, okay. Great.”
Friedberg states LA City Council limited rent increases to 90% of CPI annually with 12 to 2 vote.
“And what they voted is that the landlord cannot increase the rent on an annual basis by more than 90% of CPI.”
Friedberg cites Norway's 2022 wealth tax causing $54 billion capital flight and $448 million revenue loss versus $146 million target.
“The wealth tax was supposed to raise a $146,000,000 of incremental revenue per year. Instead, what happened? $54,000,000,000 of net worth left the country, and they actually had a $448,000,000 tax loss.”
Friedberg says removing longtime taxpaying immigrants without a path to citizenship risks civil war.
“I don't know how you're gonna do it. I don't know how you're gonna do it without inciting a civil war.”
Friedberg states Social Security trust fund holds only a $4 trillion IOU from the US government, not actual assets.
“People don't realize this, but Social Security is an independent trust fund that's set up, and it holds one asset. That asset is an IOU from the US government to that From tax.”
Friedberg says US government is using International Development Finance Corporation to directly insure maritime shipping routes through conflict zones.
“And so they're they're leveraging the credit capacity of this old USAID agency to go out and say to all the shipping companies, hey. We'll give you insurance on your routes.”
Friedberg notes California ballot measure for 5% wealth tax on billionaires with legislative power to lower threshold.
“Well, it's it's on the ballot now in California to pass a wealth tax, and it starts as a one time 5% tax for billionaires, but it gives the legislature in California the ability to lower the threshold”
Friedberg asks how to fix agriculture so farmers can earn a living without government checks.
“Do think we have a path to fixing agriculture in this country? And how do we get farmers back on track where they can earn a living without requiring checks from the government?”
Friedberg states tort litigation costs the US economy $900 billion annually, 3% of GDP, growing 10% yearly.
“900,000,000,000 a year. That's how much is spent on the litigation costs, the settlements, the judgments. It's 3% of GDP, and it's growing roughly 10% per year.”
Friedberg estimates nearly half the US population receives government paychecks, pensions, or welfare benefits.
“Today, if you add up federal, state, local government employees, plus all the contractors for the government, plus all the people that live off of a retirement check or or a welfare support check, so all the people that are living off government checks, it's about nearly half The US population.”
Friedberg states that 80 billion of California's 100 billion in new tax revenue went to public pensions, not schools.
“Not a big chunk, but I've done my part. And 80,000,000,000 of that went to increase and it was supposed to go to increasing schools and, like, health care services.”
Friedberg argues California's AI legislation made no sense and couldn't map to current technology, justifying industry self-regulation.
“As we saw in California, when California tried to pass AI legislation, I think it was about a year, a year and a half ago, none of what they wrote even made sense at the time, But fast forward a year, none of those kind of rules and requirements actually map to the technology of the day.”
Friedberg predicts government-subsidized grocery stores will succeed and inspire similar programs elsewhere.
“ that the government-subsidized grocery stores, one of Mamdani's core campaign promises, will likely come to fruition and spur similar efforts elsewhere when people see the stores in action. ”
Friedberg predicts NYC's public grocery stores will be so successful that other cities will demand similar programs within 24 months.
“They're going to be so in demand that what will end up happening is that over the next 24 months, every other city in America will look to these grocery stores and say, 'We want the same. Why does only New York get these grocery stores?'”
Friedberg warns that certain initiatives will create a radical spectacle because no one has to pay the bill immediately.
“I think these things are going to create a radical spectacle… because at the end of the day, no one has to pay the bill, because the bill doesn't come due for some time.”
Friedberg advocates for a foreign policy avoiding tariff wars while domestically protecting science agency funding, passing immigration reform, expanding vocational training, and restructuring taxes to favor wealth creation.
“ rather than fight Trump-style tariff wars, paired with a domestic agenda that defends NIH, NSF, and DARPA funding, passes the bipartisan Dignity Act on immigration, rebuilds vocational education, and rewrites a tax code that rewards wealth preservation over wealth creation. His most memorable line is reserved for the left: ”
Friedberg says housing, education, and healthcare inflated at 5-6% versus 2.5% average where government launched subsidy programs.
“And all three of these categories are categories where the federal government has launched programs to either subsidize or make available these categories of services to people through promises.”
Friedberg argues government spending of $300B housing, $200B education, $2T healthcare makes things more expensive, questioning government role.
“And the more that the government provides, 300,000,000,000 a year in housing support, 200,000,000,000 a year in education, over a trillion dollars, $2,000,000,000,000 almost in health care, the more things get more expensive.”