El Podcast

E121: Elon vs. D.C. - Can DOGE Fix America’s $36 Trillion Debt Bomb? w/ Dr. Dirk Mateer

Episode Summary

In this episode, Jesse interviews Dr. Dirk Mateer, a professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin. They discuss the influence of Elon Musk in Austin, the fascination with DOGE and the immense challenge posed by the U.S.'s 36 trillion dollar national debt. Dr. Mateer shares insights on teaching economics, the inefficiencies in the government, and potential solutions to the debt crisis. He also touches on the impacts of AI in education and government efficiency, as well as the broader implications of modern monetary theory and political shifts in America.

Episode Notes

In this episode, Jesse is joined by Dr. Dirk Mateer, award-winning educator and professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin. Together, they dive deep into the growing U.S. national debt, the rise of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and whether Elon Musk can really trim $2 trillion from the federal budget.

Topics covered include:

• The real scale of government waste, fraud, and inefficiency
• Creative destruction and whether government can be “run like a business”
• What students today think about the $36 trillion national debt
• Why Social Security is a demographic time bomb
• Lessons from Japan’s debt and what a U.S. default could look like
• Modern Monetary Theory and why Dirk doesn’t buy it
• The risk of de-dollarization and losing global reserve currency status
• Whether AI could shrink the size of government
• Why U.S. education needs to be reimagined for a post-industrial world

Mateer also shares his favorite films for learning economics and gives a final message on how individuals can prepare for fiscal turbulence ahead.

📚 Books: Principles of Economics by Dirk Mateer (Norton)
📬 Contact: dmateer@utexas.edu | @dirkmateer on X

📺Watch the full episode on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/OoKzo2N2pPo