Ranked-choice voting changes incentives. Candidates need second-choice support, so scorched-earth tactics and fringe-only strategies become less effective. … More Ranked-Choice Voting Explained: Why It Can Reduce Extremism
Americans pay far more for the same medicines. The drivers are patents, opaque rebates, and fragmented purchasing power. Here are reforms that lower prices without killing innovation. … More Why Prescription Drugs Cost More in the U.S. (and What Actually Lowers Prices)
Independent commissions can reduce partisan gerrymandering, increase competition, and keep communities intact. They do not erase geography or polarization. … More Independent Redistricting Commissions: What They Change (and What They Don’t)
Childcare is a classic market failure: families can’t afford it, providers can’t sustainably supply it, and workers are underpaid. Evidence, tradeoffs, and reforms. … More Childcare Is Expensive for Parents – and Still Pays Poverty Wages. Here’s Why.
Headline job growth can look strong while job quality deteriorates. Here’s what the top-line jobs report misses, and what to watch instead. … More Jobs Added vs. Jobs People Want: Why the Numbers Don’t Match Reality
Student debt became a national balance-sheet problem. Here’s how we got here, who is hurting most, and what reforms actually fix the system. … More Student Debt Explained: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions
Inflation falling does not mean prices fall. Here’s why groceries still feel expensive, how wages compare, and what real relief would look like. … More Why Grocery Prices Still Feel High Even as Inflation Cools
The housing crisis in the U.S. stems from persistent supply constraints rather than just demand issues. Zoning laws and lengthy approval processes restrict construction, driving prices beyond typical incomes. The result is widespread affordability problems affecting both renters and buyers. Solutions require legalizing diverse housing types and streamlining approval processes. … More Housing Crisis: Supply, Demand, and Zoning Reform
The 2018 tariffs imposed by the Trump administration aimed to protect American manufacturing but resulted in increased costs throughout supply chains, affecting many businesses and consumers. While some industries may benefit, the negative impact on broader economic dynamics often outweighs the intended advantages. … More Impact of Tariffs on Supply Chains and Consumers
The Rational Moderate relies on transparent, verifiable data to ground every piece of analysis. This page brings together the government datasets, statistical portals, and long‑running research series we use most often in our work. These sources provide consistent historical baselines, nonpartisan measurement, and the kind of structural indicators that help explain how institutions, markets, and communities are actually performing. Whether you’re exploring economic trends, demographic shifts, public finance, or civic health, these resources offer the primary data needed to move beyond headlines and into the underlying realities shaping the country. … More Research Resources
The Rational Moderate 