After Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) finished speaking at Wake Forest University last week, Executive Director Sabin Sidney and Editor-in-Chief Anthony Palumbo had an opportunity to sit down with the Senator to discuss his book, “The Vanishing American Adult,” recent political events, and his picks for the College Football Playoff.
In the interview, Sasse talked about the some of the main themes of his book: adolescence, the line between adulthood and childhood, and our plural callings. The Senator said that “adolescence is a means to an end, not a destination,” and can be a productive time where young people transition from childhood to adulthood. He also stressed that “consumption and recreation are a means to get back to productive activity so you can serve your neighbor.”
When discussing the recent Masterpiece Cakeshop case, Sasse said that “compelled corporate action is obviously not what the first amendment intended.” He believes that local, plural communities should live “textured, full lives” and persuade each other in a loving way to change their views, rather than the federal government “compelling particular things about neighborliness.”
Sasse also talked about the positives and negatives of the tax reform bill. He said that the most important thing that the bill does is “remove the perverse incentives for companies to leave the U.S.” However, the Senator also believes that the bill avoids the larger conversations of entitlement programs and overspending that are facing the United States.
You can listen to the full interview on the Truth Without Fear podcast below.