What do paid protests actually represent in modern society?

In this episode of Meyerside Chats, Evan Meyer sits down with Adam Swart, founder of Crowds on Demand, for a wide-ranging and thoughtful conversation about how public demonstrations are organized, funded, perceived, and often misunderstood.

Rather than debating headlines, this discussion explores the mechanics, tradeoffs, and philosophical questions behind modern protest movements — including authenticity, transparency, media incentives, and how crowds differ from true measures of public opinion.

This episode is about understanding how influence, visibility, and civic participation actually work today.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Introduction
Adam Swart’s background and why modern protests deserve deeper examination

01:45 – How Crowds on Demand Works
From first inquiry to campaign strategy and execution

04:50 – Lessons from Political Campaigning
What Adam learned working in electoral politics and how it applies today

06:30 – Why Context Matters More Than Crowd Size
Media attention, symbolism, and strategic visibility

09:05 – Paid Participation vs. Authentic Engagement
How authenticity is defined, sourced, and maintained

11:45 – Who Gets Left Out of “Grassroots” Activism
Time, money, opportunity cost, and civic access

14:00 – Protest, Pressure, and Power Structures
Unions, staffers, institutions, and informal coercion

16:40 – Criticism, Class, and Bad-Faith Arguments
Who gets paid to speak — and why that matters

18:45 – Transparency in Political Protest
The proposed Transparency & Political Protest Act

22:30 – Manufactured Support vs. Public Awareness
Why protests are not polls — and never were

26:40 – Social Media, Protests, and Misread Signals
Why visibility ≠ public consensus

30:00 – Statistics, Data, and False Inference
Why crowds and metrics are often misunderstood

35:30 – Measuring ROI in Advocacy Campaigns
When outcomes are tangible — and when they aren’t

38:45 – Notable Campaigns & Real-World Impact
From prescription drugs to tech accountability

41:45 – Choosing Clients & Drawing Ethical Lines
Merit, free speech, and where Adam says no

44:30 – Causes Adam Wants to Champion
Social media reform, food systems, and better cities

48:15 – Cities, Governance, and Practical Outcomes
Why results matter more than rhetoric

52:30 – Social Media Incentives & Platform Failure
Crime, virality, spam, and moderation tradeoffs

56:30 – Closing Reflections
Understanding nuance beyond headlines

🎧 Why This Episode Matters

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About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

In this episode of Meyerside Chats, Evan Meyer sits down with Dr. Nelva Lee, healthcare executive, former gubernatorial appointee, and candidate for Georgia Superintendent of Schools, to unpack why the system is failing — and what practical reforms could actually work.

Dr. Lee shares firsthand insight from:

Serving on Georgia’s Department of Community Health board
Running a medical & court interpreting agency
Homeschooling and navigating special education systems
Campaigning statewide for education reform

Topics covered:

Why government moves slowly — and when it can move fast
Trade school certification for every high-school graduate
True school choice & funding that follows students
Why 50% of education funding goes to administration
AI in classrooms: tool vs threat
Language barriers, medical errors, and healthcare outcomes
Why values — not party labels — drive policy decisions

This is a policy-grounded, real-world conversation about education, healthcare, and how leadership decisions actually affect families.

📌 Learn more about Dr. Nelva Lee:
👉 https://drnelvalee.com

🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast platform
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Chapters
Time Chapter
0:00 Introduction: Why Georgia’s Education Rankings Matter
2:10 Why Government Moves So Slowly
5:30 Trade Schools for Every Graduate
8:45 Homeschooling, Special Needs & Montessori
11:40 School Choice & Funding That Follows Students
14:00 Why 50% of Education Spending Is Administrative
16:10 AI in Education: Tool, Not Replacement
19:40 Language Barriers & Medical Errors
23:30 Fixing Prescription & Healthcare System Failures
26:10 Faith, Values & Political Identity
30:40 Black Republicans & Political Stereotypes
34:00 Georgia’s Decline — And What Must Change
36:00 Final Message to Georgia Voters

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

Most Americans feel unrepresented — trapped between “the lesser of two evils,” media narratives, and party gatekeeping.

In this episode of Meyerside Chats, Evan Meyer sits down with Travis Misurell, founder of FiNC (Future Is Now Coalition), to explore a radically different idea: a citizen-owned digital democracy.

We unpack how money, media concentration, and party infrastructure shape elections long before voters ever see a ballot — and how a “People’s Primary” could give independent, third-party, and grassroots candidates a real chance to compete.

This conversation goes beyond Left vs Right and introduces a new lens: People-first vs Power-first politics — and what citizens can do right now to reclaim representation.

Guest: Travis Misurell (Founder, FiNC)
Host: Evan Meyer

🔗 Learn more & get involved: https://futureis.org
🔗 Digital Politics Hub: https://hub.futureis.org

Chapters
00:00 Introduction & Why the System Feels Rigged
01:30 The Concentration of Power, Money, and Media
04:00 Why “Lesser of Two Evils” Keeps Winning
07:00 A Citizen-Owned Alternative to Party Infrastructure
10:30 What It Means for Citizens to “Buy In”
13:00 Independent Journalists & Media Accountability
18:30 Beyond Left vs Right: People vs Power
23:00 How the Digital Politics Hub Works
27:30 The People’s Primary Explained
32:00 Are Third-Party Votes Really “Wasted”?
36:00 What Citizens Can Do Right Now
41:00 Final Thoughts on Rebuilding Democracy

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

In this conversation, Evan Meyer and Alexander Rogan discuss the critical issues surrounding cybersecurity, particularly in government and public systems. Rogan shares his background and the innovative approach of his company, Abatis, which aims to prevent cyber attacks before they occur. They explore the challenges faced by government agencies in securing their systems, the financial implications of cybersecurity failures, and the role of AI in both facilitating and combating cyber threats. The discussion emphasizes the need for accountability in cybersecurity practices and the importance of integrating security into political platforms as technology continues to evolve.


00:00 – Why cybersecurity is really a trust issue
02:10 – Alexander Rogan’s background & Russia experience
04:30 – Notable government cyber breaches (SolarWinds)
06:40 – Why detection-based security fails
10:20 – CrowdStrike, Cloudflare & centralized risk
14:40 – Incentives inside the cybersecurity industry
18:30 – What happens when governments get hacked
22:00 – Nation-state attacks & critical infrastructure
26:00 – How AI accelerates cyber threats
31:00 – Why government systems can’t keep up
36:00 – Legacy systems, DMVs & public services
41:20 – Cybersecurity as a pillar of public trust
47:00 – Why prevention is politically uncomfortable
52:00 – Final reflections on trust & governance

keywords
cybersecurity, trust, government, AI, breaches, infrastructure, risk management, public safety, technology, digital systems

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

What if modern politics is failing for the same reason bad parenting fails?

In this episode of Meyerside Chats, Evan Meyer sits down with political psychologist Lura Forcum, President of the Independence Center, to explore a powerful and uncomfortable truth: you can have control, or you can have a relationship—but not both.

Using insights from psychology, public policy, and real-world governance, this conversation breaks down much of the deeper issues behind our polarization.

You’ll learn:
- Why reactance explains voter backlash and polarization
- How political control mirrors ineffective parenting
- Why trust matters more than power in a healthy democracy
- How identity politics shuts down problem-solving
- Why independent voters and “politically homeless” Americans are ignored
- How unfixed problems become politically valuable

If you’re tired of outrage politics and want a deeper, more psychologically grounded way to understand what’s breaking democracy—and how to fix it—this episode is for you.

🎙 Guest: Lura Forcum
President, Independence Center
Political Psychology • Civic Trust • Independent Voters
🌐 https://www.independencecenter.org

🎧 Meyerside Chats features long-form conversations with thinkers, builders, and leaders working to make politics and institutions function better.

⏱ Timestamps / Chapters

00:00 – Why this conversation matters
01:15 – Four years of Meyerside Chats & polarization
03:10 – Why good intentions create bad policy
05:40 – Reactance: why forcing people backfires
08:10 – COVID, control, and behavioral resistance
11:05 – Politics like parenting explained
14:20 – Control vs relationship in democracy
17:30 – Why trust matters more than authority
20:45 – Identity vs belief in politics
24:00 – Why nuance disappeared
27:15 – The myth of party alignment
30:10 – Urban vs rural political blind spots
33:00 – Tribal instincts and dehumanization
36:15 – When conflict replaces competition
39:10 – Why parties avoid solving problems
41:50 – The politically homeless voter
45:30 – How independents threaten power
48:15 – Local government as the fix
51:00 – What a healthier democracy looks like
54:00 – Final thoughts & where to find Lura

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

Ever wonder who actually shapes our elections — the candidates, the parties, or the consultants behind the scenes?

In this episode of Meyerside Chats, Evan Meyer sits down with Eva Posner, founder of Evinco Strategies, a full-service Democratic consulting firm helping first-time and underrepresented candidates run and win all over the country. From county assessor races to million-dollar campaigns, Eva has seen how the political industrial complex really works — and where it’s quietly warping our democracy.

We dive into negative campaigning, ballot guide language, why California can be “performatively progressive,” and how local politics (the stuff that actually touches your life) gets overshadowed by presidential horse races.

🎧 What we cover:

– How Sandy Hook pushed Eva from journalism into campaigns and political consulting
– Why Sandy Hook pushed her to work on the “fixing” side of politics
– What the political industrial complex looks like from the inside
– Why California can be “performatively progressive”
– Why she only works with Democratic & left-leaning causes — and still battles the cognitive dissonance of performing her work in this industry
–How consultants, vendors, and “percentage deals” shape strategy and messaging
–The surprising power (and manipulation) inside voter information pamphlets
– Why local offices matter more to your daily life than the president ever will
– How negative campaigning works and where she draws ethical lines
– Why local offices matter far more to your daily life than the presidential race
– The surprising ways voters are misinformed (or underinformed)
– How to run for office without losing your integrity
---

📌 Chapters

00:00 – Intro – Who is Eva Posner and why this conversation matters
02:00 – From political journalism to campaigns – Sandy Hook, motherhood, and changing careers
06:25 – Starting Evinco Strategies – Why she went out on her own & what “full-service” really means
08:10 – Living red & blue – Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, California, Virginia and what they actually have in common
12:00 – Shared values vs different approaches – Safety, climate, and why voters who disagree aren’t stupid
13:10 – Defining the Political Industrial Complex – How profit, vendors, and kickbacks steer campaigns
18:50 – Cognitive dissonance & doing this work – “Am I part of the problem?”
21:00 – Writing the voter pamphlet to win – What’s really going into those ballots you get in the mail
25:00 – Where’s the line on negative campaigning? – What’s fair game and what’s off-limits
30:30 – Nonpartisan races, labels, and missing information – Why she thinks every candidate’s party should be on the ballot
35:40 – Propaganda, algorithms & broken civic education – Why we can’t even agree on the color of the sky

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

Guest: Crom Carmichael – investor in 60+ startups, host of From Our Generation, and creator of Giants of Political Thought

In this episode, Evan Meyer and Crom dig into why healthcare in America costs what it does — and what could truly fix it. They unpack how price transparency, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and market-driven competition could bring down costs by up to 70%, and why innovation is inherently destructive to old, inefficient systems.

Along the way, Crom explains the absurd incentives in today’s insurance system (like getting billed $6,600 for a $1,200 colonoscopy), shares a skin cancer story that reveals why doctors are paid per visit rather than per solution, and walks through how WWII-era policies still shape healthcare pricing today.

They also explore:

Why innovation needs intellectual property protection

The economics of creative destruction

What Uber, taxi medallions, and Waymo teach us about breaking regulatory capture

The beauty of nuance in civic debate and political philosophy

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Intro & Crom’s background (60+ startups; political philosophy roots)
02:30 – Nobel Prize & innovation: why IP protection matters
04:50 – The government shutdown analogy & innovation’s “destruction”
13:54 – The $1,200 vs $6,600 colonoscopy and broken incentives
15:35 – HSAs + price transparency could drop outpatient costs 70%
19:00 – WWII wage controls created employer-based insurance
29:50 – Taxi medallions → Uber → Waymo: breaking captured markets
39:00 – Political philosophy: from Plato to today’s “nuance gap”
42:00 – MDsave & paying cash for procedures: mdsave.com

45:00 – Crom’s personal health routine & Soltea

47:30 – Wrap-up: Giants of Political Thought, Rousseau to Locke

🔗 Links Mentioned

🎙️ Meyerside Chats podcast: https://meyersidechats.buzzsprout.com

📚 Giants of Political Thought: https://giantsofpoliticalthought.com

💸 Cash-price care examples: https://www.mdsave.com

🧃 Soltea (green tea supplement): https://soltea.com

🧠 Evan Meyer: https://evanmeyer.io
| LinkedIn

💬 About Crom Carmichael

Crom is an entrepreneur, investor, and lifelong student of political philosophy. Through Giants of Political Thought, he curates the works of history’s most influential thinkers—from Locke and Adam Smith to Marx and Wollstonecraft—making them accessible through audio and streaming.

📬 About Meyerside Chats

Meyerside Chats features civic innovators, leaders, and thinkers exploring how we fix broken systems with transparency, innovation, and empathy.

🔔 Subscribe for conversations that cut through partisanship to find practical, human solutions.

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.