Joe Rogan has a two-word solution to what he believes will fix all of America's problems: 'fewer losers.' 

On a June 24 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, he was talking to US Senator Bernie Sanders about how education, economic inequality and decades of systemic failure have stacked the deck against millions of people.

'If you wanna make America great again, less [sic] losers,' Rogan said. 'How do you make less losers? Don't stack the deck against them.' 

He argued that empowering people through education is key to building a stronger and smarter nation. 

'We believe that there should be free public education,' Rogan added. 'And most people believe that the university system should also be funded. And it would benefit everyone. You'd have better GDP, you'd have more, more successful people.'

Rogan also pointed to how many communities, especially in urban areas, have seen little change for generations, tracing current inequality back to historical injustices.

'These cities have been the exact same way for decade after decade,' he said, citing 'Jim Crow and the red line laws.'

Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation in the South until the mid-20th century, while redlining was a discriminatory practice that marked mostly Black and minority neighborhoods as high-risk, denying residents access to loans, homeownership, and investment. 

'Why is nothing being done to fix that or to correct that problem? It becomes this political beach ball that they just bounce around the air at a concert,' Rogan said.

Sanders agreed with Rogan's comments, saying: 'The first point you made, you wanna make America great, right? Have the best-educated workforce in the world. How's that? Yes. Radical idea. I don't think so.'

The senator also pointed out that higher education is linked to longer life expectancy.

His statement reflected findings from multiple studies showing that people who finish high school reduce their risk of dying early by 25 percent, while college graduates cut that risk by 34 percent.

The US continues to lag behind other developed nations in educational performance, particularly in math and science. 

This growing gap has serious consequences for the economy and the future of American workers.

According to a 2021 Education Week article, America now has 'the worst-educated workforce in the industrialized world.' 

Because US workers are among the highest paid globally, the report warns, this education shortfall leaves them uncompetitive, both in the global job market and against rapidly advancing machines. 'It is a formula for a grim future,' the article states.

Sanders said that if America wants to have the best future possible, it needs to have the best childcare system in the world. 

'What are the most important years of human development? Zero to four, how is our childcare system doing? It's a disaster,' he said.

The Senator added that childcare workers are only making $15 an hour, and most families cannot afford childcare, noting Vermont starts around $20,000 a year.

Shifting to education, Sanders said many young people want to pursue college or trade school, but the system makes it increasingly difficult.

'We desperately need... here's something that really drives me a little bit nuts in America today, Joe,' Sanders said, segueing into what he called a broken healthcare system 'based on greed, not on need.'

'All over the country, people have to wait sometimes months to get to a doctor's office,' he said. 'We have a massive nursing shortage. We need more dentists. Big problem in dentistry. We need more mental health counselors. We need more pharmacists.'

Sanders emphasized the urgent need for medical professionals and the crushing student debt burden that prevents many from entering the field. 

He estimated that medical school graduates often leave with between $250,000 and $500,000 in debt, with nurses owing $100,000 to $150,000.

'You wanna go to medical school… If you don't have any money, you know how much you're gonna graduate in debt? Probably a quarter million dollars. Easy double debt. Really,' Sanders said. 

'It is not unusual for people from working-class homes to come out of medical school $500,000 in debt. It's insane. We need more doctors.'

Rogan then asked Sanders what he would have done differently if he had become president.

'Imagine if you hadn't gotten derailed and they hadn't conspired against you, and you actually became the Democratic candidate for president and you won. What would you have done differently?' Rogan asked.

Sanders joked about needing hours to answer, but pointed to campaign finance reform as a top priority, saying he would push for publicly funded elections.

'Well, it's not just the first day in office. I would've dealt with this campaign finance reform issue,' Sanders said. 'And there are ways that you can get around that Supreme Court decision.'

He laid out a model in which candidates who gather enough signatures to prove they're serious would receive a set amount of public funding.

'You wanna run against me? That's great, but you're not gonna get super PAC money. We are gonna publicly fund you,' Sanders said.

When Rogan asked if that meant both of them would be funded by the government, Sanders replied, 'Yes, absolutely. Rather than someone running for president funded by the current president.'

He acknowledged critics who oppose using taxpayer money for campaigns but argued it was far better than billionaires buying elections. 'That makes a lot more sense than what you've got right now,' Sanders said.