I critique an article trying to disprove the libertarian claim that taxation is theft. The social contract makes it all right, the author says…. Article Discussed “ The Ethics of Taxation, the Imperfection of Voluntaryism, and the Transcendence of the Social Contract ,” by ANdy Zou Related Episode Ep. 545 About That Social Contract I Never Signed… Free Resources! 1) Free guide… Read More
For the full list of episodes, click here.
Ep. 864 The Bogus Public Goods Rationale for Government
We’re told we need government because only the public sector can give us “public goods,” which are either impossible to produce privately or are produced in the wrong quantities. In this lesson from my Ron Paul Curriculum course on government I put this claim under… Read More
Ep. 863 Trump and the Budget — More of the Same?
Today I review Donald Trump’s recent speech to Congress — a speech the media loved, I’m sorry to report — in terms of what it’s going to mean for federal spending and the budget. Speech Discussed Donald Trump’s speech to Congress, February 28, 2017 Articles Mentioned “ Stop Bleating About Crumbling Infrastructure ,” by David Stockman “ Why Tariffs Don’t Save Jobs ,”… Read More
Ep. 862 The Alt Right
Paul Gottfried, longtime veteran of the American Right and foe of the yawn-inducing “conservative movement,” discusses the significance of what has become known as the “alt right.” About the Guest Paul Gottfried is professor emeritus of humanities at Elizabethtown College and a Guggenheim recipient. Selected… Read More
Ep. 861 The Anti-Imperialist League and the Struggle Against Empire
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, an ideologically diverse group of people joined together to fight against the drift of the United States into imperialism, particularly in the repression of the independence movement in the Philippines. It’s a great story, which most Americans know… Read More
Ep. 860 Skeptics of Capitalism, and How to Persuade Them
Today I talk to libertarian writer Antony Sammeroff of the Scottish Liberty Podcast, who recently gave a talk against the “basic income guarantee” idea to a crowd that liked the idea, and at the end was cheered. So we discuss capitalism, persuading opponents, and more.… Read More
Ep. 859 The Bureaucrat Kings: The Origins and Underpinnings of America’s Bureaucratic State
How did federal agencies become unaccountable fiefdoms? The story goes back over 100 years, and I discuss it with the author of a brand new study of this most unfortunate development. About the Guest Paul Moreno is the William and Berniece Grewcock Chair in Constitutional… Read More
Ep. 858 How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World
Basing myself on the Harry Browne book of the same name, I discuss how in my own life I’ve found freedom: from neoconservatism, from academia, and from povertarianism. Fun! Host of This Event Mises Institute Links Mentioned RonPaulHomeschool.com LibertyClassroom.com TomWoods.com/publicity (free publicity for your blog if you use my link)… Read More
Ep. 857 Trump and the Deep State
We hear a lot about the opposition of the “deep state” to Trump, and that there’s an effort at work to undermine him from within. What is the deep state, and is there anything to this? About the Guest Phil Giraldi is a former counter-terrorism… Read More
Ep. 856 The Thomas Jefferson Nobody Knows
Kevin Gutzman returns to explain where historians have gone wrong on Jefferson, why Jefferson was no conservative, the ups and downs of his presidency, and more. About the Guest James Madison biographer Kevin Gutzman is a professor of history and chairman of the department of… Read More
