Obamacare is back in the news as the prospect of its repeal is discussed in the media. The Los Angeles Times ran seven charts that are supposed to show Obamacare has not been a failure, as Republicans contend, but a great success. Bob Murphy joins… Read More
For the full list of episodes, click here.
Ep. 823 Major Milestone: Libertarian Walter Block Looks Back on 500 Peer-Reviewed Articles
Prolific libertarian scholar Walter Block recently reached an almost unheard-of milestone: 500 articles in peer-reviewed journals. We look back on the debates he’s had and the topics he’s covered, and he offers advice about writing and publication based on his years of experience. Fun! About… Read More
Ep. 822 The Work of Thomas Sowell: An Appreciation
Thomas Sowell, a prolific scholar who has had a great influence on me, ended his syndicated column a couple of weeks ago. Gene Epstein of Barron’s joins me for an overview of Sowell’s work on race, economics, and more. About the Guest Gene Epstein is… Read More
Ep. 821 Learn Economics from the Master — Painlessly
Shawn Ritenour, a professor of economics at Grove City College, has just filled a very important gap: until now, it’s been hard to find a really good book for people to get started reading Ludwig von Mises, the great economist. I personally felt his introductory… Read More
Ep. 820 Speculators Aren’t Evil, and Neither Is Cinnabon: Common Fallacies Refuted
Don Boudreaux, professor of economics at George Mason University, joins me to review some of the more common complaints against markets, as reflected in recent books by well-known authors. About the Guest Don Boudreaux is a professor of economics at George Mason University and a… Read More
Ep. 819 The Campus Crazies: What They’re Up to, and What We Should Do
I’ve spoken to numerous professors who have confronted the campus left, so I thought I’d talk to a current college student who writes about these subjects to find out what’s really up and what if anything we can do about it. About the Guest Tom… Read More
Ep. 818 Rothbard v. Rand? Michael Malice and Tom Discuss
Michael Malice comes to libertarianism more from a Randian perspective, and Tom from a Rothbardian one. Michael recently read The Betrayal of the American Right, Rothbard’s part-history, part-autobiography. The resulting conversation is really excellent — possibly my favorite Malice appearance yet. About the Guest Michael… Read More
Ep. 817 Death by HR: How Affirmative Action Cripples Organizations
Human Resources departments have for practical purposes become wings of the federal regime. Instead of seeking out the best employees who also happen to fit the company’s internal culture, HR departments have adopted a social work philosophy aimed at boosting particular kinds of candidates. Jeb… Read More
Ep. 816 Liberty Lost a Great Historian in 2016 — Plus, Nullification and Listener Questions Answered
We lost Ralph Raico, a great libertarian historian, in December 2016. I spent the first part of this episode discussing his work; see also the link to one of his books below. I also answer several interesting listener questions, then offer to do an escape… Read More
Ep. 815 Are We Like Rome?
Does the American system bear any resemblances to Rome during its imperial period? Paul Krugman, who has cheered virtually every step toward empire (we’re not talking foreign policy here; we mean empire as in a system dominated by a single man or a single centralized… Read More