The Tom Woods Show
As you likely know by now, Google fired James Damore after he wrote an internal memo questioning the assumption that all human differences are due to social conditioning. There is no "libertarian position" on this per se; Google obviously may hire and fire as it pleases. But man was there a lot of libertarian confusion about this.
 
Some said his firing was "the market" speaking. Some called me a "thick" libertarian for being critical of Google. Some appeared to suggest that libertarians aren't allowed to criticize private entities.
 
In this episode I clear up all of these unfortunate (and persistent) confusions.
 
Direct download: woods_2017_08_10.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:42pm EDT

Dennis Fusaro, a longtime political consultant and grassroots activist, found himself in a legal battle for over a year because of what he considers the erratic application of unjust laws that curtail freedom of speech. The jury found him not guilty, in what appears to have been a case of jury nullification.

Show notes for Ep. 971

Direct download: woods_2017_08_09.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:33pm EDT

George Orwell has been a mystery to a great many readers. What did he truly believe? Was he a thoroughgoing socialist yet anti-totalitarian? David Ramsay Steele, author of a new book on Orwell, joins me to get to the bottom of it.

Show notes for Ep. 970

Direct download: woods_2017_08_08.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:29pm EDT

In this episode I review the history of rights theories in the West from the Middle Ages through the 20th century. Expect to hear about the medieval canonists, the late scholastics, John Locke, Murray Rothbard, and Hans Hoppe, among others.

Show notes for Ep. 969

Direct download: woods_2017_08_07.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:58pm EDT

You'd think "I want to free you" would be an easy message to sell -- and yet it isn't. Why is that?
 
This episode is the talk I gave at LibertyFest 2014 in Brooklyn, New York.
 
Direct download: woods_2017_08_04.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:47pm EDT

Peter van Buren, a 24-year veteran of the State Department, spent a year in Iraq as Team Leader for two Provincial Reconstruction Teams. When you hear what the U.S. government -- which had destroyed much of the country and completely undermined its civil society -- expected him to do, you won't know whether to laugh or cry.

To make things worse, the State Department came after him when he released We Meant Well, the book we discuss in this episode.

Show notes for Ep. 967

Direct download: woods_2017_08_03.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:35pm EDT

Mises Institute president Jeff Deist, who was Ron Paul's last chief of staff, delivered an excellent and well-received talk at the Corax libertarian conference in Malta last week.
 
As usual, though, emotional hypochondria got the better of a small group of left- and establishment libertarians, who are denouncing the speech in hysterical terms.
 
The speech is so commonsensical, and the reaction on the part of this crowd so perverse and bizarre, that I can't let this episode pass. It's part and parcel of the "Ron Paul is a racist" libertarians who have resented Ron and affiliated institutions ever since being left in the dust after 2007.
 
So I'm going to play it for you, followed by my commentary. You need to hear it, so you can see for yourself the lengths such folks will go to in order to pretend to be outraged.
 
Direct download: woods_2017_08_02.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:11pm EDT

It somehow became fashionable among young people to wear shirts depicting a murderer. One supposes the same indulgence would not be extended to shirts depicting non-leftist murderers (if such shirts existed, which they don't). Federico Fernandez is behind an effort to take down the statue of Che Guevara in the latter's home town in Argentina, and to spread the truth about the man.

We also discuss the ongoing fiasco in Venezuela.

Show notes for Ep. 965

Direct download: woods_2017_08_01.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:06pm EDT

Whether it's "monopoly," child labor, the Depression of 1920-21, the New Deal, or World War II's impact on the economy, our views and interpretations run counter to the conventional wisdom. Here's a defense of our position. I delivered these remarks at the 2017 Mises University program.

Show notes for Ep. 964

Direct download: woods_2017_07_31.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:19pm EDT

Lucas Engelhardt, associate professor of economics at Kent State University, joins me to discuss bad ways to reform the monetary system, as well as good ones. (Bad ones include the Taylor rule, inflation targeting, NGDP targeting, and Milton Friedman's approach.)

Show notes for Ep. 963

Direct download: woods_2017_07_30.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:15pm EDT

The Austrian School of economics, the school of thought that includes Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek, and Murray Rothbard -- and which influenced Ron Paul, of course -- is the subject of the Mises Institute's week-long Mises University summer program, which I'm attending right now. In the course of taking notes on my computer to help my 14-year-old daughter understand the concepts better, I realized there were some foundational parts of Austrian economics that some listeners may enjoy hearing clarified.
 
So in this episode I actually show how we can derive economic laws from the apparently sterile axiom that "human beings act." I also discuss where prices come from, and what the fundamental problem with socialism is.
 
Direct download: woods_2017_07_27.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:25pm EDT

This episode is drawn from the Society and the State podcast, on which I was the guest for the very first episode. We discuss how I went from teaching a handful of college students to reaching many, many more via my online work -- and supported a family to boot. We also discuss a horrendous business failure of mine, and other fun things.

Show notes for Ep. 961

Direct download: woods_2017_07_26.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:59pm EDT

Today I'm sharing what's normally a members-only Q&A I did with Bob Murphy at LibertyClassroom.com. It's a smorgasbord of Austrian economics, economic theory, and history -- with all the fun and banter you've come to love with Bob and me. Enjoy!

Show notes for Ep. 960

Direct download: woods_2017_07_25.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:51pm EDT

One of my most significant intellectual influences was the extraordinarily productive polymath Murray N. Rothbard. In this kickoff talk at Mises University 2017, I discuss what he taught me, what it was like to meet and interact with him, why he's worthy of study, admiration, and respect, and why it's impossible in the world of ideas not to have enemies.

Show notes for Ep. 959

Direct download: woods_2017_07_24.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:16pm EDT

David Weigel, national political correspondent for the Washington Post, released a book this year on the history of progressive rock -- which is a glorious and wonderful excuse for a podcast-length discussion of the subject. What's great about this kind of music, what happened to it, the best places to start, and a lot more.

Show notes for Ep. 958

Direct download: woods_2017_07_23.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 9:29pm EDT

A great many libertarians have read at least some of Frederic Bastiat's work, but it's usually one or two of the same writings. Bastiat's output was vastly greater than what most of us are familiar with, and his life was extraordinarily eventful and exciting. David Hart, an expert on Bastiat, joins us for another look at a most underrated thinker and man.

Show notes for Ep. 957

Direct download: woods_2017_07_22.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:13pm EDT

I asked David Gordon, possibly the most well-read person I've ever met, what books he thought libertarians should read. The result was this engaging discussion!

Show notes for Ep. 956

Direct download: woods_2017_07_21.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:43pm EDT

Today's episode reaches back into history to the overlooked example of Genoa, where we discover the late medieval origins of entrepreneurial skills and institutions that formed the springboard for early modern economic development. The forgotten republican tradition of Genoa, moreover, poses an interesting alternative to the militarist and statist views of Machiavelli.

Show notes for Ep. 955

Direct download: woods_2017_07_20.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:09pm EDT

Nancy MacLean generated much discussion and controversy when she released her book Democracy in Chains, which purports to explain how the "radical Right" -- in which she includes the most implausible figures -- conspired to take over America.
 
The book is the standard leftist hysteria about outcomes that will obviously never come to pass, plus a healthy serving of innuendo and downright manufactured claims. Tom DiLorenzo and I have fun with it.
 
Direct download: woods_2017_07_19.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:18pm EDT

West Virginia state legislator Pat McGeehan, who comes endorsed by Ron Paul, has been the sole "No" vote in the legislature for years, but has also scored numerous legislative victories -- so he was thrown out of the Republican Caucus. He shared his insights about success and holding fast to principle that apply to people in all walks of life.

Show notes for Ep. 953

Direct download: woods_2017_07_17.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:40pm EDT

Pope Francis is one of the most controversial popes in Church history, and has left a great many churchmen and faithful bewildered. His sympathy for leftist political causes, and his systematic removal of people unsympathetic to his progressive program, are clear enough. We get into some of the details in this episode.

Show notes for Ep. 952

Direct download: woods_2017_07_14.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:34pm EDT

Although most people seemed pleased on so-called Prime Day, Amazon has its critics, too. Do the criticisms hold water?

Show notes for Ep. 951

Direct download: woods_2017_07_13.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:39pm EDT

Justin Nguyen is prepared to move beyond theory and into practice with his innovative approach to the environment and waste management. The market, he says, can do a better and more efficient job, and more creatively to boot, than the state.

Show notes for Ep. 950

Direct download: woods_2017_07_12.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:42pm EDT

Robert W. Merry, editor of The American Conservative, paints a grim picture of the position the left would be in should Trump fail or be forced out.

Show notes for Ep. 949

Direct download: woods_2017_07_11.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:11pm EDT

Maybe the time has come to try something radically different, instead of doubling down on the same old strategies. That's the view of Joe Quirk of the Seasteading Institute, who discusses the potential for humanity in, yes, floating nations.

Show notes for Ep. 948

Direct download: woods_2017_07_10.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:28pm EDT

I realize the Democrats and Republicans both annoy us, but we do live under their rule, so we do need to know about them. And when Republicans say the Democrats are divided or in trouble, I think they're engaged in wishful thinking.

Show notes for Ep. 947

Direct download: woods_2017_07_07.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

Lew Rockwell joins me to discuss the CNN flap, Trump, foreign policy, and Murray Rothbard.

Show notes for Ep. 946

Direct download: woods_2017_07_06.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:48pm EDT

Co-founder and CEO of the Startup Societies Foundation, Joe McKinney, joins me to discuss new approaches to challenging (and escaping from) centralized authority.

Show notes for Ep. 945

Direct download: woods_2017_07_05.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:13pm EDT

You may be familiar with the problems with Dodd-Frank, but here's one almost nobody knows about: it all but shuts off a significant source of financing for lower-priced and starter homes. Hard to believe, I know: a government regulation harming ordinary people....

Show notes for Ep. 944

Direct download: woods_2017_07_04.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:10pm EDT

Early this year (2017), stories began to multiply of members of the Libertarian Party in Cuba running afoul of the authorities for no good reason. Today we discuss what's happening, and how we can help.

Show notes for Ep. 943

Direct download: woods_2017_07_03.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:13pm EDT

Brion discusses his forthcoming book How Alexander Hamilton Screwed Up America. Lots of great and unknown history in this one.

Show notes for Ep. 942

Direct download: woods_2017_06_30.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:23pm EDT

An American held in captivity in North Korea recently died; on top of that, plans for a military option in North Korea are being discussed in Washington. Michael Malice joins us for an update.

Show notes for Ep. 941

Direct download: woods_2017_06_29.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:34pm EDT

Today Jason Jewell explains the phenomenon of the neoconservatives and their close cousins, the Straussians. Call this a backgrounder episode.

Show notes for Ep. 940

Direct download: woods_2017_06_27.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 9:25pm EDT

Bob Murphy joins me once again, fresh from our discussion of private law in episode 938, to cover whether it's possible to imagine even defense services being provided without the state.

Show notes for Ep. 939

Direct download: woods_2017_06_26.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:53pm EDT

Bob Murphy joins me to revisit this question: in addition to consumer good and capital goods we see it producing all the time, can the market also provide law itself? I play a relentless devil's advocate in this one.

Show notes for Ep. 938

Direct download: woods_2017_06_23.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:40pm EDT

Roger Anderson, a telecommunications contractor and consultant with nearly 25 years of experience, decided that unsolicited telemarketing calls, which half the time are from scammers trying to get your financial information, needed to be dealt with. So he designed a series of clever bots that appear to be real people and keep the telemarketer tied up on the phone, and therefore temporarily unable to bother or victimize everyone else.
 
It's a brilliant and hilarious private-sector response.
 
Direct download: woods_2017_06_22.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 9:32am EDT

Eric Peters joins me to discuss the bubble in automobile sales, plus: dangerous pro-state bills pending that you may not know about.

Show notes for Ep. 936

Direct download: woods_2017_06_21.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 10:41am EDT

Want some good news, and a practical course of action? Martin Eriksson, co-founder of the libertarian media network Corax, discusses the most successful Sweden- (and Malta-) based libertarian project to date, and his ambitions for expansion throughout Europe.

Show notes for Ep. 935

Direct download: woods_2017_06_20.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:47pm EDT

A Rutgers professor suggests it's time we dropped our emphasis on jobs and work -- many jobs are highly undesirable, and with automation the number of jobs is going to fall substantially anyway. And what's so great about work? Think of the creativity that would emerge if we didn't have to do them.
 
Peter Klein and I go through his article and respond.
 
Direct download: woods_2017_06_19.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:28pm EDT

Now James Madison is under attack, because slavery. We're going to have to rename an awful lot of places if this catches fire. Madison biographer Kevin Gutzman joins me for some background into Madison and his achievements, and what we should think about the effort to erase him.

Show notes for Ep. 933

Direct download: woods_2017_06_16.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:48pm EDT

Without zoning, we're told, the layout of neighborhoods and cities would be hideous and irrational, and residents would be unhappy. Is this so? And would zoning exist in a free society?

Show notes for Ep. 932

Direct download: woods_2017_06_15.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:25pm EDT

We're supposed to believe that taxes are "contributions," or that government rests on the "consent" of the people, even when virtually no one has ever granted consent in a non-trivial way.
 
Well, here's another phony government idea, and one a lot of us have probably never really taken the time to examine: political representation. What does it really mean to say so-and-so "represents" me in Congress? We're certainly not using that word in its ordinary usage, any more than a tax could be called a contribution.
 
Today's episode is drawn from my Government course for the Ron Paul Curriculum.
 
Direct download: woods_2017_06_14.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:56pm EDT

Bernie Sanders is saying we need to increase the minimum wage because it's so hard for people earning the present minimum wage to find adequate housing. Now there are all kinds of problems with that, but I'm particularly interested in Bernie's complete lack of interest in why housing in some places might be so expensive.

Show notes for Ep. 930

Direct download: woods_2017_06_13.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:49pm EDT

Michael Malice now has a weekly program called "YOUR WELCOME" with Michael Malice -- if you correct his grammar I am going to commit an atrocity; you're smarter than that -- and he had me as his first guest. I happened to be in New York City at the time, so we were able to be in studio together. The result is a wide-ranging discussion of libertarianism, religion, history, the Federal Reserve, and lots more, plus listener calls.

Show notes for Ep. 929

Direct download: woods_2017_06_12.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:21pm EDT

Jeff Deist, president of the Mises Intstitute, on what libertarians (and even progressives and conservatives) ought to aim for, and why handing out U.S. Constitutions in Iraq might not be the most effective strategy.

Show notes for Ep. 928

Direct download: woods_2017_06_09.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:59pm EDT

The Reagan Administration's David Stockman is convinced Trump will not survive 2018. His analysis is so compelling that I decided we had to discuss it. I won't give away the details; just listen!

Show notes for Ep. 927

Direct download: woods_2017_06_08.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:50pm EDT

Not long ago I was Stefan Molyneux's guest to discuss my book How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, a discussion that brought us through the development of Western science, Scholastic philosophy, St. Thomas Aquinas, the Dark Ages, the origins of economics, and a heck of a lot more.

Show notes for Ep. 926

Direct download: woods_2017_06_07.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 10:02am EDT

Brad Birzer joins us to discuss themes in his latest course for LibertyClassroom.com, on the golden age of science fiction -- which is full of ideas libertarians will find congenial.

Show notes for Ep. 925

Direct download: woods_2017_06_06.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:41pm EDT

Joe Salerno, editor of the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics and academic vice president of the Mises Institute, discusses Ludwig von Mises' thoughts on nationalism, immigration, and the state.

Show notes for Ep. 924

Direct download: woods_2017_06_05.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:07pm EDT

Donald Trump has asked for a $54 billion increase in the military budget. That's an opportune moment to revisit how much the U.S. government already spends, what precisely it's spending the money on, and what it has to show for it all.

Show notes for Ep. 923

Direct download: woods_2017_06_02.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:23pm EDT

Seamus Coughlin, creator of Freedom Toons, is now one of my favorite people: his animated videos are short, punchy, funny, libertarian, and effective. And he's a hilarious guy, too. A model for young people who say, "I want to help the liberty movement!"

Show notes for Ep. 922

Direct download: woods_2017_06_01.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:08pm EDT

Everyone always thinks the current president must be the worst. Surely President X is the most ignorant when it comes to economics! Well, there's a lot of competition for that honor, my friend, as Gene Epstein joins me to explain.

Show notes for Ep. 921

Direct download: woods_2017_05_31.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:15pm EDT

Carl Benjamin, known online as Sargon of Akkad, has built up an enormous online following thanks to his compelling and controversial YouTube videos. He identifies with no particular ideology, but says he feels the greatest kinship with libertarianism, even while he does sometimes criticize it. By popular demand, he and I have a freewheeling discussion, and we touch on his video on the violent leftist group By Any Means Necessary.

Show notes for Ep. 920

Direct download: woods_2017_05_30.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:57pm EDT

Patrick Gann recently graduated from Millersville University with a degree in social work. We discuss the ideological slant and unexamined assumptions to be found within social work departments and out in the field.

Show notes for Ep. 919

Direct download: woods_2017_05_29.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:21pm EDT

Andrew Bacevich, retired from Boston University, recently posed 24 awkward but important questions about the present state of American foreign policy. I thought they were worth reviewing, because taken together they say quite a bit -- none of it good -- about both the foreign policy and the media that allows these questions to go unanswered, or indeed not asked at all.

Show notes for Ep. 918

Direct download: woods_2017_05_26.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:24pm EDT

Hunter Thompson, a full-time real estate investor, discusses today's housing market, what sectors do well in a down economy, how real-estate investing compares to other investment possibilities, and more.

Show notes for Ep. 917

Direct download: woods_2017_05_25.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 12:10pm EDT

Congressman John "Jimmy" Duncan Jr. has served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee for 29 years. He is the last remaining Republican House member who voted against the war in Iraq. He serves on the board of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

Show notes for Ep. 916

Direct download: woods_2017_05_24.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:46pm EDT

The perpetually aggrieved have recently settled upon various Confederate monuments, particularly in New Orleans, as the next thing to be destroyed. Given the level of American discourse (a word I use laughingly in this context), anyone saying a word against this is of course condemned with all the usual low-IQ language of the left. Rev. Larry Beane, pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Gretna, Louisiana, and historian Brion McClanahan, join me for the discussion.

Show notes for Ep. 915

Direct download: woods_2017_05_23.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:28pm EDT

Kristaps Andrejsons, host of The Eastern Border podcast, joins me for a rapid-fire overview of some of the major episodes in the history of the Soviet Union.

Show notes for Ep. 914

Direct download: woods_2017_05_22.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:17pm EDT

Christopher Voss spent 24 years working in the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit as a hostage negotiator and was the FBI's chief international hostage and kidnapping negotiator from 2003 to 2007. His book, which I thoroughly enjoyed, is full of actionable advice for real negotiation in your business and personal life.

Show notes for Ep. 913

Direct download: woods_2017_05_19.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:59pm EDT

Colin Moriarty spent 14 years of his life in the video game world, until one day he published a joke on Twitter that only an idiot would take offense at, and everyone swarmed for the kill. But he got the last laugh, as we note in today's episode.

Show notes for Ep. 912

Direct download: woods_2017_05_18.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:07am EDT

Here's some audio footage of my appearance at the Yale Political Union in defense of secession. In particular, this is the part in which I replied to critics. I think you'll enjoy this.

Show notes for Ep. 911

Direct download: woods_2017_05_17.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 10:58pm EDT

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, who is presently a visiting professor of government and public policy at the College of William and Mary, had a long career in the U.S. military and served as Chief of Staff to Gen. Colin Powell from 2002 to 2005. He is a board member of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

Show notes for Ep. 910

Direct download: woods_2017_05_16.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:02pm EDT

Journalist Johann Hari, author of the acclaimed bestseller Chasing the Scream, joins me to discuss the fact-free origins of the War on Drugs, the flawed assumptions that drive it even today, and its grotesque human consequences.

Show notes for Ep. 909

Direct download: woods_2017_05_15.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:02pm EDT

Not long ago Pope Francis made some disparaging comments about libertarians. They were really a string of cliches. Here's my response.

Show notes for Ep. 908

Direct download: woods_2017_05_12.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 12:37pm EDT

Tatiana Moroz, the libertarian singer-songwriter (and fellow Contra Cruise-goer) invited me on to her show to talk Trump, true and false history, my strengths and weaknesses (including my secret obsession for many years), working for myself, and more.

Show notes for Ep. 907

Direct download: woods_2017_05_11.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:53pm EDT

Judd Weiss discusses the inside story of the 2016 campaign for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination, and it's explosive.

Show notes for Ep. 906

Direct download: woods_2017_05_10.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:52pm EDT

When Pat Buchanan was barely 30 years old, a U.S. president would regularly ask, "What does Buchanan think about this?" Pat shares some interesting stories of his years inside the Nixon White House.

Show notes for Ep. 905

Direct download: woods_2017_05_09.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 12:15pm EDT

The Republican Liberty Caucus exists to inject a libertarian perspective (and officeholders) into the GOP. Is this a viable strategy?

Show notes for Ep. 904

Direct download: woods_2017_05_08.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 8:47pm EDT

You asked, we answered. Questions about North Korea, Ayn Rand, ghostwriting for celebrities, and a heck of a lot more.

Show notes for Ep. 903

Direct download: woods_2017_05_05.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:02pm EDT

I'm off today, but you're in excellent hands: the outstanding Michael Malice is filling in as the first ever substitute host on the show. Trust me, you'll enjoy this one....

Show notes for Ep. 902

Direct download: woods_2017_05_04.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:39pm EDT

Nathan Dunn had been working as a police officer in southern California for years when he first encountered libertarianism. At first he asked to be removed from the narcotics detail. Over time, he decided he would need to remove himself from the entire profession.

Show notes for Ep. 901

Direct download: woods_2017_05_03.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:03pm EDT

Gonz Trevino grew up in Mexico, and has created half a dozen successful businesses before age 30. (He also works with Jason Stapleton, the libertarian podcaster.) He says politics hasn't played a major role in his life. Just creating half a dozen successful businesses.

Perfect for episode 900.

Show notes for Ep. 900

Direct download: woods_2017_05_01.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 11:19am EDT

In the early twentieth century, some 1.5 million Armenians perished in the Armenian genocide, at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. This blood-curdling episode in world history largely vanished from public awareness for much of the twentieth century, and is still unknown by most people. We examine its origins, its progress, and its ensuing disappearance.

Show notes for Ep. 899

Direct download: woods_2017_04_28.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:26pm EDT

Toby Baxendale, an entrepreneur in the UK, comes back to the show, this time to explain that the media has created a false impression about the meaning of Brexit. The Leave campaign was run by libertarians, he says, not protectionists, but the latter have more effectively spun the media machine.

Show notes for Ep. 898

Direct download: woods_2017_04_27.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:31pm EDT

Cato Institute Vice President for Research Brink Lindsey launched an attack on Ron Paul and Murray Rothbard days ago, and it needs to be answered. Even more fun are my stories about my own treatment at the hands of these delightful people. Here's en episode you may pretend not to want to listen to, but let's face it, you will.
 
Before you say, "Woods, you shouldn't engage in this kind of tit-for-tat," listen to the episode. I have already answered your objection.
 
Direct download: woods_2017_04_26.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:12pm EDT

Thaddeus Russell was raised in Berkeley, California, by parents he describes as professional Marxist revolutionaries. His experiences with the academic establishment at Barnard College (the women's college at Columbia University) have become legendary. He's hard to pigeonhole ideologically, which makes him a compelling guest. 
 
We discuss a wide range of topics: labor unions, the Protestant work ethic (he's against), Donald Trump, what's missing from university life, and how Thad went from genuinely not understanding how anyone could be a conservative or a libertarian to being a regular listener of this very podcast! (But still not a libertarian.)
 
Direct download: woods_2017_04_25.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:36pm EDT

Eric Brakey is a 28-year-old state senator from Maine. We discuss how Eric got elected against a longtime incumbent, what he's accomplished in the legislature, and his campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2018. Not to mention some stories from the past two GOP conventions.

Show notes for Ep. 895

Direct download: woods_2017_04_24.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 8:26pm EDT

During the presidential election season, the prolific libertarian scholar Walter Block headed up an organization called Libertarians for Trump. At the time, financial analyst and libertarian blogger Robert Wenzel debated him on the subject on this very show. Today, with the end of President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office just around the corner, we revisit the subject in a very lively discussion.

Show notes for Ep. 894

Direct download: woods_2017_04_22.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:17pm EDT

This is a great discussion with Brett Veinotte, host of the School Sucks Podcast, that starts off about university shenanigans, then turns to my writing (which some have considered too harsh) on the left, then turns to my insane workaholism, its roots, and how I conquered it.

Show notes for Ep. 893

Direct download: woods_2017_04_20.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:04pm EDT

With confrontation brewing between the United States and North Korea, Michael Malice joins me to lend his insight into what's happening, and whether there's anything to the North Korean threats of nuclear war.

Show notes for Ep. 892

Direct download: woods_2017_04_19.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:24pm EDT

The March 2017 report of the Congressional Budget Office paints a grim picture about the fiscal future of the United States -- but don't we hear a lot of grim predictions, and don't things usually carry on as before? Gene Epstein explains what's really going to happen.

Show notes for EP. 891

Direct download: woods_2017_04_18.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 12:17pm EDT

Under both Donald Trump and Barack Obama, the U.S. government has supported Saudi Arabia in a savage war that is leaving a humanitarian catastrophe in its wake, with (according to recent estimates) some 462,000 in danger of starvation. Where is the moral outrage of our media, which is so touched by human tragedy when doing so suits the regime?

Show notes for Ep. 890

Direct download: woods_2017_04_17.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:03pm EDT

Paul Gottfried takes delight in skewering the historical profession and the biases that lurk beneath their pretensions to impartiality. We cover Otto von Bismarck, World War I, Germanophobia, and a lot more in this punchy episode.

Show notes for Ep. 889

Direct download: woods_2017_04_12.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:46pm EDT

New Jersey State Senator Michael Doherty, who was co-chairman of the Donald Trump for President campaign in New Jersey, has condemned the strike on Syria and wants to know what happened to the "forget all these wars, we have to rebuild our own country" rhetoric from the campaign trail.

Show notes for Ep. 888

Direct download: woods_2017_04_11.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 11:47am EDT

Eric July, the frontman of Backwordz, a rap/metal band, returns to discuss Veracity, the band's debut album, which debuted on the Billboard charts at #5 for hard rock (not to mention #2 on the Heat Seekers chart and #1 on the Alternative New Artist chart). And guess what: it's full of libertarian and Austrian messages. You'll be blown away.

Show notes for Ep. 887

Direct download: woods_2017_04_10.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:35pm EDT

As if his warnings to Barack Obama about intervention in Syria had never been uttered, Donald Trump ordered a missile strike on Syria yesterday. Scott Horton joins me to discuss this horrific mess.

Show notes for Ep. 886

Direct download: woods_2017_04_07.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:03pm EDT

At age 42, Josef Sima already has a record of accomplishment in promoting Austrian economics in Europe that can rival that of almost anyone else. We talk communism, post-communist ideological opportunities, how successful politics is in bringing about positive change, and more.

Show notes for Ep. 885

Direct download: woods_2017_04_06.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:33pm EDT

It's been exactly 100 years since the United States officially declared war on Germany and entered World War I. I review the momentous significance of that decision with Hunt Tooley, my favorite historian of the war.

Show notes for Ep. 884

Direct download: woods_2017_04_05.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:53pm EDT

Scott Horton and I discuss Trump, the House Freedom Caucus, Russia, and other topics drawn from the headlines.

Show notes for Ep. 883

Direct download: woods_2017_04_04.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 8:45pm EDT

Tatiana Moroz, a liberty movement veteran, joins me to discuss a wide variety of topics, including how she uses cryptocurrency to support her work; being an independent musician in the Internet age; creeps in the liberty movement (shocking, right?); Ross Ulbricht and Silk Road, and a lot more. 

Show notes for Ep. 882

Direct download: woods_2017_04_03.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:22pm EDT

Ron Paul returns to the show to discuss the foundations of libertarianism -- along with Connor Boyack, author of a new children's book that features a character based on Dr. Paul. We also get a glimpse into the Paul household. Lots of fun!

Show notes for Ep. 881

Direct download: woods_2017_03_31.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:07pm EDT

I joined Marc Clair on his Lions of Liberty podcast to discuss common objections to the market, plus the plague of the Social Justice Warrior. I defend myself against a drama queen on Facebook, too.

Show notes for Ep. 880

Direct download: woods_2017_03_30.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:02pm EDT

Some economic numbers today look pretty good, so is there a case for bearishness? At the same time, aren't Austrian-influenced investors always bearish? We sort it all out in today's episode.

Show notes for Ep. 879

Direct download: woods_2017_03_29.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:25pm EDT

The legal system that prevailed in Ireland for thousands of years was radically different from what we are familiar with today, with our monopoly judges and emphasis on retribution over restitution. But if you were to ask the average American about any of this, the result would be a blank stare. Hence today's episode.

Show notes for Ep. 878

Direct download: woods_2017_03_28.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:47pm EDT

Donald Trump suffered a setback last week when the American Health Care Act lacked the votes to pass. Here's a great discussion of why it failed and what its failure means for the future.

Show notes for Ep. 877

Direct download: woods_2017_03_27.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:02pm EDT

Inequality is the battering ram the left is using these days to justify all kinds of programs of intervention. In this episode we drive a stake through its heart.

Show notes for Ep. 876

Direct download: woods_2017_03_24.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:37pm EDT

Philosopher Philip Goff argues that you have no moral claim to the money you earn on the market, because its distribution of money is arbitrary. We hit back.

Show notes for Ep. 875

Direct download: woods_2017_03_23.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 11:36am EDT

Zack Rofer (the pen name of the author of the book being discussed today) joins me to deal with a bunch of the most common questions libertarians are asked. This episode will lift a weight from your shoulders.

Show notes for Ep. 874

Direct download: woods_2017_03_22.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:36pm EDT

Some people -- known popularly these days as Greenbackers -- oppose the Federal Reserve for all the wrong reasons: it doesn't inflate enough (!), the bankers will wind up with all the money thanks to compound interest, there isn't enough money created to pay all the principal and interest of all the loans in the economy, etc. They want the Fed to be abolished so the U.S. government can issue the money directly. Not exactly a fundamental disagreement with the Fed! I take them on in this episode.

Show notes for Ep. 873

Direct download: woods_2017_03_21.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 8:13pm EDT