This week David Stockman, director of the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan, made some comments about the problems with what he called Donald Trump's "statism," and with Federal Reserve policy. He was immediately barraged with criticism from Trump supporters who thought he was a "liberal" (as if liberals are concerned about statism or Fed policy). In this episode I discuss what it all means, particularly in light of what Scott Adams told us two episodes ago.

Show notes for Ep. 1295

Jordan Page, musician of the Ron Paul Revolution, just released "The Ballad of Lavoy Finicum," about a man who was shot and killed by Oregon state troopers in 2016 (Jordan tells the story). We also take a few moments to discuss Jordan's appearance at the #WalkAway march in Washington.

Show notes for Ep. 1294

Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, joins me to discuss the Trump phenomenon and what people missed about it (and therefore why they didn't see his victory coming), plus democracy, persuasion, debating, Hillary Clinton, and plenty more.

Show notes for Ep. 1293

James Tooley has both chronicled and contributed to the extraordinary phenomenon, unknown to almost everyone, of low-cost private schools in the developing world. He's now bringing this model to England itself, his home country, and he's already got people talking. Of course, the usual suspects are trying to throw obstacles in his way, because his low-cost model is obviously an embarrassment to them. A truly wonderful discussion.

Show notes for Ep. 1292

Scott Horton and I discuss World War I and its hideous legacy. Also: why the Progressives favored intervention, what the Social Gospel clergy had to say, where Hitler came from, and a lot more.

This episode is drawn from my recent appearance on on the Scott Horton Show.

Show notes for Ep. 1291

A 9-year-old boy wrote me a letter not long ago, part of which asked me about politics, because he describes himself as "very interested in running for president someday." Jeff Deist and I discussed the kind of things children that age might want to think about when it comes to politics, without turning them into 9-year-old cynics.

Show notes for Ep. 1290

In this episode my colleague Bob Murphy interviews me about everything from public speaking (and my tips) to my resentments (and how I overcame them), our religious differences, my major contribution to the historical profession (not a joke!), and a lot more. One of my all-time favorite episodes.

This episode is drawn from my appearance on the very first episode of the Bob Murphy Show.

Show notes for Ep. 1289

In recent years researchers have discovered therapeutic uses for psilocybin mushrooms where the results have been extraordinary. Kevin Matthews of Decriminalize Denver joins me to discuss these findings, current law, and what the law should be.

Show notes for Ep. 1288

Show notes for Ep. 1287

You know you've really mastered a topic if you can explain it to a complete beginner and be understood. You've truly mastered it if you can convey the basic idea even to a child. And that's precisely what the Tuttle Twins book series accomplishes. The most recent volume in the series takes Murray Rothbard's classic essay "The Anatomy of the State" and presents its basic ideas to a young audience.

Show notes for Ep. 1286

Ever since it became known that acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has spoken favorably about the right of the states to nullify unconstitutional federal laws, we've been treated to a barrage of the usual third-grade arguments from people we are supposed to consider our intellectual superiors. We'll have some fun with those in this episode.

Show notes for Ep. 1285

Nullification -- and indeed anything involving the states -- is all about slavery, right? What a surprise: the propagandists are wrong again. In this episode, the Tenth Amendment Center's Michael Boldin joins me for some forgotten history: how northerners expressly used the language of nullification and state sovereignty to fight against slavery.

Show notes for Ep. 1284

According to the survey we ran for the Freedom Feud game aboard the Contra Cruise, the #2 most popular guest on the Tom Woods Show is Scott Horton, the great foreign-policy expert. This time, though, we discuss his background, his evolution, how he became a libertarian and foreign-policy expert, and a lot more.

Show notes for Ep. 1283

Elliot Resnick and Gene Epstein debate the resolution: "Israel should keep every inch of land it currently possesses."

Show notes for Ep. 1282

World War I was a catastrophe for Western civilization. One hundred years ago, on November 11th, it finally came to an end. Author and historian Hunt Tooley joins me for an assessment of the wars long-term consequences for all of us.

Show notes for Ep. 1281

Were the midterm elections of repudiation of Trump, a mixed bag, or even an endorsement of Trump? What can we expect over the next two years, and what are the Democrats likely to do in 2020? Dan McCarthy, editor-at-large of The American Conservative and current editor of Modern Age, helps answer these questions.

Show notes for Ep. 1280

John F. ("Jack") McManus, longtime president of the John Birch Society, joins me to discuss the Society's founding and history, its controversial positions, its clashes with William F. Buckley and official conservatism, and its present activities.

Show notes for Ep. 1279

In today's episode I review some of the golden nuggets from the previous 600 or so episodes. Fascinating people and ideas you may have missed -- and even if you didn't miss them, it couldn't hurt to hear about them again.

Show notes for Ep. 1278

Neoclassical economics insists that a separate class of goods, called "public goods," cannot, because of their peculiar characteristics, be efficiently provided by the market and must instead be financed and produced by the state. The Austrian School rejects this line of argument. Today Jakub Wisniewski, author of a new book on the subject, takes on public goods theory and addresses the two toughest cases: law and defense services on the market.

Show notes for Ep. 1277

Paul Counts has been an entrepreneur since he began selling pencils at age 8. He's been making his living online for 19 years. He knows both the tech side and the marketing side inside and out -- a rare combination. (I've purchased a lot of his training programs myself.) Since I met Paul in Orlando last March, we've partnered up on several projects together. He's very successful online and (as I've discovered for myself) extremely knowledgeable, so I thought I'd give you good folks a chance to hear from him.

Show notes for Ep. 1276

In this episode I delve into some myths and truths of U.S. monetary history, from the colonial period through the creation of the Federal Reserve. The second part is a treat: some audio footage, recorded on the Contra Cruise, of Bob, Tatiania Moroz, and I as contestants in the Crypto Quiz Show, hosted by Naomi Brockwell.

Show notes for Ep. 1275

Lysander Spooner, the great 19th-century individualist anarchist, evidently wrote on banking and currency competition, but those works had been lost until now. Phil Magness, through some clever detective work, tracked them down and they're now available, published via the American Institute for Economic Research! (They also shed light on whether Spooner sympathized with socialism or left-libertarianism.)

Show notes for Ep. 1274

Donald Trump has indicated his desire to overturn the practice of birthright citizenship, a position Ron Paul and Rand Paul alike have long held. Opponents claim the Fourteenth Amendment requires birthright citizenship. Does it?

Show notes for Ep. 1273