Wed, 30 September 2015
In 1980, Julian Simon offered to let doomsayer Paul Ehrlich choose any commodity metals he liked, and if their inflation-adjusted prices increased by 1990, Simon would pay $1000. But if they fell, Ehrlich would pay. The question was: would human ingenuity figure out ways to conserve on these metals, and/or find substitutes for them? By 1990, all five metals had fallen in price, and Ehrlich paid up. What does it all mean? That's what we discuss today. |
Tue, 29 September 2015
It's episode 500! Incredible. Today I spoke with two good friends, whose opinions I value highly. We discussed everything from politics to advice for young people, and from our strengths and weaknesses to our favorite memories. Please join me for this special episode. |
Mon, 28 September 2015
Every once in a while we hear it said that Saddam Hussein did have weapons of mass destruction after all, and that this discovery has been drowned out by antiwar propaganda. Scott Horton joins us to dig out the facts of the matter. |
Fri, 25 September 2015
The topic of a "constitutional convention," or more properly an amendments convention, convened by the states under Article V of the Constitution, is hotly disputed among people who want to limit government. Is it the only way to make things better, or could it lead to making things worse? Our two guests engage in a spirited debate in today's episode. |
Thu, 24 September 2015
Fortune magazine took a bit of a swipe at me this week, taking aim at my defense of the free market in the face of the comments of Pope Francis. I devote this episode to a full-fledged response. Lots of anti-Austrian misconceptions dealt with here. Enjoy! |
Wed, 23 September 2015
A century later, Woodrow Wilson's international crusading lives on, both in the establishment left and the neoconservative right. Paul Gottfried and I paint a picture of Wilson that's a bit different from what we all learned in school. |
Tue, 22 September 2015
Today I discuss the concept of social justice and compare it to the traditional conception of justice that was taken for granted in the Western world for thousands of years. I take some shots at John Rawls along the way. |
Mon, 21 September 2015
In this episode I discuss with Richard Emmons of the Ron Paul Homeschooling podcast my course Western Civilization to 1492, which consists of 180 video and audio lessons. We cover the ancient Hebrews, Homer, the pre-Socratics and Socrates, the Roman Empire, and early Christianity, all the way through Scholastic philosophy and on to the Renaissance. |
Fri, 18 September 2015
Today we learn about the heroic sixteenth-century figure Juan de Mariana, who taught that regicide could be justified and that inflation was theft, and who anticipated important concepts central to the Austrian School of economics. |
Thu, 17 September 2015
Lew and Tom discuss Trump, Fiorina, Paul, Bush, Kasich, Rubio, Carson, etc., in this rousing debate analysis that won't be like what you heard on CNN. |
Wed, 16 September 2015
Diana Johnstone, a frequent contributor to CounterPunch.org, takes aim at Hillary's hawkish foreign policy and the wreckage she's left everywhere. |
Tue, 15 September 2015
There's nothing conservative about the neoconservative worldview, says Professor Claes Ryn, author of the withering study The New Jacobinism. We get into the weeds of the neoconservative phenomenon in this provocative discussion. |
Mon, 14 September 2015
I've written and spoken quite a bit about nullification, but my guest today, Sheriff Richard Mack, says it's also up to the local sheriff to prevent federal officials from harassing citizens. This one's a must-listen for sure! |
Fri, 11 September 2015
One of the areas of economics to which Murray Rothbard contributed significantly is known as welfare economics. As we explain in this episode, it deals with how we can determine whether utility (individual or "social," properly understood) has been increased. Rothbard's analysis led him to the conclusion that it was impossible for state action to increase social utility. Free-market economist Bryan Caplan, in his famous article on why he isn't an Austrian, argues that Rothbard's solution is riddled with problems. Jeff Herbener joins me for a robust defense of Rothbard. |
Thu, 10 September 2015
It's easy to say college is overpriced and unnecessary for some people, but what exactly do we expect people to do? Isaac Morehouse and his company, Praxis, have a tremendous answer. |
Wed, 9 September 2015
Country after country is scrambling to deal with the thousands of refugees pouring into Europe. But the neoconservatives are also taking the opportunity to argue that if only the West had intervened in Syria, the situation would never have deteriorated to this point. Daniel McAdams joins me to evaluate this story. |
Tue, 8 September 2015
By popular demand and at long last, the great Jim Rogers joins the program today. We discuss China, India, Africa, the financial crisis of 2008, whether central banks have everything under control now, and how to decide where to put your money. |
Mon, 7 September 2015
The issue of abortion has divided libertarians from the very beginning. Stephen Wagner joins me to think through the issue as dispassionately as possible. |
Fri, 4 September 2015
What are the real trends in income inequality, income mobility, and standards of living? Does inequality hamper growth? These and other issues are covered in today's episode. |
Thu, 3 September 2015
Euro Pacific Capital CEO and bestselling author Peter Schiff takes listener questions today and paints us a picture of what's happening in the economy and what individuals can do to weather what storms may come. |
Wed, 2 September 2015
The cost savings and improvements in health-care quality that can be realized when a physician escapes the crazy system we have now, which people mistakenly think is a free market, are staggering. Today's guest shares with us how he does it. |
Tue, 1 September 2015
Opponents of free trade insist that job opportunities and living standards have declined as international trade has expanded. Is that true? Professor Don Boudreaux joins us for a rebuttal. |
Mon, 31 August 2015
Did John C. Calhoun have anything of value to say, or is his entire career too stained by slavery for him to be worth listening to? I discuss Calhoun, Robert Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Grover Cleveland, and more in today's episode. |
Fri, 28 August 2015
Suppose you're a libertarian and you're asked to prepare a 90-lesson course on government. What would you do? Where would you start? What topics would you cover? How would you present the material? |
Thu, 27 August 2015
Tom discusses the work of Hans-Hermann Hoppe (who doesn't really do audio interviews anymore, by the way) |
Wed, 26 August 2015
Economist Steven Kates says the Keynesian attack on Say's Law is the truly fundamental error in the Keynesian system. |
Tue, 25 August 2015
There's been a lot of complaining about the Iran deal among neoconservatives. What is their plausible alternative? Stephen Walt of Harvard University joins us for a realistic look at the deal. |
Mon, 24 August 2015
No doubt Donald Trump would be a bad president, as they all are -- though his observation that the Iraq war was a disaster, and that while Saddam kept terrorists under control, Iraq is now a haven for terrorism, is better than we hear from anyone else -- but surely there is more to say about the Trump phenomenon. Lew Rockwell joins Tom for a freewheeling discussion! |
Fri, 21 August 2015
The President's supporters claim that his jobs record surpasses even Ronald Reagan's. Is that true? Wait until you hear the real story. And what about that study purporting to show that the economy does better under Democrats than Republicans? Does that mean the free market doesn't work (assuming that's what the Republicans want)? We knock this one down, too. |
Thu, 20 August 2015
Wind and solar power are at the heart of Bernie Sanders' energy policy, as is a tax on carbon emissions. We uncover the truth about all this in today's episode. |
Wed, 19 August 2015
Tom DiLorenzo returns to the show to discuss the problems with Sanders' demand for more paid vacation time, sick leave, and family leave. DiLorenzo also challenges the conventional narrative about labor unions. You'll feel sorry for Bernie when it's all over. Nah, probably you won't. |
Tue, 18 August 2015
Should libertarians ever take government funds? Another question that divides the libertarian world. Two show regulars are here for another exciting debate! |
Mon, 17 August 2015
Frederic Bastiat, who wrote two centuries ago, got to the heart of so many of the economic fallacies that plague us today. He's a thrill to read. In this episode I give an overview of his ideas. This is taken from my lesson on Bastiat in my 165-video/audio course Western Civilization from 1493, for the Ron Paul Curriculum. |
Fri, 14 August 2015
Should libertarians support Rand Paul? This question continues to divide the libertarian world. Two important figures from that world hash it out in this exciting debate! |
Thu, 13 August 2015
Larry Reed joins us once again to discuss common myths and misconceptions about the free society: Sinclair's The Jungle, state education, Franklin Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover, and more! |
Wed, 12 August 2015
Can entrepreneurship be taught or is it a inherent trait? Matthew McCaffrey joins Tom to discuss it in today's episode. |
Tue, 11 August 2015
It's not enough that governments took away the people's gold and made them hold paper -- now they want the people to get rid of the paper! What's behind the global attack on cash? Charles Hugh Smith pulls back the curtain. |
Mon, 10 August 2015
What is it, exactly, that makes Austrian economics so compelling, especially to someone who believes in freedom? This episode will help you explain it to your skeptical friends. |
Fri, 7 August 2015
Lew and Tom discuss the first Republican presidential debate! |
Thu, 6 August 2015
Gene Epstein discovered a crushing flaw in the argument of Thomas Piketty, whose book Capital in the 21st Century has been used as an indictment of capitalism and inequality. He shares it in this episode! |
Wed, 5 August 2015
Bernie Sanders has generated tremendous enthusiasm for his presidential campaign. His ideas, though, are garden-variety leftism, based in envy, misplaced anger, and economic absurdities. |
Tue, 4 August 2015
The Democratic Party of Connecticut has dropped the names of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson from its annual dinner. Does this move make sense? Were these good guys or bad guys, and would they recognize the modern Democratic Party? |
Mon, 3 August 2015
We seem to understand progressives far better than they understand us. In these remarks, the keynote address at the 2015 Young Americans for Liberty national convention, I review example after sorry example of this phenomenon, while incidentally making the case for libertarianism. |
Fri, 31 July 2015
Walter Block joins us to ask a question a lot of scrupulous libertarians have wondered about: may a libertarian take government money, or hold a job involving government contracts, and the like, while being morally and philosophically consistent? |
Thu, 30 July 2015
Doesn't Child Protective Services exist to protect children against abuse? Former Child Protective Services investigator Carlos Morales tears down the institution's benign facade, and discusses the truth about its methods and activities, in this compelling discussion. |
Wed, 29 July 2015
Mainstream economists see "monopoly power" everywhere -- even when a breakfast cereal company differentiates its product via advertising. It's crazy. In today's episode we discuss the mainstream view of monopoly, as well as so-called perfect competition and monopolistic competition. You'll be begging for some Mises and Rothbard by the time we're done. |
Tue, 28 July 2015
I respond to the perennial claim of the neoconservatives that people who impose imperial adventures must be left-liberals. This is a fun one. |
Mon, 27 July 2015
Today's episode consists of the remarks I recently delivered at the Mises Institute's Mises University summer program. |
Fri, 24 July 2015
When the most radical of the French revolutionaries attempted the total transformation of society, the result was mass murder. I tell the grim story in today's episode. It's taken from my Western Civilization from 1493 course for the Ron Paul Curriculum. |
Thu, 23 July 2015
We know early Christians avoided service in the Roman army, but was that because of its pagan religious overtones or out of a moral opposition to violence and bloodshed -- or both? And what happened to make military service acceptable for Christians centuries later? I explore these and other important questions with Professor George Kalantzis. |
Wed, 22 July 2015
The late ex-Marxist Eugene Genovese famously confronted his fellow leftists over what he called The Question -- what they knew about communist atrocities and when they knew it. It's one of the most devastating articles I've ever read, and I review it in this episode. |
Tue, 21 July 2015
The outstanding economist and libertarian writer Gene Epstein describes his unlikely journey to libertarianism. If you don't know Gene yet, you're in for a real treat. |
Mon, 20 July 2015
Paul Krugman likes to claim that he correctly diagnosed what was happening to the economy and advocated the proper measures during the Bush years, leading up to the financial crisis. But put his words side by side with Ron Paul's, and we discover who the true expert is. |
Fri, 17 July 2015
The Iran nuclear deal is being heartily denounced by the GOP presidential field, Rand Paul included. What does the deal say, and why does Rand Paul oppose it? How does he distinguish himself from the field now? Scott Horton returns to discuss these and other important questions. |
Thu, 16 July 2015
Bob Murphy's new book Choice -- a digestible, easily understood overview of the arguments in Ludwig von Mises' Human Action -- is getting reviews as enthusiastic as any I have ever seen. We discuss the book, and controversial topics in Austrian economics, in today's episode! |
Wed, 15 July 2015
Capitalism is sometimes equated with "fascism" by some of its most visceral critics. But the whole point of fascism, as its architects explained again and again, was to produce an alternative to both communism and capitalism! In today's episode I spend some time discussing what it was like to be a businessman in Nazi Germany. It wasn't a laissez-faire paradise after all! |
Tue, 14 July 2015
Today I explore the egalitarian ideas of John Rawls, the enormously significant political thinker to whom so many social democratic theorists refer. In this episode I'm sharing with you a lesson from my government course for the Ron Paul Curriculum. Enjoy! |
Mon, 13 July 2015
With the handing down of the Obergefell decision, the Fourteenth Amendment is back in the news. What was it really supposed to mean? Not what do some libertarians and conservatives wish it said, but what was it originally supposed to mean? Kevin Gutzman joins me for the answer. |
Fri, 10 July 2015
Mises Institute senior fellow Mark Thornton reviews the cases of Portugal and Washington state: have the fears of the prohibitionists been realized? |
Thu, 9 July 2015
Nick Giambruno joins Tom to discuss the ongoing crisis in Greece, the state of the world's banking system, and more. Don't miss this episode! |
Wed, 8 July 2015
Ron Paul returns to discuss his new book Swords into Plowshares, at once a deeply personal reflection on war and his own career in the military, and also a systematic antiwar broadside. Truly a must-listen. |
Tue, 7 July 2015
Liberland is a burgeoning micronation between Croatia and Serbia, and founded on libertarian principles. By popular demand, we talk to two of its top people in today's episode. |
Mon, 6 July 2015
I bet a lot of libertarians oppose the war in Afghanistan but couldn't give a lot of details to back up their position. This episode will remedy any such deficiency! |
Fri, 3 July 2015
The incomparable Scott Horton discusses ISIS, the neocons' strategy of allying with al Qaeda, the GOP claim that Obama is responsible for ISIS because of the Iraq withdrawal, and much more. |
Thu, 2 July 2015
Rand Paul has a tricky road ahead given the current pack of candidates and the issues that are resonating with GOP primary voters this season. Brian Doherty and I discuss Rand's way forward in today's episode! |
Wed, 1 July 2015
If there's been a more prolific libertarian journalist of the past 30 years than James Bovard, I don't know who it is. Today we talk about Jim's life and the various federal agencies he's exposed over the years. Not to be missed! |
Tue, 30 June 2015
In a recent episode, David Stockman showed just how sluggish the economic recovery has been. But why has it been so sluggish? Wolf von Laer explains precisely how the state has held the economy back. |
Mon, 29 June 2015
I was recently a guest on Radio Mises, the podcast of Mises Sweden. We discussed the limits of allowable opinion, religion and liberty, Ron Paul, Sweden's history, decentralization, and much more. |
Fri, 26 June 2015
Where does the underclass come from? Poor economic conditions and a lack of opportunity, says the left. It's the incentives of the welfare state, says the right. The correct answer is more subtle, says today's guest. |
Thu, 25 June 2015
Libertarians assume Alexander Hamilton is their archenemy, but Michael Malice insists that's not correct. Michael and I have an extremely stimulating exchange of ideas in today's episode! |
Wed, 24 June 2015
James Bovard, the author of ten books, is an investigative journalist who has written for a wide variety of publications. |
Tue, 23 June 2015
Robert Reich keeps on making consistently fallacious but widely viewed short videos on economic topics. His video demanding a $15 minimum wage is a case in point. Thankfully, you have this episode to help you fight back. |
Mon, 22 June 2015
Why is it that despite your excellent arguments, you can't seem to get any traction with a lot of people? Is it enough to appeal to people's reason? Jonathan Haidt offers a provocative argument about how people come to hold their views. |
Fri, 19 June 2015
The irreplaceable Walter Williams smacks down the conventional wisdom on everything from so-called white privilege to education, government spending and debt, and much more. |
Thu, 18 June 2015
It's not uncommon to hear it said that Jesus was a socialist and that the early Church practiced socialism. None of this is true, and our guest takes us through all the key claims. |
Wed, 17 June 2015
The kill rate of American police will surprise you. Ed Stringham gives us the data, as well as the radical libertarian solution. |
Tue, 16 June 2015
Politicians and the media try to cram Americans into two categories: red and blue. The real America is so much more interesting, says Bill Kauffman, one of my favorite guests. |
Mon, 15 June 2015
Interest in Austrian economics is growing in China, of all places, and our guest, Jing Jin, gives us the inside scoop from Beijing. Plus: political and economic conditions in China, and whether China's growth is real. |
Fri, 12 June 2015
Antiwar.com's Angela Keaton, who will be taking the antiwar position in a debate at FreedomFest this year, discusses how to talk to conservatives about war. |
Thu, 11 June 2015
We know that's what the Federal Reserve is doing, but precisely how? Mark Thornton gives all the details. |
Wed, 10 June 2015
![]() Investor and iconoclast Doug Casey returns to the show to discuss his negotiations to establish a free country in Africa -- plus, he answers the questions you good listeners submitted via my Twitter account! |
Tue, 9 June 2015
One reason nobody knows who's a "real conservative" -- and there's even controversy over who's really a libertarian -- is that few people know the history of either of these movements. Jason Jewell walks us through that history and the often rocky but sometimes fruitful relationship between the two groups. |
Mon, 8 June 2015
According to the economists of the Austrian School, artificial credit expansion is the primary factor behind the business cycle. Critics have tried to poke holes in the theory, but David Howden shows those holes are just an illusion. |
Fri, 5 June 2015
Patrick Newman discusses the depression of the 1870s, which is often cited as evidence of the economic instability of laissez-faire capitalism. It was nothing of the sort, says Newman, who uses Austrian business cycle theory to understand what really happened. |
Thu, 4 June 2015
Paul Krugman claims he's gotten everything right in his analysis since the financial crisis, and that his opponents have been dead wrong. Bob Murphy identifies three major areas in which Krugman himself has been dead wrong, and then shows how he's tried to weasel out of them. |
Wed, 3 June 2015
Today's episode covers Uber and several other innovations that have chipped away at the pretensions of the state. |
Tue, 2 June 2015
According to the conventional wisdom, the Iraq war may have been a bad idea, but "the surge worked." Did it? What do we mean by "worked"? CIA veteran Ray McGovern helps us answer this overlooked question. |
Mon, 1 June 2015
Austin Petersen joins me today, and a topic I'd intended to cover in just one portion of the show -- namely, anarchism and minarchism -- became the whole show. You'll enjoy this one, I promise. |
Fri, 29 May 2015
Peter Klein and I critique a recent Salon article containing just about every leftist cliche about the rich ever uttered. |
Thu, 28 May 2015
For the third year in a row, I was asked to speak on classical liberalism (libertarianism) to the 11th graders in my kids' school, in their Great Ideas course. |
Wed, 27 May 2015
James Madison biographer Kevin Gutzman joins Tom to critique the free course on The Federalist offered by the conservative Hillsdale College. Drop everything and listen to this. |
Tue, 26 May 2015
The socialist disaster in Venezuela reminds our guest, Carmen Dorobat, of her native Romania during its communist period. Plus, we discuss protectionism at the World Trade Organization and other economic topics. |
Mon, 25 May 2015
Predictions of doom, whether because of inadequate food, or acid rain, or poverty -- the list goes on and on -- have consistently been refuted by events. Matt Ridley makes an overwhelming case against the doomsayers, who are still very much with us. |
Fri, 22 May 2015
Tom speaks with Mateusz Machaj about the underlying reason Socialism will always fail. |
Thu, 21 May 2015
Tom discusses the problems of Marxism with David Gordon. |
Wed, 20 May 2015
Supporters of Barack Obama say his economic record is actually quite strong, and that right-wingers simply can't accept that. David Stockman, formerly of the Reagan administration, reduces these claims to rubble, and then destroys the rubble. |
Tue, 19 May 2015
Amtrak doesn't need still more money. It needs to be cut off completely. |
Mon, 18 May 2015
Tom discusses the tradition of conscientious objection to war: its history, and its ongoing relevance. |
Fri, 15 May 2015
Jeff Herbener and Tom review Bryan Caplan's article "Why I Am Not an Austrian Economist." |
Thu, 14 May 2015
The so-called millennials were all too happy to pull the level for Obama, but the President represents everything that's making their lives miserable. Diana Furchtgott-Roth joins me to discuss the problems, and what if anything can be done. |