The Tom Woods Show

What if the problem with the state's police isn't bad apples but the fact that they're the state's police? Is it possible to imagine policing without the state?

Show notes for Ep. 1172

Direct download: woods_2018_06_05.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:34pm EDT

No wonder my listeners demanded this episode. Saifedean Ammous takes an economic perspective informed by the Austrian School and applies it to Bitcoin and why it matters. He discusses the various roles Bitcoin can play, and parries common objections. (We also take an animated detour into the BCH/BTC discussion, for those of you interested.)

Show notes for Ep. 1171

Direct download: woods_2018_06_04.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:07pm EDT

One side claims the Deep State is a figment of our imagination. Another thinks of Trump as a fearless crusader against it. Both sides are missing something very important.

Show notes for Ep. 1170

Direct download: woods_2018_06_01.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:28pm EDT

Keith Knight joins me to discuss themes in "The Ultimate Red Pill," his epic video bringing together the best anti-statist arguments and clips. We talk about which arguments work best to get people thinking in new ways, which arguments reached him, and the one thing every 16-year-old should read to be inoculated against socialism.

Show notes for Ep. 1169

Direct download: woods_2018_05_31.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:19pm EDT

Carla Gericke, board member and former president of the Free State Project, discusses ongoing if underreported libertarian victories in New Hampshire, her own campaign for state senate, whether and why libertarians should pursue politics, and a lot more.

Show notes for Ep. 1168

Direct download: woods_2018_05_30.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:27pm EDT

As Michael Malice prepares to start his evening news recap show and moves his existing show to another network, I offer suggestions on how to build an audience: what works, what doesn't, how you can exploit your enemies to increase your popularity, and a lot more. Plenty of lessons here for business and for life.

Show notes for Ep. 1167

Direct download: woods_2018_05_29.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:49pm EDT

This episode begins with my five-minute opening statement from a FreedomFest debate on abolishing the Federal Reserve System, and then proceeds to discuss further problems with the Fed (as well as problems with the so-called Greenbackers, whose critique of the Fed is that they'd prefer to see the Treasury inflate the currency instead). Plus a very funny story that you shouldn't miss.

Show notes for Ep. 1166

Direct download: woods_2018_05_25.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:34pm EDT

Naomi Brockwell -- TV producer, cryptocurrency expert, and libertarian -- joins me to discuss new frontiers in cryptocurrency, how to explain Bitcoin to your grandmother, replies to cryptocurrency skeptics, what it's like to work for John Stossel, and a lot more.

Show notes for Ep. 1165

Direct download: woods_2018_05_24.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:25pm EDT

Is there such a thing as "cultural Marxism"? If so, what is it? And what was the Frankfurt School, and what was it trying to accomplish? Paul Gottfried, who holds a Ph.D. in history from Yale and has written extensively on these subjects, joins me to get to the bottom of it all.

Show notes for Ep. 1164

Direct download: woods_2018_05_23.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:40pm EDT

The Spanish-American War anticipated important themes in the interventionist foreign policy that was to come over the next century. The host of the Dangerous History Podcast joins me to discuss its causes and long-term significance.

Show notes for Ep. 1163

Direct download: woods_2018_05_22.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:33pm EDT

Mark Pulliam joins me to discuss the politicization of American law schools and the role played by the American Bar Association, which enjoys state-bestowed monopoly privileges.

Show notes for Ep. 1162

Direct download: woods_2018_05_21.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:23pm EDT

Matt McWilliams is more likely to be at the zoo with his kids at 2:00pm than he is to be behind a desk.

Matt is a libertarian and a homeschooling father, and served as an officer in the Libertarian Party at the local level. He's now an expert affiliate marketer, and has managed the affiliate programs of some of the top names on the Internet -- in fact, at the Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Awards Matt was named the top affiliate marketing manager in the world. He brings that expertise to this discussion of what works and what doesn't when it comes to online business and affiliate marketing.

Direct download: woods_2018_05_19.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:22pm EDT

Ron Unz -- theoretical physicist, software developer, political candidate, and author -- joins me to discuss themes from his "Our American Pravda" article, which explores stories the media suddenly dropped, or never covered.

Show notes for Ep. 1160

Direct download: woods_2018_05_18.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:36pm EDT

Musa al-Gharbi joins me to discuss the social science literature and its casual claim that racists and white supremacists handed Trump his victory in 2016. The evidence is overwhelmingly against this, as Columbia University's Musa al-Gharbi shows.

Show notes for Ep. 1159

Direct download: woods_2018_05_17.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:41pm EDT

Joanna Williams, education editor at Spiked, discusses her new book Women vs. Feminism. Topics include education, sexual harassment and assault, and advocacy research masquerading as scholarship.

Show notes for Ep. 1158

Direct download: woods_2018_05_16.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:52pm EDT

The parents of 23-month-old Alfie Evans, who suffered from some kind of neurodegenerative disorder, were told they could not take their child for treatment in Rome, where doctors stood willing to assist them. Dr. Michel Accad joins me for a libertarian analysis of this horrific episode.

Show notes for Ep. 1157

Direct download: woods_2018_05_15.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 9:40pm EDT

This one's a doozy, my friends.

The Mises Institute's Jeff Deist joins me to discuss libertarianism, left and right, and ongoing divisions within the movement. We pose the question: if you could have libertarianism triumph but it meant cultural outcomes of which you disapproved, would you still want it? Plus a lot more in this lively discussion.
 
 
Direct download: woods_2018_05_14.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:17pm EDT

Great things are happening with DonorSee, the amazing app through which you can see with your own eyes the effects of your support for worthy projects around the world. Listeners of this very show banded together to build a house for a widow, for example. Listen to the show and support creator Gret Glyer!

Show notes Ep. 1155

Direct download: woods_2018_05_11.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:18pm EDT

Historian and journalist Gareth Porter, who holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University, joins me to discuss the truth versus the propaganda about the Iranian nuclear program.

Show notes for Ep. 1154

Direct download: woods_2018_05_10.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:31pm EDT

Joshua Smith, who is seeking the chairmanship of the Libertarian National Committee, joins me to discuss the present direction of the LP, the infighting, and his own vision for the party.

Show notes for Ep. 1153

Direct download: woods_2018_05_09.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:42pm EDT

I talk to Pat Buchanan about foreign policy, where conservatives have gone wrong, and what the future holds.

Show notes for Ep. 1152

Direct download: woods_2018_05_08.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:55pm EDT

Has America been made great again, or are the same old problems festering beneath the surface? David Stockman, former director of the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan, gives us the full scoop. Plus, we discuss his recent appearance on the FOX Business Network, in which he batted down several regime apologists at once.

Show notes for Ep. 1151

Direct download: woods_2018_05_07.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:48pm EDT

David Pakman of the David Pakman Show, and former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, square off in a discussion of allegations of collusion between the Donald Trump campaign and Russian officials and operatives.

Show notes for Ep. 1150

Direct download: woods_2018_05_04.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:54pm EDT

The brand new film Little Pink House relates the events leading up to Kelo v. New London, about the taking of Susette Kelo's home to give to a private developer. I talk to writer, producer, and director Courtney Balaker in today's episode.

Show notes for Ep. 1149

Direct download: woods_2018_05_03.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:22pm EDT

The ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) have been profoundly influential -- and not for the better. We'll discuss his views on the origins of inequality, the role of the legislator, and the place of the individual in political society. Not an episode to skip, trust me.

Show notes for Ep. 1148

Direct download: woods_2018_05_02.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:04pm EDT

Here's an in-depth discussion of case after ludicrous case of the Framers of the Constitution expressly intending one thing, and government doing another. Might there be a lesson here about constitutions?

Show notes for Ep. 1147

Direct download: woods_2018_05_01.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:42pm EDT

Michael Malice joins me to discuss the recent summit meeting between North and South Korea, in which a North Korean leader set foot in the South for the first time ever. What does it all mean?

Show notes for Ep. 1146

Direct download: woods_2018_04_30.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:02pm EDT

Ben Settle, my email marketing mentor, is one of my favorite guests: nonstop insights into business, marketing, and life. I could talk to him all day. I subscribe to his Email Players newsletter, and I'm a faithful reader of his daily emails.
 
Among the points we cover:
 
-- how to make money from trolls who hate you;
-- why you should ignore the latest "ninja tactic," and first master the fundamentals;
-- the wrong strategy, which is bound to fail, for your online business
-- how neediness is crushing you in business and in life;
-- how to make yourself invulnerable to SJW attacks on your livelihood;
-- why you should never even consider "virtue signaling";
-- the easiest business in the world to start;
-- how to drive traffic;
-- the key book for newbies to read;
-- the value of shaming;
 
and a lot more.
 
Direct download: woods_2018_04_28.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:45pm EDT

In something of a potpourri episode, Scott Horton and I discuss the real truth about presidential war powers under the Constitution, plus the empire's highly successful propaganda apparatus, the military-industrial complex's tactics, and much more.
 
This episode is taken from my recent appearance on the Scott Horton Show.
 
Direct download: woods_2018_04_27.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:24pm EDT

Stoyan Penchev joins me to discuss the status of liberty and statism, and the state of public opinion, in eastern Europe in particular and Bulgaria in particular.

Show notes for Ep. 1143

Direct download: woods_2018_04_26.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:31pm EDT

Why does politics so consistently yield perverse outcomes, of a sort it would be unthinkable to encounter in the private sector? Bob Murphy joins me for a discussion of Public Choice theory, which applies an understanding of economic incentives to the way political institutions operate.

Show notes for Ep. 1142

Direct download: woods_2018_04_25.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:10pm EDT

Henry Sire, who originally published his book The Dictator Pope under a pen name, joins me for some background and insight into Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who as Pope Francis has presided over confusion and controversy.

Show notes for Ep. 1141

Direct download: woods_2018_04_24.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:59pm EDT

Patrick Newman, who recently edited a brand new Rothbard book out of the archives, joins me for a bird's-eye overview of one of the least understood periods of American history.

Show notes for Ep. 1140

Direct download: woods_2018_04_23.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:32pm EDT

Today's episode covers a wide range of topics: the origins of Trump, fallacies of protectionism, how to respond to critics who say libertarianism has never been tried, plus Somalia, working conditions under capitalism, why libertarianism is attacked when we're so marginal, the increasing use of "classical liberal" by creeps, and more.
 
This episode is drawn from my recent appearance on the Free Man Beyond the Wall podcast.
 
Direct download: woods_2018_04_19.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:30pm EDT

Kevin Dixie, owner and founder at No Other Choice Firearms Training, talks Second Amendment, crime, safety, and what it's like dealing with the "black leadership" when you're teaching black folks how to defend themselves.

Show notes for Ep. 1138

Direct download: woods_2018_04_18.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:26pm EDT

Professor William Anderson joins me to discuss the perverse incentives in the American legal system that work against the accused and their ability to fight back against abuses and outrages perpetrated against them.

Show notes for Ep. 1137

Direct download: woods_2018_04_17.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:03pm EDT

Dave Smith, the libertarian comedian whose comedy special Libertas spent three weeks as the #1 comedy album on iTunes last year, joins me to discuss his wonderful CNN gig, where he gets away with telling truths you'd be hard-pressed to find on any network. Plus: the awful state of comedy, whether liberty will come via a series of small changes or a handful of major ones, and more.

Show notes for Ep. 1136

Direct download: woods_2018_04_16.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:46pm EDT

Libertarians often point out that war has consequences at home as well. The co-author of a new book on precisely this subject joins me to fill in the details.

Show notes for Ep. 1135

Direct download: woods_2018_04_14.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 8:14pm EDT

Keith Whittington, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University, joins me to talk trigger warnings, safe spaces, campus censorship and intimidation, and the purpose of a university. I ask him some tough devil's-advocate questions, but he sticks to his guns. Well worth your time.

Show notes for Ep. 1134

Direct download: woods_2018_04_12.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:58pm EDT

Whether you're a car enthusiast or not, you have to love Eric Peters: insanely knowledgeable and thoroughly libertarian. We have a lot to discuss today: nanny-ish new cars, the consequences of federal regulation, the "mobile driver's license" and the privacy issues involved, the Jeep we're allowed to buy but not drive, and a lot more.

Show notes for Ep. 1133

Direct download: woods_2018_04_11.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:38pm EDT

Historian Kevin Gutzman joins me to take on a recent article by a conventional conservative in favor of "originalism" in constitutional interpretation. Fair enough, but as with most conservative discussions of the Constitution, it comes down on the centralist, Marshallian side of the key issues -- and then conservatives scratch their heads about what could have gone wrong.

Show notes for Ep. 1132

Direct download: woods_2018_04_10.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:33pm EDT

With tariffs in the news and stirring up debate, I thought a Tom Woods Show debate on the subject would be enlightening for everyone. Dan McCarthy, editor of the venerable conservative journal Modern Age and editor-at-large of The American Conservative, and Gene Epstein, formerly of Barron's, square off in this much-needed debate on tariffs and trade.

Show notes for Ep. 1131

Direct download: woods_2018_04_09.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:02pm EDT

There are only two people in the world for whom I've ever offered a testimonial: Ben Settle and my guest today, Michael Cheney. Michael has been producing products and dominating affiliate leaderboards since at least the year 2000. He creates promotions that don't bore you to death, which is why they do so well. And he's taught me a boatload of knowledge that I have put to very good use; last year I was able to make substantial donations to causes you and I believe in, thanks to what I learned from Michael.
 
His advice is worth taking to heart.
 
Direct download: woods_2018_04_07.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:22pm EDT

The indoctrination aspect of "public education" has become more pronounced and obvious in recent months. Ron Paul and I discuss that and other outrages with a system everyone defends and takes for granted, and say a few words in defense of the homeschooling alternative.
 
This episode is drawn from my recent appearance on the Ron Paul Liberty Report.
 
Direct download: woods_2018_04_06.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:56pm EDT

Owen Benjamin, who has had a successful career in entertainment, has been having problems with venues canceling on him after rival comedians report him for unapproved thoughts (none of which is actually unreasonable or outside the bounds of legitimate comedy, but you knew that). Opponents even invent things about Owen, or create bot accounts on Twitter to make him look bad. It's crazy.
 
We recorded this interview 48 hours before it aired. Since that time, Owen's Twitter account -- @OwenBenjamin -- has been suspended, and his ability to livestream on his YouTube channel has been revoked.
 
Direct download: woods_2018_04_05.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:36pm EDT

Mitch Toland, once an Obama supporter, made his way into Austrian economics and libertarianism in a most unusual way: his economics professor had him write a paper on Hayekian triangles (a graphical depiction of Austrian capital theory), and this wound up leading him to Ron Paul. He shares his story, plus his venture into politics, in today's episode.

Show notes for Ep. 1127

Direct download: woods_2018_04_04.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 8:27pm EDT

Titus Gebel, founder and CEO of Free Private Cities, Inc., discusses how private enterprise can provide services traditionally associated with governments, and why this approach holds promise for the future.

Show notes for Ep. 1126

Direct download: woods_2018_04_03.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:56pm EDT

The general public sure thinks they are -- and sometimes, economists give them good reason to think so. Bob Murphy joins me to discuss (and critique) the Coase Theorem, which purports to solve an important economic puzzle, but which makes methodologically suspect moves that it appears only Austrians may have noticed.
 
(P.S. We're postponing the discussion of Public Choice, mentioned at the beginning, until a future episode.)
 
Direct download: woods_2018_04_02.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:21pm EDT

Research scientist Dr. Mary Ruwart discusses the true effects of the lethal FDA, which we're taught we couldn't live without.

Show notes for Ep. 1124

Direct download: woods_2018_03_29.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:59pm EDT

With talk of uncompensated expropriation of white landowners making international news, I thought it was a good time to speak to Ernst Roets, a staple of South African television and deputy CEO of Afriforum, to find out what's going on.

Show notes for Ep. 1123

Direct download: woods_2018_03_28.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:11pm EDT

Scott Horton joins me to discuss the views -- on Iraq, North Korea, Russia, Afghanistan, and Iran -- of John Bolton, who was recently tapped to replace H.R. McMaster as National Security Advisor. Check out this episode and you'll be better briefed on the subject than pretty much anyone, anywhere.

Show notes for Ep. 1122

Direct download: woods_2018_03_27.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 12:10pm EDT

Here's how we learn about so-called landmark legislation in school: your wise public servants identified a problem, and then put their heads together in a disinterested, dispassionate way to solve it, and improve life for everyone.
 
In fact, the real roots of legislation often turn out to be far more mundane. The Sherman Antitrust Act, as Patrick Newman explains, is one such example.
 
Direct download: woods_2018_03_26.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:50pm EDT

I was recently a guest on the Six Figure Grind podcast with Kevin Geary, and we talked not about libertarianism but about how I run my little operation here. I hope you take some insights away from our conversation.

Show notes for Ep. 1120

Direct download: woods_2018_03_25.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 9:44pm EDT

José Niño tells the real story of Venezuela: the problems before Chavez, the Chavez disaster, and what's going on today. Plus: are any lessons being learned?

Show notes for Ep. 1119

Direct download: woods_2018_03_23.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:26pm EDT

It's a common neoclassical claim that people will prefer an income tax over an equivalent excise tax. This claim, though questionable, is perhaps less interesting than the method these economists use to reach it. In fact, this seemingly obscure question winds up illustrating a great deal about what separates Austrian economics from the mainstream, and which school of thought is more realistic.

Show notes for Ep. 1118

Direct download: woods_2018_03_22.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:08pm EDT

Some say the U.S. could have won the Vietnam War had there been more political will, or if this rather than that military strategy had been tried. Gareth Porter joins me to consider this question.

Show notes for Ep. 1117

Direct download: woods_2018_03_21.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:54pm EDT

With Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) becoming more prominent both in policy discussions and on social media, now is a good time for a full-blown debate. Enjoy!

Show notes for Ep. 1116

Direct download: woods_2018_03_20.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:25pm EDT

Claes Ryn, professor of politics at the Catholic University of America and director of its Center for the Study of Statesmanship, joins me to discuss how a real statesman would conduct American affairs on the world stage and how, by contrast, the present American establishment does so. We also discuss how we got here (and the problem goes way beyond Woodrow Wilson).

Show notes for Ep. 1115

Direct download: woods_2018_03_19.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 9:06pm EDT

Today I cover two separate topics: Rand Paul's heroic opposition to the Mike Pompeo and Gina Haspel nominations, and the Libertarian Party's strange statement the day of the recent student walkout. That second thing should not have happened.

Show notes for Ep. 1114

Direct download: woods_2018_03_15.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:07pm EDT

This and other questions are discussed in this freewheeling discussion with Michael Malice. Plenty of personal questions (directed at me), too. A total blast. Enjoy!

 
This episode is taken from my appearance on "YOUR WELCOME" with Michael Malice, at CompoundMedia.com.
 
Direct download: woods_2018_03_14.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:02pm EDT

Anthony Rozmajzl, an economics major at Grove City College, won first place in the Thomas E. Woods Prizes at this year's Austrian Student Scholars Conference for his paper on blockchain technology and its applications beyond cryptocurrency. He shares his key points with us today.

Show notes for Ep. 1112

Direct download: woods_2018_03_13.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 10:55pm EDT

Angelo Valle discovered libertarianism and the Tom Woods Show while in high school, heard about Praxis on the show, and at age 20 is now prospering at a successful startup. Now that's the kind of story we ought to hear, so he shares it with me today.

Show notes for Ep. 1111

Direct download: woods_2018_03_12.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:45pm EDT

Josh Wilcoxson joins me to discuss the effectiveness of medical marijuana, the state of the legalization movement, and how we should proceed from here.

Show notes for Ep. 1110

Direct download: woods_2018_03_09.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 9:09pm EDT

Mises biographer Guido Hulsmann joins me to discuss the life of the great economist and social philosopher Ludwig von Mises in the momentous year of 1918, one hundred years ago.

Show notes for Ep. 1109

Direct download: woods_2018_03_08.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:29pm EDT

A schoolteacher in a left-liberal state argues that the school walkout movement -- which is obviously spreading through intimidation, and the implied suggestion that no other point of view deserves a hearing -- is in fact illegal, since it amounts to political activity by schoolteachers at taxpayer expense.

Show notes for Ep. 1108

Direct download: woods_2018_03_07.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:09pm EDT

Topics include: Jordan Peterson, Trump's tariffs, hate mail, the creation of LewRockwell.com, the future of the Mises Institute, and whether more than the nonaggression principle is necessary to sustain liberty.

Show notes for Ep. 1107

Direct download: woods_2018_03_06.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:36pm EDT

Stefan Molyneux and I have a wide-ranging discussion about what's been happening to the libertarian movement, the periodic witch-hunts, and why, in the age of the Internet (where you can build an audience even without the approval of the Official Libertarian Institutions), the drama doesn't matter all that much anymore.

Show notes for Ep. 1106

Direct download: woods_2018_03_05.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:47pm EDT

The Bolshevik Revolution continues to be romanticized to this day. Plenty of communists claim that if only the Soviet Union could have stuck to the original principles of the Revolution, the horrors would not have occurred. Problem: the horrors began with the Revolution, and the origins of the horrors are to be found there.

Show notes for Ep. 1105

Direct download: woods_2018_03_01.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 12:36pm EDT

Here's an overview of what I said about communism to an audience of students at the University of California at Santa Barbara last night. Were the crimes of communism mere aberrations? Were they perversions of an otherwise noble ideal? Or were they the natural, expected outcomes of awful ideas?

Show notes for Ep. 1104

Direct download: woods_2018_02_28.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 8:07am EDT

David Gordon, whose knowledge the late historian Ralph Raico compared to the Library of Congress, joins me for a potpourri episode in which all kinds of wicked errors are delightfully smashed.

Show notes for Ep. 1103

Direct download: woods_2018_02_27.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:11pm EDT

Johnny Rocket, host of the Johnny Rocket Launch Pad (on which I've been a guest, in one of my favorite interviews ever), joins me to discuss his Liberty Force Comic as well as other, unconventional ways we might bring our unorthodox message to the masses.

Show notes for Ep. 1102

Direct download: woods_2018_02_26.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:26pm EDT

In the wake of the recent school shooting in Florida, New York Times bestselling novelist and former firearms instructor Larry Correia joins me to respond to the barrage of demonstrations against guns. If you oppose gun control, you value guns more than your own children, they say. That's the intellectual level of the discussion so far. Larry and I raise it by 50 points in this episode.

Show notes for Ep. 1101

Direct download: woods_2018_02_23.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:33pm EDT

Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, joins me to answer questions submitted by members of my Supporting Listeners group. Topics include the state of the housing market, precious metals investing, Puerto Rico after Irma, the ongoing carnage in the retail sector, and more.

Show notes for Ep. 1100

Direct download: woods_2018_02_22.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:02pm EDT

Steven Slate, who once struggled with drug use himself, joins me to talk about whether what we think we know about addiction is really true. Is addiction a "disease"? Is "treatment" the only way to deal with it? Are people who believe that don't need treatment "in denial"? Is moderate consumption always off limits for people who have had problems?

Show notes for Ep. 1099

Direct download: woods_2018_02_21.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 9:34pm EDT

According to stakeholder theory and the Corporate Social Responsibility movement, it's not enough for a corporation to create products that satisfy consumer preferences and please their stockholders. A much wider range of people, or "stakeholders," should also have a say in the firm's activities -- which should take into account not just the interests of shareholders, but also employees, the community, even society as a whole. Peter Klein joins me to assess and critique all this.

Show notes for Ep. 1098

Direct download: woods_2018_02_20.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:24pm EDT

This is one of my favorite episodes ever. Author and homeschooling parent Laura Blodgett joins me to discuss themes in her 52 Weeks to a Better Relationship with Your Child series. Even if you don't have children, I insist you listen -- there's an awful lot of wisdom in here.

Show notes for Ep. 1097

Direct download: woods_2018_02_19.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:09pm EDT

Professor Kevin Gutzman is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books on American history. He's politically on the right while nevertheless holding much of the "conservative movement" in contempt. His views aren't boilerplate Rush Limbaugh. Therefore, he's part of the Tom Woods Tell-Me-Your-Story project. How does someone -- a historian, no less -- come to adopt views more or less like ours, without getting caught up in the conventional Hillary-or-Mitt spectrum?

Show notes for Ep. 1096

Direct download: woods_2018_02_16.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:02pm EDT

Sherry Clark, co-host of Talking Freely on WETR 92.3 FM / 760 AM in Knoxville, Tennessee, joins me to talk women and libertarianism, as well as homeschooling, the Libertarian Party (and infighting), and how she went from neoconservatism to ancap.

Show notes for Ep. 1095

Direct download: woods_2018_02_15.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:53pm EDT

Bryan Caplan, a professor of economics at George Mason University, has just released a provocative (and really excellent) book that takes aim at the education system virtually all of us grew up in. The claims made for it -- virtually all of them -- collapse on close examination. And he doesn't say the system has been corrupted by political correctness, and we just need to get back to its noble origins. His critique is far more sweeping, and devastating.

Show notes for Ep. 1094

Direct download: woods_2018_02_14.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:50pm EDT

Kevin Duffy, a principal of Bearing Asset Management, gives his assessment of the U.S. economy as a whole and of particular sectors: housing, precious metals, auto loans, and more.

Show notes for Ep. 1093

Direct download: woods_2018_02_13.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:43pm EDT

Mark Perry joins me to discuss the recent Nuclear Posture Review, which some say represents a dramatic break with the past in terms of nuclear policy and the possibility of using nuclear weapons. How concerned should we be?

Show notes for Ep. 1092

Direct download: woods_2018_02_12.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:32pm EDT

The great comedian and brilliant libertarian Dave Smith and I talk about pretty much everything: what libertarianism is really all about, why Ben Shapiro's attack on Ron Paul is dumb, how I changed my mind on war, and a lot more.

Show notes for Ep. 1091

Direct download: woods_2018_02_09.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:38pm EDT

Antony Sammeroff, who co-hosts the Scottish Liberty Podcast, leads an amazingly productive life. He balances his work, his passion, his personal life, and his health. He does what we all wish we could do. How?

Show notes for Ep. 1090

Direct download: woods_2018_02_08.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:28pm EDT

Gene Epstein, formerly of Barron's, joins me to discuss the work of Noam Chomsky, whose views in some areas are so well formed, and in others are simplistic and disappointing. Chomsky is one of the people who Gene says led him to libertarianism, so this is a gem of a discussion.

Show notes for Ep. 1089

Direct download: woods_2018_02_07.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:08pm EDT

Per Bylund, a professor of entrepreneurship, suggests a new way of thinking about inequality, its causes (and its mitigation), and whether we should even care about it. Fun!

Show notes for Ep. 1088

Direct download: woods_2018_02_06.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:44pm EDT

Is the Nunes memo, which speaks of the politicization of the FBI in the service of opposing the election of Donald Trump, really a "nothingburger," or is there something there? Ray McGovern, no Trump partisan, has been blacklisted by much of the progressive media (which once loved him) because he won't go alone with the Russiagate story, and he sharply dissents about the significance of the memo as well.

Show notes for Ep. 1087

Direct download: woods_2018_02_05.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 7:36pm EDT

Chris Calton joins me to discuss one of the most fascinating figures in libertarian history, and how he evolved from defending the Constitution against the claim that it favored slavery all the way to rejecting the very idea that the U.S. Constitution, or any other constitution, could truly bind the people.

Show notes for Ep. 1086

Direct download: woods_2018_02_02.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 2:51pm EDT

Robert Higgs, the distinguished economic historian and author of Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, covers some of the alleged success stories of government intervention.

Show notes for Ep. 1085

Direct download: woods_2018_02_01.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:42pm EDT

Mises Institute president Jeff Deist joins me to discuss last night's State of the Union address. We discuss policy, style, Democratic reaction, Trump's ideological confusion, and a lot more.

Show notes for Ep. 1084

Direct download: woods_2018_01_30.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:27pm EDT

The great Gerard Casey, professor emeritus of philosophy at University College, Dublin, joins me to discuss the years surrounding the English Civil War, a critical period in the history of political thought, when many great (and some rotten) ideas  -- including libertarian ideas like natural rights and self-ownership -- were born or developed.

Show notes for Ep. 1083

Direct download: woods_2018_01_29.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:50pm EDT

F.A. Hayek, illustrious member of the Austrian School of economics, won the Nobel Prize in 1974, and wrote prolifically on both economic and non-economic topics. He has been a source of controversy within libertarian circles because of some aspects of his work. Joe Salerno helps us sort everything out about this central figure.

Show notes for Ep. 1082

Direct download: woods_2018_01_26.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:08pm EDT

Mance Rayder, author of Freedom Through Memedom, joins me for some big-picture arguments against the state and for freedom.

Show notes for Ep. 1081

Direct download: woods_2018_01_25.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 3:45pm EDT

Strength trainer Mark Rippetoe returns to discuss state licensing, its true motivations, and why a free society doesn't need it.

Show notes for Ep. 1080

Direct download: woods_2018_01_24.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 1:24pm EDT

This episode, featuring Justine Brown, begins with a discussion of Thomas More's classic work Utopia, trying to get to the bottom of what the author meant to convey with it, and then continues with a discussion of utopian communities and theories, and what may be wrong with them.

Show notes for Ep. 1079

Direct download: woods_2018_01_23.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 8:40pm EDT

The media's opposition to Trump has confused and obscured the true nature of the relationship between itself and the American regime. Do we really have an adversarial press? Lew Rockwell joins me to get to the bottom of it.

Show notes for Ep. 1078

Direct download: woods_2018_01_22.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 5:33pm EDT

Michael Douma, Assistant Research Professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown, and Director of the Georgetown Institute for the Study of Markets and Ethics, joins me to discuss what it means to be a classical liberal, or libertarian, historian -- do we have our own methods, are we telling a different story, or what precisely are we doing?

Show notes for Ep. 1077

Direct download: woods_2018_01_19.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:38pm EDT

Thomas Hazlett, former chief economist at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and a professor of economics at Clemson University, talks about where regulators have gone wrong and the market has gone right, from the radio spectrum debate of the 1920s down to the present day.

Show notes for Ep. 1076

Direct download: woods_2018_01_17.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 12:08pm EDT

Michael Boldin, founder and executive director of the Tenth Amendment Center, talks about a wide variety of resistance movements at the state level against the federal government. Nullification: it's happening!

Show notes for Ep. 1075

Direct download: woods_2018_01_16.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 6:13pm EDT

With the idea of class so central to Marxian theory, libertarians might be tempted to ignore class as a category. But there is in fact such a thing as libertarian class theory, because in libertarian theory there are distinct groups of exploiters and exploited. Gary Chartier joins me to discuss the history and development of libertarian class theory.

Show notes for Ep. 1074

Direct download: woods_2018_01_12.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 11:03am EDT

Historian Brion McClanahan and I begin by discussing the conservative movement's wary and sometimes hostile reception of his book criticizing Alexander Hamilton. From there, we trace out how Brion went from conventional conservative to Old Right/libertarian. (We love these stories, don't we?)

Show notes for Ep. 1073

Direct download: woods_2018_01_11.mp3
Category:Talk Radio -- posted at: 4:45pm EDT