Wed, 19 October 2016
Here's an interview I did on the Kennedy Financial podcast, covering all kinds of topics: 19th-century bank panics, what kind of gold and silver coins you should have, how to work online without a boss, and much more. |
Tue, 18 October 2016
Some say libertarian views aren't heard in politics because libertarians don't vote, so there's no point in courting them. The real reason tells us much more about politics, voting, and the state. |
Mon, 17 October 2016
Capitalism is all about buying and selling, and if you want to sell online, you have to know how to use email the right way. If you master email marketing, you’ll have a huge advantage over your competitors – most of whom, frankly, will be doing it all wrong. In this episode, Daniel Levis joins me to explain the right – and wrong – way to prosper through email. |
Fri, 14 October 2016
In the 1990s, Murray Rothbard thought an opportune moment had arisen to reach out again to the American right wing. With the Cold War over, a number of interesting and impressive conservative thinkers were concluding that it was time to stop the global interventionism and return to being a normal country again. This meeting of the minds, between paleoconservatives (so named to distinguish themselves from neoconservatives) and paleolibertarians bore considerable fruit. Jason Jewell walks through this important history. |
Thu, 13 October 2016
Senator Bernie Sanders attracted plenty of attention this election cycle, but while his complaints weren’t always without merit, his proposed solutions would only have added fuel to the fire. Hunter Lewis, author of the new book Where Bernie Went Wrong, joins me to take a closer look at Bernie and his ideas. |
Wed, 12 October 2016
When I recently (episode 745) spoke to Professor Jeffrey Herbener about the economic effects of fractional-reserve banking, I recalled that John Tamny and I had had a disagreement on the subject. So for this episode I’ve invited both of these gentlemen for a formal debate on the subject. I think you’ll find the result enlightening. |
Tue, 11 October 2016
Conservatives and many libertarians look back fondly on British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, whom they remember for taking on trade unions and the left, and advocating free-market economic policy. Is this an accurate picture of the former British leader? Sean Gabb joins me for an unconditional look at Margaret Thatcher. |
Mon, 10 October 2016
I get asked a lot about places where libertarians might move were things to go really sour in the United States. I myself plan to stick it out come what may, but it’s a good question all the same. One place sometimes cited in this respect is Singapore. Ivo Zlamal, a Supporting Listener of the show who has lived in Singapore for four and a half years, shares his impressions of that small country. |
Fri, 7 October 2016
Rosa Brooks, an expert on international law and national security law, discusses how the War on Terror has confused and conflated war and peace, thereby blurring legal principles and categories developed over the course of Western civilization. |
Thu, 6 October 2016
Neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton can or will explain precisely what the Fed has done to the economy since the turn of the century, but it's crucial that we understand it. Meanwhile, although we hear nothing but warnings and gloom about employment in the age of automation, the true picture turns out to be much brighter. This are my remarks at the Mises Institute's event at Harvard on October 1, 2016. |
Wed, 5 October 2016
Senator Tim Kaine and Governor Mike Pence squared off in the only vice presidential debate of this campaign season last night, and Lew and I evaluate the wreckage. |
Tue, 4 October 2016
Gret Glyer, a graduate of Grove City College who lives in Malawi, just launched an app that will knock your socks off: help fund worthy projects of all sizes all over the world, and get receive immediate notification and visual evidence of your impact when the project is complete. |
Mon, 3 October 2016
Here's what I told over 100 sheriffs about state nullification, the states' right to refuse to allow the enforcement of unconstitutional federal laws. |
Fri, 30 September 2016
A short episode today, touching on some of the arguments libertarians have to face when it comes to education, plus two random thoughts on my mind. |
Thu, 29 September 2016
James Newcomb, another conscientious objector I've gotten to know in the private Facebook group for the show's Supporting Listeners, discusses his post-military entrepreneurial vision, and how to embark on a new life. |
Wed, 28 September 2016
Here's a common refrain: the rich are parasites who in fact don't create jobs at all. Plenty of them just shelter their income somewhere. The real job creators are the working classes, who go out and spend their money. This is what stimulates economic activity. What is the correct response to this line of argument? |
Tue, 27 September 2016
Did Trump land a knockout blow in last night's debate? For those of us wanting to see Clinton smashed on live TV, the answer -- according to Lew Rockwell and me -- is unfortunately not. Here's our analysis, punchy as always, of what went down. |
Mon, 26 September 2016
Fractional-reserve banking, in which only a fraction of demand deposits are available on demand (the rest being lent out), has been a source of controversy even among self-identified Austrian economists. Jeff Herbener joins us to discuss the purely economic effects of fractional-reserve banking. |
Fri, 23 September 2016
Today we look at the thought of G.A. Cohen, a Marxist who actually tried to deal with libertarian ideas without caricaturing them. His ideas can help us sharpen our arguments, and can show us where egalitarianism leads. The bulk of this episode is drawn from my 90-lesson government course I created for the Ron Paul Curriculum. |
Thu, 22 September 2016
Harvard's Steven Pinker has argued that violence has been drastically reduced over the course of human history, thanks in large part to the rise of the state. Is this checkmate for libertarians? Stefan Blankertz says no. |
Wed, 21 September 2016
Jason Stopper, a regular Tom Woods Show listener, recently resigned his commission in the U.S. Army, and now seeks to become a paramedic -- so he can heal people rather than harm them. |
Tue, 20 September 2016
David Stockman, himself of the Reagan Administration, recounts the horrific economic policies of recent administrations, describes their consequences, and proposes solutions. Hint: they include abolishing the Federal Open Market Committee, which the Fed uses to make monetary policy. |
Mon, 19 September 2016
To this day, plenty of people believe that the Western intervention in Serbia over Kosovo prevented a genocide. That one's a whopper even by Pentagon standards. Jim Jatras joins me to get to the bottom of what really happened. |
Fri, 16 September 2016
With such libertarian luminaries as Murray Rothbard and Walter Block at odds with regard to the creation of Israel and its conformity or otherwise to libertarian principles, it seemed sensible to host a debate on the subject. The resolution: "Israel was founded on the basis of legitimate homesteading of land and reclamation of lost Jewish property from previous generations of Jews." Arguing in the affirmative is Rafi Farber, and in the negative is Jeremy R. Hammond. |
Thu, 15 September 2016
Donald Trump recently proposed a series of tax credits for child-care expenses and, more controversially, six weeks of paid maternity leave. What could be wrong with that? |
Wed, 14 September 2016
The America First Committee, which opposed U.S. entry into World War II, is universally despised today. Bill Kauffman and I use the AFC as a springboard to discuss nonintervention in general and a whole lot more. |
Tue, 13 September 2016
Even though the various levels of government in the U.S. hold a monopoly on law enforcement (remember how this was supposed to keep us safe, etc.?) phone scammers are alive and well. What a surprise. Here's one way the private sector is really keeping people safe. Plus, a few fun tangents in this episode. |
Mon, 12 September 2016
Whether it's Gloria Steinem on anorexia nervosa, Mitch Snyder on homelessness, campus activists on rape, environmentalists on DDT, Ralph Nader on traffic safety, and pretty much all progressives on child labor, discrimination, and the minimum wage, the record isn't so good. |
Fri, 9 September 2016
Writer and philosopher Steve Patterson, one of the most interesting people I know, walks us through metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics to reach libertarianism. |
Thu, 8 September 2016
In this episode I share some thoughts about egalitarianism and the family (mortal enemies, those), and whether parents can be said, within the libertarian framework, to have positive obligations toward their children. |
Wed, 7 September 2016
So-called private prisons came under fire recently, so we were treated to the usual anti-capitalist propaganda. But just how "private" are these "private prisons"? Plus: are millennials really anti-capitalist, or are they (I'll be kind) just clueless? |
Tue, 6 September 2016
Todd Seavey, author of Libertarianism for Beginners, joins me for a discussion that beginners and advanced students alike will enjoy. We go from the foundations, to real-world applications, to problems for libertarianism, to left and right and libertarians. Much to learn from and enjoy. |
Mon, 5 September 2016
It's Labor Day, which means we're hearing all about how the labor movement have made our country and the world a better place. One bumper sticker reads, "The Weekend: Brought to You By Labor Unions." That's just plain false, and I explain why. |
Fri, 2 September 2016
What's the deal with the EpiPen price hike? Does it show capitalism doesn't work? I get into the details today. Then I call some scammers who tried to claim I was being sued by the IRS. |
Thu, 1 September 2016
With protectionism on the rise and opponents of trade insisting that international competition is at the root of Middle America's problems, the libertarian response -- to my mind, at least -- has been tepid and unpersuasive. Gene Epstein joins me to fix that. |
Wed, 31 August 2016
Scott McConnell was once editorial page editor of the New York Post, and worked and published in neoconservative circles. Then something changed, and he helped found The American Conservative, an anti-neocon magazine. Lots covered here, including foreign policy, Israel/Palestine, the alt-right, and more. |
Tue, 30 August 2016
Good Morning America's Amy Robach came under overwhelming pressure after she used the term "colored people" on television, instead of the approved phrase "people of color," which is completely different because it contains a preposition. Michael Malice returns to the show to get to the bottom of what's really going on here, and how progressives use race and terminology as means of control. |
Mon, 29 August 2016
Author Chase Rachels joins me to discuss some of the hard cases -- education, roads (of course!), and even security -- when it comes to imagining how society without a state might work. |
Fri, 26 August 2016
On Milo's podcast we discussed sane and insane college campuses, what we should think about Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani, and in general had politically incorrect fun. |
Thu, 25 August 2016
Jeff Herbener joins me to respond to an article making the rounds these days claiming that Austrian criticisms of mainstream economics are either uninformed or simply fall flat. By the end of this episode, it's this critic who's flat. |
Wed, 24 August 2016
Eric Peters returns to the show to talk about everything from self-driving cars to Tesla and cronyism, to which radar detector you should buy, and more. |
Wed, 24 August 2016
Monetary expert Philipp Bagus takes us from the basics through more advanced topics as he dismantles the case for government-managed money. |
Mon, 22 August 2016
What is the relationship between freedom and the stories we tell ourselves? That's what Brad Birzer explores in this episode that takes us from the ancient Greeks through JRR Tolkien! |
Fri, 19 August 2016
That sounds like the sort of thing a libertarian would say, doesn't it? But in fact the case against the FBI is pretty darn good, and Ryan McMaken joins me to make that case. |
Thu, 18 August 2016
Here's my recent appearance on the Johnny Rocket Launch Pad. What a blast (so to speak). They asked me lots of things I've never been asked before, about when my ethics have been challenged and what I've done about it, what I've changed my mind about, how I teach my kids without making them into clones, where I first discovered Austrian economics (the answer will surprise you), and how I get my message heard by conservatives and progressives. If you don't enjoy this episode, I owe you a Coke. |
Wed, 17 August 2016
The cases of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland are raised by the left as alleged examples of non-market success stories. What's the real truth? |
Tue, 16 August 2016
The ripple effects of government regulation throughout society go well beyond the famous "seen and unseen" formulation of Frederic Bastiat. Per Bylund helps us trace the full consequences of government regulation and its effects on people's lives. |
Mon, 15 August 2016
Independent musician Leah McHenry, who's also a libertarian and a homeschooling mom of five, talks about today's opportunities for musicians and really any independent content creators to build audiences and create full-blown careers. |
Fri, 12 August 2016
One of the most bizarre phenomena within the libertarian movement is the occasional hostility toward Murray Rothbard, the very creator of the libertarian movement and one of the most prolific and accomplished scholars of the twentieth century. In case anyone's trying to persuade you that Rothbard was overrated, and really not all that impressive, here's what you need to know. |
Thu, 11 August 2016
Here's a common objection to the free market: why, it doesn't yield enough scientific research! We need government funding for that. Even some free-market folks have bought this line. Here are some helpful thoughts in favor of the market and science. |
Wed, 10 August 2016
Robert Zubrin, founder and president of the Mars Society, replies to objections to the human settlement of Mars. |
Wed, 10 August 2016
Julie Borowski is closing in on 200,000 Facebook likes, thanks to her consistent output and quality content. She's learned a lot along the way about spreading the message, about weak points in the message, and about having a thick skin. |
Mon, 8 August 2016
Liberty Memes is a wildly successful Facebook page that encapsulates libertarian ideas in provocative graphics. They recently ran afoul of the Facebook police for a meme about Hillary that's so far within the normal boundaries of American political commentary you'll hardly believe it. We discuss that, the page, and what it all means. |
Fri, 5 August 2016
The consequences of the US government's interventions in Libya and Syria have been pretty grim. Jim and Michael Ostrowski make a methodical lawyers' case against them, and lay bare the disasters that have resulted. |
Thu, 4 August 2016
Ron Paul returned to the show today to answer listener questions, submitted in our private Facebook group. Among other things, I asked him: Are you planning to vote for Gary Johnson? What are your favorite books? What book would you recommend for a curious beginner? How do you feel about libertarians accepting government money or taking government jobs? Who's carrying the torch in terms of the libertarian message today and into the future? What's the one statist argument that really sticks in your craw? What's a favorite memory from your days as a physician? Why do you think Bernie endorsed Clinton? |
Wed, 3 August 2016
There are all kinds of ways militarism and even the preparation for war can deform the economy, and many of these are easy to miss. I go through a bunch of them in this talk delivered at the 2016 Mises University program, hosted by the Mises Institute. |
Tue, 2 August 2016
J.D. Vance offers a compelling, firsthand account of life among the white working poor, and in particular among a family with roots in the Appalachia region of northern Kentucky. It's easy to devise economic explanations for this group's stagnation and retrogression, but a deeply ingrained set of self-destructive ideas and behaviors renders futile most conventional, political approaches to remedying the problem. This is an episode you won't soon forget. |
Mon, 1 August 2016
It's pretty thin gruel, to put it mildly, for freedom lovers in 2016, so I spent the opening talk at this year's Mises University program (hosted by the Mises Institute) contrasting the free society with what Trump and Clinton have to offer. Zingy stuff. |
Fri, 29 July 2016
Adam Smith is consistently held up as the great founder of economics and herald of capitalism. Murray Rothbard energetically disputed this characterization. Others, in turn, have criticized Rothbard's criticism. So what are we to think? |
Thu, 28 July 2016
What exactly is the ideology of the "Social Justice Warrior"? What do you do when you're targeted by one, whether at work or in general? Vox Day -- popular blogger, author, SJW slayer, and polymath -- joins me for background and strategy. |
Tue, 26 July 2016
The infamous 28 pages from a joint congressional intelligence inquiry regarding 9/11 were finally declassified, and the media told us there was nothing to see in them. Not true. Award-winning reporter Larisa Alexandrovna joins me for the real story. |
Mon, 25 July 2016
Tom Ciccotta is president of the Bucknell University Class of 2017 and president of the College Republicans. He is also a staff writer for Breitbart News and co-host and producer of the Milo Yiannopoulos Show. |
Sat, 23 July 2016
Jeff Deist, Ron Paul's former chief of staff, joins me to discuss current events as well as the coming week's Mises University summer program, which can boast many illustrious graduates and is my favorite week of the year. |
Fri, 22 July 2016
Now the fashionable trend on college campuses involves campaigns for university administrations to divest from investments connected to fossil fuels. Pierre Desrochers blasts this to smithereens. |
Thu, 21 July 2016
What's going on at the Republican Convention, and in the 2016 race? What should we think of Trump and the Giuliani/Christie convention? And what's likely to happen in November? Murray Sabrin joins me for the inside scoop. |
Wed, 20 July 2016
You care only about profits! What about more important things? We've all heard that. Profits are in fact an indispensable ingredient of civilization itself. I explain how in today's episode. |
Mon, 18 July 2016
Socialism has become fashionable again, especially among young people. Tom DiLorenzo's new book smashes it in delightful and memorable style. |
Fri, 15 July 2016
A listener wrote to ask if I might do a show covering a few names who will be familiar to many listeners as sympathizers but not quite Austro-libertarians, and take a look at the good and the bad. David Gordon joins me to discuss Sowell, Nozick, and Epstein. Enjoy! |
Tue, 12 July 2016
Michael Malice discusses his recent Observer article in support of the secession of American states. I throw some common objections at him, and the result is our usual festival of knowledge and fun. |
Sun, 10 July 2016
Robin Koerner joins me to discuss how we can most effectively bring people over to our side. And it's not how you may think. |
Wed, 6 July 2016
Brian McGlinchey, creator of 28Pages.org, joins me to discuss the much-discussed, but entirely redacted "28 pages" of an important intelligence report on 9/11. |
Sun, 3 July 2016
Jim Hale served as media relations director for the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, a key pro-war organization that boasted such members as John McCain, George Shultz, and Bob Kerrey (senator from Nebraska). He is now a Tom Woods Show listener and a convert to noninterventionist foreign policy. |
Sat, 2 July 2016
Environmental protection is one of those hard subjects for libertarianism. Ryan Yonk, co-author of a new book on the subject, joins us to discuss non-bureaucratic ways to think about it. |
Thu, 30 June 2016
When Salon.com attacks libertarianism, it's always the same old arguments. Here's how I answer them. |
Fri, 24 June 2016
Tenth Amendment Center founder and executive director Michael Boldin discusses successes, failures, and what he's learned from both, on the occasion of the center's tenth anniversary. This one guy has had a greater impact than entire think-tanks, so we should learn from him. (And since Michael started off as a leftist, we get a good conversion story, too.) |
Thu, 23 June 2016
This is one of my favorite interviews ever. It's from my appearance on the Isaac Morehouse Podcast. My listeners know Isaac from Praxis (hyperlink), his great company that gives young people an opportunity to get on-the-job experience with a firm that does something they find interesting, and gets them a head start in the job market. In this episode I talk about my own experiences: in the publishing world, in the libertarian world, as a kid, as an adult, and -- to my surprise -- I wound up discussing some personal failings I've been working on that I haven't mentioned before. I hope you won't skip this one. |
Wed, 22 June 2016
John Tamny and I discuss the Fed and its record, along with money, credit, and the economy in general. We also get into a dispute over fractional-reserve banking. Check it out! |
Tue, 21 June 2016
Today four guests of varying perspectives -- Jeff Deist, Dr. Mary Ruwart, Tom Mullen, and Jason Rink -- join me to discuss the Libertarian Party and the prospects for the Johnson/Weld ticket. |
Mon, 20 June 2016
Several days ago I moderated a very interesting and productive debate on the subject of free trade between two very sharp guys. Attendees raved about it. I hope you will, too. |
Fri, 17 June 2016
Eric July says he was into gangs and lots of bad stuff, and then he read Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams, and ultimately became an anarcho-capitalist. Not exactly your run-of-the-mill conversion story. We discuss his ideas and his music in today's episode. |
Thu, 16 June 2016
After every mass shooting we have the same conversation about guns. We take up the subject today, and examine a recent article claiming that the militia in the Second Amendment is really just the National Guard. Show notes for Ep. 682 |
Wed, 15 June 2016
If libertarians are going to take the nonaggression principle seriously, they have to oppose the doctrine of "public accommodation," even though 99.999% of the public supports it. Ryan McMaken's work on the true history of minority advancement makes our job here a lot easier. |
Mon, 13 June 2016
As a refugee from the "conservative movement," I have a special message for any good folks still there: get out now. |
Fri, 10 June 2016
Michael Malice and I discuss the merits and demerits of voting -- a contentious subject among libertarians. Although Michael is wrong as usual, it's still fun to talk to him. |
Thu, 9 June 2016
Historian Brion McClanahan joins me to discuss pivotal moments in American history to see if they're genuine parallels with the present election cycle. |
Wed, 8 June 2016
Keith Preston, who is neither a conservative nor a libertarian but who's never dull, skewers political correctness in this provocative episode. According to Herbert Marcuse, on some things there is no other side to the argument worth considering, so it's all right to suppress alternative voices. That's the key to understanding the enemies of free speech today. |
Tue, 7 June 2016
Jonathan Haidt returns to the show to discuss the now-routine campus outrages against free speech. Is it possible to persuade such people? What should college administrators do? Another great discussion with Prof. Haidt. |
Mon, 6 June 2016
Fashionable leftist opinion in the U.S. held that Venezuela was a great example of modern socialism, and which was having very good results. Where are they now? Mark Perry and I discuss the fiasco and the fools. |
Fri, 3 June 2016
Why do you suppose the officer asks, "Do you know why I stopped you today?" Why doesn't he just say, "Hey, you were speeding"? He's looking to get you to volunteer information. That's the kind of thing we discuss in today's episode. |
Thu, 2 June 2016
Libertarian car expert Eric Peters returns to the show to discuss the 55 mph speed limit and its rationales, the Blue Lives Matter movement, and much more from the world of cars and liberty. |
Wed, 1 June 2016
Is the nomination of Gary Johnson and Bill Weld for the Libertarian Party's presidential ticket a good thing? Aren't they better than the alternatives? Is someone an incorrigible "perfectionist" to raise concerns? Here's my take. |
Tue, 31 May 2016
What's the best way forward for the Libertarian Party? There's some pretty strong medicine in this one, especially toward the end. Key point: product differentiation. We're not 30% different from Republicans and Democrats. We're certainly not "fiscally conservative and socially liberal." So what are we? And how should we spread the message? Juicy stuff here, I promise. |
Fri, 27 May 2016
The American people give vastly more in philanthropic donations on a percentage basis than anyone in the world. This is the best-kept secret in American textbooks. Any schoolboy would have the impression that government intervention is required in order to get things done -- after all, who else is going to do it? The suppressed history of American philanthropy is fascinating and compelling, and our expert guest takes us through this important part of American history and culture. |
Thu, 26 May 2016
We live in a "rape culture," according to many feminists these days, in which men are by definition rapists and in which rape is encouraged and considered normal. In fact, rape is punished severely and some people's lives have been ruined because they were assumed to be guilty when they weren't, so what could this all be about? Wendy McElroy, author of a new book on the subject, joins me to shed some light. |
Wed, 25 May 2016
Economist David R. Henderson, deeply affected by the wars following 9/11, turned his research energies toward foreign policy, looking to see how an economist's tools could be brought to bear in deciding on a sensible foreign policy. We talk about that today, in a really outstanding conversation. |
Tue, 24 May 2016
The left-wing George Monbiot of The Guardian says the financial crisis was caused by “neoliberalism,” a term Mises and Hayek never used, but a category into which Monbiot places them. He then says pretty much all our problems have been caused by “neoliberalism.” It’s a smorgasbord of stupidity, but (or should I say “so”?) it went viral. |
Mon, 23 May 2016
Libertarian entrepreneur TK Coleman confronts the "we're all doomed because of our choices in this election" chorus we hear every four years. As bad as the state is, you still hold a lot of power in your hands. |
Fri, 20 May 2016
Entrepreneur Ryan Daniel Moran returns to the show to discuss capitalism, business, and his own success. |
Thu, 19 May 2016
We know the Fed inflated during the 1920s and set the stage for the bust, but some people say that if only the Fed had inflated during the 1930s, things would have improved. This is wrong on every conceivable level -- and in fact, the Fed tried its best to inflate in the 1930s. It's very important for us to get this right, because we've got the Keynesians and the Friedmanites united against us. We clear up the Fed's real record during the Depression in today's episode. |
Wed, 18 May 2016
Sheldon Richman, author of the new book America's Counter-Revolution, thinks so. (Warning: heads may explode while listening.) |
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