Bob helps to clarify the Bitcoin debate. On the one hand, the "no intrinsic value" skeptics are ignoring how Austrians deal with gold, while on the other hand, the "HODL forever" enthusiasts would never allow Bitcoin to become a money.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

• Bob (and Silas Barta's) guide to Bitcoin.
• Bob's book Contra Krugman.
• Help support the Bob Murphy Show.

The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.

Benjamin Boyce is a writer, interviewer, and filmmaker who rose to fame by relaying his experiences as a student during the infamous Evergreen State protests in 2017. He talks with Bob about the lessons we can learn as the rest of the country follows the same trajectory of identity politics.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

• The YouTube version of this interview.
• Benjamin Boyce's YouTube channel.
• Benjamin Boyce's Complete Evergreen Story (chaps. 10 and 15 were specifically mentioned in the interview).
• Stephen King's On Writing. #Commissions Earned (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
• Help support the Bob Murphy Show.

The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.

Josiah Neeley is the Texas Director and Resident Senior Fellow in Energy for the R Street Institute. He has a lively discussion, pushing back on some of Bob's previously articulated points regarding the recent Texas freeze and blackouts.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

• The YouTube version of this interview.
• Josiah's article on the Texas freeze.
• Bob’s article on the Texas freeze.
• Help support the Bob Murphy Show.

The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.

Rob Bradley is an expert in the history of US energy markets. He explains the role of Sam Insull (co-founder of General Electric) in showing what a free market in electricity would look like, and then criticizes Texas' ERCOT as a central planning agency.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

• The YouTube version of this interview.
• Rob Bradley's website, Master Resource. Rob's article on the recent Texas freeze and Paul Krugman.
• Rob Bradley's books Edison to Enron and Capitalism at Work. #CommissionsEarned
• Harold Demsetz's 1968 Journal of Law and Economics article, "Why Regulate Utilities?"
• Robert Bryce's book Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron. Forrest McDonald's book Insull: The Rise and Fall of a Billionaire Utility Tycoon. #Commissions Earned (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
• Bob's article on the Texas freeze.
• Bob Murphy Show episode 77, where Rob Bradley explains his education under Rothbard and his contributions to energy economics in the Austrian tradition.
• Help support the Bob Murphy Show.

The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.

Gary Wolfram is an economics professor at Hillsdale College, who was both a teacher and colleague of Bob during his two stints at the school (first as a student then as a professor). They discuss Gary's background as an economist in both academia and the political sphere, and why government intervention hurts the people it ostensibly helps.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

• The YouTube version of this interview.
• Gary Wolfram's book, A Capitalist Manifesto. #CommissionsEarned (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
• Bob's article on the $15 minimum wage. Walter Williams' 2007 FEE article on the minimum wage.
• Mises' Liberalism and Bastiat's The Law.
• Help support the Bob Murphy Show.

The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.

Since the deep freeze in February caused millions of Texas homes to lose their power, partisans have been fighting over the blame. The governor blamed wind turbines and the green agenda, whereas Paul Krugman said the fault was with natural gas. Bob shows the numbers; natural gas was to blame only in the sense that nobody expected wind to be useful during a winter crisis.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

• Bob's article at Mises.org, which gives links to all the relevant sources.
• The Foundations of IBC.
• Help support the Bob Murphy Show.

The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.

Medical doctor Keith Smith returns to the show to explain how government intervention allows insurance companies to distort health care prices. Rather than merely diagnosing the problem, Smith has formed organizations that are providing affordable care to patients.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

• The YouTube version of this interview.
• The Surgery Center of Oklahoma. The Free Market Medical Association (FMMA).
• The Medical Freedom Summit, hosted by Mises Institute, on June 17, 2021 in New Hampshire.
• A short YouTube video in which Keith Smith explains $100 hospital aspirin.
• Bob's book (co-authored with emergency room doctor Doug McGuff) on the economics of health care, The Primal Prescription. #CommissionsEarned (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
• Help support the Bob Murphy Show.

The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.

Bob discusses three separate items all related to nonviolence: (1) Gene Sharp's work, (2) Bob's old dream of how to topple a tyrant, and (3) the winners of the Louis CK contest.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

• Gene Sharp's book, From Dictatorship to Democracy. #CommissionsEarned (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
• The trailer for the documentary "How to Start a Revolution."
• Sharp's list of 198 methods of nonviolent action.
• The original Louis CK clip that inspired Bob's contest.
• Help support the Bob Murphy Show.

The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.

Standard economic analysis suggests that even large-scale immigration doesn't hurt native citizens economically. But couldn't the newcomers change the culture and political climate to hurt liberty? In his latest book, economist Ben Powell argues that this too is a baseless fear.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

• The YouTube version of this interview.
• Ben Powell's book (co-authored with Alex Nowrasteh) Wretched Refuse?: The Political Economy of Immigration and Institutions.
• Ben Powell's earlier appearance on ep. 47.
• Help support the Bob Murphy Show.

The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.

Bob explains his idea for the general legal principle under which children would constitute a particular case: Namely, treat the parent (or legal guardian) as a trustee acting upon behalf of the trustor, who is the future (adult) version of that child.

Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest:

• Rothbard's book Ethics of Liberty (free pdf).
• Walter Block et al. on children under libertarian law.
• Bruno Leoni's Freedom and the Law (various formats).
• Bob Murphy's lecture on private law.
• Help support the Bob Murphy Show.

The audio production for this episode was provided by Podsworth Media.