Cato Events Podcast

Are libertarians and conservatives just variations of the same ideological species, or do they represent unique and separate philosophical traditions? One of National Review's founding editors, Frank Meyer — father of Federalist Society president Eugene Meyer — called for a synthesis of the traditionalist and libertarian strains within the magazine's followers. This "fusionism" animated Cold War conservatism and influenced the likes of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Decades later, facing a very different electoral landscape, another National Review staffer, Charles C. W. Cooke, hopes to get the band back together again. But does the political calculus still work? Can there be a marriage of convenience when the issues that strain the would-be alliance — gay marriage, immigration, the drug war, foreign policy — are as salient to many voters as issues that would cement it? With the 2016 election season already underway, please join us for a spirited discussion of The Conservatarian Manifesto and decide for yourself whether conservatives and libertarians should work closely to advance their common goals.

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The Supreme Court’s decision on King v. Burwell validated President Obama’s massive power grab, allowing him to tax, borrow, and spend $700 billion without congressional approval. This establishes a precedent that could let any president modify, amend, or suspend any enacted law at his or her whim.As it stands, Obamacare will continue to disrupt coverage for sick Americans until Congress repeals it and replaces it with reforms that make health care better, more affordable, and more secure. Despite the ruling, Obamacare remains unpopular with the American public and the battle to set in place a health care system that works for all Americans is far from over.Come hear leading scholars discuss the impact of King v. Burwell on health care reform, separation of powers, and the rule of law.

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As U.S. policymakers debate how best to deal with the problem of abusive patent litigation, some other governments have decided to fight fire with fire by creating state-owned patent assertion entities. The phenomenon deserves more attention from policymakers in Washington, who are bound to play an important role in shaping international rules to regulate these government "patent trolls." Known formally as sovereign patent funds, these public-private entities amass large patent portfolios they can use to help domestic companies—sometimes through litigation against foreign competitors. Is this policy a reasonable response to the difficulties many companies face managing patents in a global economy, or is it merely a new form of protectionist industrial policy? Come hear our expert panel discuss the peculiar complexities of this emerging issue.

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Many in Washington deny that the nation's energy needs can be met by free markets. Wars on coal and carbon dioxide follow this faith in government regulation and control of energy. Since the 1970s, however, more libertarian voices have been heard on these issues. Rob Bradley, who has been involved with free-market energy policy since its inception, will discuss the history of libertarian thinking on past energy policy and its relevance for current policy debates. Please join us for a provocative look at an alternative way of thinking about energy and public policy.

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Cato Connects features a LIVE discussion on Obergefell v. Hodges — what the ruling means to the 14th amendment and for marriage equality.In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex.Produced by Caleb O. Brown, Austin Bragg, Tess Terrible and Kevin Sennett.

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The Supreme Court has ruled in King v. Burwell that individuals who get their health insurance through an exchange established by the federal government are eligible for tax subsidies. Says Cato scholar Michael F. Cannon, “The Court today validated President Obama’s massive power grab, allowing him to tax, borrow, and spend $700 billion that no Congress ever authorized. …In doing so, the Court has sent a dangerous message to future administrations: If you are going to violate the law, make sure you go big.”

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The EPA’s most costly air-pollution and global-warming regulations are justified by the belief that small particles in outdoor air, like soot and dust, kill people. Based upon internal EPA documents and original research, Steven Milloy, publisher of the widely read blog JunkScience.com, will demonstrate that the agency’s belief does not pass scientific muster. As has been the case with climate change research, the dangerous liaison between regulatory agencies and academia has again resulted in a substantial distortion of reality. Please join us for a probing critique of science in service to regulatory overreach.

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Recent advances in energy production technology have driven a remarkable achievement: since 2008, American oil production has more than doubled and natural gas production is up about 24 percent. Directional drilling, horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and radical new advances in offshore platform technology and global positioning software have revolutionized both onshore and offshore oil and gas production. These advances have required considerable capital investment that would have been less likely in a nation constrained by a cap-and-trade or carbon-tax system. Please join us for an informed look at recent successes in energy production, their implications for public policy, and strategies to maintain America's global leadership.

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Please join us for a special documentary film premiere. An Unlikely Solution offers first-person perspectives on the unique, newly emerging phenomena of consumer lending, via the Internet, by Native American tribes.

There are few areas of finance that generate more controversy than short-term consumer lending, especially in the form of pay-day or installment loans. Critics see such loans as “predatory,” while others, including many consumers, see such products as filling a critical need of access to credit that traditional banks cannot or will not fill. As if to make an already controversial issue more so, a number of Native American tribes have entered this business, leveraging the power of the Internet to overcome the geographic challenges of remote reservations. The entry of lending companies formed as arms of tribal governments into this business has raised issues of tribal economic development and sovereignty, not normally considered in the regulation of consumer finance.

Join us for a screening (approximately 40 minutes) of An Unlikely Solution, which examines these questions from the first-person perspectives of tribes, consumers, regulators and others.

Following the film, there will be a special panel discussion featuring Gary Davis, President and CEO, National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development; William Isaac, Former Chair, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and Chico Harlan, Personal Economics Reporter, The Washington Post; moderated by Mark Calabria, Director, Financial Regulation Studies, Cato Institute.

Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #UnlikelySolution.

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Our growing national debt has dropped out of the headlines recently — but that doesn’t mean that the problem has gone away. The official national debt recently topped $18 trillion, and is projected to approach $27 trillion within 10 years. Worse, if you include the unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare, our real indebtedness exceeds $90 trillion. Yet, despite these undeniable facts and figures, politicians from both parties continue to avoid taking serious responsibility and action when it comes to the difficult decisions that must be made.

Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid alone account for roughly half of federal spending today, a portion that will only grow larger in the future and increase more rapidly with the government’s newest entitlement program — Obamacare. The simple truth is that there is no way to address America’s debt problem without reforming entitlements.

Please join us for a discussion with other leading scholars on the subject — one that carries heavy implications for the future of the U.S. economy.

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