Cato Events Podcast

By Cato InstituteNews Government News Commentary Politics

Cato Events Podcast episodes

January 25, 2008 The Best-Laid Plans: Congress Should Repeal Planning Requirements in Federal Surface Transportation Law
Since 1991, federal transportation law has imposed an endless long-range transportation process on states and metropolitan regions. This process has consumed huge amounts of money to little benefit. Few, if any, metropolitan regions are seriously considering alternatives that would reduce congestion. Many have written plans that will lead to major increases in congestion. Repealing the planning requirements would actually make transportation work better.
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41 min
January 11, 2008 The Mind of the Market: The Case for Capitalism from an Evolutionary Perspective
In his new book, The Mind of the Market: Compassionate Apes, Competitive Humans, and Other Tales from Evolutionary Economics, Michael Shermer examines such questions as: How did we evolve from ancient hunter-gatherers to modern consumer-traders? Why are people so irrational when it comes to money and business? He argues that the new science of evolutionary economics provides an answer to both of those questions. Shermer shows how evolution and economics are both examples of a larger phenomenon of complex adaptive systems. Along the way, he answers such provocative questions as, Do our tribal roots mean that we will always be a sucker for brands? How is the biochemical joy of sex similar to the rewards of business cooperation? How can nations increase trust within and between their borders? Finally, Shermer considers the consequences of globalization and why free trade promises to build alliances between nations. Michael Shermer is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and the author of Why People Believe Weird Things and Why Darwin Matters.
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1 hr 6 min
January 08, 2008 McCain: The Myth of a Maverick
John McCain is one of the most familiar figures in American politics, a figure with great appeal to many. However, his concrete governing philosophy and actual track record have been left unexamined. Matt Welch’s new book McCain: The Myth of a Maverick gives a flesh-and-bones political portrait of a man onto whom people project their own ideological fantasies. It is the first realistic assessment of what a John McCain presidency might look like. Welch lays out the root cause of the senator's worldview: his personal transformation from underachieving youth to war hawk, in which he used the "higher power" of American nationalism to save his life and soul. Please join us to discuss this new work on the day that New Hampshire decides the fate of Senator McCain’s enduring aspiration to attain the presidency.
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1 hr 9 min
December 18, 2006 Remembering Milton Friedman
One of the world's greatest economists, Milton Friedman, passed away on November 16. Friedman did groundbreaking work on the economics of monetary policy, inflation and unemployment, exchange rates, and lifetime savings. He was also one of the 20th century's most vigorous and effective advocates of individual freedom, on issues ranging from school choice to the draft to drug prohibition — which is why the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty was named in his honor. Please join us Monday as Cato executive vice president David Boaz remembers a few of the highlights of Friedman's illustrious career and introduces an episode of his pathbreaking television series, Free to Choose.
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34 min
December 13, 2006 Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate National Security Threats, and Why We Believe Them
Since September 11, 2001, there have been no terrorist attacks in the United States, even though a single person with a bomb-filled backpack could carry one out. Why hasn't it happened? Among the possibilities is that the threat of domestic terrorism is not as great as generally assumed. In his provocative book Overblown, national security expert John Mueller argues that the capacity of al-Qaeda or of any similar group to do damage in the United States pales in comparison to the capacity other dedicated enemies have possessed in the past. Our responses to the terror threat may be more costly than any damage terrorists could do. Indeed, they may play into terrorists' hands. Mueller argues that it is time to rethink our approach to terrorism, target resources proportionately to the threat, and avoid the fear-mongering that has been such a staple of post-9/11 public dialogue. Please join us for a lively discussion with this interesting author and a very distinguished commentator.
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1 hr 3 min
December 11, 2006 How to Deal with Iran: Options for Today and for the Future
Although North Korea and the ongoing Iraq operations will likely remain significant foreign policy challenges for years to come, the issue with potentially the gravest consequences for American national security is Iran's nuclear program. Our first panel examines the most widely discussed options available to the United States today: either diplomacy or attempting to undermine the Iranian regime. Which policy holds the best prospect of advancing American interests? Our second panel will look at the options facing the United States in the event that any proactive policy should fail: either preventive war or deterrence. Which of those undesirable policies would yield the "least bad" result for the United States? Please join us for a wide-ranging discussion of these urgent questions.
The Cato Institute gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ploughshares Fund in making this event possible.
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1 hr 18 min
December 01, 2006 Property Rights on the March: Where from Here?
When the Supreme Court decided the infamous Kelo case nearly a year and a half ago, it lit a fire under a property rights movement that had been growing for years in America. Since then, 31 states have enacted measures to better protect property rights. And in the November elections, voters passed 9 of 12 property rights measures on the ballots, often by overwhelming margins.
But there is still a great deal to be done if property rights are to be protected as they were meant to be under the Constitution. In several states government can still take private property for almost any reason it chooses. In far more states government can still strip owners of their rights with impunity. And governments are rapacious in other ways too, as is evidenced, for example, by the "deprivatization" efforts afoot in parts of the nation.
To address those issues and reflect on where the property rights movement might go from here, the Cato Institute's Center for Constitutional Studies has drawn together a number of legal experts and movement figures. Please join us for a look at the future of the property rights movement in America.
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19 min
November 20, 2006 Russian Energy Policy and the New Russian State
Russian energy policy is reflecting a change in the conduct of the Kremlin's domestic and foreign affairs. Robert Amsterdam, a partner at Amsterdam and Peroff, will explain how the treatment of private energy companies in Russia is part of a broader pattern of political centralization and will describe what he believes are the global goals of Russia's more aggressive, energy-driven foreign policy. Andrei Illarionov, the newest senior fellow at the Cato Institute, will describe the accelerated pace of change in Russia and new ways in which political, economic and civil liberties are being eliminated.
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1 hr 28 min
November 14, 2006 Flat Tax Reform in Slovakia: Lessons for the United States
Since January 2004, Slovakia has had a flat tax on income, consumption, and corporate profits. Most other taxes and tax exemptions were eliminated. Other formerly, communist countries, including Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine, have also adopted flat tax rates. Unfortunately, in the United States, where the idea of a flat tax originated, the tax code remains absurdly complicated and inefficient. Ivan Miklos will evaluate the performance of the new tax system and explain how the Slovak government overcame special interests opposed to reform. Chris Edwards will assess the chances for a meaningful tax reform in the United States.
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1 hr 14 min
November 09, 2006 Election 2006: A Look Back and Forward
The national election of 2006 may mark a partial or complete partisan change in the control of Congress. At the same time, incumbents are likely to enjoy a high rate of re-election. Does 2006 mark revitalization of American democracy marked by vigorous electoral competition nationally and in the states? Or is 2006 just a closely fought struggle that may yield a narrow majority for one of the political parties? Please join the editors of the new book, The Marketplace of Democracy: Electoral Competition and American Politics along with two leading political analysts to discuss the outcomes and implications of Election 2006.
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1 hr 32 min

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The Cato Events Podcast brings you live recordings from the Cato Institute's events, where leading scholars, policymakers, journalists, and experts come together each week to discuss the ideas and…