Paul Krugman says Paul Ryan is an empty suit whose budget plans are ridiculous. No arguments there, as we'll show. But the problem with Ryan isn't that he's an Ayn Randian, as Krugman absurdly suggests, or that his proposals are too draconian. As usual when Krugman gets one right, he gets it right for the wrong reason. Ryan's proposals are much too timid, they take domestic "savings" and pour them into military boondoggles, and don't do a thing about entitlements.

This week, Krugman says only GOP intransigence, and devotion to Big Energy, can account for conservative hostility to renewable energy. Wind and solar power aren't for hippies anymore, he says; they're growing by leaps and bounds and becoming more and more plausible as substantial energy sources for the United States. We disagree, and we've got the numbers on our side.

Paul Krugman says Donald Trump is right to question supply-side orthodoxy about taxation of the wealthy. And Krugman says it's a myth that cutting those taxes helps the economy.

Lots of great stuff in today's episode: even Keynesian researchers disagree with Krugman; it's not true that the job creation numbers under Obama are better than in the 1980s; and how Krugman can claim to be right no matter what happens.

Paul Krugman says that all the concern over debt is misplaced -- that what we need, in fact, is still more government debt. All we can say is: it's time for Contra Krugman.

Welcome to Contra Krugman! In this inaugural episode, Tom Woods and Bob Murphy explain what they're seeking to accomplish with the podcast, what the format will be, the occasional guests they'd like to see, and much more. Enjoy, and please subscribe to the show!