Free Thoughts

Jonathan Blanks returns to our show to discuss how different versions of liberty were promoted by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights Movement. Malcolm X was very weary of trusting authority, which is seen as a favorable trait by libertarians. The discussion then shifts to whether or not racism has improved since the Civil Rights Movement and how that affects how we view law enforcement.

How is Malcolm X portrayed to the American public? Is the American government hypocritical? Was Malcolm X a libertarian? What type of liberty did Malcolm X promote? What qualifies as police harassment? Why do police have a higher presence where more crimes are committed? Do people generally trust the police? Have we made any progress when it comes to racism?

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, written by Malcom X

Lawsuit: Car Passenger Tased 11 Times, Criminally Charged Asking Officer “Why”, written by Jonathan Blanks

Abuse of Force: Body Camera Shows Man Tased 11 Times by Glendale Officers, written by Dave Biscobing

FIRST STEP Passes Senate, written by Jonathan Blanks

Black History and Liberty, written by Jonathan Blanks

Looking Back to Look Forward: Blacks, Liberty, and the State, written by Jonathan Blanks

Why Aren’t There More Black Libertarians?, Free Thoughts Podcast

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Tim Carney joins us to discuss the premise of his book; how the decline of the American dream it is not purely the result of economics as the left claims, but the collapse of the institutions that made us successful, including (but not limited to): marriage, church, and civic life. While the well-educated and wealthy elites still enjoy strong communities, most blue-collar Americans lack strong communities and institutions that bind them to their neighbors.

Why is Donald Trump’s innaguration speech labelled “America’s carnage” speech? How has the collapse of local communities affected the American people? What is economic mobility? Why has the decline of the Church occurred? What is the main institution of civil society? What adds to increased involvement in the community?

Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse, written by Tim Carney

Can Trump Fix ‘Alienated America’?, written by Alexandra Desanctis

How Will Alienated America Save For Retirement?, written by Elizabeth Bauer

Libertarianism & Christianity, Free Thoughts Podcast

Politics and Community, Free Thoughts Podcast

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Revisiting the root of our ideas in freedom and liberty, Eric Mack argues that everyone has a claim to liberty because it represents the possibility to live a valuable life. With that being said, people believe in varying degrees of liberty, even libertarians. Mack believes that libertarians encompass a wide spectrum of thought ranging from classical liberal to anarchists. 

What is libertarianism? What are the fundamental principles of justice? What is a political good? Are anarchists libertarians? Are classical liberals libertarians? Are all libertarians against coercion? Who is Herbert Spencer?

Libertarianism (Key Concepts in Political Theory), written by Eric Mack

The Libertarian Mind, written by David Boaz

10 Books Every Libertarian Should Read, written by Madsen Pirie

A Natural Rights Case for Libertarianism, written by Eric Mack

Arguments for Liberty, edited by Aaron Ross Powell & Grant Babcock

What is Libertarianism?, Free Thoughts Podcast

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Lenore Skenazy let her son ride the metro by himself at the age of nine after studying the map with him in order to prepare. Unbeknownst to her, this caused great unrest and scrutiny from a variety of parenting groups, so much so that she decided to write a book and start a project on letting your kid grow to be self-reliant.

Should children ride the NYC subway by themselves? When did children stop having unsupervised and unstructured time? What did ‘strange danger’ do to change the way we parent? What are the consequences of over-parenting?

Let Grow Website, founded by Jonathan Haidt, Peter Gray, Lenore Skenazy, and Daniel Schuchman

The Fragile Generation, written by Lenore Skenazy and Jonathan Haidt

Free-Range Kids, How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry), written by Lenore Skenazy

Jonathan Haidt Lets His 9-Year-Old Daughter Walk to School Alone for the First Time

Let Grow project

The Coddling of the American Mind, Free Thoughts Podcast

Conformist Students Fear Disagreement, written by Natalie Dowzicky

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Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes are legal activities, but politicians use the law in order to discourage people from doing these things that may seen as poor for your health. This is inconsistent with John Stuart Mill’s famous principle that people should be free in the sense that they should be able to do whatever they like as long as they are not harming others.

What is paternalism? Should we take care of those who do not know any better for themselves? Are there different types of paternalism? What is considered coercion? Should the government enforce vaccinations for the purpose of collective action? Should the government worry about public health?

Killjoys: A Critique of Paternalism, written by Christopher Snowden

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, written by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein

“Libertarian” Paternalism?, Free Thoughts Podcast

Paternalism and Barbarism, written by Aaron Ross Powell

Against Paternalism, written by Neera K. Badhwar

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In Candice Delma’s book A Duty to Resist she highlights a theory of resisting injustice as a duty in of itself. This specific duty could require breaking the law. She also defends uncivil disobedience and where it is limited in feasibility. Throughout this episode she makes us question how far we should go in order to fight an injustice. Delmas argues that the duty of justice, the principle of fairness, the Samaritan duty, and political association impose responsibility to resist under conditions of injustice.

What is civil disobedience? How did John Rawls shape our understanding of civil disobedience? What is a just society? What are the principles of justice? Should disobedience always be civil?

A Duty to Resist, written by Candice Delmas

Samaritanism and Civil Disobedience, written by Candice Delmas

Resisting the State Injustice, Free Thoughts Podcast

Do We Have a Duty to Obey the Government?, Free Thoughts Podcast

What’s Fairness Got to Do With Obeying the Law?, written by Aaron Ross Powell

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As the American “foodie” culture grows, it will clash more and more with previously established USDA and FDA rules and regulations since they typically promote uniformity. The USDA has taken it upon themselves to enforce standards of identity laws which allows them to basically enforce cosmetic standards. These laws encourage farmers to produce foods that are uniform and look gorgeous, but neither of these measurements have anything to do with the quality or taste of the product. Throughout history the FDA has certainly made the food we eat safer, especially now that it can perform a mandatory recall of any food that they know contains an illness, but that was not always the case.

How does the USDA affect the way that we produce food in the U.S.? Should USDA laws and regulations be imposed subjectively by inspectors? Can you challenge USDA regulations? What is the Food Safety Modernization Act? Does regulating how we produce food actually make food safer to consume? Should the FDA have a preemptive or reactive approach when it comes to food? Should farmers receive subsidies?

Biting the Hands that Feed Us: How Fewer, Smarter Laws Would Make Our Food System More Sustainable, written by Baylen J. Linnekin

The State of Food Freedom Around the Globe, written by Baylen Linnekin

Deregulation of Local Foods Is a Winning Idea That’s Spreading, written by Baylen

How Food Regulations Make Us Less Healthy, featuring Daniel J. D’Amico

Regulations Gone Wrong, Free Thoughts Podcast

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As more states aim to legalize marijuana, whether it be for recreation or medicinal purposes, there is an on-going talk debate about if public policy should determine what pleasures are okay to indulge in and which ones are not. Jeff Miron joins us today to discuss drug prohibition actually hurts the naive drug user the most. 

Are drugs an economic good? What is the economic logic of prohibition? How much does drug prohibition cost? Did alcohol use go down during prohibition? Are drug companies trying to make their products more addictive in order to drive revenue?

The Budgetary Effects of Ending Drug Prohibition, written by Jeffrey Miron

Data Confirm That Marijuana Decriminalization is Long Overdue, written by Jeffrey Miron and Sietse Goffard

Is the DEA Trippin’?, with Rick Doblin, Free Thoughts Podcast

How Drug Prohibition Caused the Opioid Crisis, Free Thoughts Podcast

The Case for Legalizing Hard Drugs, written by Jarrett Wollstein

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Peter Van Doren argues that consumers correctly consider fuel costs when making vehicle-buying decisions. However, CAFE standards cannot be justified as correcting some sort of consumer failure to appreciate fuel savings. The idea that CAFE reduces carbon emissions is slightly more reasonable, but it is a very indirect, inefficient and regressive method. For these reasons, it is difficult to not side with Trumps’ negative view of CAFE.

What is CAFE? How does regulation affect markets? How did Richard Nixon use price controls? Is Trump the great deregulator?

Regulation without Results, written by Peter Van Doren

CAFE Standards, written by Peter Van Doren

Regulations Gone Wrong, Free Thoughts Podcast

The Implications of Behavioral Economics, Free Thoughts Podcast

What Role Should Science Play in Public Policy?, Free Thoughts Podcast 

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Prior to the 2008 financial crisis, the Federal Reserve had a long-standing policy of maintaining a minimal footprint on the credit system. According to Selgin, the Fed use to be a “lean and mean” player in the credit system. However, on the eve of the 2008 financial crisis they made some changes to decades’ old policies that they believed would aid the financial instability of the country at the time. In retrospect, we can now deeply analyze where the Federal Reserve misstepped. 

What is the Federal Reserve? What are mandatory reserves? What is the chevron deference? What did emergency lending have to do with the 2008 financial crisis? Is the Fed more constrained than private banks?

Floored!: How a Misguided Fed Experiment Deepened and Prolonged the Great Recession, written by George Selgin

Anniversary of a Fed Blunder, written by George Selgin

Interest on Excess Reserves: The Hobie Cat Effect, written by George Selgin

The Fed’s Recent Defense of Interest on Reserves, written by George Selgin

How the Federal Reserve Works, Free Thoughts Podcast

The Gold Standard Won’t Be Coming Back, Free Thoughts Podcast

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