Free Thoughts

Everyone has their own moral judgements and in many cases they can be and are misapplied. Jason Brennan explains how his new book When All Else Fails is not a call to resist all governments, but more of an exposure to how we apply our moral judgements unequally.

What is the rule of self defense? Is it okay to act in self-defense against a government agent? If your government is illegitimate, is it virtuous to resist? What is the moral parity thesis? What is the difference between authority and legitimacy?

When All Else Fails: The Ethics of Resistance to State Injustice, written by Jason Brennan

The Ethics of Killing in War, written by Jeff McMahan

Against Democracy, written by Jason Brennan

A Moral Pluralist Case for Libertarianism, written Jason Brennan

Against Democracy, Free Thoughts Podcast

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

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Human Progress is not linear. The curve of human progress is a jagged one. Many of us are convinced that the world is worse, but as Tupy explains, that is due to one of our many biases. It seems as though our memory of bad events outweighs our memory of all the good we see on a daily basis. For example, what took you 60 minutes of work to buy in 1980 took only 21 minutes of work to buy in 2017.

What is the goal of humanprogess.org? Why do we notice bad occurrences throughout our lives more than good ones? What is negativity bias? Why is everyone so convinced that the world is getting worse if that is not what the statistics show?

Human Progress website

Simon Abundance Index

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, written by Steven Pinker

The State of Humanity: Steadily Improving, written by Julian L. Simon

The Reality of Moral Progress, written by David Boaz

Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future, Free Thoughts Podcast

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Zywicki starts off by simply explaining what a bank is and what it does. It is surprising how many people don’t actually know what their bank does for them. Early in life you are a borrower in order to buy a house or a car, later in life you become a lender to that same bank. Unfortunately, there has been so much regulation in the American banking system that there is no room for innovation which caused the phase out of mom & pop neighborhood banks.

What is a bank? What is Glass-Steagall? How much risk should banks take? How should a regulator address our bank system? What is a money-market fund? What is Dodd-Frank and did it get rid of bail outs?

Public Choice Concepts and Applications in Law (American Casebook Series), written by Maxwell Stearns and Todd Zywicki

The Law and Economics of Consumer Debt Collection and Its Regulation, written by Todd Zywicki

The Big, Fat Fed Has Diet Problems, written by George Selgin

“The Newsroom”: Season 1, Episode 6: Bullies, HBO Series

The Specter of Wall Street, Free Thoughts Podcast

Going for Broke: Deficits, Debt, and the Entitlement Crisis, Free Thoughts Podcast

Is Bankruptcy Law Bankrupt?, written by William H. Meckling

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Ryan Bourne joins us today to discuss the intricate hardships that the poor in the United States are experiencing. Some suggest that the United States should raise the national minimum wage, thinking that will solve some issues of the impoverished. Others believe that the poor have different buying and spending habits than the rest of the population.

What do poor people spend a majority of their money on? How does regulation of services actually hurt the poor? How does coning affect housing prices? Should we raise the minimum wage to a ‘living wage’?

Government and the Cost of Living: Income-Based vs. Cost-Based Approaches to Alleviating Poverty, written by Ryan Bourne

The Regressive Effects of Child-Care Regulations, written by Ryan Bourne in Regulation Magazine

Bringing Wealth to the Poor (with Michael Tanner), Free Thoughts Podcast

Libertarianism and the Poor, written by Matt Zwolinski

People, Not Ratios: Why the Debate Over Income Inequality Asks the Wrong Questions, Free Thoughts Podcast

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Michael Tanner joins us for a well-rounded conversation about what drives poverty in the U.S. including; felony convictions, lack of education, and housing policies. Tanner claims that in the U.S. there is no rational design behind our welfare programs, and that it is a conglomerate of special interests. The poorest Americans are among the wealthiest in the world, but that doesn’t mean that poverty does not exist in the U.S.

How does the right and left vary on their ideas about how to alleviate the poor? How do incentives play into their rationale? Is there a racial aspect to how people view the welfare sate? Does redistribution of money work? How much does having a felony conviction diminish your earning potential? How does housing policy affect poverty?

The Inclusive Economy: How to Bring Wealth to America’s Poor, written by Michael D. Tanner

The Many Reasons to Be Thankful, written by Michael D. Tanner

https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/many-reasons-be-thankful

Globalization’s Great Triumph: The Death of Extreme Poverty, written by Johan Norberg

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, written by Sam McLeod

Don’t Muddy the Waters on Falling Global Poverty, written by Ryan Bourne

Libertarians and the Poor, Free Thoughts Podcast

The Libertarian Case for Basic Income, written by Matt Zwolinski

Wealth, Poverty and Politics: An International Perspective, Free Thoughts Podcast

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The newest addition to the libertarianism.org editorial staff, Steve Horwitz, joins us to debunk some global myths about economics. We dive into how good economics is about tracing out the patterns of unintended consequences that emerge from the choices individuals make in the face of uncertainty and based on the information and incentives created by the price system.

Are people interested in economics? Is economics rooted in individual choice? What was the study of economics prior to 1920? What does “constrained optimization” mean? What are the biggest global myths about economics? Should we worry about the increase in economic inequality?

WTF?!: An Economic Tour of the Weird, written by Peter Leeson

Human Progress Website

Microfoundations and Macroeconomics: An Austrian Perspective, written by Steven Horwitz

The False Feminist Economics Methodenstreit: Competition versus Cooperation, written by Mikayla Novak

The Austrian Tradition in Economics, Free Thoughts Episode

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Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford from Power Problems Podcast join us to discuss the nuance differences between isolationists, non-interventionists, and pragmatic realists. When it comes to foreign policy, the way U.S. officials make decisions is largely based off the fact that the United States maintains and all-volunteer military. This military is the most powerful in the world, considering the U.S. spends more on defense than the next seven countries combined. There are many reasons for this, but at the forefront is the American desire to remain #1 or the superpower in the eyes of the rest of the world. 

What is the difference between an isolationist and a pragmatic realist? When do policymakers decide when intervention is necessary? What are real threats? What is John Bolton’s philosophy on foreign affairs? What is the main role of our military? Do we have an obligation to keep America safe, but not all humans safe? Are U.S. policymakers only responsible for Americans? Or the entire Western world? What is the interplay between technology, news, public opinion, and military strategy? Is joining the military the only way to serve your country? 

Power Problems, by the Cato Institute

The Future of Conservative Foreign Policy, Power Problems Podcast

The Hell of Good Intentions: America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy, written by Stephen Walt

Psychology of a Superpower: Security and Dominance in U.S. Foreign Policy, written by Christopher J. Fettweis

Is America the Most Fearful Country in the World?, written by Natalie Dowzicky

When is it appropriate to go to War?, Free Thoughts Podcast

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Honorable Jeffrey S. Sutton is a judge for the United States Court of Appeals in the Sixth Circuit. His book 51 Imperfect Solutions is framed around four stories which he uses to illustrate the interplay between state and federal constitutions. The four stories are; school funding, the exclusionary rule, eugenics, and mandatory flag salutes. Sutton believes that many of the state constitutions are actually closer to codes than constitutions. Many states have constitutions that are so long that most residents of that state have not read them in their entirety. The original states have much smaller constitutions that are rather similar in tone and language to the federal Constitution.

What is the interplay between the federal Constitution and the state constitution? What is the exclusionary rule? What role should the state play in comparison to the federal government? Do states know best when it comes to funding education? Is the Supreme Court always “right” when it comes to interpreting the Constitution?

The United States Once Sterilized Tens of Thousands — Here’s How the Supreme Court Allowed It, written by Trevor Burrus

51 Imperfect Solutions, written by Hon. Jeffrey S. Sutton

Constitutional Controversies, written George H. Smith

The Constitution in Practice: From Liberty to Leviathan, Free Thoughts Podcast

The Conscience of the Constitution, Free Thoughts Podcast

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Starting in the 1930’s, the American Medical Association (AMA) reluctantly agreed to accept a health insurance model because they feared the federal government would overreach into the health care sphere. They decided that the best way to protect themselves was to have only the insurers finance health insurance. A huge component of this was that every physician would be paid for each service they provided during a patients’ visit. Essentially, the AMA drove health care costs up by incentivizing physicians to provide any relevant tests because they would be paid for every service during each appointment. To the physician, they were charging a faceless third party somewhere, for each service, rather than thinking they are charging their patients for each service. Therefore, costs were already a huge problem before Medicare passed in the 1965. Today, we have to look at how hospitals and doctors are incentivized in order to analyze our overall health care system. Essentially, the AMA enabled government intervention in the health care system, when they originally agreed upon the creation of a health insurance market to prevent government interference.

When was the discovery of germ theory and how did it change the sphere of health care? How did the American Medical Association increase the professionalization of doctors? Are we rationing health care or are we over-providing it? What percentage of the GDP does the U.S. spend on health care? Do we demand more out of health insurance than insurance can handle?

Ensuring America’s Health: The Public Creation of the Corporate Health Care System, written by Christy Ford Chapin

The History of Germ Theory, written by Jemima Hodkinson

How does health spending in the U.S. compare to other countries?, by Bradley Sawyer and Cynthia Cox

President Johnson signs Medicare bill on July 30, 1965, written by Andrew Glass

Health Care without Health Insurance, Building Tomorrow Podcast

Why Can’t You Email Your Doctor, Free Thoughts Podcast

How to Fix Health Care, Free Thoughts Podcast

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There tends to be cost overruns when the government undertakes a grand infrastructure project. This is exactly what happened when the government contracted companies to build the railways across the United States in the 19th century. Randal O’Toole stresses that with the introduction of the automobile to America, it allowed everyone to travel. Prior to the automobile boom, only the middle-class & the wealthy could afford to travel via railways. Today, there is a misperceived notion that European passenger trains run more efficiently than American trains, but that is not actually the case. Even though trains are not more energy efficient than cars, the United States actually has the most effective rail system in the world because it is privately owned. 

What was the biggest financial & political scandal of the 19th century? Did the First Transcontinental Railroad help settle the West? When was the golden age of railroad travel? Have train rides always been overpriced? What role does nostalgia play in maintaining our rail systems?

Romance of the Rails: Why the Passenger Trains We Love Are Not the Transportation We Need, written by Randal O’Toole

Why Passenger Trains Don’t Work in Europe, written by Randal O’Toole

The Coming Transit Apocalypse, written by Randal O’Toole

Is Public Transportation Worth It?, Free Thoughts Podcast

Randal O’Toole Discusses Privatizing Transit, Capitol Hill briefing held on July 14, 2011

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