Amy O. Cooke, known across the United States for her innovative efforts to defend and advance freedom, is returning to her family’s N.C. roots to lead the John Locke Foundation. Her arrival comes as JLF approaches its 30th anniversary as North Carolina’s most respected voice on behalf of limited, constitutional government that supports economic freedom and personal liberty. She discusses her new role with Donna Martinez.

Those who seek to end capitalism as we know it — neosocialists — promote policies that would create major problems for the American economy and society. Professor Jerry Muller of the Catholic University of America explains why in “The Neosocialist Delusion,” an article in Foreign Affairs magazine. Muller discusses with Mitch Kokai the problems associated with a wealth tax. He also explains why neosocialists are wrong to propose breaking up large, innovative companies.

Democratic presidential contenders Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are among the most vocal critics of rising income inequality in the United States. “But they misread the situation and misdiagnose the underlying problems,” writes David Henderson in Reason magazine. Henderson, research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, devotes an article to “The Truth About Income Inequality.” He shares his findings with Mitch Kokai.

 

*Photo is a modification of “Bernie Sanders” and “Elizabeth Warren” by Gage Skidmore licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, a new book offers a fresh take on ideas and beliefs that motivated the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. Titled America’s Revolutionary Mind, the book cites 17th-century British philosopher John Locke as a key influence. Author C. Bradley Thompson, professor of political philosophy at Clemson University, discusses key themes from the book with Mitch Kokai.

Economic freedom produces multiple benefits for the states and countries that have it. Economic freedom has been shown to correlate strongly with higher average income per person, higher income for the poorest 10%, higher life expectancy, higher literacy, lower infant mortality, and less corruption. The Fraser Institute in Canada documents economic freedom in regular rankings. Fred McMahon, the institute’s chair of economic freedom research, discusses the rankings with Mitch Kokai. He explains how North Carolina stacks up against other states and how states can improve their economic freedom rankings.

President Trump campaigned in 2016 as a “champion for workers” who promised that Republicans would become a worker’s party. Eli Lehrer, president and co-founder of the free-market R Street Institute, argues in a recent National Review article that Trump has yet to deliver on that promise. But Lehrer says Trump could boost workers — and dilute their general support for Democratic politicians — by boosting alternative labor groups that do not act as traditional unions. Lehrer touts worker centers, hiring halls, and other groups outside of Big Labor during a conversation with Mitch Kokai.

If your child is getting close to college age, you’ll soon encounter the world of college admissions tests like the ACT and SAT. Those tests cause stress, and they also can divert students from valuable elements of a well-rounded education. That’s the assessment of Tyler Bonin, a teacher at the private Thales Academy in Raleigh and an education fellow for Young Voices. Bonin recently wrote for Real Clear Education an article titled “College Admissions Tests Hinder Meaningful Education — But They Don’t Have To.” He discusses the article with Mitch Kokai.  Bonin explains his support for an alternative to the ACT and SAT called the Classic Learning Test.

The Trump administration would roll back Obama-era fuel-efficiency mandates through the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient — SAFE — Vehicles rule. A recent meeting of the U.S. House Oversight Environment Subcommittee dubbed the proposal “Trump’s Wrong Turn on Clean Cars.” But one expert testifying during the hearing pushed back against that narrative. Marlo Lewis, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, says the SAFE Vehicles rule poses no danger to public health. He says the Trump administration plan also would remove California’s de facto power to regulate national fuel-economy standards. Lewis shares his research on the topic with Mitch Kokai.

We often hear about the potential benefits of government mandating more use of solar and wind energy. But advocates ignore key facts that make these renewable energy sources more costly and less “green” than advertised. Mark Mills, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of “The New Energy Economy: An Exercise in Magical Thinking,” discusses the facts of renewable energy use with Mitch Kokai.

A recent New York Times column proclaimed “Free speech is killing us.” But Robby Soave, associate editor of Reason, wonders how that claim could be true when violent crime is lower than ever. Soave examined at Reason.com the Times column’s dire warnings about purported dangers linked to hate speech. He discusses his research with Mitch Kokai. They also tie the provocative Times column to key themes from Soave’s book Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump.