The Bob Zadek Show

Two weeks ago, Bob welcomed Czech native Vit Jedlicka to the show, to discuss his nascent new country of Liberland, located in the no-man's-land between Serbia and Croatia. While Vit is busy recruiting a global legion of volunteers and ambassadors for his new country effort, a related movement is picking up steam right here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Seasteading Institute, founded in 2008 in Silicon Valley, is a nonprofit organization leading the push to populate the high seas with hundreds, or even thousands, of brand-new “startup” societies. Each “seastead” would compete for citizens like businesses compete for customers. This would force innovation, since people could “vote with their boats,” i.e., move to another seastead, if the government failed to provide services or began taxing too much. Joe Quirk is The Seasteading Institute’s Communications Director, an acclaimed author of both fiction and nonfiction, and the world’s most prolific “seavangelist.” He joins Bob live in the studio to explain why we need seasteading to reinvigorate the frontier and jumpstart both technological and political progress. Quirk’s words have inspired audiences worldwide to the cause of seasteading – and not just libertarians. His eight great moral imperatives video series made the case for a “Blue Revolution” in sustainable seafood production, under the stewardship of more efficient, innovative governance. It’s a message that should appeal to people across the political spectrum. Listen with a friend and find out you share more common ground – in the ocean – than you thought.

The State of California is dreaming, according to Lawrence McQuillan – an economics and finance expert with the Bay Area’s own Independent Institute. His new book (California Dreaming: Lessons on How to Resolve America’s Public Pension Crisis) points out that Governor Brown and the Democrats in the legislature are failing to deal plainly with the reality of economic trade-offs: it’s either worker pensions or government services. There's simply not enough revenue for both with the promises we're slated to make to public sector workers. Perhaps the Golden State has gotten away with tax hikes for so long because of its natural beauty and ideal weather, but McQuillan says this is no longer an option. He joins Bob to discuss the real reason behind UC tuition hikes and cuts to state and local services. Learn how politicians like Gray Davis sold out future generations, raising pensions during the dot-com boom, bankrupting California both financially and morally. Let’s hope Governor Brown is listening.

Links:

California Dreaming: Lessons on How to Resolve America’s Public Pension Crisis (Amazon)

UC’s Pension Fiasco | National Review Online by Lawrence McQuillan, May 5, 2015

The California Rule: Eugene Volokh Federalist Society Paper “Overprotecting Public Employee Pensions: The Contract Clause and the California Rule” Dec. 31, 2013

The State of California is dreaming, according to Lawrence McQuillan – an economics and finance expert with the Bay Area’s own Independent Institute. His new book (California Dreaming: Lessons on How to Resolve America’s Public Pension Crisis) points out that Governor Brown and the Democrats in the legislature are failing to deal plainly with the reality of economic trade-offs: it’s either worker pensions or government services. There's simply not enough revenue for both with the promises we're slated to make to public sector workers. Perhaps the Golden State has gotten away with tax hikes for so long because of its natural beauty and ideal weather, but McQuillan says this is no longer an option. He joins Bob to discuss the real reason behind UC tuition hikes and cuts to state and local services. Learn how politicians like Gray Davis sold out future generations, raising pensions during the dot-com boom, bankrupting California both financially and morally. Let’s hope Governor Brown is listening.

Links:

California Dreaming: Lessons on How to Resolve America’s Public Pension Crisis (Amazon)

UC’s Pension Fiasco | National Review Online by Lawrence McQuillan, May 5, 2015

The California Rule: Eugene Volokh Federalist Society Paper “Overprotecting Public Employee Pensions: The Contract Clause and the California Rule” Dec. 31, 2013

When was the last time you heard of a “pioneering” new movement in the literal sense of settling unclaimed lands with hope of a better future? For generations, virtually all land has been claimed and controlled by existing governments, making such efforts difficult. Excepting parts of Antarctica, international waters, and a few other so-called “no-man’s-lands” speckling the globe, there is nowhere left for modern-day pioneers to endeavor. One unfortunate consequence of the “closing of the frontier” has been an end to new political experiments – the landscape of existing countries represents an oligopoly, with little competition from small “startup” countries.  Vít Jedlička, however, took a magnifying glass to the atlas, and found a small (7 km sq.) unclaimed region between Serbia and Croatia. This historical accident of boundary drawing created a unique opportunity for Jedlicka, a Czech politician and libertarian activist, to build his dreamt-of Free Republic of Liberland. In April, Vit and his team officially launched the new country (timed to coincide with Thomas Jefferson’s birthday), and since then, Liberland has been steadily accumulating interest, diplomatic recognition, as well as tens of thousands of applications for citizenship. Find out what comes next in Vit’s vision and strategy to turn the tiny, thick-wooded gem on the Danube into the first thriving micro-nation of the 21st century. 

"Welcome to Liberland: the World's Newest Country (Maybe)" NY Times Magazine, 8/11/15

Liberland's Website

Apply for Citizenship to Liberland

Constitution of Liberland

When was the last time you heard of a “pioneering” new movement in the literal sense of settling unclaimed lands with hope of a better future? For generations, virtually all land has been claimed and controlled by existing governments, making such efforts difficult. Excepting parts of Antarctica, international waters, and a few other so-called “no-man’s-lands” speckling the globe, there is nowhere left for modern-day pioneers to endeavor. One unfortunate consequence of the “closing of the frontier” has been an end to new political experiments – the landscape of existing countries represents an oligopoly, with little competition from small “startup” countries.  Vít Jedlička, however, took a magnifying glass to the atlas, and found a small (7 km sq.) unclaimed region between Serbia and Croatia. This historical accident of boundary drawing created a unique opportunity for Jedlicka, a Czech politician and libertarian activist, to build his dreamt-of Free Republic of Liberland. In April, Vit and his team officially launched the new country (timed to coincide with Thomas Jefferson’s birthday), and since then, Liberland has been steadily accumulating interest, diplomatic recognition, as well as tens of thousands of applications for citizenship. Find out what comes next in Vit’s vision and strategy to turn the tiny, thick-wooded gem on the Danube into the first thriving micro-nation of the 21st century. 

"Welcome to Liberland: the World's Newest Country (Maybe)" NY Times Magazine, 8/11/15

Liberland's Website

Apply for Citizenship to Liberland

Constitution of Liberland

Every once in a while, it’s good to be reminded of how bad the government is at its job. In the private sector, we occasionally learn about crooked CEOs cooking the books. In the public sector, mismanagement and corruption practically seem like requirements. Chris Edwards, curator of the Cato Institute’s Downsizing Government project has masterfully documented the waste, graft and abuse across all Federal departments and agencies, from the Post Office to the Department of Defense. He joins Bob to talk about a new Cato Policy Analysis on the reasons why government fails so consistently, in spite of the mountains of money it receives from taxpayers. Wonder why Mitch McConnell has gone to such efforts to keep funds flowing to the pointless and wasteful Export-Import Bank? Chris will explain. As a bonus, Bob and Chris will discuss Bob’s proposal to gradually replace most of the government workforce with private contractors, who opt to work for fewer benefits and perform select services more efficiently. Call in with your questions or tell us about a government failure you’ve witnessed, at 1-800-345-5639.

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Links and Other Resources

 Mount Vernon - A model of private sector park management

The Cato Institute’s Downsizing Government platform, exposing Federal waste and abuse

"Why Federal Government Fails," Chris Edwards' July 2015 Cato Policy Analysis

Every once in a while, it’s good to be reminded of how bad the government is at its job. In the private sector, we occasionally learn about crooked CEOs cooking the books. In the public sector, mismanagement and corruption practically seem like requirements. Chris Edwards, curator of the Cato Institute’s Downsizing Government project has masterfully documented the waste, graft and abuse across all Federal departments and agencies, from the Post Office to the Department of Defense. He joins Bob to talk about a new Cato Policy Analysis on the reasons why government fails so consistently, in spite of the mountains of money it receives from taxpayers. Wonder why Mitch McConnell has gone to such efforts to keep funds flowing to the pointless and wasteful Export-Import Bank? Chris will explain. As a bonus, Bob and Chris will discuss Bob’s proposal to gradually replace most of the government workforce with private contractors, who opt to work for fewer benefits and perform select services more efficiently. Call in with your questions or tell us about a government failure you’ve witnessed, at 1-800-345-5639.

SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES

Links and Other Resources

 Mount Vernon - A model of private sector park management

The Cato Institute’s Downsizing Government platform, exposing Federal waste and abuse

"Why Federal Government Fails," Chris Edwards' July 2015 Cato Policy Analysis

Bob hosts a very special guest and elder statesman in the truest sense of the term, Senator James Buckley. In addition to acting as U.S. Senator from New York (1971-1977), Buckley’s distinctions include serving as a Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and as President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which broadcasts news, information, and analysis to countries "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed.” His freedom-fighting efforts have spanned the better part of a century, and yet he is still producing some of the freshest ideas in the public policy arena. His latest book, “Saving Congress from Itself", was sent to every member of the U.S. Senate, and we had better hope that each and every one of them reads it. Learn how the Federal government usurps state and local legislative functions through provision of “goodies”, i.e., subsidies, or “grants-in-aid,” with onerous strings attached. The 10th Amendment is being trampled. Are you going to stand for it?  

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Saving Congress from Itself | Cato Institute  (AUDIO)

Saving Congress from Itself (Amazon.com)

The United State of America | by Richard Epstein, The Atlantic, 7/31/14

Milton Friedman’s “Four ways to spend money" (VIDEO)