The Bob Zadek Show

You're under arrest! Three words no law-abiding citizen ever wants – or expects – to hear. Yet the dreaded possibility of unwittingly committing a crime still looms, and ever more so with the growing number of federal criminal laws on the books. Looking at just a two-year window, members of the 109th Congress (2005-2007) proposed 446 non-violent criminal offenses and enacted 36 of them. In many cases, these laws were ambiguous and failed to consider whether or not the “perpetrator” had guilty intent – the hallmark of a crime by most definitions. What has led us into this age of overcriminalization? Heritage Foundation scholar Brian Walsh says it’s little more than laziness and sloppy writing on the part of the Congress. Congress’s lack of oversight and increasing delegation of legislative authority to the executive branch has created a perfect storm of unaccountability – one that could land you in trouble without your knowledge. Tune in to hear Bob and Brian discuss how groups like Heritage and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers are gradually helping improve Congress's record. But can we roll back these bad laws before it's too late?

You're under arrest! Three words no law-abiding citizen ever wants – or expects – to hear. Yet the dreaded possibility of unwittingly committing a crime still looms, and ever more so with the growing number of federal criminal laws on the books. Looking at just a two-year window, members of the 109th Congress (2005-2007) proposed 446 non-violent criminal offenses and enacted 36 of them. In many cases, these laws were ambiguous and failed to consider whether or not the “perpetrator” had guilty intent – the hallmark of a crime by most definitions. What has led us into this age of overcriminalization? Heritage Foundation scholar Brian Walsh says it’s little more than laziness and sloppy writing on the part of the Congress. Congress’s lack of oversight and increasing delegation of legislative authority to the executive branch has created a perfect storm of unaccountability – one that could land you in trouble without your knowledge. Tune in to hear Bob and Brian discuss how groups like Heritage and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers are gradually helping improve Congress's record. But can we roll back these bad laws before it's too late?

The Cuban Embargo has been around too long for many of us to remember why it was enacted in the first place. It has always been justified on the same grounds: by preventing U.S. dollars and goods from reaching Cuba, our government can weaken the country's dictatorship. However, 54 years after its enactment, Fidel and Raul Castro still retain tight control over the country. Furthermore, Cubans seem to resent the U.S. more than their own leaders for harm done by ‘el bloqueo.' So much for that logic. 

Citing the insanity of continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results, President Obama has begun to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time since the Cold War. This includes a liberalization of small-scale transactions and limited travel for Americans. While some are already making flight reservations, others have moral and strategic misgivings about potentially empowering the Castros economically when they deny their citizens political freedom. Listen to Fred L. Smith, Jr., founder of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, join Bob for the full hour to explain why he’s giving “Two Cheers for Cuba Libre.” 

The Cuban Embargo has been around too long for many of us to remember why it was enacted in the first place. It has always been justified on the same grounds: by preventing U.S. dollars and goods from reaching Cuba, our government can weaken the country's dictatorship. However, 54 years after its enactment, Fidel and Raul Castro still retain tight control over the country. Furthermore, Cubans seem to resent the U.S. more than their own leaders for harm done by ‘el bloqueo.' So much for that logic. 

Citing the insanity of continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results, President Obama has begun to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time since the Cold War. This includes a liberalization of small-scale transactions and limited travel for Americans. While some are already making flight reservations, others have moral and strategic misgivings about potentially empowering the Castros economically when they deny their citizens political freedom. Listen to Fred L. Smith, Jr., founder of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, join Bob for the full hour to explain why he’s giving “Two Cheers for Cuba Libre.” 

“Be nice” may be excellent advice for children on the playground, customer service workers, and indeed, for most people in most situations. Being nice, however, does not always advance what Jonathan Rauch calls "the liberal science" – the ongoing process of public criticism that gradually brings us closer to the truth. Thanks to robust rights to free thought and expression, new ideas have been able to overturn ancient dogmas and superstitions. As a long-time editor of The Atlantic and scholar at the Brookings Institution, Rauch’s own writings and opinions have been forged in the crucible of free public debate, and he thinks all knowledge claims should be subject to this same process – even if it sometimes leads to "psychic harm," i.e., hurt feelings. The recent massacre in France is just one more in a long line of assaults on free expression. But the greater danger, described in Rauch’s book The Kindly Inquisitors: New Attacks on Free Thought, is not necessarily violent fundamentalism, but the failure by some to condemn such attacks out of a "humanitarian" sympathy with those offended. The book was republished in late 2013 with a new foreword by George F. Will, and is now more relevant than ever. Rauch will join Bob as he returns to the subject of our increasing sensitivity to criticism and our desire for freedom *from* speech.

“Be nice” may be excellent advice for children on the playground, customer service workers, and indeed, for most people in most situations. Being nice, however, does not always advance what Jonathan Rauch calls "the liberal science" – the ongoing process of public criticism that gradually brings us closer to the truth. Thanks to robust rights to free thought and expression, new ideas have been able to overturn ancient dogmas and superstitions. As a long-time editor of The Atlantic and scholar at the Brookings Institution, Rauch’s own writings and opinions have been forged in the crucible of free public debate, and he thinks all knowledge claims should be subject to this same process – even if it sometimes leads to "psychic harm," i.e., hurt feelings. The recent massacre in France is just one more in a long line of assaults on free expression. But the greater danger, described in Rauch’s book The Kindly Inquisitors: New Attacks on Free Thought, is not necessarily violent fundamentalism, but the failure by some to condemn such attacks out of a "humanitarian" sympathy with those offended. The book was republished in late 2013 with a new foreword by George F. Will, and is now more relevant than ever. Rauch will join Bob as he returns to the subject of our increasing sensitivity to criticism and our desire for freedom *from* speech.

As a class, “capitalists” tend to get stereotyped in the starkest of terms. They are heroes to some and villains to others; the captains of industry or the robber barons of old. Rarely do we actually get to hear a successful capitalist explain what his work is about. As former Chairman and CEO of BB&T and current CEO and President of the Cato Institute, John Allison is both a capitalist and defender of capitalism par excellence. In his last book, Allison shed light on the financial crisis, and how phony “crony capitalism” broke the system in 2007-2008. His latest message may be even more important. In his newest book, The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure, Allison combines equal parts moral philosophy, personal confession, and business advice. It is his goal to help others achieve their own version of Aristotle’s “Eudaimonia,” or the Good Life, through hard work. He will join Bob to explain how his 10 core values translate into business and personal success, and to lay out his continued vision for the Cato Institute’s success, measured as political impact rather than dollar profits. 

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