The Freedom Report

Today's Freedom Report podcast looks at the lawsuit filed by Governor Gary Johnson against the Commission on Presidential Debates. Johnson and attorney Bruce Fein are filing an anti-trust lawsuit, claiming that the CPD is in restraint of trade, and arguing that the debates are a monopoly. 

From Johnson's Our America Initiative: 

With the filing of our complaint,  the CPD will finally be forced to reveal the secret agreements, the plans, and the plotting that the Republican and Democratic parties have used to monopolize the debates and keep voters from seeing that there really are alternatives to the worn-out, business-as-usual “major” party candidates.

Our lawsuit makes the case that this monopoly is not only wrong, but illegal.

Governor Johnson has alluded to the fact that if he loses the lawsuit, he might not be willing to seek the LP nomination for president, as writer Bruce Majors claimed: 

But Johnson's advisers (who included former Trump guru Roger Stone back in 2012) and campaign staff say he is unlikely to be the sacrificial victim for a quixotic Libertarian campaign unless the Libertarians are assured at least the possibility of being in the post-primary presidential debates.  Hence Johnson's law suit.

Estimated to run up $800,000 in legal bills, the suit has been put together by Reagan administration Constitutional lawyer Bruce Fein, whose work on opening up political debate includes getting rid of the Fairness Doctrine - an FCC policy which had the result of coercing broadcasters into presenting only two centrist viewpoints, liberal Democrats and Rockefeller, establishment, Republicans.  Fein's Johnson suit will be an anti-trust suit, alleging that the Commission on Presidential Debates, populated and controlled by only establishment Democrat and Republican Party operatives, limits the candidates allowed to debate only to the nominees of those two parties - even if other candidates like Libertarians or Greens have managed the extremely difficult task of being on the majority of state ballots so they could earn enough Electoral College votes to win an election if voters knew they were running and considered them viable because they were presented in the same way on television and in the debates as the GOP and Democratic candidates.  Fein further alleges that the Debate Commission is a business in restraint of trade, since the Republican and Democratic consultant class raise billions of dollars now to pay themselves during the campaign season, and raising the money is dependent on excluding independent competition for donor dollars.

So though most might still think it unlikely, Courts may be deciding within a year whether the Presidential Debates will for the first time include a Libertarian or a Green.

Should libertarians be using anti-trust laws to force private parties (Republicans and Democrats) to associate with another party? Doesn't that fly in the face of everything we believe? Or do sometimes the ends justify the means? All that and more on today's Freedom Report podcast. Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes, and leave us a 5-star review!

 

Pharmaceutical CEO Is Predictably Douchey, Everybody's Angry

by Avens O'Brien

[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]his week, news came out that a life-saving drug invented in 1953 was recently acquired by a pharmaceutical company and the price was quickly raised from $14 a tablet to $750 a tablet. This price spike has created a flurry of outrage about greedy pharmaceutical companies, and most of it has been directed specifically towards Turing Pharmaceuticals’ CEO, Martin Shkreli.

Much of this public outcry has led to many questions: Who is this douchebag and why did he raise the price? What are patients supposed to do? Why are drugs so expensive in the first place? What would libertarians do about this?

Martin Shkreli is a former hedge fund manager. This is not the first time he’s used a company to acquire the rights to a drug and jack up the price. The last time he did was in 2014 while CEO for Retrophin Inc, and he was fired.

As of Tuesday, it appears that Martin Shkreli has heard the roar of public opinion and has announced he will lower the price, though there’s been no news on exactly what the new price will be.

Though there are many reasons libertarians might claim that this problem that wouldn’t happen in the first place without the FDA and patent law, I’d like to point out that the other way that a libertarian society would handle unfair pricing is consumers turning on companies through various forms of awareness (or "shaming") campaigns. Such as what just happened in the last three days. No law needed, just social fury, as the social justice crowd has proven repeatedly.

Daraprim is a drug that fights toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is particularly dangerous for individuals who have weakened immune systems, such as pregnant women and AIDS patients. Daraprim was purchased by Turing Pharmaceuticals on August 10th, 2015 for $55 million. Drug prices rising upon ownership changing hands is pretty common. The percentage of this increase is what is so notable about it.

We all understand that prescription drugs tend to be expensive (if not for us, then for our insurance companies). It’s a common complaint, and it’s worth it to take a moment to understand why.

Those who understand how research and development works know that new medications cost tremendous amounts to create. Though a single pill of a medication may, in actual production, cost $2 to manufacture, the first pill of it might’ve cost millions to invent. According to some studies, research and development is up to $2.5 billion. This is the cost for a single drug, except that due to the high-failure rate of pharmaceutical research, this number often includes the expense of the failures for which there will never be a way to recoup costs. Other studies, and a book called The $800 Million Pill: The Truth Behind the Cost of New Drugs, puts the costs of new medications below a billion dollars.

Why are medications so expensive to manufacture? Besides the obvious thing about the mira

Does the rise of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump show the problems with democracy? Today's Freedom Report podcast looks at the presidential debate on CNN, contrasting the campaign of Donald Trump with libertarian leaning senator Rand Paul. 

Today's special guest is The Libertarian Republic columnist Keith Farrell. Keith's recent article "The Disastrous Consequences of Unfettered Democracy" stirred up a tremendous debate online about democracy run amok. Have a read and listen to today's show, and don't forget to subscribe on iTunes and leave us a 5-star review. 

Do black lives really matter? Do all lives matter? Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast interviews two special guests on this topic.

One, Eric July, is a former Democrat turned libertarian who argues that the problems of the Black Lives Matter movement lie in their inability to understand the root problems of society and government. Another guest is professor Jason Williams, who holds a bachelors and masters in Criminal Justice, and a doctorate in Administration of Justice. 

Today's show breaks down what the Black Lives Matter movement is all about, looking at the economic and social factors that lead to the disintegration of social order. We discuss how economics and the minimum wage affect the black community, as well as what other motivating factors might be behind the feelings of disaffection that minorities feel in their communities. 

Racism, economics, and social justice are all discussed in this very special episode of the Freedom Report podcast. 

Today's Freedom Report podcast discusses why editor Austin Petersen has decided to seek the nomination of the Libertarian Party for President of the United States. With the rise of right-wing populism taking over the Tea Party, Donald Trump has ridden the wave on the back of anti-free market sentiments among the right.

With Rand Paul floundering in the polls, who is left to articulate a pure libertarian message of economic freedom and personal liberty? 

Leif Bieberson is here.  

While some may think it's a joke, the reality is that with the current slate of presidential candidates, the joke's on all of us. America deserves to have a candidate who boldly stands up for what is right, not just what is popular.

If the Republican Party decides not to nominate Rand Paul, who will be left to stand up for these issues? Who will represent the voice of the libertarians in this national debate? Gary Johnson? Johnson had his chance, and voters didn't respond. Why not try something new?

An Austin Petersen presidency would be one of strict deregulation, limited taxation, economic freedom, less foreign interventionism, free trade, and civil rights. Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast goes into detail over why Petersen's throwing his hat into the ring, and why you should support him. 

Dr. Ben Carson has pulled ahead of the pack in polling in Iowa, matching evenly with Donald Trump as the favorite for the Republican presidential nomination. The retired neurosurgeon and political activist has been quietly building his lead over the other candidates in previous weeks with a stronger "likeability" rating than Donald Trump, and less baggage. 

Conservative GOP strategist Greg Mueller said of GOP voters that, “They love the way a guy like Carson communicated his message.” 

GOP strategist Ford O’Connell agreed, saying: “His likeability is worth its weight in gold.”

But do libertarians like Dr. Carson? He's said quite a few things to anger liberty lovers and true conservatives, but no doubt he's more conservative than Donald Trump. What does it mean when GOP voters go from supporting a brash businessman to a brainiac like Ben? Listen to today's episode of the Freedom Report to find out, and don't forget to subscribe on iTunes, and leave us a 5-star review! 

Professor Lawrence White

Professor Lawrence White, an economist from George Mason University, joins the Freedom Report podcast today to discuss free market monetary policy. At the Jackson Hole Summit, White and a group of rebel economists gathered to discuss the topic of whether or not central banks are the problem or the solution to America's financial woes. 

Professor White is an advocate of "free banking," which is the Austrian economic system of ending the Federal Reserve and allowing the free market to regulate the supply of money in the marketplace. We don't allow government to set the price of bread, gas, or cars... so why do we allow them to set the price of money? 

Professor White believes that money has become controlled by political interests, and thinks that the free market can more effectively allow for stable economic growth, without all the booms and busts of the modern era. 

The Federal Reserve has got to go. Today's podcast delves into the nuances of monetary policy, how the Federal Reserve came to be, their track record, and what a more free market policy would work. Professor White joins us in this very special episode, broadcasting from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders took to the airwaves and social media slums today to diagnose why the stock market crashed today. Sanders tweeted that "unfettered free trade has been a disaster," while Trump went off on China, which has had enormous financial difficulties as of late.

Sanders and Trump both believe that free trade policies with countries overseas hurts the American economy. Trump has been on the record stating that China steals American jobs, while neglecting to mention that he sells goods and services from China like many other businesspersons. Too much freedom for consumers to buy and sell goods internationally hurts us all. But do politicians have any idea what the hell they're talking about?

Of course not.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew demonstrated his economic ignorance recently by claiming that China's market isn't integrated enough with the global economy to have much of an impact on the rest of the world. Where does Obama get these guys?

So what are the real problems with the American economy? Is China going to sink us all? And why does the authoritarian right and the authoritarian left have so much in common?

All that and more on today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast!

Why This Trotskyite Deserves The Icepick

This meme was reported to Facebook as abusive by Sanders supporters

Bernie Sanders supporters flooded The Libertarian Republic news magazine's website and social media sites over the weekend. A strong pushback from editor Austin Petersen against the socialist spawn of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign uncovered a slough of economically illiterate American activists, ready to do battle for evil. 

And make no mistake, socialism is evil. 

The classical liberal (libertarian) economists of the 20th century penned their screeds against the statist democratic socialists movements of their day, now TLR's Freedom Report podcast takes similar aim. 

Democratic socialists believe that their Trotskyite leader will prevail, and a peaceful utopia will emerge of citizens cooperating with one another voluntarily, and eventually the state will wither away... but before the state can wither away, all power must go to the state. The government supreme. All power to the so-viet! 

Democratic socialists believe that a top marginal tax rate of 90% on the wealthiest citizens will "soak the rich," and stabilize the economy. They point to the 1950's as an example, when Dwight Eisenhower presided over a 91% top marginal tax rate. But why don't they ever look at effective tax rates? These show that few people actually paid those taxes, and those earning more than $100,000 paid less than 5 percent of the taxes collected in the U.S. That's a lot fewer than today. 

Sanders supporters getting what they asked for.

Democratic socialist believe that their cause is just, that their progressive policies of economic centralization, and bigger government will bring utopia. Their version of socialism is just, because it is not Leninism. It's not Stalinism. This isn't War Communism, they say... no they don't. They don't know what War Communism is. They don't know what Communism is. They don't know what socialism is. They think AND SAY that North Korea is a worker's paradise. 

“The average man is both better informed and less corruptible in the decisions he makes as a consumer than as a voter at political elections.” 

― Ludwig von Mises

Bernie Sanders has stirred up all that is wrong with America, and today's Freedom Report podcast is a complete takedown of the would-be tyrant Bernie Sanders. 

Bloomberg writer Megan McCardle penned an interesting op-ed comparing presidential candidate Donald Trump to former POTUS challenger Ron Paul. McCardle seems to have found interesting parallels in the vociferousness of both group's supporters, and has some amusing anecdotes about being contacted by their supporters during the previous and current general elections.

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast looks at the supporters of Donald Trump, and contrasts those with the supporters of fellow contender for the GOP crown, Rand Paul.

Paul issued a scathing attack against Trump in the pages of IJReview, pleading with his fellow Tea Partiers not to fall for Trump's fake conservatism. But will Paul's strategy of painting Trump as a liberal backfire? And can a strategy of attacking Trump even do anything to boost Paul's sagging poll numbers? We'll analyze the difference.

And is redneck a racist term? Last Saturday, The Libertarian Republic visited a highway overpass rally populated by flag bearing conservatives. It just so happened that these supporters of limited government were flying the flag of one of the biggest would-be governments in history, the Confederacy. While a raucous debate erupted after our editor called the ethics of flying the flag into question, the ideas of how to market unpopular ideas is an important one, especially in light of the candidacy of one Donald J. Trump.

With so many calling for a revival of the Tea Party movement, it is no clearer sign that the movement is dead. But how did it die? Editor Austin Petersen explains why he believes the movement destroyed itself, and the roots lie in those who reflexively support ideas, and candidates, of which they have no knowledge.

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