The Reason Roundtable

Nadine Strossen, Eugene Volokh, and Stephanie Slade discuss freedom of speech, assembly, and religion at Reason's 50th anniversary.

"We live in a culture that kind of revolves around shame," says director Jason Reitman. "If you're someone who experiences shame, you drop out of the race. If you're someone who doesn't experience shame, not only do you stay in, but you thrive."

Reitman's new film, The Front Runner, starring Hugh Jackman, is based on the true story of Gary Hart's 1988 democratic presidential campaign, which was derailed on allegations that Hart was having an affair with model Donna Rice.

The director Reitman—a self-described libertarian whose prior credits include Thank You For Smoking (2005) and Juno (2007)—also co-wrote the screenplay with political reporter Matt Bai and former political operative Jay Carson. It chronicles Hart's doomed campaign through the experiences of his family, campaign aides, and a press corps wrestling over whether the candidate's sex life should be treated as newsworthy.

Reason's Meredith Bragg sat down with Reitman, Bai, and Carson to discuss the film, how the interest in Hart's scandal changed the way the media covers political figures, and the filmmakers' search for a "reasonable conversation."

Produced, edited, and interview conducted by Meredith Bragg.

Cameras by Todd Krainin, Austin Bragg, and Mark McDaniel.

Photo credit: SUN/Newscom.

One of Reason's founding editors, attorney Manny Klausner, tells tales from the early days of the magazine of "Free Minds and Free Markets."

Assessing the import of presidential tantrums, media hyperbole, military complaints, and the near-arrival of federal sentencing reform

Assessing the import of presidential tantrums, media hyperbole, military complaints, and the near-arrival of federal sentencing reform

Remy recalls a time when experts were claiming that "Hitler was a beginner compared to the comic-book industry," and he recounts how Stan Lee took a stand.

Written and Performed by Remy

Video Produced by Meredith and Austin Bragg

Music tracks and background vocals by Ben Karlstrom

What should the culture of free speech, free expression, and ownership look like on our social media platforms?

So far, the world is kind of listening. Q&A with the co-host of The Fifth Column and co-founder of Freethink Media.

Sen. Bernie Sanders recently came up with a new business to attack: Amazon. Sanders said Amazon didn't pay its workers enough and because of that, many qualified for government assistance.

At first, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos defended his company.

That was the right thing to do, says John Stossel. He notes: "It's not companies' fault that some workers qualify for handouts. More people would collect them if Amazon were not hiring. By creating jobs, Bezos gives workers better choices."

But the media rarely mention that. Instead, they bombarded Amazon with negative coverage.

So Bezos caved. He declared that all Amazon workers would now all be paid $15 an hour or more. That higher wage sounds good to most people, but Stossel point out that while the higher minimum is good for workers who have jobs now, it can shut out beginners.

Kelsey Holder (now Kelsey Turner) started working at age 13, for minimum wage, at Mossman's Coffee Shops and Catering Company in Bakersfield, California.

By the time Stossel interviewed her in 2010, she was making $20 an hour. She told him: "For being only 13...minimum wage was fine. If you work hard, you can make more, it's just you have to prove yourself."

The skills she learned through work—even at minimum wage—served her well. Kelsie is now the restaurant's manager. Had the minimum wage been higher when she started, she may never have gotten that opportunity.

When Amazon sets a high minimum wage at its own company, unskilled workers can still find jobs at other companies.

But Amazon did not stop there. It has also begun lobbying for the government to force all its competitors to pay a higher minimum wage too.

That could help Amazon, Stossel says: "Amazon's already replacing workers with robots. Bezos knows a higher minimum wage will hurt his competitors more than it hurts him."

Amazon often tries to get favors from government. It didn't just announce a second headquarters. It started a competition to see which politicians would give it the largest tax incentives.

"Give me a break," Stossel says. "Politicians shouldn't pander to companies, and companies shouldn't pander to politicians. I wish Bezos would stick to innovating, not scheming with politicians to get special breaks. Some of the worst enemies of capitalism are capitalists."

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