Libertarian Radio - Best of The Bob Zadek Show

Most people tune out when academics speak in terms of regression analysis and ?agent-based modeling.? Nonetheless, we want to understand the long-term economic trends that these methods seek to illuminate in order to plan for the future. Don Boudreaux is a master of making complex economic ideas comprehensible to the layperson. He provides this service free of charge every day for the thousands of visitors to his blog, Cafe Hayek (currently down due to a malicious hacking attack). Boudreaux?s short but powerful letters to the editor are the stuff of any libertarian?s dreams ? the equivalent of a Total Knock Out in boxing. The larger battle for economic freedom is not fought solely in public discussion forums like the WSJ editorial page ? it?s being waged in academic journals and in the academic marketplace of ideas. Boudreaux recently edited the Fraser Institute?s *What America?s Decline in Economic Freedom Means for Entrepreneurship and Prosperity,* a volume of five essays, each thick with research that Don discusses with Bob and his audience. Find out whether it?s too late for America to change course.

Bob does a regular show with a very special guest ? a walking embodiment of the libertarian ethos: David Boaz. Since joining the Cato Institute in 1981, Boaz has been pivotal in transforming the once-obscure think tank into a powerhouse ? setting the gold standard for libertarian public policy analysis. More than 15 years ago, at a time when far fewer people had even heard of libertarianism, Boaz wrote and edited a volume titled Libertarianism: A Primer. Today, most voters know the contours of what a libertarian is, but a majority still do not identify along said lines. Clearly, given the iron-clad moral and logical reasoning behind libertarian ideas, the message clearly has not gotten far enough. But we may be near a tipping point if Boaz is correct about the "Libertarian Moment," to which he synced the arrival of his revised version of his Primer, The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom. Tune in for the full hour, this Sunday at 9am Pacific to hear Boaz's evidence that the iron is now hot for the movement to strike with bold free-market solutions.

This week, instead of the usual encore show, we will be airing a remix of the best segments from previous shows on the topic of illegal immigration. This subject is so dear to Bob's heart (and mind) that he has been compelled to revisit it half a dozen times, and he will continue to do so for as long as it remains an issue. Bob's stance on immigration: Let them all in.In defending this position, he has interviewed former two-term Governor and Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, Cato Institute immigration expert Alex Nowrasteh, Huffington Post reporter Elise Foley, and Sophia Campos, an aspiring professional and undocumented student at UCLA. This one-hour special will include select segments from each of these interviews, along with lively debate between Bob and his numerous callers. Few subjects elicit such strong emotions from across the spectrum as illegal immigration. This is all the more reason to learn the facts and get answers to the questions you've always been too afraid to ask. Are open borders compatible with a welfare state? Why are our border regions so violent? Are the most recent waves of immigrants assimilating like past generations of newcomers to the United States? Find out, this Sunday at the usual time.

?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. Subscribe in iTunesGet Weekly Emails

The Citizens United case, in which the Supreme Court affirmed speech rights for corporate ?persons,? was alleged by some to herald the end of democracy ?of the people, by the people, and for the people.? But are corporate interests really able to purchase politicians and their votes? Perhaps more importantly, is there any evidence that ?bought? politicians stay bought? Michael Munger, Director of Duke University?s interdisciplinary Philosophy, Politics, and Economics program, studies how political favors are exchanged between actors in government and the private sector. Munger has no doubt that money can influence policy in wasteful or destructive ways, but he sees something other than campaign finance as the culprit. In a recent New York Times article on the role of money in politics, Munger was quoted talking about the deals that take place after the election, behind closed doors ? a phenomenon known as ?rent-seeking.? Bob is joined by Professor Munger, a frequent EconTalk guest and former candidate for Governor of North Carolina, to peek into the dirty dens of politics and see how deals really get made.

Sixteen years ago, Virginia Postrel published The Future and Its Enemies, a manifesto for her personal philosophy of "dynamism." Dynamists like Postrel favor the spontaneous, evolving forces of free markets over the "stasist" philosophy common to reactionary conservatives and government technocrats. Even more than left versus right, Postrel argues, politics is a battle of the "stasists" versus the "dynamists." Nowhere is this seen more clearly than in the debate over compensation for kidney donors. Postrel, the editor of Reason during most of the 1990s, is a spokesperson for a new charity, the American Living Organ Donor Fund (ALODF). She also once donated a kidney to a friend in need. But many people with failing kidneys are not as lucky as the beneficiary of Postrel's altruism. Markets and financial incentives could save the lives of thousands of wait-listed patients on dialysis, but the National Kidney Foundation has resisted even marginal reforms at every turn. Postrel will join the show to reflect on her manifesto and its relation to this vital issue.Update: Charitable.com giving campaign to raise money for compensating organ donors.

Lenore Skenazy first made waves after writing a column about how she let her nine-year-old son ride the New York City subway home alone. This was followed by a public outcry, including the accusation of "World's Worst Mom," which led Lenore to defend her position on TV programs like The View, The Today Show, and Anderson Cooper 360. Skenazy eventually repurposed her accusers' label for a TV reality series titled, "World's Worst Mom," in which she helped to keep "helicopter parents" from hovering so close to their children. What has changed in America? Parents no longer send kids out to play in their neighborhoods. Strangers are presumed guilty until proven innocent. Even halloween candy is viewed suspiciously (despite no reports of any kid poisonings, ever). Lenore Skenazy believes this is no way for a free society to operate. Not only is it dreary, but it might be completely unnecessary. Perhaps it's time we looked at the numbers and broke down the risks, as Lenore does in her book, "Free Range Kids." Whether you have kids or not, you'll want to hear Bob and Lenore discussing the real threat to life and liberty ? our own paranoia.

Since the initial waves of political correctness and subsequent censorship swept across college campuses in the 1990s, many cases have been fought and won in favor of free speech. The overturning of unconstitutional speech codes, for example, seemed to herald a new era for individual rights in higher education. These victories resulted in no small measure from the tireless efforts of FIRE ? the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Yet the battle is hardly over. Bob's guest tomorrow will be Greg Lukianoff, President of FIRE. As Greg explains in his new broadside, "Freedom From Speech," there are several new threats to free speech brewing. Colleges are beginning to include ?trigger warnings? on standard humanities curricula. Controversial commencement speakers are being subject to "disinvitation campaigns," and a general culture of outrage is preventing a robust debate. This "chilling effect" can be observed both in academia and, increasingly, in society at large. Greg joins the show to discuss the latest challenges to free speech, and to look at the special role played by our universities in creating this stifling environment. They also examine the new "affirmative consent" laws, such as the one recently passed in California, and the dangers they pose to due process. The Shadow University by Alan Charles Kors and Harvey Silverglate

Following the Great Recession of 2007-2008, regulators jumped at the opportunity to "remedy" (i.e., regulate) perceived market failures in credit markets. Although government-sponsored enterprises like Fannie Mae were responsible for many of the bad loans that created the crisis, politicians alleged it was the free market and payday lending that needed to be reined in. The 2011 Dodd-Frank Act increased regulators' responsibilities, and even gave rise to a new agency ? the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. As the first appointee of the agency's "Consumer Advisory Board," Elizabeth Warren became known as a savior of sorts for victims of so-called "predatory lending." But do these laws, bureaus, and advisory boards protect or harm consumers? In this episode, Bob's guest is George Mason University Law School professor Todd Zywicki, one of Warren's most knowledgeable and outspoken critics. Zywicki and his co-authors recently finished a detailed study on this topic, "Consumer Credit and the American Economy." Listen to learn how the public has been misled about the costs, benefits, uses, and abuses of consumer debt. ----Update [10/19/14]: Todd Zywicki writes a post at the Volokh Conspiracy blog about the NYT Editorial on capping interest rates on consumer credit brought up by Bob and his caller during the show.Click here to read Todd's commentary.Click here to read the NYT Editorial, "A Rate Cap for All Consumer Loans", published 10/18/14.

Every year, Americans rightly honor civil rights icons who stood up for the principle of equality enshrined in our founding documents. Few are aware, though, of the ties between the civil rights tradition and the principles of classical liberalism. In Race and Liberty in America: The Essential Reader, Jonathan Bean has compiled an anthology of primary documents by both well-known leaders like Frederick Douglass and unsung heroes like individualist and abolitionist Lysander Spooner, Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey, and others who helped strip government of the ability to discriminate on the basis of race. ?Classical liberalism,? writes Bean, a scholar at the Independent Institute and this Sunday?s guest, ?is a philosophy of individualism; its history is peopled by a mix of iconoclasts, contrarians, lone dissenters, courageous rebels, and powerful political leaders.? Tune in to learn from Bean how classical liberal ideas motivated these key figures in the struggle for civil rights. He and Bob will also discuss how new ?progressive? forms of discrimination undermine the principles behind historical victories for justice and equality.

Back in April, Bob interviewed Ed Hudgins about The Republican Party?s Civil War, in which Hudgins urged Republicans to emphasize the value of ?modernist achievers??those who disrupt status quo industries and demonstrate what free individuals can accomplish. Derek Khanna is one of the youngest yet most influential thinkers leading the charge on the innovation front in Washington D.C. Khanna regularly writes on disruptive innovation for Forbes.com, and recently had his article, "The Party of Innovation," featured on the cover of The American Conservative magazine. The piece advocated for common sense free-market reform in technology policy, and in the broader conservative movement. If his ideas are any indication of a trend, there may still be hope for Republicans to become known as the party of dynamism and innovation. Bob and Khanna talked about obstacles to forming new small businesses, and Khanna explained some recent reforms that may foreshadow more sweeping victories down the road.

Double-entry bookkeeping doesn't exactly have a reputation for excitement. Indeed, who among us spends weekends and evenings painstakingly tallying our assets against our liabilities when there are so many delightful distractions around? Jacob Soll, a historian and accounting professor at the University of Southern California, thinks accounting needs a makeover, if not a renaissance. Soll has demolished the boring accountant stereotype with his new book, "The Reckoning: Financial Accountability and the Rise and Fall of Nations." Soll's research takes us behind the scenes to reveal the ways that bookkeeping practices have shaped and been shaped by different cultures during critical historical periods. Find out whether modern governments and financial institutions can survive in a society that neglects the task of "keeping the books balanced." Or, are we prone to yet more financial crises?or worse, a moral reckoning with our debts?

For decades, the North Korean regime has kept its oppressive rule hidden from the rest of the world. But slowly, the truth has been emerging. Defectors like Yeonmi Park?who left the country in 2007 at the age of 15?have lived to tell the stories about their escape, and of the changing political landscape they left behind. Yet in spite of the continuing famines and desperate poverty, there are rays of hope, as markets slowly work their way into the North Korean social fabric. Bob speaks with Yeonmi Park about her previous way of life as one of the rising "black market generation" that is finally experiencing the power of spontaneous voluntary cooperation. Can the trend toward freer markets and trade be stopped now that it has a foothold? Or will North Korea's isolationist "juche" ideology hold fast against the rest of the world? You won?t want to miss this inside look into a country that appears to be slowly coming out of the shadows.

Alice Goffman is no Ivory Tower academic. The author of a harrowing new field study, On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City, Goffman spent the better part of a decade immersing herself in a crime-ridden neighborhood in Philadelphia. Once established, she began to study people?s lives in light of certain trends in law enforcement that are shattering communities with deep existing fractures. New quotas for certain kinds of arrests, combined with increasingly efficient methods of policing the drug war, have set the stage for a real-life drama that rivals Shakespeare's darkest tragedies. While this struggle unfolds outside the view of most Americans, the conflicts and social ills being amplified by the modern criminal justice system should be of concern to everyone. Family members are turned against one another; children view arrest and detention as a rite of passage; and market forces show up in strange places as entrepreneurial energy is channeled into running from the law. Bob gets the inside scoop on Goffman's breathtaking research, as the two discuss the causes and consequences of institutionalized poverty.

Though some use it disparagingly, the label of ?Bleeding Heart? is worn by others as a badge of honor. This apparent contradiction only starts to make sense when you contrast the frequently damaging results of government policy motivated by the undeniably noble sentiment behind caring for the poor. Matt Zwolinski, Professor of Philosophy at University of San Diego, is out to reframe the debate through what he calls Bleeding Heart Libertarianism. On this show, you?ll find out what this means and how it applies to recurring policy debates about welfare and more. In a nutshell, Zwolinski and his co-bloggers at BleedingHeartLibertarians.com seek to validate the concepts of social justice and responsibility to the poor within the framework of free-market advocacy. Can the union of these ideas translate into a viable political agenda? Later, Bob looks at President Obama?s expansion of executive power, with the release of five Taliban prisoners in exchange for U.S. solider Bowe Bergdahl. Bob also examines a new EPA rule to curb carbon dioxide emissions across the 50 states, and he looks at the effects it is likely to have on the cost of energy. Just who would these new regulations burden the most? You guessed it ? the poor! Tune in to sharpen your thinking on how government can best help (or at least do the least harm) to the worst off among us.

In most sectors of the economy, regulation is an inevitable hurdle to doing business. Certain Internet-based businesses, however, have been left alone for long enough to flourish in the hands of enterprising individuals. Jim Epstein is a producer at Reason TV who has been tracking the emergence of the so-called ?sharing economy." Epstein joins Bob to discuss, among other things, his new video series telling the stories of people whose personal businesses are thriving with the help of new peer-to-peer information technology. Tech companies like Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb are facilitating leaps and bounds in private value creation. Regulators are having a hard time catching up. Epstein notes that even progressives are finding reasons to oppose regulation in this burgeoning field. Could this be the beginning of a liberal/libertarian alliance? Either way, don?t expect regulators to sit on the sidelines for long!Elsewhere, in the food industry, regulation is nothing new ? but some citizens are starting to demand their freedoms back. Bob discusses the controversy over raw milk, and two proposed bills that could impact its sale in the U.S.

Bob is joined by former San Francisco mayor Art Agnos. Mayor Agnos is a progressive to the core, and a sincere advocate for the middle class. He makes a passionate case for rent control, and subsidized, affordable housing for lower and middle-class residents of urban areas (especially, of course, San Francisco). Mayor Agnos truly speaks from the heart, as well as the mind, making it difficult for Bob to rebut his distinctly non-libertarian views, although he tries. Of particular interest is Mayor Agnos? successful battle against the Golden State Warriors? attempted land grab on the San Francisco waterfront. You?ll learn how professional sports franchises often function as little more than mall developers in disguise.In the last half hour Bob addresses the issue of endangered species with investigative reporter Tawanda Kanhema of the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Kanhema has been documenting the fight to save the black rhinoceros ? including efforts to crack down on ivory sales ? on rhino-er.org. Bob examines whether the free markets have a role to play in bringing endangered species back from the brink.It?s 90 minutes of Bob and the progressives!

During the Constitution?s ratification process from September 1787 through mid-1788, each and every federalist (the supporters of ratification) promised America a federal government of limited (i.e. ?enumerated?) powers. For about 120 years we were provided with maximum freedom to pursue our lives as we see fit. Promise kept. Then what happened?The America we live in today is by no means the America that we were supposed to have. Were we given a flawed Constitution? One that mandated an all-controlling, all-seeing, liberty-denying Big Brother that was determined to make all of our personal decisions for us? Clark M. Neily III knows how we got from the government we were promised to the government we now have and he explains it in Terms of Engagement; How Our Courts Should Enforce the Constitution?s Promise of Limited Government. Clark joined Bob to discuss all this and more. You need to know how we got in this mess in order to know how to get out. A must-hear show.

Marc Levinson?s book ?The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America? has it all: rugged capitalism, crony capitalism, big time rent seekers using political power to kill competition, and the defense of the ?little guy? against the feared chain stores. It also outlines the destruction of the free market by the New Deal, gives details of the precursor to Walmart (Sam Walton did not invent the business model) and exemplifies some very nasty politics. A history of this iconic brand is a history of American business from the middle of the nineteenth century through the middle of the twentieth century. In this Sunday?s encore episode, Marc joins Bob to put the attack on free enterprise in a fascinating historical perspective. The mistakes of history keep on repeating themselves and resilient businesses overcome these obstacles. This topic, this book, is simply great stuff. You?ll love it.

In America we seem unable to resolve the proper Constitutional relationship between religion and our political life. We think we know what the founders intended: ?separation of church and state,? ?a wall of separation,? the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. But this issue is far from resolved. Reagan did not attend church enough for some Americans, Romney?s Mormonism was an issue, and some take issue with Obama and Reverend Wright. Raymond Lorber?s first book, ?George Washington?s Providence,? explores the unique relationship between Washington?s belief that his God would protect him and his military and political triumphs in a style that is both scholarly and accessible. Ray?s book gives us access to Washington?s many letters and other writings that offer us an understanding of Washington where most other writings fail. Most of us have wondered what qualities separated our founders from those who followed them. This book provides the answer, at least insofar as Washington is concerned.

Welcome to America, where federal law enforcement rewards local police departments for ignoring the issues such as assault, robbery, murder and public safety in general. The government?s efforts would be better spent on the causes Washington considers important, such as drug enforcement, illegal immigration and ?terrorism.? By taking advantage of civil asset forfeiture, local law enforcement agents are permitted (if not encouraged) to confiscate personal property without proving that the owner committed or intended to commit any crime. Cops are getting filthy rich in the process? and its legal! Sarah Stillman has written an expose entitled ?Taken? which was recently published in the New Yorker and in this episode, she joins Bob to explain the role reversal of cops becoming robbers. Don?t miss it.

The Constitution provides a framework for the American presidency. When the founders wrote it, the concept of an elected chief executive did not exist anywhere on earth. That position was created in 1787. When George Washington was elected as our first President, he had to build the office from the ground up. What he created and how he did it is a remarkable story, as Harlow Giles Unger describes in his new book ?Mr. President; George Washington and the Making of the Nation?s Highest Office.? Listen in as Bob and Harlow explore the presidency as imagined by the founders, as created by President Washington, and changed (for the better or for the worse) by presidents since the founding. What are the lessons to be learned by tracing the presidency from Washington to Obama?

In 1878 the Posse Comitatus Act ended the use of the US Military to enforce state laws. Our founders uniformly abhorred any concept of a federal police force since ?police power? was vested in the states. However, since the 1980s, the tactics of the local police have come to resemble those of the military. Armored personnel carriers, heavy duty attack weapons, tanks and military hardware are being used for ordinary police tasks such as the enforcement of warrants and simple arrests. The very appearance of our cops is identical to army troops. How did this happen, where is it going and what does it tell us about life in America? No one knows this better than Radley Balko, author of ?The Rise of the Warrior Cop.? Radley explains how the mission of our local police has changed from our protectors to our adversaries. This show won?t make you happy but it will inform you.

Everyone loves rights and no one loves duties. Our founders gave us complete control over our government, yet it was Franklin who famously defined it as ?A republic. If you can keep it.? The freedom given by the Constitution is fragile and requires vigilant a watch against encroachment by government.Yet vigilance is hard work. We must always watch what our representatives are doing and above all be informed. In Washington?s Farewell Address he cautioned that ?public opinion should be enlightened.? Bill Damon a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and author of Failing Liberty 101; How We Are Leaving Young Americans Unprepared by Citizenship in a Free Society, points out that we have failed to instill the civic virtue necessary for our kids to value and to exercise their duties as citizens in a free society. Is it too late? Have we set the stage for the decline and fall of Liberty in America? If future generations do not value liberty and are trained to detect its encroachments, the ?shining city on the hill? will go dark.

Attention all voters! Which party embodies crony capitalism, interventionist foreign policy and the regulation of the most private aspects of our lives? Most importantly, which party ignores each of us as an individual; only to replace personal responsibility with government dictated behavior? The answer of course is, the Republicans AND the Democrats. The narcotic of political power intoxicates both of these parties and they are obsessed with its accumulation.A more interesting question is: which party shows the greatest hope for change and what will that change look like? In this episode, Tim Carney, Senior Political Columnist for the Washington Examiner, explains how Libertarian Populism offers the best solution the problems in the American political system today. Libertarian Populists are suspicious of bigness in all forms, accumulations of power and they oppose the conversion of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Finally, we have a political home we can all feel comfortable in. Politics can be so exciting. Tune in tomorrow at noon.

An entrepreneur is defined as ?a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, usually with considerable initiative and risk.? These qualities have always been valued and cherished in America. Entrepreneurship has improved our quality of life in immeasurable ways and it always will. An immigrant in our country takes as much risk and shows as much initiative as any entrepreneur. We should be spending our treasury to keep them here, not keep them out. The anti-immigration fervor represented by many on the right and some on the left is shameful, bigoted, mean-spirited and contrary to our national ethos. As Bob so often says, ?let them all in.? To discuss the economic, social and security aspects of this most emotional issue and more importantly, to replace rhetoric with objectivity, Bob welcomed Cato?s Alex Nowrasteh back to his show. Alex brings his passionate devotion to truth to an issue which is usually discussed only with emotion.

Thomas Jefferson famously commented that given the choice between a government without newspapers and newspapers without government, he?d prefer the latter. The Founders felt freedom of speech to be so important that was embodied as the first of the Bill of Rights amendments to the Constitution. Ten years later, John Adams, whose love of America was second to none, signed the Sedition Act, which criminalized any public criticism of him or the Congress. Tension between government and a free press has never gone away. What is the role of the media in democratic life today? Is it truly, as Edmund Burke observed the ?Fourth Estate,? having almost as much influence as elected officials? Has the consolidation of media into a few mega-corporations been compromised objectivity? Did objectivity ever even exist? Ben Swan, award willing journalist, blogger, new anchor and television host gives his insider views on the controversial role of the media in public life today.

In the past 15 years, California?s high tax burden caused 340,000 (mostly) high earners to go to other states like Nevada where they can keep more of their earnings. Is there a pattern? You bet there is. Americans are ?voting with their feet? more than ever before. Not just pro golfer Phil Mickelson who makes a pretty penny, but average wage earners. Where do they move from, where do they go ?and why? Travis Brown has studied this extensively and he authored ?How Money Walks,? the definitive study on which states are winning or losing the competition for taxpayers and businesses and what the results tell us. Join Bob and Travis to celebrate federalism in operation, just as the founders envisioned.

In the opinion of the Founders, no right is more worthy of protection than the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, providing freedom of conscience and the right to speak one?s mind. Yet those in power find themselves threatened by those who exercise this right and government becomes tempted to limit speech, which is our most essential right for maintaining a free society. The First Amendment is under attack on our college campuses, of all places. Speech codes pervade. Censorship is rampant. Politically incorrect views are banned. And these are the institutions which will produce tomorrow?s voters and tomorrow?s leaders! Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation of Individual Rights (?FIRE?), is a leading expert on the subject, and his book ?Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate? is a must read. In this encore episode, he joins Bob to discuss his findings. After listening to the show, you?ll think twice about making that contribution to your alma mater.

?It is the best of banking, it is the worst of banking.? This is how Charles Dickens might describe America?s dual banking system if he were alive today. The banks that are too big to fail have operations so closely aligned with government that they are nothing more than agencies of Washington disguised as private businesses. Conversly, the community banks run by entrepreneurs are struggling to compete with the Wells Fargos and JPMorgan Chases that have Washington in their back pocket and vice versa. So long as the behemoths toe the line of the ruling class, they?ll be rewarded with free money, CEO job security and protection against failure. Henry Wells, William Fargo, John Pierpont Morgan, and Salmon P. Chase would be ashamed. In this Sunday?s encore episode, Bob is joined by Tom McGraw, CEO of First National Bank of Northern California. Tom is a real banker, not a shill for Washington. Learn how the banking system really works from a banking insider: to the detriment of consumers, small business, and taxpayers. Crony capitalism at its worst and plenty of moral hazard to go around. Don?t miss this show.

Though Capitalism has elevated the standard of living of most humans on earth, it is misunderstood and under attack. It is perverted by the unholy alliance of big business and big government (think ?crony capitalism?), thwarted by statists whose hubris allows them to believe that they know what?s best for each and every citizen, and vilified by those whose survival requires appropriation of someone else?s person and property. In this episode, Bob is joined by author and lecturer Dr. Tom G. Palmer of the Atlas Network and the Cato Institute to discuss the morality and necessity of capitalism. Capitalism cannot be adequately defended if it is not understood, and understand it you shall after hearing this podcast.

George Bush famously stated he wanted to establish ?the ownership society? in America. His concept specifically included the owning of a home. The American Dream, while defined in 1931 in lofty terms, has been downgraded over time to be equated to home ownership. What a cruel hoax. Home ownership has become a nightmare for many Americans, once the political class hyped it as a tool to remain in power. The feds have been the ?snake oil salesmen? of housing. How did this happen and what?s the fix? In this episode, Bob talks to Reason Foundation?s Anthony Randazzo, who knows all these answers. Should we rename your neighborhood ?Federal Acres?? Perhaps. 910 AM in the SF Bay Area. www.newstalk910.com. If your dwelling is something other than a used appliance carton, you?ll not want to miss this show.

It could be argued that almost all of the Amendments (excluding the Bills of Rights and the Civil War Amendments) have damaged the Constitution but the two Amendments that had an especially negative impact were the 16th (income tax) and the 17th (direct election of Senators). Everyone knows about the income tax problem, yet not many of us are not aware of how the direct election of Senators has harmed us; resulting in the introduction of Medicaid, a national drinking age of 21, the national speed limit and Obamacare. In this encore episode, Bob is joined by George Mason University School of Law Professor Todd Zywicki, to discuss the case for repealing the 17th Amendment and the Constitution as the Founders envisioned it. Is there too much democracy in America? Perhaps. To understand the hard issues facing our country today, you must understand the Constitution. To understand the Constitution, you must listen to this podcast.

California is in a fiscal free-fall, led by a clueless governor and an entrenched, pro-union legislature. Why does the rest of the country care? Because what happens here is likely to happen in your state... it?ll just take a bit longer. As Woody Allen famously observed, it happened with ?right on red? and it?ll happen with fiscal insanity. Unless, of course, the other states learn from our mistakes. This is a make-or-break election for California and for the nation. Now that redistricting in California has opened up many seats to newcomers, we are seeing more non-professional politicians and examining their positions on issues Libertarians care about ? immigration, public service unions, minimum wage laws, health care regulation, guns, drug legalization, campaign finance, and the many other issues which are avoided by the mainstream media. In this encore episode, Bob welcomes Arlyne Diamond, candidate for California state assembly from Silicon Valley. The California open primary makes the June election important. Bob hopes this interview will be the template for testing candidates around the country on their Libertarian creds. Radio at its best. Don?t miss it.

Seven months ago, the Occupy Movement started in New York?s Zuccotti Park. Over time, the weather seemed to have chilled and dampened the enthusiasm of its core supporters. However, the movement seems to have sprung into spring with new vigor as seen in San Francisco and Oakland recently. What are the goals and beliefs of the Occupiers and what does it tell us about America today? To discover the heart and soul of the Occupy Movement, Bob invited Anthony Fisher, filmmaker and Reason TV producer to join him in this encore episode to discuss his extensive coverage of the movement. Let?s examine the Occupiers from a Libertarian perspective. Are they just Tea Partiers with longer hair and more student loans? How will they vote in the election this fall, if at all? Bailouts, crony capitalism, taxing the rich; we have it for you.

In this episode, Bob welcomes Adrian Moore of Reason Magazine to his show. The topic ? high speed rail in California and around the country. High speed rail is the intersection of crony capitalism, wealth transfers to unions and the hocking the future. Why must politicians always find the total absence of a need and then fill it with massive spending? If California proceeds with this project, it will make Boston?s Big Dig seem like the paving of a driveway. Adrian?s expertise and Bob?s exasperation will provide with a week?s worth of adrenalin. Take a valium and tune in.

Hugo Chavez, dictator (oops, we mean President) of Venezuela, is reputed to control 1/3 of the Venezuelan economy. That?s peanuts compared to the percentage of the US economy President Obama controls. With Dodd-Frank now on the books, Obama is now able to insure that America?s banks carry out his social and economic policies. The middle class is feeling it already. The banking services they purchase will now cost more just so the banking services sold to the poor are cheaper or even free! Say goodbye to free markets. In this encore episode, Bob is again joined by Tom McGraw, CEO of First National Bank of Northern California. They discuss the quasi-nationalization of our banks and how the making of ordinary business decisions is controlled by banking regulators; thus replacing the business sense and banking knowledge of the owners and management of the banks. It?s an unholy and unhealthy perversion of the free market. Get the inside story.

As Ayn Rand has observed, ?Capitalism is the system of the future ? if man is to have a future.? The lifeblood of capitalism is economic freedom which includes property rights, the freedom of adults to contract with one another, minimal government regulation and freedom to fail. The ranking of the U.S. among the nations of the world on its level of economic freedom continues to drop. How does this affect Joe Sixpack, or even Charlie Chardonnay? In this episode, Bob speaks to Dr. Michael Stroup, economics professor at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas. He has spent his life studying economic freedom. His conclusions will surprise and frighten you. Are we all driving a government-financed Chevy Volts down Hayek?s the Road to Serfdom? Maybe. You won?t want to miss this show.

Alexander Hamilton described the federal judicial system as ?the weakest of the three branches of government.? However, the unelected nine Supreme Court justices have ?legislated? hundreds of overwhelmingly powerful laws. To name a few, they have granted abortion rights, eminent domain and mandatory minimum wage. Even the worst of our federal judges hold their jobs for life. They can be appointed in a rigged process unrelated to merit and despite incompetence, laziness or some other collection of human frailty, they will never be removed. This Sunday at noon, Bob will explore the worst and yet the most powerful branch of government ? the judiciary. Join Bob and meet Robert Yates, the Founder you?ve never heard of, yet one who opposed the Constitution and understood what most of the other Founders did not. The good news is that Bob has a cure for the judiciary?s shortcomings. The solution is one which the Founders would embrace, the politicians will love and bad judges will fear. It took 230+ years, but Americans will get a fair shake in court. Don?t miss this show.

Ever hear of asset forfeiture? Probably not. But the odds are that you will. The day may come when you discover that local or federal law enforcement have confiscated your car or house even though you?ve not committed any crime. It?s called asset forfeiture and it describes a whole range of laws which permit cops to take and to keep a citizen?s property without warrants or other judicial proceedings. This explains how local police get to use Mercedes and Jags as cop cars. The line between the good guys and the bad guys is completely blurred. Bob has been following this issue for years and swapped horror stories with Reason Magazine?s Mike Riggs in this episode. After the show you?ll be asking ?Who can you trust??

Is poverty growing in America? What does ?poverty? even mean? In this episode, Bob welcomes Hadley Heath of the Independent Women?s Forum to the show to discuss this contentious issue. As Hadley demonstrates, poverty is the product of the anti-poverty legislation of the non-so-Great Society programs. We?ve created a society of governmental dependency and the only way out is to reawaken self reliance and reliance on each other. There will always be citizens who have less than others. America?s goal should be to empower those who wish to move up the economic ladder; to get out of their way. Economic freedom ? the cost is free and it?s the sure fire path out of poverty.

The current budget/deficit/spending fight among the President, the House and the Senate is setting the stage for the election of 2012. The Jefferson/Adams election contest of 1800 affected the size and reach of the federal government. 2012 will be a rerun, but the stakes are even higher. What is the current battle really all about? Money? Yes, but only to a point. Please join Bob Zadek and Libertarian economics professor and prolific blogger, as well as frequent media guest Don Boudreaux in this episode, when the answer to the key question is demystified. ?Do we look to Modern Europe Government for guidance, or to the Enlightenment? Sarkozy or Locke??

The Presidential election costs about a billion dollars and it captures our attention for 15 months. Debates are held, we review the voting records of candidates, check their IQs, college transcripts, the intensity of their faith, relationships with spouses and core beliefs. With all this, one can only wonder if the process produces the best President. Do we as voters and as a nation know which qualities produce the best Chief Executive? In this episode, Bob spends an hour with Thomas Fleming, a presidential scholar who is also one of our greatest living historians and he explains what history can reveal about the nature the Presidency. As Santayana has taught us, ?Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors are destined to repeat them.? An hour with Thomas Fleming goes by like 5 minutes. You?ll not want to miss this timely show.

?Loopholes.? ?Tax the Rich.? ?Tax Credits to Create Jobs.? ?Buffet Tax.? Enough of this! Join Bob Zadek and Tax Historian and prolific tax blogger Joe Thorndike (http://thorndike.com/) for a light and breezy hour of tax policy from a Libertarian perspective. Bob?s got a two sentence change to the tax law which would instantly give every taxpayer the same power as Congress and privatize all governmental income transfers. Bob and Joe clear the fog of tax jargon. Taxation is the mother of all pocketbook issues.

Thomas Jefferson valued higher education; perhaps more than any other Founding Father. He envisioned a University system where students and faculty would explore ideas in a bastion of free expression. That did not turn out to be the case. Our colleges censor speech and have become citadels of political correctness. Saying something which offends another student or speaking an unpopular thought will get you thrown out. Disagreeing with your professor is likely to earn you an ?F.? Think I?ve overstated the case? Harvey Silverglate, Co-founder and Chairman of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education joins Bob to talk about the the ugly truth of ?higher? education. The good news is that at the end of our show you?ll feel justified to stop payment on your alumni contributions. Let?s reclaim our colleges and remove the shackles on free speech which they impose.

Visit Utopia. Fly to Atlanta and take a short car trip to Sandy Spring, Georgia, the city that efficiently outsourced everything. Are they the wave of the future? Their budget is about half of what it would be with city employees doing the work! Private toll roads vs. crowded public highways. Fed Ex vs. the Post Office. Which do you prefer? Please join Bob and Adrian Moore of Reason Magazine in this encore episode for an hour of light and breezy privatization fun. Sell the parking meters! Sell the airports. Sell air traffic control! Sell the prisons! Get rid of Public Service Unions, their pensions and their padded payrolls. Let business do business and government take care of government.

Ben Shapiro is an attorney, entertainer, journalist and blogger who has set out the link between Hollywood and the American Left. He argues that the movie moguls and TV producers have come to be the functional equivalent of the Democratic Party and political messages are surreptitiously embedded in films and sitcoms. What could the propaganda czars of Russia, China and North Korea learn from the residents of Beverly Hills 90210? In this episode, Ben joins Bob to discuss his highly talked about and controversial new book ?Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV.? Forget the fictional villains such as Hannibal Lector. They?re just there to distract us from the real ones on and behind the big and small screens! You won?t want to miss this show.

S&P downgraded the credit rating on our country?s bonds. How did this happen? What does it mean to you and me? Most importantly, how does our country get its AAA rating back? If we are all going down in financial flames, should we file the biggest bankruptcy case in the history of the planet with the World Court? In this episode, Bob is joined by Reason Magazine?s Associate Editor, Peter Suderman. They will Standard and Poor?s downgrade, what it says about how our country is governed and how it reflects the financial stewardship of the Obama administration. Bob has spent 45 years in the world of credit. No one knows it better, except perhaps his guest, Peter.

How does an environmental Libertarian think? What are his values? Is a Libertarian?s response to global warming to sweat it out and buy lots of sunscreen? Hardly. In fact, only free markets will save the grey wolf, the humpback whale, the snail darter and the spotted owl; without regulation, without ethanol subsidies, without the EPA, and without Al Gore! In this episode, Bob joins Dr. Mary Ruwart, a Libertarian who has studied environmental issues for most of her life, to learn why free markets are green markets.

Fear of crime is so yesterday. At one time, violent crime was on everyone?s mind but today, money is the big issue. We are plagued by out of control deficits, powerful public employee union rip-offs, out of control government spending and the expensive failed war on drugs. These issues all come together in this episode as Veronique de Rugy, Senior Research Fellow at George Mason University?s Mercatus Center discusses ?Prison Math? with Bob. American Exceptionalism is at risk because the United States hosts the world?s largest prison population. Are we truly ?the land of the free? or are we all prisoners of our failed prison system?