Cato Podcast

The coalition that wants to keep you from using your property in accordance with your needs and values is extremely bipartisan. Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center discusses the busybody coalition that wants to ban short-term rentals and how states ought to fight back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rise of political polarization and hatred should be of genuine concern, and Joe Biden's pledge to deliver a sense of normalcy and boredom seems to have been just another broken campaign promise. Gene Healy made his case at the most recent Cato Club event. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new spending approved under the Biden administration may soon top the new spending approved by two of his predecessors. Jonathan Bydlak walks through the implications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Tuttle Twins series of books teaching economics and liberty-friendly values to young people is now an animated series. Book series author Connor Boyack describes the new venue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker has some ideas for restraining the spending and debt currently being accrued at a faster clip than ever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether the proposed school choice program is big or small, the breathless warnings from public school defenders are predictably dire. Jason Bedrick of EdChoice says the lesson for lawmakers is clear: Choose the more robust choice program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Among the many states that created or expanded school choice programs, West Virginia stands out for its innovative, big new program. Jessi Troyan with the Cardinal Institute explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How the Department of Labor regulates pension funds and other retirement plans holds big implications for retirees, so how do so-called ESG (environmental, social, and governance) preferences change things? Jennifer Schulp comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What powers does Congress have to access information from former executive branch officials? It's not totally clear, according to Julian Sanchez. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Turkey's president enjoys his control over various aspects of his country, and yet the value of Turkey's currency is demonstrably out of his control. Cato's Mustafa Akyol provides the context. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The metaverse offers an opportunity to replicate real-world human interaction, but it also presents some new and unique problems. Given the strength of current players in this market and the ever-present threat of regulation, how might the growth of this new simulated reality play out? Will Duffield comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To what extent can Congress delegate away the authority to make laws? Will Yeatman details a case before the Supreme Court that holds big implications for the future of delegated legislative power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are Americans really suited to self-government? If so, why do so many who study politics seem to think otherwise? Tony Woodlief is author of I, Citizen: A Blueprint for Reclaiming American Self-Governance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By placing conditions on government benefits, gifts, or licenses, governments can often achieve compliance in ways that would otherwise be blatantly unconstitutional. Philip Hamburger details how it works in his new book, Purchasing Submission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where does the evidence stand on the so-called "lab leak" theory regarding the beginnings of Covid-19? Matt Ridley is coauthor of Viral: The Search for the Origin of Covid-19. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Optimism about achieving the American Dream is on the wane, or so we are told. Gonzalo Schwarz of the Archbridge Institute says that's not quite right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The heavy lifts to getting government out of the way of innovation in many cases simply aren't happening. Will Rinehart of the Center for Growth and Opportunity believes the people who need to do that hard work are distracted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Hampshire takes top honors in the Cato Institute's new Freedom in the 50 States report. Authors Will Ruger and Jason Sorens discuss the report and its criteria. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How should success be measured in state-led efforts to provide rural broadband? Will Rinehart of the Center for Growth and Opportunity comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In many states, when teacher or police unions bargain over wages, benefits, and accountability, the public is left entirely outside the process. Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center details how that complicates holding the public sector accountable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How should states assert that police power to use new technology must exist within by basic constitutional limits? Kendall Cotton of Montana’s Frontier Institute comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Among the topics to avoid at the Thanksgiving table, the nature and causes of inflation and mask mandates rank high on the list. Economist Michael Munger discusses why those topics can and probably will inspire spirited disagreement this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The push to give presidents of both parties the power to make unrestrained war (on a number of occasions) was bipartisan. Will the effort to reclaim those powers for Congress draw a diverse majority coalition? Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) hope so. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Rochelle, a community in New York, seems to have found a way to streamline the production of new housing. Patrick Tuohey of the Better Cities Project explains how they did it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clark Neily details how qualified immunity came to be and why Americans must end it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Utah is ahead of more than a dozen states in approving medical cannabis. How did a conservative state like Utah get it done? How well does its program serve patients? Molly Davis with the Libertas Institute and the Utah Cannabis Association comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Getting policy right means engaging in the right steps in the right order. Eli Dourado of the Center for Growth and Opportunity details a lesson for policymakers from a manufacturing titan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Missouri threatened journalists with lawsuits after the journalists told them about their own errors in collecting and storing data online. Mike Masnick of Techdirt says, months later, the Show Me State hasn't learned all that much. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are many reasons for our supply chain disruptions. Colin Grabow details how the feds have made it worse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President wants to isolate banks from the competition provided by the unregulated issuance of stablecoins. Norbert Michel and Jennifer Schulp comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Congress's focus on this year's attack on the Capitol preventing or giving lawmakers a pass on basic oversight? Pat Eddington comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do Native American tribes have to teach the rest of us about land management and environmental conservation? Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How the feds cajole or compel corporate behavior should be of great concern to customers and shareholders. The first step to nudging corporations toward "social responsibility" appears to be with corporate disclosures. Adam Millsap with Stand Together comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Managing forests is more than putting out fires, and people suing the feds over forest management plans can make the risk and consequences of fires worse. Jonathan Wood of the Property and Environment Research Center comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most Americans now live in states where cannabis is legal for either medical or recreational use, and that has brought with it industry insiders trying to drive regulation going forward. Shanita Penny is a cannabis educator and consultant who's seen it unfold. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The FDA has a massive impact on our food supply. Can the agency actually execute on its mandate? Should it? How might consumers gain more control over their choices? Richard A. Williams is author of Fixing Food: An FDA Insider Unravels the Myths and the Solutions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pandemic may have accelerated the trend of schools using digital tools to watch kids well beyond their activities during the school day. Neal McCluskey and Julian Sanchez detail why a reckoning with this kind of surveillance is overdue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Republican Glenn Youngkin capitalized on parental anger over schools to become Virginia's next governor, but his own plans to expand choice for parents are, to put it mildly, weak. Neal McCluskey comments on the surprise upset in Virginia and what it means for state politics elsewhere. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You’ll be forgiven if you squint a bit when establishment media outlets breathlessly report a social media outlet effectively monetizing anger. After all, media outlets have a long-established tradition of doing exactly that. Walter Olson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a powerful innovation for health care payments, but they're also perhaps the single best financial vehicle for retirement savings. Michael Cannon explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Logan Kolas of the Buckeye Institute details the technologies where feds should play a muted role in setting the rules of the road. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that track government money. Why do they strike such fear in the hearts of federal regulators? Norbert Michel discusses his new paper. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pandemic introduced a variety of shocks to the global economy, but the policies already on the books didn't help supply chains adjust appropriately. Now we have a serious problem getting goods from producers to buyers. Scott Lincicome offers some advice to lawmakers and the President. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does Medicare's incentive structure impact the quality of care it delivers? Cato's Michael Cannon is coauthor of a new paper exploring the question. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has seen large expansions in school choice programs in recent years under a Democratic governor. Marc Leblond of the Commonwealth Foundation describes how the politics aligned to make it happen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are many ideas for how to fix the Supreme Court. At Cato's recent Cato Club event, Ilya Shapiro said it's far from clear that it needs fixing at all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The long-feared specter of inflation is here, even though it's a far cry from the inflation of the 1970s. Cato's Norbert Michel discusses how Congress and the Federal Reserve ought to respond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

School choice exploded this year. What does that mean for students? Jason Bedrick comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The restrictive immigration policies of Donald Trump have sadly been mostly maintained by Joe Biden, and that means bad things for employers seeking workers. David Bier explains how executive action could free immigration and alleviate the labor crunch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

he threat of big government handouts to well-funded special interests demands an opposition that is, if not well-funded, at least ideologically diverse. John Mozena of The Center for Economic Accountability comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.