Cato Podcast

The government El Salvador has adopted Bitcoin as its currency, but that has problems. What does that mean for average people, and how could they have done it better? George Selgin offers a few ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The IRS is a broken agency with a poor record of giving advice and securing data about taxpayers. Joe Biden wants the agency to get bigger and stronger. Andrew Moylan of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a lot that we don't know about which mergers are going to pay off. In fact, there's a lot that companies don't know when faced with that prospect. Sam Bowman of the International Center for Law and Economics discusses antitrust and mergers in the U.S. and Great Britain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Pentagon Papers launched a decades-long fight over how to protect the public from threats while respecting the public's right to know how government works. Patrick Eddington and Julian Sanchez discusses the 50th anniversary of the Pentagon Papers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As many thousands of businesses have been bankrupted or closed because of the pandemic, there are ways for state and local governments to foster a more robust recovery. Chris Edwards explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Art Carden is coauthor of Leave Me Alone and I’ll Make You Rich: How The Bourgeois Deal Enriched the World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are downsides to social entrepreneurship, according to Kimberlee Josephson of Lebanon Valley College. She details what she sees as risks of focusing on goods other than the bottom line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Mexico ended civil forfeiture in 2015. What's happened in policing since then? Jennifer McDonald of the Institute for Justice crunched the numbers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an especially hot housing market with significant supply constraints, why spend taxpayer money to goose demand? Housing researcher Nolan Gray argues it's precisely the wrong policy response. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The long-awaited FDA ban on menthol cigarettes is now in the works. Guy Bentley of the Reason Foundation believes the social consequences will be both negative and predictable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cities have great opportunities to drive higher incomes and tax revenue by fostering innovative problem solving, but future beneficiaries of gig work and home-based businesses are rarely the loudest voices in the room. Greg Brooks of the Better Cities Project comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Follow the science" is good advice for lawmakers, but in so many contexts where dominant scientific views change, it should mean lawmakers intervene less often. Jeff Singer explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can Congress oversee the Federal Reserve? Can Congress even oversee the Fed's adherence to a monetary rule? Alexander William Salter is coauthor of Money and the Rule of Law: Generality and Predictability in Monetary Institutions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many state leaders frustrated with the slow pace of re-employment have opted to quit offering enhanced unemployment benefits. Logan Kolas of the Buckeye Institute discusses what that means for Ohio and many other states. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Big spending means high taxes for President Joe Biden. What are the real consequences? Chris Edwards explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to a New York state law that allows residents to carry a concealed handgun only if they can demonstrate a special need beyond a general desire for self-protection. Josh Blackman comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when the feds buy data about you and use it to surveil or prosecute you? Is it an end-run around laws meant to prohibit exactly that? Cato's Julian Sanchez and Patrick Eddington comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Biden unveiled plans to increase the U.S. government’s science funding by some 20 percent over the next year, but the reasoning behind it is flawed. Terence Kealey explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The blank check that has accompanied forest management has done damage to forest ecosystems in ways you probably wouldn't imagine. Holly Fretwell and Jonathan Wood of the Property and Environment Research Center detail why protecting America's forests requires some counterintuitive thinking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In The Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They're Wrong, Cato's Alex Nowrasteh considers the most common arguments against immigration and rejects them using sound reasoning and evidence.Help us celebrate the Cato Daily Podcast's 15th anniversary by receiving a small token of our appreciation for listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Jones Act keeps private sector actors from responding nimbly when economic disruptions occur, like a ransomware attack on a pipeline. Colin Grabow explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China, even if it rises, does not present much of a security threat to the United States, according to Cato's John Mueller. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Congress mulls policing reform, it's still unclear if an end to qualified immunity will be included. Clark Neily details reform options on the table and why the invented Supreme Court doctrine needs to go.Help us celebrate the Cato Daily Podcast’s 15th anniversary by receiving a small token of our appreciation for listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Showing respect for an opponent's argument may be difficult, but it's important if we care about having productive and civil discourse. Greg Rehmke runs economicthinking.org and has spend decades teaching young people how to engage in proper debate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social entrepreneurs still face a bottom line. Sam Staley of Florida State University discusses what is required to engage in charity and business simultaneously. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You would expect a court designed for foreign intelligence surveillance would use a stronger hand in punishing agencies that illegally snoop on Americans. Julian Sanchez discusses why that's not exactly what's going on.Help us celebrate the Cato Daily Podcast’s 15th anniversary by receiving a small token of our appreciation for listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Left's blind spot about guns mirrors the Right's blind spot about immigrants. Trevor Burrus explains.Help us celebrate the Cato Daily Podcast’s 15th anniversary by receiving a small token of our appreciation for listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Biden Administration hopes to hike capital gains taxes for high earners. What are the likely results? Cato’s Jennifer Schulp comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should the U.S. care that Saudi Arabia and Iran are talking? Doug Bandow explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Republicans have come to love big government, Democrats have stopped pretending to care about fiscal restraint. Eric Boehm of Reason details the absence of serious fights over spending. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does an off-campus profane rant implicate student discipline for schools? The Supreme Court is looking at the case of a teenager disciplined for that kind of speech. Cato's Thomas Berry talks about why the student will probably prevail. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Facebook Oversight Board generally approved of the company's ban on Donald Trump, but the board attached some directions for Facebook, as well. John Samples, a vice president at Cato, is a member of the oversight board. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How well does the medical malpractice system compensate injured patients and spur better care? Charlie Silver is coauthor of Medical Malpractice Litigation: How It Works — Why Tort Reform Hasn’t Helped. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new Cato Institute poll drills down on why Americans feel the way they do about immigration. Emily Ekins directed the research. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

California wants to maintain a database of the identities of donors to all manner of charities throughout the U.S. Paul Sherman of the Institute for Justice says it's an imposition on privacy and association. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The experience of Ukraine may offer lessons for public defense. Economic researcher Garrett Wood has looked into the creative but imperfect means of crowdfunding small-scale defense in Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Qualified immunity is an insult to Americans whose rights have been violated by public officials. Ben Cohen tells some of those stories in Above the Law: How 'Qualified Immunity' Protects Violent Police. We were joined by Cato’s Jay Schweikert and Clark Neily. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Mexico has eliminated qualified immunity for almost all public officials. New Mexico House Speaker Brian Egolf (D) discusses how it happened and why it's an important reform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Biden Administration is reportedly considering a federal mandate to lower nicotine levels in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels. Is that just back door prohibition? Tom Firey and Jeff Singer comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The arguments from self-described libertarians on private vaccine certifications often disrespects the freedom of people to define their own associations. Sam Staley of Florida State University comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Criminal justice reformers should turn their eyes to how data is collected in myriad ways within the criminal justice system. Stuart Buck of Arnold Ventures details how credible data can drive reform efforts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Democrats prepare to roll out the end of federal cannabis prohibition, it's worth taking stock of where cannabis legality stands today. Erin Partin details how states have moved over the past decade, and how the feds ought to move forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Joe Biden lost credibility in his own party by failing to make good on campaign promises to increase the cap for refugee admissions to the United States. David Bier says Biden has no reason to back down from his immigration promises. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Defining a hate crime is a challenge and definitions vary by jurisdiction, but Congress is moving ahead with revising and expanding those laws federally. Walter Olson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rigidity that Democrats want in labor markets doesn't serve women well, and Republicans are far from innocent in pushing for new mandates. Rachel Greszler of the Heritage Foundation comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Defenders of certificate-of-need laws make big claims, like those laws effectively protect access to health care services. Economist James Bailey at Providence College has examined that claim. He says there’s not much evidence to support it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The housing market's normal churn has been all but absent in this pandemic. Does that make for a housing bubble? Tom Firey comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New proposed authorities to combat domestic terrorism after the attack on the Capitol again pose challenges for basic constraints on government like probable cause and particularized suspicion. Patrick Eddington comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parents, put in a bind by a pandemic, have focused their attention on the options available to them for their kids' education. This year may be the very best for the expansion of school choice so far. Jason Bedrick explains how it happened. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The price we all would ultimately pay for a central government database of our vaccination status to regulate our public engagement could be very high. Can we get the benefits without the costs? Julian Sanchez and Jeff Singer comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.