Cato Podcast

Zoning has long been used for less than public spirited purposes. Constitutional litigator Maurice Thompson of the 1851 Center details a useful case of pointless local zoning in Ohio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When state governments run surpluses, the temptation to spend is almost irresistible. Rea Hederman of the Buckeye Institute describes what should happen to those excess tax dollars. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Under what legal authority did the President order the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani? Apparently the public isn't entitled to know. Gene Healy comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does labor law restrict communications between workers and employers? Ken Girardin of the Empire Center in New York discusses some of the "Dos and Don'ts" in public sector labor law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Courts routinely have trouble keeping up with technology, so how long before the Third Party Doctrine is radically altered or eliminated? Billy Easley analyzes tech policy at Americans for Prosperity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cato's Patrick Eddington wants Congress to make clear if domestic policy groups are among those currently targeted for federal surveillance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the costs and risks associated with banking consolidation? Should it be concerning that the biggest banks decades ago are still the biggest? Diego Zuluaga comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What ought to follow hostilities between Iran and the United States after Iran's military response to the death of a high ranking general? Chris Preble and John Glaser comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By killing Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, the Trump Administration has undertaken a major escalation of hostilities in the region. Cato's Emma Ashford and John Glaser comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some proposed reforms to the Community Reinvestment Act come directly from research conducted by Cato's Diego Zuluaga. He describes why, short of getting rid of the law, reform is so essential. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the proper balance to protecting natural resources while respecting the value of those lands for alternative uses? Jonathan Wood with the Pacific Legal Foundation comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of Sphere we ask the simple question: Should drug prohibition be ended nationwide? Our commenters are Trevor Burrus of Cato, Paul Larkin of the Heritage Foundation, and Jonathan Rauch of Brookings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is bail for? What is pretrial detention for? How do we fix bail for the benefit of society and defendants? Josh Crawford with the Pegasus Institute comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sex work is only legal in parts of Nevada, and there it is highly restricted. What are some of the other models for legal sex work, and which models best respect the individuals involved? Kaytlin Bailey is with Decriminalize Sex Work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do local governments owe the people in terms of transparency? Patrick Ishmael directs government accountability at the Show-Me Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The staggering sums that states and localities spend on economic development subsidies rarely deliver the benefits promised. John Mozena directs the Center for Economic Accountability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No one suffers more from civil forfeiture than people too poor to fight it. Alan Clemmons is a Republican lawmaker in South Carolina working to impose the most basic level of oversight on the process. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The confusion between policies designed for poverty eradication versus reducing income inequality is widespread and mistaken. Orphe Divounguy of the Illinois Policy Institute comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For those concerned about the size of the administrative state, there are reasons to be cheerful about the regulatory record of the Trump Administration. Will Yeatman comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The USMCA trade agreement among the U.S., Mexico, and Canada is moving forward, but forward into what? Simon Lester and Dan Ikenson discuss the deal's terms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are good reasons to be concerned about monetary stability in our current economic good times. Economist Eric Sims makes the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julian Sanchez details some of the structural problems in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court after a rare rebuke of the FBI's mishandling of warrant applications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The House has impeached President Trump, but there are still sticking points about the terms of a Senate trial. What new information might be produced in the trial? Gene Healy looks ahead at the likely outcomes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A case argued recently before the U.S. Supreme Court takes aim at a state that allows a private company to hold and enforce the copyright on the state's "annotated code." Trevor Burrus describes what's at issue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A day ahead of an impeachment vote in the U.S. House, why these particular articles of impeachment? Gene Healy comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First California did it, and now Florida is looking at ways to give student athletes a way to profit from their own likenesses and names, rejecting NCAA rules. Sal Nuzzo of the James Madison Institute details the idea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren wants to break up big tech firms and impose new regulation on firms with high revenues. Walter Olson discusses what that might look like in practice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

State constitutions continue to serve as powerful and underappreciated protectors against overweening government. Rick Esenberg of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The shipping regulation known as the Jones Act turns 100 next year. It's long past time for it to go according to Keli'i Akina of Hawaii's Grasroot Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernie Sanders has a series of labor market interventions he'd like to see, including ending at-will employment. Ryan Bourne says it's a terrible idea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Newly revealed interviews show the misrepresentations and frustrations over a U.S.-led war in Afghanistan that went badly awry. John Glaser argues that one clear lesson is to stay skeptical of government justifications for war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Federal Reserve is nominally independent, but the enormous pressure often aimed at Fed chairs past indicates that it's not that simple. Sir Paul Tucker is author of Unelected Power: The Quest for Legitimacy in Central Banking and the Regulatory State. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forest restoration bonds issued by some self-interested private firms are delivering benefits for forests, communities, and investors. Holly Fretwell comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the Constitution say about money? And how should that inform the work of the Federal Reserve? Economist Judy Shelton comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are some best practices as states begin to more broadly adopt legal sports betting? Doug Kellogg is with Americans for Tax Reform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do markets evaluate the interplay between Congress and the Federal Reserve? Mark Spindel is coauthor of The Myth of Independence: How Congress Governs the Federal Reserve. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the government takes your home to pay a fine, they should at least give you back the rest of the value of your home. In many states, that's not how it works. Christina Martin with the Pacific Legal Foundation comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's not clear that the Federal Reserve's dual mandate (concern for both inflation and unemployment) helps workers. It definitely helps Congress, though. So says economist Peter Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can natural language processing keep the Fed from using obfuscating language? Charles Calomiris comments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can families engage with basic economic concepts in ways that give young people a solid footing in how markets work? Connor Boyack, author of the Tuttle Twins books, has a few ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's the audience for libertarian ideas? Do libertarians know how to communicate them? Jennifer Thompson directs the Center for the Study of Liberty in Indianapolis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new data-driven project aims to help researchers find out how easy it is to do business in American cities, and why some cities outperform others. Stephen Slivinski directs the Doing Business North America project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Grant is author of Bagehot: The Life and Times of the Greatest Victorian.Cato Book Forum: Bagehot: The Life and Times of the Greatest Victorian Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the partisan divide between cities and everywhere else simply intractable? Patrick Tuohey directs policy at the Better Cities Project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the Janus ruling freed millions of state and local government workers from the fees associated with public sector unions, are those workers aware of their rights? Joe Lehman of the Mackinac Center comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What have we learned after presidential impeachment testimony of Donald Trump's ambassador to the European Union? Do any of the claims rise to the level of maladministration or violation of public trust? How have the President's Republican defenders performed? Gene Healy comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Hate speech" is not a legal category, and banning it wouldn't stand up to scrutiny. Lou Perez is the producer of a new short film, Five Reasons We Need Hate Speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even as some presidential candidates are talking about occupational licensing, state governments must take the lead in driving reform. Erica Jedynak of Stand Together provides reasons to be optimistic about reform in 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does the public school establishment view the innovative choice options for parents in North Carolina? Bob Luebke of the Civitas Institute comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few people pay much attention to local regulation, but it's where some of the most substantial infringements on liberty occur. Christina Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.