Cato Podcast

The Castro regime used the embargo as a scapegoat to blame America for the poor state of Cuba's economy and thus maintain a hold on power. Juan Carlos Hidalgo says there are good reasons to believe the Castros will now try to undermine these reforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Obama's announcement that the U.S. will end its embargo with Cuba is welcome news according to Ian Vasquez, director of Cato's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do consumers carry higher credit balances than in years past and do they abuse credit now more than ever? Todd Zywicki, coauthor of Consumer Credit and the American Economy, says no. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The next Congress presents a unique opportunity for surveillance reform, according to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Opening the the Cato Institute's conference on surveillance last week, Massie discussed the legislative challenges and opportunities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amendments to reform NSA surveillance powers have narrowly failed in the last two years. U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is confident the next Congress will be more supportive of reform efforts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pessimism is rampant despite great progress in human flourishing. Steven Pinker discusses reasons why and the implications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Revelations in a new Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA-led torture detail an agency that acted without specific authority and misled its own overseers. Patrick G. Eddington comments on the new report. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The climate change talks in Peru are much like those held each December: lofty rhetoric and limited prospects for a global agreement on climate change. Patrick J. Michaels comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is expected to soon release details about CIA-led torture during the George W. Bush White House. Patrick Eddington comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The uncertain march to war in Iraq and Syria continues. Christopher Preble comments on John Kerry's testimony and the dubious authority underlying the President's war plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe's banks have been pushed around by regulators, leading to shrinking credit for businesses and a weaker economy. Steve Hanke explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are immigration reforms that the President and the incoming Congress can agree to implement. Alex Nowrasteh explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawrence Lessig's Mayday PAC was supposed to bring about the end of superPACs. Instead, it may have violated some of the least complicated elements of campaign finance regulation. David Keating of the Center for Competitive Politics comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Public choice economics came at a critical time, when trust in government was increasing. The insights of that field should make us all less trusting of broad governmental solutions, according to Don Boudreaux."Why Government Fails and Why Ideas Matter," Cato Policy Report, November/December 2014 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another hidden gift inside the Affordable Care Act: mandatory calorie labeling for many restaurant menus. Walter Olson comments on the complications and potential unintended consequences of such a mandate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad nine years ago, Denmark found itself at the center of a global battle about the freedom of speech. Flemming Rose is author of The Tyranny of Silence.The Tyranny of Silence Cato Book ForumThe Tyranny of Silence Cato Store Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fossil fuels have driven human progress and dramatically reduced grinding poverty, says Alex Epstein. That's a hard pill for many people to swallow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A somewhat surprising vote in the U.S. Senate on reining in surveillance authorities. Patrick Eddington argues that the struggle for oversight of the National Security Agency continues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A surprise win for Klaus Johannis should signal optimism in the European Union, says Dalibor Rohac. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before the Great Depression, there was the Great Forgotten Depression. It's worth remembering, says author James Grant.The Forgotten Depression: 1921: The Crash That Cured Itself Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Obama may move soon to begin delaying deportations among other immigration reforms. Members of Congress have vowed a fight. Alex Nowrasteh evaluates the President's options. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In some modern industries, it's hard to separate the bootlegger from the baptist. Adam Smith, coauthor of Bootleggers and Baptists, says the marijuana industry offers some interesting case studies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How will the new Congress deal with surveillance issues? Cato's Patrick G. Eddington is optimistic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should the market for telecommunication services be treated like your old rotary dial phone? Berin Szoka with TechFreedom comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sait Matty Jaw is a lecturer at the University of the Gambia. He has not been seen since his arrest by the government's secret police last week. Casey Given from Students for Liberty provides an update. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin Dowd, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, is not high on bitcoin. He considers the cryptocurrency a "sell" in its present incarnation. He spoke at the Cato Institute's 32nd Annual Monetary Conference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The War on Drugs has devalued discretion for police officers. Neill Franklin of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Smith's other book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, is often neglected. Author and economist Russ Roberts says it's an important and valuable guide to important parts of our lives. His new book is How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cato's David Boaz and John Samples evaluate the 2014 elections and prospects for a more libertarian public policy in the coming years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Voting is a more complicated and morally questionable endeavor than merely "making your voice heard." Aaron Powell explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his new book, Overruled: The Long War for Control of the U.S. Supreme Court, Damon Root traces the libertarian approach to the proper role of government under the Constitution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest round of lawsuits surrounding the Affordable Care Act ask that the law be implemented as written. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt discusses his lawsuit.Pruitt, Halbig, King & Indiana: Is ObamaCare Once Again Headed to the Supreme Court? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Certificate of need laws give incumbent businesses the ability to veto their competition. Matthew Mitchell of the Mercatus Center explores the history and economics of these laws. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The IRS is seizing the assets of business people, but then won't file criminal charges. Larry Salzman from the Institute for Justice is taking the agency to court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rand Paul seeks to separate himself from other Republicans (and Hillary Clinton) by offering restraint as a value in American foreign policy. Christopher A. Preble comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The threats to law enforcement posed by strong encryption seem to be at odds with the benefits encryption provides against threats to cybersecurity. Julian Sanchez comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The intellectual traditions of conservatism and socialism, oddly enough, owe much to classical liberalism. So says Brian Doherty, author of Radicals for Capitalism. He spoke at this year's Cato University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Devolving state power and money to local governments and people drives growth and fosters self-government. Greg Lawson from the Buckeye Institute discusses how to make it happen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Judges are beginning to question the on-the-books legal protections assigned to state pensions, especially when those protections conflict with other laws. Eileen Norcross studies pensions at the Mercatus Center. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Gessing of the Rio Grande Foundation describes the impact of New Mexico's dependence on federal largesse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed Whelan corrects the record and reviews the Supreme Court's narrow Hobby Lobby decision. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leonard Liggio was an important pillar in the modern libertarian movement and someone who connected modern libertarian ideas with their historical antecedents. Tom G. Palmer comments on Liggio's impact on ideas and libertarianism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do states hand out special benefits in the tax code? William Freeland from the American Legislative Exchange Council provides some notable examples and avenues for reform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "Bootlegger and Baptist" theory, a public-choice theory developed more than 30 years ago, holds that for a regulation to emerge and endure, both the "bootleggers," who seek to obtain private benefits from the regulation, and the "Baptists," who seek to serve the public interest, must support the regulation. Economists Adam Smith and Bruce Yandle discuss the concept.Bootleggers and Baptists: How Economic Forces and Moral Persuasion Interact to Shape Regulatory Politics Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens after so-called right-to-work legislation passes? Joe Lehman of the Mackinac Center details the experience in Michigan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conservatives broadly believe in law and order, but the death penalty as an institution has clearly failed. Marc Hyden with Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty says it's time for government-run executions to end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The public broadly wants to shift the power to make key political decisions away from the federal government to state governments. John Samples discusses the public's developing appetite for federalism.Public Attitudes toward Federalism: The Public's Preference for Renewed Federalism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have entered a time where the backdrop for debates about executive power is endless war. Gene Healy comments on the President's assertions of nearly unlimited war powers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Disinvitation season" for commencement speakers has become something of a hallmark of the college experience in recent years. Greg Lukianoff of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education explains in his new essay, "Freedom from Speech." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A judge in Florida has turned back a union challenge to education savings accounts for special needs children. Clint Bolick of the Goldwater Institute comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.