Cato Institute Event Videos (Full)
By The Cato Institute
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Podcast Description
Podcast of policy and book forums, Capitol Hill briefings and other events from the Cato Institute
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1 | VideoThe Case for Marriage Equality: Perry v. Schwarzenegger | The 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia ended state bans on interracial marriage in the 16 states that still had such laws. Now, 44 years after Loving, the courts are once again grappling with denial of equal marriage rights — this time to gay couples. Two California couples have filed suit against Proposition 8, the 2008 initiative that limited marriage to opposite-sex couples. The American Foundation for Equal Rights engaged David Boies and Ted Olson to lead the legal challenge. The plaintiffs in Perry v. Schwarzenegger won in federal district court, and the case is now on appeal. Plaintiffs argue that Proposition 8 violates the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the U.S. Constitution and impermissibly singles out gay and lesbian individuals for a disfavored legal status. The speakers on our panel believe that the principle of equality before the law transcends the left-right divide and cuts to the core of our nation's character. | 5/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
2 | VideoPeddling Protectionism: Smoot-Hawley and the Great Depression | (http://www.amazon.com/Peddling-Protectionism-Smoot-Hawley-Great-Depression/dp/069115032X/?tag=catoinstitute-20)More than 80 years after its passage, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 still resonates in today's debate over trade policy. Advocates of trade blame the law for deepening the Great Depression and warn of the economic damage from a reversion to protectionism. Skeptics of trade say its impact has been exaggerated. Economist and historian Douglas Irwin tells the messy and, at times, amusing story of how Congress dramatically raised tariffs in 1930 just as the world was plunging into depression, and analyzes the economic consequences of the most infamous trade bill ever enacted by Congress. Irwin then draws important lessons that can help today's trade policymakers avoid the costly mistakes of the past. | 5/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
3 | VideoAmerica's Allies and War: Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq | (http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Allies-War-Kosovo-Afghanistan/dp/0230614825/?tag=catoinstitute-20)The United States pledges to defend our NATO allies under Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty. Why, and in what ways, do the allies reciprocate? Jason Davidson will present evidence from his unique analysis of transatlantic burden-sharing to explain why Britain, France, and Italy provide or refuse military support for U.S.-led uses of force. Sixty original interviews with top policymakers and analysts provide insight into allies' decisions regarding the Kosovo War (1999), Afghanistan (2001), and the Iraq War (2003). Davidson shows that such decisions reflect a combination of factors such as alliance value, threat, prestige, and electoral politics. Join us for a discussion that will include recommendations for how U.S. policymakers can increase the allies' contributions to global security, and shift some of the burdens of defense off the shoulders of American taxpayers. | 5/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
4 | VideoThe Moral Implications of Deficits, Debt, and the Budget Battles Ahead | With deficits, debt, and budget battles dominating our politics for the foreseeable future, and much of the debate centering on what to do about the entitlements that are consuming ever-greater portions of the federal budget, more questions are arising about the social contract, the nation's first principles, and the moral issues that are just below the surface in the budget battles. Amitai Etzioni, for example, wrote recently in Dissent (http://www.dissentmagazine.org/online.php?id=450) that many of the cuts being proposed for our social safety nets are "highly immoral" since there are numerous ways in which they can be avoided. More recently still, Roger Pilon argued in the Wall Street Journal (http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=12969) that the federal budget itself is infused with immoral provisions that not only are unconstitutional but have brought on these deficits and debt. Please join us for what should be a lively debate over contrasting visions of where we go from here. | 5/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
5 | VideoThe Arab Awakening and Its Implications | The mass uprising that began in Tunisia has since spread throughout the Arab world, serving as the catalyst to Hosni Mubarak's downfall in Egypt and Muammar el-Qaddafi's crackdown and subsequent United Nations intervention in Libya. Given these momentous events, will more Arab governments respond to demands for reform? Has the impact of social networking been revolutionary or overblown? Will the oil-rich Persian Gulf States be able to rely on their substantial wealth as a safety valve in times of crisis? And how do these developments enhance or diminish America's ability to exert influence in the region? Please join us as we tackle these and other questions. | 5/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
6 | VideoClimate Coup: Global Warming's Invasion of Our Government and Our Lives | (http://www.cato.org/store/books/climate-coup-global-warming-s-invasion-our-government-our-lives)Despite consistent evidence that climate change does not portend an apocalyptic future, global-warming alarmism is invading nearly every aspect of our lives. The newly published book Climate Coup is an antidote to this, confronting the exaggerations, opportunism, and myths about global warming that are altering the shapes of our lives and deeply impacting decisions about health, education, law, national defense, international development, trade, and academic publishing. Is any alarmism justified? Are all of the claims being made unrealistic and unsupported? What is the role of government? This special book forum will offer perspectives from two experts gifted in their ability to communicate their different points of view on global-warming policy to the public. We hope you can join us for what promises to be an exceptionally vigorous discussion of the evidence and impact of global warming.Speakers: Richard Lindzen is the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at MIT, where he pursues groundbreaking research on the sensitivity of temperature to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide. He is recipient of the American Meteorological Society's Meisinger and Charney Awards and the Macelwane Medal from the American Geophysical Union — three of the most prestigious prizes in atmospheric science. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences; a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Meteorological Society; and a corresponding member of the National Academy of Science Committee on Human Rights. Dr. Lindzen holds AB, SM, and PhD degrees from Harvard University. Bob Ryan is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and holds the Charles Franklin Brooks award from the Society for outstanding service. Well known in the Washington metropolitan area, Bob Ryan is a meteorologist for WJLA / ABC 7 News. In 1996, he was elected president of the AMS and he has also served the Society as Chair of the Committee of Broadcast Meteorology, Commissioner of Professional Affairs, and member of the Council of the Society. He is chair of the AMS Development Committee and most recently held an AMS Presidential Forum on the communication of weather and climate information. As a highly visible and very active communicator on climate change, Bob Ryan is uniquely qualified to comment on the interaction between government and climate science. He holds BS and MS degrees from SUNY-Albany. Patrick J. Michaels (moderator) is senior fellow in environmental studies at the Cato Institute, a Distinguished Senior Fellow in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University, and a past president of the American Association of State Climatologists. He has authored and co-authored numerous books on climate change, including Meltdown: The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians, and the Media and Climate of Extremes: Global Warming Science They Don't Want You to Know. | 5/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
7 | VideoRehabilitating Lochner: Defending Individual Rights against Progressive Reform | (http://www.cato.org/store/books/rehabilitating-lochner-defending-individual-rights-against-progressive-reform)No Supreme Court decision concerning economic liberty has been more emblematic of the alleged errors of the "old," pre-New Deal Court than Lochner v. New York, decided in 1905. Upholding contractual freedom against a New York statute that limited the hours that bakers might work, the decision has been reviled by both liberals and conservatives as an egregious example of judicial malfeasance — cited today most often for the prescient dissent of the sainted Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. Yet the story of Lochner is not over. In a new book that examines the history and background of the case, David Bernstein argues that the decision has been widely misunderstood and unfairly maligned, that it was well grounded in precedent, and that subsequent battles over segregation laws, sex discrimination, civil liberties, and more owe much to the limited-government ideas of Lochner's proponents. Please join us for what is bound to be a lively discussion about this important new book. | 5/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
8 | VideoThe Future of Chinese Land Rights | China now has one of the largest rural-urban income gaps in the world, with the vast majority of its 120 million extreme poor living in the countryside. A fundamental cause of enduring rural poverty is that many Chinese farmers do not have secure property rights to land. Roy Prosterman and Keliang Zhu will review the findings of Landesa's recent large-scale survey of the status of farmers' land rights. They will describe advances in the protection of such rights, the emergence of a land transactions market, and the growth of long-term investments by farmers. They will also discuss significant, ongoing violations of farmers' property rights and the impact on Chinese stability and food production. Xiaobo Zhang will comment on China's uneven protection of property rights. | 4/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
9 | VideoThe Constitution of Liberty: The Definitive Edition | Bruce Caldwell, Richard Epstein, George Soros, Ronald Hamowy | 4/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
10 | VideoThe False Promise of Green Energy | (http://www.cato.org/store/books/false-promise-green-energy)Renewable energies such as wind, solar, and biomass, along with energy-efficiency initiatives like building retrofits — so-called "green energy" — are all the political rage in America today. Proponents contend that we are in the midst of a transformative green-energy revolution. The Obama administration goes so far as to argue that this new "green economy" will be one of the key building blocks for economic growth and global competitiveness in the 21st century and proposes production mandates and the expenditure of hundreds of billions of dollars to make it so. A new book entitled The False Promise of Green Energy (Cato, 2011) warns that the government's campaign to promote green energy is built upon a mountain of wishful thinking, misleading accounting, and bad economics. Andrew Morriss, one of the book's several co-authors, contends that the case for green energy has somehow managed to escape critical examination. Kate Gordon, on the other hand, argues that experiences at the state level and in other countries, as well as a number of reports and studies on the potential for job creation in the green economy, demonstrates that the political faith in green energy is well-founded. | 4/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
11 | VideoCivil Resistance and Revolution in the Arab World | What explains the swift collapse of what were considered some of the most stable regimes in the Arab world? Drawing on scholarship and his Center's experience in supporting pro-democracy activists in Egypt and around the world, Peter Ackerman will describe factors — such as strategy and careful planning — that are common to successful civil resistance movements. According to Ackerman, nonviolent campaigns have a better record at bringing down dictators than violent confrontations. Jack Goldstone will describe the conditions that give rise to revolutions, highlight the vulnerabilities of "sultanistic" dictatorships, and identify which Middle Eastern regimes are most likely to retain power. | 4/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
12 | VideoAmerica's Transportation Future | With Congress poised to pass a surface transportation reauthorization bill in 2011, America's transportation system is at a crossroads. Should we emphasize high-cost forms of transportation, such as light rail and high-speed rail, whose main goal is to get a few people out of their cars? Or should we find low-cost technologies that can increase personal mobility for everyone, regardless of their income? Alan Pisarski will discuss the future of urban commuting, Clyde Hart will describe the current and future state of intercity bus transportation, and Randal O'Toole will show how future automobile technologies will save more energy and relieve congestion at a lower cost than heavy investments in new infrastructure. | 4/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
13 | VideoThe Economic Impact of Government Spending - Part 1 | Spending by the federal government has doubled in the past 10 years, rising from $1.86 trillion to $3.82 trillion. This has caused the burden of federal spending to climb from 18 percent of GDP to 25 percent of GDP. Because of entitlement programs and demographic changes, however, federal spending could climb to more than 50 percent of GDP if government policy is left on autopilot. At this special afternoon conference, legislators and policy experts will discuss the economic consequences of bigger government, regardless of how it is financed, and analyze proposed solutions. 2:00 p.m. "The CAP Act: To Dramatically Reduce Federal Spending over 10 Years" Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) 2:30 p.m. "The Economic Impact of Government Spending" Vito Tanzi, Honorary President of the International Institute of Public Finance; former Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department, International Monetary Fund Richard Vedder, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Ohio University; Adjunct Scholar, American Enterprise Institute Daniel Mitchell, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. "Spend Less, Owe Less, Grow the Economy" Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX), Vice Chairman, Joint Economic Committee 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. "From Rhetoric to Reality: The Need for a Balanced Budget Amendment" Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) 4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. "Lessons from Gramm-Rudman on How to Control Federal Spending" Phil Gramm, UBS Investment Bank; former U.S. Senator from Texas 5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Reception | 4/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
14 | VideoThe War in Libya: What Is the Role of Congress? | President Obama's intervention in the Libyan civil war raises profound constitutional questions. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants the power to "declare War" to Congress. What does "declare War" mean in the context of the Libyan intervention? James Madison noted that the president had the power "to repel sudden attacks" on the United States, although not the power to declare war. The War Powers Act of 1973 purports to define and constrain the executive's power to declare war, yet some have suggested that it gives the president a 60-day "free pass" for military action. What does the War Powers Act mean in this situation? What options are available to Congress for responding to America's new war in the Mideast? | 4/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
15 | VideoBeyond Exports: A Better Case for Free Trade | The 112th Congress begins its term amid renewed optimism about prospects for U.S. trade liberalization. But how long will this window of opportunity remain ajar? Despite trade's benefits, Americans remain skeptical because of the tendency of politicians and media charlatans to blame foreigners for domestic shortcomings. Thus, in addition to securing the immediate goal of concluding and passing trade liberalizing agreements in 2011, advocates of trade should update their arguments and invest in the process of winning the trade debate once and for all. Some of the most compelling arguments for free trade have been only modestly summoned or absent from the discussion for too long. Please join us for a discussion of those compelling arguments that take the case for free trade well beyond the value of exports. | 3/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
16 | VideoA Government Thumb on the Election Scale? | On June 8, 2010, at the height of campaign season, the U.S. Supreme Court took the extraordinary step of stopping Arizona's Clean Elections system from paying campaign subsidies to publicly-financed candidates when their privately-financed opponents and independent expenditure committees raised and spent campaign money to be used against them. The Court took this dramatic action because Arizona's system appears to threaten the core First Amendment principle that the government must not be allowed to meddle in the open marketplace of ideas to favor one candidate over another. But that was only round one. In the wake of Davis v. FEC (2008), the Court has now consolidated two challenges brought against the matching-funds provision of Clean Elections and will hear arguments on March 28, 2011. If the Court were to reverse course and allow Arizona's system to stand, it could lay the groundwork for the government to lavish millions of dollars on the political opponents of those deemed too wealthy or influential. Please join us for a discussion about the future and wider implications of taxpayer-funded political campaigns. | 3/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
17 | VideoThe New Health Care Law: What a Difference a Year Makes - Keynote Address | When President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010, few would have predicted what happened in the following year. Opposition to the law has led to Republican gains in Congress, a House vote to repeal it, and two federal courts striking down part or all of the law as unconstitutional. At this special half-day conference, being held one year after the House of Representatives passed the law, health care experts will debate how the law has already affected America's health care sector, labor markets, and the federal budget, and what impact it will have in the future. In addition, constitutional scholars will debate the merits of the two dozen legal challenges that have been brought against the law and their likelihood of success before the Supreme Court. 1:00 p.m. Opening Keynote Address David Rivkin, Partner, Baker & Hostetler LLP, and attorney for plaintiffs in Florida v. HHS Moderated by Ramesh Ponnuru, Senior Editor, National Review 1:45 p.m. Impact on Health Care, Labor Markets, and Government Budgets Michael F. Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute Ron Pollack, Executive Director, Families USA Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President, American Action Forum; former Director, Congressional Budget Office Kavita Patel, M.D., Managing Director of Delivery-System Reform at the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, Brookings Institution; former Director of Policy for the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs; and former Deputy Staff Director for the Senate HELP Committee under chairman Senator Edward Kennedy 3:00 p.m. Break 3:15 p.m. Legal Challenges to the New Health Care Law Roger Pilon, Vice President for Legal Affairs, Cato Institute Neera Tanden, Chief Operating Officer, Center for American Progress Moderated by Jan Crawford, CBS News Chief Legal Correspondent | 3/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
18 | VideoNeoconservatism: An Obituary for an Idea | (http://www.amazon.com/Neoconservatism-Obituary-C-Bradley-Thompson/dp/1594518319/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/Neoconservatism-Obituary-C-Bradley-Thompson/dp/1594518319/?tag=catoinstitute-20)C. Bradley Thompson, professor of political science and executive director of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism, has written (with Yaron Brook) a comprehensive and original analysis of neoconservatism. Neoconservatism probes what neoconservatives call their "philosophy of governance" — their plan for governing America. It explicates the deepest philosophic principles of neoconservatism, traces the intellectual relationship between the political philosopher Leo Strauss and contemporary neoconservative political actors, and provides a trenchant critique of neoconservatism from the perspective of America's founding principles. What makes this book so compelling is that Thompson actually lived for many years in the Straussian/neoconservative intellectual world. Neoconservatism therefore fits into the "breaking ranks" tradition of scholarly criticism. Thompson charges that neoconservatism is a species of anti-Americanism, a claim sure to draw strong opposition — probably from Tod Lindberg, editor of Policy Review and a member of the Hoover Institution's Task Force on the Virtues of a Free Society. | 3/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
19 | VideoRobust Political Economy: Classical Liberalism and the Future of Public Policy | (http://www.amazon.com/Robust-Political-Economy-Classical-Liberalism/dp/1845426215/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/Robust-Political-Economy-Classical-Liberalism/dp/1845426215/?tag=catoinstitute-20)This new book offers a comprehensive defense of classical liberalism against contemporary challenges. It sets out an analytical framework of "robust political economy" that explores the economic and political problems that arise from the fact of imperfect knowledge and imperfect incentives. Using this framework, the book defends the classical liberal focus on markets and the minimal state from the critiques presented by "market failure" economics and communitarian and egalitarian variants of political theory. Mark Pennington applies the lessons learned from responding to these challenges in the context of contemporary discussions surrounding the welfare state, international development, and environmental protection. Thinkers addressed include Joseph Stiglitz, Jurgen Habermas, Karl Polanyi, John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin. Uniquely, the book explores the lessons learned from responding to these critics in the context of contemporary discussions surrounding the welfare state, international development, and environmental protection. The book has been described by Professor Bruce Caldwell, general editor of The Collected Works of F.A. Hayek, as "almost custom-made for those who want to defend classical liberalism against the common arguments." | 3/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
20 | VideoSchools for Misrule: Legal Academia and an Overlawyered America | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594032335/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594032335/?tag=catoinstitute-20)The ideas that emanate from the nation's law schools in one generation often wind up shaping law and national policy in the next. But as Cato senior fellow Walter Olson argues in this new book, for more than four decades the nation's law schools have been a hatchery of bad ideas, from tort and contract theories to class actions, environmental law, racial reparations, the recasting of domestic policy differences as questions of international human rights, and more. Yet the common theme is to confer power and status on the schools' own graduates and faculty, as law pervades ever wider areas of life. The pipe dream of training up philosopher-monarchs, Olson says, distracts law schools from their genuinely useful function of training competent, ethical, and suitably humble practitioners of the law. | 3/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
21 | VideoReforming America's Health Care System: The Flawed Vision of ObamaCare | (http://www.amazon.com/Reforming-Americas-Health-Care-System/dp/0817912746/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/Reforming-Americas-Health-Care-System/dp/0817912746/?tag=catoinstitute-20)In March 2010, Congress passed a sweeping overhaul of America's health care sector. That law, commonly known as ObamaCare, triggered a backlash in voting booths, in Congress, and in the courts. A new book from the Hoover Institution, Reforming America's Health Care System: The Flawed Vision of ObamaCare (http://www.amazon.com/Reforming-Americas-Health-Care-System/dp/0817912746/?tag=catoinstitute-20), features health policy experts from the United States, Canada, and Western Europe who discuss what to expect from the law and alternatives to it. They examine numerous aspects of the law, including the individual mandate to buy insurance, the threats to medical innovation, the reduction of choice to consumers, and the complexities of medical malpractice reform. In addition, they examine lessons learned from state health reforms, the Canadian government's control of access to care, and the western European governments' oversight of comparative-effectiveness research. | 3/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
22 | VideoThe Internet and Social Media: Tools of Freedom or Tools of Oppression? | Freedom movements around the world are using Twitter and Facebook to express dissent and to organize, particularly in the Middle East. It might be fair to say that the Internet is becoming the platform for political liberation. But the "just add Internet" thesis has its skeptics, who argue that, in fact, the Internet may give authoritarian governments the upper hand. Social media platforms are very amenable to government surveillance, and revolution doesn't come easy, online or off. Should lovers of freedom be saying "Internet FTW!" or is it one big "#InternetFAIL"? | 2/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
23 | VideoIs Dodd-Frank Constitutional? | The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 was intended to "promote the financial stability of the United States by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system, to end 'too big to fail,' to protect the American taxpayer by ending bailouts, to protect consumers from abusive financial services practices, and for other purposes." The law is extraordinarily complex, requiring almost a dozen federal agencies to complete anywhere between 240 to 540 new sets of rules, plus about 145 studies that will affect rulemaking. There has been much debate over whether the law will accomplish its stated intent, but there are also growing concerns about its constitutionality, primarily due to separation of powers, vagueness, and due process issues. Central to that discussion is the fact that Dodd-Frank grants administrative agencies — including the newly created Financial Stability Oversight Council and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection — broad and unchallengeable discretionary authority. Does Dodd-Frank provide effective oversight by any branch of government — Congress, the president, or the judiciary? How can constitutional concerns about the law's grants of regulatory power be resolved? Please join us for a discussion of these important issues. | 2/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
24 | VideoRestoring Limited Constitutional Government Starts with Congress | With the 112th Congress now in session, the Constitution is finding new respect on Capitol Hill. It started during the campaign, thanks to pressure from the Tea Party. It was reflected when members in the House read the Constitution aloud on their first full day in session. And it should continue as House members are required to cite specific constitutional authority when they introduce bills. But restoring limited constitutional government will require more than simply "checking the box" — it will require a solid understanding of the document and an ability to withstand the ever-present pressure to abandon principle in favor of short-term gain. Please join us for a detailed discussion of how constitutional principle and practice go together. | 2/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
25 | VideoInflated: How Money and Debt Built the American Dream | (http://www.amazon.com/Inflated-Money-Built-American-Dream/dp/0470875143/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/Inflated-Money-Built-American-Dream/dp/0470875143/?tag=catoinstitute-20)Americans view themselves as reasonably prudent and sober people when it comes to matters of money. Yet as a community, we also seem to believe that we are entitled to a lifestyle that is well beyond our income, a tendency that goes back to the earliest days of the United States and particularly to get-rich-quick experiences ranging from the Gold Rush of the 1840s to the real-estate bubble of the early 21st century. Inflated examines this apparent conflict, as it seeks to tell the story of money inflation and public debt as recurring features of American life. Inflated also draws on the insights of Austrian business-cycle theory in painting its picture of American economic history. | 2/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
26 | VideoCloning "Superman": What Other Countries Already Know about Scaling Up Good Schools | Everyone agrees that we have too few good schools and too many lousy ones. What's missing is a mechanism for replicating what works. Competitive for-profit markets have served that function in other fields, from cell phones to coffee shops. Can the same thing work in education? To find out, we've invited experts from both hemispheres to tell us what their nations have learned from decades of experience with private-school choice. Peje Emilsson founded the largest chain of for-profit private schools operating in Sweden's nationwide voucher program. Humberto Santos has studied the academic performance of public schools, independent private schools, and chains of private schools in Chile's voucher program. Responding to their findings and asking challenging questions will be Education Week journalist Sarah Sparks. Please join us for a lively discussion of how we might finally be able to stop "Waiting for Superman." | 1/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
27 | VideoLocation-Tracking Technology and Privacy | As location-sensitive cell phones, GPS devices, and digital assistants become more integral to daily living, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are rushing to exploit their potential. Records of the geolocation data these devices generate can provide the kind of detailed portrait of a person's movements and activities that once required costly, 24/7 surveillance. Applications range from tracking fugitives to reconstructing a suspect's travels to analyzing the movements of whole populations in search of "suspicious" behavior patterns. As courts wrestle with the Fourth-Amendment status of this new form of monitoring, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is drafting legislation to set standards for government access to geolocation data under both criminal law and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Senator Wyden will discuss his forthcoming proposal and Cato scholars Julian Sanchez and Jim Harper will comment, placing it in the context of the larger shifting legal and technological landscape. Join us for a discussion of geolocation data and the prospects for privacy protection in this emerging technological area. | 1/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
28 | VideoThe Future of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms | In 2008, for the first time in our history, the Supreme Court invoked the Second Amendment to strike down a gun-control law, holding that the federal government may not prohibit law-abiding citizens from keeping a handgun in the home for self defense. In 2010, the Court held that state and local governments are also prohibited from banning handguns in the home. Major victories for individual liberty, those decisions were also very narrow. Can we expect future decisions to recognize a wide range of rights to keep and bear arms? Or will the Court's recent decisions turn out to be mostly symbolic, with little effect on legislative discretion to regulate access to firearms? Please join us for a discussion of opposing views about what the courts are likely to do and what they should do. | 1/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
29 | VideoThe 112th Congress and Military Spending | The 112th Congress includes many new members elected on a promise to close the nation's unsustainable deficits. Despite the efforts of some in Washington to exempt the Pentagon's budget from scrutiny, the president's deficit reduction commission and a nongovernmental panel chaired by former senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Alice Rivlin (former budget director for President Clinton) both called for cuts in military spending. Other proposals have called for even deeper reductions, noting that the defense budget has nearly doubled in real terms over the past 13 years. Even many conservatives now believe that the Pentagon's budget can be cut without undermining American security. A letter circulated by Americans for Tax Reform, and signed by more than two dozen conservative leaders, declared that attempts to exempt military spending from cuts "would signal that the new Congress is not serious about fiscal responsibility and not ready to lead." Will the 112th Congress lead on spending, and will they include the Pentagon's budget in their plans? If so, in what ways will cuts in military spending force Washington to rein in its global ambitions? Please join us for a discussion of these issues. | 1/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
30 | VideoLiberty of Contract: Rediscovering a Lost Constitutional Right | (http://www.cato.org/store/books/liberty-contract-rediscovering-lost-constitutional-right-hardcover) (http://www.cato.org/store/books/liberty-contract-rediscovering-lost-constitutional-right-hardcover)Under common law, private property and liberty of contract were long protected by the courts — not entirely, but sufficiently to enable a free society to emerge in America. In the late 19th century, however, and for some 40 years thereafter, that protection intensified, yet it was still not an era of unbridled "laissez faire constitutionalism" that later critics of the era would label it, pointing to the Supreme Court's famous Lochner decision of 1905. Rather, early 20th-century Progressives were making steady inroads on the liberty of contract in particular. And with the New Deal, that liberty, especially concerning economic affairs, almost disappeared, and continues even today as a "second-class" right. In a penetrating new Cato Institute book, constitutional scholar David Mayer subtly explores the complex history of liberty of contract, exploding current myths and shedding new light on this fundamental right. Please join us for a discussion of this important issue. | 1/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
31 | VideoAdam Smith: An Enlightened Life | (http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Smith-Enlightened-Nicholas-Phillipson/dp/0713993960/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Smith-Enlightened-Nicholas-Phillipson/dp/0713993960/?tag=catoinstitute-20) Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations has an influence rivaled only by that other famous publication of 1776. But even as he revolutionized the study of economics and society, its author remains an enigma. In a widely praised new biography, Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life (http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Smith-Enlightened-Nicholas-Phillipson/dp/0713993960/?tag=catoinstitute-20), Nicholas Phillipson shows the extent to which The Wealth of Nations and Smith's other great work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, were part of a larger scheme to establish a grand "Science of Man." One of the most ambitious projects of the European Enlightenment, it was to encompass law, history and aesthetics as well as economics and ethics. Phillipson reconstructs Smith's intellectual ancestry and formation, of which he gives a radically new and convincing account. At this Cato Book Forum, Phillipson will discuss Smith's life and thought. The event also features comments from James R. Otteson, author of Adam Smith's Marketplace of Life. | 1/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
32 | VideoFiscal Undertow: How Public Schools Are Drowning State and Local Budgets, and What to Do about It | Health care is the budget buster at the federal level, but K-12 education is what's poised to bankrupt state and local governments. Spending on public education eats up around half of the general budget in most states, and it's by far the priciest single item. For every dollar raised by state and local governments for Medicaid, three dollars go to K-12 schooling. As a result, combined state budget gaps in the high tens of billions of dollars are predicted through at least 2012. That's the immediate problem. Just over the horizon, things look worse. State public-employee pension systems are facing a trillion-dollar shortfall in their commitments, driven in large part by the massive costs of public-school employee benefits. So exactly how bad is the education spending crisis? Is there anything we can do to avoid huge state and local tax increases or a serious decline in the breadth and quality of educational services? Join us for a discussion of the most important state and local spending issue of 2011 ... and many years to come. | 1/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
33 | VideoObama's Fiscal Commission and the GOP Budget Agenda | The president's fiscal commission has unveiled serious proposals to cut programs, restrain the growth of spending, and reduce the federal government's huge budget deficit. The commission's report provides numerous fiscal policy ideas for the large class of new Republican members who are eager to fix the federal fiscal mess while the prospects for budget restraint look promising. How should the GOP propose cutting discretionary spending and reforming entitlement programs? Should they consider increasing taxes? Which of the commission's proposals should the president embrace? How can the GOP address the bloated military budget? Please join our panelists as they answer these questions and discuss other fiscal challenges facing our country. | 12/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
34 | VideoThe U.S. Generalized System of Preferences: Helping the Poor, But at What Price? | In her new trade policy analysis, "The U.S. Generalized System of Preferences: Helping the Poor, But at What Price? (http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=12555)," Sallie James argues that the expiration of the GSP at the end of this year is an ideal time to consider the costs of unilateral preference programs. While the GSP delivers benefits to some countries, as well as to U.S. consumers and firms, the program is deeply flawed. Its expiration is therefore a timely opportunity for the United States to correct the most egregious of the GSP's limitations and to move toward opening the U.S. market on a permanent and nondiscriminatory basis. Please join our panelists for a spirited discussion of the U.S. GSP and options for its reform. | 12/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
35 | VideoSpending Cuts or Devaluation? Resolving the Financial Crisis in the Baltic Countries | In his new book, The Last Shall Be the First, Anders Aslund argues that the governments of the Baltic countries were right to respond to the 2008 financial crisis by slashing spending, while maintaining a fully fixed exchange rate between their domestic currencies and the euro. According to Aslund, this "internal devaluation" allowed the Baltics to quickly return to growth. Desmond Lachman contends that the sharp decline in the GDP in the Baltics in 2009 would not have happened if, instead of austerity measures, the Baltic governments had abandoned fixed exchange rates in favor of currency devaluation. Which of these two approaches is correct — and does the solution of the crisis in the Baltic countries hold any lessons for the United States and the European Union? Please join us for a spirited discussion. | 12/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
36 | VideoBanking and Insurance in the 112th Congress | Two panels will provide a preview of what the new Congress might hold for banking and insurance legislation. Will we see freer financial markets or more regulation? Can Dodd-Frank be repealed? What is likely to happen to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? These and other questions will be addressed. | 12/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
37 | VideoProfiting from Ivory Towers? | Investigating, castigating, and regulating for-profit colleges is all the rage in higher education these days. But how different are the business practices of these institutions from those of their nonprofit counterparts? Please join our panelists for a spirited discussion of the role that profits play in American higher education and the role that regulation can or cannot play in its success. | 11/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
38 | VideoDeficits and Defense | Concern over the nation's looming deficit has prompted a renewed focus on the need for spending cuts. Some in Washington would shield the Pentagon's budget from scrutiny, but several newly elected members of Congress who have put deficit reduction at the top of their agenda have said that military spending cuts must be on the table. The costs associated with being the world's policeman, they say, are simply too high. The United States must seek ways to shift the burdens of defense to other countries who have enjoyed the free ride at American taxpayers' expense for too long. Who will prevail? In what ways will fiscal constraints force Washington to reconsider the purpose of American military power? Will Washington rein in its ambitions as defense spending comes down, or will our troops be forced to bear additional burdens? Please join us for a discussion of these issues. | 11/19/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
39 | VideoIs Taxpayer Financing of Campaigns Constitutional? | Following the landmark decision in Citizens United, advocates for more campaign finance regulation have turned to enacting taxpayer financing of campaigns. They hope to build on state programs of taxpayer financing, such as the one in Arizona. But recent Supreme Court decisions call into question the provisions in the Arizona law that seek to "level the playing field" by punishing the speech of independent groups. The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether to take up the constitutional challenge to Arizona's taxpayer financing law. Please join us for a lively debate on propriety of government financing of electoral speech. | 11/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
40 | VideoAlchemists of Loss: How Modern Finance and Government Intervention Crashed the Financial System | (http://www.amazon.com/Alchemists-Loss-government-intervention-financial/dp/0470689153/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/Alchemists-Loss-government-intervention-financial/dp/0470689153/?tag=catoinstitute-20)Disasters are generally caused by bad ideas. There was the theory that government should guarantee housing loans and that the Federal Reserve could inflate our way to prosperity. There were the regulators, who thought risk could be eliminated by 1,000-page rulebooks. And there were the academics, who thought capitalism with massive debt and "scientific management" control was just as good as the real thing. In Alchemists of Loss, authors Kevin Dowd and Martin Hutchinson take each to task and show how all combined in bringing our financial markets to the brink. | 11/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
41 | VideoThe Future of Public Transit: What Is the Role of the Federal Government? | America's public transit industry faces multiple challenges. The Federal Transit Administration says it suffers from $78 billion worth of deferred maintenance. The recession has forced almost every transit agency in the country to raise fares or cut back service or both. Unfunded pension obligations pose major costs to transit agencies. In this forum, William Millar will make the case that the federal government has a role in solving many of these challenges through increased federal investment in transit. Randal O'Toole will counter that government subsidies helped cause the problems, and the best solution is privatization. | 11/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
42 | VideoDon't Vote It Just Encourages the Bastards | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0802119603/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0802119603/?tag=catoinstitute-20)He has reported on the inner workings of the U.S. government, explained the global economy, and crawled under the hood of the American automobile industry's downfall. Now, in his latest book, Don't Vote: It Just Encourages the Bastards (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0802119603/?tag=catoinstitute-20), acclaimed humorist P. J. O'Rourke, the H. L. Mencken Research Fellow at the Cato Institute, explores the basis of our democracy and politics, and, with his trademark humor, takes a hard look at the people and institutions that practice it. Since 1970, O'Rourke has been reporting on the inner workings of the U.S. government and believes, now more than ever, it is time for us to be on a "big fat political diet." O'Rourke will share his sharp insights on such topics as the economy, the financial bailouts, and healthcare reform, as well as the overall state of American politics. "You can remove morality from politics like you can remove the head from a chicken," he writes, "and they'll both keep going — politics much longer than the chicken." With his previous best-sellers including Parliament of W***es, Give War a Chance, Eat the Rich, The CEO of the Sofa, On the Wealth of Nations, and Driving Like Crazy, this new addition to his canon reaffirms O'Rourke's stature as "the funniest writer in America." | 11/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
43 | VideoBirthright Citizenship and the Battle over Illegal Immigration | Seemingly out of nowhere a debate has erupted over the Fourteenth Amendment and the children of illegal immigrants. Should a constitutional amendment be enacted to end the practice whereby the children of illegal immigrants born on American soil are granted U.S. citizenship? What are the policy and practical ramifications of making such a dramatic change to U.S. law and practice? Please join immigration policy experts Margaret Stock and Daniel Griswold to discuss this controversial topic. | 10/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
44 | VideoRobert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0765319608/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0765319608/?tag=catoinstitute-20)Robert A. Heinlein is regarded by many as the greatest science fiction writer of the 20th century. He is the author of more than 30 novels, including Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, and the libertarian classic The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. According to biographer William H. Patterson Jr., Heinlein's writings "galvanized not one, but four social movements of his century: science fiction and its stepchild, the policy think tank; the counterculture; the libertarian movement; and the commercial space movement." This authorized biography, reviewed enthusiastically by Michael Dirda in the Washington Post, is the first of two volumes, covering Heinlein's early ambition to become an admiral, his left-wing politics, and his first novels. Heinlein later became strongly libertarian. | 10/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
45 | VideoJames Madison Rules America: The Constitutional Origins of Congressional Partisanship | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0742599655/tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0742599655/tag=catoinstitute-20)Critics argue that Congress has become the "broken branch," marked by extreme partisanship and few achievements. They prescribe nostrums ranging from campaign finance regulation to redistricting reform to foster compromise rather than conflict on Capitol Hill. Yet the American founders, especially James Madison, believed "ambition must be made to counteract ambition" as a way to limit the power of government. The Constitution itself favors broad consent to laws over an efficient implementation of the will of a majority. William Connelly believes many of the "flaws" in Congress identified by critics arise from the Constitution. Please join us for a lively discussion of how and why the Constitution created a Congress marked by conflict, polarization, and partisanship and why that might be a good thing. | 10/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
46 | VideoCongress Should Account for Excess Burden of Taxation | Nearly all taxes impose hidden costs by choking off economic activity. In a soon-to-be-released Cato Institute study, Duke University professor Christopher J. Conover estimates how much economic activity the recently enacted health care law — the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — will destroy. Failing to account for those hidden costs of taxation and government spending can bias legislative decisions toward more costly policies. Conover argues that honest and transparent governance requires that Congress account for the "excess burden of taxation" in its legislative cost estimates, baseline budget projections, and budget options — much like the Office of Management and Budget already does. | 10/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
47 | VideoPower Grab: European Integration in the Post-Democratic Age | The Lisbon Treaty of 2009 massively increased the powers of Brussels and gave the European Union its own resident and foreign service. Supporters of Lisbon claim that it will make the EU more efficient and effective. Critics say that the treaty, which was adopted in spite of its rejection in several national referenda, will further deepen Europe's "democratic deficit." Other events, including the violation of the legal arrangements prohibiting the recent bailout of Greece, raise questions about the EU's commitment to the rule of law. By transcending nationalism, the EU was meant to be the way of the future. Today, however, many associate it with an unelected and unaccountable bureaucracy. Please join us for a discussion about the accomplishments and controversies surrounding the European project. | 10/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
48 | VideoYou Know I'm Right: More Prosperity, Less Government | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439193223/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439193223/?tag=catoinstitute-20) To CNBC business reporter Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, both Republicans and Democrats are responsible for the government's massive spending increases and excessive social interference over the last 10 years — strangling businesses and crippling the economy, while abandoning all those who believe government should stay out of private lives and pocketbooks. And her criticism also extends to her home field — to opportunistic media pundits who exploit issues to cultivate audiences while promulgating personal ideologies. Expanding on this in her new book, You Know I'm Right (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439193223/?tag=catoinstitute-20), Caruso-Cabrera uses her exceptional business and news experience in partnership with her commitment to fiscal conservatism, limited government, and personal responsibility to analyze a wide range of critical issues. At each step she urges for reducing the size and role of government in our lives and the economy. She takes on the economy, business, the federal deficit, health care, education, Medicare, Social Security, defense, trade, unions, banking, individual rights, immigration, and more — exploring practical solutions, options, and effective reforms. Please join us for a compelling and lively discussion. | 10/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
49 | VideoRethinking Biofuels Policy | As Congress debates extending biofuel tax credits and the ethanol import tariff, questions are being raised about the broader policy mix that includes subsidies, tariffs, mandates, and sustainability standards. As a recent CBO report revealed, some of these policies — the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) in particular — are quite expensive. Although biofuels were once hailed as a panacea to global warming and energy security while helping farmers and generating jobs, recent analysis has shown that some of these policies work contrary to such goals and negatively impact air and water quality, wildlife habitat, and food affordability as well. What does the evidence indicate about energy security and green jobs creation claims? Are there any compelling reasons to subsidize biofuels, or should policymakers simply eliminate such preferences? | 9/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
50 | VideoThe New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061956937/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061956937/?tag=catoinstitute-20) In March 2009 British conservative Daniel Hannan became a celebrity overnight when he assailed Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the floor of the European Parliament. The YouTube clip went viral, leading to whirlwind appearances on Fox News and other media outlets. A thoughtful and articulate spokesman for conservative ideas, Hannan is better versed in America's traditions and founding documents than many Americans are. In The New Road to Serfdom (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061956937/?tag=catoinstitute-20), Hannan argues forcefully and passionately that Americans must not allow Barack Obama to take them down the road to European-style social democracy. He pleads with Americans not to abandon the founding principles that have made their country a beacon of liberty for the rest of the world. | 9/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
51 | VideoThe Case for Business in Developing Economies | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143026526/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143026526/?tag=catoinstitute-20)Business is regularly portrayed in public discourse as morally deficient and prone to despoil the environment, undermine democracy, and stunt development. Ann Bernstein will explain why such ill-founded views, prevalent in rich countries, are especially harmful to the world's poor. She will criticize misguided campaigns to transform the way business behaves — such as the corporate social responsibility movement — and the acquiescence of business in those efforts. Instead the author calls on business leaders to stand up for themselves; vigorously promote market economics; and defend the role of companies as the powerful instruments of progress, innovation, and development that they are. Clive Crook will comment on the book and on the current climate of the debate. | 9/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
52 | VideoRecording the Police: Is Citizen Journalism against the Law? | Should it be illegal to record the police? Several high-profile cases of police brutality have been exposed by citizens who recorded police actions with cell phones. Yet some state wiretapping laws, written before the age of ubiquitous recording devices, prohibit recording these events and then further criminalize the publication of the recordings on the Internet. Does the First Amendment protect citizen journalism, or do police agents have a right to privacy while performing public duties? Please join us as we discuss this timely and provocative topic. | 9/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
53 | VideoThe Right to Earn a Living | (http://www.cato.org/store/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=&pid=1441465) (http://www.cato.org/store/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=&pid=1441465) The right to earn a living and enjoy the fruits of one's labor is a fundamental human right, guaranteed by the Constitution. But government now intrudes on this right in countless ways, imposing unnecessary training requirements on workers, forbidding businesses from lowering their prices, confiscating wealth, rewriting contracts, and fostering frivolous lawsuits against business owners. In his new book, The Right to Earn A Living, Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Timothy Sandefur details the fascinating history of the Constitution's protections for economic freedom, and describes some of the remarkable cases in which he has helped defend entrepreneurs from intrusive government. He will be joined by David E. Bernstein, the nation's leading scholar on Lochner v. New York, the most important of the Supreme Court's decisions on economic liberty, and Clark Neily, who heads the Institute for Justice's litigation in defense of entrepreneurs. | 9/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
54 | VideoThe Upcoming Supreme Court Term and the Future of Economic Liberty | For many people, owning a business is the very definition of the American dream. But in today's America, that dream is made increasingly difficult by laws and regulations that interfere with entrepreneurs and their right to earn a living providing valuable goods and services through voluntary exchange. The Founding Fathers considered economic liberty to be a fundamental human right, yet the protections established by English law and later American law were largely stripped away by the collectivist political philosophy of Progressive-era judges. What exactly have we lost, and how can it be restored? Can members of the Supreme Court reverse the damage that their predecessors unleashed? Can Congress address these problems effectively or does the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution stand in the way? And what are the prospects that decisions in the next Court term, which begins in October, will advance economic liberty? | 9/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
55 | VideoGive Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062015877/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062015877/?tag=catoinstitute-20) Nothing has so changed and energized American politics in recent years as has the grassroots Tea Party movement that sprang up in 2009. In rallies, marches, and town-hall meetings since then, hundreds of thousands of Americans have turned out to protest the boundless growth of government spending, regulation, and debt, and call for the restoration of America's basic principles: individual liberty; fiscal responsibility; and, most important, limited constitutional government. Establishment Democrats and Republicans haven't known quite what to make of the movement. To help them, and all Americans, understand, Give Us Liberty, the new book by Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe, provides "an intimate history of the movement" and what it means for America. Please join us to learn more. | 9/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
56 | VideoThe Service Revolution in South Asia | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0198065116/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0198065116/?tag=catoinstitute-20)South Asia, especially India, has attracted global attention because of its success in service exports. Challenging the "iron law" of development that industrialization is the only route to rapid growth, Ejaz Ghani explores the revolutionary opportunities that the globalization of services opens up for developing countries. Swami Aiyar will question how deep the service revolution is, and whether it can be replicated widely. What exactly is a service revolution and what has contributed to it? Are services as dynamic as manufacturing? Why have some countries succeeded and others failed? What can we learn from the experiences of India, China, and other South Asian countries? Join us as we discuss this timely and provocative book. | 9/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
57 | VideoEmpire for Liberty: A History of American Imperialism from Benjamin Franklin to Paul Wolfowitz | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/069112762X/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/069112762X/?tag=catoinstitute-20) Did America set out to become an empire? And if so, how has it reconciled its imperialism with the idea of liberty so forcefully expressed in the Declaration of Independence? In his new book, Empire for Liberty, historian Richard Immerman tells the stories of six men who influenced the course of American empire: Benjamin Franklin, John Quincy Adams, William Henry Seward, Henry Cabot Lodge, John Foster Dulles, and Paul Wolfowitz. Immerman shows how each individual's influence arose from a keen sensitivity to the concerns of his times, how the trajectory of American empire was relentless, if not straight, and how these shrewd and powerful individuals shaped their rhetoric about liberty to suit their needs. But as Immerman demonstrates, the Global War on Terror and the occupation of Iraq brought the tensions between liberty and empire into bold relief. Please join us as we discuss this timely and provocative book. | 9/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
58 | VideoThe Real Impact of the New Health Care Law | Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi famously said that we would have to pass health care reform to find out what's in it. Well, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has been law for four months, and we are beginning to learn more about what it will mean for the federal budget, insurance premiums, businesses, workers, doctors, and patients. So far, the news has not been good — the law's cost and insurance premiums are expected to rise, while many of the promised reforms may turn out to be less than expected. Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and author of the new study, "Bad Medicine: The Real Costs and Consequences of the New Health Care Law (http://www.cato.org/bad-medicine/)," will discuss these and related issues. | 8/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
59 | VideoAre Liberty and Equality Compatible? | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0521883822/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0521883822/?tag=catoinstitute-20) Are the political ideals of liberty and equality compatible? This question is of central and continuing importance in political philosophy, moral philosophy, and welfare economics. In this book, two distinguished philosophers take up the debate. Jan Narveson, author of The Libertarian Idea (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1551114216/?tag=catoinstitute-20), argues that a political ideal of negative liberty is incompatible with any substantive ideal of equality; while James P. Sterba, author of Justice for Here and Now (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0521621887/?tag=catoinstitute-20), argues that Narveson's own ideal of negative liberty is compatible with, and in fact leads to the requirements of, a substantive ideal of equality. Of course, they cannot both be right. Thus, the details of their arguments about the political ideal of negative liberty and its requirements will determine which of them is right. Their debate will be of value to all who are interested in the central issue of what are the practical requirements of a political ideal of liberty. | 8/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
60 | VideoStrategic Counterterrorism: The Signals We Send | Measured in lives and dollars, government reactions to terrorism often impose greater costs on the societies attacked than the terror attacks themselves. Indeed, what makes a terrorist attack "successful" is its ability to goad victim states into wasting their own resources, taking actions that drive support to terrorism, and behaving in ways that confirm terrorist worldviews. The strategic logic of terrorism demands better counterterrorism policies than those adopted by American policymakers after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Our counterterrorist activities communicate to important audiences about the United States, its values, and moral authority. Overreaction can frustrate our goals by sending the wrong messages about the utility of terrorism and the viability of terrorist groups. Accordingly, while government authorities pursue terrorists assiduously, the public face of U.S. counterterrorism should be unflappable, cool, and confident. | 7/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
61 | VideoUnion Influence on Public Policy | Although private sector unions have been in decline for decades, public sector unions have been on the rise. Both private and public unions have undue political influence and use that power to seek privileges at the expense of consumers and taxpayers. Are unions good for America? | 7/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
62 | VideoThe Politics and Law of Immigration | The controversy over America's immigration policies will ratchet up once the new Arizona law, known as SB 1070, goes into effect on July 29. Can that law withstand the legal challenges that are awaiting it? And legality aside, will the Arizona law create more problems than it can resolve? The federal policy options are no less divisive. Should illegal immigration be reduced by deploying soldiers or by enacting a comprehensive immigration reform bill? Join us for a wide-ranging discussion of the politics and law of immigration policy. | 7/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
63 | VideoWhat to Do about North Korea? | Yet another crisis has enveloped the Korean peninsula as the sinking of the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan has triggered a spate of provocative statements and military threats. But American policymakers have virtually no window into decisionmaking in the North. Stephen Linton travels regularly to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as part of his work with the Eugene Bell Foundation, which provides medical assistance to needy North Koreans. He will discuss what he has learned about Pyongyang's international objectives and suggest possible strategies for the U.S. to use in engaging the North. Karin Lee of the National Committee on North Korea and Doug Bandow of the Cato Institute will comment on Dr. Linton's remarks. | 7/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
64 | VideoIs the Electoral College Obsolete? | The Electoral College has been a staple of American presidential elections since the nation's founding, but it may not be for long: a new legislative effort has been gaining momentum in state legislatures and could soon fundamentally change presidential elections as we know them. A California-based group, National Popular Vote, hopes to convince a critical mass of state legislatures to sign an interstate compact that will dictate a new method of allocating presidential electors: rather than states allocating electors as they do now, NPV wants states to give their electors to the winner of the national popular vote. The compact has been approved in five states (61 electoral votes) and is currently being considered in three other states (46 electoral votes). Three additional state legislatures approved the compact but did not receive gubernatorial approval (62 electoral votes). The compact goes into effect when states holding 270 electoral votes have signed the agreement. At this critical moment in the progress of NPV's legislation, Tara Ross and John R. Koza will debate the benefits and detriments of both NPV and the Electoral College. Should the Electoral College be retained? If not, is NPV's solution a good one, or might there be unintended logistical ramifications? Should Electoral College opponents instead go through the formal constitutional amendment process? | 7/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
65 | VideoUsing Work Visas to Control the Border | Despite a more than four-fold increase in border patrol agents over the past 20 years, concerns about illegal immigration along the southwest border of the United States have persisted. Not since the 1950s and early 1960s has the United States sought to limit illegal entry by combining the use of work visas and a reasonable enforcement deterrent at the border. Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), a leader in the effort to reform America's immigration laws, will discuss the importance of going beyond the policy choices currently being offered on immigration. Also appearing to discuss his research on the topic will be Daniel Griswold, director of the Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. | 7/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
66 | VideoExporting the Bomb: Technology Transfer and the Spread of Nuclear Weapons | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0801476402/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0801476402/?tag=catoinstitute-20)For decades, scholars have attempted to identify the factors that drive nuclear proliferation. Nearly all of this research has focused on the demand side of the equation: Why do countries seek nuclear weapons? In Exporting the Bomb: Technology Transfer and the Spread of Nuclear Weapons (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0801476402/?tag=catoinstitute-20), Georgetown professor Matthew Kroenig makes the first comprehensive effort to examine the supply side of the proliferation transaction. The book's central finding challenges the assumption that states provide "sensitive nuclear assistance" on the basis of economic considerations. Beginning with a simple insight from the literature on nuclear deterrence — that proliferation threatens powerful states more than it threatens weak states — Kroenig argues that such transfers are based on a coherent strategic logic rooted in security considerations. Accordingly, policies intended to prevent proliferation should take into account the strategic circumstances of prospective proliferators. Please join us as we discuss this innovative and important new book. | 6/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
67 | VideoThe Military's Role in Counterterrorism | Military force is a powerful tool for good or ill, and it can prove instrumental in combating terrorism. The potential effect on terrorist capabilities can be immediate and unqualified, as when a strike kills or otherwise disables a prominent terrorist leader. Military strikes — or the threat of such strikes — can disrupt terrorist operations. The limitations and drawbacks of using the military, however, are numerous. Strikes aimed at terrorists can result in death or injury to innocent bystanders and collateral damage to infrastructure. The victims of this violence will often focus their anger on the attacker, generating support and sympathy for terrorists. Pillar and Preble will discuss these and related issues and show how effective counterterrorism balances the immediate gains of particular policies against the unintended medium- to long-term consequences. | 6/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
68 | VideoMore Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0226493660/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0226493660/?tag=catoinstitute-20) On its initial publication in 1998, John R. Lott's More Guns, Less Crime (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0226493660/?tag=catoinstitute-20) drew both lavish praise and heated criticism. More than a decade later, it continues to play a key role in ongoing arguments over gun-control laws. Relying on a comprehensive data analysis of crime statistics and right-to-carry laws, the book challenges common perceptions about the relationship of guns, crime, and violence. Now in this third edition, Lott draws on an additional 10 years of data — including provocative analysis of the effects of gun bans in Chicago and Washington, DC — that he claims lends even more support to his central contention that more guns mean less crime. Join us for a wide-ranging discussion of guns, self-defense, and public safety. | 6/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
69 | VideoFault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy | (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0691146837/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0691146837/?tag=catoinstitute-20) Raghuram Rajan was one of the few economists who warned of the global financial crisis before it hit. In Fault Lines (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0691146837/?tag=catoinstitute-20), he argues that serious flaws in the economy are to blame and warns that a potentially more devastating crisis awaits us if they aren't fixed. He also traces the deepening fault lines in a world overly dependent on the indebted American consumer to power global economic growth and stave off global downturns. He then outlines the hard choices we need to make to ensure a more stable world economy and restore lasting prosperity. | 6/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
70 | VideoThe New Assault on Free Speech | President Obama and many members of Congress sharply criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Senator Charles Schumer and Rep. Chris Van Hollen have introduced a bill, the DISCLOSE Act, to circumvent Citizens United. DISCLOSE proposes extensive mandated disclosure of spending by businesses, labor unions, and nonprofit groups. It also prohibits speech by government contractors, TARP recipients, and U.S. companies with as little as 20 percent foreign ownership. Please join us for an expert discussion of the content and implications of DISCLOSE. | 6/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
71 | VideoSudan after the Elections: Implications for the Future and American Policy Options | The week of April 11, Sudan held its first open election in 24 years amid widespread legitimacy concerns, an indictment from the International Criminal Court, and a last-minute boycott by leading opposition parties. Although the parties participating have declared they will honor the results, the United States, the European Union, and other observers have stated that the elections failed to meet international standards. Even so, some commentators believe the elections may represent an important turning point in Africa's largest nation. What do the elections mean for Sudan's future? Could the elections help create the conditions for a new era of peace in that war-ravaged country? Finally, what do the elections mean for U.S. foreign policy? Please join our panel for a lively discussion of these questions. | 6/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
72 | VideoSocial Security: A Fresh Look at Policy Alternatives | Experts and practitioners of federal budget policies across the political spectrum recognize that America's fiscal trajectory is unsustainable — especially because of the effects of changing demographic and economic forces on the finances of entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Although many recognize that delays make achieving sustainable reforms more difficult, a key requirement for sensible reforms is proper projections and estimates of entitlement program finances. In a new book from the University of Chicago Press, Social Security: A Fresh Look at Policy Alternatives (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226300331/tag=catoinstitute-20), Jagadeesh Gokhale argues that the government's methods for estimating the program's outlook seriously underestimate its imbalance. He develops a more detailed approach and evaluates six reform proposals — two liberal, two centrist, and two conservative — to demonstrate how far they resolve Social Security's imbalance and who bears the costs under each. Joining him at this event are two coauthors of a centrist reform plan to explain why achieving Social Security reform with broad bipartisan support remains a key national goal and how it can be achieved. | 6/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
73 | VideoHow to Think about Capital Gains Taxation | The 2003 tax cuts reduced the tax rate on long-term capital gains from 20 percent to 15 percent, but this rate will return to the higher level on January 1, 2011. Proponents argue that the higher tax rate will bring additional money into the government coffers and make the tax system fairer. There are very strong arguments, though, that a capital gains tax discourages entrepreneurial activity and investment. Moreover, if the tax has a sufficiently large impact on the incentive to invest and the incentive to sell appreciated assets, then it is quite possible that assumptions of higher tax revenue are misguided. Another key issue is the degree to which a capital gains tax impacts capital mobility in a world where many countries do not tax capital gains. As policymakers consider capital gains and related tax issues, it is important that they understand how taxation impacts economic progress. | 6/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
74 | VideoNational Education Standards: Hopeful Change or Hollow Promise? | With the Common Core State Standards Initiative likely to release the final version of its English and mathematics standards in early June, and states having to decide whether or not to adopt them, a crucial question has been neglected in the public policy debate: Is there good reason to believe that national standards will improve educational outcomes? Please join us for a discussion of the logic behind, and evidence on, national education standards, at this pivotal moment in the history of American education. | 6/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
75 | VideoSocial Security: A Fresh Look at Policy Alternatives | (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226300331/tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226300331/tag=catoinstitute-20)There are widespread fears about Social Security's long-term solvency, and it appears quite likely that the Bipartisan Fiscal Commission will recommend Social Security reforms. But the government projects Social Security's future finances using long-outdated methods that fail to consider key features of ongoing demographic and economic change. Employing a more up-to-date approach, Jagadeesh Gokhale argues in his new book that the program faces insolvency far sooner than previously thought. Gokhale will describe key features from his analysis of forces shaping American demographics and the economy—and their implications for the future of Social Security—under current policies and under several prominent Social Security reform proposals. His evaluation will reveal how far different approaches would restore the program's financial health and which population groups would gain or lose in the process. Arguments over Social Security have taken place in a relative information vacuum; Gokhale will argue that the methods and measures employed in his new book are necessary to make meaningful progress in the Social Security reform debate. | 5/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
76 | VideoDoes Homeland Security Work? Evaluating DHS's Efforts to Make Us Safer | Risk management is a mantra in the Department of Homeland Security but little more. Risk management means more than sending grants to areas where the risk of terrorism is greatest. It means honestly assessing danger rather than using worst-case scenarios as a basis for policy. It means creating ways to evaluate whether homeland security policies succeed, eliminating those that do not, and shifting funds to those that do. Current U.S. homeland security policy does not achieve these basic tasks. This forum will discuss ways to remedy that failure. Benjamin Friedman will explain what homeland security policymakers can learn from efforts to overcome public demand for overreaction to threats in defense and regulatory policy. John Mueller will discuss his recent research into counterterrorism policy, focusing on how to use cost-benefit analysis to evaluate homeland security programs. | 5/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
77 | VideoTerrorizing Ourselves: Why U.S. Counterterrorism Policy Is Failing and How to Fix It | (http://www.cato.org/store/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=&pid=1441458) (http://www.cato.org/store/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=&pid=1441458) U.S. policymakers too often manipulate and exaggerate the threat of terrorism. The result is a public that believes what terrorists want people to think: that they are global supervillains who can wreck American society unless we submit to their demands. The attempted bombing in Times Square demonstrates again the tensions between media and political demands to ratchet up fears and the focused, methodical, investigatory work that counters terrorism. In Terrorizing Ourselves: How U.S. Counterterrorism Policy Is Failing and How to Fix It (http://www.cato.org/store/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=&pid=1441458), leading scholars and analysts dismantle much of the flawed thinking that dominates U.S. counterterrorism policy today. They demonstrate that polices inspired by the specter of indomitable terrorists are self-defeating, leading to needless war, wasted wealth, and diminished freedoms. The authors offer alternative counterterrorism and homeland security strategies, ones that play to American confidence rather than fear, while making us safer. Please join us for a lively discussion of these timely ideas and how to implement them. | 5/24/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
78 | VideoUpdating ECPA: An Electronic Privacy Law for the 21st Century | In 1986, Congress passed the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, a broad framework detailing how law enforcement could conduct surveillance on burgeoning digital communications networks. But the dawn of the Internet as a mass medium, the increasing ubiquity of location-sensitive mobile devices, and the explosive growth of cloud computing have radically changed the technological landscape since then. Yet the law remains largely stuck in the 80s, a 20th century legal operating system for 21st century communications — leaving courts unclear on questions as basic how much privacy protection e-mail enjoys. A broad coalition of technology firms and civil liberties groups is now seeking to update the law for the internet age and to lay out clear rules that reflect modern expectations of online privacy. With Congress slated to hold a series of hearings on ECPA reform in coming months, our panel will examine the problems with current law and the changes needed to provide effective surveillance tools for law enforcement without eroding user privacy or stifling technological innovation. | 5/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
79 | VideoThe Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves | (http://www.amazon.com/Rational-Optimist-How-Prosperity-Evolves/dp/006145205X/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/Rational-Optimist-How-Prosperity-Evolves/dp/006145205X/?tag=catoinstitute-20)Our economy is hurting, and many see environmental degradation as a looming threat. Unfortunately, the proposed solutions for getting humanity back on track are, in fact, rejections of the very factors that guided us from the poverty of our ancestors to the prosperity of today. In his book, The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (http://www.amazon.com/dp/006145205X/?tag=catoinstitute-20), bestselling author Matt Ridley (The Red Queen, The Origins of Virtue, Genome) draws on the work of Adam Smith and Charles Darwin to present a history of cultural and economic evolution — a story of progress driven not by the heavy hand of rulers but by bottom-up innovation, specialization of labor, and freedom of trade. He uses the insights this historical perspective offers to address some of today's most pressing issues, from the financial crisis to energy scarcity to globalization. Join us for a discussion of the book by the author, with commentary from Robin Hanson, associate professor of economics at George Mason University. | 5/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
80 | VideoLibertarianism, from A to Z | (http://www.amazon.com/Libertarianism-Z-Jeffrey-Miron/dp/0465019439/?tag=catoinstitute-20) (http://www.amazon.com/Libertarianism-Z-Jeffrey-Miron/dp/0465019439/?tag=catoinstitute-20) Libertarian principles seem basic enough — keep government out of boardrooms, bedrooms, and wallets, and let markets work the way they should. But what reasoning justifies those stances, and how can they be elucidated clearly and applied consistently? In Libertarianism, from A to Z (http://www.amazon.com/Libertarianism-Z-Jeffrey-Miron/dp/0465019439/?tag=catoinstitute-20), Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron sets the record straight with a dictionary of libertarian views on everything from abortion to the war on terror. Tackling subjects as diverse as prostitution and drugs, the financial crises and the government bailouts, federalism and utilitarianism, Miron takes the reader on a tour of libertarian thought. Taking issue with rights-based libertarian philosophers, he makes the argument for a consequentialist libertarianism that balances the costs and benefits of any given government intervention, emphasizing personal liberty and free markets. Miron never flinches from following those principles to their logical and sometimes controversial ends. Principled, surprising, and thought provoking, Libertarianism, from A to Z (http://www.amazon.com/Libertarianism-Z-Jeffrey-Miron/dp/0465019439/?tag=catoinstitute-20), has everything a budding libertarian — or any responsible citizen — needs to know. | 5/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
Total: 80 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Good podcast.
I think this is definitely worth spending some time watching, it is well put together and informative regardless of whether your on the left or the right in American politics. Beyond that though, the real reason I wanted to write a review about this podcast was to point out how surprised I was that no one else has reviewed it. Whether you agree with CATO's viewpoints or not, their perspective and viewpoint is crucial to American democracy. The latest drunk teenage bombshell can get hundreds of reviews for something they post on Itunes, yet serious intellectual discussion goes unnoticed. Welcome to America.
Good but not always
Its great to hear honest debate about topical issues. However, the McCain: The Myth of a Maverick was horrid. The author seemed to make an honest attempt at discussion of who McCain is and what he believes in. The rebutal was so partisan that it was not even worth listening to. It should be used as an example of poor logic. It made me sad that anyone at the Cato Institue applauded it and makes me respect the organization less for doing so.
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