In this episode of Liberty Curious we go deep into the historical roots of 'Making America Great Again'. Kate Wand sat down with Phillip W. Magness, Senior Research Faculty and F.A. Hayek Chair in Economics and Economic History at AIER, to discuss the true implications of tariffs and protectionism and how they have shaped America's economic landscape.From the earliest years of the American founding, promises of putting America first echoed through political chambers. These calls, though wrapped in patriotism, often harbored hidden implications of cronyism, favoritism, and a veiled tax that burdened everyday consumers. Despite the appealing rhetoric, tariffs and protectionist measures stand as barriers to economic freedom, prosperity, and genuine international cooperation. As history warns, "When goods cease to cross borders, armies soon follow."By tracing the history of tariffs, we see a repeating pattern: opportunistic rent-seeking, strained international relations, and a government that often interferes with natural economic exchanges. This meddling not only fosters less peace but also empowers the federal government at the expense of states and the very people it promises to protect.*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***aier.org/podcastshttps://www.aier.org/people/phillip-w-magness/Phil Magness on X: https://twitter.com/PhilWMagness

On this episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand sat down with Michael Munger, economist and professor of political economy at Duke University, to discuss the Classical Liberal diaspora. Diaspora refers to the scattering of liberals ‘of the old type’; the remnant, the libertarians, and the classical liberals, whose message about liberty and limited government gets lost in a sea of tribal left vs. right politics. They discuss how progressives and conservatives are both convinced that their morality and vision for society is correct, and have no qualms about using the power of the state to impose it upon the rest of us. They get into details about the classical liberal tradition, how we got to where we are now, and the dangers of wielding the ring of power in our favour. *** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***0:00 - intro1:30 - origins of Liberalism4:00 - Progressivism7:48 - Classical liberal diaspora10:16 - Classical Liberalism in Politics16:30 - The Reagan Administration19:55 - Post 9-11 shifts23:29 - Classical Liberals vs Libertarians27:34 - Where Progressives & Conservatives Collide30:19 - Limited Government33:18 - American Erosion39:02 - The Central Planning Allure42:00 - Technocracy45:00 - The Remnant vs. Fusionism50:00 - The dangers of complacency54:00 - an opportunity for classical liberalism58:23 - Last thoughtsText on the Remnant: https://mises.org/library/isaiahs-jobMichael Munger on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mungowitzMichael at AIER: https://www.aier.org/people/michael-munger/aier.org/podcasts

On this episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand sat down with Paul Mueller, who recently joined AIER as Senior Research Faculty, to discuss the 2007-2008 Financial Crisis and its reverberation into our present day. "Everything we're seeing around us is a fallout from that crisis." - Paul MuellerPaul received his PhD in economics from George Mason University, and is the author of Ten Years Later: Why the Conventional Wisdom about the 2008 Financial Crisis is Still Wrong. They get into the mis-regulation, cronyism and fatal conceit that precipitated the crisis, how it was mismanaged by government and central banks, and then became the catalyst for a growing anti-capitalist sentiment that blames free markets for the failures of an increasingly controlled financial system and economy.*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***aier.org/podcastsPaul Mueller's book: https://www.amazon.com/Conventional-Wisdom-about-Financial-Crisis/dp/1527519236/ref=sr_1_1?crid=VGKBR6GSB0LB&keywords=paul+mueller+financial+crisis&qid=1694349635&s=books&sprefix=paul+mueller+financial+crisis%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C130&sr=1-1https://www.aier.org/people/paul-mueller/0:00 - Intro1:58 - A Generation-Defining Event6:22 - The Fed's Historical Role10:47 - Political Pressures15:20 - Mis-regulation22:27 - The Bank of International Settlements25:30 - Fatal Conceit30:22 - The American Dream35:16 - Wealth & Income Inequality 40:30 - Low Interest Rates Benefits Government44:23 - How Did the Crisis Unravel?49:46 - What Happens Next?54:30 - The Third Mis-regulation57:21 - Reverberation Into Today59:40 - Conditioning for Economic Intervention1:05:58 - Market Solutions1:10:28 - How to Get Out of The Cycle1:14:33 - Free Up Markets or Great Reset?1:18:05 - Last Thoughtsaier.org/podcasts

Is there such a thing as objective morality? On a recent episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand sat down with Bruce Pardy, professor of Law and Executive Director of Rights Probe to discuss the woke virus of the mind. The comments section was full of passionate and interesting criticism and debate on one particular issue: can we all universally agree on what is right and wrong and then let that determine our rights? So Kate asked Bruce to come back and go through some of your comments with me. To begin, we examined how we might differentiate moral philosophy from individual rights and the law. In delving deep into these kinds of questions and concepts, we came across two common arguments for liberty: the moral argument, and the consequential one; ie, liberty produces better outcomes. Bruce argues that both of these arguments for liberty fall short, and shares his thesis for a third way. We hope you enjoy this episode of liberty curious, and as always, please feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section. *** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***aier.org/podcasts0:00 - intro2:00 - Objective Morality5:30 - Comment #1 10:30 - Of Course, 'This is Immoral'12:50 - Utility Argument14:50 - Bodily Autonomy17:28 - Misgendering18:35 - Comment #221:00 - The Ten Commandments24:07 - The Non-Aggression Principle27:10 - One Choice32:58 - The Use of Force34:40 - Social Contract Theory36:10 - Comment #3 42:22 - Arguments for Liberty47:50 - Producing Efficient Outcomes51:15 - Liberty By Consent (Third Way)55:40 America's Founding Principles1:02:43 - What Would That World Look Like?

On this episode of Liberty Curious, David T. Beito, professor, historian and author, joins Kate Wand to discuss his upcoming expose: The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights: The Untold Story of FDR’s Concentration Camps, Censorship, and Mass Surveillance.Although FDR is still considered one of the most beloved presidents in American history, David’s research exposes his dark side, which differed greatly from his public persona. They explored the dark underbelly of the New Deal, and how it relates to what America has become today.David Beito's new book: https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=142*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***aier.org/podcasts

On this episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand spoke with Allen Mendenhall, author, lawyer, Associate Dean and Professor in the Sorrell College of Business at Troy University. He teaches a free market, non-woke business course that has gained significant clout, leading anti-woke ESG advocates to seek his aid and testimony for an anti-ESG investment bill. His advocacy for economic freedom led to the banking crony ESG profiteers to go on a coordinated witch-hunt against him to try and get him cancelled.Allen’s story attests to the power of the Individual. They spoke about how ESG is a segue into global governance, the growing decentralized resistance against hyper-centralization, and how one person taking a principled stand is a great equalizer against the most corrupt concentrations of power. https://allenmendenhall.com/https://twitter.com/allenmendenhall0:00 - intro1:20 - anti-ESG business program3:43 - policy debates around ESG6:33 - the Witchhunt begins9:55 - Blackrock, State Street, Vanguard lobbyists12:49 - The risk of bank runs14:50 - Global Coordination of Financial Institutions20:10 - Sri Lanka as a Target24:33 - Incentives for ESG27:19 - Stakeholder Capitalism30:22 - Unprecedented Power32:50 - CBDCs & ESG37:30 - Decentralization vs Centralization42:47 - The Power of the Individual48:56 - All Powerful Nation State Parallels52:05 - Milton Friedman vs. Klaus Schwab54:21 - USA vs Europe for ESG58:11 - The Nation State & Global Concatenation 1:00:00 - The outcome of Allen's battle1:03:12 - Lord of the Rings parallels1:08:46 - Last thoughtsaier.org/podcasts*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***Milton Friedman's essay: https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/13/archives/a-friedman-doctrine-the-social-responsibility-of-business-is-to.html

When big corporations like Target or Bud Light go blatantly Woke, to the detriment of their shareholders and profits, you might ask yourself what exactly they are doing, and why.This is where ESG comes in. ESG is Environment, Social, and Governance, three pillars of a pervasive type of corporate social credit score that businesses are pressured or incentivized to abide by. On this episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand invited Samuel Gregg, Distinguished Fellow in Political Economy at AIER, to discuss the origins of ESG, how its being applied, and its ties to the UN SDGs and the World Economic Forum. They also explore its role in reflecting, promoting, and shaping Woke ideology. 0:00 - intro1:55 - Origins of ESG4:03 - Stakeholder Capitalism6:45 - How did ESG ascend so quickly?11:15 - The Great Reset13:33 - the ESG Cartel & Central Planning21:40 - How did the UN & WEF become so powerful?25:25 - America's Achilles Heel31:05 - Malthusian Flavour of ESG35:40 - Carbon Markets & 'Green' Economy38:00 - Why would you destroy your company?46:46 - Confronted with Reality51:43 - Legal Solutions in Corporate Law56:06 - Europe's Self-Inflicted Decline58:32 - Hope for America?1:00:43 - Last Thoughtsaier.org/podcastsSamuel Gregg on Twitter: twitter.com/drsamuelgregghttps://www.aier.org/people/samuel-gregg/*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***

In this episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand invited Phil Magness to discuss the origins of critical theory, which is a neo-Marxist school of thought born in the Frankfurt School in 1923. Phil is the director of research and education at AIER, and a prolific researcher on these kinds of ideas. They discuss the history of critical theory, and how it has proliferated through academia and into our culture, manifesting itself as what we commonly refer to as Woke ideology. *** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***aier.org/podcasts0:00 - intro1:50 - what is Critical Theory?5:04 - Offshoot of Marxism11:07 - Frankfurt School19:20 - Marxism Splits23:30 - from Economics to Sociology27:45 - Incoherence29:28 - Coming to America35:26 - Critical Theory vs. Traditional Theory38:09 - The Ambitions of Critical Theorists45:30 - Last thoughts50:30 - Bonus question: Utopia

On this episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand invites Bruce Pardy to discuss the origins of the Woke virus of the mind: critical theory, social justice, postmodernism and critical race theory.Bruce explains identity politics, power relationships, victimhood, and all the pillars of Critical Theory, a school of thought that has infiltrated our culture, institutions and society. We explore how this has all developed, touch on topics like the 'death of God', trans-humanism, morality, intersectionality, and how woke culture is, at its core, an attack on Western civilization.Bruce Pardy is a professor of law and executive director of Rights Probe, a law and liberty think tank. He is a classically liberal legal academic who believes in equal treatment under the law, negative rights, private property, limited government, and the separation of powers, which are foundational to the Western legal tradition. He is a critic of legal progressivism, social justice, and the discretionary managerial state, and has written extensively on a range of pressing legal subjects that are at the forefront of the culture war inside the law."Modern Western civilization grew out of the Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries. The ascendancy of reason in human affairs produced the scientific method and later the Industrial Revolution. Add in the rule of law, individual liberty, private property, and capitalism, and you have the basic recipe that has raised much of humanity out of poverty and oppression over two centuries.Four academic doctrines—Critical Theory, Postmodernism, Social Justice, and Critical Race Theory—are moving the world, or at least the West, from this triumph to decline. These doctrines reject Enlightenment values such as open inquiry, individual autonomy, free speech, scientific skepticism, and even reason itself. They claim to champion equality, peace, and social cooperation, but instead promote identity politics, elitism, and centralized control. They are the four doctrines of the apocalypse." - Bruce Pardyhttps://www.theepochtimes.com/bruce-pardy-the-four-doctrines-of-the-apocalypse-critical-theory-and-our-compromised-institutions_5355971.htmlaier.org/podcasts *** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***

In this episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand invites Dr. Ryan Yonk to discuss the contentious and hotly debated recent Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action, student loan debt forgiveness, and freedom of speech. They discuss the details and nuances of the historic and significant Harvard Affirmative Action Case, Biden vs. Nebraska, and 303 Creative. Kate also asks Ryan a big picture question: is the law downstream from culture, or is the culture downstream from the law?aier.org/podcastshttps://www.aier.org/people/ryan-m-yonk/*** Please note that the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and her guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Economic Research. The content presented in this show is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered as financial advice. ***0:00 - intro1:22 - Harvard Affirmative Action Case10:58 - Biden VS Nebraska19:17 - 303 Creative33:15 - Is culture downstream from the law?38:02 - Last thoughts