The Tom Woods Show

In this blast from the past from 2009, I'm interviewed by Alex Jones about central banking and the financial crisis. Show notes for Ep. 1396

I often repeat Jonathan Haidt's point that left-liberals understand their opponents far less well than their opponents understand them. The most recent uncomprehending critic I've seen says libertarians "believe every man is an island." This was too ridiculous not to smash. Enjoy. Show notes for Ep. 1395 - https://tomwoods.com/1395

Historians love to hate Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, the presidents during most of the 1920s. Historians also enjoy tut-tutting the U.S. for having been "isolationist" during the 1920s. This is all wrong, as usual, so in today's episode I set the record straight. Show notes for Ep. 1394

Scott Horton joins me to review the "obstruction" claims on the part of media outlets that in the wake of the Mueller report suddenly dropped the "collusion" talk of the past two years and shifted to "obstruction". Show notes for Ep. 1393

I take on more criticisms of libertarianism -- less common but still important, and very interesting: (1) don't we need government-created deposit insurance so people don't lose a fortune if their money is in a bank that fails? and (2) should "insider trading" be allowed? Sponsor: Blinkist Show notes for Ep. 1392

In this episode I hit "too big to fail," the military-industrial complex, state pensions, Obamacare, the Federal Reserve, and many more. This episode is drawn from one of my appearances on Financial Sense Newshour. Show notes for Ep. 1391

Madison and Jefferson biographer Kevin Gutzman joins me to discuss Jefferson's real record on slavery, the emphasis on slavery among the Western left (which leaves the impression among most students today that slavery was exclusive to the West, when in fact the West led the world in abolishing it), and whether the Framers would have supported the Green New Deal. Show notes for Ep. 1390

Isaac Morehouse says the people who got duped in the college admissions scandals weren't the schools that accepted unqualified students but the parents who paid the bribes to get their children in. He's right. Today we discuss the increasingly irrelevant preparation for the real world that the existing government/university complex gives Americans -- a preparation so poor that it's turning a frustrated generation toward socialism. What's a better strategy? Show notes for Ep. 1389

Jacob Hornberger of the Future of Freedom Foundation discusses CIA mischief at home and abroad, and why the national security state is a threat to American liberty. Show notes for Ep. 1388

Denis McNamara, author of How to Read Churches, joins me to discuss Notre Dame Cathedral and Church architecture in general, in the wake of the terrible fire just two days ago. Professor McNamara is academic director and associate professor at the Liturgical Institute at Mundelein Seminary, the seminary of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Sponsor: Skillshare Show notes for Ep. 1387

Patrick Moore, who spent nine years as president of Greenpeace Canada and another six as a director of Greenpeace International, joins me to critique the Green New Deal proposal. Show notes for Ep. 1386

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London last Thursday. The media and political sources who despise him are doing their best to make his activities sound nefarious and disreputable. But when Assange's activity is described correctly and precisely, it suddenly appears no different from what any journalist does, in terms of protecting his source's anonymity. Cassandra Fairbanks of The Gateway Pundit joins me for some background. Sponsor: MVMT Show notes for Ep. 1385

Antony Sammeroff joins me to discuss Andrew Yang's recent appearance with Ben Shapiro, and how Shapiro might have pushed back a bit more against Yang's proposal of a universal basic income. Show notes for Ep. 1384

Today's episode covers a wide array of foundational libertarian topics: positive vs. negative rights, Locke vs. Hobbes, constitutional interpretation, slavery and the U.S. Constitution, subsidiarity, the social contract, and a lot more. It comes from my recent appearance on the Western Canon Podcast. Show notes for Ep. 1383

All right, not quite *everything* else... but on: Trump, Russiagate, the media, Barry Goldwater, meeting Rothbard, being Mises' editor, becoming an anarcho-capitalist, and more. Show notes for Ep. 1382

I felt uneasy after my recent episode with Michael Malice on the meaning of political left and right, and now I know why: I've been wrong about a major piece of the puzzle. The brilliant Paul Gottfried joins me to walk through the issue: is there really a "left-right spectrum"? What do the terms mean? Has there been a "right" in America? Is "fascism" really resurgent? What books does he recommend? Plenty of provocative stuff here, including Gottfried's contention that politics is not "downstream of culture," but rather that it's the other way around: to a considerable extent, culture flows from politics. Show notes for Ep. 1381

Mark Pulliam returns to the show to discuss the problem of faux originalism in constitutional interpretation, emanating these days from certain libertarian and conservative think tanks. It's easy to be fooled by these arguments. What these arguments promote in the long run is not liberty but centralization and rule by judges. Sponsor: Harry's Show notes for Ep. 1380

Andy Ngo of Quillette.com joins me to discuss recent hate crime hoaxes, particularly in left-liberal Portland, as well as dissident journalism in general and his own philosophical evolution after observing the progressive left up close again and again. Show notes for Ep. 1379

The word "socialism" is thrown around constantly these days, usually in favorable contexts. But what in fact is socialism? Hitler wasn't a socialist, socialists insist, who then turn around and say Sweden is socialist, even though no true socialist thinks so. Can we pause a minute to figure out what they favor and what they're talking about? CJay Engel joins me. Sponsor: Blinkist Show notes for Ep. 1378

The news continues to be grim about purges on major social media platforms, but Andrew Torba, creator of Gab, has just released Dissenter, a browser extension that adds an independent comments section to any website. We discuss this, and the future of social media, including alternatives like Gab. Sponsor: Skillshare Show notes for Ep. 1377