The Tom Woods Show

Walter Block, who holds the Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Chair at Loyola University in New Orleans, joins me to discuss some particularly tricky questions for libertarians. Show notes for Ep. 1337

Josh Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law, discusses the grounds on which U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor found Obamacare unconstitutional. We discuss John Roberts' decision for the Supreme Court as well. Show notes for Ep. 1336 Sponsor: Skillshare

That's a provocative title, to be sure. Author William Cavanaugh, a professor at DePaul University, is not saying that what we recognize to be religious beliefs can never inspire violence. What he is saying -- and I won't spoil the episode by spelling out his thesis here -- forces us to rethink what we thought we knew about religion, secularism, and war. Sponsor: Away Show notes for Ep. 1335

We hear lots of calls for "affordable housing," and much less discussion about what might be making housing not so affordable. Ryan McMaken of the Mises Institute shows that -- surprise -- the government's fingerprints are all over this problem. Sponsor: Harry's Show notes for Ep. 1334

Looking over many Tom Woods Show episodes, I discovered a common theme: finding freedom in an unfree world. It's not true that we libertarians only complain. We build. So I talk secession from: the screwed-up American health care system, the monetary system, the education system, the traditional 9-to-5 job, and a lot more. Sponsor: Blinkist Show notes for Ep. 1333

Historian Brion McClanahan joins me to discuss an article on secession, particularly on the nineteenth-century southern secession, that makes the rounds every once in a while in fashionable libertarian circles. Libertarians can't support secession across the board, the author says, because some seceding states intend great evil once seceded. He further says there's no right of secession of an American state anyway. Are these statements sound? That's what we discuss today. Sponsor: Skillshare Show notes for Ep. 1332

In one of my Twitter exchanges, I came across a fellow who thought the vulnerable would be worse off under libertarianism, since they'd be less likely to have access to education, etc. Since a lot of people think this way, I thought I'd address issues like this in this episode. Sponsor: Curiosity Stream Show notes for Ep. 1331

Richard Cobden, the nineteenth-century pro-trade, noninterventionist member of Parliament, once said, "The progress of freedom depends more upon the maintenance of peace and the spread of commerce and the diffusion of education than upon the labor of Cabinets or Foreign Offices." I take this one sentence and riff on it, covering themes in modern European history, development economics, noninterventionist foreign policy, and more. Sponsor: Skillshare Show notes for Ep. 1330

Today I talk to Ethan Blevins with the Pacific Legal Foundation, which does pro bono work for people wronged by the state. Crazy laws and regulations in left-wing Seattle keep these folks pretty busy, but they take on cases all over that part of the country. Nice to have an encouraging episode once in a while! Show notes for Ep. 1329

Some libertarians shrink from this kind of language, but I don't see how it can be doubted, especially now. In this episode I discuss not just the Covington high school students, but also the media's general pro-regime bias. Show notes for Ep. 1328

Alex Epstein of the Center for Industrial Progress joins me to discuss the Green New Deal proposal, which seeks a radical transformation of the American economy in the service of "green" energy targets. Sponsor: Skillshare Show notes for Ep. 1327

Frequent guest Bob Murphy returns, this time talking about his new (co-authored) book, The Case for IBC. This is an acronym for "Infinite Banking Concept," a strategy that uses properly designed whole life insurance policies as a way to "become your own banker." The concept was developed by Nelson Nash, who besides working in insurance was personally tutored in Austrian theory by Leonard Read himself. Bob explains how the average person can benefit from IBC, and he answers common objections like "Isn't it better to buy term and invest the difference?" and "Why would I put my money in life insurance when the dollar is going to crash?" Show notes for Ep. 1326

A law professor recently included a thought experiment on a constitutional law exam: suppose Lincoln had survived the assassin's bullet, and later wound up facing articles of impeachment for some of his actions during the war. This is obviously a useful exercise, since many people feel an emotional connection to Lincoln and his cause, but this is precisely what law school is supposed to be about: can you suspend such thoughts and think entirely about the law? Well, guess how one critic characterized the exam. You already know the language used to condemn it. Brion McClanahan and I review the accusations against this professor, and the extremely valuable and thought-provoking questions on his exam. Show notes for Ep. 1325

Musician Tatiana Moroz has an audience a portion of which is new to libertarian ideas, so she asked me newbie-friendly questions: how I get non-libertarians to start thinking differently, who will build the roads, what about the police, the truth about the Federal Reserve -- fun questions like that. Show Notes for Ep. 1324

Author and publisher Victor Koman joins me to discuss agorism, the anti-political, anti-state philosophy and strategy developed by Samuel E. Konkin III. Those chapters that exist of Konkin's would-be treatise, Counter-Economics, have just been released for people to read for the very first time. We discuss those chapters and the ideas found in them, and how what Konkin calls the "counter-economy" can challenge the state. Show Notes for Ep. 1323

Professor Jeff Herbener just completed the first of two courses for my LibertyClassroom.com website on American economic history, an area where there are plenty of misconceptions and fallacies to refute. In this episode we talk about 19th-century monetary policy and bank panics, fiscal policy in an age of limited government, colonial inflation, and lots more. Sponsor: Skillshare Show notes for Ep. 1322

A hundred years ago progressives thought it best that we be ruled by experts. Their vision culminated in the administrative state we have today, in which federal agencies make law, at times even clearly at odds with the actual wording and intent of Congress. Peter Wallison joins me to discuss the problem and the solution. Show notes for Ep. 1321

Tucker Carlson, who's been great on some issues, has been speaking out against what he considers the free-market fundamentalism (I wish!) of mainstream conservatism. He says we need to understand that there's more to life than GDP, etc. Since this line of argument makes me crazy, I devoted this episode to answering it. Sponsor: Skillshare Show notes for Ep. 1320

Steve Clayton was a vice president at LabCorp, where many of us have gone to have blood work done, and took a chance: he left it all behind to go out on his own as an entrepreneur. The gamble paid off magnificently. Today we compare notes on what works and what doesn't, and the features your online business should have to maximize your likelihood of success. Show Notes for Ep. 1319 Sign up for Steve's important presentation!

Today, Sasha Hodder, an authority on the legal and regulatory aspects of cryptocurrency, discusses the regulatory hurdles faced by crypto, but also advances in privacy for users. Sponsor: Skillshare Show Notes for Ep. 1318