The Tom Woods Show

With protectionism on the rise and opponents of trade insisting that international competition is at the root of Middle America's problems, the libertarian response -- to my mind, at least -- has been tepid and unpersuasive. Gene Epstein joins me to fix that. Show notes for Ep. 728

Scott McConnell was once editorial page editor of the New York Post, and worked and published in neoconservative circles. Then something changed, and he helped found The American Conservative, an anti-neocon magazine. Lots covered here, including foreign policy, Israel/Palestine, the alt-right, and more. Show notes for Ep. 727

Good Morning America's Amy Robach came under overwhelming pressure after she used the term "colored people" on television, instead of the approved phrase "people of color," which is completely different because it contains a preposition. Michael Malice returns to the show to get to the bottom of what's really going on here, and how progressives use race and terminology as means of control. Show notes for Ep. 726

Author Chase Rachels joins me to discuss some of the hard cases -- education, roads (of course!), and even security -- when it comes to imagining how society without a state might work. Show notes for Ep. 725

On Milo's podcast we discussed sane and insane college campuses, what we should think about Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani, and in general had politically incorrect fun. Show notes for Ep. 724

Jeff Herbener joins me to respond to an article making the rounds these days claiming that Austrian criticisms of mainstream economics are either uninformed or simply fall flat. By the end of this episode, it's this critic who's flat. Show notes for Ep. 723

Eric Peters returns to the show to talk about everything from self-driving cars to Tesla and cronyism, to which radar detector you should buy, and more. Show notes for Ep. 722

Monetary expert Philipp Bagus takes us from the basics through more advanced topics as he dismantles the case for government-managed money. Show notes for Ep. 721

What is the relationship between freedom and the stories we tell ourselves? That's what Brad Birzer explores in this episode that takes us from the ancient Greeks through JRR Tolkien! Show notes for Ep. 720

That sounds like the sort of thing a libertarian would say, doesn't it? But in fact the case against the FBI is pretty darn good, and Ryan McMaken joins me to make that case. Show notes for Ep. 719

Here's my recent appearance on the Johnny Rocket Launch Pad. What a blast (so to speak). They asked me lots of things I've never been asked before, about when my ethics have been challenged and what I've done about it, what I've changed my mind about, how I teach my kids without making them into clones, where I first discovered Austrian economics (the answer will surprise you), and how I get my message heard by conservatives and progressives. If you don't enjoy this episode, I owe you a Coke. Show notes for Ep. 718

The cases of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland are raised by the left as alleged examples of non-market success stories. What's the real truth? Show notes for Ep. 717

The ripple effects of government regulation throughout society go well beyond the famous "seen and unseen" formulation of Frederic Bastiat. Per Bylund helps us trace the full consequences of government regulation and its effects on people's lives. Show notes for Ep. 716

Independent musician Leah McHenry, who's also a libertarian and a homeschooling mom of five, talks about today's opportunities for musicians and really any independent content creators to build audiences and create full-blown careers. Show notes for Ep. 715

One of the most bizarre phenomena within the libertarian movement is the occasional hostility toward Murray Rothbard, the very creator of the libertarian movement and one of the most prolific and accomplished scholars of the twentieth century.   In case anyone's trying to persuade you that Rothbard was overrated, and really not all that impressive, here's what you need to know.   Show notes for Ep. 714

Here's a common objection to the free market: why, it doesn't yield enough scientific research! We need government funding for that. Even some free-market folks have bought this line. Here are some helpful thoughts in favor of the market and science. Show notes for Ep. 713

Robert Zubrin, founder and president of the Mars Society, replies to objections to the human settlement of Mars. Show notes for Ep. 712

Julie Borowski is closing in on 200,000 Facebook likes, thanks to her consistent output and quality content. She's learned a lot along the way about spreading the message, about weak points in the message, and about having a thick skin. Show notes for Ep. 711

Liberty Memes is a wildly successful Facebook page that encapsulates libertarian ideas in provocative graphics. They recently ran afoul of the Facebook police for a meme about Hillary that's so far within the normal boundaries of American political commentary you'll hardly believe it. We discuss that, the page, and what it all means. Show notes for Ep. 710

The consequences of the US government's interventions in Libya and Syria have been pretty grim. Jim and Michael Ostrowski make a methodical lawyers' case against them, and lay bare the disasters that have resulted. Show notes for Ep. 709