Ep. 41 Karl Smith, of the Blog “Modeled Behavior,” Has Friendly Debate With Bob On Keynesian Stimulus and Carbon Taxation
Bob has a friendly discussion/debate with Karl Smith. First Bob pushes Karl to clarify the conditions under which government deficit spending could, even in theory, help a depressed economy. Then they switch to the economics of climate change, and Bob’s view that the case for a carbon tax is much weaker than most economists admit.…
Ep. 40 Tucker Carlson Wants Affirmative Action for American Workers
Tucker Carlson gives unambiguous approval for Elizabeth Warren’s call for “economic nationalism,” saying her proposal sounds like “Trump at his best.” Carlson pillories American companies for outsourcing their operations to other countries, and blames Republican leadership for its dedication to doctrinaire libertarianism and Austrian economics. (Not a joke.) Bob disagrees with this take. Mentioned in…
Ep. 39 Stephan Kinsella Discusses Law Without the State, and the Illegitimacy of IP (Intellectual Property)
Bob talks with Stephan Kinsella about the basis of libertarian law, and how we could have justice without a coercive State. They then discuss Stephan’s pathbreaking work making the case that property must be in tangible things, rendering “intellectual property” an incoherent and dangerous concept. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Stephan’s…
Ep. 38 Bob Nails Krugman’s Perverse Morality on Infrastructure Spending
Bob replays a recent Contra Krugman episode where he went solo, covering a Paul Krugman column on infrastructure spending. In addition to getting the economics wrong (as usual), Krugman also make a shocking admission about his willingness to harm the country so long as it denied Trump a political victory. Mentioned in the Episode and…
Ep. 37 Dr. Keith Smith Tells Doctors and Patients How to Secede From the Broken Health Care and Insurance System
Keith Smith is an anesthesiologist who founded the Oklahoma Surgery Center, and the Free Market Medical Association. He is a medical doctor but also a student of economics. Bob and Keith discuss the recent FMMA conference in Dallas, and explain how patients and doctors right now can break out of our broken health care /…