149: Fighting Isms with More Isms

149: Fighting Isms with More Isms

What’s the best way to fight racism or sexism? Depending upon who you ask, the answer may be with even more racism or sexism. This can take fairly innocuous forms such as focusing exclusively on the rights of women or minorities rather than the rights of all. Is there a better way? Can we right authentic wrongs without giving in to the temptation to create a new double standard?   Links mentioned: What Exactly Is Racism? by Lew Rockwell More Government, Less Manners by Paul Rosenberg
June 14, 2019
148: Jared Walczak Should Services be Taxed?

148: Jared Walczak Should Services be Taxed?

Taxes are a part of life but just how big a part of our lives is a question that is constantly being asked. When governmental entities need revenue, taxing the citizenry is often the preferred way to get that money. But should services be taxed in the same manner as other items on which we pay sales taxes? Connor gets some great insights from Jared Walczak from the Tax Foundation on how sales taxes have evolved over the years.   Links mentioned: Sales Tax Base Broadening: Right-Sizing a State Sales Tax by Nicole Kaeding Sales Tax on Services by State […]
June 11, 2019
147: Slap vs. Stroke, Strategies for Having Impact

147: Slap vs. Stroke, Strategies for Having Impact

Each of us has opportunities to wield our influence wherever we happen to be. Wielding that influence wisely can be harder than it sounds. Do we win others to our side with persuasion or do we use a more brute force approach? In this episode, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each approach when it comes to winning supporters.   Links mentioned: Persuasion vs. Coercion: Taking a Real Stand by Connor Boyack Fighting Evil Is a Failed Strategy by Paul Rosenberg
June 8, 2019
146: Molly Davis on What It’s Like Touring a Prison

146: Molly Davis on What It’s Like Touring a Prison

Unless we personally know someone who has been incarcerated, chances are that we know very little about the prison system. It’s a part of life that takes place out of sight and out of mind for many us and we seem to prefer it that way. Libertas policy analyst Molly Davis joins Connor to discuss their takeaways from a recent tour they did at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, Utah.   Links mentioned: Prison Rape is the Criminal Justice Issue No One is Talking About by Brad Polumbo and Molly Davis Who is Watching the Inmate Watchers? by […]
June 3, 2019
145: Should Government Be the Agent of Change in Abortion?

145: Should Government Be the Agent of Change in Abortion?

Few things feed the power the state more than when we invite it to become the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong. This is particularly true regarding the topic of abortion where the moral question at the root of the dialogue is getting lost in the struggle to impose solutions on others. Is using the force of law to establish our position the best solution? Could more innocent lives be saved without appealing to the state?   Links mentioned: Society and the State Episode 130: Joe Baker on An Innovative Approach to Abortion How Dependency on Government Makes Us Less, […]
May 29, 2019
144: Robin Fretwell Wilson on Informed Consent During Pelvic Examinations

144: Robin Fretwell Wilson on Informed Consent During Pelvic Examinations

Medical procedures often produce certain ethical concerns and the occasional dilemma. One of those is when pelvic examinations are conducted on unconscious women. The physical risks may be secondary to the emotional damage that can result when a woman realizes that her reproductive organs have been examined while she was under anesthesia for another procedure. Connor visits with Robin Fretwell Wilson from the University of Illinois College of Law about recent legislative efforts to protect the patient’s right to informed consent.   Links mentioned: States Seek Explicit Patient Consent for Pelvic Exams by the Associated Press The ethics of pelvic […]
May 24, 2019
143: Why Socialism is So Popular Among the Young

143: Why Socialism is So Popular Among the Young

Is socialism gaining in popularity among younger people? For that matter, is capitalism on the outs with the millennial generation? Depending upon who you ask, this appears to be the case. But where do these attitudes originate? Do the young people allegedly embracing socialism even understand what it is, or are they just excited at the prospect of “free” stuff? In this episode, we discuss how to counter this trend and when to start teaching free market principles to youngsters.   Links mentioned: Why Socialism is So Popular Among Young People by Connor Boyack Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the […]
May 20, 2019
142: Jessica Flanigan on Pharmaceutical Freedom, Why You Should be Able to Get the Drugs You Need

142: Jessica Flanigan on Pharmaceutical Freedom, Why You Should be Able to Get the Drugs You Need

There are many areas of our lives where regulation can be more of a hindrance than a blessing. Nowhere is this more true than when patients who want or need a particular medication find themselves stymied by excessive regulation. Do you understand your rights when it comes to self-medication or informed consent? Connor visits with Jessica Flanigan about medical paternalism and what we can do about exercising our individual rights as they pertain to our health.   Links mentioned: Pharmaceutical Freedom: Why Patients Have a Right to Self Medicate by Jessica Flanigan
May 13, 2019
141: Why Peer to Peer Tech is the Future

141: Why Peer to Peer Tech is the Future

Peer to Peer technology is opening the door to a new class of decentralized and trustworthy ways to solve problems. If you’ve ever used Uber or Lyft or stayed at an Airbnb, you’ve already encountered it. Same thing if you’ve ever purchased something on Ebay rather than going to a big box store. In this episode, Connor explores the pros and cons of eliminating the middlemen that we regard as common.   Links mentioned: The internet intends to trivialize distance, the blockchain intends to trivialize trust by r/ethtrader Firing the middlemen: How blockchain can reshape digital distribution by Haydn Taylor […]
May 8, 2019
140: Rebecca Vallas on a Clean Slate for a Second Chance at Life

140: Rebecca Vallas on a Clean Slate for a Second Chance at Life

Everyone makes mistakes. But when that mistake is a criminal one, should it follow a person for the rest of his or her life? Few of us understand the process of expungement and how it can provide a person with an opportunity for starting over with a clean slate. Rebecca Vallas from the Center for American Progress joins Connor to discuss why it’s in our interest to provide some offenders with a second chance at life.   Links mentioned: Clean Slate
May 4, 2019
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