Episode 482: The Evolution of Crime

In this episode, we revisit the debate over restricting social media access for children, responding to listener feedback and examining why parental responsibility alone can’t address the scale of the problem. We discuss proposals for age verification, the risks of digital ID systems, and how privacy and surveillance concerns are often dismissed with the claim that people have “nothing to hide.” We then turn to California’s energy situation, looking at refinery closures, the Jones Act, and why state climate policies have little impact on global emissions while driving higher fuel costs. We examine a lawsuit involving Donald Trump and the BBC, followed by the week’s “foolishness” surrounding the Oscars’ move to YouTube. Our main discussion explores the concept of victimless crime, how outdated laws persist long after society moves on, what entrepreneurship signals about obsolete regulations, and why enforcement-heavy approaches to poverty, drugs, and everyday behavior continue to fail.

00:00 Introduction and Overview

01:02 Listener Feedback on Social Media Bans for Kids

02:06 Why Parenting Alone Cannot Solve the Social Media Problem

03:16 Age Verification and the Push Toward Digital ID

04:43 Privacy, Surveillance, and Why “Nothing to Hide” Fails

06:45 How Governments Can Abuse Data in the Future

07:20 California Refinery Closures and Energy Reality

08:13 The Jones Act and Why California Imports Fuel from Abroad

11:02 Why California’s Climate Policies Barely Affect Global CO2

13:00 Trump’s Lawsuit Against the BBC

14:27 Why Trump Would Have to Testify Under Oath

15:34 Foolishness of the Week: The Oscars Move to YouTube

17:42 Main Topic Setup: Victimless Crime and Enforcement

18:36 Entrepreneurship as a Signal That Laws Are Obsolete

20:47 Blue Laws, Alcohol, and How Societies Outgrow Bad Rules

24:27 Are There Any Victimless Crimes Left?

28:42 Speed Limits and Everyday Criminality

31:28 Is Government the Evolution of Crime?

34:31 The Cash Benchmark Test Explained

36:20 Why the War on Poverty Failed

40:16 The True Cost of the War on Drugs

43:55 Why Freedom No Longer Drives Policy

45:31 Closing Reflections and Final Thoughts

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