Qualified Opinions

Free market ideas are waning on both sides of the aisle in modern American politics, but the justifications for this sit on shaky ground. In The Triumph of Economic Freedom, Donald Boudreaux and Phil Gramm debunk seven economic myths about American Capitalism. Donald Boudreaux joins the show today to discuss. Donald Boudreaux is a Senior Fellow at the Mercatus Center, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, and one of the most compelling public defenders of free market principles.

Danny Heil, a policy fellow at the Hoover Institution focused on federal budgets, and Tom Church, a fellow studying health care and income inequality, dissect the complexities of the federal budget. They highlight public misconceptions about major expenditures like Social Security and defense, emphasizing the urgent need for fiscal strategy reform. The discussion also tackles fraud in Medicaid and Medicare, the challenges of modernizing payment systems, and critiques the idea of replacing income tax with tariffs, suggesting it could harm the economy.

If you’ve ever wondered why the federal government is in the business of running your local school district from 3,000 miles away, you’re not alone. In fact, the idea that education policy should be dictated by Washington, DC, rather than parents, teachers, and communities was never a given in American life and most of our nation’s history. It wasn’t fully a reality until 1980, when the Department of Education was established. However, a new Trump administration proposal to eliminate the Department of Education could change this. Lindsey Burke joined the show to discuss the prospect of the federal government taking a backseat in American education and how they took the driver’s seat to begin with. As Director of the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, Dr. Lindsey Burke oversees Heritage’s research and policy on issues pertaining to preschool, K-12, and higher education reform.

When we think of the gig economy, we think of its compartments. We might imagine an Uber driver shuttling people around town, or the DoorDash delivery person who brings us our Chinese food. But is it more complicated than this? Who are the people behind these careers? Are policymakers missing the mark when building legislation around independent workers? Liya Palagashvili joins Veronique to discuss. Liya Palagashvili is a senior research fellow and director of the Labor Policy Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

From grant cutting to staff firing, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has made a lot of noise in recent weeks. But there is another side of DOGE, one committed to deregulation. Joining the podcast today to discuss is James Broughel. Dr. James Broughel is a Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Dr. Broughel is an accomplished economist whose expertise lies in regulatory institutions and the impact of regulations on economic growth.

Across the political spectrum, free enterprise is under seige. From the left, we see calls for wealth redistribution, aggressive regulation, and ever-expanding entitlement programs. From the right, we are witnessing growing trade protectionism and government intervention in the economy. Today, we are diving into the most pressing economic issue of our time: the future of free markets in America. Joining Qualified Opinions today is Dr. Samuel Gregg and Richard Reinsch to discuss. Samuel Gregg is the Friedrich Hayek Chair in Economics and Economic History at the American Institute for Economic Research. He has a D.Phil. in moral philosophy and political economy from Oxford University, and an M.A. in political philosophy from the University of Melbourne. Richard M. Reinsch II is editor-in-chief of the Civitas Institute’s Civitas Outlook. He was the founding editor of the online magazine Law & Liberty. Before joining Civitas, he was the editor in chief and director of publications of the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER). ‍

Earlier this month, Donald Trump’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada, along with their retaliatory tariffs, were paused for one month after a deal was made. But with that month coming to an end soon, tariffs will be back on the table.  Today, Veronique de Rugy sits down with Erica York to discuss the economics of these tariffs. Erica York is Vice President of Federal Tax Policy with Tax Foundation’s Center for Federal Tax Policy. She previously worked as an auditor at a large community bank in Kansas and interned at Tax Foundation’s Center for State Tax Policy.

With some provisions of the 2017 tax cuts set to expire in 2025, legislators are scrambling to make sure their preferred cuts are getting an extension. Add to that Donald Trump’s demand for no taxes on tips and you are left with a very uncertain future for taxation policy. What should we expect? Adam Michel joins to discuss. Adam N. Michel is director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute, where he focuses on analyzing the economic and budgetary effects of taxation in the United States.

Dominic Pino, a Thomas J. Rhodes Journalism Fellow and host of AIER’s Econception podcast, dives into Donald Trump's much-anticipated second term. He discusses the implications of Trump's new approach to policy and the internal dynamics of his team. The conversation highlights economic contradictions in tariff policies, the complexities of American manufacturing, and the controversial nature of executive orders. Pino also addresses concerns over presidential pardons and the economic challenges that lie ahead.

Healthcare spending is the single largest item in the federal budget and the fastest-growing one, too. It is the main driver of our future debt. Reform isn't just necessary but urgent. Vero is joined today by two of the sharpest minds in healthcare policy to discuss solutions. Michael F. Cannon is the Cato Institute’s director of health policy studies. Washingtonian magazine named Cannon one of Washington, DC’s Most Influential People in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Cannon was previously a domestic policy analyst for the US Senate Republican Policy Committee, where he advised the Senate leadership on health, education, labor, welfare, and the Second Amendment. Brian Blase, Ph.D., is the President of Paragon Health Institute. Brian was Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the White House’s National Economic Council (NEC) from 2017-2019, where he coordinated the development and execution of numerous health policies and advised the President, NEC director, and senior officials.