Cato Event Podcast

In 1792 James Madison, the principal author of the Constitution, wrote that “Government is instituted to protect property of every sort.” But from the 20th century on the Supreme Court has upheld one inroad after another on the property rights of Americans, culminating in the notorious Kelo decision of 2005, which upheld the city of New London, Connecticut’s transfer of Suzette Kelo’s home to a private developer. That prompted Cato to publish, six months later, Timothy Sandefur’s Cornerstone of Liberty, a detailed account of the demise of property rights in America. Perhaps the Court was listening, because since then it has issued a number of rulings that give hope that the tide may be turning. At least, we have now a full update of Tim’s first book, coauthored this time with his wife Christina, which throws the gauntlet down again before the Court. Please join us for what should be a spirited discussion of the state of property rights in America today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economic sanctions have become a key component of the U.S. response to any crisis. Indeed, the Obama administration has imposed sanctions on countries as diverse as Russia, Iran, and Egypt, drawing on the strength and global reach of the U.S. financial system to coerce these states. There is no denying that sanctions can be powerful tools of statecraft. Yet the evidence also suggests a more complicated picture.Not only are sanctions often ineffective, they can also carry significant costs for U.S. businesses. In the most recent case—those levied against Russia for its aggression in Ukraine—it is unclear whether sanctions have produced any political change. At the same time, other nations are learning from the American example, experimenting with their own sanctions. Join us for an in-depth discussion of the future of economic coercion, the limitations of sanctions, and the ways in which policymakers can mitigate them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the Federal Aviation Administration’s authorization expiring in March, aviation experts are urging Congress to overhaul our air traffic control (ATC) system. The system suffers from uncertain funding, is bogged down by bureaucracy, and may not be able to meet growing demands for air travel.Other nations have transformed their ATC systems, creating more entrepreneurial structures. Canadian reforms, in particular, have caught the eye of U.S. policymakers. That nation privatized its ATC as a self-supporting nonprofit corporation.Join our panel of experts to discuss the advantages of restructuring America’s air traffic control system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his final State of the Union address, President Obama hinted at plans for his last year in office, which included efforts to further regulate the economy as a means of addressing policy issues like climate change and income inequality, and paid only scant attention to the Constitution where executive power is concerned. What does the president’s agenda mean for free markets and personal freedom? What can liberty-minded policymakers do to address pressing issues while still working to reduce the size and scope of government?Please join us as Cato policy experts discuss the current state of the union with respect to the courts, criminal justice reform, immigration, and taxation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Five U.S. states either permit aid in dying or are poised to do so shortly. Several others are considering legislation and/or court judgments that may find in favor of it in various ways. Yet the ethical questions surrounding aid in dying run deep, as even its advocates must admit: Is the choice to hasten a terminally ill patient’s death ever an ethical one? If so, what legal safeguards may be necessary? How do proponents answer charges that aid in dying will result in elder abuse, the degradation of the value of life, and the risk of a slippery slope toward premeditated killing?As with those of many other political persuasions, libertarians may be divided on this issue. Yet it remains important to us, as to all others. Serious questions about individual autonomy and self-ownership are involved here no matter which side is in the right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For thousands of years, farmers used selective breeding to produce more plentiful harvests and increase the usefulness of domesticated animals. Today, genetic engineering allows businesses to do the same—but more cheaply, precisely and speedily. Unbeknownst to most people, the use of genetically modified organisms is not limited to agriculture. GMO technology is all around us, helping to produce life-enhancing products, such as synthetic insulin, and life-saving medicines, such as cancer-fighting Avastin. Still, controversy surrounding GMOs persists. Join us to hear our two distinguished speakers discuss the risks and benefits associated with GMO science. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The benefits from international trade have been huge. However, because of a deep flaw in global markets for natural resources like oil, consumers are forced to enrich repressive governments and armed groups overseas when paying at the pump, in stores, and online.In his book, Blood Oil, Leif Wenar shows how an antiquated, anti-market rule at the foundations of global trade can be replaced by a rule of law that will get consumers out of business with autocrats, militias, and extremists abroad. Princeton’s Angus Deaton, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics, calls Blood Oil “the indispensable guide, combining politics, economics, and ethics to tell us just how and why we are all involved, and what we ought to do to make the world a better place.” Harvard’s Steven Pinker praised it as “a fantastically stimulating read: analytic, informative, rationally optimistic, and written with erudition and panache.”Wenar, a professor at the King’s College London School of Law, has written a timely and provocative book. Please join us for a full discussion of his findings, and their policy implications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the morning of January 7, 2015, Cherif and Said Kouachi, two brothers deeply offended by satirical drawings of the Muslim prophet Mohammad published in the French weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, exacted their own punishment for perceived blasphemy. They forced their way into a staff meeting in the newspaper’s offices and massacred 12 people. The phenomenon of killing or threatening to kill those who insult you or your way of life has come to be known as the assassin’s veto.Where should the law come down on this? Should it defend free expression at all costs no matter how inflammatory or who is offended? Or should it permit the state’s coercive power to silence those who trade in insult or invective? This conflict poses a fundamental question: how much expression must a free society tolerate?European nations have often restricted “extreme speech” while the United States has protected speech short of immediate incitement to violence. Yet Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has urged his fellow jurists to learn from the laws of other nations. Should the United States sustain its broad protections for speech or find a better, more European balance between freedom and other values? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his new book The Economics of Immigration: Market-Based Approaches, Social Science, and Public Policy, editor and economics professor Benjamin Powell brings together several immigration scholars to discuss how immigrants affect the wages of American workers and government budgets, as well as how they assimilate into American culture. The book also presents different policy recommendations in light of the economic evidence—including proposals for a market in visas, open borders, and cuts in legal immigration. The author and editor will be joined by Neil G. Ruiz, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Law, Economics, and Finance at George Washington University, who will offer his own comments and criticisms. Please join us as four economists discuss the economic impact of immigration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During his first presidential run, Barack Obama repeatedly promised to roll back the imperial presidency that had grown inexorably over the past half century. Then he was elected. Since 2009 Obama has claimed unprecedented power for himself while advancing a novel argument about his duty as president to ignore the separation of powers and act unilaterally to overcome congressional gridlock. "We can't wait," has been his refrain — though he has, of course, been unable to cite a "presidential power when Congress won't act" clause in the Constitution in defense of his actions. In Lawless, George Mason University law professor David Bernstein takes readers on a whirlwind tour through the Obama administration's bureaucratic overreaching; dubious assertion of executive authority over both foreign and domestic policy; unilateral changes, modifications, and delays to existing law; and implausible interpretations of constitutional law. Obama's defenders, however, claim that he has actually been restrained compared to his predecessors and that claims of rampant illegality amount to not much more than partisan sniping. Who's right? To help us untangle the legal web, the author of this provocative new book will be joined by Ilya Shapiro and Simon Lazarus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.