Cato Event Podcast

America’s growing national debt, now surpassing $18 trillion dollars, has dropped out of the headlines recently, but that doesn’t mean the problem has gone away. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid alone account for 47 percent of federal spending today, a portion that will only grow larger in the future, reaching well over $26 trillion in just 10 years. Furthermore, if you fold in the unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare our real indebtedness exceeds $90.5 trillion.To avoid the pressing budgetary disaster, Democrats and Republicans must come together and reform these entitlement programs. Join us for an in-depth look at the obstacles and the potential solutions to the implications of sky-high national debt and the future that doing nothing portends. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Throughout the past five decades there have been many forecasts of impending environmental doom. These projections have universally been proven wrong. Those who have bet on human resourcefulness, however„ have almost always been correct. In his book, Bailey provides a detailed examination of the theories, studies, and assumptions currently spurring forecasts of calamity and shaping environmental policy. Breaking down the numbers, he finds that — thanks to human ingenuity and economic progress — many current ecological trends are in fact positive. Cancer rates are falling in America, world population will soon be declining, more and more land is being restored to nature, increasing wealth is leading to decreasing pollution, and the cost of clean energy will soon fall below that of fossil fuels. As Bailey demonstrates, the way to cement these trends is not to retreat into a maze of paralyzing regulation but to craft our own future through continuing economic and technological development. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — a.k.a. Obamacare — remains highly controversial and faces ongoing legal and political challenges. Polls show that by a large margin Americans remain opposed to the healthcare law. However, the question is: replace it with what?In A Better Choice: Healthcare Solutions for America, John C. Goodman provides a way out of the healthcare quagmire. Join us to hear from Mr. Goodman, as well as Cato’s own Michael F. Cannon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News organizations have recently documented the proliferation of synthetic or “designer” drugs that produce physical and psychological effects similar to those of traditional mind-altering substances such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Policymakers have scrambled to outlaw substances that can sometimes regain legal status with a modest change in chemical makeup. Some of the new drugs even masquerade as such innocuous, perfectly legal products as air fresheners or potpourri. Can these new mind-altering substances be outlawed without resorting to tortured legal rationales? Are there alternatives to a prohibitionist strategy? Could policymakers better promote public safety by requiring strict production standards, but not attempting to ban their use? Cato senior fellow Ted Galen Carpenter will discuss his recent study on synthetic drugs, followed by a discussion with other experts on the future of drug policy in the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Human beings are social creatures by nature. It should therefore come as no surprise that many decisions occur within the context of social groups. Whether a decision involves choosing a restaurant or which nominee a political party should support, individuals within a group often accept trade-offs as long as decisions are made within established rules. How do these rules develop? How do individuals determine what trade-offs they are willing to accept? If rules and trade-offs are unique to each group, how can political scientists truly understand what people want? In his book, Choosing in Groups, Professor Michael Munger of Duke University examines these dynamics and the relevance they have for understanding political institutions and politics in general. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dominated by Europe's welfare states, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has been pushing policies to enable higher taxes and bigger government. The latest example is a base erosion and profit-shifting (BEPS) initiative that would raise business tax burdens and undermine the competitiveness of American firms operating in global markets. An expert panel will explain the new OECD scheme and outline a better policy approach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are libertarians and conservatives just variations of the same ideological species, or do they represent unique and separate philosophical traditions? One of National Review's founding editors, Frank Meyer — father of Federalist Society president Eugene Meyer — called for a synthesis of the traditionalist and libertarian strains within the magazine's followers. This "fusionism" animated Cold War conservatism and influenced the likes of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Decades later, facing a very different electoral landscape, another National Review staffer, Charles C. W. Cooke, hopes to get the band back together again. But does the political calculus still work? Can there be a marriage of convenience when the issues that strain the would-be alliance — gay marriage, immigration, the drug war, foreign policy — are as salient to many voters as issues that would cement it? With the 2016 election season already underway, please join us for a spirited discussion of The Conservatarian Manifesto and decide for yourself whether conservatives and libertarians should work closely to advance their common goals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court’s decision on King v. Burwell validated President Obama’s massive power grab, allowing him to tax, borrow, and spend $700 billion without congressional approval. This establishes a precedent that could let any president modify, amend, or suspend any enacted law at his or her whim.As it stands, Obamacare will continue to disrupt coverage for sick Americans until Congress repeals it and replaces it with reforms that make health care better, more affordable, and more secure. Despite the ruling, Obamacare remains unpopular with the American public and the battle to set in place a health care system that works for all Americans is far from over.Come hear leading scholars discuss the impact of King v. Burwell on health care reform, separation of powers, and the rule of law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As U.S. policymakers debate how best to deal with the problem of abusive patent litigation, some other governments have decided to fight fire with fire by creating state-owned patent assertion entities. The phenomenon deserves more attention from policymakers in Washington, who are bound to play an important role in shaping international rules to regulate these government "patent trolls." Known formally as sovereign patent funds, these public-private entities amass large patent portfolios they can use to help domestic companies—sometimes through litigation against foreign competitors. Is this policy a reasonable response to the difficulties many companies face managing patents in a global economy, or is it merely a new form of protectionist industrial policy? Come hear our expert panel discuss the peculiar complexities of this emerging issue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many in Washington deny that the nation's energy needs can be met by free markets. Wars on coal and carbon dioxide follow this faith in government regulation and control of energy. Since the 1970s, however, more libertarian voices have been heard on these issues. Rob Bradley, who has been involved with free-market energy policy since its inception, will discuss the history of libertarian thinking on past energy policy and its relevance for current policy debates. Please join us for a provocative look at an alternative way of thinking about energy and public policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.