Cato Event Podcast

Critics of libertarianism argue that it is an ideology created by and for privileged white men. But the modern libertarian movement was founded and kept alive thanks to the writings and advocacy of three unstoppable women: Isabel Paterson, a literary critic; Rose Wilder Lane, a journalist; and Ayn Rand, a philosophical immigrant.In 1943, Paterson published The God in the Machine, Lane The Discovery of Freedom, and Rand The Fountainhead. These three books changed the course of libertarianism in the United States.Timothy Sandefur’s new book Freedom’s Furies tells the story of how this trio created a movement based on the principles of individualism and individual rights. Debunking the stereotypes of libertarians, Sandefur shows how these women inspired future generations to fight for freedom.Please join us for an introduction to Freedom’s Furies by Timothy Sandefur and interim director of Lib​er​tar​i​an​ism​.org Paul Meany, followed by a discussion featuring Libertarian activist Carla Howell, Reason Magazine’s Elizabeth Nolan Brown, and Kat Murti from the Cato Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With massive U.S. debt and deficits, inflation at a 40‐​year high, and popular/​political pressure for expanding the Fed’s mandate, it’s time to assess the Fed’s performance and future. Please join leading scholars and policymakers to discuss “The State of Monetary Policy after 40 Years.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With massive U.S. debt and deficits, inflation at a 40‐​year high, and popular/​political pressure for expanding the Fed’s mandate, it’s time to assess the Fed’s performance and future. Please join leading scholars and policymakers to discuss “The State of Monetary Policy after 40 Years.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With massive U.S. debt and deficits, inflation at a 40‐​year high, and popular/​political pressure for expanding the Fed’s mandate, it’s time to assess the Fed’s performance and future. Please join leading scholars and policymakers to discuss “The State of Monetary Policy after 40 Years.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With massive U.S. debt and deficits, inflation at a 40‐​year high, and popular/​political pressure for expanding the Fed’s mandate, it’s time to assess the Fed’s performance and future. Please join leading scholars and policymakers to discuss “The State of Monetary Policy after 40 Years.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Sphere Education Initiatives in advance of the election for a professional development webinar on Election Reform and the Midterm Election. Held via Zoom on November 1st from 7:30 – 9:00 pm eastern, we’ll hear from a panel of experts on the Electoral Count Act, a major legislative initiative in Congress that aims to modernize federal law around presidential elections, particularly in response to the events of January 6th.Joining Sphere will be Andy Craig, staff writer for the Cato Institute, Kevin Kosar, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Genevieve Nadeau, counsel for Protect Democracy. These experts will consider some of the events of January 6th and the need for Congressional action, the proposed legislation, and some of the broader issues around election reform. In addition to our panel conversation, David Olson of Retro Report will offer a professional development workshop on their Midterm Elections Collection, a suite of videos and classroom resources for teaching about Midterm Elections in your classroom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

t his 2022 State of the Union address, President Biden focused the nation’s attention on “a national mental health crisis.” Mood disorders and suicidal thoughts and behaviors have been rising at alarming levels for years. The pandemic and government‐​mandated lockdowns increased anxiety, isolation, and despair while also reducing access to mental health services. Approximately 40 percent of Americans currently cannot access mental health services, particularly services requiring drug‐​based therapy.Clinical psychologists can play a greater role in meeting those needs. Some federal agencies, five states, and the territory of Guam authorize competent clinical psychologists to prescribe medications that affect mood and mental functions. Those jurisdictions refer to such psychologists as prescribing psychologists, medical psychologists, or RxPs. However, most states prohibit competent clinical psychologists from prescribing such medication. To address the mental health crisis, should state lawmakers expand the scope of practice of competent clinical psychologists to include prescribing?Joining us to discuss this are Dr. Beth Rom‐​Rymer, a clinical psychologist, chair and president of the board of directors of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, and CEO of the Illinois Association of Prescribing Psychologists; Dr. Rebecca Weintraub Brendel, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, director of the master’s degree program at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Bioethics, and president and distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association; Dr. Thomas D. Lee, a psychiatrist at the Ascension Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health in Arlington, Illinois, who supervises psychology fellows in the Ascension RxP Fellowship Program; and Dr. Claudia Mosier, a prescribing psychologist licensed in Illinois and Louisiana. The discussion will be moderated by Cato Institute senior fellow Jeffrey A. Singer, MD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The public’s reliance on social media platforms has created new opportunities for censorship by proxy, despite the First Amendment’s prohibition on government speech regulation. Will Duffield’s recent policy analysis “Jawboning against Speech: How Government Bullying Shapes the Rules of Social Media” details how government officials increasingly use informal pressure to compel the suppression of disfavored speakers on platforms like Facebook and Twitter.However, the specifics of this bullying, and what to do about it, remain contested. Does jawboning require a threat? When can coordination between platforms and government be voluntary? Solutions to jawboning must respect platforms’ rights and cannot inhibit congressional debate. What, then, can be done?Please join Will Duffield, Adam Kovacevich, and Jenin Younes at the Cato Institute or online for a conversation about this novel threat to free speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2001 there were only 12 private school choice programs in the country, including vouchers, tax credit scholarships, and personal tax credits and deductions. College prices were rising at “crisis” rates and calls for “free” government pre‐​kindergarten were regularly heard. During that same year, the idea to create Cato’s Center for Educational Freedom (CEF) was born, and in 2002 CEF came to life.In this special event, we will examine the changing state of American education over the past 20 years. What has improved? What has gotten worse? What has CEF’s impact been? And what might the next 20 years have in store?We hope you’ll join CEF analysts and friends past and present as they tackle 20 years of change in American education. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol and the related attempt to overturn the election results featured elements of three white supremacist or militia‐​type elements: the Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters, and the Proud Boys. The rise of such groups was a cause for concern well before January 6, and that concern has only intensified since.What has not received as much attention is the reaction from the far left to these developments.Groups such as the Socialist Rifle Association, Latino Rifle Association, Yellow Peril Tactical, and the multichapter John Brown Gun Clubs are populated with Americans with decidedly leftist—and even Marxist—political outlooks. Coupled with a facility with the latest versions of the popular AR-15 sporting rifle, precision rifle optics, body armor, and other gear normally seen on police or military personnel, they offer—in their own words—a direct response to the likes of the Patriot Front, Proud Boys, and anti‐​LGTBQ activists. These developments raise the specter of lethal confrontations between such armed right‐​wing and left‐​wing groups.How numerous are these ideologically oriented armed elements? What are the key political, legal, and social drivers leading to their formation and activities? How does the patchwork of federal, state, and local laws govern this kind of activity? Is the American political and judicial system capable of preventing these groups from becoming an endemic threat to public safety and the functioning of our republic? Join us as our expert panel delves into these and related issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.