Free The Economy

This week we talk about where our doctors come from in the U.S., what current inflation numbers tell us about the health of our economy, and new pro-family policy reforms. Our interview this week is with Bryan Bashur of Americans for Tax Reform. We discuss banking, consumer finance, competition policy, and how the proposed Credit Card Competition Act would kill valuable benefits that millions of Americans receive for shopping every day. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. 

This week we talk about job recruiters who lie to applicants, post-Covid reforms to the CDC, debunking socialist takes on Sweden, and the need for both mergers and competition in the gaming industry. Our interview this week is with Jack McPherrin of the Heartland Institute. We discuss environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing theory and the international policymaking agenda behind it. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. 

This week we talk about labor union history, demands for a 4-day work week, YIMBY policy wins, and Reason’s new “Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” podcast. Our interview this week is with Daren Bakst, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. We discuss the National Environmental Policy Act, construction permits, energy infrastructure, and the prospects for permitting reform in Congress. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. 

This week we talk about defending financial privacy, new polling on what Republican voters want, reactions to new employment data, and the declining popularity of ESG investing. Our interview this week is with Prof. Kimberlee Josephson of the Lebanon Valley College. We discuss mergers and acquisitions, consumer welfare, big tech, hipster antitrust, and the court losses recently sustained by the leadership of the Federal Trade Commission. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. 

This week we talk about banning incandescent light bulbs, mission creep at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, new nuclear capacity in Georgia, and a celebration of progress on school choice. Our interview this week is with Patrick McLaughlin, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. We discuss government regulation, the practice of “incorporation by reference,” government transparency, cost-benefit analysis, and the prospects for simplifying and reforming the regulatory state. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about the Federal Trade Commission’s takeover of AI policy, shareholder lawsuits against “woke” corporations, a burst of new business starts across America, and exciting headlines about scientific and medical research. Our interview this week is with Carrie Conko, Senior Vice President of the State Policy Network. We discuss communicating the ideas of liberty, changing policy at the state level, building a national political movement, and the magic of federalism. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about Democrat and Republican myths, corporate welfare in Ohio, scams in the carbon offset market, and how Gen Z workers are getting remedial office etiquette courses. Our interview this week is with Jeremiah Johnson of the Center for New Liberalism and the Neoliberal podcast. We discuss his recent Substack post “Ugh, Capitalism,” and why some extremely online people are blaming everything in their lives on free markets. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about trends in self-employment, how rent control leads to more evictions, empty corporate gestures on indigenous lands, and how Americans are losing faith in higher education. Our interview this week is with Ed Tarnowski of EdChoice. We discuss the success of the school choice movement, recent changes in state law, the influence of public sector unions, and the downstream opportunities created by better learning outcomes. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about the cost of thriving in America, the incredible expanding CHIPS Act, occupational licensing reform in New Hampshire, and celebrate Adam Smith’s 300th birthday with the moral side of free trade. Our interview this week is with Prof. Allen Mendenhall of Troy University. We discuss attitudes toward capitalism and socialism, global governance, ESG investing, and how threats to freedom have changed over the last fifty years. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.

This week we talk about the income tax case going to the Supreme Court, the death of ESG, community meetings and housing permits, and the prospect for reforming civil asset forfeiture. Our interview this week is with Connor O’Brien of the Economic Innovation Group. We discuss immigration myths, economic growth, foreign-born entrepreneurs, and how the U.S. can poach the best talent from around the world. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.