Kibbe on Liberty
Blaze Podcast Network
Kibbe on Liberty is a weekly podcast with libertarian author and economist, Matt Kibbe. Kibbe believes that honest conversations, driven by intellectual curiosity and mutual respect, can ignite a new revolution of free thinking and a willingness to question the official narrative. That means talking, and listening, to a wide variety of people outside the echo chamber of officially sanctioned experts. Kibbe on Liberty's guests include politicians, economists, musicians, comedians, writers, radio personalities, activists, journalists, and even magicians—with topics of conversation ranging from current affairs to obscure philosophy, from craft beer to the Grateful Dead. Cold one in hand, settle in for the next brain-stimulating hour of Kibbe on Liberty.As the president of Free the People, Kibbe has decades of experience in the libertarian political sphere. He is the author of three books, including Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff, a #2 NY Times Best Seller. Kibbe is a fanatical DeadHead, drinker of great whisky, and collector of obscure books on Austrian economics.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 10, 2021 • 58min
Ep 108 | The Coming Currency Crisis | Guest: Peter Schiff
Matt Kibbe sits down with author and economist Peter Schiff to talk about why Donald Trump lost, what to expect from the Joe Biden administration, and the dangers of unconstrained government spending. With fewer people willing to purchase government bonds and more debt than ever, the Federal Reserve will have no choice but to print more money than ever before. In addition to being a hidden tax on the poor, this could well lead to the kind of runaway inflation that has destroyed countries like Venezuela. Schiff explains what you can do to protect yourself from the coming currency crisis.
Feb 3, 2021 • 50min
Ep 107 | Live by Executive Order, Die by Executive Order | Guest: Brad Polumbo
Brad Polumbo, opinion editor at the Foundation for Economic Education, joins Matt Kibbe to assess Joe Biden’s first speech as president and the policy agenda he has laid out so far. Unsurprisingly, Biden is signing a flurry of executive orders to undo much of what the Trump administration accomplished, and this reveals the pitfalls of governing unilaterally rather than working with Congress to pass legislation. Anything Trump did by executive order can be just as easily undone by Biden, just as anything Biden does now can be reversed by the next president. The result is an unstable and unpredictable regulatory environment, and that’s no way to run an economy.
Jan 27, 2021 • 48min
Ep 106 | Only School Choice Can Solve Education Lockdowns | Guest: Corey DeAngelis
Matt Kibbe is joined by Corey DeAngelis, director of school choice at the Reason Foundation, to discuss the shocking failure of government schools to meet the needs of parents and students during the coronavirus lockdowns. The result has been a surge in support for school choice programs, allowing tax dollars to follow the students directly rather than being tied to institutions that, for the most part, refuse to open. DeAngelis explains why teachers’ unions and education bureaucrats are so dead set against allowing any form of choice for America’s students. It’s not about what’s good for the children; it’s about maintaining a government monopoly.
Jan 20, 2021 • 60min
Ep 105 | If You Want Personal Freedom, Support Economic Freedom | Guest: Robert Lawson
Matt Kibbe sits down with economist Robert Lawson to talk about his Economic Freedom Index, an annual ranking of the world’s freest — and most unfree — economies. Lawson has discovered over the years that countries with lots of economic freedom tend to have better civil liberties and political freedoms as well. While oddballs like Hong Kong and Singapore do exist, the correlation is quite strong, meaning that if you care about free speech, democracy, and the ability to marry who you want, it’s a good idea to support low taxes, light regulations, and free trade as well.
Jan 13, 2021 • 46min
Ep 104 | Is the U.S. in a Cold Civil War? | Guest: Rep. Chip Roy
Matt Kibbe sits down with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) to talk about the deep political and social divisions running through the country that erupted into violence last week at the U.S. Capitol. Roy argues that frustration over the election is partly a proxy for a whole range of other frustrations Americans are feeling—and that the only solution is federalism and decentralization. As long as one side is trying to impose its will on the other from the top down, polarization, extremism, and even violence will only get worse.
Jan 6, 2021 • 52min
Ep 103 | To Sell Freedom, Listen More | Guest: Brian Nichols
Matt Kibbe is joined by Brian Nichols, host of The Brian Nichols Show, to discuss the failures of libertarians to effectively market ideas. In his day job as manager of a sales team, Nichols has learned that the best way to communicate with people is not to tell them what you think they should know, but to listen to their problems, answer their questions, and establish yourself as a source of trusted information others can turn to in times of doubt. By becoming less aggressive and more open, libertarians could go a lot farther towards making inroads with the average American looking for answers to problems, like government lockdowns, that are actively affecting their ability to live and prosper.
Dec 30, 2020 • 40min
Ep 102 | The Deep State Isn’t a Partisan Issue | Guests: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Rep. Thomas Massie
Matt Kibbe is joined by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to discuss their bipartisan bill to repeal the Patriot Act and enact major reforms to protect Americans’ privacy rights. The legislators from both parties recognize the need to safeguard against intelligence agencies that operate in secret without respect for the Fourth Amendment and other important constitutional protections that stand between us and tyranny.
Dec 23, 2020 • 1h 2min
Ep 101 | All We Want for Christmas Is 2021 | Guests: Free the People Staff
Matt Kibbe is joined by the entire Free the People staff to celebrate another year fighting for freedom. The group discusses work they have done on criminal justice reform, pushing back against critical race theory and, most importantly, combatting the narrative of authoritarian lockdowns that have dominated 2020. Despite recommendations from Fauci and others, it’s never been more important to gather with your loved ones to rejoice that this miserable year is finally ending.
Dec 17, 2020 • 52min
Ep 100 | How Driving Embodies the American Spirit | Guest: Matthew Crawford
Matt Kibbe is joined by Matthew Crawford, author of “Why We Drive: Toward a Philosophy of the Open Road,” to discuss driving as a metaphor for American individualism, independence, and competence. Crawford is concerned that as fewer young people learn to drive and traditional cars are replaced with driverless ones, we’re in danger of losing something fundamentally human. There comes a point when we value safety and convenience so highly that we abandon much of what makes life worth living in the first place.Why We Drive: Toward a Philosophy of the Open Road: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062741969
Dec 9, 2020 • 60min
Ep 99 | Government Is Crushing Minorities at Every Turn | Guest: Eric July
Matt Kibbe is joined by BackWordz frontman Eric July to talk about a whole slate of government policies that are proving unbelievably destructive for the black community. From pandemic lockdowns that drive artists and small business owners out of business to the explicitly racist history of labor regulations like the minimum wage, big government always oppresses those with the least power in society.
