Kibbe on Liberty

Matt Kibbe sits down with Gary Collins, author of “The Simple Life,” to figure out why people are struggling to find happiness in 21st-century America. Since our immediate needs for food and shelter have been met, we must dig a little deeper to find our place in life. From his off-the-grid home, Collins argues that all you really need is to stay healthy, get out of debt, and find a purpose that gets you out of bed in the morning. He also shares Kibbe’s passion for the music of Rush and the inspirational lyrics of Neil Peart.

Dr. Ron Paul sits down with Matt Kibbe deep in the heart of Texas to discuss his intellectual influences and his political history. He talks about his education in Austrian economics, which explains why government intervention in the economy, particularly through the Federal Reserve, makes us all poorer and less free. He also turns his attention to current events, explaining why the U.S. can’t seem to get out of any wars and why the government’s coronavirus response has been worse than useless.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Patrick Mardini, founder of the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies, to talk about the recent explosion that rocked the port of Beirut, killing hundreds. It turns out that a big part of the problem was mismanagement by the Lebanese government, which at the same time has created a massive recession, incurred huge amounts of debt, and devalued the currency to the point where 80 percent of locals' savings have been wiped out. Mardini concludes with some free market reforms that could start to improve the country's long-term outlook.

Atlas Network CEO Brad Lips sits down with Matt Kibbe to discuss his book, “The Freedom Movement: Its Past, Present, and Future.” He argues that we need to take the ideas of socialism seriously and address them with the same passion against injustice that those on the Left do. This means talking about inequality of opportunity, systemic injustices, and the way authoritarianism abroad robs individuals not only of their freedoms, but of their lives and their dignity.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to talk about trillion-dollar bailouts, the science of the coronavirus pandemic, violence in Portland, police reform, and a host of other issues. While many bemoan the lack of bipartisanship in Washington, Sen. Paul points out that every compromise between Republicans and Democrats ends up spending money we don’t have, putting our country further in debt, and creating inflation that hurts us all. The only time your wallet is safe, the senator argues, is when Congress is out of town.

Simon Lee, freedom protester fighting for Hong Kong’s independence, sits down with Matt Kibbe to discuss China’s increasingly aggressive posture toward Hong Kong. While its status as an important trading port and a gateway to the rest of the world once made Hong Kong a beacon of economic freedom, perceived weakness in the West is now emboldening the Chinese Communist Party to ramp up censorship and oppression of the people in Hong Kong.

This week, Matt Kibbe is joined by Brad Polumbo, journalist fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and writer at the Washington Examiner. They discuss America’s broken justice system, look at how political tribalism skews people’s views, and dive into the violent protests happening in Portland, Oregon.

Matt Kibbe catches up with Maj Toure, founder of Black Guns Matter, at the Libertarian National Convention in Orlando. They talk about third parties, Black Lives Matter, police reform, and what to do with statues of problematic figures. Maj argues that much of the tribalism we now see comes from the government pretending to help us, while actually dividing us.

Matt Kibbe talks to Spike Cohen, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for vice president, about values, culture, and the political process. Cohen argues that there’s very little difference in policy between Republican and Democrat politicians, but that the media keeps Americans divided and hating one another. The Libertarian platform is profoundly different, but struggles to be heard due to election rules that limit access to ballots and to the debate stage.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Thaddeus Russell, founder of Renegade University, to discuss the contributions made to American culture by libertines, lawbreakers, troublemakers, and miscreants. They also talk about how the progressive movement was built on many of the problems progressives are protesting today, including imperialism, police militarization, and racism.