Free The Economy

This week we cover Capital One buying Discover, solutions for high housing prices, China’s soft-power investment strategy, and President Biden’s call for national rent control. Our interview this week is with Kurt Couchman, senior fellow at Americans for Prosperity. We’ll talk about shrinkflation, government spending, growing deficits, the cost-of-living crisis, and how inflation is always and eve...

This week we cover the end of Chevron deference at the Supreme Court, the economic impact of future Trump tariffs, the Federal Trade Commission’s effort to ban non-compete agreements, and evolving American attitudes toward the role and scope of government. Our interview this week is with Ronald Bailey, science correspondent for Reason Magazine. We’ll talk about innovation, growth, optimism, and th...

This week we cover how the SEC is going to spam investors with a deluge of low-quality disclosures, the Supreme Court’s decision on social media censorship in Murthy v. Missouri , and the massive scope of Covid-era tax fraud. Our interview this week is with Scott Hodge, president emeritus & senior policy advisor at the Tax Foundation and the author of the excellent new book Taxocracy: What You...

This week we cover the SEC’s new climate rule, the recent Supreme Court decision on income taxes, and why the Social Security Administration has finally updated its jobs list from 1977. Our interview this week is with Timothy Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute. We talk about cronyism, economic development, protecting taxpayers, and amending state constitutions. Free the Economy is produced and ho...

This week we cover pork-barrel spending in Congress, reforming federal guidance documents, restaurants with minimum age requirements, and the most popular jobs for young workers. Our interview this week is with Josh Bandoch of the Illinois Policy Institute. We talk about poverty, opportunity, education, jobs, and empowerment. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison and edited a...

This week we cover regulatory burdens on small businesses, common-sense solutions to poverty, a legal challenge to the TikTok ban, and American attitudes on the state of the middle class. Our interview this week is with Prof. Siri Terjesen of Florida Atlantic University. We talk about the history of capitalism, enlightened executives, family firms vs. public companies, and the importance of keepin...

This week we cover advances in dentistry, the slow pace of EV charger deployment, a victory for free speech at the Supreme Court, and China’s disappearing Internet. Our interview this week is with Joey Politano, editor of Apricitas Economics. We talk about the vibecession, unemployment, economic growth, the abundance agenda, and the future of competition with China. Free the Economy is produced an...

This week we cover the prospect of Inflation Reduction Act 2.0, rising consumer confidence, the perils of stress bragging, and a new collection of essays about legendary economist Adam Smith. Our interview this week is with Phil Magness, the David J. Theroux Chair in Political Economy at the Independent Institute. We talk about capitalism, slavery, classical liberalism, and keeping the historians...

This week we cover attitudes toward social media companies, the guerilla war over ESG investing, YIMBY housing reforms in Austin, and new research on high-skilled immigration. Our interview this week is with Peter Lipsett, vice president at DonorsTrust. We talk about charitable giving, tax deductions, donor privacy, and how to make the world a better place. Free the Economy is produced and hosted...

This week we cover the war on prices, the great un-wokening of corporate America, the attack on credit card points and miles, and why maternal health in the U.S. is doing just fine. Our interview this week is with Claire Kittle Dixon, executive director of the non-profit recruiting and staffing agency Talent Market. We’ll talk about finding the right job when you’re looking, choosing the right per...

This week we cover bringing your parents to a job interview, the case against a universal basic income, and why we shouldn’t use science fiction to regulate AI. Our interview this week is with Corbin Barthold, Internet Policy Counsel at TechFreedom and host of the Tech Policy Podcast. We talk about the history of podcasting, how consumer tech impacts political alliances, how people build virtual c...

This week we cover nuclear radiation, luxury handbags, rent control, net neutrality, and malaria. Our interview this week is with Will Rinehart, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. We talk about nature vs. human creation, anxiety over social change, how the government is going to regulate AI, and the future of techno-optimism. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morr...

This week we cover the diamond jubilee of the Philadelphia Society, the cost of government regulation in the UK, the birth of the Abundance Institute, and the attempt to overturn the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s latest rule on credit card late fees. Our interview this week is with Kendall Cotton, president of the Frontier Institute. We talk about affordable housing, red versus blue in st...

This week we cover venture capitalists fighting red tape, challenges to electric vehicle adoption, Americans sleeping on the job, a possible vaccine for chlamydia, and political bias at National Public radio. Our interview this week is with Alexander Hammond, author of Heroes of Progress: 65 People Who Changed the World . We talk about the men and woman who improved life for millions of their fell...

This week we cover Gen Z job satisfaction, dumb biotech policy in the European Union, and figuring out how little the average American knows about taxes. Our interview this week is with Jenin Younes of the New Civil Liberties Alliance. We talk about social media, shadow banning, Covid-19, jawboning, and the limits of the First Amendment. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison...

This week we cover how honeybees came back from colony collapse disorder, why you shouldn’t believe the government’s nutrition advice, and surprising new research on corporate profits and diverse management teams. Our interview this week is with Brad Polumbo of Based Politics and the Damage Control podcast. We talk about the wild world of online politics, including trolls, polarization, disinforma...

This week we cover how to rebuild after the Baltimore bridge collapse, legal challenges to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s new climate disclosure rule, and how China gets an edge by continuing to identify as a developing country. Our interview this week is with Liya Palagashvili of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. We’ll talk about jobs, full time vs. part time, contractors...

This week we cover the future of AI and employment, why we shouldn’t trust Chinese economic statistics, and how the Biden administration is sticking its nose into the global steel industry. Our interview this week is with Prof. Peter Jaworski of Georgetown University. We’ll talk about his new study about the ethics of organ and plasma donation, how compensating donors helps save lives, his book “M...

This week we cover the Securities and Exchange Commission’s controversial new rule on climate change, federal science policy and indigenous knowledge, and California’s curious Panera loophole to paying the state minimum wage. Our interview this week is with Walter Olson, senior fellow at the Cato Institute. We’ll talk about his new study about election integrity, “Efficient, Timely and Reliable: A...

This week we cover fake environmentalism and the need to build, a look at policymaking inside the National People’s Congress in China, the new normal for remote workers, and how the Federal Reserve is managing inflation worries and economic growth. Our interview this week is with Iain Murray, Vice President for Strategy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. We talk about his newly published stu...

This week we cover an environmental conference in Miami, allegedly underfunded government schools, Google’s AI diversity debacle, and new data on how Americans are using social media. Our interview this week is with John Tillman, CEO of the American Culture Project. We talk about elite influence, independent voters, survey data, and cultural attitudes toward economic freedom. Free the Economy is p...

This week we cover the future of environmental policy, rare earth minerals in Wyoming, and what we can learn from the merger of Capital One and Discover. Our interview this week is with Deborah Collier, Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs at Citizens Against Government Waste. We talk about net neutrality, ISPs, the Federal Communication Commission, and how well the government does at m...

This week we cover Biden’s attack on shrinkflation, barriers to workplace flexibility, and a motherlode of domestic lithium. Our interview this week is with Patrick Gleason, Vice President of State Affairs at Americans for Tax Reform. We talk about reducing barriers to work, changes in state tax law, reforming business regulations, and what economically (and demographically) successful states can...

This week we cover Elon Musk’s controversial pay package, protecting children online, and the Biden administration’s slamming the breaks on new natural gas projects. Our interview this week is with Matt Mittelsteadt, a research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. We talk about artificial intelligence computing applications, what you can do with them, and how the government wa...

This week we cover elite opinion versus the average American, the popularity of vocational training, why Millennials are suddenly investing more like old people, and the value proposition from higher taxes. Our interview this week is with Andrew Langer, Director of the Center for Regulatory Freedom. We talk about economic growth, business lobbying, regulatory capture, and how we can deregulate to...