Tom Mullen Talks Freedom

Summary: Conservatives and libertarians tend to look back at the 17th and 18th centuries as limited government, free market utopias. Patrick Newman shatters that myth with his latest book, Cronyism: Liberty versus Power in Early America, 1607-1849 . Guest Bio: Patrick Newman is an assistant professor of economics at Florida Southern College and a fellow of the Mises Institute. He is the editor of...

Summary: Social media and other Big Tech companies claim to be fighting “hate speech” by censoring content and sometimes even banning controversial people from their platforms. Is this fascism and how can libertarians and other defenders of private property fight this without sacrificing their principles? Jason Rink joins to discuss this and his new film, The Most Canceled Man in America . Guest B...

Summary: The world attributes much of the social and economic damage it is experiencing now to the Covid-19 pandemic. But like the 9/11 attacks, the government response to this virus was far more harmful than the disease itself. And the international elites driving this agenda have even more disturbing plans for the future says Dr. Naomi Wolf in her new book, The Bodies of Others: The New Authorit...

Summary: Juneteenth celebrates the proclamation read in Galveston, TX on June 19, 1865, enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation in that state. While the abolition of slavery is true cause for celebration, Lincoln gets too much credit for what was by his own admission merely a “war measure,” and not enough blame for an unnecessary war. Additional Reading Both Lincoln and the Confederacy Were Awful...

Summary: For thousands of years, what we now call “science” has been a boon to humanity. But today, science is in real trouble. Increasingly, social and political pressures threaten the integrity of scientific inquiry, leading to disastrous conclusions. Dr. John Staddon joins Tom his new book on this crisis, Science in an Age of Un reason Guest Bio: John Staddon, Ph. D is James B. Duke Professor o...

Summary: No matter who is president or which party controls Congress, federal spending almost always goes up. But what combination of Republican or Democrat president and Congress has grown government the least? The answer may surprise you. Additional Reading Federal Receipt and Outlay Summary Party Government Since 1857 Free Gift from Tom: Download a free copy of Tom's new e-book, It’s the Fed, S...

Summary: On Friday, stock markets sold off sharply on news that inflation still hadn’t peaked as May 2022 numbers indicated an 8.6% year-over-year rate. Tom Luongo has long maintained there is more going on than simple Keynesian policy-setting. Jerome Powell and the interests he represents want to free the U.S. banking system from European control and the Davos agenda. He joins Tom to discuss. Gue...

Summary: After fourteen years of almost uninterrupted inflation of the money supply and near-zero interest rates, the Federal Reserve is talking tough on a tight monetary policy. But don’t look for a repeat of 1979, says economist Thomas Eddlem. Price inflation and real interest rates matter. It may be more like 1979 than 2009. Guest Bio: Thomas R. Eddlem is a freelance writer who holds a masters...

Summary: The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the United States but has failed to become a significant threat to the two major parties. The Mises Caucus believes the party needs a bolder, more principled message to take the next step. Their candidates won the chair and every voting board member seat at the Libertarian Party’s National Convention on Memorial Day weekend. Ne...

Summary: The end of quantitative easing (QE) and modest interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve has already sent stock markets into correction territory. But this month, the Fed is supposed to begin quantitative tightening (QT). That could have dramatic effects on financial markets and the economy if Jerome Powell doesn’t reverse course. Additional Reading Plans for Reducing the Size of the Fed...

Summary: As with Covid, the Ukraine War, and inflation, everything the government and media tell Americans about the Second Amendment is false. It’s time to stop playing defense and go on offense to get the right to keep and bear arms protected the way the founders intended. Additional Reading The Anti-Federalist Papers “And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned fr...

Summary: With the establishment floundering and its propaganda machine on overdrive trying to keep anyone from noticing, nothing seems to be looking up but food and energy prices. Alan Mosley joins Tom to sort through it all and share some exciting news about his show, It’s Too Late .    Guest Bio: Alan Mosley is a historian, jazz musician, author, aspiring grifter and host of It’s Too L...

Summary: It’s been two months since Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times reporter Matthew Rosenberg told Project Veritas that there were “a ton of FBI informants among the people who attacked the Capitol” on January 6th, 2021. One would think the Congressional Committee investigating the so-called “insurrection” would be interested in his statements. So far, they are not. Mario Balaban of Project...

Summary: Reason and the record of history both lead us to the conclusion that protection of private property and free markets result in the best outcomes for society, including dramatic reductions in poverty. Yet, people are still inclined to be suspicious of the market and resistant to the idea that government interventions cause economic distortions, no matter how obvious the cause/effect relati...

Summary: Politicians mislead us by using terms like “working class” and “working families.” Don’t all families work? Rather than substantive differences between business owners and “workers,” every household is a going concern, selling a product. But the system is rigged against those household businesses that sell labor services to other businesses. Additional Reading The Anti-Capitalistic Mental...

Summary: Every mass shooting in the past has been exploited by the Democratic Party to argue for more gun control. However, the left has used the latest tragedy as an excuse to attack the First Amendment, rather than the Second. Additional Reading Testing the Limits of Free Speech The Ethics of Liberty Free Gift from Tom: Download a free copy of Tom's new e-book, It’s the Fed, Stupid , at itsthefe...

Summary: Stock markets are tumbling, inflation is roaring, and recession warnings are flashing. Americans are told to blame Covid-19 and Russian president Vladimir Putin. But Carol Roth says government bureaucrats merely used Covid as an opportunity to destroy small businesses and consolidate power. She joins Tom to discuss her latest book, The War on Small Business . Guest Bio: Carol Roth is a co...

Summary: The U.S. government is trying to pass a bill to send another $40 billion in military aid to Ukraine. The bill sailed through the House of Representatives and is expected to pass the Senate despite Senator Rand Paul’s procedural delay. While many have pointed out this money is being spent while Americans suffer with price inflation and shortages of baby formula and other essentials, no one...

Summary: For decades, Republicans promoted free markets and freedom of association. But censorship on social media has the new Republican Party calling for government regulation of Big Tech companies, based on reasoning previously associated with the left. Norm Singleton of the Market Institute joins Tom to discuss. Guest Links: Norm’s RealClear Markets Columns Norm’s Libertarian Institute Columns...

Summary: Prices are rising faster than they have in decades and the Biden administration has a host of scapegoats – Covid-19, Vladimir Putin, and, when all else fails, the old, Keynesian canard about the economy being too strong and “overheating.” Chris Rossini of the Ron Paul Institute joins Tom to discuss the real reasons prices are going up and the economy is headed for a crash. Additional Read...

Summary: Out of Christian theology comes the concept of “felix culpa,” which translates as “happy sin” or “fortunate error.” This is the idea that sometimes negative events end up causing positive results. Are there any potentially positive results from the Covid Regime, Big Tech censorship, or other 21st century disasters? Additional Reading & Listening: Federal Receipt and Outlay Summary 194...

Summary: Most people at some point experience an aging parent or grandparent confronting hearing loss and are surprised to find out how expensive treating it with hearing aids can be. While some of that cost is justified, the government makes treating hearing loss much more expensive than it otherwise would be and eliminates lower cost options that might work for those whose hearing loss currently...

Summary: The communist regimes in Russia and China had a long history of developing biological weapons. While the rest of the world has disarmed biologically, Putin and Xi have maintained biological weapons programs for which the rest of the world is not prepared, say authors John O’Neill and Sarah Wynne in their new book, The Dancer and the Devil: Stalin, Pavlova, and the Road to the Great Pandem...

Summary: For many decades, conservatives have complained that their elected representatives at best merely slow down the advances made by the left. But in the wake of the Covid-19 phenomenon, the right has definitely gone on offense. This is a double-edged sword for opponents of progressive big government. Additional Reading & Listening: Wave of Conservative Laws as Governors Eye Presidential...

Summary: The term “conspiracy theory” is used as a sledgehammer to try to discredit assertions without confronting their merits. The truth is people conspire all the time. These include politicians and connected academics and businesspeople. But their conspiracies have no teeth if the public makes the right choices when the opportunities come. Additional Reading & Listening: Do Conspiracies Re...