The Freedom Report

Jeffrey Tucker on Secession, Anarchism, & Cryptocurrency [PODCAST]

Chief Liberty Officer of Liberty.me Jeffrey Tucker joins the Freedom Report podcast today to discuss his new book "Bit by Bit," as well as current events of interest to libertarians. Tucker and TLR editor Austin Petersen have a wide ranging discussion about Senator Rand Paul and his relationship to his father Ron Paul, as well as the rights of individuals. 

Do some libertarians hate government more than they love liberty? Is secession legal? Is it moral? Can it be both illegal and immoral? Can it be illegal and moral? Tucker's anarcho-capitalist view of the world is put to the test with a debate about how individuals can be free of coercion, whether state or non-state. 

Today's Freedom Report is a fascinating insight into the events currently roiling the liberty movement. A little inside baseball, but sometimes we must engage one another in order to find out what it is we truly believe. Don't miss this special episode and don't forget to subscribe on iTunes and leave us a 5 star review!   

Does Rand Paul Have Daddy Issues? [PODCAST]

The Freedom Report podcast today analyze the relationship between Rand Paul and his father Ron Paul. A new Washington Post article carried the provocative title, "Daddy Issues: Are Ron Paul's hardcore stands a problem for son's presidential bid."  Our podcast today analyzes the piece, which focuses on comments the elder Paul made regarding secession. 

Is Secession legal? Is it moral? Or is it illegal and immoral? Can it be illegal and immoral? Today's show will delve into that. We'll also discuss "disaster porn," fearmongering for profit, and the differences between a libertarian optimist and a libertarian pessimist. If we tell the American people that they have no future unless the government collapses, will people be likely to want us in positions of influence? Maybe there's a good reason that libertarianism isn't very popular? 

Plus, this show tells the very true story of a Democrat who approached editor Austin Petersen about selling out the movement. Beware the mountebanks and fraudsters who wish to profit off our momentum. Charlatans abound when there's money to be made. 

All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast! 

Guess What? Obama's "Free College" Plan Comes With A Tax Hike [PODCAST]

TAANSTAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Why is it selfish for me to want to keep my own money, but it's not selfish for you to take it from me?

Frederic Bastiat once said that government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else, and Obama's College Plan fits that bill to a T. The only problem is that the bill for his "free college" plan is going to be paid for by you and me.

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast dissects President Obama's "free college" plan he mentioned in last week's State of the Union Address. In this show we will analyze what Obama means when he says "free," and also pin down the problems of raising taxes on 529 college savings accounts.

The president made a flowery speech about helping students, but the reality is that these kinds of plans are really just giveaways to the schools themselves. Students spend more on books than they do on classes, and the schools just use the new funds to raise rates, thereby canceling out any benefit that might have been derived.

Don't forget to subscribe to the Freedom Report on iTunes and leave us a good review. Also, if you missed my appearance on Stossel last week responding to the State of the Union, you can see my highlights here. Have a great weekend!

How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Drone

Drones. Libertarians hate em. Presidents love em. Terrorists hate em. Terrorist propagandists love em. But is the use of drones in and of themselves unethical? Why do I care if I get shot with a drone or an M-16? Is the use of drones really the problem? Or is it how we administer justice to terrorists?

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast dissects the inherent legal and ethical issues with the use of drones for foreign and domestic policy purposes. Is the drone the problem, or how it's used? What can we do to ensure due process before we deploy such lethal technologies? And can drones ever be used ethically by domestic governments in order to cut costs and reduce dramatic police chases which endanger civilians?

1. It's a foreign policy frag-fest. Destroying dogma and obliterating orthodoxy right here on the Freedom Report podcast!

What Can Police Do To Regain The Public's Trust? [PODCAST]

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast takes at six ideas for how police officers can regain the public trust. 

The article from Return of Kings, outlines 6 ideas for how officers can get rid of the bad public image cultivate from events such as the killing of Eric Garner, and the riots in Ferguson. Whether fairly or unfairly, police have to put up with the bad PR that results from having to enforce bad laws. As more and more people are waking up to the corruption in government, police are on the front lines and will be the first to suffer from public rage. 

Listen to today's show for these six helpful tips on how cops can reclaim their image as public protectors. 

NYC Government Starved Of Revenue, NYPD Ordered To Write Tickets [PODCAST]

 

Officers of the NYPD have been ordered to write summonses, with the government of NYC now denying all vacation or sick days until the police get back to their revenue collection schemes.

From the NY Post: 

The lieutenant ordered sector cars from throughout the precinct to converge at Springfield Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue for a driver checkpoint, the officer said.

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No one was to return to the precinct or even take a meal break until two summonses were logged, the officer said.

“To have all the manpower utilized for the sole purpose of writing summonses is a very dangerous way to utilize manpower,” he said. “This is not what we’re out here for.”

Back at the station house, memos were posted (top) alerting cops that no new days off would be approved beyond already approved vacation days. And there were to be no sick days without a doctor’s note.

The Freedom Report podcast takes a look at the general work stoppage by the NYPD in recent weeks. Ticket writing is down 90% according to the New York Post, and officers are complaining that the brass is demanding that they write tickets. We thought that they weren't there to enforce quotas?

And of course, conservatives are freaking out over the idea that Islamist terrorists might attack NY and ONLY THE GOVERNMENT CAN KEEP US SAFE! You think we're joking?

From Michael Goodwin: 

The enforcement slowdown that grew out of the police feud with Mayor de Blasio must be set aside. This is an emergency. New Yorkers are in the cross hairs of Islamist mad dogs, and only the NYPD can keep us safe.

Holy horsesh*t Batman! Looks like we've got a lot of fearmongers to kill today. That, and I explain what I meant when I said we should privatize the duties of the NYPD. Listen in and enjoy this special episode of the Freedom Report podcast!

 

Free Speech, Islamic Terrorism, Facebook Bans & Charlie Hebdo [PODCAST]

Editor Austin Petersen returns from exile after a three day Facebook ban silenced his ability to communicate with his followers.

While people were dying in France because over free speech, Petersen sat silently watching, waiting for the three day ban to be lifted so he could speak out against Islamic extremism. Are there more things than government that are dangerous to freedom of expression? 

Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast is a freewheeling tour de force of the problems with the current power structure in today's media. Islamic terrorism and corporate political correctness can have a chilling effect on speech that can be just as authoritarian as actual bans. So what's to be done? 

This podcast discusses why Petersen was banned, what the impact was on his small business, and why it's dangerous to silence a member of the media while events such as the crisis in France are occurring. Listen in and share on your social network of choice... if they'll let you. 

Will Republicans Vote Hillary Clinton In 2016? [PODCAST]

The Freedom Report podcast today takes a look at the upcoming 2016 presidential election and asks if some Republicans might support Hillary Clinton. 

A Politico article from 2014 foreshadowed the fact that many establishment Republicans fear the rising populist sentiment in the GOP. Candidates like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are shunned over more moderate conservatives such as Jeb Bush by Wall Street Republicans. But if it became a battle between Paul and Clinton, would many Republicans choose to support her over their own candidate? 

Sadly, yes.

Today's podcast takes a look at just why so many Republicans would prefer Clinton over a Paul or Cruz. We dissect the thinking behind big government GOPers, and analyze what it would take for the true limited government movement to gain ground, avoiding an internal civil war, as we fight the larger battle with the establishment.

As FreedomWorks CEO Matt Kibbe says, "Sometimes you have to beat the Republicans before you beat the Democrats." 

Would You Rather Be Poor In Europe, Or Poor In The USA? [VIDEO, PODCAST]

America is the world's 2nd largest welfare state! Did people really not know that? Or is everyone as stupid as Jonathan Gruber said we are? Today's episode of the Freedom Report podcast features Austrian economist and professor Steve Horwitz to break down the numbers.

 

Today's show takes a look at this article titled: "Which country has 2nd largest social welfare system in the world? Surely not the US of 'F*ck the Poor' A? Actually, yes." So, is it true? 

Professor Horwitz goes into detail about people in the United States who are below the poverty line. Did you know that the poor in America have cell phones, cars and TVs? Not bad right? Well that is only not bad if you consider owning property as a good thing, which I suspect a lot of people might. But, what if someone has more stuff than you? What if someone has A LOT more stuff than you? If you're poorer than the next guy, then maybe you have a reason to be angry? Horwitz gets his econ-on to explain why this is a bit fallacious. 

Also, are we better off than we've been in years past? Everyone keeps talking about this Great Stagnation of the last 30 years. So are we better off than we were, or worse? Tell us professor! We stupid voters can only understand so much about our own lives and happiness! We don't want to be the slaves of some defunct economist! 

Plus, haven't Austrian economists been on gloom and doom rants about the economy and inflation for a while now? So, if everything is going to go to crap because of the Federal Reserve's money printing, and the dollar will crash, then why hasn't it happened yet? I hold Steve's feet to the fire to ask him why the predictions of so many Austrians haven't come to fruition. 

And finally, what about the minimum wage? If poor people keep advocating for a higher minimum wage, does that mean that low skilled workers are going to have less employment? 

Find out if Americans really are as stupid as Jonathan Gruber says we are in this very special episode of the Freedom Report podcast! 

Is Obama a racist? [PODCAST]

“This is something that is deeply rooted in our society, it’s deeply rooted in our history,” said President Obama in an interview with BET. “When you’re dealing with something as deeply rooted as racism or bias … you’ve got to have vigilance but you have to recognize that it’s going to take some time, and you just have to be steady so you don’t give up when we don’t get all the way there.”

The Freedom Report podcast today looks at the state of race relations in the United States. A recent poll from Bloomberg politics shows that racial tensions have only been exacerbated since the election of Americas first black president (second if you count Bill Clinton). 53 percent of respondents to the poll said that interactions between black and white communities have deteriorated since he took office. 

On today's show, editor Austin Petersen examines the history of racism in the United States, examining the President and his supporter's behavior when it comes to hustling of the race issue. Is the president a racist in the conventional sense? What about pushing for policies such as affirmative action? Would that be considered racist? The Democratic Party has had no qualms using the race issue to stir up their electorate and gain political power. So what does that mean in context of the current events? [RELATED: A Brief History of Racist Democrats]

Also, can white people really solve the problems in the black community? Steve Chapman at Reason writes that white people are blaming the problems in the black community on problems they themselves have created. But is that truly the case? Chapman cites statistics that black crime is at a historic low, while arguing that blacks deaths caused by police are at an all time high. The problem with that logic is that some people might correlate that police killing black men directly correlates to the drop in crime. Probably not a wise comparison to make. [RELATED: Are Democrats Hypocrites About The Racists In Their Own Ranks?] 

All that, as well as a little history about the history of racism in the Democratic Party on this special episode of the Freedom Report podcast.