Cato Event Podcast

When the Federal Reserve was founded in 1913, it was with the purpose of providing for a stable monetary and financial system. However, the Great Depression, the Great Inflation, and the Panic of 2008 serve as serious reminders of the Fed’s failure to achieve its original mission. Yet, despite this record, the Fed’s regulation of the economy has expanded. After a century, it is time to judge the Federal Reserve’s history and evaluate alternatives to central banking. To that end, the Cato Institute has established the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, which will focus on the development of policy recommendations that will create a more free-market monetary system in the United States. Please join Cato’s scholars for a discussion on how the Cato Institute’s new center seeks to educate the public and elected officials on the need for a monetary system that is consistent with the rule of law and genuine competition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Police misconduct and abuse have been getting a lot of extra media attention lately. In just the past few months, Americans have been horrified by stories of grenades thrown in children's cribs, homeless men beaten to death, unwarranted anal probes, and more. The outrage in Ferguson underscored the rapid growth in police militarization, highlighting the perceived code of silence upheld by those behind the "thin blue line" and driving demand for more accountability among the nation's law enforcement officers. Could cameras offer a viable solution to the problems at hand?Does filming police make for more accountable law enforcement? Will on-body cameras (such as those recently adopted by D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department as part of a pilot program) force accountability, or will they suffer form the same problems that have plagued existing cameras placed in police vehicles? What are your rights as a citizen journalist when it comes to filming police actions in a public space?Join us for a lunchtime discussion about technological solutions to many common complaints about police misconduct. Jonathan Blanks, a research associate in Cato's Center for Constitutional Studies and a frequent commentator on criminal justice issues, Steve Silverman who founded Flex Your Rights to improve the constitutional literacy of all Americans, and Matthew Fogg, a 32-year veteran of the United States Marshals Service, will touch upon some of the biggest victories and concerns surrounding police work and cameras. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2012, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey contended that “we are living in the most dangerous time in my lifetime, right now.” In 2013, he was more assertive, stating that the world is “more dangerous than it has ever been.” Is this accurate? A Dangerous World? brings together leading experts on international security to assess the supposed dangers to American security. They examine the most frequently referenced threats, including wars between nations and civil wars, and discuss the impact of rising nations, nuclear weapons proliferation, general unrest, transnational crime, and state failures. Please join us for an illuminating analysis of current and future American national security. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Freeth and his father-in-law, Mike Campbell, were successful Zimbabwean farmers and model employers. The family farm, purchased after Robert Mugabe came to power in 1980, was declared of “no interest” to the government in 1999. Yet they were later evicted and savagely beaten by government thugs. Mike, who would later to die from his injuries, launched a legal battle against the Zimbabwean government. He won a landmark case in the Southern African Development Community’s regional court, the SADC Tribunal in 2008. Ben will speak about the struggles of daily life and promotion of human rights, property rights and the rule of law in contemporary Zimbabwe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Allison will discuss "The Philosophical Fight for the Future of America"—the battle of ideas and morality between Progressive collectivism and free market capitalism that will define the future well being of America. These divergent world views are not reconcilable and lead to radically different public policy outcomes. Cato’s president will examine the threat posed by the proliferation of statist ideas, as well as ways to increase public understanding of the merits of individual liberty and limited government.Next, Michael Cannon will discuss the important Halbig v. Burwell decision—a ruling that could lead to the ultimate repeal of Obamacare. In the landmark decision, the D.C. Circuit ruled the president has no authority to tax, borrow, and spend tens of billions of dollars to mask from consumers in 36 states the true cost of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's overpriced health insurance. If the court's ruling stands, millions of Americans will feel the full cost of their Obamacare coverage and will demand thatCongress reopen and possibly repeal the law.Finally, David Boaz will discuss the future for freedom in America. From the rapid rise to prominence of first-term Senator Rand Paul to the state-level movements to legalize gay marriage and marijuana, the philosophy of fiscal conservatism, social liberalism, and restrained foreign policy seems to be gaining currency in American politics. In light of recent setbacks for individual liberty, Cato’s executive vice president will discuss how we can get back on the path to freedom, free markets, limited government, and peace at this auspicious "libertarian moment." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, communist governments crumbled throughout the Soviet bloc. By late December 1991, the Soviet Union itself ceased to exist. The pace of transition from communist dictatorship to democracy and market economics was uneven. Some countries experienced high rates of economic growth and rapid return to political freedom, while others remained stuck in poverty and authoritarianism. Which reforms worked and which did not? What were the pre-conditions for a successful transformation and what lessons can non-free societies learn from the experiences of former communist countries? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Experimental self-driving cars will be on the market by 2020 and will radically transform the 21st century. What should Washington policymakers know about the future of American mobility? How will self-driving cars affect the viability of urban transit and regional planning? What kind of regulation will be needed to protect safety and privacy? Please join us for a preview of the future of American transportation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "Bootlegger and Baptist" theory, an innovative public-choice theory developed more than 30 years ago, holds that for a regulation to emerge and endure, both the "bootleggers," who seek to obtain private benefits from the regulation, and the "Baptists," who seek to serve the public interest, must support the regulation. Economists Adam Smith and Bruce Yandle provide an accessible description of the theory and cite numerous examples of coalitions of economic and moral interests that desire a common goal. The book applies the theory's insights to a wide range of current issues, including the recent financial crisis and environmental regulation, and provides readers with both an understanding of how regulation is a product of economic and moral interests and a fresh perspective on the ongoing debate of how special-interest groups influence politics. Please join us for an engaging discussion of why government regulation fails so often to attain the public interest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Congress authorized the arming and training of Syrian moderates to combat ISIS, it explicitly stated that this action should not be construed as an authorization for the introduction of U.S.armed forces into hostilities. Yet, on the orders of President Obama, the United States has begun bombing ISIS targets within Syria. Did the president violate the Constitution, which grants Congress the exclusive power to “declare War”? If intervention is in America’s national security interest, how should the mission be defined and how should it be achieved? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Balance sheet crises, in which the prices of widely held and highly leveraged assets collapse, pose distinctive economic challenges. In what promises to be a deeply insightful event, authors Vernon L. Smith and Steven D. Gjerstad will discuss their new book Rethinking Housing Bubbles. Their book examines causes and consequences, and with both authors’ well-known backgrounds in experimental economics, analyzes the events that led to and resulted from the recent U.S. housing bubble as a case study in the formation and propagation of balance sheet crises. The book also examines all previous downturns in the U.S. economy and documents substantive differences between the recurrent features of economic cycles and financial crises and the beliefs that public officials hold about them, especially within the Federal Reserve System. The book concludes with an examination of similar events in other countries and assesses alternative strategies to contain financial crises and to recover from them. Please join us for what promises to be a substantive, highly compelling discussion from two recognized authorities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.