The Tom Woods Show

Stefan Molyneux's work has had nearly half a billion views and hundreds of millions of downloads. He has stirred up controversy among libertarians in recent years, having supported Donald Trump and entertained more controversial topics. So I decided to raise some of these criticisms with him and give him an opportunity to say whatever he liked. The result is this episode, in which (unusual for the Tom Woods Show) the two of us appear together on video. Show notes for Ep. 1246

Ross Trottier, a music and guitar teacher (and a Tom Woods Show listener), who now has a thriving online and offline business, went through a period of homelessness and had to start from nothing. How did he crack the online code, sell thousands and thousands of copies of his book, get over a million views of his videos, and enjoy a far more comfortable life than probably any music teacher you know? Show notes for Ep. 1245

Michael Rectenwald, a lifelong leftist, has found himself shunned by former friends and colleagues -- even people whose careers he helped advance -- because he criticized and satirized some of the more outlandish SJW behavior on his Twitter feed. (Yes, this is the emotional level of these folks -- they're angry about his Twitter feed.) But the best part is: what is Rectenwald reading these days? There's a (somewhat) happy ending here, folks. Show notes for Ep. 1244

Antony Sammeroff, co-host of the Scottish Liberty Podcast, argues that the idea of a Universal Basic Income is a very bad one, and for reasons you may not have thought of. Show notes for Ep. 1243

AJ+, a division of Al Jazeera, has a popular social media presence and makes widely viewed videos -- nearly all of them dreadfully wrong -- on a variety of topics. And man are they wrong about libertarianism. Since I haven't done a good smackdown in a while, well, you see where this is going. Show notes for Ep. 1242

Andrew Bacevich, professor emeritus of International Relations and History at Boston University, joins me to discuss the bad ideas and habits at the heart of American foreign policy. Show notes for Ep. 1241

In this episode I discuss earlier recessions and depressions in U.S. history, and what lessons we might draw from them. Hint: these are not the lessons that were drummed into our impressionable heads as students. Show notes for Ep. 1240

Now this is a fun potpourri episode: we cover (in addition to the topic in the title) anarchism vs. minarchism, the Constitution (should libertarians care about it?), what the Libertarian Party should do, my original career plan (you'll never guess), liberty and security, and a lot more. Fun fun fun!   This episode is drawn from my appearance on The Gold Standard with Alan Mosley.   Show notes for Ep. 1239

Dan McCarthy, editor of the venerable conservative journal Modern Age, joins me to discuss two very different books with the same title: Suicide of the West, one by Jonah Goldberg and the other by an older conservative named James Burnham. Show notes for Ep. 1238

I'm in New York City, as it happens, on the 17th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11. In today's episode I review the blowback theory and review the ledger of U.S. foreign policy since that time. Show notes for Ep. 1237

This one packs a punch: one statist superstition after another is pounded into dust. Show notes for Ep. 1236

The founder and chairman of the Mises Institute joins me for some great questions from my Supporting Listeners: where he sees us having success, what he thinks of the New York Times op-ed by the anonymous "senior official," how he became Ron Paul's chief of staff, why he doesn't bother defending himself against left-libertarians, his views on the crisis in the Catholic Church, what he would have done differently if he were starting the Mises Institute today -- plus, the man who ordered him not to start the Mises Institute, and more. Show notes for Ep. 1235

Former CIA officer Phil Giraldi joins me to discuss the creepy op-ed in the New York Times yesterday by a "senior official" in the Trump Administration who claims to be part of a movement trying to undermine the president from within, particularly in his diplomatic overtures. Show notes for Ep. 1234

Keynesian economists believe the market economy tends toward the chronic underemployment or unemployment of resources, and requires wise management. and whether the topic is austerity, business cycles, debt, or a wide variety of other things, they're just dead wrong. And there is no better slayer of Keynesian errors than my guest, Bob Murphy. Show notes for Ep. 1233

We hear on a regular basis that workers, whether because of free trade, or capitalism generally, or whatever other institution or trend, are getting the short end of the stick. An ever-smaller share of national income is making its way into workers' pockets. But is that really true? Gene Epstein joins me to get to the bottom of this question. Show notes for Ep. 1232

With the abuse crisis exploding in recent weeks, culminating in the atomic bomb of a letter released by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, I decided it was time for another bonus episode. My guests are Roger McCaffrey, president of Roman Catholic Books and founding publisher of The Latin Mass magazine, and Steve Skojec, publisher of the OnePeterFive blog. Show notes for Ep. 1231

I've got a bunch of listeners who have some questions on economics that they feel like they should know the answers to, so they feel funny asking. In this episode we take some economics 101 questions and answer them at last. Show notes for Ep. 1230

Jefferson biographer Kevin Gutzman, who just released a new course on Jefferson for my LibertyClassroom.com, joins me to discuss Jefferson's influences, his early political career, his extraordinary accomplishments even outside politics, and a lot more. Show notes for Ep. 1229

I was delighted to be the special guest for the 100th episode of the Scottish Liberty Podcast, featuring Tom Laird, who runs the Scottish Libertarian Party, and Antony Sammeroff, who's such an effective defender of libertarian ideas. And what a variety of topics we hit -- including my five least favorite presidents. Enjoy! Show notes for Ep. 1228

It's important to cut through the exaggerated platitudes to the heart of who John McCain was, lest a misplaced desire to carry on his "legacy" cause further harm to the United States and the world. Scott Horton joins me for this frank appraisal. Show notes for Ep. 1227