The Tom Woods Show

Gerard Casey is the author of what the brilliant David Gordon is calling the best history of political thought he's ever read. We discuss several of his early chapters, on the sophists, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and what libertarians ought to cheer -- or deplore -- in the their work. Brilliant, and a blast. Show notes for Ep. 1007

Dave Smith, the libertarian comedian whose new comedy special Libertas is the number one comedy album on iTunes, joins me for a lively discussion of Trump, foreign policy, Milo, libertarianism, and a lot more. Show notes for Ep. 1006

Is it really true that the American standard of living is falling, and that our children will be worse off than we are? Martin Feldstein challenged this view in the Wall Street Journal. Jeff Herbener joins me to discuss it. Show notes for Ep. 1005

Chris Guillebeau, the New York Times bestselling author of The $100 Startup, returns for his third appearance on the show to discuss how to build up a "side hustle" as an additional income stream. His new book, Side Hustle, walks you through a series of exercises to identify, test, and refine just the right idea for your particular side hustle. Show notes for Ep. 1004

We're taught that Alexander Hamilton is one of the indispensable men in the American story. In his new book -- released just today -- How Alexander Hamilton Screwed Up America, historian Brion McClanahan takes on this historical icon. In today's discussion we focus in particular on how the federal courts extended the life of some of Hamilton's worst ideas, which we continue to struggle with today. Show notes for Ep. 1003

Michael Cheney is one of the most successful and sought-after affiliate marketers in the world. (That means he earns commissions selling other people's products online.) He's also the guy I've learned more from as an affiliate marketer myself than anyone else. We discuss his successes and failures, the easy vs. the difficult way to make a living online, and the secret to my own affiliate success. Show notes for Ep. 1002

One group of libertarians accuses a second group of being sellouts. The second group accuses the first group of being purists who make any progress toward the free society possible.   Murray N. Rothbard, known in his day as Mr. Libertarian, had something to say about this and other questions of strategy.   Show notes for Ep. 1001

Gerard Casey, professor emeritus of philosophy at University College, Dublin, discusses society without the state. Show notes for Ep. 999

Hans-Hermann Hoppe is one of the most significant libertarian thinkers in the world today. Murray Rothbard could not say enough about his brilliance. Unfortunately, his detractors (and even many of his supporters) have never actually read him. So Stephan Kinsella and I devoted this episode to discussing his body of work. Trust me, this is fun and punchy -- especially as it goes along. Show notes for Ep. 998

I discuss the fractured "liberty movement," the increasing attacks on Ron Paul, and why Dr. Paul matters -- a point that the youngsters, who didn't experience the presidential campaigns, may not know. Show notes for Ep. 997

Andrew Torba, creator of the free-speech social media platform Gab, joins me to discuss fighting back against the big companies' ideological jihad against people and institutions expressing unapproved opinions. Show notes for Ep. 996

Katie Wells of WellnessMama.com is an incredible online success story: her wellness site makes a very nice profit, and allows her to work from home. She has a blog, a podcast, a members' area, an email newsletter, and her own products, so you can learn from her in lots of areas. She recently featured me on her program, and when I saw how successful and impressive she was, I knew I wanted to hear her story on my show. Show notes for Ep. 995

John Moody returns to the show to discuss the latest in food and farm freedom, plus his newest venture, Steader.com, where experts teach people a wide variety of homesteading topics. Show notes for Ep. 994

We often hear it said: if only government could be run like a business, we'd be getting somewhere. The problem isn't that it's difficult to run government like a business. The problem is that it's impossible, given the radical difference between the two kinds of organization. Show notes for Ep. 993

Robert Nisbet is one of a handful of conservatives to have seen the major problems with American conservatism as we know it. In this episode, Drawn from my remarks at a 2005 mises Institute conference on fascism, I discuss executive power, centralized power, the military, and related superstitions. Show notes for Ep. 992

Professor Amy Wax wrote an op-ed last month arguing that society's most vulnerable have suffered the most by the collapse of the bourgeois moral consensus. You'll never guess: the screechers called her a "white supremacist." Show notes for Ep. 991

I hate to dwell on this silliness, so I've decided to make this into a bonus episode rather than one of my five regular weekly episodes. Jason Stapleton invited me on to the Jason Stapleton Program not long ago to address a series of unprovoked attacks on me by Nicholas Sarwark, chairman of the Libertarian National Committee. These attacks speak volumes about the trajectory and ambitions of the Libertarian Party, so for the record I hereby register this discussion as an official episode of the Tom Woods Show. Show notes for Ep. 990

James O'Keefe has become notorious, and controversial, for his organization's undercover videos -- most recently, of people associated with CNN, who appear to suggest that some of their major stories are politically and ideologically driven. We discuss the American media, criticisms of his work, and what we can expect next. Show notes for Ep. 989

Today I'm joined by Brent DeRidder of the Liberty Coalition for Disaster Relief and Gret Glyer, creator of the DonorSee philanthropy app, to discuss how private individuals and groups can relieve the suffering associated with this terrible disaster. Show notes for Ep. 988

During natural disasters, there's a sudden and intense spike in demand for the existing stock of resources. This puts upward pressure on prices, and this upward pressure has salutary effects (which we'll discuss in this episode).   That's not how most people see it. "Price gouging," to the man on the street, involves the unconscionable exploitation of vulnerable people's difficult situations in order to make a quick buck.   Show notes for Ep. 987