Audio Mises Wire
Business & Finance
About
Audio recordings of Mises Wire articles, offering contemporary news and opinion through the lens of Austrian economics and libertarian political economy.
Episodes
- Hobbes’s State: “Why Are You Hitting Yourself?”
This episode discusses Thomas Hobbes's view that citizens authorize the state through a social contract, meaning complaints against the state are self-complaints. The state, therefore, represents the people.
- How to Change the World: Entrepreneurship versus Politics
This episode discusses entrepreneurship as a voluntary and value-driven method of creating change, contrasting it with political action. It highlights how entrepreneurship aligns with libertarian ideals by offering alternatives and produci…
- Where California Went Wrong
This episode of Audio Mises Wire discusses the decline of California, citing high housing costs and taxes as reasons for people leaving. It also notes the rise of socialist political influence in the state and predicts a worsening future.
- The President Goes to War
This episode of Audio Mises Wire, titled "The President Goes to War," discusses the common protests for peace made by presidents, suggesting sincerity. It references an article of the same name and promotes a giveaway of "Anatomy of the St…
- The MBS Slope n’ Swap
The MBS Slope n’ Swap is a financial maneuver that, if executed perfectly, could enable the Federal Reserve to counteract a shrinking money supply. This process involves exchanging $2 trillion in mortgages for an equivalent amount of gover…
- Fukuyama Was Wrong; History Did Not End
The episode discusses Francis Fukuyama's 1990s thesis in The End of History, which posited that the collapse of communism would usher in global peace. The speaker argues that this predicted peace has not been realized.
- Vote Harder? Why Secession Is the Only Answer to the American Megastate
This episode discusses how the populist 'victory' of the Trump administration indicates that simply voting harder will not significantly alter the power of the regime. It posits secession as the only viable answer to the American megastate.
- Is Libertarianism Incoherent?
Philosopher Matt Zwolinski argues that libertarianism is incoherent due to his rejection of the foundational principles of individual rights and free markets as described by thinkers like Murray Rothbard.
- When the Federal Government Subsidized Robberies
A federal program subsidized robberies for five months, resulting in a surge in crime. The government later arrested individuals involved and declared the operation a success, as the robberies it funded were excluded from the statistics.
- The Justice Department Indicts the Ministry of Love
The Audio Mises Wire discusses the DOJ's indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center, drawing parallels between the SPLC's actions and the Ministry of Love from George Orwell's 1984.
- The Precious Paper Problem: The Divergence in Western Bullion Markets
The gold markets have experienced significant volatility. Government intervention in these markets obscures the true market prices.
- When America Chose Empire
This episode discusses America's late 1800s pursuit of empire, detailing the forceful acquisition of land and the subjugation of peoples who desired their occupiers to leave.
- The NFL Draft and Public Buses
Free bus fares were implemented in Pittsburgh during the NFL draft to encourage fan attendance. However, this policy led to chaos among bus riders, demonstrating the effects of making scarce goods freely available.
- The Battle of Ideas Paves the Way for Radicals and Revolutionaries
This episode discusses how an ideology needs more than just a strong argument; it requires historical conditions that undermine the legitimacy of the current regime and its institutions to pave the way for radicals and revolutionaries.
- Remembering the Costs of War
This episode of Audio Mises Wire reflects on the true costs of war, arguing that ongoing conflicts erode personal liberties and damage future prospects.
- Ft. Knox Full of Impure Gold Unfit for International Transactions
The majority of US gold reserves stored at Fort Knox consist of impure bars that do not meet the standards for international transactions.
- Freedom Upsets Patterns: The Deregulation Argument Westminster Will Not Have
The podcast episode 'Freedom Upsets Patterns: The Deregulation Argument Westminster Will Not Have' argues that the United Kingdom's challenges stem from a lack of freedom rather than an energy crisis. The core assertion is that deregulatio…
- The Luck Fallacy and Luck Egalitarianism
This episode examines the Luck Fallacy and Luck Egalitarianism. It argues that luck egalitarians wrongly deem property and wealth illegitimate due to the concept of luck, and that their arguments are flawed regardless of the truth of their…
- We Are Living in the Fourth American Republic
The episode discusses the idea that the United States is currently in its Fourth American Republic, suggesting the original constitutional order has been replaced.
- The Tragedy of Socialized Fertility
The episode discusses the decline in childbearing in Western countries, viewing it as a political issue. It asserts that government should not interfere in matters of childbirth.
- USAID Funded Aid Programs Abroad, But Mainly Was a Jobs Program for Progressives
The Trump administration’s downsizing of USAID has led to claims that cutting US aid will cause widespread starvation and disease abroad. This episode argues these claims are exaggerated and that USAID programs function mainly as a jobs pr…
- The Fuel Protests in Ireland: Their Lights and Shadows
The fuel protests in Ireland are analyzed, linking them to global oil market disruptions caused by geopolitical events and criticizing Irish government policies that exacerbate the situation.
- The Case Against the “Free Bankers”
This episode explores the argument against fractional reserve free banking, citing economist Murray Rothbard's perspective that such a system is inherently flawed and destined for failure.
- The Revolution Was
This episode, titled "The Revolution Was," features a quote suggesting that the revolution has already happened during a "Night of Depression," rather than being a future event.
- The Right of Self-Determination
The podcast discusses the right of self-determination, defining it as the right of a territory's inhabitants to choose their state affiliation.
- Economic Causes of War
This episode discusses the economic factors that lead to war, arguing that under a system of private ownership and limited government, national borders become less significant.
- If Science Is a Public Good, Let China Pay for It
This episode questions whether science is a public good and who owns it, using the case of China's access to American scientific work as a starting point to discuss broader issues of intellectual property and international scientific colla…
- Those Big, Beautiful Bonds
This episode discusses the bond market, explaining that bondholders face an unpleasant situation regardless of whether interest rates rise or fall. The dilemma is framed as a choice between the Unthinkable and the Unimaginable.
- Free Markets Would Be OPEC's Undoing
This episode discusses how consistent pursuit of economic freedom in US energy production over the past thirty years would have prevented the conditions necessary for OPEC's success as a cartel.
- The Problem with Eternal Vigilance
The episode discusses the idea that eternal vigilance is necessary to protect freedom. It questions the practicality of this vigilance when the entity infringing on freedom possesses both legal authority and weaponry.
- When a Chicken Isn’t Just a Chicken
This episode explores the concept of subjective valuation, emphasizing that prices are determined by individual perspectives rather than objective standards.
- The Next Food Pyramid: Lab-Grown Meat and the New Moral Orthodoxy
The episode discusses the influence of the anti-meat movement on government policies, citing the example of the discredited food pyramid and government funding for lab-grown meat. It argues that these actions worsen people's lives.
- God Bless Captain Vere: When Constitutional Duty Yields to Institutional Power
This Audio Mises Wire episode discusses the case of Captain Vere as a historical example relevant to contemporary pressures on government officials to obey potentially unlawful demands, drawing parallels to President Trump.
- A Look Behind the Fed’s Curtains
Jonathan Newman interviewed a Federal Reserve governor, finding the central banker's responses evasive and contradictory. The interview suggests that the Federal Reserve may lack substance behind its technocratic appearance.
- Why Trump's Populism Failed
The episode analyzes the consequences of Trump's populist political movement, noting a rise in federal spending and power, alongside a foreign policy prioritizing Israel.
- Libertarians Must Never Warm to the Warfare State
The episode argues that libertarians must not support the warfare state, asserting that liberty should be their highest political end and peace the highest end of foreign policy.
- Rothbard Was Right: Libertarians Must Never Warm to the Warfare State
The episode argues that a foreign policy centered on maintaining a global empire is fundamentally at odds with the principles of a laissez-faire, free-market system.
- Trump’s Foreign Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean Needs a Strategic Reset
This Mises Wire episode discusses President Trump's foreign policy in Latin America and the Caribbean, noting that it is creating new enemies and suggesting a potential need for a policy reset.
- Who Pays the Hormuz Toll?
This episode discusses Rothbard's first law of incidence, asserting that taxes cannot be passed on to consumers. The content is based on an article from Mises Wire.
- Raico, Ekirch, and the Tragedy of American Militarism
Ralph Raico explores the reasons behind the United States' shift towards militarism, drawing on Arthur Ekirch's historical analysis.
- Peaceful Nationalism as a Foundation for Economic Liberalism
Ludwig von Mises, in Nation, State, and Economy, posits that peaceful nationalism, based on individual self-determination, is compatible with economic and political liberty.
- Four-Letter Economic Words
This episode discusses four-letter economic words that are not considered obscene but would be viewed negatively by socialists and statists.
- Jesus and the Christian Socialist’s Problem of Evil
This episode explores the theological challenge faced by Christian socialists who reference Jesus. It questions whether Jesus's actions align with the moral obligation to end suffering, given his power to heal.
- Assisted Suicide Is the Logical Outcome of Government-Controlled Medical Care
The Canadian government is promoting physician-assisted suicide, framing it as a way to save the struggling socialistic medical system while also advocating for "die with dignity."
- War and Trade Restrictions: Fallacious Paths to National Security and Prosperity
This episode discusses how the Trump administration's actions against Iran negatively impact opportunities for prosperity and commerce.
- Tax Freedom Day Underestimates How Long You Work for the Government
This episode discusses how Tax Freedom Day, observed in mid-April, doesn't fully represent the government's fiscal burden. Using Rothbard's measure, it's revealed that Americans work for themselves only starting June 5, over seven weeks la…
- Taxation Is Robbery
This episode discusses the historical evolution of the idea that taxes benefit a privileged class and finance wars, contrasting it with the modern notion that taxes are essential for civilization.
- Artificial Liquidity Brings Inflation Shocks
This episode explores the concept of artificial liquidity in financial markets and its direct link to persistent inflation, arguing that this situation is unfavorable for those involved.
- Precious Metals Work
This episode discusses the expected volatility of precious metal prices amidst current global uncertainty and conflict, highlighting that uncertainty itself is the only predictable outcome.
- The Danger of Allowing Good Intentions to Override the Constitution
This episode discusses the tendency of judges to let personal sentiments and worldviews supersede the Constitution, a practice sometimes framed as interpreting a "living Constitution."