Kibbe On Liberty

Matt Kibbe sits down with P.J. O’Rourke, author of “A Cry from the Far Middle,” to talk about the polarization of 21st-century America. O’Rourke’s brand of commonsense centrism holds that it’s bad to give anyone too much power, especially the government, but that we’ve lost these basic truths as we spend more time on social media playing politics as a team sport. The problems that George Orwell warned us about have ultimately become self-inflicted, but that also means that we can reverse them if we put our minds to it. A Cry from the Far Middle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802157734

Matt Kibbe sits down with Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to discuss the upcoming series, “The Constitution: Line by Line.” Everywhere we look, we see government exceeding its authority, imposing harmful regulations, and delegating power to unfireable bureaucrats, or as the senator calls it, “emergency socialism.” As a scholar and student of the Constitution, Mike Lee is the perfect person to point out the importance of our nation’s founding document in defending liberty in 2020.

Hannah Cox, conservative commentator and writer, sits down with Matt Kibbe to talk about criminal justice reform, the 2020 presidential election, and the Black Lives Matter protests. Although everybody’s talking about fixing problems with police and the justice system in general, no one is actually doing it, with both parties fielding candidates apparently uninterested in creating real solutions.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Gary Collins, author of “The Simple Life,” to figure out why people are struggling to find happiness in 21st-century America. Since our immediate needs for food and shelter have been met, we must dig a little deeper to find our place in life. From his off-the-grid home, Collins argues that all you really need is to stay healthy, get out of debt, and find a purpose that gets you out of bed in the morning. He also shares Kibbe’s passion for the music of Rush and the inspirational lyrics of Neil Peart.

Dr. Ron Paul sits down with Matt Kibbe deep in the heart of Texas to discuss his intellectual influences and his political history. He talks about his education in Austrian economics, which explains why government intervention in the economy, particularly through the Federal Reserve, makes us all poorer and less free. He also turns his attention to current events, explaining why the U.S. can’t seem to get out of any wars and why the government’s coronavirus response has been worse than useless.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Patrick Mardini, founder of the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies, to talk about the recent explosion that rocked the port of Beirut, killing hundreds. It turns out that a big part of the problem was mismanagement by the Lebanese government, which at the same time has created a massive recession, incurred huge amounts of debt, and devalued the currency to the point where 80 percent of locals' savings have been wiped out. Mardini concludes with some free market reforms that could start to improve the country's long-term outlook.

Atlas Network CEO Brad Lips sits down with Matt Kibbe to discuss his book, “The Freedom Movement: Its Past, Present, and Future.” He argues that we need to take the ideas of socialism seriously and address them with the same passion against injustice that those on the Left do. This means talking about inequality of opportunity, systemic injustices, and the way authoritarianism abroad robs individuals not only of their freedoms, but of their lives and their dignity.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to talk about trillion-dollar bailouts, the science of the coronavirus pandemic, violence in Portland, police reform, and a host of other issues. While many bemoan the lack of bipartisanship in Washington, Sen. Paul points out that every compromise between Republicans and Democrats ends up spending money we don’t have, putting our country further in debt, and creating inflation that hurts us all. The only time your wallet is safe, the senator argues, is when Congress is out of town.

Simon Lee, freedom protester fighting for Hong Kong’s independence, sits down with Matt Kibbe to discuss China’s increasingly aggressive posture toward Hong Kong. While its status as an important trading port and a gateway to the rest of the world once made Hong Kong a beacon of economic freedom, perceived weakness in the West is now emboldening the Chinese Communist Party to ramp up censorship and oppression of the people in Hong Kong.

This week, Matt Kibbe is joined by Brad Polumbo, journalist fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and writer at the Washington Examiner. They discuss America’s broken justice system, look at how political tribalism skews people’s views, and dive into the violent protests happening in Portland, Oregon.

Matt Kibbe catches up with Maj Toure, founder of Black Guns Matter, at the Libertarian National Convention in Orlando. They talk about third parties, Black Lives Matter, police reform, and what to do with statues of problematic figures. Maj argues that much of the tribalism we now see comes from the government pretending to help us, while actually dividing us.

Matt Kibbe talks to Spike Cohen, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for vice president, about values, culture, and the political process. Cohen argues that there’s very little difference in policy between Republican and Democrat politicians, but that the media keeps Americans divided and hating one another. The Libertarian platform is profoundly different, but struggles to be heard due to election rules that limit access to ballots and to the debate stage.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Thaddeus Russell, founder of Renegade University, to discuss the contributions made to American culture by libertines, lawbreakers, troublemakers, and miscreants. They also talk about how the progressive movement was built on many of the problems progressives are protesting today, including imperialism, police militarization, and racism.

Matt Kibbe sits down with the Libertarian presidential nominee, Jo Jorgensen, to talk about the issues, the two-party duopoly, and how Libertarians hope to make inroads with voters. As a trained psychologist, Jorgensen emphasizes the importance of persuasion as a campaign tactic, arguing that you don't have to compromise on principle to get Americans to embrace a third option.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Clark Neily, vice president for criminal justice at the Cato Institute, to discuss a few of the many problems with America’s criminal justice system. Neily addresses overcriminalization, asset forfeiture, qualified immunity, and the disturbing fact that so many Americans are harassed, bullied, and coerced into giving up their constitutional right to a trial by jury.

Brewer, entrepreneur, and Flying Dog CEO Jim Caruso sits down with Matt Kibbe at his brewery to talk about his passion for free speech and personal responsibility. Caruso points out that you can't separate your ethics from the way you run your business, and that's why he has fought so hard to protect the First Amendment and the right to express himself through the art of beer.

Matt Kibbe is joined by Maj Toure, founder of Black Guns Matter, to talk about lockdowns, protests, riots, and police reform. Maj argues that tyranny is always justified “for your own good,” and the phenomenon of the coronavirus lockdowns comes from the same place as police brutality. It all stems from a policy of government paternalism.

Rapper and Blaze contributor Eric July joins Matt Kibbe to talk about the tragedy of George Floyd's death, the ensuing protests, and the need for police reform. July points out that tribal divides are holding us back from solving some of society's most urgent problems. Libertarians are in a unique position because they are not on the Left or the Right, but have a principled position about the abuse of power. This gives them an opportunity to lead the way on police reform.

Venture capitalist and Draper University founder Tim Draper joins Matt Kibbe to talk about lockdowns, free speech, regulation, and the proper role of government. Draper argues that when the government gets involved with telling people how to live, it creates more problems than it solves. Instead, the government should inform and educate citizens to make their own decisions.

Matt Kibbe sits down with Matt Ridley, author of “How Innovation Works,” to talk about the mysterious process of economic and technological progress. Ridley points out the futility of trying to engineer innovation from the top down, when we should instead focus on policies that get government out of the way and allow innovators to flourish. Buy How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062916599/