The Freedom Report

The Freedom Report takes on the tough question of asking why if men have no reproductive rights then why should they have any reproductive responsibilities?  An article featured on the website Thoughts On Liberty tackled the difficult issue of a man in Kansas who gave his girlfriend a drug that caused her to miscarry her child. The man was charged with first-degree murder, but if you're pro-choice, wasn't he really just taking the initiative and giving his girlfriend an unwanted abortion. It's not really murder then is it? Different story if you're pro life.  As for child support, the state of Virginia is pushing a bill that amounts to nothing more than extortion. Divorce lawyers have an incentive to put men in positions where they can't pay, and encourage families to split up. Is the government causing the problem that it's claiming to try to solve?  All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast! 

President Barack Obama submitted a budget to congress for $3.9 trillion and it's as good as dead on arrival. The president doesn't want to be seen as not pandering to his base in an important election year so he's putting something on the table that is basically a huge handout to his political base. Democrats don't want to be seen as making important cuts to the rapidly growing entitlement base when they're trying to win reelection. This podcast tackles some of the major budgetary issues that are in the president's proposal and battles the fallacies involved in Obama's "tax the rich" rhetoric.  Also, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that while voters trust Democrats more on key issues, they're probably going to vote for Republicans this fall anyway. The poll shows that Republicans stand a good chance at maintaining the House majority as well as an opportunity to win the Senate. Will Obama be a lame duck?  All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast! 

5 years after Rick Santelli yelled about having a Tea Party from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange the movement has seen its ups and downs. A lackluster attendance at a rally this week saw proponents of the movement trying to rally enough energy for the upcoming electoral battle at the end of this year for the midterm elections. With the movement seemingly going off the rails, and a message that's being watered down by social issues, can the Tea Party get back on track to defeat the Democrats and flip the senate in the fall?

Secularism & Christianity Working Together For Limited Government  Not So Strange Bedfellows The big news in Washington this week was the story about the American Atheists being uninvited from doing outreach at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “American Atheists misrepresented itself about their willingness to engage in positive dialogue and work together to promote limited government,” said CPAC spokesperson Meghan Snyder. The group admittedly struck a confrontational tone about their reasons for wanting to attend the gathering, claiming they wanted to demonstrate that conservatism and limited government principles were separable. But even if that's true, it seems that they were going about it in totally the wrong way. Follow TLR on Google+ Head of the American Atheists group had stated publicly that “he pledged that he will attack the very idea that Christianity is an important element of conservatism.” With comments like that, why would anyone be surprised that they were disinvited. “People of any faith tradition should not be attacked for their beliefs, especially at our conference. He has left us with no choice but to return his money,” Meghan Snyder said. This episode of the Freedom Report features an extended discussion about the history of secularism and conservatism in the tradition of limited government. Associate editor of The Libertarian Republic Ian Huyett, a Christian, talks with editor Austin Petersen, an atheist, about the ideas of faith and politics. Are they compatible? And can a diverse coalition of believers and non-believers work together to challenge those who believe in bigger government, no matter what god, gods, or no gods they believe in? All that and more, including a special extended discussion on the concepts of natural rights from a theistic and non-theistic worldview only on the Freedom Report podcast!  

Study Shows Female Sex Offenders Receive More Leniency In Sentencing Was Jerry Sandusky a hero? If not then why is it that when a male teacher or coach rapes their students that everyone wants him dead, but when a female teacher rapes a male student she's a goddess?  The New Jersey Star Ledger conducted a study which revealed significant disparities in the sentencing between male and female sex offenders. The data showed that male defendants went to prison in 54 percent of cases, compared with 44 percent of cases for female defendants. Men also averaged 50% more time in prison than women for the same crimes.  Why the discrepancy?  The Freedom Report podcast today takes on the controversial issue of society's treatment of male and female sex offenders and why people seem to think it's ok for women to sexually assault young men. 

Token Libertarian Girl Julie Borowski joined the Freedom Report podcast to discuss issues concerning the banning of certain types of dogs, known as Breed Specific Legislation. Borowski is a big dog lover and has been using her platform to bring up issues surrounding the government interfering with property rights.  And do animals have rights? Borowski takes on the question of whether laws that extended certain human rights to animals would do anything to stop people from harming them? What about dog fighting and Michael Vick? Should people be able to burn cats in the public square? How far do we let people go before we say there should be some mechanism from justice to stop them from engaging in maladjusted behavior?  All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast!

Alec Baldwin is reportedly stepping down from public life and could be leaving New York for good according to a 5,000 word essay he wrote for New York Magazine. Baldwin claims he was unfairly characterized as homophobic when a reporter for TMZ claims he called someone a "fa**ot." The actor dishes on his confrontation with actor Shia Labeouf and makes some startling revelations of his views on the liberal media, centralized education and the outrageous taxes in New York City.

Co-CEO of popular burrito chain Chipotle Steve Ells is saying "No" to GMO foods for ingredients at his restaurants. Ells says that "genetically modified foods hold out promises that are at best untested, and at worst unrealistic." This is despite 20-year-long scientific research studies that have proven GMO foods to be perfectly safe. Is Ells playing on his customer's irrational fears in order to make more money? Or is there really something to be said for eating food that's grown organically?  All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast! 

One of the sharpest, most astute journalists on Capitol Hill isn't at the Washington Post or Politico, he's a quiet, unassuming character with a camera and a microphone named Jan Helfeld. He's famous for getting Senator Harry Reid to claim that the income tax was voluntary and for flustering Nancy Pelosi so hard that she threatened to call the guards. And if you thought that Congressman Michael Grimm recently threatening to throw a reporter over the balcony was bad, wait until you see what happens when Pete Stark threatens to throw Helfeld out a window and tries to confiscate his video tape. Helfeld uses the Socratic Method in order to reveal contradictions in legislator's thinking, and he's damn good at it too. In this episode of The Freedom Report, we go behind the scenes to learn more about what Helfeld does, and how he gets these congress critters fuming after asking them simple questions about their ridiculous big government belief systems.

Cathy Reisenwitz joins the Freedom Report again to talk about Sex and the State. Reisenwitz argues that if libertarians want to take up an issue that will give them the morally high ground over people like Hillary Clinton, maybe we should extend our anti-drug war rhetoric into the birth control debate as well? For instance, why can't everyone just buy birth control over the counter?  Also, Reisenwitz tackles the issues of the problems of gender roles and the difference between women's stated preferences and their real ones. Is it ever OK to be an 'ahole' if it means you'll attract more women? And what does she think about the recent New York Times article that discussed a study which found that men and women in marriage who have traditional gender roles have a happier marriage? All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast! 

Jack Hunter joins the Freedom Report to discuss a panel featuring Jeremy Scahill and Oliver Stone at the International Students For Liberty Conference on the issue of national security. Hunter was shocked to hear the opening by the liberal Scahill where he admitted to having more in common with Tea Party types like Rand Paul than President Barack Obama. Follow TLR on Google+ Scahill, the author of the book Dirty Wars, chastised MSNBC as being mouthpieces for the Obama regime, and wondered how partisanship could make Democrats so quickly abandon their principles.

Should prisons run on a profit incentive? Won't that mean that corporations will want more people to be in jail? How do we reconcile a belief in the free market with the principles that lead to less crime? How do we administer justice in a way that provides for the common good? And if we lived in a stateless society, could I lock up someone in my basement if they stole my property?  Assistant Professor of Economics at Loyola University in New Orleans Dan D'Amico joins the Freedom Report to discuss the criminal justice system. D'Amico studies justice systems and he stopped by the media room at the International Students for Liberty conference in Washington D.C. to discuss. 

Professor at the University of Virginia Dr. Jim Lark joined the Freedom Report to discuss his recent speech "Challenges For Libertarians" at the International Students for Liberty conference in Washington D.C. What's wrong with the non-aggression principle? Is it possible that it doesn't answer every question about problems in human society? For example, if I point a gun at you, but don't fire it, is that an act of aggression? Or do I have to wait until you pull the trigger before I can consider you an aggressor? And what about the stowaway problem? If you stowaway on my ship and we're in the middle of the ocean, can I dump you overboard even if you'd drown? Thomas Jefferson once stated, "Question boldly, even the existence of God..." In this podcast we question the most core principles of libertarian philosophy to see if our principle hold up to the toughest scrutiny of the real world. Here is where the rubber meets the road on the Freedom Report podcast!

Feminist libertarian and world-renowned 'Bleeding Heart,"Sarah Skwirejoins the Freedom Report at the International Students for Liberty conference in Washington D.C.Is the concept of the "Patriarchy," a conspiracy theory, or a serious issue libertarians need to address? What about rape culture? Should men on college campuses have their potential sexual partners send them a text message giving consent?And why are there so many guys walking around this conference wearing bow ties and fedoras?These are the serious issues we must address!Skwire joins the podcast to discuss gender issues, libertarian feminism and the role of government in our lives.

Are The Interests of Main Street & Wall Street At Odds?Financial analyst Heather Hughes joins the Freedom Report podcast on Valentine's Day to discuss the broken hearts of a million libertarians who had to watch Janet Yellen confirmed as the new chair of the Federal Reserve.Yellen's impact on the marketplace is unknown, but Hughes offers her insight into why she thinks that Yellen's impact on the marketplace will be similar to her predecessor Ben Bernanke.What impact will Obamacare have on the markets? Will the CBO report that shows a 2.5 million total job loss have a major impact on the marketplace?Hughes discusses the difference between the interests of Main Street and Wall Street and whether their interests can ever be aligned. And what does she think about Bitcoins, Bubbles and the Boom and Bust cycle?All that and more on a special Valentine's Day episode of the Freedom Report.