Cato Institute Event Videos (Full)

Taking Control of Spiraling College Costs

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Rising at a faster rate than even health care costs, the price of college is skyrocketing into the stratosphere. In The Revenue-to-Cost Spiral in Higher Education, economist Robert E. Martin posits that the problem is rooted in the ability of most colleges to succeed by maximizing their prestige rather than their profits, resulting in their spending every single dollar they get. He argues that transparency is essential and that the government should have a key role in producing it by requiring schools to report on how their money is used. But can government force colleges to open their books and reveal the true cost of their operations? And would doing so really set higher education on a road to pricing sanity? Or is another reform — curtailing abundant government student aid — the true key to stopping the college-cost spiral? Please join us for a critical debate on how to contain out-of-control college costs.

America's Top Models: Can the Nation's Best Charter Schools Be Brought to Scale?

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Founded by Ben Chavis in 2006, American Indian Public Charter School is already the fourth highest performing public high school in California. Its students are almost all African American or Hispanic, and poor. The Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) network of public charter schools, the focus of Jay Mathews' book, raises its mostly low-income students from far below the national average in academic performance to well above it, in just four years. It has already expanded to serve 20,000 children in 82 locations around the country. Are these schools really as good as they seem? If so, can they be imitated or replicated on a mass scale, as President Obama and education Secretary Arne Duncan hope? And what ever happened to the greatest public school success story of the last generation, Jaime Escalante, who, along with his ultra-high-achieving low-income Hispanic students, inspired the movie Stand and Deliver? Please join us in a conversation about two of America's most striking models of educational excellence, and the prospects for bringing them to a mass audience.

How American Health Care Killed My Father

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

David Goldhill is a Democrat and a business executive who paid little attention to the economics of health care before his father's life was cut short by a hospital-acquired infection. That loss drove him to uncover the truth about American health care, which he reveals in an article that has been acclaimed as a "stemwinder" and "a fascinating read." Goldhill explains why "it looks like this generation of 'comprehensive' reform will not address the underlying issues, any more than previous efforts did. Instead it will put yet more patches on the walls of an edifice that is fundamentally unsound—and then build that edifice higher."

The Criminalization of (Almost) Everything

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase book Purchase book America's criminal codes are now so voluminous that they bewilder not only the average citizen but also the average lawyer. Our courthouses are so clogged that there is no longer adequate time for trials. And many of our prisons are now operating well beyond their design capacity. Two new books raise the question of whether the American criminal justice system has become dysfunctional. Harvey Silverglate's new book, Three Felonies a Day, argues that the typical American professional is likely unaware that he or she violates federal law each day because of the breadth and dangerously broad scope of the Code of Federal Regulations. As a result, scores of people—doctors, lawyers, journalists, businesspeople—are vulnerable to sudden, arbitrary prosecution. Cato's Tim Lynch, editor of In the Name of Justice, maintains that the runaway growth of the criminal law has been accompanied by the dilution of constitutional rights and safeguards. Please join us for a discussion of these disturbing trends and what might be done about them.

The China Factor: Persuading Beijing to Get Tough with North Korea

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Although North Korea has recently made some minor conciliatory gestures, there is little indication that Pyongyang intends to give up its destabilizing nuclear and missile programs. What can be done? War is not an acceptable option, increased sanctions seem unlikely to work, and so far diplomacy has proved ineffective. Does working in closer cooperation with China offer a better option? Beijing has the most clout in Pyongyang, but remains unwilling to use its influence. Could U.S. policymakers persuade China to take a more active role, perhaps even working to oust the murderous regime of Kim Jong-il? What arguments would be most compelling for Beijing and what incentives might Washington offer to win China's cooperation?

The Case for Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Nearly eight years after the fall of the Taliban regime, Afghanistan struggles under the most brutal circumstances: corrupt and ineffective state institutions, thousands of miles of unguarded borders pervasive illiteracy and poverty, and a dysfunctional international alliance attempting to provide security for the country. Can "nation building" in the midst of a bloody insurgency succeed? What constitutes "success," and what price should we be willing to pay for it? Does the United States have a compelling strategic rationale for remaining in Afghanistan?

Toward a Customer-Driven Transportation Reauthorization

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

In reauthorizing federal funding for transportation, Congress has a choice between top-down policies whose focus is on reducing American mobility at almost any cost and customer-driven policies whose focus is on enabling mobility while cost-effectively minimizing the environmental impact of that mobility. The "Surface Transportation Act of 2009: A Blueprint for Investment and Reform" from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure firmly chooses the former strategy. Please join Rep. Scott Garrett, author Sam Staley, and Cato Institute scholar Randal O'Toole to discuss alternatives that will save taxpayers billions while doing far more to protect the environment.

The Right Road for America: Top-Down Transportation Planning vs. Customer-Driven Mobility

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The Obama Administration admits that one of its environmental goals is to "coerce people out of their cars." The administration's "behavior modification" plans would spend more tax dollars on high-speed rail and transit, leaving highways increasingly congested and dangerous to use. This forum will present alternatives focused on customer-driven transportation funded by user fees, not taxes. Please join authors Alan Pisarski, Gabriel Roth, and Randal O'Toole to learn how reducing the environmental impacts of mobility without reducing mobility itself is less costly and more successful than efforts to change people's behavior.

Should the United States Withdraw from Afghanistan?

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Nearly eight years after the fall of the Taliban regime, Afghanistan struggles under the most brutal circumstances: corrupt and ineffective state institutions; thousands of miles of unguarded borders; pervasive illiteracy and poverty; and a dysfunctional international alliance attempting to provide security for the country. Can "nation-building" in the midst of a bloody insurgency succeed in such an environment? What constitutes "success," and what price should we be willing to pay for it? Does the United States have a compelling strategic rationale for remaining in Afghanistan? Please join us for a lively discussion.

A Harsh Climate for Trade: How Climate Change Proposals Threaten Global Commerce

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

As the Senate prepares to consider a climate change bill, a new study from the Cato Institute lays out some of the dangers in trade provisions ostensibly designed to "level the carbon playing field" between countries that sign carbon-limiting agreements and those that do not. Using the latest data and thinking on trade law, Sallie James shows how linking tariffs to greenhouse gas emissions would be harmful to the U.S. economy and counterproductive for achieving climate change objectives. Gary Hufbauer and Clayton Yeutter will also present their views on the intersection between climate change and trade policy.

Understanding Health Care Co-ops

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

With the "public option" for health care reform faltering, "co-ops" are increasingly being discussed as an alternative. But what are health insurance co-operatives? How do they work? Are they a viable alternative or just the public option by a different name? Cato senior fellow Michael Tanner will discuss the history, successes, and failures of health insurance co-ops, and how they may or may not fit into health care reform.

Citizens United Redux: The First Amendment Vindicated?

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

In January 2008, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the commercials for a film, Hillary: The Movie, violated the section of the McCain-Feingold Act that restricts "electioneering communications" within 30 days before primaries. The United States Supreme Court was expected to rule on this case in the summer of 2009. Instead, the Court asked that the case be reargued, focusing on whether two of its precedents should be overturned. The first precedent upheld part of McCain-Feingold; the second (and more important) decision, Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, upheld government prohibitions on political speech by corporations. The reargument is scheduled for September 9, 2009. Proponents claim that overruling the Austin precedent would unleash business spending on political speech, thereby weakening democracy. Others see, in the end of Austin, an opening toward new era of political speech that is free of government control. Please join us for a spirited assessment of the prospects of a major change in First Amendment law and electoral politics.

Diagnosing and Treating the Roots of the Financial Crisis

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at CatoStore How is it that in a world where thousands of people regulated financial markets the whole system crashed? And should we now give more power to central banks, government agencies, politicians, and regulators? Are they what brought us this crisis in the first place? In the new book Financial Fiasco: How America's Infatuation with Home Ownership and Easy Money Created the Economic Crisis, Johan Norberg digs deep into the foundation of the economic meltdown. Please join Cato scholars Johan Norberg and Mark Calabria for an analysis of the factors that created the financial crisis and for their recommendations for solving these problems.

Financial Fiasco: How America's Infatuation with Home Ownership and Easy Money Created the Economic Crisis

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at CatoStore How was it possible that in a world where thousands of people regulated financial markets the whole system crashed down? And should we now give more power to central banks, government agencies, politicians, and regulators? Isn't that what brought us here in the first place? Financial Fiasco digs deep into the foundation of the economic meltdown, revealing how it was the product of conscious actions by decisionmakers in companies, government agencies, and political institutions, and by consumers. Financial Fiasco tells the compelling story of how rate-cutting by the Federal Reserve inflated the real estate market and fueled increased risk-taking in the financial markets; how new government policies to promote home ownership blasted air into the credit bubble; how new financial instruments, credit-rating requirements, and accounting rules intended to prevent cheating backfired; and much more. Financial Fiasco guides readers through a world of irresponsible behavior, warns that many of the "solutions" being implemented are repeating the mistakes that caused the crisis, and offers guidance on how to move forward.

Restriction or Legalization? Measuring the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

As Congress prepares to tackle immigration reform, a new study from the Cato Institute estimates that the difference in the impact on U.S. households between the most and least restrictive policies would be about a quarter of a trillion dollars. Using a model of the U.S. economy developed for the Department of Homeland Security and other U.S. agencies, economists Peter Dixon and Maureen Rimmer conclude that increased restriction of illegal immigration would cost U.S. households $80 billion a year, while legalization through a temporary visa program would raise incomes by $180 billion. Professor Dixon will explain the findings and answer questions about the methodology of the study, and Cato scholar Daniel Griswold will share the results of his new study on immigration and the underclass.

Create Your Own Economy: The Path to Prosperity in a Disordered World

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at Amazon How will we live well in a super-networked, information-soaked, yet predictably irrational world? The only way to know is to understand how the way we think is changing. As economist Tyler Cowen shows in Create Your Own Economy, the way we think is now changing more rapidly than it has in a long time. Cowen argues that in our now Internet-centric world we are continually breaking down information into ever-smaller pieces and ordering and reordering them in our minds (and our computers) to meet our individual needs. The more information we obtain, the more we want (and the more we can get). An analysis of this process enables us to understand how the mass consumption of information now occurs. In this provocative Forum, Cowen and guest panelists will discuss the overall viewpoints presented by the book, and will focus on the insightful analysis it offers on the unique thought processes of autism--how the autistic penchant for grasping information through classification, categorization, and specialization illuminates the way in which mainstream society now reaches for and dissects information. As the book's title suggests, this can shed a powerful light on where society and our economy are headed. We can now re-examine how politics, government, democratic decisionmaking, social networking, and more are perceived. We can reevaluate how these institutions are working (and will work in the future) and what elements will contribute to their success. (Professor Jeffrey Schaler of American University, previously listed as speaking at this event, will be unable to attend owing to a personal matter.)

Venezuela's Assault on Freedom of the Press and Other Liberties

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is promising to shut down Globovision Televisión, the last remaining independent television station broadcasting on public airwaves in the country. Two years ago, the government closed RCTV, Venezuela's largest television station, a move that sparked the successful student movement to reject Chávez's constitutional referendum to consolidate his socialist project. The government now claims that the private press is engaging in "media terrorism" and is "sickening" the public, and has announced that it will close more than 240 radio stations. Carlos Alberto Zuloaga and Rafael Alfonzo will describe Chávez's increasing radicalization in recent months, including his intensified assault on the press and on other basic civil, political, and economic liberties. Robert Rivard will provide comments.

Assessing the Options: REAL ID, PASS ID, or No National ID at All

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:30:00 -0400

The introduction of a bill called the PASS ID Act in the Senate has renewed the debate about whether the United States should have a national ID. PASS ID purports to improve on the moribund REAL ID Act, but the central question is whether there should be a national ID at all. A national ID would cost billions of dollars, place sensitive identity documents into insecure databases, and give the federal government more control over Americans' private lives. Join us for a discussion of the weaknesses that PASS ID and REAL ID share with any national ID system, and why diverse, competitive identity and credentialing systems are superior.

Who Are the Uninsured?

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The 2006 Census Bureau estimate of 47 million uninsured Americans is often cited as a reason that health care reform is necessary. But who makes up this 47 million? Is it fair to lump all uninsured individuals into one statistic? Building on her recent Employment Policies Institute paper Who are the Uninsured? former CBO director June O'Neill will discuss the characteristics of the uninsured population and what being uninsured means for individuals' health status. Cato scholar Michael Tanner will comment on O'Neill's findings.

What Government-Run Health Care Really Means

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Government-run health systems, such as the one in Canada, are pointed to by those on different sides of the issue as examples of what to do or not to do in health reform. What lessons do these systems hold for the United States as it attempts to overhaul its health care system? What policies should Congress steer clear of? Join Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute and co-author of Healthy Competition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It, and Sally Pipes, president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute and author of Top Ten Myths of American Health Care: A Citizen's Guide, for a discussion. Pipes will recount her firsthand experience with the Canadian health care system, and both panelists will explore what lies ahead for the United States.

Engaging China to Solve the North Korea Problem

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

North Korea has been acting in an increasingly provocative manner, threatening nuclear and missile tests, and imprisoning two U.S. reporters captured on the North's border with China. What can be done? War is not an acceptable option, increased sanctions seem unlikely to work, and so far diplomacy has proved ineffective. Does working in closer cooperation with China offer a better option? Beijing has the most clout in Pyongyang, but remains unwilling to use its influence. Could U.S. policymakers persuade China to take a more active role, perhaps even working to oust the murderous regime of Kim Jong-il? What arguments would be most compelling for Beijing and what incentives might Washington offer to win China's cooperation? This event is made possible through the generosity of The Ploughshares Fund.

Voting Rights—and Wrongs: The Elusive Quest for Racially Fair Elections

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at Amazon The 1965 Voting Rights Act is the crown jewel of American civil rights legislation; its passage marked the death knell of the Jim Crow South. But that was the beginning, not the end, of an important debate on race and representation in American democracy. When is the distribution of political power racially fair? Who counts as a representative of black and Hispanic interests? The Court, the Justice Department, and Congress have collaborated in segregating American politics with race-driven districting to protect black and Hispanic candidates from white competition. Meanwhile, states and counties across the nation have had their methods of election put into federal receivership, in effect. Has the integration of American politics demanded such an extraordinary use of federal power? And does it still today? Author Abigail Thernstrom, whom Shelby Steele has called "simply the best writer and thinker we have on voting rights in America," will discuss the myriad of complex issues that swirl around the interpretation and enforcement of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. No other race-related public policy has done more to shape America's racial landscape—for good and for ill.

Federal Drug Policy: Time to Shift Priorities

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

President Obama's new drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, says he wants to banish the idea of a "war on drugs" because the federal government should not be "at war with the people of this country." An important and welcome announcement, to be sure, but what government policies will be actually adjusted, canceled, or reversed? At a minimum, the time is right to reverse the militarization of law enforcement, abolish mandatory minimum sentencing, and stop federal meddling in the state referendum and initiative process. Join us for a wide-ranging discussion regarding new directions for federal drug policy.

To Reform Health Care, Don't Increase Taxes, Cut Them

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

To cover the likely $2 trillion cost of extending health insurance coverage to the uninsured, Democratic leaders are scrambling to find ways to increase the American people's taxes. Should Congress tax health benefits? Charitable contributions? Soda pop? Wages? The rich? Or are congressional leaders barking up the wrong tree? Is this rush to tax based on false premises? Two health policy experts from the Cato Institute—the co-authors of Healthy Competition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It—will explain the pitfalls of tax-and-spend health care reform, as well as how true reform requires reducing the amount of money that politicians control.

Is This Socialized Medicine?

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

As with past attempts to overhaul America's health care sector, critics have labeled the reforms before Congress "socialized medicine." Is this a fair accusation? Are President Obama and congressional Democrats really trying to impose socialized medicine on the United States? What is socialized medicine, anyway? Scholars with different perspectives on these questions will debate what relevance socialized medicine has to today's health care reform debate.

Bringing Transparency to the Federal Reserve

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The recent financial crisis has led to a massive expansion of government involvement in our capital markets. Foremost among those interventions has been the almost tripling of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet, from just over $800 billion before the crisis to almost $2.3 trillion now. Even more astounding is that the increase, with its massive exposure of loss to the American taxpayer, has been conducted with almost no oversight from Congress. Rep. Ron Paul has long led efforts to bring greater transparency and accountability to the workings of government. Join us for a discussion on increasing the public transparency of the Federal Reserve.

Pakistan and the Future of U.S. Policy

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

In recent months, Pakistani security forces have been battling extremists from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi, and other interconnected networks of terrorist groups in the country's northern districts. Insurgents routinely attack local authorities and have forced over a million persons to flee. These developments are sparking fears that as extremist influence spreads, an al Qaeda ally could get its hands on Pakistan's nuclear weapons. How serious is the militant threat to Pakistan? How does this threat affect U.S. interests? How reliable of an ally is Pakistan to the United States? And what are the prospects for stability in the region? Join us as we explore these questions. Speaker Biographies: Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin has been president of the Middle East Institute since March 2007. Before that she served as deputy high commissioner for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. As assistant administrator in the Asia-Near East Bureau for the US Agency for International Development, Chamberlin held posts in Iraq, South Asia and the Middle East, among other national and international assignments. Mukhtar A. Khan is a Pakistani Pashtun journalist-cum-analyst based in Washington, DC. Since 9/11, he has extensively covered Pakistan's troubled frontier, both for the local and international media, including the BBC, Mail on Sunday, and Voice of America, and has visited the region frequently. Currently, he is working on a book on increasing trends of militancy in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border regions and its spillover to the rest of the world. He is also working as Chief Media Strategist for AfPak Media Solutions and Senior Advisor to the Pashtun Focus, besides contributing analytical articles for The Jamestown Foundation and the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point. Ken Luongo is president of the Partnership for Global Security. He has experience in fissile material control, nuclear terrorism and proliferation, and geographic expertise in Pakistan, India, Russia and the former Soviet Union. Previously, he served as senior advisor to the secretary of energy for nonproliferation policy and the director of the Office of Arms Control and Nonproliferation at the U.S. Department of Energy. Luongo has served with the Senate and House Armed Services Committee and has worked extensively on Russian and Pakistani nuclear security issues. Malou Innocent is a Foreign Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute. Her primary research interests are U.S. foreign policy toward Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China. She recently traveled to Pakistan through the Ford Foundation. She has published reviews and articles on national security and international affairs in scholarly and policy journals such as Survival, Congressional Quarterly, and Harvard International Review, as well as in publications such as Armed Forces Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Wall Street Journal Asia, and the Huffington Post. She has appeared as a guest analyst on BBC News, Fox News Channel, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, CNBC Asia, and Reuters. Christopher Preble is the Cato Institute's director of foreign policy studies. His book The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous and Less Free documents the enormous costs of America's military power, and proposes a new grand strategy to advance U.S. national security. He is also the author of Exiting Iraq: How the U.S. Must End the Occupation and Renew the War against Al Qaeda, and John F. Kennedy and the Missile Gap. In addition, Preble has published over 100 articles in major publications, including USA Today, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He has appeared on many television and radio news networks including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel, NPR, and the BBC. Preble was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy and is a veteran of the Gulf War, having served onboard USS Ticonderoga (CG-47) from 1990 to 1993.

Massachusetts — Three Years Later

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

When Massachusetts passed its pioneering health care reforms in 2006, critics warned that they would result in a downward spiral toward a government-run health care system. Three years later, those predictions appear to be coming true. With the "Massachusetts model" frequently cited as a blueprint for health care reform, it is important to understand what has resulted since the legislation was implemented. Please join Cato senior fellow Michael Tanner, along with Consumers for Health Care Choices president and CEO Greg Scandlen, and Heritage Foundation policy analyst Greg D'Angelo as they examine the lessons to be learned from Massachusetts. Read more in a new study by Michael D. Tanner, "Massachusetts Miracle or Massachusetts Miserable: What the Failure of the 'Massachusetts Model' Tells Us about Health Care Reform."

It's Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at Amazon When the 24-year-long reign of Daniel arap Moi ended in 2002, Kenyans looked to their new democratically elected government to end pervasive corruption and fix the economy. The new president, Mwai Kibaki, quickly appointed John Githongo as Kenya's anti-corruption czar and took tentative steps to make the government more transparent. Veteran Africa correspondent Michela Wrong charts Githongo's losing fight. As hopeful beginning gave way to disappointment, Githongo realized that the new ruling elite—including people closest to the president—partook in grand corruption with the same gusto as the old. Kibaki's lack of concern at Githongo's findings was only matched by the resolve of most Western governments and aid agencies to ignore widespread corruption so that more aid dollars could flow to Kenya.

Dred Scott's Revenge: A Legal History of Race and Freedom in America

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at Amazon The Declaration of Independence proclaimed America's belief in legal equality and inalienable rights. But American governments legally suspended the free will of blacks for 150 years and then denied blacks equal protection under the law for another 150 years. How did this happen in America? How were the Constitution and laws of the land twisted so as to institutionalize racism? How did it — or will it — end? In his new book Judge Andrew P. Napolitano takes a no-holds-barred look at the role of the government in the denial of freedoms on the basis of race. Juan Williams of NPR, author of Eyes on the Prize and of a biography of Thurgood Marshall, calls it "the best history of the law and race I've ever read." Damon Root and Jason Kuznicki, both of whom have written on the history of race and the law, will comment.

A New Course for Antitrust

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

On May 11, Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney announced plans to restore an aggressive enforcement policy against corporations that engage in anti-competitive behavior. Specifically, the Justice Department was revoking legal guidelines that were adopted in September 2008 that made it more difficult to pursue antitrust cases. "The recent developments in the marketplace should make it clear that we can no longer rely upon the marketplace alone to ensure that competition and consumers will be protected," explained the new head of the Antitrust Division. This policy reversal could be a shot across the bow of the tech industry, with Google and Intel now fearing the sort of legal action that plagued Microsoft in the 1990s. But should the government be going after profitable companies during weak economic times? What makes a merger anti-competitive or a business action monopolistic? How much does antitrust enforcement ultimately benefit the consumer? Please join us for an exploration of these and other issues that lie at the intersection of legal and economic theory and practice.

A New Course for Antitrust

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Restoring the Pro-Trade Consensus

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The bipartisan, pro-trade consensus that served U.S. interests so well for nearly six decades collapsed during the Bush administration. Today, the direction of U.S. trade policy remains unclear to most observers. Although President Obama seems to appreciate the importance of trade and speaks about the dangers of protectionism, the 111th Congress has given mixed signals on the topic. What caused the collapse of the pro-trade consensus? Can that consensus be restored? Is its restoration a requirement of meaningful and effective trade policy? If so, how can it be accomplished? Please join Congressman Cuellar and Cato scholar Daniel J. Ikenson to discuss the importance of restoring bipartisan support for open international commerce.

Fusion Centers: Domestic Spying or Sensible Surveillance?

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Police departments across the country are starting to create networks of databases called "fusion centers" in an effort to detect and prevent acts of terrorism. The ultimate objective is to create a nationwide reporting system of suspicious behaviors so that the authorities can "connect the dots" before an attack can occur. Civil liberties groups claim these fusion centers are beset with legal and practical problems. One legal problem is that the police should not be opening files on people because they exercised their right to free speech, such as demonstrating against the foreign policies of the United States. One practical problem is that the police are gathering so much mundane information that practically anyone could end up on a list of "suspicious" persons because some official arbitrarily decided to fill out a tip sheet. Join us for a discussion of the pros and cons of this newly proposed system of policing.

Who Are the Real Free Traders in Congress?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Which members of Congress most consistently support the freedom of Americans to trade and invest in the global economy—free of market-distorting subsidies and barriers? Cato trade scholar Daniel Griswold will reveal who in the 110th Congress earned the title of "Free Trader" and demonstrate the new Cato web feature, "Free Trade, Free Markets," which allows users to search an up-to-date database containing more than a decade of votes. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), one of the Senate's most distinguished and consistent supporters of free trade, will offer remarks on the prospects for trade legislation in the 111th Congress and beyond. Due to the overwhelming public response to this program we are unable to accept additional reservations. A video of the event will be posted to this website within one week. Thank you for your interest in our programs.

Driving Like Crazy

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase book If scathing, uproarious, and insightful political satire were not enough, for more than 30 years P. J. O'Rourke—acclaimed humorist and H. L. Mencken Research Fellow at the Cato Institute—has written about his love affair with the automobile. His newest book, Driving Like Crazy: Thirty Years of Vehicular Hell-bending, Celebrating America the Way It's Supposed to Be—With an Oil Well in Every Backyard, a Cadillac Escalade in Every Carport, and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Mowing Our Lawn combines his classic articles on automobiles with new material and traces the birth and death of America's car obsession. Starting with his childhood as the grandson of an Ohio Buick dealer, O'Rourke details some of his earliest adventures as an automotive writer, on assignment for Car and Driver, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Esquire, among others. What emerges is a love letter to the glory days of the American automobile, from the perspective of a 60-something who has been driving like crazy for a lifetime. O'Rourke opens the book by chronicling the end of an era, as the government bails out the auto industry, places ever-more-strident restrictions on emissions, and, as he sees it, brings to a halt the heyday of the American car. "Pity the poor American car when Congress and the White House get through with it," he laments, "a light-weight vehicle with a small carbon footprint, using alternative energy and renewable resources to operate in a sustainable way. When I was a kid we called it a Schwinn." Reaffirming O'Rourke's stature as "the funniest writer in America"—with previous best-sellers including Parliament of Whores, Give War a Chance, Eat the Rich, The CEO of the Sofa, and his most recent, On the Wealth of Nations—this new addition to his dazzling canon takes readers on a wild ride—from his earliest live-fast-and-drive-fast days to his older, wiser, SUV-driving, Prius-hating self.

The Financial Fix — Limited Purpose Banking

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The Obama administration is expected to propose a comprehensive reform of the American financial system some time in June. Goodman and Kotlikoff find the administration's financial strategy — fighting each financial fire one by one and rebuilding the old system pretty much as it was — deeply misguided. It treats the symptoms, not the disease, and will leave us financially and fiscally weaker. It is more important to offer a solution based on a simple principle: no one should be able to gamble with other people's money, including the taxpayers' money, without their consent.

Will Cost Containment Derail Health Care Reform?

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

From a patient's point of view, the ideal health insurance policy would offer unlimited access to medical services at no charge. Unfortunately, it is not feasible to offer this to everyone. The key to sustainable health care reform is restraining the use of services that have high costs and low benefits. How will a government-funded system restrain spending? Why might a market-oriented alternative be attractive? Please join Cato scholar Arnold Kling to examine the challenges facing health reformers and the feasibility of alternative proposals.

Money, Markets, and Sovereignty

Tue, 19 May 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at Amazon The current state of international economic relations is unusual and precarious. Benn Steil and Manuel Hinds will explain how protectionism has historically coincided with monetary nationalism, whereas eras of liberal trade have been accompanied by a universal monetary standard. But the situation today is prone to crisis, because an unprecedentedly liberal global trade regime exists alongside monetary nationalism of an extreme kind. According to the authors, national monies and globalization don't mix. "If anything is likely to throw globalization into reverse, it is not trade itself, but the money that facilitates it." Please join us to hear their prescient analysis and their views on the future of the dollar and the emergence of a global monetary standard.

The Welfare State We're In

Mon, 18 May 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at Amazon "A splendid book. A devastating critique of the welfare state. A page-turner, yet also extensively sourced. I congratulate Mr. Bartholomew." – Milton Friedman In this controversial book, James Bartholomew argues that the welfare state in Britain has resulted in a generation of badly educated and dependent citizens, leading to lives of deprivation for thousands and undermining the original intent behind its creation in the 1940s. Has the welfare state really led to more harm than good? What does this imply for the ever-expanding welfare state in the United States?

Is It Time to End the International War on Drugs?

Fri, 15 May 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Since President Nixon launched the War on Drugs in 1971, its escalating direct and indirect costs have become increasingly apparent. As we have seen over the decades in Colombia, Mexico, Afghanistan, and other drug-source countries, banning the drug trade creates economic distortions and an opportunity for some of the most unsavory elements to gain tenacious footholds. Drug prohibition inevitably leads to an orgy of corruption and violence. Do any perceived benefits of the current prohibitionist policies outweigh the growing costs to the United States and other countries? Please join Cato scholars Ted Carpenter and Ian Vásquez for a discussion of the international consequences of America's war on drugs and whether alternative approaches would lead to better outcomes.

How Overreaction and Misdirection Play into the Strategy of Terrorism

Mon, 11 May 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Terrorism seeks to weaken strong powers like the United States by goading them to overreact and waste their own blood and treasure, give sympathy and recruiting gains to terrorists, and come loose from their ideological moorings. Beyond avoiding war and misdirected homeland security efforts, sound counterterrorism strategy requires subtle awareness of the different ways a victim state's actions can play into terrorists' hands. Countering the strategic logic of terrorism will require policymakers to adopt very disciplined responses and deny superficially appealing impulses toward overreaction. Please join Cato scholars David Rittgers and Christopher Preble to discuss a more effective way to respond to terrorist threats and activities.

The Dangers of U.S. Military Dominance

Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase from Cato Bookstore Numerous polls show that Americans want to reduce our military presence abroad, allowing our allies and other nations to assume greater responsibility both for their own defense and for enforcing security in their respective regions. Why haven't we done so? In The Power Problem, Christopher Preble contends that the vast military strength of the United States has induced policymakers in Washington to broaden the perception of the "national interest," and ultimately to commit the United States to the impossible task of maintaining global order. What does preserving American security require, and how engaged should U.S. forces be beyond protecting our core national interests? To what extent does the status quo advance U.S. security, and to what degree is it undermining our security, imposing unnecessary costs, and forcing all Americans to incur additional risks? Please join Cato's Christopher Preble and the Nixon Center's Paul Saunders for a discussion about the nature of American military power, its purpose in U.S. foreign policy, and its power to define the national interest.

Restoring the Pro-Trade Consensus

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:00:00 -0400

The bipartisan, pro-trade consensus that served U.S. interests so well for nearly six decades collapsed during the Bush administration. Today, the direction of U.S. trade policy remains unclear to most observers. Although President Obama seems to appreciate the importance of trade and speaks about the dangers of protectionism, the 111th Congress flirts with legislation that can only be described as protectionist. What caused the collapse of the pro-trade consensus? Can that consensus be restored? Is restoration of consensus a requirement of meaningful and effective trade policy? If so, how can it be accomplished?

The Power of Freedom: Uniting Human Rights and Development

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at Cato Are the quests for human rights and economic development compatible? Jean-Pierre Chauffour takes the development and human rights communities to task for working at cross purposes and often advocating policies that violate basic rights, whether those rights are economic freedoms or broader issues of personal choice. The author will explain how the two traditions can be reconciled by empowering people with economic, civil, and political liberty, and he will outline a mutually supportive agenda for advocates of growth and human rights. Susan Aaronson will draw on her years of scholarship on trade and human rights to comment on the book.

The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous, and Less Free

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at Cato Numerous polls show that Americans want to reduce our military presence abroad, allowing our allies and other nations to assume greater responsibility both for their own defense and for enforcing security in their respective regions. Why haven't we done so? In The Power Problem, Christopher A. Preble contends that the vast military strength of the United States has induced policymakers in Washington to broaden the perception of the "national interest," and ultimately to commit ourselves to the impossible task of maintaining global order. Preble holds that the core national interest — preserving American security — is easily defined and largely immutable. In his view, military power is purely instrumental: if it advances U.S. security, then it is fulfilling its essential role. If it does not — if it undermines our security, imposes unnecessary costs, and forces all Americans to incur additional risks — then our military power is a problem, one that only we can solve. Please join us as we discuss the nature of American military power, its purpose in U.S. foreign policy, and its power to define the national interest.

Health Care University: Which Reforms Are Better—or Worse—than Doing Nothing?

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

President Obama and others on the Left have proposed a public plan--modeled on Medicare--to compete with private insurers. But Medicare is not the solution; it is the problem. Besides, there's no true competition if one of the players is also the referee. This session will explain why any package of reforms including "Medicare for More" deserves defeat.

Health Care University: Which Reforms Are Better—or Worse—than Doing Nothing?

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Health Care University: Which Reforms Are Better—or Worse—than Doing Nothing?

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Can Government Be Trusted with the Money Supply?

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Purchase at Amazon The Federal Reserve's contribution to the current financial crisis, far from being exceptional, is typical of central banks' frequent, myopic mismanagement of money. So why, given their dismal record, do we allow governments to manage money at all? The standard answer is that were money left to private enterprise, bad money would drive good money out of circulation. In Good Money: Birmingham Button Makers, the Royal Mint, and the Beginnings of Modern Coinage, 1775–1821 (University of Michigan Press, 2008), George Selgin reveals a forgotten episode of private coinage that proves the contrary. At the onset of Great Britain's Industrial Revolution, the British Royal Mint proved utterly incapable of meeting the monetary needs of an industrializing economy; and it was only thanks to private mints and their "commercial" coins that Great Britain managed to avoid slipping back into feudalism. We hope that you will be able to join us and hear Professor Selgin discuss this fascinating, important, and unjustly forgotten episode in the history of money.

Health Care University: Which Reforms Are Better—or Worse—than Doing Nothing?

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Health Care University: Which Reforms Are Better—or Worse—than Doing Nothing?

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Health Care University: Which Reforms Are Better—or Worse—than Doing Nothing?

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Health Care University: Which Reforms Are Better—or Worse—than Doing Nothing?

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Health Care University: Which Reforms Are Better—or Worse—than Doing Nothing?

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0400

Left Turn? South Africa after the Election

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:30:00 -0400

On April 22, South Africa will hold its fourth general election since the advent of multiracial democracy in 1994 and first general election since the break-up of the once-hegemonic African National Congress. Will a strong showing by the new party-the Congress of the People-reduce the ANC's majority, reinvigorate the opposition, and make the government more accountable? Or will it lead the ANC to embrace more populist economic policies in an effort to regain the loyalty of its former supporters? Please join us for a discussion of the likely effects of this pivotal election on the future of sub-Saharan Africa's most powerful nation.

Health Care University: Which Reforms Are Better—or Worse—than Doing Nothing?