Cato Video

The Implications of the Expanding U.S. Drone Program

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:56:00 -0400

Featuring Benjamin H. Friedman, Research Fellow in Defense and Homeland Security Studies, Cato Institute; Spencer Ackerman, Senior Writer, WIRED Magazine; and Julian Sanchez, Research Fellow, Cato Institute; moderated by Laura Odato, Director of Government Affairs, Cato Institute. As the United States continues its use of drone technology overseas, the potential for increased domestic drone use has also begun to raise serious concerns. Sen. Rand Paul's (R-KY) recent filibuster on the topic brought widespread public attention to the issue and lawmakers are now beginning to ask important questions; namely, is use of this technology for surveillance appropriate and, if so, what risks will a drone program pose to civil liberties and individual privacy? What are the appropriate legal limits on overseas use, and are those limits being followed? Please join Cato Institute scholars Ben Friedman and Julian Sanchez, and journalist Spencer Ackerman, as they examine the current state of U.S. drone policy at home and overseas, whether this technology is good for the country, and what the future looks like for drone use.

Ohio Liberty Coalition versus the I.R.S.

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:52:00 -0400

The Ohio Liberty Coalition was among tea party groups that received special scrutiny from the I.R.S. Tom Zawistowski says his story is not unique. He argues the kinds of questions the I.R.S. asked his group amounts to little more than "opposition research."

Alex Nowrasteh debates Heritage Study on Documenting Immigrants

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:44:00 -0400

Heritage's Flawed Immigration AnalysisScoring Immigration Reform CorrectlyImmigrant Myth: Fewer Use Government ServicesFixing Guest Worker Visas

The I.R.S. Takes Aim at the Tea Party

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:00:00 -0400

The I.R.S. has targeted conservative and tea party groups for special scrutiny before granting them tax-favored status. David Keating, president of the Center for Competitive Politics, discusses the implications. Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

The I.R.S. Abusing Americans Is Nothing New

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:43:00 -0400

The I.R.S. targeting of tea party groups in the United States is par for the course. It's not the first time the agency has been used for partisan political ends. Whether or not the targeting was undertaken as a directive from the White House, the agency's broad latitude in determining what constitutes partisan political activity is very problematic. The solutions offered by campaign finance reformers would unfortunately only give the agency more power. Featuring: David Keating, President of the Center for Competitive Politics / Michael W. MacLeod-Ball, Chief Legislative and Policy Counsel, ACLU / John Samples, Director of the Cato Institute's Center for Representative Government / Gene Healy, Vice-President, Cato Institute. Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg. Additional footage gathered by Lester Romero.

"How Safe Are We? Balancing Risks, Benefits, and Costs" featuring John Mueller

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:15:00 -0400

Featuring John Mueller, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute, Senior Research Scientist, Mershon Center, Ohio State University; and Mark G. Stewart, Visiting Fellow, Cato Institute, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Newcastle, Australia; moderated by Laura Odato, Director of Government Affairs, Cato Institute. Join us for a non-technical primer on risk and cost-benefit analysis with applications to policies ranging from homeland security to climate change. Our panel will consider key issues as probability neglect, cost neglect, and acceptable risk. In general, the place to begin is not with the perennial question, "Are we safer?" but rather with the rarely asked, "How safe are we?" Increases in domestic homeland security spending since 9/11 exceed $1 trillion. How many post-9/11 security programs reduce risk enough to justify their cost? Panelists John Mueller and Mark Stewart are the authors of Terror, Security, and Money (Oxford University Press, 2011).

Marijuana, Hemp and Federalism

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:54:00 -0400

The Department of Justice has been largely silent on how it intends to enforce federal law in states where marijuana has recently been legalized for adults. President Obama, despite pledging to stand down in states that have legalized marijuana for medical use, has continued raids on medical marijuana facilities complying with state laws. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) believes changes to the Controlled Substances Act will allow states greater flexibility to set their own drug laws. He proposes a "cannabis commission" to create an environment where those changes are more likely.Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg. Recorded May 8, 2013.

The Impact of Cartel Behavior on Global Oil Prices and the Challenge to Free Markets

Fri, 03 May 2013 20:46:00 -0400

The OPEC cartel has been the key actor in world crude oil markets for four decades and counting. Even so, there is a surprising amount of disagreement about the nature of OPEC's influence on oil markets.In a new study published by Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE), authors Andrew Morriss and Roger Meiners survey the academic literature and conclude that OPEC is an unstable cartel that has, at times, been effective in significantly increasing the price of oil. When the cartel has failed in this exercise, however, the price of oil has collapsed, possibly lower than would have been the case were the market not subject to cartelization. Morriss and Meiners believe that much of the volatility that characterizes world crude oil markets can be laid at the cartel's doorstep and, as a consequence, "the international market for oil is not a free market." Fred Smith will discuss the policy implications of Morriss and Meiners' findings. James Smith, who has written extensively on the OPEC cartel, will comment.

Fixing Guest Worker Visas featuring Alex Nowrasteh

Thu, 02 May 2013 04:15:00 -0400

How does the Gang of Eight immigration bill reform guest worker visas? How will those reforms affect the rest of the immigration system? How else can guest worker visas be tweaked to improve the outcomes? These vital questions must be answered so that the guest worker visa program provides the maximum benefit to the American economy. A robust and large guest worker visa program will accomplish two goals. First, it will channel healthy and peaceful people into sectors of the U.S. economy that demand their skills. Second, it will reduce the pressure of immigrants seeking to enter illegally and focus border security on security and health threats. The complexities of the guest worker visa, including its good points and its shortcomings, will be examined in detail.

Ian Vasquez entrevista a la bloguera disidente cubana Yoani Sanchez sobre el futuro de Cuba

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:22:00 -0400

Ian Vasquez entrevista a la bloguera disidente cubana Yoani Sanchez sobre el futuro de Cuba.

Ian Vasquez interviews Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez on the future of Cuba

Wed, 01 May 2013 04:15:00 -0400

Ian Vasquez interviews Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez on the future of CubaVideo produced by Caleb O. Brown, Austin BraggEnglish dub by Ian Vasquez, Antonella Marty, Kevin Sennett and Lester RomeroEvent: The Future of Freedom in Cuba

Subsidizing the Security of Wealthy Allies

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:32:00 -0400

This much is clear: our security commitments, many of them holdovers from the Cold War, induce other countries to spend less than they could on their own defense. And they compel Americans to spend more than we should.Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

The Boston Marathon Bombings

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 04:01:00 -0400

Making rational judgments about the risks we face becomes harder in the face of horrific acts of violence like the bombings at the Boston Marathon. But the risks associated with terrorism must fit within the risks we face every day. John Mueller is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and author of "Terror, Security and Money."Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

Juche Strong: A Dialogue on the Posturing and Propaganda of North Korea

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:52:00 -0400

Featuring Rob Montz, Director, Juche Strong; and Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; moderated by Caleb O. Brown, Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute.International observers have long predicted the collapse of North Korea; with a totalitarian government, failed economy, and few friends in the international community, there seems little reason to expect otherwise. Yet, the Kim regime persists — but why? In Juche Strong, director Rob Montz examines the propaganda apparatus that exists in North Korea, the underlying Juche philosophy of national "self-reliance" that fuels it, and the pivotal role it plays in the continued existence of the secretive country. Montz argues that a collective sense of purpose instilled by cradle-to-grave propaganda has been key to sustaining the country, and has created a quasi-religious fervor around the Kim dynasty that persists even as North Koreans suffer under the brutal regime.Can North Korea continue indefinitely in this fashion? If so, what policies should the U.S. consider as North Korea strives to develop its nuclear program? How should the U.S. respond when North Korean leaders threaten aggression? Please join us for a screening of this documentary and a discussion of these fascinating issues.Juche Strong is sponsored by the Moving Picture Institute. You can find out more about the film at www.JucheStrong.com

Law, Politics, and Same-Sex Marriage (Part II)

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:57:00 -0400

Featuring Ilya Shapiro, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute Center for Constitutional Studies; Ken Mehlman, Former Chair, Republican National Committee; and Evan Wolfson, Founder and Executive Director, Freedom to Marry; moderated by Walter Olson, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute Center for Constitutional Studies.On March 26 and 27, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in potential landmark cases on the rights of same-sex couples: U.S. v. Windsor, a challenge to the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA); and Hollingsworth v. Perry, a challenge to California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage. Is the United States moving toward legal equality between gay and straight couples? What does the U.S. Constitution have to say about the question? And should the Republican Party, long committed to opposing gay marriage, rethink its position? Two of the nation's best-known advocates on the issue — Evan Wolfson, widely seen as the master strategist behind the movement for same-sex marriage, and Ken Mehlman, a key figure in Republican rethinking of the issue, will be joined by Ilya Shapiro, who heads the Cato Institute's amicus program and presided over the development of Cato's briefs in Windsor and Perry.

Law, Politics, and Same-Sex Marriage (Part I)

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:01:00 -0400

How Will a Culture of Permanent War Impact America's Future?

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:09:00 -0400

Although America's all-volunteer military absorbs much of the burden of war, military conflicts impact our entire society. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are projected to cost over $3 trillion, have also led to changes in domestic politics that have curtailed civil liberties, expanded intrusive government practices, and bypassed congressional war powers. Over the past decade, America's post-9/11 wars have also transformed our political discourse, popular culture, and social relations. These changes have produced a generation of young Americans who are not only less accustomed to peace, but also more accustomed to ceding power to government.Will the current state of U.S. foreign policy embed war-making in the DNA of the next generation, or will over a decade of perpetual war eventually be rejected in favor of a renewed preference for liberty and peace?Drawing on his recent work at George Mason University, Mercatus Dissertation Fellow Duncan will describe the political economy of the military-industrial complex and the side effects of military spending. Steven Kull, the director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, will discuss the American electorate's changing attitudes toward U.S. military intervention overseas and America's role in the world.

The Questionable Constitutionality of Dodd-Frank

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:12:00 -0400

Featuring Rep. Scott Garrett, Chairman of the Congressional Constitution Caucus, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, House Financial Services Committee; and Louise Bennetts, Associate Director of Financial Regulation Studies, Cato Institute; moderated by Laura Odato, Director of Government Affairs, Cato Institute.The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 was intended to "promote the financial stability of the United States by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system, to end 'too big to fail,' to protect the American taxpayer by ending bailouts, to protect consumers from abusive financial services practices, and for other purposes." The law is extraordinarily complex, requiring almost a dozen federal agencies to complete 398 rulemaking requirements, plus about 145 studies that will affect rulemaking. With the rulemaking process underway, there are growing concerns about the Act's constitutionality. In particular, the Act has implications for the separation of powers, the role of congressional oversight, vagueness and unfettered regulator discretion, and due process. Does Dodd-Frank provide effective oversight by any branch of government, and how can constitutional concerns about the law's grants of regulatory power be resolved?

The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:16:00 -0400

Featuring the author David A. Stockman, Former Budget Director, Reagan Administration; moderated by David Boaz, Executive Vice President, Cato Institute. The Great Deformation is a searing look at Washington's fiscal crisis. It counters conventional wisdom with an 80-year revisionist history of how the American state — especially the Federal Reserve — has fallen prey to the politics of crony capitalism and the ideologies of fiscal stimulus, monetary central planning, and financial bailouts. David Stockman points a finger at Franklin Roosevelt, who fathered crony capitalism; Richard Nixon, who destroyed fiscal discipline and the gold-backed dollar; Fed chairmen Greenspan and Bernanke, who fostered bubble finance and addiction to debt and speculation; George W. Bush, who repudiated fiscal rectitude and ballooned the warfare state via senseless wars; and Barack Obama, who revived failed Keynesian "borrow and spend" policies that have driven the national debt to perilous heights. He doesn't spare Ronald Reagan and Milton Friedman, either. He's guaranteed to provoke liberals, conservatives, and libertarians. Stockman's analysis skewers Keynesian spenders and GOP tax-cutters alike, showing how they converged to bloat the welfare state, perpetuate the military-industrial complex, and deplete the revenue base — even as the Fed's massive money-printing binge allowed politicians to enjoy "deficits without tears." But these policies have also fueled new financial bubbles and favored Wall Street with cheap money and rigged stock and bond markets, while crushing Main Street savers. The Great Deformation explains how we got here and why these crony capitalist policies are an epochal threat to free-market prosperity and American democracy.

Doug Bandow debates Amb. John Bolton over North Korea on FOX

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:25:00 -0400

Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, specializing in foreign policy and civil liberties. He worked as special assistant to President Reagan and editor of the political magazine Inquiry. He writes regularly for leading publications such as Fortune magazine, National Interest, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Times. Bandow speaks frequently at academic conferences, on college campuses, and to business groups. Bandow has been a regular commentator on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC. He holds a J.D. from Stanford University.

The War in Afghanistan: What Went Wrong?

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:29:00 -0400

The December 2001 Bonn Agreement proclaimed the international community's determination to "end the tragic conflict in Afghanistan and promote national reconciliation, lasting peace, stability and respect for human rights in the country." Over a decade later, while access to health care and education has improved, the central government in Kabul remains corrupt and incapable of exerting control over its territory, the Afghan security forces are rife with criminality and internal divisions, and the Afghan Taliban and other insurgent forces still threaten the country. The mission to build an effective Afghan state and eradicate indigenous militants has resulted in a costly, time-intensive, and troop-heavy campaign, even though the United States accomplished the limited goal of incapacitating al Qaeda and punishing the Taliban only months after 9/11. What went wrong? In autumn 2001 what could U.S. policymakers have done differently? Years later, in spring 2009, was an Iraq-like surge the right option? Should U.S. officials have ever oriented the mission around grand promises of civilian reconstruction and long-term development assistance? Could the United States have met the limited objective of disrupting al Qaeda without a broader nation-building presence? In the future, if America is attacked and finds itself in a similar situation, how should it meet the threat without getting trapped? The views expressed by Colonel Gentile here do not necessarily represent those of the United States government or the Department of Defense. This interview was recorded shortly after the event, "The War in Afghanistan: What Went Wrong?" at the Cato Institute April 5, 2013.

Sallie James discusses sugar subsidies on FBN's Stossel

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:33:00 -0400

Sallie James is a policy analyst with Cato's Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies. James writes and speaks on a variety of trade topics, with a research emphasis on the subject of agricultural trade policy. Before joining Cato in 2006, James was an executive officer in the Office of Trade Negotiations in the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, working on industrials market access negotiations. Prior to that she was a Senior Policy Adviser in the Australian Government's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. She held numerous research and teaching assistant positions while studying. Her articles have been published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Orange County Register, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and other American newspapers as well as the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics and the European Review of Agricultural Economics. James has appeared on BBC World, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, Bloomberg TV, NPR, and other TV and radio outlets. James received her Bachelor of Economics and Master of Economics degrees from the University of Adelaide, and her Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Western Australia.

John A. Allison discusses the Cato Institute at CPAC 2013

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:41:00 -0400

John Allison is the President and CEO of the Cato Institute. Prior to joining Cato, Allison was Chairman and CEO of BB&T Corporation, the 10th largest financial services holding company headquartered in the United States. During his tenure as CEO from 1989 to 2008, BB&T grew from $4.5 billion to $152 billion in assets. He was recognized by the Harvard Business Review as one of the top 100 most successful CEOs in the world over the last decade. Allison has received the Corning Award for Distinguished Leadership, been inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Banker. He is a former Distinguished Professor of Practice at Wake Forest University School of Business, and serves on the Board of Visitors at the business schools at Wake Forest, Duke, and UNC-Chapel Hill. Allison is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his master's degree in management from Duke University, and is also a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

John A. Allison discusses Peter Wallison's Book Bad History, Worse Policy

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:52:00 -0400

Strategy, Not Math: The Emerging Consensus on National Security in an Era of Austerity

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 22:03:00 -0400

In November 2010 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates complained that the military cuts outlined by the Bowles-Simpson Deficit Reduction Commission were exercises in "math, not strategy." Since then, a number of high-profile studies have done the opposite: they have focused on revising the Pentagon's roles and missions following the end of the war in Iraq and ongoing troop reductions in Afghanistan, and documented the savings that might result from a change in strategy. The authors of three recent studies will discuss and compare their major recommendations. Although these reports differ on the military's core missions and the force structure those missions may require, they agree that change is needed. Wise strategists must recognize the new fiscal reality and decide to adapt before hard choices are forced upon them.

The European Crisis Continues: No Solution on the Horizon (Václav Klaus Part II)

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:08:00 -0400

As the European Crisis continues, with no solution in sight, it is becoming increasingly clear to many that the problems are deep and structural. Stagnant growth, persistent unemployment, and public dissatisfaction are threatening the very premises of the European project. Although some believe that "an ever-closer Europe" is the solution, others argue that the current crisis is no accident; it is the natural result of naïve and excessively optimistic expectations concerning the economic benefits of integration and centralization. Professor Václav Klaus, former Czech minister of finance and prime minister, and now distinguished senior fellow at the Cato Institute, will address these pressing questions during his first visit to Washington just days after stepping down from his second term as president.

The European Crisis Continues: No Solution on the Horizon (Václav Klaus Part I)

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:13:00 -0400

Charles I. Plosser Speaks at the Cato Institute's 30th Annual Monetary Conference

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:35:00 -0400

Eswar S. Prasad Speaks at the Cato Institute's 30th Annual Monetary Conference

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:12:00 -0400

George Tavlas (Bank of Greece) Speaks at the Cato Institute's 30th Annual Monetary Conference

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:18:00 -0400

Jerry O'Driscoll at the Cato Institute's 30th Anniversary Monetary Conference

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:21:00 -0400

Lawrence H. White at the Cato Institute's 30th Annual Monetary Conference

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:28:00 -0400

Thomas Hoenig at the Cato Institute's 30th Annual Monetary Conference

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:31:00 -0400

The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:34:00 -0400

Jared Cohen on the Epidemic of Violence in Mexico

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:38:00 -0400

The Invasion of Iraq: Ten Years Later

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:53:00 -0400

Sequestration Panic!

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:25:00 -0500

UPDATE (03/01/13): To clarify a comment from the video that may be unclear, references to future defense spending are in nominal dollars.http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/fairy-tale-spending-cutshttp://www.cato.org/sequester The "cuts" under sequestration are, in fact, not spending cuts at all. Even the one department that faces substantive cuts, Defense, will continue to spend at historically high levels. Cato Institute Senior Fellow Michael D. Tanner comments.Video produced by Caleb O. Brown, Austin Bragg and Lester Romero.

Cato Institute highlight reel featured at the 25th Annual Benefactor Summit

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:46:00 -0500

Cato Institute highlight reel featured at the 25th Annual Benefactor Summit.

In Search of the City on a Hill: The Making and Unmaking of an American Myth

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:58:00 -0500

Richard Gamble's book, In Search of the City on a Hill: the Making and Unmaking of an American Myth, helps make sense of exceptionalism's evolution. Gamble traces the "city on a hill" metaphor, from Puritan leader John Winthrop, who took it from the gospels, to its reincarnation in the 20th century as an explicitly political idea at the heart of foreign policy debates.

Human Capitalism: How Economic Growth Has Made Us Smarter — and More Unequal

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:10:00 -0500

The rise of economic inequality over the past generation has become a hot-button issue. In this e-book Cato senior fellow Brink Lindsey offers a fresh new interpretation of the growing class divide along educational lines. The good news, he argues, is that modern economic growth has made us smarter. Growth breeds social complexity, complexity imposes increasingly heavy demands on our mental capabilities, and people respond by investing heavily in "human capital" — that is, valuable knowledge and skills. In recent decades, however, the connection between economic development and cognitive development has broken down for large segments of American society. The demand for human capital has continued to grow, but the supply has stalled. Lindsey explores the cultural roots of this problem and offers policy prescriptions for reviving broad-based human capital accumulation.

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey Discusses 'Conscious Capitalism'

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 15:28:00 -0500

"We believe that business is good because it creates value, it is ethical because it is based on voluntary exchange, it is noble because it can elevate our existence, and it is heroic because it lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity. Free-enterprise capitalism is the most powerful system for social cooperation and human progress ever conceived. It is one of the most compelling ideas we humans have ever had. But we can aspire to something even greater," say Mackey and Sisodia, cofounders of the nonprofit Conscious Capitalism. In their new book, they illustrate how the forces of "conscious capitalism" can — and do — work most powerfully to create value for all stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers, investors, society, and the environment. These "Conscious Capitalism" companies include Whole Foods Market, Southwest Airlines, Costco, Google, Patagonia, The Container Store, UPS, and dozens of others. It's time to better understand how these organizations use four specific tenets — higher purpose, stakeholder integration, conscious leadership, and conscious culture and management — to build strong businesses and help advance capitalism further toward realizing its highest potential. Mackey and Sisodia argue that aspiring leaders and business builders need to continue on this path of transformation — for the good of both business and society as a whole. At once a bold defense and reimagining of capitalism and a blueprint for a new system for doing business grounded in a more evolved ethical consciousness, this book provides a new lens for individuals and companies looking to build a more cooperative, humane, and positive future.

The Pivot to Asia and the Future of U.S.-China Relations

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 15:37:00 -0500

Despite occasional trade frictions in the U.S.-China relationship, the citizens of both countries and their governments have a profound mutual interest in harmonious economic relations. Still, many Americans worry about the economic implications of China's rise, as well as its effect on the balance of power in Asia. While the Obama administration has promoted a "pivot" toward Asia, the media have been spilling ink over the proposition that China has thrived at U.S. expense for too long, and that her growing assertiveness requires U.S. policy changes. According to columnist Robert J. Samuelson, "China's worldview threatens America's geopolitical and economic interests." Have the once-respected demarcations between the strategic and economic aspects of the relationship been blurred permanently?

State of the Union 2013

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:15:00 -0500

Cato Institute scholars Michael Tanner, Alex Nowrasteh, Julian Sanchez, Simon Lester, John Samples, Pat Michaels, Jagadeesh Gokhale, Michael F. Cannon, Jim Harper, Malou Innocent, Juan Carlos Hidalgo, Ilya Shapiro, Trevor Burrus and Neal McCluskey respond to President Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address.Video produced by Caleb O. Brown, Austin Bragg and Lester Romero.

Obama's Drones

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:27:00 -0500

A recently discovered 2011 memo details how the White House interprets the law to allow it to kill Americans suspected of terrorism without giving them judicial due process. Julian Sanchez, a research fellow at the Cato Institute, discusses the memo.Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

Immigration Reform: Three Vital Components

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:41:00 -0500

Three components should be included in any immigration reform effort:1. A robust guest worker program for nonagricultural workers.2. Policies that welcome all highly skilled immigrants.3. An understanding that "enforcement first" is a copout.Alex Nowrasteh is a policy analyst on immigration at the Cato Institute.Good and bad of immigration proposalImmigration enforcementGuest worker opedVideo produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

Campaign Finance Since Citizens United

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:51:00 -0500

Three years ago the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in Citizens United. Later, lower courts followed Citizens United in deciding SpeechNow v. Federal Election Commission, the legal foundation for Super PACs. The nation has now experienced mid-term and president elections governed by these decisions. Bradley Smith is a former commisioner at the Federal Election Commission.

How China Became Capitalist

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:57:00 -0500

China has taken an extraordinary, and often unanticipated, journey in transforming itself from a closed agrarian socialist economy to a powerful economic force in the international arena. Coase and Wang persuasively argue that the reforms implemented by China's leaders during the past 35 years did not represent a concerted attempt to create a capitalist economy, and it was "marginal revolutions" that introduced the market and entrepreneurship back to China. Lessons from the West were guided by the traditional Chinese principle of "seeking truth from facts." How China Became Capitalist challenges received wisdom about the future of the Chinese economy, warning that while China has enormous potential for further growth, the future is clouded by the government's monopoly of ideas and power. The authors argue that the development of a market for ideas — which has a long and revered tradition in China — would be integral to bringing about the Chinese dream of social harmony.

Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:28:00 -0500

Marcus Porcius Cato, known as Cato the Younger, was a Stoic philosopher and a Roman senator — and the last man standing when Rome's republic fell to tyranny. His blood feud with Caesar began in the chamber of the Senate, played out on the battlefields of a world war, and ended when he took his own life rather than live under a dictator. Centuries of thinkers, writers, and artists have drawn inspiration from Cato's example. Saint Augustine and the early Christians were moved and challenged by his example. Dante, in his poem The Divine Comedy, chose Cato to preside over the souls who arrive in Purgatory. George Washington so revered him that he staged the play Cato to revive the spirits of his troops at Valley Forge. And of course his defense of the republic against the coming of tyranny inspired the 18th-century authors of Cato's Letters, which in turn were read by many of the American Founders and provided the name of the Cato Institute. Now, in Rome's Last Citizen, Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni deliver the first modern biography of this stirring figure.

Jimmy Soni on Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 17:43:00 -0500

Why Some Firms Thrive While Others Fail

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:49:00 -0500

The financial crisis revealed fundamental shortcomings in both public and private American institutions. While the firms that were successful each found their own way to weather the crisis, unsuccessful firms were remarkably alike in their inability to cope and in the mistakes they made. Combing through the wreckage, Thomas Stanton examines which financial firms survived the crisis and which ones failed. He analyzes how differences in governance, organization, and management between these firms led to their success or failure, and how government supervision and regulation failed to prevent the crisis. Based on interviews that the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission conducted with CEOs, risk officers, traders, and others at major financial firms, Stanton systematically outlines how successful firms such as JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and others used a multitude of approaches to distinguish themselves in operational competence and intelligent discipline, while unsuccessful firms such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Countrywide uniformly failed to prepare for low-probability, high-impact events.

Campaign Finance after Citizens United

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:57:00 -0500

Three years ago the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in Citizens United. Later, lower courts followed Citizens United in deciding SpeechNow v. Federal Election Commission, the legal foundation for Super PACs. The nation has now experienced mid-term and president elections governed by these decisions. This conference will examine the consequences of Citizens United. Did anything change?Don McGahn is the vice chair of the Federal Election Commission.Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

The Libertarian Roots of the Tea Party

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:06:00 -0500

Many people identify the Tea Party with the religious right and social conservatism. A new study of public opinion suggests this common view is misguided. The Tea Party is united on economic issues, but split on the social issues it avoids. Roughly half the Tea Party is socially conservative, half is libertarian — or, fiscally conservative, but socially moderate to liberal. Understanding the Tea Party's strong libertarian roots helps explain how the Tea Party movement has become a functionally libertarian influence on the Republican Party. Even social conservatives and evangelicals within the Tea Party act like libertarians. The Tea Party is upending the conventional wisdom that Republican candidates must placate socially conservative voters to win primaries. These surprising findings are sure to generate controversy and debate.

The New Campaign Finance Landscape

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:11:00 -0500

It's been three years since the Citizens United ruling opened up political advocacy to new players. What have been the effects. Ray LaRaja studies campaign finance as an associate professor of political science at UMass Amherst. LaRaja wants a freewheeling public discourse and has found that.Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

FrackNation

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:19:00 -0500

Hydraulic fracking is controversial, but should it be? Phelim McAleer, director of the film, FrackNation, argues that fracking's critics have vastly overstated their case.Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

Obama's Gun Control Agenda

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:31:00 -0500

Tim Lynch is director of the Cato Institute's Project on Criminal Justice. He evaluates President Obama's 23 executive orders and his legislative agenda for 2013.Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

Living with Guns: A Liberal's Case for the Second Amendment

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:42:00 -0500

Living with Guns: A Liberal's Case for the Second AmendmentIn the aftermath of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, firearm regulation has understandably moved to the forefront of our national political debate. Even before Newtown, the tragic mass shootings in Arizona and Colorado, and the botched Operation Fast and Furious, had kept this issue in the news. But many now are indicating that this tragedy, its nature and how it has stunned our nation, pushes the issue to a tipping point.While America has a tradition of private gun ownership for self-defense and sport, what can be done about the growing conflict between an individual's right to own guns and the public's desire to be safe from gun violence? The Second Amendment has long been one of the most divisive issues in American society. While there have been few national legal developments since the Supreme Court's rulings in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. Chicago (2010), states have been adjusting their laws — and public facilities changing their security systems — ever since the Columbine school shooting in 1999, and litigation continues in the lower courts.Unfortunately, national discussions of gun policy often devolve into sound bites, dueling headlines, lobbying campaigns, but accomplish little. Polarized, entrenched positions fail to constructively grapple with the fundamental policy question: How do we keep guns away from violent criminals? Should we focus on mental illness, background checks, assault weapons, or something else? In Living with Guns, former New York Times reporter and editor Craig Whitney re-examines the right to bear arms, why it was enshrined in the Bill of Rights, and how it came to be misunderstood. Whitney proposes pragmatic solutions to control gun violence rather than guns, and ideas to keep them out of the hands of the people whom everyone agrees shouldn't have them

The Second Amendment in 2013

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:55:00 -0500

David Kopel, associate policy analyst at the Cato Institute, evaluates prospects for changes to federal gun laws following the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut.Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

Attorney Alan Gura Comments on Second Amendment Rights

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:01:00 -0500

Rushed Debate on Federal Spying Powers

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:08:00 -0500

The quick, perfunctory debate over the government's ability to spy on a large share of Americans' communications was desperately shallow. Amendments that would have offered some small degree of oversight were pushed aside. Defenders claimed that they simply didn't have time to properly consider alternatives, but that's mainly because they didn't schedule a debate until mere hours remained before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act amendments were set to expire. Cato Institute research fellow Julian Sanchez examines the alternatives.The Senate's Rushed Debate on NSA Spying PowersVideo produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

U.S. Economy: "Best Looking Horse at the Glue Factory"

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:15:00 -0500

How can the United States avoid the fate of European Welfare States? Richard Fischer, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, says there are ways for the U.S. to strengthen and lead the globe economically again.

Silent Spring at 50: The False Crises of Rachel Carson

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:20:00 -0500

Richard Tren, program officer at Searle Freedom Trust.

So-Called Austerity and Growth in Europe

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:39:00 -0500

What is the impact of spending cuts on growth? For all of the arguments about so-called European "austerity," the spending cuts haven't been delivered. Veronique de Rugy is an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute.

The Fire Next Door: Mexico's Drug Violence and the Danger to America

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Since the Mexican government initiated a military offensive against its country's powerful drug cartels in December 2006, some 50,000 people have perished and the drugs continue to flow. The growing violence has created concerns that Mexico could become a failed state, and U.S. political leaders also worry that the corruption and violence is seeping across the border into the United States. In his compelling new book, Ted Galen Carpenter details the growing horror overtaking Mexico and explains how the current U.S.-backed strategies for trying to stem Mexico's drug violence have been a disaster. Boldly conveyed in The Fire Next Door, the only effective strategy is to defund the Mexican drug cartels by abandoning the failed drug prohibition policy, thereby eliminating the lucrative black-market premium and greatly reducing the financial resources of the drug cartels. http://www.cato.org/store/books/fire-next-door-mexicos-drug-violence-danger-america-hardcover Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.

Scott Lincicome: U.S. Is a "Huge Subsidizer"

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/countervailing-calamity-how-stop-global-subsidies-race http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=9193 https://twitter.com/scottlincicome You've heard of Solyndra, Government Motors, and the tens of billions of dollars transferred annually from U.S. taxpayers to America's wealthy agribusinesses — including the occasional farmer living in Manhattan. Worldwide, government subsidies to chosen industries and favored companies are out of control, bankrupting treasuries, breeding cronyism, misdirecting and deterring private investment, distorting market signals, and undermining support for capitalism and free trade. Always demanding more, domestic subsidy recipients cite foreign subsidies as grounds for yet more largesse, and the cycle continues. How will this global subsidies race end?

Tim Carney on the Global Subsidies Race

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The Washington Examiner's Tim Carney evaluates corporatism and government subsidies in the modern era.

Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Which countries will become breakout nations, maintaining high growth or exceeding expectations in the coming years? According to Ruchir Sharma, China, Brazil, Russia, and South Africa will all disappoint, while India has no more than a 50 percent chance of sustaining its good performance. Two Muslim democracies, Turkey and Indonesia, have strong credentials to become the next breakout nations. In Europe, the top candidates are Poland and the Czech Republic. The United States, despite current problems, retains enough innovation and entrepreneurship to beat expectations.

The Future of the U.S. Navy Surface Fleet

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Naval shipbuilding is under close scrutiny as military spending starts to decline. At the same time, the U.S. Navy is altering the composition of its surface combatant fleet — eliminating cruisers, building more complex destroyers, and introducing a new class of small surface combatants — the littoral combat ship. What effects will these changes have on the future of the surface fleet? Will the mix of cruisers, destroyers, and littoral combat ships planned by the Navy be adequate to fulfill its missions? A recent report on the first littoral combat ship (LCS-1) raised some serious questions about the ship's range and durability. Others have noted the LCS's high cost relative to acceptable alternative platforms. Given that the LCS is supposed to constitute a third of the surface combatant fleet by the late 2020s, is it time to consider other options? The role of the LCS may also need rethinking.

Does the Middle East Need U.S. Aid? Implications for Israeli Security and Prosperity

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The United States gives Israel some $3 billion in annual aid conditioned on similar aid to Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian Authority. According to a study by the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, every dollar granted to Israel costs Israel between $1.06 and $1.39. The structure of this aid forces Israel to spend more than $3 billion on defense to maintain a balance of power in the region and ending U.S. aid to the Middle East would benefit regional security and prosperity.

John A. Allison Discusses 'The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure'

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Not only is free-market capitalism good for the economy, says John A. Allison, it is our only hope for recovery. As the nation's longest-serving CEO of a top-25 financial institution, Allison has had a unique inside view of the events leading up to the financial crisis. He has seen the direct effect of government incentives on the real estate market and how government regulations only make matters worse. In this provocative book, he discusses why regulation is bad for the market and for the world, what we can do to promote a healthy free market, how we can help end unemployment in America, the truth about TARP and the bailouts, and how Washington keeps entrepreneurs from building a better future for everyone. With shrewd insight, alarming insider details, and practical advice for today's leaders, this analysis is nothing less than a call to arms. Allison explains how government incentives helped expand the real estate bubble to unsustainable proportions, how financial tools such as derivatives have been wrongly blamed for the crash, and how Congress fails to understand that it should not try to control the market — and then completely mismanages it when it tries.Before assuming the presidency of the Cato Institute on October 1, Allison served as chairman of BB&T from 1989 to 2009, during which it grew from $4.5 billion in assets to $152 billion, becoming America's 10th-largest financial services institution. After his retirement, he served as a distinguished professor at the Wake Forest University Schools of Business. Allison received a Lifetime Achievement Award from American Banker and was named one of the decade's 100 most successful CEOs by Harvard Business Review.

What the Candidates Won't Explain about Outsourcing

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Contrary to the misconceptions so often reinforced in the media, outsourcing is not the product of U.S. businesses chasing low wages or weak environmental and labor standards abroad. Businesses are concerned about the entire cost of production, from product conception to consumption. Foreign wages and standards are but a few of the numerous considerations that factor into the ultimate investment and production decision. Those critical considerations include: the quality and skills of the work force; access to ports, rail, and other infrastructure; proximity of production location to the next phase in the supply chain or to the final market; time-to-market; the size of nearby markets; the overall economic environment in the host country or region; the political climate; the risk of asset expropriation; the regulatory environment; taxes; and the dependability of the rule of law, to name some.The imperative of business is not to maximize national employment, but to maximize profits. Business is thus concerned with minimizing total costs, not wages, and that is why those several factors are all among the crucial determinants of investment and production decisions. Locales with low wages and lax standards tend to be expensive places to produce all but the most rudimentary goods because, typically, those environments are associated with low labor productivity and other economic, political, and structural impediments to operating smooth, cost-effective supply chains. Most of those crucial considerations favor investment in rich countries over poor.

George Washington and the Dynamics of the American Revolution

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Robert M. S. McDonald is associate professor of history at the United States Military Academy and an adjunct scholar of the Cato Institute. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, Oxford University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned his Ph.D. A specialist on Thomas Jefferson and the early American republic, he has published several essays and articles in journals such as The Historian, Southern Cultures, and the Journal of the Early Republic. He is editor of Thomas Jefferson's Military Academy: Founding West Point (University of Virginia Press, 2004) and Light & Liberty: Thomas Jefferson and the Power of Knowledge (University of Virginia Press, forthcoming). He is completing a book to be titled Confounding Father: Thomas Jefferson and the Politics of Personality. He lives in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, with his wife, Christine, and their children Jefferson and Grace.This speech was delivered at Cato University on August 1, 2012.

The Differences among Liberals, Conservatives and Libertarians

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Libertarians are neither conservative nor liberal. Cato Institute chairman Robert A. Levy explained the differences at Cato University on July 31, 2012.

Exploding Myths about ObamaCare's IPAB

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Paul Clement Discusses the Supreme Court's ObamaCare Ruling

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Paul Clement is a former U.S. Solicitor General. This presentation was made at the Cato Institute's Constitution Day events on September 18, 2012.