Kibbe On Liberty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

While it’s important to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, we can’t forget about the other health care issues people are dealing with. Pat Basu is a medical doctor and the CEO of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, an organization dedicated to helping cancer patients for over 35 years. Together with Matt Kibbe, he talks about the dangers of delaying treatments for cancer patients, as some governors have ordered in states across the country.

Matt Kibbe sits down with self-described Lunatic Farmer Joel Salatin and Rep. Thomas Massie to talk about the food shortages Americans are experiencing as a result of the coronavirus lockdown. The complex interactions that allow food to make it from farm to table have been disrupted by central planners who think they know better, with disastrous results. Rep. Massie has introduced legislation to help fix the problem, but as long as the lockdowns continue, the food supply will suffer.

Dave Rubin, host of The Rubin Report and author of “Don’t Burn This Book,” sits down with Matt Kibbe to discuss the political Left’s response to the coronavirus. Rubin points out that the lockdown has revealed a unification on the Right around states’ rights and individual freedom, but that the only thing leftists have in common is a race to demand ever more government and further concentration of political power. Buy Don't Burn This Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609625/dont-burn-this-book-by-dave-rubin/

Matt Kibbe is joined by Kathleen McGoey, executive director of the Longmont Community Justice Partnership, and police Chief Mike Butler, to discuss how one Colorado city is revolutionizing the criminal justice system. Restorative justice focuses on restitution rather than retribution and forces offenders to take accountability for their actions. It may sound touchy-feely, but the data so far shows that restorative practices create safer communities with happier, more law-abiding citizens.

Matt Kibbe is joined by economist Antony Davies and political scientist James Harrigan, hosts of the popular Words & Numbers podcast. They point out that coercion is a blunt instrument that, although sometimes necessary, can often do more harm than good. This happens because coercion is the product of a small number of minds enforcing one solution, while cooperation allows many millions of minds to come up with a wide variety of solutions, some of which might just work.

Still on COVID-19 lockdown, Matt Kibbe is joined by Kerry McDonald, author of “Unschooled,” to talk about alternative education strategies during the coronavirus quarantine. As parents are struggling to deal with the stress of having their children home full-time, McDonald suggests that the process can be made easier by letting go of the traditional schooling mindset and taking the opportunity to let your children explore their own interests.

Matt Kibbe is joined via Skype by Glenn Jacobs, the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, to discuss how his state is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. While recognizing the severity of the virus, Jacobs has serious concerns about the economic damage being caused by the lockdown, as well as the loss of civil liberties that comes from sweeping government mandates. Most problems are better dealt with on a local level, using the unique knowledge of people on the ground.

As the quarantine continues, Matt Kibbe is joined by Phillip Magness, a senior research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. Magness applies his expertise in economics and econometrics to analyze the government response to the COVID-19 virus and determine which measures make sense and which could end up being worse than the disease itself.

In this bonus episode of Kibbe on Liberty, Rep. Thomas Massie joins Matt Kibbe to give a play-by-play of his stand against the COVID-19 bailout bill. This is the largest wealth transfer in history. Massie gives the details on how the entirety of Congress avoided accountability for the decimation of the future fiscal safety of regular Americans, and he outlines what he wishes Congress had done instead.

In this special quarantine edition of Kibbe on Liberty, Matt Kibbe is joined via Skype by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky) to discuss the COVID-19 virus and the government’s response to it. Massie points out that no amount of money can stimulate an economy that has been put on pause and that if there isn’t some regulatory relief for farmers and other workers soon, we could start seeing food shortages as well as all the other economic damage this response is causing.

Michael Abramowitz of Freedom House joins Matt Kibbe to talk about the need to support democratic movements springing up around the globe, from Hong Kong to Sudan. Freedom House publishes an annual report on political freedom in the world, and this year’s scorecard focuses on how these movements are largely without leaders. Instead of being led by a charismatic figure like Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King Jr., the current geopolitical situation shows that individuals are capable of organizing themselves and demanding change from the bottom up.

Free-Range Kids founder Lenore Skenazy sits down with Matt Kibbe to break down the reasons why parents are so much more afraid for their children’s safety these days. In short, it comes down to increased media coverage, a more litigious society, the rise of expert culture, and the fact that fear sells. The result is helicopter parents who are robbing children of the opportunity to learn important lessons about courage, independence, and most importantly, the freedom to fail.