Kibbe On Liberty

Are the teachings of Christianity compatible with libertarianism? Economist Deirdre McCloskey thinks so. At the Mont Pelerin Society conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, she sits down with Matt Kibbe to lay out her vision of a Christian libertarianism that values the individual over the collective, embraces markets, and demands that we treat each other with kindness, humility, and love. These lessons are more important than ever in a time when politics is dominated by division and hatred.

As America continues to experience painfully high levels of inflation, the need for a sound money supply that serves as a reliable store of value has never been clearer. At the Mont Pelerin Society meeting in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, Matt Kibbe sits down with economist Judy Shelton, author of "Good as Gold: How to Unleash the Power of Sound Money." Shelton argues that the appeal of a gold-backed currency is in the trust people hold in a time-tested finite resource that cannot be abused by an activist central bank.

In the second of a series of interviews conducted at the Mont Pelerin Society in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, Matt Kibbe is joined by Daniel D’Amico, director for the Stephenson Institute of Classical Liberalism to discuss the much maligned and abused L-word. Liberalism in its classical sense conveys a respect for individualism, personal freedom, and limited government. Despite its co-option by progressive leftists, it remains a better word, both etymologically and aesthetically, to describe the kind of world those at the Mont Pelerin Society are fighting for. While many people are enamored with more collectivist ideas like socialism these days, liberalism remains the standard by which countries are judged. If you go looking for justice, prosperity, freedom, and happiness, you will find it in those societies that are the most liberal in their construction.

In the first of a series of interviews conducted at the Mont Pelerin Society in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, Matt Kibbe is joined by Daniel Hannan, member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. From his perspective across the pond, Hannan has a typically British pessimism about the prospects for freedom in the post-COVID world. As an outspoken critic of lockdowns, he witnessed a public tolerance for authoritarianism he had previously not thought possible. The terrifying thing about COVID policies was that they were not imposed by governments on an unwilling public but were welcomed and even demanded by many people. That’s a big hurdle to overcome if we want to build a freer society.

Generations of development economists, non-profit leaders, and charitable organizations have struggled to understand why Africa lags so stubbornly behind the Western world in terms of living standards. Explanations have focused on the continent's geography, its history, and its people, but Magatte Wade, author of "The Heart of a Cheetah," has a different tale. She tells Matt Kibbe that the solution to African poverty lies not in combatting poverty, but in promoting prosperity through stronger, more liberal institutions, better protection of property rights, and more freedom.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was designed to prevent the church from running the government and vice versa. In contrast to European countries where church and state were synonymous, America was founded on the belief that people should be free to practice any faith they chose, and the result is one of the most diverse religious landscapes in the world. Matt Kibbe sits down with Logan Albright, head writer for Free the People and author of “Libertarian Paganism: Freedom and Responsibility in Nature-Based Spirituality,” to discuss one of the fastest-growing religions in America and what its values have in common with libertarian ideals of individual freedom, non-violence, privacy, and personal responsibility.

The term “conspiracy theory” has long been used to dismiss ideas as the unhinged ravings of paranoid lunatics. But it’s naïve to assume that people never conspire and that there are no plots going on behind the scenes. As we learn more about the inner workings of government, it’s increasingly clear that not all conspiracy theories are crazy and some are actually true. Matt Kibbe is joined by Connor Boyack, author of “The Tuttle Twins Guide to True Conspiracies,” to discuss some of the documented historical examples of the U.S. government’s sinister machinations, diabolical experiments, and human rights abuses, from Project Mockingbird to MK Ultra.

The government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was built on lies — from the origin of the virus to the effectiveness of facemasks. No one has been more vigilant in exposing those lies than Sen. Rand Paul. In his new book “Deception: The Great COVID Cover-Up,” Sen. Paul brings the receipts on the worst public policy failure and power grab of our lifetimes. Matt Kibbe hosts an exclusive livestreamed conversation during which the senator discusses his book and answers questions from the audience. Signed copies of Sen. Paul’s book can be obtained at https://premierecollectibles.com/deception

The public response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing government lockdowns was a shocking wake-up call to many of us about the nature of our fellow human beings. The acceptance and even embrace of totalitarian policies took us by surprise, but it’s not that hard to understand through the lens of collective hysteria. Matt Kibbe is joined by researcher and entrepreneur Mark Changizi to analyze the ways in which crowds can be dumber than individuals and how groupthink can lead to horrific outcomes.

From the 24-hour news cycle to constant doom-scrolling on social media, the world is awash in negative thinking and the mentality that the next crisis is right around the corner. Matt Kibbe is joined by John Tierney, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, to discuss how this kind of thinking leaves us vulnerable to surrendering our civil liberties to authoritarians eager to take advantage of emergencies, real or imagined. Tierney preaches skepticism on everything from the government narrative on COVID to the pervasive idea that 21st-century America is an oppressive, misogynistic patriarchy and urges viewers not to just accept what they are told by so-called experts.

Why is the Biden administration now recommending that Americans drink no more than two beers a week? Blame Canada! Canadian public health policies, crafted by neo-prohibitionist advocacy groups, are trickling down into the United States and making their way into public policy, flying in the face of the medical literature on moderate alcohol consumption. They are also stunningly hypocritical coming from a government that knowingly drove up the rates of alcoholism and substance abuse by locking people in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, closing gyms, parks, and churches while leaving liquor stores open. Matt Kibbe talks to David Clement from the Consumer Choice Center about where these guidelines come from and why they are such a bad idea, both from the perspective of sound medical advice and good old-fashioned American freedom.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is generally lionized as one of the great American presidents, having been elected an unprecedented four times and seeing the nation through the Great Depression and the Second World War, as well as creating some of the most enduring features of the modern welfare state. But was FDR really a hero of the people, or did his policies irrevocably damage the civil liberties and individual freedoms of American citizens? Matt Kibbe is joined by David T. Beito, author of the new book “The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights,” to discuss FDR’s enthusiasm for internment camps for Japanese-Americans, domestic surveillance, and homophobic witch hunts. As Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln fall under the scrutiny of modern-day culture warriors, maybe it’s time we took a second look at the complex legacy of America’s 32nd president.

As Argentina prepares for its general presidential election, everyone is surprised at the emergence of Javier Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist who managed to win his party’s primary. Milei is campaigning against his country’s rampant inflation caused by the central bank’s monetary policy and proposes laissez-faire economic policies inspired by the Austrian school of economics. As a populist rabble-rouser, Milei has been compared to Donald Trump, but with an apparent commitment to reducing the size and scope of government. Matt Kibbe is joined by Federico Fernandez, president of Fundación Internacional Bases, to discuss whether Milei has a chance of winning and whether his rhetoric should be taken seriously.

Following the first Republican presidential debate, it is striking how many libertarian ideas are being aired on major platforms and how popular they appear to be with voters. For example, Vivek Ramaswamy has surged into second place in the Republican polls by opposing war and promising to eliminate multiple federal agencies. Meanwhile, on the Democrat side, RFK Jr. is getting traction with his opposition to COVID lockdowns and vaccine mandates. Matt Kibbe is joined by Jack Hunter, co-founder of Based Politics, to discuss these developments and other current events, including Oliver Anthony’s hit song, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” the return of mask mandates, and of course, wrestling.

The release of the Twitter Files revealed that defense agencies are censoring social media platforms to promote a certain agenda, making the war on so-called COVID misinformation look more like a national security issue than a public health one. But the use of propaganda and attempts to control the media narrative are nothing new. Matt Kibbe is joined by Brandan P. Buck, a writer, historian, and Ph.D. candidate at George Mason University, to discuss the rise of the information state under Woodrow Wilson, who covertly manipulated public opinion in order to get the United States involved in the First World War. It’s a particularly ironic, or perhaps Orwellian, historical fact, given that Wilson campaigned for his second term under the slogan “He kept us out of war.”

The tables are turned as Matt Kibbe becomes a guest on his own show, responding to viewer questions. In this special episode, Kibbe opines on a diverse array of topics from the 2024 elections to state nullification and the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Other issues addressed include the biggest threat to liberty faced by Americans today, the struggle to find optimism after the authoritarian COVID-19 lockdowns, and what Trump’s multiple indictments mean for the future of democracy. If you didn’t get your question answered this time, don’t despair! There will be more opportunities to ask Kibbe anything in future shows.

As political corruption runs rampant in plain sight, it’s becoming more and more clear that the American legal and economic system is rigged against average citizens. Well-connected insiders get away with murder, while a minor infraction can completely ruin the life of an ordinary person. Big bankers benefit from bailouts and expansions in the money supply, while the rest of us get soaked with the costs of inflation and higher taxes. Lars Mapstead, Libertarian candidate for president, talks to Matt Kibbe about his plans to unrig the system and create a level playing field for all Americans.

The World Economic Forum’s infamous prediction that “you will own nothing and be happy” appears to be part of a playbook for elites to replace market economies around the world with something that looks a lot like communism. Matt Kibbe is joined by Carol Roth, author of “You Will Own Nothing: Your War with a New Financial World Order and How to Fight Back,” to talk about Klaus Schwab’s plans for lowly citizens who are better off surrendering their autonomy and property rights in order to eat bugs. Roth’s book exposes what the WEF is actually up to and what the average person can do to fight back against its agenda.

After years of post-pandemic doldrums, people are finally going back to the movies with one of cinema’s biggest opening weekends since 2020. Big-budget movies like “Mission Impossible,” “Barbie,” and “Oppenheimer” are drawing people in, although some, like the new “Indiana Jones” movie, are struggling to make back their budgets. To the surprise of industry insiders, however, “Sound of Freedom,” a film that exposes the global problem of child trafficking, is shattering expectations and filling theaters across the country. And with a budget of just $14.5 million, it’s set to be a huge financial success. Matt Kibbe is joined by Jeffrey Harmon—co-founder of Angel Studios, which is distributing “Sound of Freedom”—to talk about the film’s success and the mystifying attacks from left-wing critics, most of whom haven’t even seen the movie they are decrying.

Joe Biden believes that white supremacy is the greatest threat to America today, and anyone who didn’t vote for him “ain’t black”. But Adam Coleman, founder of Wrong Speak Publishing and author of the book Black Victim to Black Victor, sees it differently. Speaking with Matt Kibbe at FreedomFest in Memphis, Tennessee, he argues that it’s not racism that is holding back the black community, but a lack of strong families. We do a disservice to people when we tell them that they are victims and not in control of their own destinies, creating a defeatist attitude that perpetuates the cycle of poverty and dependence.