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Bikini Banners and F*cking Cops Cracking Down on Curse Words! (Nanny of the Month, June '12)

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 06:30:00 EDT

June's busybodies want to shield your eyes from bikinis and remind you that they're not above ripping your garden out (even if you are complying with city codes).

But top dishonors go to the police chief who admitted on camera that his officers had "more important things to do," but still championed a measure that fines folks for swearing in public.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for June 2012: Middleborough, Massachusetts Police Chief Bruce Gates!

Approximately 95 seconds.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.

Watch previous "Nanny of the Month" episodes here.

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"The Skeptical Environmentalist": A Conversation with John Tierney and Bjorn Lomborg

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 14:22:00 EDT

"The thing that blows my mind is that we spend so much money on feeling good," says author and activist Bjorn Lomborg about "feel-good" environmentalist measures like recycling and wind turbines, "I would like us to do stuff that actually works."

The Reason Foundation hosted a conversation with Lomborg and the New York Times' John Tierney at the Museum of Sex in New York City, where they discussed how free trade and innovation could help alleviate the suffering of the third world and improve the environment, if only people could be convinced these "unsexy" ideas were of greater benefit than sorting the glass and plastic in their garbage.

Lomborg, the author of "The Skeptical Environmentalist" and the subject of the documentary film "Cool It," is also the founder and director of the Copenhagen Consensus, a Danish think-tank focused on finding the "the best ways for governments and philanthropists to spend aid and development money."

For more Reason coverage of the Copenhagen Consensus go here, here and here.

About 27 minutes.

Produced by Anthony L. Fisher.

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Are Fake Prescription Drugs Killing Us?

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 09:40:00 EDT

"What would have cost tens of thousands of dollars...can now be done for hundreds of dollars, so it's easier to fake stuff now," warns Roger Bate, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the author of "Phake: The Deadly World of Falsified and Substandard Medicine."

Counterfeit, adulterated, or otherwise compromised prescription drugs are a major problem in Africa and a growing problem in the First World, argues Bate. In recent years, counterfeiters passed off hundreds of thousands of phony Lexapro pills around the globe and in 2008 at least 149 Americans died from fake Heparin, a blood-thinning drug. All told, says Bate, the number of deaths globally from ineffective drugs ranges from 100,000 to 1 million.

As drug production moves to China and other developing nations where oversight is tougher to maintain and more sales take place online where provenance can be tougher to ascertain, Bate says that the most viable solution is increased vigilance on the part of drug makers, providers, and patients alike. He looks forward to a fast-approaching world in which hand-held spectrometers verify pills on the spot and praises various online-pharmacy certification programs.

Referring to the classic 1949 film, "The Third Man," in which Orson Welles plays a drug counterfeiter whose watered-down penicillin in post-war Europe leads to the death of several children, Bate gives Hollywood credit for being well ahead of the curve on putting the spotlight on what he calls "the 2nd oldest profession."

About 7 minutes. Interview by Nick Gillespie (follow him on Twitter at @nickgillespie). Produced by Anthony L. Fisher, with camera by Jim Epstein and Joshua Swain.

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Bath Salts, Naked Zombie Cannibals & Stupid Senators

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Bath salts. They're turning people from Miami to Maryland into flesh-eating hulks and the synthetic concoctions that are sold as insect repellent and plant food have supposedly singlehandedly set off the zombie apocalypse.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, fresh off his victory in banning caffeinated alcoholic beverages like Four Loko, is hell-bent on banning so-called bath salts. The senator, who in the past has tried to regulate the price of Coca Krispies, Count Chocula, and other breakfast cereals, also wants to outlaw fake pot, too - because the war on real pot is going so swell.

It all started on a Florida offramp in broad daylight when a car-washing Bible-thumper snapped, allegedly under the influence of zombie dust. The story soon eclipsed the presidential election and Miley Cyrus' lack of underwear as the most important issue in the country.

There was an immediate obsession with the substance that “caused” this unnatural act.To date, there’s no evidence that Sunshine State face-chewer Rudy Eugene was in fact whacked out on bath salts. The Miami Mauler had been arrested at least eight times since he was 16 and had threatened to kill his Mom on at least once violent occasion.

Here’s the problem with banning “synthetic methamphtemine” - or the real thing, for that matter: There are an infinite number of ways that natural and artifical drugs can be combined, married and sewn together to get a user higher Matthew McConaughey on any given Monday. Science will always be one step ahead of the legislative process, so as quickly as a chemical compound is banned, four more will spring forth from crafty laboratories eager to pacify those seeking a quick fix.

But...but...but...bath salts make you a zombie cannibal, don’t they? You can hear the Sen. Schumers of the world ask that question. But hardly The other two cannibalism stories in the news don’t involve bath salts or naked zombies. The Canadian porn star who hacked up his friend, ate his bits, then sent appendages on a tour of the Canadian Postal Service is more gruesome than Celine Dion’s entire discography, but the guy was clothed and sober. The kid in Maryland who ate the heart and brain of his Ghanian roommate was also not on the salts, and he too was clothed.

So instead of banning bath salts, how about enforcing the existing ban on zombie cannibalism? And if we can’t do that, can we at least ban opportunistic, incompetent legislators?

Oh, Calgon, take me away!

Produced by Meredith Bragg. Written by Nick Gillespie and Kennedy, who narrates.

Follow Reason (@reason), Gillespie (@nickgillespie), and Kennedy (@kennedynation) on Twitter.

About 2.30 minutes. Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel to receive automatic updates when new material goes live.

Robert Zubrin: Radical Environmentalists and Other Merchants of Despair

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

"We have never been in danger of running out of resources," says Dr. Robert Zubrin, "but we have encountered considerable dangers from people who say we are running out of resources and who say that human activities need to be constrained."

In his latest book, Merchants of Despair: Radical Environmentalists, Criminal Pseudo-Scientists, and the Fatal Cult of Antihumanism, Zubrin documents the history of dystopian environmentalism, from economic impairment inflicted by current global warming policies to the Malthusian concern over population growth. "Just think how much poorer we would be today if the world would have had half as many people in the 19th century as it actually did. You can get rid of Thomas Edison or Louis Pasteur, take your pick."

Zubrin sat down with Reason Magazine editor in chief Matt Welch to discuss his book, the difference between practical and ideological environmentalism, and how U.S. foreign aid policy encourages population control.

Runs about 9.30 minutes

Produced by Meredith Bragg. Camera by Meredith Bragg and Josh Swain.

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Tom Easton on Dodd-Frank: "A Terrible Law"

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

"I think there's growing understanding of how terrible this law really is," says The Economist's Tom Easton of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.

Dodd-Frank was passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and Easton is one of the very select few who have read the entire sweeping bill. He asserts that "the single most indicting read on Dodd-Frank, is to read Dodd-Frank itself."

To those who feel that the financial crisis was caused by a lack of regulation, Easton counters, "the argument that there needs to be more regulations (on banks) is frankly ludicrous if you look at how they were regulated before."

Runs about 4.14 minutes.

Produced by Anthony L. Fisher.

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How City Hall is F*cking Record Store Day!

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

April 21, 2012 marks the fifth annual Record Store Day, a nation-wide project to promote struggling brick-and-mortar music shops. Across the country, independent stores offer exclusive, one-of-a-kind recordings as a way to bring customers through the door.

"It is the busiest day of the year," says Matt Moffatt, co-owner of Washington, D.C.'s Smash Records, a shop that sells new and used CDs and vinyl LPs, along with clothing, posters, t-shirts, vintage clothing, and more.

But now the powers that be in the nation's capital have decided that record stores must get second-hand dealer business licenses, which cost a lot of money and have onerous reporting requirements. Store owners such as Moffatt would have to report every new piece they put up for sale to the police, allow the cops to verify it's not stolen, and get information about all customers who buy used goods. Failure to comply would mean incurring massive fines of thousands of dollars a days.

"Basically," says Moffatt, "they want us to get a pawn shop license."

Local business groups such as the Adams Morgan Partnership are pushing back but the future of stores such as Smash Records is far from clear. "It just seems so heavy-handed, it could easily destroy businesses like mine," says Moffatt.

About 3.45 minutes. Produced by Meredith Bragg and hosted by Kennedy; co-written by Nick Gillespie.

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Too Much Copyright

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

"This disconnect between the public's view of copyright and fair use and what should and should not be prosecuted, versus the 'copyright maximist' view of the law, is our generation's Prohibition," says Ben Huh, CEO and founder of Cheezburger and a loud voice in the recent backlash to SOPA and PIPA, two congressional bills aimed at curbing internet piracy.

Copyright exists to “promote the useful arts” according to the Constitution. But is it still doing that? And should the government protect so-called “intellectual property” in the same way it protects other forms of property? Reason.tv posed these questions to Ben Huh, as well as a professor and a movie studio representative.

Tom Bell, a law professor specializing in property law, has serious reservations about attempts by groups like the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to equate property and copyright through ad campaigns admonishing viewers with messages like, "You wouldn't steal a car. Downloading pirated movies is stealing."

"As soon as we start using [the word] 'copyright' for 'property,' we start taking less seriously our property rights for things like cars and houses," says Bell. "When you steal a candy bar or a car, you've left somebody without something to eat or something to drive."

But the MPAA's head content protection counsel, Ben Sheffner, thinks that piracy is a major problem that needs to be stopped.

"If this kind of piracy is allowed to run rampant, it'll deprive the public of the next great film," says Sheffner.

So, if the purpose of copyright is to incentivize the creation of artistic works, is it still doing its job? The data points to today's copyright regime doing little more than enriching the corporations with the strongest lobbyists.

"Is there a market failure in the production and dissemination of expressive works?" asks Bell. "I don't there's any risk that we're going to run out of songs, or books, or movies, or software any time soon."

While the MPAA and other entertainment industry trade groups have bemoaned the effects of rampant internet piracy on creative output, the numbers tell a different story. Research shows more music and books produced than ever before between 2005 to 2010, production of feature films growing by a factor of more than 4 in 14 years, and the number of video game companies exploding by a factor of 18 in the span of three years.

Still, the MPAA stands behind Chairman Chris Dodd's statement, made in the heat of the SOPA battle, that the U.S. could look to China's site-blocking laws as a positive example of anti-piracy regulation.

"If site blocking broke the internet, the internet would've been broken a long time ago," says Sheffner. "There's ways to implement these narrowly tailored remedies that really cut off these 'worst of the worst' web sites."

Written and produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Tracy Oppenheimer and Weissmueller. "The Day the LOLcats died" written and performed by LaughPong. Additional music:"Thomas Kinkade Pays His Respects to Walt Disney" by Der Christer Schytts; "Twinklebox" by Ephemetry; "Betty Boop" by Ergo Phizmiz; "Frog Legs Rag Tag" by James Scott; "Mickey Impression" by thehottestguy23.

Approximately nine minutes.

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Nick Gillespie Discusses ADA Lawsuit Abuse w/ Varney & Co.

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Reason's Nick Gillespie appeared on Fox Business' Varney & Co. to discuss the coming spike in lawsuit abuse due to latest ADA requirement for hotels and recreation centers. Airdate: April 17, 2012.

About 3 minutes

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Food Trucks vs. The Establishment: Attorney Jeffrey Dermer on the Legalities of Mobile Vending

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EDT

"If freedom can't win over something so innocuous and where the benefits are so wide, then you can't win at all," says Jeffrey Dermer, a lawyer and founder of the Southern California Mobile Food Vendor's Association, a group devoted to protecting the legal rights of food truck operators.

Food trucks made news in California when a state assemblyman pushed forward a law that would've banned vendors from operating within 1,500 feet of a school. Popular backlash killed that ban, but other cities around the state are still trying to clamp down on food trucks.

Dermer talked with Reason.tv about SCMFVA's suit against the city of Monrovia, which has enacted a de facto food truck ban, as well as the broader state of the food truck industry, which is often attacked by interest groups representing traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants, which claim that food trucks are unfair competitors.

"I don't think there's anything unfair about it. The problem is, your food isn't good enough," says Dermer.

Run time about 4 minutes.

Interview by Zach Weissmueller. Shot by Christopher Sharif Matar. Edited by Weissmueller.

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Lisa Snell Discusses the Failure of the Eduational Program "Head Start" with John Stossel

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Foundation's director of education and child welfare Lisa Snell appeared on Stossel's "No They Can't" special to discusses ineffectiveness and heavy tax burden of Head Start, the federal program that promotes school readiness. Air Date: April 2, 2012.

Approximately 3.05 minutes.

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John Stossel on the Successes of Freedom in Education

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 01:00:00 EDT

"It shows how horrible things were, that it took this long for this eminently sensible thing to happen" said Fox Business host John Stossel of school choice in education.

Stossel made a speech at Reason Weekend 2012, Reason Foundation's annual donor event, about the successes of freedom in education. He talked about trying to update his 20/20 special, "Stupid in America," and not being able to do it, visiting Harlem schools full of kids ready to learn and why libertarians oppose a single payer system in health-care but cheer it in education.

About 3:00 minutes. Filmed by Joshua Swain and Anthony Fisher. Edited by Paul Detrick.

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Don't You Dare Try to Feed the Homeless in Bloomy's NYC (Nanny of the Month, March 2012!)

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EDT

This month Alabama lawmakers were itching to make it a criminal offense to annoy people online (isn't that what the interweb is all about?), and a national poll exposed the split personality of Americans who pretend to support individual responsibility, all the while cheering bans on smoking, transfats and the like.

But this month top dishonors go to the man who is perhaps the busiest busybody of them all, the big-city mayor who decided to halt private donations to his city's homeless shelters (after all, who can be sure that such donations wouldn't fill homeless people with fatty or salty food?!).

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for March 2012: New York City Mayor Meddlin' Mike Bloomberg!

Approximately 87 seconds.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.

To watch more Nanny of the Month episodes, go here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2DD00E99B83A258A

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Obamacare, Mandates and Regulatory Confusion: Reason-Rupe Poll Results with Emily Ekins

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EDT

A new finding by the Reason-Rupe Public Opinion Survey shows a majority of Americans dissatisfied with the health care law being debated in the Supreme Court while simultaneously confused about the role of government in current health care policy.

"About 40 percent [of Americans] thought it wasn't regulated enough," explains Reason Polling Director Emily Ekins. When it comes to health care reform, "it's hard to move forward if people aren't clear as to what the market currently looks like."

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie sat down with Ekins to discuss the poll's findings, what Americans think about the current health care system, and the misconceptions surrounding regulation in the health care market.

The Reason-Rupe survey is online here.

This Reason Foundation project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation.

Shot by Jim Epstein and Meredith Bragg; edited by Joshua Swain. About 6.38 minutes.

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Nick Gillespie Discusses New ADA Pool Regulations with Erin Burnett

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Reason.tv editor in chief Nick Gillespie appeared on CNN's OutFront with Erin Burnett to debate trial lawyer Justin Leto about new regulations requiring private companies to install handicap lifts into pools, and whether this regulation would help bring equality to America's disabled or simply benefit the trial lawyers. Air Date: March 15, 2012.

Approximately 5.30 minutes.

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Sackett v. EPA: How One Couple's Battle Against the Feds Might Protect Your Land

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST

The decision in the Supreme Court case Sackett v. EPA, due later this spring, could very well affect the meaning of property rights and due process in the United States. So how did a small-town couple from Northern Idaho ever become the center of such a momentous case? Reason.tv talked with the Sacketts and their attorney to find out.

Mike Sackett dreamed of building a home on Idaho's Priest Lake ever since he camped there with friends in high school.

"I remember coming home, told my mom and dad that I was going to move to Priest Lake, and they just said, 'Oh, no you're not.' And I said, 'Oh yeah. Yeah I am,'" Sackett said.

Years later, Sackett realized that dream when he and his wife, Chantelle Sackett, bought a plot of land near Priest Lake and started to build. After securing the necessary permits from local authorities, the Sacketts were only three days into the process of clearing the land when officials from the EPA showed up and put their dreams on hold.

The EPA informed the Sacketts that they suspected they were building on wetlands and had to cease work immediately. The Sacketts were stunned because their property was a completely landlocked lot within an existing subdivision. When Chantelle Sackett asked for evidence, the EPA pointed her to the National Fish and Wildlife Wetlands Inventory, which showed them that their lot... was not on an existing wetland.

The EPA responded issued what's known as a compliance order, which said that the Sacketts were in violation of the Clean Water Act and subject to fines of up to $37,500 a day.

"You go to bed with that on your mind every night," said Mike Sackett, who owns a contracting company. "It's been painful personally. It's been painful on our business."

The EPA refused to offer any documentation or evidence for its position, even after the Sacketts hired their own scientists to refute the wetlands claim. Feeling they had no other choice, they tried to take the EPA to court. Unfortunately, not even this was an option, because the EPA maintained that a compliance order is nothing more than a warning and that they cannot be challenged until they actually enforce the fines, which were racking up by the day.

"The only way the Sacketts could get judicial review that way, was by ignoring the compliance order," said Damien Schiff, attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, which took up the Sacketts' case. "EPA still might just sit on its hands and let the possible fines pile up."

Schiff and the Pacific Legal Foundation lost to the EPA in lower courts, but this afforded them the opportunity to take the case to the Supreme Court, which heard arguments in early January 2012. Schiff and the Sacketts both felt heartened by what transpired there.

"I was surprised by some of the questions that came from the justices," said Mike Sackett. "They were questions that we would've asked."

If the Sacketts do win in the Supreme Court, they will then have the opportunity to actually challenge the EPA's compliance order in the lower courts. Just having the opportunity to challenge that, says Schiff, would be a major victory for property rights and for due process of law.

"The agency says it doesn't want to go into court, it shouldn't have to go into court," said Schiff. "The chutzpah, the arrogance, is, frankly, almost unimaginable."

About 7.30 minutes. Produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Sharif Matar. Additional camera by Paul Detrick, Tracy Oppenheimer, and Weissmueller. Additional footage courtesy of the Pacific Legal Foundation. Music: "Water" by Big Blood, "City Night Line" by Cobra avec Panther, "The River Who Drinks All I've Had" by Makunouchi Bento, "Film 1" by Torture Super Sonic.

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Look out Kate Upton, AZ pol pushing anti-Photoshopping bill! (Nanny of the Month, Feb 2012)

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 07:15:00 EST

This month's slate of busybodies includes a familiar name as well as some nannying newcomers.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), ever watchful for the new "club drug," is waging yet another crusade against yet another new product, and guess who he's doing it for? The kids!

And then there's Utah state Rep. Tim Cosgrove (D-Murray). Faced with the fact that law enforcement was wasting resources on anti-prostitution sting operations at salons that offer new age healing techniques Cosgrove didn't suggest legalizing prostitution, nor did he advise cops to ditch the stings and focus on catching bad guys (you know, those who hurt people and steal things).

Instead he introduced a bill that would jail Reiki practitioners and other business owners unless they spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to obtain massage licenses. (He's probably doing it for the kids.)

But this month, the top slot goes to someone else.

In the midst of the Kate Upton Sports Illustrated airbrushing controversy comes word that a Grand Canyon state pol decides it's time to crack down on post production techniques that make models smoother and sexier. (But hey, she's doing it for the kids!)

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for February 2012: Arizona state Rep. Katie Hobbs (D-Phoenix)!

Approximately 90 seconds.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg. Special thanks to Kevin R. Breen.

Go here to watch previous "Nanny of the Month" episodes.

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The Great Gibson Guitar Raid: Months Later, Still No Charges Filed

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST

"They...come in with weapons, they seized a half-million dollars worth of property, they shut our factory down, and they have not charged us with anything," says Gibson Guitars CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, referring to the August 2011 raid on his Nashville and Memphis factories by agents from the Departments of Homeland Security and Fish & Wildlife.

The feds raided Gibson for using an inappropriate tariff code on wood from India, which is a violation of the anti-trafficking statute known as The Lacey Act. At issue is not whether the wood in question was endangered, but whether the wood was the correct level of thickness and finish before being exported from India. "India is wanting to ensure that raw wood is not exported without some labor content from India," says Juskiewicz.

Andrea Johnson of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) counters that "it's not up to Gibson to decide which laws...they want to respect." She points out that Gibson had previously been raided under The Lacey Act for imports from Madagascar.

This much is clear: The government has yet to file any charges or allow Gibson a day in court to makes its case, much less retrieve its materials. "This is not about responsible forestry and sustainable wood or illegal logging, this is about a bureaucratic law," argues Juszkiewicz, who testified last year before a congressional hearing convened by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). It is, he says, "a blank check for abuse."

About 6 minutes. Written, produced, and narrated by Anthony L. Fisher; shot by Joshua Swain.

Music: "Improvisation: Fast Blues in A" by Rev. Gary Davis

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LA Forces Condoms onto Porn Actors! (Nanny of the Month, Jan 2012)

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:30:00 EST

This month's killjoys are bent on making the Big Apple dry (or not?), and banning electronic (a.k.a. "fake") cigarettes from public places (wait, isn't the anti-smoking movement supposed to help addicts kick the habit?).

But the new year's top slot goes to the City of Angels mayor who's cracking down on those naughty devils in the adult film industry by mandating that actors wear condoms (what could possibly go wrong!).

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for January 2012: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa!

Approximately 1.22 minutes.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.

Go here to watch previous "Nanny of the Month" episodes.

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3 Reasons Not to Get Worked Up Over Super PACs

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST

Everybody and their brother – even Stephen Colbert - is freaking out about “super PACs,” which are an outgrowth of the Citzens United decision in 2010.

Traditional political action committees (PACs) are subject to federal limits on how much money donors can give in specific election cycles. Super PACS allow groups such as nonprofit corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on political speech as long as they don’t coordinate their activity with the official campaign of a given candidate.

But for all the bellyaching, here are three good reasons not to get worked up over super PACS.

1. Billionaires don’t need them to influence elections.

In the wake of an anti-Mitt Romney documentary from Winning Our Future, a group tied to billionaire Sheldon Adelstein,The New York Times fretted that the film – which has had little or no effect on Romney’s candidacay – “underscores how [Citizens United] has made it possible for a wealthy individual to influence an election.”

Actually, it’s always been legal for rich people to spend what they want as long as they make “independent expenditures” that aren’t coordinated with official campaigns. Billionares don’t need super Pacs to get their message out. But super PACS may just let the rest of us have our say.

2. Super PACS Go Negative – and That’s a Good Thing!

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), whose campaign finance legislation was rendered moot by Citizens United, complains that super Pacs not only flood elections with money but flood it with negative messages. McCain, who lost a run for presidency, admits that negative campaigning works, but doesn’t like the tone.

Yet study after study shows not only that negative advertising works with voters, but that negative ads actually contain more information than gauzy paeans to American and the virtues of the candidates who pay for such spots.

3. Super PACS Take Power Away From the Parties.

There’s no question that super PACs seek to benefit some candidates by taking aim at others. Adelstein, the moneybags behind the anti-Romney documentary, is known to be a Newt Gingrich fan.

But as long as super PACs don’t coordinate with candidates or official party apparatchiks, they take messaging out of the hands of party leaders and spread it around elsewhere in a way that has got to be more representative of more views of more voters.

Super PACs are the latest casus belli in the push for controlling specifically political speech in the name of making elections fairer. There’s no doubt that they are a loophole arising from the last round of campaign finance reform and the attempt to limit the amount of money politicians would have to raise to get their message out.

It’s time to recognize that the only way to stop creating new loopholes is by ending the always ineffective laws designed to lower the cost office-seekers need to spend to buy our votes.

About 3 minutes long. Written and narrated by Nick Gillespie. Produced by Meredith Bragg.

Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions of our videos.

Reason on campaign finance.

Julian Morris Discusses Whether Capitalism is "Outdated" & "Crumbling" on Freedom Watch

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Reason Foundation’s Vice President of Research Julian Morris joined a panel on Freedom Watch to discuss the World Economic Forum founder's quote that "capitalism... has no place in the world." The panel also discusses a new proposal for the federal government to overhaul foreclosures in robo-settlements. Air Date: January 23, 2012.

Approximately 7.40 minutes.

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Peter Suderman Discusses GM, Toyota, & Crony Capitalism on Freedom Watch

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Associate Editor Peter Suderman appeared on Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano to challenge the government's bragging rights over how GM outpaced Toyota. Suderman believes the comparison is unfair due to subsidies and the tragic earthquake. Airdate January 15, 2012.

Aproximately 7 minutes.

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The Foie Gras Fight: Animal Cruelty or Animal Rights Propaganda?

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Chicago tried banning it. Now California wants to do the same. But what's so controversial about foie gras, the fattened liver of a duck or goose that many diners consider a delicacy?

"Foie gras is universally cruel," says animal rights activist and founder of the Animal Protection and Rescue League Bryan Pease.

Pease led the fight against foie gras in California, which often got ugly and scary, but he feels that it was all worth it now that the ban on the production of the food product will go into effect this summer.

"This isn't a product that anyone thinks should be consumed, really," says Pease, "except for a small group of chefs and promoters."

Mark Pastore, owner of Incanto restaurant in San Francsico, believes that animal activists, who have threatened him and Incanto's chef Chris Cosentino, bullied their way into a legislative victory through intimidation and inflated rhetoric.

"I believe that the only way to deal with bullying tactics is to stand up to them," says Pastore, who started serving foie gras after his fellow chef had acid thrown on his car and received a threatening video of his family and notes reading "stop or be stopped" from anti-foie gras activists.

So is the process of force-feeding ducks to produce foie gras cruel, as Pease alleges? Not so, says lawyer and director of Keep Food Legal, Baylen Linnekin.

"Foie gras is not the result of cruel practice," says Linnekin. "It's a bird that can digest or can swallow a fish whole--a large fish." He also points out that ducks and geese are migratory birds that gorge themselves on food in nature before a winter migration, which is how foie gras, a dish dating back to ancient Egypt, came about in the first place.

The animal activists seem have won the California foie gras fight for now, but Linnekin says that in the wake of the overturned Chicago ban, he's still optimistic about the future of food freedom.

"Ultimately, choice trumps," says Linnekin. "It should, and it does. Individual rights are the most important things we have as Americans."

Written and produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Christopher Sharif Matar and Zach Weissmueller.

Approximately 6 minutes.

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Will The Supreme Court End New York's Rent Control Laws?

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

"If you wanted to destroy a city’s housing - short of bombing - the best way to do it is rent control,” says Cato legal associate Trevor Burrus.

While most cities in America long ago got rid of rent control, New York remains a bastion of government-mandated limits on what landlords can charge renters. About 50 percent of New York’s rental market is affected by rent control or rent stabilization, policies that keep rents artificially low and produce housing shortages, higher overall housing costs, and all sorts of corruption.

The court case Harmon v. Kimmel may finally bring an end to rent control laws that have been on the books in one form or another since the 1940s. James D. Harmon owns a building in Manhattan where the tenants are paying rents that are about 60 percent below the going market rate. After losing various legal battles at lower levels, Harmon has petitioned the Supreme Court to hear his argument that rent stabilization is a form of takings that should be prohibited under the Constitution. The Court has not yet announced whether it will hear the case but has asked the state and city of New York to respond to Harmon's argument.

Cato's Burrus wrote a friend of the court brief on the case and explains why rent control and rent stabilization are bad at promoting affordable housing and abridgments of economic freedom.

About 2.34 minutes. Shot and edited by Joshua Swain.

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Blast Off Into Space with Reason Magazine's Matt Welch

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

"For decades now people interested in free markets have been talking about a glorious future of private space exploration and travel," says Reason Magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch. As Reason Magazine's latest issue makes clear, "that glorious future... is now."

Welch previews the February special issue on the "Rocket Men" such as Virgin's Richard Branson and Amazon's Jeff Bezos who are underwriting a new generation of space exploration.

The stories from the February issue will be rolled out at reason.com over the coming weeks. Go here for a list of stories that are already on the web.

Subscribers to the print edition of Reason recieve their issues a month before the stories go live online. A year's subscription is just $14.97 for 11 issues. Go here to subscribe now.

About 1:20 minutes. Shot and edited by Meredith Bragg.

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Jullian Morris Talks Debt, Big Banks and Limits of Federal Power on Freedom Watch

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST

Reason Foundation’s Vice President of Research Julian Morris appeared on Freedom Watch With Judge Napolitano to discuss government debt, breaking up big banks and the limits of federal power.

Air Date: January 9, 2011.

Approximately 20 minutes.

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Blueseed: The Googleplex of the Sea

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST

"Right now the US visa immigration system does not allow for entrepreneurs [from overseas] to come here and test out their ideas and create the new jobs and create the new companies of tomorrow," says Blueseed co-founder Max Marty, "its system was designed for a bygone era."

Marty believes that his seasteading venture Blueseed "is the solution to a problem" created by the archaic U.S. visa system, which he and co-founder Dario Mutabdizja say is starving Silicon Valley of the best and brightest international entrepreneurs.

As a "visa-free technology incubator for startups" situated on a ship 12 miles off the coast of Silicon Valley, Blueseed aims to be the "Googleplex of the Sea," a vibrant workplace for innovative industries to bloom, unencumbered by onerous regulations on new technology-sector businesses. The project has attracted investors such as Paypal co-founder, venture capitalist and noted libertarian Peter Thiel (who once made an early investment in a little startup company called Facebook).

About 2.30 minutes. Produced By Anthony L. Fisher. Interview by Julian Morris.

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Katherine Mangu-Ward Talks A Libertarian Year in Review on Stossel

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward joined John Stossel, David Boaz, Jeffrey Miron, and Kmele Foster to discuss a libertarian perspective on 2011 - from the consequences of new economic regulations, U.S. foreign policy in Iraq and Libya, to the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

Approximately 21.41 minutes.

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Crackdowns on Consensual Sex, Veggies, and more! Nanny of the Year (2011)

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST

They touch our lives in so many ways, and Reason.tv kicks off awards season by acknowledging those who have devoted their lives to minding other people's business.

Live (to tape) from the fourth floor of the Sepulveda Center in Los Angeles, it's the third annual 2011 Nanny of the Year Awards!

These United States have produced many worthy nominees in 2011. Who could forget the city planner who threatened a woman with 93 days behind bars for growing vegetables or the state senator who did his best to outlaw crossing the street while listening to an iPod (shortly before pleading guilty to federal corruption charges).

But this year the golden Nanny goes to the Wolverine state pol who's bent on making most any kind of teacher-student sex--not just a fireable offense, but a felony, even if the student is older than age 18 or even if teacher and student are middle-aged. (And, in an apparent attempt to secure nanny gold, our winner is also fighting to force school kids to recite the pledge in front of genuine made-in-America flags.)

Presenting Reason.tv's 2011 Nanny of the Year: Michigan State Senator Roger Kahn!

Approximately 2.45 minutes.

"Nanny of the Year" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. Shot by Paul Detrick and Zach Weissmueller. Animation by Austin Bragg.

Go here to watch previous Nanny of the Month (and Year) episodes.

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How to Save a Treehouse from a Zoning Board

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST

It was supposed to be a "slice of Americana and of childhood dreams," says U.S. Army Specialist Mark Grapin, who lives in Fairfax County, Virginia. He's talking about the treehouse he built for his two sons after returning from his latest tour of duty in Iraq.

What Grapin didn't expect was that Fairfax County's zoning board would demand he tear down the treehouse after an anonymous complaint, thus launching the family into an eight-month legal battle.

Grapin went to the local media for help and public outcry turned into an online petition. A neighbor donated trees to cover the treehouse, and the family even received a pro bono lawyer to help win over board members.

Just days before the treehouse was to be torn down, Grapin was able to convince the board to let him keep it on the condition it be removed after five years. Plenty of time, he says, for his sons to enjoy it.

About 2 minutes. Produced by Joshua Swain.

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Peter Suderman Talks Light Bulbs, Debt and Spending Cuts on Freedom Watch

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST

Associate Editor of Reason Magazine Peter Suderman appeared on Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano to discuss new light bulb regulations, debt and how spending cuts can be deceiving. Air date: 12/19/11.

Run time approximately 5:37 minutes.

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Nick Gillespie Discusses Jon Corzine, Newt Gringrich, & Ron Paul on Freedom Watch

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason's Nick Gillespie appeared on Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano to discuss how the fiscal scandal surrounding Jon Corzine shows how little regulations could stop bad investments. Gillespie also discusses the rise of Newt Gringrich and Ron Paul in the GOP nomination. Air Date: 12/9/2011.

Approximately 5.45 minutes.

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Mike Riggs Discusses the U.S.'s Hypocrisy with Internet Freedom on RT

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason Associate Editor Mike Riggs appeared on RT America to discuss the hypocrisy behind the U.S.'s urge for internet freedom abroad yet increasingly restricts the same freedoms at home. Airdate: December 8, 2011.

7.19 minutes.

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Remy: Missing You - The Incandescent Light Bulb Song

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST

Remy mourns the impending loss of his beloved incandescent light bulbs with a song set to familiar music.

Written and performed by Remy and produced by Meredith Bragg.

About 2.30 minutes. Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions.

Subscribe to Reason's YouTube channel to get automatic updates when new material goes live.

Follow Reason on Twitter. Follow Remy on Twitter.

Visit the links below for more Reason's coverage of the impending light bulb ban:

Let There Be Light: The Dim Bulbs in Congress Have Condemned Me To Pee in the Dark

Blue Light Special: Psst... Wanna Buy A Light Bulb?

Light Bulbs vs. The Nanny State

For more Remy & Reason.tv vids go here.

For even more Remy, go to his YouTube page.

Lyrics to "Missing You: The Incandescent Light Bulb Song"

Seems like yesterday
we used to rock the show
I flip the switch
you rock the glow

So far from being
only luminescent
notoriously
incandescent

but looks ain't always
what they seem to be
Congress taking
you away from me

this new bulb
costs 10 times more
need a haz-mat crew
when it hits the floor

and the future can't
wait to see
what they look like
in my vanity

Ridiculous

Night they took
my friend
Try to block it out
but it plays again

they say the change is
what we need to make
got salmonella from
my Easy Bake

give anything to hear
half your breath...
I know you're still living
you life after death

Every time I see
Every time I read
Every time I breathe
exposed Mercury
I'll be missing you...

It's kinda hard
with you not around
new bulb warms up
in like a half an hour

watching us as
we pray for you
every day we
pray for you

until the day
we meet again
in the dark
is where I'm reading fried

give anything to hear
half your breath...
I know you're still living
your life after death

Somebody tell me why...
If that new light
bulb is so amazing
Then why don't people just go buy that light bulb?

[End]

Julian Morris Talks Unemployment Benefits for the Wealthy and Obama's Misguided Priorities on Freedom Watch

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason Foundation’s Vice President of Research Julian Morris appeared on Freedom Watch With Judge Napolitano to discuss POTUS' lack of focus on policy, the regulation-free Seasteading project, and a millionaire now collecting unemployment benefits.

Air Date: November 30, 2011.

Approximately 20 minutes.

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Peter Suderman Talks Taxing Rich People, TSA, and Online Piracy on Freedom Watch

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason Associate Editor Peter Suderman appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss California's newest plan to tax the rich, TSA scanner safety, and the Stop Online Piracy Act. Air date: November 21, 2011.

Approximately 14 minutes.

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Peter Schiff Challenges "Phony" Growth Based on Spending on After the Bell

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT

On Fox Business Network's After the Bell, Peter Schiff challenges recent economic growth saying it's based on how "spending money we don't have" instead on actual savings and investment. Schiff also discusses his time talking with the Occupiers on Wall Street. Air Date: October 28, 2011.

5.30 minutes.

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Occupy Wall Street, Obamacare, & Bailouts - Peter Schiff on Huckabee

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Peter Schiff joins European Parliament Member Daniel Hannan on Huckabee to discuss how increasing government regulation, oversight, and taxes has set back America's economy and created the Occupy Wall Street movenment. Air Date: October 28, 2011.

About 15 minutes.

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Peter Schiff Discusses His Time Talking with the "99%" on Fox & Friends

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

"They should be frustrated with the government; that's what's wrecked the economy, not capitalism," says Peter Schiff on Fox & Friends. Schiff says he sympathizes with the Wall Street Occupiers' outrage but his understanding of the free market tells him anger should be directed toward Washington DC instead. Air Date: October 28, 2011.

About 4 minutes.

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Peter Schiff vs. Cornell West on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

"If they really want a bright future for this country, it's capitalism that will provide it, not government."

That's what Peter Schiff told Princeton University Professor Cornell West last night in a heated debate on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360. They were discussing Schiff's recent Reason.tv appearance, in which he engaged protestors at Occupy Wall Street with a sign that read, "I Am the 1%, Let's Talk." Air Date: October 27, 2011.

Here's the original video.

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Peter Schiff Represents "The 1%" at Occupy Wall Street

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:55:00 EDT

Last week, Reason.tv followed investment guru, radio show host, and unflappable defender of capitalism Peter Schiff as he spent three hours among the Occupy Wall Street protesters in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park.

An unapologetic member of "the 1 Percent," Schiff argued with all comers for the better part of an afternoon.

Schiff is no ordinary observer. As the prinicipal of the financial firm Euro Pacific Capital, he's a full-fledged and unapologetic member of "the 1 Percent." As an outspoken radio show host and commentator, he not only predicted the housing crash and financial crisis, he railed bank and auto-sector bailouts as they were happening. Schiff believes that capitalism offers is the only hope for young, frustrated people to have a vibrant and prosperous future. So he went to Occupy Wall Street to engage and debate the protesters.

Touring the Occupy Wall Street scene in New York with a sign that read "I Am the 1%, Let's Talk," Schiff spent more than three hours on the scene, explaining the difference between cronyism and capitalism, bailouts and balance sheets, and more.

"The regulation we want is the market," said Schiff. "That's what works."

Schiff describes himself as "sympathetic" to the plight of the OWS protesters, but thinks their anger is misdirected at legitimate business interests and should be better at the White House, Congress, the Federal Reserve, and the crony capitalists they've bailed out.

Check out Schiff's Euro Pacific Capital at www.europac.net

Listen to his radio show online at www.schiffradio.com

Buy his latest book, How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, at http://www.amazon.com/How-Economy-Grows-Why-Crashes/dp/047052670X

Produced by Anthony L. Fisher. Camera by Nathan Chaffetz.

Runs about 19 minutes. Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions of our videos and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel for automatic notification when new material goes live online.

For a two-minute version, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZr9c1zYaOE

For Reason's coverage of the Occupy movement in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and elsewhere, go to http://reason.com/topics/occupy-wall-street

Here's a playlist of Reason.tv's always expanding video coverage of the Occupy movement: http://www.youtube.com/user/ReasonTV#grid/user/3E65B192ADEB84BD

"Wal-Mart Doesn't Hold a Gun to Your Head!": Peter Schiff at Occupy Wall Street

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:54:00 EDT

"Did a corporation end slavery, or did the government end slavery?!?!"

That's the sort of question investment guru and radio show host Peter Schiff fielded as he debated Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters last week in New York's Zuccotti Park.

Schiff is no ordinary observer. As the prinicipal of the financial firm Euro Pacific Capital, he's a full-fledged and unapologetic member of "the 1 Percent." As an outspoken radio show host (listen online here) and commentator, he not only predicted the housing crash and financial crisis, he railed bank and auto-sector bailouts as they were happening. Schiff believes that capitalism offers is the only hope for young, frustrated people to have a vibrant and prosperous future (get information on his latest book, How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, here). So he went to Occupy Wall Street to engage and debate the protesters.

Touring the Occupy Wall Street scene in New York with a sign that read "I Am the 1%, Let's Talk," Schiff spent more than three hours on the scene, explaining the difference between cronyism and capitalism, bailouts and balance sheets, and more.

"The regulation we want is the market," said Schiff. "That's what works."

Schiff describes himself as "sympathetic" to the plight of the OWS protesters, but thinks their anger is misdirected at legitimate business interests and should be better at the White House, Congress, the Federal Reserve, and the crony capitalists they've bailed out.

If you dig this video, check out a 20-minute-long video from Schiff's day at Occupy Wall Street in which the unflappable defender of true capitalism spars with an eclectic mix of protesters and gets at least some of them to reassess where the blame for financial crisis really lies. That's at YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGL-Ex1CD1c

Produced by Anthony L. Fisher. Camera by Nathan Chaffetz.

Runs about 3.20 minutes. Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions of our videos and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel for automatic notification when new material goes live online.

For Reason's coverage of the Occupy movement in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and elsewhere, go here.

Here's a playlist of Reason.tv's always expanding video coverage of the Occupy movement.

Jacob Sullum Talks DOJ Proposal to Deny Existence of Sensitive Documents on Freedom Watch

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Senior Editor Jacob Sullum appeared on Fox News' Freedom Watch With Judge Napolitano to discuss a new Department of Justice proposal that would allow the government to deny the existence of sensitive documents, despite the Freedom of Information Act's current policy.

Air Date: October 27, 2011.

Approximately 4 minutes.

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David Bernstein on Rehabilitating Lochner and the Freedom to Contract

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

“Either the Commerce Clause gives Congress a plenary power to regulate anything it pleases or it doesn’t; and let’s have that argument,” says George Mason University law professor David Bernstein.

Bernstein goes after progressive attempts to limit economic freedom and liberty of contract in his new book Rehabilitating Lochner: Defending Individual Rights against Progressive Reform, a history of the 1905 case Lochner v. New York. The decision nullified a state law regulating work hours for bakers and became the impetus for a 40-year period where American courts protected economic liberty.

A Lochner rehabilitation has not been easy, Bernstein admits. Many legal experts that see Lochner as on par with the infamous Dred Scott decision. The government's encroaching power under the Commerce Clause has also held the case for economic liberty back. But Bernstein remains hopeful and believes both liberals and conservatives have something to gain in reexamining Lochner's implications, which range from protecting the right to an abortion to striking down the health care act’s individual mandate.

Approximately 6.36 minutes.

Hosted by Nick Gillespie. Camera by Meredith Bragg and Joshua Swain; edited by Swain.

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Adrian Moore Talks Frivolous Lawsuits on Varney & Co.

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Adrian Moore, Vice President of Research at the Reason Foundation, appeared on Fox Business' Varney & Co. to discuss a ridiculous lawsuit about a ridiculous regulation regarding mirror heights in restrooms. Air date: October 12, 2011.

Approximately 5 minutes.

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Damon Root Talks Occupy Wall Street on Stossel

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Associate Editor Damon Root discusses on Stossel how "Wall Street is crony-capitalism at its worst" and why he agrees with much of the Occupy Wall Street movement, but not all. Airdate October 13, 2011.

Approximately 8 minutes.

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Couple Heading to Court after Hosting Home Bible Study! (Nanny of the Month, Sept 2011)

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:25:00 EDT

Nanny of the Month turns two-years-old this October, and the busybodies who mind your own business show no signs of letting up.

Take formerly dog-friendly New York City which has banished man’s best friend from any establishment that serves food or alcohol (and that includes outdoor patios!). Then there’s Michigan Gov. Rick Snyner who’s tackling childhood obesity by introducing a statewide database to keep anonymous tabs on kiddies’ weight.

But the this very special nanny comes to us from a California city that is fighting (and fining) a couple that hosts Bible studies at home. Presenting Reason.tv’s Nanny of the Month for September 2011: San Juan Capistrano City Attorney Omar Sandoval!

The city slapped Chuck and Stephanie Fromm with fines totalling $300 for violating a municipal code which prohibits religious, fraternal, or nonprofit organizations from meeting on residential property without a conditional use permit (CUP). The Fromm’s gatherings can attract as many as 50 people and the city says that causes parking problems, but the Fromm’s disagree saying there is plenty of parking in their semi-rural neighborhood where large homes sit on even larger lots (the Fromm’s lot includes a corral, barn, and large lawn). The Fromms have held their gatherings since 1994 and say their neighbors support them, except for one woman whose recent complaint sparked city action.

The city is threatening to impose steeper fines if the Fromms continue their un-permitted gatherings, claiming that “zoning and building codes treat residences differently than places of public assembly because of public welfare and safety reasons.”

The Fromm’s are appealing the fines and refuse to apply for a CUP because they could face thousands of dollars in expenses that could include conducting traffic studies and making their home wheelchair accessible.

Next stop is Superior Court.

Approximately 1.20 minutes.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.

Go here to watch previous Nanny of the Month episodes.

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Adrian Moore Talks Robo-Signing Scandal on Freedom Watch

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Vice President of Research Adrian Moore appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss the latest robo-signing revelation and the ever-increasing IMF bailout fund. Air date: September 26, 2011.

Approximately 8 minutes.

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Freedom Friend Founder Talks Pop Culture and Women at FreedomFest 2011

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Michelle Lieberman is the founder of Freedom Friend. She is trying to promote the ideas of freedom to young women like herself.

Held each July in Las Vegas, FreedomFest is attended by around 2,000 libertarians and advocates of limited government. Reason.tv spoke with over two dozen speakers and attendees and will be releasing interviews over the coming weeks. For an ever-growing playlist, go here now.

About 5 minutes. Shot by Zach Weissmueller and Jim Epstein and edited by Sharif Matar.

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Nick Gillespie Talks Unemployment and Stimulus on Freedom Watch

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason.tv editor in chief Nick Gillespie appeared on Freedom Watch, to discuss unemployment and what the federal government should be doing, or not doing, to promote job growth. Air Date: September 17, 2011.

Approximately 5:12 minutes.

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Matt Welch Talks Buffett Tax and Failed Tax Hikes on Freedom Watch

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch appeared on Freedom Watch With Judge Napolitano to talk about the potential consequences of the Buffett tax, the ineffectiveness of stimulus on state economies and the failure of tax hikes to compensate for these inefficiencies.

Air Date: September 19, 2011.

Approximately 9 minutes.

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Peter Schiff on the Dismal Future of the U.S. Economy

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EDT

"We have to cut $1.5 trillion out of this year's budget," says investment advisor, author, and radio host Peter Schiff.

Reason's Nick Gillespie sat down with Schiff at July's FreedomFest in Las Vegas.

Schiff, whose most recent book is How and Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, says that the economic downturn of 2008 is only a mild preview of what's in store for the U.S. economy in the future and predicts much higher unemployment and huge inflation over the next few years. The only way out of this mess, says Schiff, is for the government to get out of the way and let the inevitable market correction occur. "It would be painful to cut spending by that degree," he acknowledges, "but not nearly as painful as it's going to be if we don't cut spending by that degree."

Shot by Jim Epstein and Zach Weissmueller and edited by Zach Weissmueller.

About 5 minutes long.

Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

Held every July in Las Vegas, FreedomFest is an annual gathering of about 2,000 free-market and libertarian enthusiasts. This year's speakers included Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch, Sen. Rand Paul, Judge Andrew Napolitano, and scores of others. Reason.tv conducted interviews with more than two dozen speakers, which we'll be releasing over the next several weeks. Our growing playlist can be watched online here.

Power to the Entrepreneurs: A conversation with USD law professor Donna Matias

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

At a time when political leaders are talking a lot about the need to create jobs from the top down, Donna Matias is taking more of a bottom-up approach. Matias and her colleagues at the Entrepreneurship Clinic at the University of San Diego Law School provide pro bono legal services to San Diego entrepreneurs.

We sat down with Matias to learn more about how her organization works to help low-income entrepreneurs overcome the regulatory hurdles that so often make it difficult for small businesses to succeed.

Produced by Paul Feine and Alex Manning.

Approximately 3.5 minutes.

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Grace-Marie Turner On Why Obamacare is Wrong for America

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

At FreedomFest in July, Reason's Nick Gillespie talked with Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute about her new book "Why ObamaCare is Wrong for America: How the New Health Care Law Drives Up Costs, Puts Government in Charge of Your Decisions, and Threatens Your Constitutional Rights."

Shot by Zach Weissmueller and Jim Epstein. Edited by Sharif Matar. About 7 minutes.

Held each July in Las Vegas, FreedomFest is attended by around 2,000 limited-government enthusiasts and libertarians a year. Reason.tv spoke with over two dozen speakers and attendees and will be releasing interviews over the coming weeks.

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Federal Education Policy with Former Assistant Secretary of Education Bill Evers

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Does the Obama Administration want to create a national education policy akin to France's Ministry of Education? According to Bill Evers, Former US Assistant Secretary of Education and current Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, that is exactly what they are attempting to do.

Evers sat down with Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward to discuss current federal education policy, the role of the Department of Education, and synonyms for “school vouchers.”

Approx. 7:20 minutes.

Edited by Meredith Bragg. Camera by Meredith Bragg and Josh Swain.

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Anthony Randazzo Talks Wall Street Regulation and Gas Tax on Freedom Watch

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason's Director of Economic Research Anthony Randazzo appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss if Wall Street regulation hurts jobs and if the gas tax will be reinstated. Air Date: 8/2/2011.

Approximately 8 minutes.

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Plant a Garden, Go to Jail for 93-days?! Nanny of the Month (July 2011)

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 08:30:00 EDT

They’re cracking down on food trucks in St. Louis and busting those who bust a sag in Collinsville, Illinois, but the nation’s top nanny is the Detroit-area scold who just can’t stand front-yard vegetable gardens.

Last year a Georgia man who committed a similar offense faced only fines, but not Julie Bass, who was looking at 93-days in the slammer for her veggie violation.

Presenting Reason.tv’s Nanny of the Month for July 2011: Oak Park, Michigan City Planner Kevin Rulkowski!

Just over one-minute long.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.

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To watch past "Nanny of the Month" episodes, go here.

Matt Welch Discusses Crack Downs on Food Trucks on Freedom Watch

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss how government regulators, due to health concerns and pressure from brick-and-mortar restaurants, have targeted food trucks and how this has hampered potential business owners and limited customer choice. Air Date: July 19, 2011.

Approximately 4.11 minutes.

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Anthony Randazzo Discusses Job Creation, the Housing Market and if Walnuts are a Drug on Freedom Watch

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason's Director of Economic Research Anthony Randazzo appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss GE’s CEO who criticized companies for not hiring, the Obama administration potentially renting foreclosured homes, and the FDA's claim that walnuts are a drug. Air Date: April 29, 2011.

Approximately 12.15 minutes.

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Peter Suderman Discusses the FDA Proposing to Regulate Medical Apps on Mobile Devices

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Associate Editor Peter Suderman appeared on Cavuto to discuss the FDA's recent proposal to regulate medical apps on mobile devices and argues regulation will create expensive products and limit consumer choices. Air date: 7/22/2011.

Approximately 3.44 minutes.

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DC Taxi Heist

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT

Washington, D.C. is considering a bill that would require every cab driver in the city to own a special permit called a medallion. The total number of medallions would be capped at 4,000, which would reduce the current number of cabs by more than one-third and put thousands of drivers out of business. (The city government has no idea how many licensed cabs are in the district, though estimates range from 6,500 to 10,000.)

If that weren't bad enough, most drivers wouldn't have the option of buying a medallion. The first set of medallions would be offered for sale to the minority of cabbies who have been driving for at least five years and who live in Washington D.C. (Again the city government has no idea how many current drivers meet this criteria, but rising real estate prices and weak city services have led many drivers to leave the district.)

Who will be offered the next set of medallions, according to the bill? That would be cab companies, who could then rent medallions to drivers. This system would destroy the relatively open-access taxi industry in D.C., in which the majority of drivers are owner-operators free to make their own schedules and keep whatever money they earn on the job. In cities such as New York and Boston, drivers pay upwards of $800 a week to rent their medallions.

Cab riders would also suffer under the new regime. Reducing the number of taxis on the street will make it harder to catch a cab, especially in non-tourist neighborhoods and areas far from business districts. And the medallion system will almost certainly drive up prices. A 2010 study by D.C.'s own Department of Finance found that fares in cities with medallion systems are 25 percent higher on average than in cities in which the supply of cabs isn't restricted.

Given all that, why would the nation's capital consider implementing such a system? D.C.'s medallion bill was written by lobbyist and former city councilman John Ray, who was hired by taxi magnate Jerry Schaeffer. Ray has worked as a lawyer for councilman Harry Thomas, and it was Thomas who introduced Ray's bill in the city council. The other major sponsor of the bill: Council member Marion Barry, the former mayor best known for his 1990 arrest for smoking crack in a hotel room with a girlfriend.

In a recent letter in the Washington Post, Ray argued that because the cab industry is open entry and unregulated it's been susceptible to corruption. But in practice the DC taxi commission, which currently regulates the industry, has its own history of corruption. And the commission is so wary of scrutiny that when reporter Pete Tucker snapped a photo on his cellphone at a recent public meeting he was dragged out and arrested.

Reason.tv Producer Jim Epstein captured Tucker's arrest on his mobile phone. Later, Epstein was also arrested after resisting attempts by the taxi commission and us park police to confiscate his camera phone. When Tucker was arrested, cab drivers, stormed out of the meeting in protest.

For more on the medallion bill, read Reason's Sam Staley in the Washington Post on medallions, and on how regulation has spawned corruption in D.C.'s taxi industry.

Produced by Jim Epstein, with help from Kyle Blaine, Lucas Newman, and Jack Gillespie. Narrated by Nick Gillespie.

Approximately 6 minutes.

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The War on Lemonade Stands! Nanny of the Month (June 2011)

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:45:00 EDT

This Fourth of July weekend think about what truly represents freedom: Old Glory, the Liberty Bell, and an ice-cold glass of lemonade.

This month's lineup of busybodies includes two regulars: the FDA, which is slapping new, more graphic, possibly counterproductive, warning labels on cigarette packs and the goldfish grabbers on San Francisco's Animal Control and Welfare Commission.

But top dishonors go to the sour bureaucrat who put the squeeze on a group of kids for running a lemonade stand. Sure they were raising money for a worthy cause (pediatric cancer research), but they were doing it without a permit, and that's why they got slapped with a $500 fine.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for June 2011: Jennifer Hughes of Montgomery County, Maryland's Department of Permitting Services!

The episode sparked so much outrage that the county eventually backed off, but this is no isolated incident. Across America, the permit police are cracking down on pint-sized peddlers of liquid freedom.

Just over one-minute long.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.

Go here to watch past "Nanny of the Month" episodes.

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Baylen Linnekin Discusses Fast Food Advertising and Child Obesity on Freedom Watch

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason contributor Baylen Linnekin appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss whether pressuring Congress to regulate advertising to childern will limit obesity or simply limit what parents can feed their childern. Air date: 6/28/2011.

About 3:00 minutes.

Go here for Reason.tv's coverage of raw milk raids and the fight for food freedom.

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The Truth About Fracking

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT

Hydraulic fracturing - or "fracking" - is a fast-growing source of natural gas used to create electricity, heat homes, and more. It involves forcing water, sand, and chemicals into super-deep wells and then recovering the gas released during the process.

Fracking is also highly controversial, with viral video hits such as "The Fracking Song" and the 2010 documentary Gasland contending that the process leads to polluted drinking water, home explosions, and worse.

Fracking has been around for more than 60 years and over 100,000 gas wells are dug per year, most of them in sparsely populated areas in the western U.S. With the discovery of the Marcellus Shale in the eastern part of the country, fracking is increasingly common in populated parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York, leading to heightened tensions between drillers and environmentalists. Indeed, the attorney general of New York has called for a moratorium on the practice in the Empire State.

Is fracking safe? And what are the potential benefits that will be forfeited if the practice is ended? Reason's Nick Gillespie sat down with science correspondent Ronald Bailey to learn the truth about fracking. Bailey reports that the cases of contaminated water supplies were the result of poorly designed wells that had nothing to do with fracking itself. As important, he notes that the gas generated by fracking would not only massively increase American energy supply, it would do so with a relatively clean and cheap fuel.

Shot by Jim Epstein and Josh Swain; Edited by Swain.

Approximately 5:34 minutes.

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Damon Root Discusses Government Intervention in the Housing Market and Libya on Freedom Watch

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Associate Editor Damon Root appeared on Freedom Watch With Judge Napolitano to discuss how government intervention in the housing market is making for a difficult recovery and whether the military intervention in Libya is unconstitutional.

Air Date: June 16, 2011.

Approximately 7.24 minutes.

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North Carolina Bans Rare Burgers! Nanny of the Month (May 2011)

Tue, 31 May 2011 07:00:00 EDT

May's biggest busybodies are taking it to poker players and teen tanners, but the nation's top nag has lovers of pink-in-the-middle burgers seeing red.

In a stunning blow to all that is juicy and delicious, the Tar Heel state actually prohibits restaurants from serving rare or medium-rare hamburgers. (And if this crime against meat freedom seems especially un-American, keep in mind that it comes from the same state that once banned Old Glory at public rallies.)

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for May 2011: Terry Pierce of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources!

Approximately 95 seconds.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.

Go here to watch previous Nanny of the Month episodes.

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Nick Gillespie Talks National Debt on FBN's Stossel

Fri, 27 May 2011 13:00:00 EDT

Reason.tv editor-in-chief Nick Gillespie joined Stossel to discuss ways of fixing the national debt. Air Date: May 26, 2011.

Approximately 5:00 minutes.

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Don't Ban DUI Checkpoint Apps!

Wed, 11 May 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants to control your smartphone.

Yesterday, Schumer went after Google, Apple, and other smartphone-industry players who have refused to follow a "voluntary" request by him and Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) that they ban apps that show where police are setting up driving under the influence (DUI) checkpoints, speed traps, and the like.

State officials are applying similar pressure (and are also claiming that all requests for compliance are "voluntary"). Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, is pushing for bans and so is Maryland's Attorney General Doug Gansler, who likened the apps to "giving a robber the key and the alarm pad code to go rob a bank."

As a direct result of the pressure, Research in Motion, maker of Blackberry products, blocked the apps.

But are apps that give citizens more information about what law enforcement is up to a bad thing? They clearly fall under First Amendment guarantees of free expression (that's why lawmakers are saying their requests are "voluntary"). But perhaps more important, such apps actually minimize drunk driving and speeding - which is one of the reasons why police in places such as Travis County, Texas, are the ones entering the information for DUI checkpoint apps such as Trapster. As a Travis County cop puts it, if he can stop the problematic behavior without writing tickets or hauling people in, everybody is better off.

That's an irony that's lost on bullying pols such as Schumer, Biden, and others. But it's one of the reasons why the audience for such apps continues to grow.

Approximately 3.27 minutes. Featuring Cato Institute policy analyst Julian Sanchez and President of the Association for Competitive Technology Jonathan Zuck.

Produced by Joshua Swain with Nick Gillespie, who also narrates. Filmed by Swain and Jim Epstein.

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Ron Bailey Discusses Corn Subsides and Oil Prices on Russia Today's The Big Picture

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Science Correspondent Ron Bailey appeared on Russia Today's The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann to discuss how corn subsidies have lead to higher oil and food prices. Air Date: May 10, 2011.

Approximately 9 minutes.

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Governments vs. Markets: Julian Morris on Environmental Protection

Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Which does a better job of protecting the environment: governments or markets?

Reason Foundation’s Vice President of Research Julian Morris spoke at Reason Foundation's annual Reason Weekend and challenged the idea that regulations and energy subsidies will save us from environmental disasters. In fact, they help cause them.

When people are driven by profits and protected by property rights, Morris argues, environmentally friendly products will develop naturally.

Morris is the author of dozens of scholarly articles on issues ranging from the morality of free trade to the relationship between institutions, economic development and environmental protection.

Approximately 28 minutes.

Filmed by Alex Manning and Paul Detrick; Editded by Joshua Swain

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Bernie Sanders' War on Chinese Bobbleheads!

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EDT

In the midst of a massive fiscal crisis, a take-no-prisoners budget battle, a historically long recession, and two (make that three) wars, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) knows what really matters.

He's pushing the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. to only sell bobble-heads, T-shirts, snow-globes, and other souvenirs that are made in America. After getting a letter from and taking a meeting with the self-described Green Mountain State socialist, the folks at the Smithsonian have agreed to increase the amount of domestically produced junk for sale in their gift shops. They're even constructing a new gift shop solely to products manufactured in America that will be called the Price of Freedom.

During a recent trip to the National Mall, Reason.tv found that such nativist grandstanding plays well with the man in the street, but CATO policy analyst Sallie James says protectionism doesn't come cheap. In fact, top-down attempts to keep Americans in low-level manufacturing jobs is a great way to ruin the economy, whether we're talking about Founding Father thimbles or higher-end electronics.

Produced by Joshua Swain, with help from Meredith Bragg, and hosted by Michael Moynihan.

Approximately 3 minutes.

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Anthony Randazzo Discusses a New Low in the Housing Market on The Alyona Show

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Director of Economic Research at Reason Foundation Anthony Randazzo appeared on Russia Today's The Alyona Show to discuss the latest drop in new home sales from the Commerce Department and how ending government intervention will aid the recovery. Air date: March 23, 2011.

Approximately 7.03 minutes.

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Tilting at Wind Turbines: Should the Government Subsidize Renewable Energy?

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EST

Switching from conventional sources of electricity like coal and natural gas to renewables like wind and solar, our elected leaders tell us, will reduce pollution, advance renewable technology and spark a green jobs revolution.

Is renewable energy really a green pathway to a brighter economic future? Or is it nothing more than a heavily subsidized impossible dream?

To learn more, we spoke with Cal State Fullerton economist Robert Michaels and Mark Tholke, an executive at enXco.

Approximately 6.5 minutes.

Produced by Paul Feine and Alex Manning.

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Artists vs. the Drug War: On the Scene at the Drug Policy Alliance's re:FORM Art Auction

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST

Think the drug war does more harm than good?

The Drug Policy Alliance sure does, and recently the DPA hosted the re:FORM Art Auction where artists donated their work to raise money for a most worthy cause—ending the war on drugs. Reason.tv was on the scene at the Honor Fraser Gallery in Culver City, California to talk to art lovers and drug policy reformers about everything from fixing our nation's prison policy to legalizing marijuana.

"I think the number one thing is basically to break the taboo on really open and honest dialog on all drug policy options including legalization," says Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the DPA.

Contributing artists include: Josh Levine, Ed Moses, Jeffrey Palladini, Gina Stepaniuk, and Jill Sykes.

Approximately 2.5 minutes.

"Artists Versus the Drug War" was Produced by Ted Balaker, Hawk Jensen and Alex Manning.

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Peter Suderman Talks Debt and Monetary Policy on Freedom Watch

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST

Associate Editor of Reason Magazine Peter Suderman appeared on Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano to talk about government debt and monetary policy at the Federal Reserve. Air date: 3/2/2011.

Run time approximately 10 minutes.

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Nanny of the Month (Feb 2011): Would-Be Brothel Banner Sen. Harry Reid!

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:20:00 EST

Last month's Nanny tackled the scourge of distracted walking, and this month's runners-up have their sights set on banning big-leaguers from dipping and toddlers from talking.

But top dishonors go to the nanny from Nevada who's picking a fight with prostitutes.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for February 2011: Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)!

Approximately 90 seconds

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producer: Alex Manning.

Go here to watch previous "Nanny of the Month" episodes.

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Peter Suderman Discusses Net Neutrality with Stossel

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason Associate Editor Peter Suderman appeared on Fox Business Network's Stossel to talk about the FCC's new net neutrality rules. Airdate: February 17, 2011.

Approximately 4.06 minutes.

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Anthony Randazzo Testifies before the House Financial Services Subcommittee

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

Director of Economic Research for Reason Foundation Anthony Randazzo testifies before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises. He proposed ten ways to address near-term reform for the mortgage finance system while developing a long-term solution to fix the American housing market. Read the written testimony here and watch the full hearing here. Airdate: February 9, 2011.

Approximately 13.30 minutes.

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Richard Riordan on Unions, Dysfunctional LA, and Golfing with the (Ex) Governator (Extended Interview)

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST

"They put incompetent adults ahead of children," Richard Riordan says of teachers unions who stand in the way of school reform.

The former mayor of Los Angeles took office shortly after the 1992 riots and shortly before the massive 1994 Northridge earthquake. Today, notes Riordan, the City of Angels faces a slate of different crises, from failing public schools to a fiscal calamity that has put the city on the brink of bankruptcy.

In this wide-ranging extended version of an interview that aired in January (and was shot in December), Riordan sits down with Reason.tv's Tim Cavanaugh to discuss public-sector unions, privatization, LA's dysfunctional government, why businesses are leaving the city, and why Arnold Schwarzenegger won't golf with him.

Approximately 40 minutes.

Shot by Zach Weissmueller, Paul Detrick, and Alex Manning. Edited by Detrick.

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Nanny of the Month (Jan 2011) Drug Testing 11-year-olds! Fining iPod Users!

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

Last month Reason.tv recognized 2010's Nanny of the Year, and now it's onto a brand new year of nagging nannies.

This month's slate features heartland regulators targeting drinking games and New Jersey educators drug testing 11-year-olds.

But top dishonors go to the New York pol who's pushing a bill that would make it illegal to cross the street while iPodding, cell-phoning or being otherwise engaged with an electronic gadget.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month: New York State Senator Carl Kruger!

Approximately 1 minute.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producer: Alex Manning.

To watch previous Nanny of the Month videos, go here .

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Joel Klein on School Choice

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

As chancellor of New York City's Department of Education from 2002-2010, Joel Klein oversaw dramatic changes to the largest school system in the country. He worked hard to increase choice and accountability by increasing the autonomy and accountability of principals and championing charter schools. He also fought (with mixed success) to make it easier to hire and fire teachers and to eliminate onerous work rules.

Reason.tv’s Nick Gillespie sat down with Klein at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington, D.C., to talk about school choice and the obstacles to reform.

This interview is part of National School Choice Week, an initiative to raise awareness of how competition and choice can transform public education.

Approximately 3.35 minutes. Filmed by Jim Epstein and Meredith Bragg, and edited by Joshua Swain.

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Lobsters Invade D.C.!

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:54:00 EST

When the Washington D.C. City Council loosened the rules governing food trucks back in 2007, it led to a culinary explosion in the nation’s capital, enabling District lunch-goers to chow down on bulgogi tacos, pork banh mi, gourmet pizza, and more.

Never known as a place for retail innovation, D.C.’s roving lunch scene is starting to compare favorably with such culinary hotspots as New York and Los Angeles, which has been cracking down on its legendary food trucks via a bevy of arbitrary regulations.

D.C.’s bricks-and-mortar restaurants have done their part to lobby for rules that would hobble the new competition, including pushing for a law that would keep food trucks out of entire neighborhoods.

In December 2010, Reason.tv grabbed lunch from the Red Hook Lobster Pound, one of the District's best-known food truck, to find out why customers were willing to stand in line for an hour in 30-degree weather and fork over $15 for lobster rolls.

Approximately 2 minutes.

Produced, Shot and Edited by Jim Epstein and Joshua Swain.

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Nick Gillespie: "Enjoy Your Freedoms While You Still Can"

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST

On July 17, 2010, Reason's Nick Gillespie gave the keynote speech at the Independence Institute 's 8th Annual "Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms Party" in Colorado. He was asked to speak on the theme of "enjoying your freedoms while you still can."

The Denver Post's Chuck Plunkett wrote up the event, saying of Gillespie's appearance :

This year’s ATF featured Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason.com and Reason.TV, an urbane sophisticate who, until Saturday, had never fired a gun, and who failed to hit a single flying clay disk in the few rounds he attended before sneaking away to crib out his presentation on a hotel memo pad. (Note to politicians: Real thinkers write their own material.)
Gillespie is a true intellectual, who can, before finishing his lunch, discuss how “The Great Gatsby” might be written today, switch to a riff on free-market reasons for supporting a value-added tax, reference economic studies that detail the “self-correcting” tax distribution in European countries that have applied a VAT, chart from memory the nation’s deficit spending patterns since the Great Depression, and all while handling a pretend-I’m-interested discussion with a political candidate whose conversation is limited to repeating the phrase, “It’ll be a real dog-fight, in every sense of the word.”

Gillespie was introduced by the group's leader, Jon Caldara , who hosts the lively and entertaining public affairs show "The Devil's Advocate" on Colorado Public Television. (Gillespie appeared on the show during his visit. Go here to watch.)

Approximately 20 minutes. Scroll down for downloadable versions. Note: There are wind-related issues with audio throughout.

Busybodies, Babes, and Bacon: Presenting Reason.tv's 2010 Nanny of the Year!

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST

They touch our lives in so many ways, and now Reason.tv acknowledges those who tell us that if it looks good, tastes good, or feels good, it should be illegal.

Live (to tape) from the fourth floor of the Sepulveda Center in Los Angeles, California—it's the 2010 Nanny of the Year Awards!

Over the past year, Reason.tv has recognized plenty of busybodies who relish minding other people's business, but who deserves to succeed 2009's winner (Meddlin' Mike Bloomberg), and take home the 2010 Nanny?

Will it be the heartland mayor who sacked the Lingerie Football League? The Peach State pol who sued a man for growing vegetables in his own yard? A member of the food police?

Remember, it's a dishonor just to be nominated. So get your awards season started off right, and tune in to the only black-tie ceremony that delivers busybodies, bikini babes, and bacon!

Approximately 1.53 minutes.

"Reason.tv's 2010 Nanny of the Year Awards" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. Animation: Austin Bragg; Camera: Zach Weissmueller and Hawk Jensen; Voice Over: Rin Palmer

To learn more about our nominees and to watch more Nanny of the Month (and Year) videos, go here.

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OKC Mayor Sacks Lingerie Football! Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month (Nov 2010)

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST

This month nannies banned beverages that mix booze with caffeine and one top official even hinted that the feds may disable cell phones in cars.

But this time top dishonors go to the heartland mayor who sacked the Lingerie Football League.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for November 2010: Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett!

Approximately 1.17 minutes.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producer: Alex Manning. Opening animation: Meredith Bragg.

To watch previous Nanny of the Month episodes, go here.

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Richard Epstein on Barack Obama, his former Chicago Law Colleague

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

Few legal scholars have blown as many minds and had the tangible impact that Richard Epstein has managed. His 1985 volume, Takings: Private Property and the Power of Eminent Domain is a case in point. Epstein made the hugely controversial argument that regulations and other government actions such as environmental regulations that substantially limit the use of or decrease the value of property should be thought of as a form of eminent domain and thus strictly limited by the Constitution. The immediate result was a firestorm of outrage followed by an acknowledgment that the guy was onto something.

As Epstein told Reason in a 1995 interview, "I took some pride in the fact that [Sen.] Joe Biden (D-Del.) held a copy of Takings up to a hapless Clarence Thomas back in 1991 and said that anyone who believes what's in this book is certifiably unqualified to sit in on the Supreme Court. That's a compliment of sorts.... But I took even more pride in the fact that, during the Breyer hearings [in 199X], there were no such theatrics, even as the nominee was constantly questioned on whether he agreed with the Epstein position on deregulation as if that position could not be held by responsible people."

Born in New York in 1943, Epstein splits faculty appointments at the University of Chicago and New York University; he's also a senior fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, and a contributor to Reason. In books such as Forbidden Grounds: The Case Against Employment Discrimination Laws (1992) to Simple Rules for a Complex World (1995), and Skepticism and Freedom: A Modern Case for Classical Liberalism (2003), Epstein pushes his ideas and preconceptions to their limits and takes his readers along for the ride. A die-hard libertarian who believes the state should be limited and individual freedom expanded, he is nonetheless the consummate intellectual who first and foremost demands he offer up ironclad proofs for his characteristically counterintuitive insights into law and social theory.

Indeed, Epstein's enduring value may not be any particular legal or policy prescription he's offered over the years but rather his methodology. He believes in robust and unfettered argument and debate as a way of gaining knowledge. If you don't put your ideas out in the arena, you can't be doing your best work, he argues. "The problem when you keep to yourself is you don't get to hear strong ideas articulated by people who disagree with you," he says.

Reason's Nick Gillespie interviewed Epstein at NYU's law building in October. The conversation was wide-ranging and high-energy--another Epsteinian virtue. They talked about legal challenges to ObamaCare, the effects of stimulus spending and TARP bailouts, and a former University of Chicago adjunct faculty member by the name of Barack Obama, with whom Epstein regularly interacted in the 1990s and early 2000s.

"He passed through Chicago without absorbing much of the internal culture," says Epstein of the president. "He's amazingly good at playing intellectual poker. But that's a disadvantage, because if you don't put your ideas out there to be shot down, you're never gonna figure out what kind of revision you want."

Filmed and edited by Jim Epstein with help from Michael C. Moynihan and Josh Swain.

Approximately 12.30 minutes.

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In Defense of Payday Lending

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:50:00 EST

Few industries are more reviled than payday lending, which primarily services the working poor by offering short-term loans at high interest rates. Payday customers borrow an average of $350 for a period of two weeks, or until their next paycheck comes in. The money is handed over on the spot, once the payday store can verify that the customer has a job, earns enough to afford the loan, and hasn't recently defaulted with another vendor. Payday loans are in high demand: There are 22,000 payday storefronts in the United States and in 2009 they loaned a combined $35 billion.

And yet the industry is fighting for its survival. Montana just voted to make it illegal for the payday-loan industry to operate profitably, so lenders are loading their wagons and wheeling out of “The Land of the Shining Mountains." They’ve already moved on from Oregon, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, and Washington, D.C, because of similar regulations. The annualized interest on payday loans runs about 400 percent, but the reality is that payday firms see returns closer to 10 percent, or about the same as other less-demonized financial service providers.

Now there’s a danger the federal government will quash the rest of the U.S. payday industry. The Frank-Dodd Financial Reform bill, passed in July, created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which posseses the power to regulate paydays at the national level for the first time. The vaguely written law doesn’t allow the CFPB to cap interest rates, but regulators have the latitude to enact other rules that would obliterate profits, such as limiting the number of payday loans a customer can take out over a set period of time.

Payday critics, such as the Center for Financial Responsible Lending (which declined our interview request) argue that payday stores “trap” their customers and practice what “amounts to legal loan sharking.”

Reason.tv’s Nick Gillespie looks at payday loans—why people depend on them, why they’re expensive, and the assumption at the core of every attack on the industry: that the working-poor are too stupid to manage their own money.

The story features payday antagonist Gary Rivlin, the author of the recent book Broke USA; George Mason law professor Todd Zywicki, who has studied paydays; and Greg Fay and Saran Goubeaux of Hometown Cash Finance, a small chain of payday stores in Ohio.

Two studies are citied in this story: the Federal Reserve’s 2007 look at the effect of booting paydays out of George and Virginia, and the 2007 Vanderbilt-Oxford University study that reveals that, contrary to the claims of industry critics, paydays aren’t exceptionally profitable.

For more info, read Katherine Mangu-Ward’s October 2009 feature story on payday lending in Reason Magazine, and her Wall Street Journal review of Rivlin’s Broke USA.

Approximately 5 minutes.

Produced by Jim Epstein, with help from Dan Hayes, Josh Swain, and Michael Moynihan.

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Happy Meals Banned in San Francisco! Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for October 2010

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EDT

Last month the food police sued a North Carolina man for growing fresh vegetables, and this month San Francisco's food cops have committed a different kind of atrocity by making the City by the Bay the first major metropolis to ban toys in happy meals.

This month's top busybody is the pol who sponsored the ordinance to make happy meals sad, the one who hopes his "food justice" agenda goes nationwide.

Presenting the Nanny of the Month for October 2010: San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar!

Approximately 75 seconds.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producers: Paul Detrick and Alex Manning. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.

To watch previous Nanny of the Month episodes, go here.

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Jacob Sullum Discusses Drug Policy on Russia Today

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Senior Editor Jacob Sullum appeared on Russia Today's The Alyona Show to discuss a new British report that shows alcohol is more harmful than cocaine and heroin, and why governments often base drug classifications on cultural norms rather than science. Air date: November 1, 2010.

Approximately 7.07 minutes.

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Peter Suderman Debates Federal Regulations in Healthcare on CNBC

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Associate Editor of Reason Magazine Peter Suderman appeared on CNBC to debate Judy Feder of The Center for American Progess on the new federal regulations in the healthcare industry. Suderman argues governemnt intervention will only increase health care costs and burdern taxpayers. Air date: 11/01/10.

Run time approximately 7.05 minutes.

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UPS vs. FEDEX: Ultimate Whiteboard Remix (Original Cut)

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EDT

Starting with MSNBC, Reason has started airing commercials on cable news channels with the goal of bringing a new audience to Reason.com and Reason magazine

For our first TV spot, we chose a slimmed-down version of our popular and acclaimed 2009 video, "UPS vs. FEDEX (Ultimate Whiteboard Remix)", which was nominated for a digital National Magazine Award and explores the way in which federal labor classifications lead firms to jockey for political favors rather than customer satisfaction.

See the new 60 second version of the Ultimate Whiteboard Remix as seen on MSNBC here.

You may have heard the UPS is in quite the political fight with FEDEX. Though both are package-delivery companies, they're governed by totally different federal labor rules. As a result, UPS's workforce is much more heavily unionized than FEDEX's—and more than twice as expensive.

So now UPS is trying to get FEDEX reclassified under federal law as a way of screwing a competitor. That's horrendous, but it also makes a sick kind of business sense. And it also reveals the real villain: A government that is big enough to absolutely, positively guarantee it can screw any business. Overnight.

"UPS Vs. FEDEX" was produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie (who also hosts). Approximately two minutes long.

This video is based on "Using Unions as Weapons," by Mercatus Center economist Veronique de Rugy, which appeared in the October 2009 print edition of Reason. Read that article here .

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Progress Party Leader Siv Jensen on Norway's Myths and Realities

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EDT

In a country of exceptionally high rates of personal taxation and home to one of the world's most generous welfare states, Norway's Progress Party, which describes itself as a "classical liberal" organization committed to "personal freedom," is something of an anomaly. But it is an increasingly powerful anomaly, now ranking as the country's second biggest political party.

In August, Progress Party leader Siv Jensen sat down with Reason senior editor Michael C. Moynihan and explained that Norwegians are growing tired of "regulation, bureaucracy, and high taxes" and why the Scandinavian health care model is bad for America—and Scandinavia.

Approximately 5 minutes. Shot by Jim Epstein and Meredith Bragg. Edited by Josh Swain.

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Three Things Politicians Could Learn from the UFC: Lex McMahon on the rise of mixed martial arts

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:30:00 EDT

In the mid-90s pundits and politicians had nearly forced mixed martial arts to tap out. Ardent boxing fan Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) led the charge against the new sport, slamming it as "human cockfighting." Cable companies shunned the sport and nearly 40 states banned it. And yet today, MMA has not only survived, it's become a global juggernaut, dominating pay-per-view events, and perhaps even proving safer than McCain's beloved sport of boxing.

Lex McMahon has witnessed the rise of mixed martial arts firsthand. McMahon runs Alchemist Management with CEO and three-time Grammy Award winner MC Hammer, and the two manage some of the best fighters in the world, including Nate Marquardt, who headlines Wednesday night's UFC Fight Night 22 and Brendan Schaub, who takes on Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121 on October 23.

McMahon sat down with Reason.tv's Ted Balaker to weigh in on the improbable mainstreaming of MMA, how promoters learned that improving safety would attract more fans, and what this most cosmopolitan of sports does to foster an environment of innovation.

Approximately nine minutes.

Interview by Ted Balaker. Shot by Hawk Jensen, Alex Manning, and Paul Detrick. Edited by Balaker. Music by doublethink; available at Magnatune.

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What We Saw at the 9/12 Tea Party Rally in DC

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EDT

On September 12, 2010 in Washington, D.C., FreedomWorks sponsored its second annual 9/12 rally, based on the theme of "Remember in November." Among the speakers were FreedomWorks' Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe (go here for Reason.tv's interview with them about their best-selling Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto); former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson (go here for an interview about his Our America initiative); "Tito the Builder," a Colombian immigrant and contractor who is an outspoken defender of free enterprise; Deneen Borelli of Project 21 and Tom Borelli of the Free Enterprise Project; and new media impresario Andrew Breitbart of Big Government.

This year's event drew a smaller but arguably more intense crowd than last year's demonstration. Attendees' attitudes toward President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress were sharply negative and sometimes strayed from the Tea Party's traditionally narrow focus on curbing federal spending to issues such as illegal immigration and race relations. Yet there was no mistaking the main thrust of the day's event, which was, as Matt Kibbe stressed, that "November 3 is even more important than November 2." As Andrew Breitbart put it, "The beauty of the Tea Party movement is watching it hold Republicans accountable...These people are not going to stop holding their government and elected officials accountable, especially those that claim to represent their values."

Approximately 5.30 minutes. Shot and edited by Dan Hayes and Jim Epstein. Interviews by Michael C. Moynihan and Nick Gillespie.

Watch Reason.tv's coverage of last year's 9/12 rally here and Glenn Beck's August 28, 2010 "Restoring Honor" rally here.

The Road to CanadaCare? Sally Pipes on The Truth About ObamaCare

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:50:00 EDT

Now that they've passed ObamaCare, can we see what's in it?

Sally Pipes, president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute and author of The Truth About ObamaCare sits down with Ted Balaker to discuss what's really on the way courtesy of the recent health care overhaul: higher costs, decreased access to care, and the looming spectre of a single-payer system in America.

Pipes, who hails from Canada, worries that ObamaCare has set the U.S. on a path toward a Canadian-style system. She weighs in on if and how ObamaCare could be repealed and what should replace it.

Approximately six minutes.

Interview by Ted Balaker. Shot by Alex Manning and Paul Detrick. Edited by Austin Bragg.

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Free the 'Shine! Why It's Finally Time to Legalize Liquor

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:01:00 EDT

If drinking makes us healthier and wealthier, why is America's liquor policy so screwy?

Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing in 1978, and that newfound freedom fueled the craft beer movement that continues to lavish beer lovers with endless choices. But in many ways, laws that govern whiskey, gin, and other distilled spirits are stuck in the 1920s.

Federal agents still raid distilleries much like they did during Prohibition, and making any amount of moonshine at home is not only illegal, it's a felony that can carry up to five years in prison. The result is a market dominated by a few big names, where would-be craftsmen are forced to hide their work.

And yet, despite the danger, America is in the midst of "moonshine renaissance," in which a new wave of hipster hobbyists has joined with old-time 'shiners to flout the law and do what they love to do.

"Free the 'Shine" is written and produced by Paul Detrick and Zach Weissmueller. Senior Producer: Ted Balaker; Additional Camera: Meredith Bragg, Josh Swain, and Alex Manning.

Approximately six minutes.

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Nanny of the Month (Aug 2010): Police Chief Busts Guy Who Keeps Drunks Off the Street

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:15:00 EDT

Did you hear about the Oregon health inspector who shut down a seven-year-old girl's lemonade stand? How about the California mayor who put the kibosh on a three-year-old's vegetable stand?

Sure they're both big-time buttinskys, but this month top honors go to the top cop who busted a guy who was offering free rides to keep drunk drivers off the road.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for August 2010: Quincy, Illinois Police Chief Rob Copely!

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producer: Alex Manning; Animation: Meredith Bragg.

Approximately one minute.

To watch previous Nanny of the Month videos, go here.

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Bracing for ObamaCare: Shirley Svorny on the Economics of Healthcare Regulation

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 03:30:00 EDT

ObamaCare expands coverage to millions of Americans, but, warns Professor Shirley Svorny, without stronger measures to expand the supply of healthcare providers and contain costs, we can expect a physician shortage and soaring premiums.

The California State University, Northridge economist suggests options for lowering costs and dismantling state-level regulations that restrain competition and innovation.

Approximately five minutes.

Interview by Paul Detrick. Shot by Alex Manning and Detrick. Edited by Austin Bragg.

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Afraid to Create Jobs: Brian Calle on Why Businesses Aren't Hiring

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EDT

"It's scary when the ones who are going to drive the economic recovery and put people back to work are saying, 'We're going to hold off a bit because we don't know what our government is going to do.'" So says Brian Calle.

The columnist and editorial writer for the Orange County Register got fed up with public-sector jobs programs and sluggish private-sector job growth, so he decided to ask business owners why they weren't hiring. The result is an ongoing, multimedia project called "The CEO Solutions Series," in which business owners diagnose the problem and propose solutions.

Reason.tv's Ted Balaker sat down with Calle to discuss what should be done to spur private-sector growth, the role uncertainty plays in hiring decisions, why business leaders are often afraid to complain about public policy, and the myth of the laissez-faire CEO.

Approximately 10 minutes.

Interview by Ted Balaker. Shot by Hawk Jensen, Alex Manning, and Zach Weissmueller. Edited by Jensen

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Katherine Mangu-Ward Discusses For-Profit Schools and Debt-Burdened Students at the New America Foundation

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Magazine Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward joins a panel at the New America Foundation to discuss for-profit schools and new rules about who should be eligible for federal student aid on July 30, 2010. Approximately 35.48 minutes.

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Nanny of the Month for July 2010: San Fran Soda Banner Mayor Newsom

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EDT

They've targeted bottled water and the selling of all kinds of pets, er, "animal companions." And now, with the soda scold who's yanking sugary beverages from vending machines, the City by the Bay pulls off the first-ever Nanny of the Month trifecta!

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for July 2010: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom!

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producers: Paul Detrick and Alex Manning; Animation: Meredith Bragg

Approximately one minute.

To watch previous Nanny of the Month videos, go here.

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Katherine Mangu-Ward Discusses the "Food Police" on Stossel

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EDT

Reason Magazine Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward debates MeMe Roth on whether the government should ban toys in kids' meals, regulate bake sales, and tax candy with Stossel on July 15, 2010.

Approximately 5.35 minutes.

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Michael Moynihan Discusses New Threats to Freedom on Stossel

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Magazine Senior Editor Michael C. Moynihan discusses what new threats are threatening our freedom in a post-Cold War America with Adam Bellow on Stossel on July 15, 2010.

Approximately 6 minutes.

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New Threats to Freedom: A Reason Event Featuring Adam Bellow, Stephen Schwartz, Christine Rosen, and Katherine Mangu-Ward

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 00:03:00 EDT

On May 17, 2010, Reason sponsored a panel discussion on the new collection New Threats to Freedom featuring editor Adam Bellow ("Where Have All the Grownups Gone?"), Reason's Katherine Mangu-Ward, Stephen Schwartz ("Shariah in the West"), and Christine Rosen ("The New Behaviorists").

New Threats (visit the book's website here) includes contributions from figures such as Christopher Hitchens ("Multiculturalism and the Threat of Conformity"), David Mamet ("The Fairness Doctrine"), Glenn Reynolds ("Liberty and Complacency"), Anne Applebaum ("The Decline of American Press Freedom"), and Reason staffers Katherine Mangu-Ward ("The War on Negative Liberty") and Michael C. Moynihan ("The Anticapitalists").

In his introductory essay, Bellow calls for a reinvigorated debate about the meaning and necessity of freedom in a world that is a generation past the Cold War. Reflecting on figures such as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and his own father, the Nobel Prize winning novelist Saul Bellow, he writes,

Many of us assumed that there would always be such people on hand to make the case for freedom and democracy. The loss of many of these outsized intellectual and literary figures in the first decade of this century leaves one wondering whether there are still any grownups around.
But here is a sobering thought: merely to ask the question is to assume responsibility for embracing the task oneself. Resistance doesn't come out of nowhere; it has to be fostered the old-fashioned way, word by word, through magazines and books, think-tank panels, conferences and seminars. We are the grownups now, and we owe it to the next generation to provide a model of how to be serious about ultimate questions.

Approximately 27 minutes. Shot and edited by Dan Hayes, Meredith Bragg, and Josh Swain.

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For a 4.45 minute interview with Adam Bellow, go here.

Nanny of the Month for June 2010: Ladies' Night Foe James Kirkpatrick!

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:10:00 EDT

Busybodies in Illinois are itching to bag baggy pants, and—Holy handcuffs, Batman!—in Los Angeles they're throwing the Caped Crusader behind bars!

But there can be only one Nanny of the Month, and this time it's the state bureaucrat who's thumbing his nose at the great Kool & the Gang anthem by cracking down on bars and restaurants that offer ladies' night (it discriminates against men, you see).

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for June 2010: Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights James Kirkpatrick!

Go here to watch previous Nanny of the Month videos.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producer: Alex Manning; Animation: Meredith Bragg.

Approximately one minute.

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Sweden: A Supermodel for America?

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EDT

To the American mind there may be nothing more quintessentially Swedish than the leggy, blond supermodel.

But there's another Swedish model that inspires almost as much admiration—the Swedish economic model. With a generous welfare state and high living standards, Sweden seems to prove that socialism works. Much of the hope that swept Barack Obama into the White House rests on the belief that America could reach new heights under a regime of enlightened progressivism, that we could be more like the Swedes.

Not so fast, warns Stockholm University sociologist Charlotta Stern: "If an American told me that the US should be more like Sweden I would say I don't think it's possible." The United States can centralize its health care system and pass other laws that mimic Sweden's welfare state polices, says Stern, but it's impossible to replicate a culture that allows those policies to operate about as smoothly as possible. Swedish bureaucracies inspire trust, but their American counterparts (DMV, TSA, IRS) inspire punch lines, if not outrage.

But America could emulate some of the Swedish policies that don't require extensive bureaucracies. Take school vouchers. Teachers unions in America regard the idea as free-market radicalism, but families in Sweden enjoy universal school choice. Sweden adopted its famously progressive policies during the 1970s, but after years of sluggish economic growth the land of ABBA altered its course in the 1990s, adopting a host of free-market reforms, from deregulation to tax cuts.

Although much of the disco-era welfare state remains, economist Andreas Bergh credits the free market reforms with reviving his nation's economy. "Sweden is moving in the market economic direction," says Bergh, "but that does not mean America should be moving in the socialist direction."

What if the two nations continue on in different directions? Maybe some day when America is looking for a way to rejuvenate its economy, pundits will point to a different kind of Swedish model. One that increases individual choice and competition.

"Sweden—A Supermodel for America?" is produced by Daniel B. Klein, and written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. Shot by Jonathan Liberman and Henrik Devell, with additional production support by Zach Weissmueller and Sam Corcos and post production by Hawk Jensen and Austin Bragg. Special thanks to Niclas Berggren, Martin Borgs, Nils Karlson, and the Ratio Institute.

Approximately 6.00 long.

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3 Reasons The FCC Shouldn't Touch The Internets!

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EDT

The FCC has just taken initial steps to regulate the Internet service providers the same way it regulates telephone companies. Although Chairman Julius Genachowski has said he would use any regulatory powers with a "light touch," having the FCC control any aspect of the Internet is a really bad idea for at least three reasons.

Written and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie (who also hosts). Approximately 2.15 minutes.

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Mr. Carey Goes to Cleveland: Drew Carey and Nick Gillespie talk to the Cleveland City Council about how to save Cleveland

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:00:00 EDT

Reason Saves Cleveland with Drew Carey, a Reason.tv original documentary series that proposes viable solutions to some of Cleveland's biggest problems, premiered in March 2010. The release made the front page (twice) of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and ruffled the feathers of at least one local writer.

The film also caught the attention of the Cleveland City Council, who invited Drew and Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie to Cleveland to discuss the ideas raised in the documentary.

This short video is a collection of highlights from Drew and Nick's 2.5 hour conversation with the Cleveland City Council on May 27.

Read a transcript of "The Confrontation" from the October 2010 issue of Reason.

Approximately 10 minutes. Produced, shot and edited by Paul Feine and Alex Manning.

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Read Nick Gillespie's "How to Save Cleveland" and "Ideas for Saving Cleveland" in the June 2010 issue of Reason magazine.

The Great Philly Beer Bust or, Step Away From The Unlicensed Ale or I'll Shoot!

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EDT

Back in March, the owners of Philadelphia's popular and upscale Memphis Tap Room found their place swarming with Pennsylvania state police searching for "unlicensed beer." As reported by the Philadelphia Daily News:

Although the bar owners had bought the beer legally from licensed Pennsylvania distributors and had paid all the necessary taxes, the police claimed that nobody had registered the precise names of the beers with the state Liquor Control Board - a process that requires the brewers or their importers to pay a $75 registration fee for each product they want to sell in Pennsylvania.

Based on a complaint from someone the State Police refuse to identify, three teams of officers converged last Thursday on the three bars, run by Leigh Maida and her husband, Brendan Hartranft. Checking their inventories against the state's official list of more than 2,800 brands, the cops seized four kegs and 317 bottles, totaling 60.9 gallons of beer, according to police calculations

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie recently sat down at the scene of the crime with the Tap Room's Hartranft to talk about the long reach of nanny state alcohol laws that just seem crazy, especially in the city that birthed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The Great Philly Beer Bust shines a dark light on how capricious enforcement of stupid regulations undermines life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Or at least a perfectly chilled Monk's Cafe Sour Flemish Red Ale.

Approximately 7.30 minutes long. Shot by Dan Hayes and edited by Josh Swain.

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3 Reasons Why Obama Should Kick His Own Ass

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EDT

President Barack Obama made news on The Today Show when he talked about kicking some ass over the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

If he is interested in punishing those responsible for what is shaping up as one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history, he should think about giving himself a boot.

While BP is ultimately responsible for the spill (and for cleaning it up), the federal government is a major player in the problem for at least three reasons:

1. It owns the property on which the oil well is located.

2. It regulates offshore drilling. And

3. In order to protect small players in the drilling industry, it capped economic damages from this sort of spill at just $75 million, a way-too-low cap that encourages risky behavior.

"3 Reason Why Obama Should Kick His Own Ass" is written and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie, who also hosts.

Approximately 2:30 minutes.

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Joel Kotkin: Why America Will Still Lead the World in 2050

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EDT

What will America be like in 40 years, after it adds another 100 million people? With so much bipartisan handwringing about everything from illegal immigration to environmental degradation, it seems like many are expecting America to collapse before 2050. Enter urban historian Joel Kotkin, who offers a rare and optimistic take on America's future.

Kotkin is the Distinguished Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University and the author of the new book, The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050. Topics include: immigration, suburbia, job creation, why America's demographic trajectory gives it an advantage over its peers.

Interview by Ted Balaker, shot by Paul Detrick and Zach Weissmueller, and edited by Alex Manning.

Approximately 9.35 minutes long.

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Reason Weekend 2010: Nick Gillespie & Liz Williams Talk Culinary Freedom

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EDT

The forces of neo-Prohibitionism are afoot everywhere, seeking to minimize not just our choices when it comes to food and drink, but our very pleasure. In San Francisco, health officials have cracked down on high-end bars that make their own bitters. In New York, raw eggs have been banned from use in cocktails such as sloe gin fizzes. When will it ever stop?

To get a sense of the range and causes of the neo-Prohibitionist mind-set, Reason's Nick Gillespie talked with unabashed culinary freedom fighter Liz Williams, the founder and president of New Orleans' own Southern Food and Beverage Museum.

Williams believes we are what we eat, and we should be free to eat and drink what we want. She is a lawyer by training, has served as a Judge Advocate General in the U.S. Army, and is the author of the forthcoming book The Encyclopedia of Law and Food.

Approximately 44 minutes.

This discussion was part of Reason Weekend, an annual conference held by Reason Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes Reason.tv. This year's event took place in New Orleans from April 15-18 in New Orleans.

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How to Save a Dying Ocean

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 04:00:00 EDT

The Gulf of Mexico continues to gush oil just as a whaling controversy threatens to land Australia and Japan in international court for killing protected species. Meanwhile, another less-publicized but arguably more cataclysmic oceanic disaster continues to worsen.

Overfishing threatens to destroy most of the world's fisheries within a matter of decades. But while it's proven difficult to save the gulf or save the whales, we know how to save the fish: Stop treating the ocean like a public bathroom, says Christopher Costello, a professor of natural resource economics at UC Santa Barbara.

Director Louis Psihoyos and his team of filmmakers embarked on an elaborate sting operation to expose Japan's illegal dolphin hunters. The result is a documentary called The Cove, which took home the Oscar for best documentary. And days after the Academy Awards Psihoyos was back stirring things up.

Using the same cameras that were used to expose illegal dolphin hunters, Psihoyos and his team busted The Hump, a Santa Monica, California restaurant that had secretly been serving sushi made from the endangered sei whale.

"Everything in the ocean from the great whales to dolphins to plankton is being jeopardized," Psihoyos tells Reason.tv. "We're raping and harvesting the ocean unsustainably."

Overfishing "could mean the end of certain species," agrees UC-Santa Barbara's Costello. He points out that about a third of the world's fisheries have already collapsed, and many more are heading toward the same fate. Costello says the world's fisheries are in such bad shape because of the same reason public restrooms are typically foul places: "Nobody owns them. Nobody has the incentive to keep them up."

One proven solution is a system called "catch share," in which fishermen have the right to a certain share of the total catch of a type of fish. This form of ownership gives fishermen an incentive to make sure fish populations grow, and according to Costello's worldwide research, it's the only thing that seems to work.

Environmentalists are often suspicious of the profit motive, but from Alaska to New Zealand, market forces have been harnessed not for plunder but for preservation. Fishermen like the system because they make money, and environmentalists like it because it supports sustainable practices. Expanding the catch share system may well be the best way to save a dying ocean.

"How to Save a Dying Ocean" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. The associate producer is Paul Detrick, the cameramen are Hawk Jensen and Alex Manning; Zach Weissmueller also helped to produce the segment. Animation by Hawk Jensen.

Approximately six minutes.

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Nanny of the Month for May 2010: Anti-Raw Milk Federal Lawyer Stephanie Rose

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Got milk? Only if Uncle Sam allows it.

Runners-up for Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for May 2010 features a proposed ban on drive-through restaurants in the hometown of In-And-Out Burgers, one of America's most beloved drive-through restaurants, and the mayor of Kure Beach, North Carolina, whose got his undies in a bunch over thong bikinis.

But there can be only one Nanny of the Month and this time it goes to the federal lawyer who wants to give raw milk drinkers a raw deal, and who really, truly believes that Uncle Sam can control what you shove in your pie hole.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for May 2010: U.S. Attorney Stephanie Rose!

Watch previous Nanny of the Month videos here.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate producers are Alex Manning and Zach Weissmueller, and animation is created by Meredith Bragg.

Approximately 1.15 minutes.

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FCC Commissioner Copps "Would Love to Have Jurisdiction Over Everything."

Tue, 25 May 2010 12:00:00 EDT

What's the proper role of the FCC? According to Jennifer Schneider, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps' Legal Adviser, her boss would "love to have jurisdiction over everything." She let the cat out of the bag at the NCTA's 2010 Cable Show last week:

Here's the transcript, lightly edited for clarity:

"Well, I think Commissioner Copps would love to have jurisdiction over everything (laughter)....but he knows that's not really what the FCC is here for. Right now we're focusing on this Title I/Title II issue. When it comes to the Internet, and what rides over the Internet, we understand that it's still young. The industry is still trying to find business models that work. And we certainly don't want to interfere with that. Ultimately, though, the concern is with the consumer, so if/when things move along and there are issues, which I can't imagine happening anytime soon, someone will have to step in and I guess we'll have to wait and see if [it's] the FCC or some other agency or who knows..."

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Approx. 75 seconds

Submission to EPA Video Contest Rulemaking Matters!: Subtitled For Your Protection!

Mon, 17 May 2010 19:30:00 EDT

The Environmental Protection Agency's "Rulemaking Matters!" contest invites filmmakers to submit short videos that explain how federal regulations touch our lives. The best video wins $2,500!

Presenting reason.tv's submission: "Rulemaking Matters!"

Written and produced by Meredith Bragg.

Approximately 90 seconds long.

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Federal Regulations and You - Partners in Democracy!

Mon, 17 May 2010 15:00:00 EDT

The Environmental Protection Agency's "Rulemaking Matters!" contest invites filmmakers to submit short videos that explain how federal regulations touch our lives. The best video wins $2,500!

Presenting reason.tv's submission: "Federal Regulations and You: Partners in Democracy!"

Written and produced by Ted Balaker. "Billy" played by Paul Detrick. Camera: Zach Weissmueller; Animation: Hawk Jensen.

Approximately 75 seconds long.

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Matt Welch Talks with John Stossel on Airline and Internship Regulation

Mon, 10 May 2010 15:00:00 EDT

Editor in Chief of Reason Matt Welch discusses the recent push for new federal airline and internship regulations with John Stossel on May 6, 2010.

Approximately 9.35 minutes.

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Anthony Randazzo on RT's The Alyona Show Discusses Greek Debt

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EDT

The Reason Foundation's Director of Economic Research Anthony Randazzo discusses the Greek debt crisis and the similarities to the situation in California, on Russia Today's "The Alyona Show" on March 9, 2010.

Approximately 7.32 minutes.

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Matt Welch Discusses Bailouts on Fox Business Network

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:00:00 EDT

On April 22, 2010, Reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch, appeared on Fox Business' Bulls and Bears to discuss President Obama's new financial regulations and its effects on bailouts.

Approximately 4.15 minutes.

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Welcome to Oaksterdam!

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Located in the pot-friendly "Oaksterdam" section of Oakland, California, Oaksterdam University aims to teach its students the fundamentals of growing and marketing marijuana.

The curriculum covers everything from law and politics to business and horticulture. The university also provides training for entrepreneurs in the pot industry as well as several dispensaries, a Bulldog Coffeeshop, and a gift shop. University founder Richard Lee tells Reason.tv that he and other Bay Area activists were inspired by the example of Amsterdam, a city with some of the most liberal marijuana policies in the world. As he put it, "We went to Amsterdam and said you know, hey, we can do this here; it shows it can work.”

Oaksterdam University is one of the major sponsors of the “Tax and Regulate” initiative that will be on the ballot in California this November. If passed, marijuana would be legalized and regulated like alcohol.

Produced by Paul Feine; shot by Alex Manning, edited by Hawk Jensen and Alex Manning.

Approximately 8 minutes long.

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More Taxes or More Jobs? California Shows We Can't Have Both

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:30:00 EDT

It's hard to find a politician who isn't eager to "do something" about high unemployment. Turns out California has found one way to save and create certain kinds of jobs—spend like mad and raise taxes.

That job-creation strategy has worked quite well for government-sector workers. Problem is the statewide unemployment rate is still among the highest in the nation, and many private-sector employers are heading to states like Texas, where taxes are lower and regulations are lighter.

"I would love to have companies calling me saying, 'We'd like to move to California, can you help us with that relocation?' I get none of those calls," says business relocation coach Joe Vranich. "The calls I do get are, 'Hello, we want to move out of California, can you help us do that?'"

Vranich says there's no one reason why businesses leave. He calls it "death by a thousand cuts," where job creators get fed up with everything from high taxes to traffic gridlock and legal hassles.

Take Rick and Jack Newcombe, the father-son team that runs Creators Syndicate. A long legal battle with the city of Los Angeles might end up being their company's final cut. The Newcombes say the city arbitrarily stuck the company into a higher tax category and officials are applying the hike retroactively. City officials are demanding $400,000 in back taxes, but Rick Newcombe calls the whole episode "legalized theft," adding that a tax penalty of that size would force the company to lay off 10 employees.

It's ironic that such drama unfolds in a city where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is always doing something—transit projects! green jobs!— he hopes will stimulate the economy. And steep statewide unemployment persists long after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eagerly accepted billions in federal stimulus funds. In fact, the Bush-Obama scatter shot of bailouts, stimuli, and rescue plans has fallen well short of proponents' promises.

Want to create and save jobs? Maybe it's time for politicians to stop doing so much and start undoing some of their worst blunders.

"More Taxes or More Jobs?" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. Camera-Animation: Hawk Jensen; Associate Producer: Paul Detrick; Additional Photography: Alex Manning.

Approximately seven minutes. Scroll down for downloadable iPod, HD and audio versions of this and all our videos.

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Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for March 2010

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Last month Reason.tv highlighted the heartland pol who's waging a very real war on fake pot, but who will be this month's top nanny?

There are the New Jersey cops who wouldn't tolerate a naked snowwoman and Pennsylvania state troopers' armed crackdown on unlicensed beer.

But the Nanny of the Month goes to the Empire State politician who wants to ban salt from New York restaurants and dole out $1,000 fines to any rogue chefs who dare to sneak a sprinkle of the white stuff on their meals.

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for March 2010: New York State Rep. Felix Ortiz!

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producer is Alex Manning. Animation by Meredith Bragg.

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Watch previous Nanny of the Month videos here.

Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey: The Outtake Reel

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:30:00 EDT

During the week of March 15 through March 19, Reason.tv debuted the six-part, hour-long documentary series Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey: How to Fix The Mistake on the Lake And Other Once-Great American Cities. Each episode analyzes and suggests a solution (or solutions) for pressing urban problems ranging from education to depopulation to right-sizing government to creating a better climate for business.

Watch it as a single video or in individual episodes here.

And here, presented for your entertainment and our embarassment, are outtakes from the series. Approximately 2.45 minutes. Scroll down for iPod, HD, and audio versions.

Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey was written and produced by Paul Feine, shot and edited by Roger Richards and Alex Manning, and narrated by Nick Gillespie.

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New Hampshire Nannies

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:00:00 EDT

The always-expanding Nanny State does more than treat adults like children, it can also smother job creation—even in the "live free or die" state of New Hampshire. So as the national debate "pivots" from health care to jobs, Reason.tv suggests that politicians looking to "do something" about the stubbornly high unemployment rate first undo the regulations that ensnare entrepreneurs like Kim Ong.

Ong's parents brought her family from Vietnam to the United States in 1985. "They said this is a country of freedom, a country of opportunities," recalls Ong, who took their words to heart and now owns Kim's Spa & Nails in Derry, New Hampshire. When the recession hit she began looking for new ways to generate business. Her thoughts turned to a luxurious practice that's popular in parts of Asia—fish pedicures.

Ong spent over $6,000 to purchase fish and equipment, a big investment for the small business owner. However, her gamble paid off when she saw how much customers loved having their feet exfoliated by tiny fish. Soon Ong had a waiting list for this hip new service. But instead of hiring more employees, Ong hired a lawyer to plead her case to state regulators who questioned the safety and hygeine of fish pedicures. Unfortunately for Ong and her customers, New Hampshire's Board of Barbering, Cosmetology, and Esthetics banned the practice.

That's right, the state that lets adults motorcycle without a helmet or drive without a seat belt won't tolerate tiny fish nibbling at the dead skin on your feet. This is just one small example of a larger problem. Most people have no idea how many local, state, and federal regulations entrepreneurs struggle against, notes Adrian Moore, an economist with Reason Foundation. "Every day new businesses try to start but find out they're not allowed to because of some regulation or it's too expensive because of some regulation," Moore says.

And if the Nanny State is spreading into New Hampshire, the one place we thought was immune to it, we may all be in bigger trouble than we thought.

"New Hampshire Nannies" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. Producer: Hawk Jensen; Associate Producer: Paul Detrick, Additional Camera: Meredith Bragg. Special thanks to Yvonne Hair & Nails in Alexandria, Virginia.

Approximately 5.30 minutes long. Scroll down for iPod, HD, and audio versions of this video.

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Nick Gillespie Discusses Pet vs. Human Hospitals on Stossel

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 07:00:00 EDT

On February 8, 2010, Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie talked with John Stossel on Fox News about state regulations, healthcare reform, and pet hospitals.

Approximately 5 minutes.

Watch the Reason.tv video, Treat Me Like a Dog, on which this segment was based.

Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel and receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

And come back to Reason.tv March 15 through March 19 for the debut of Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey: How to fix the "Mistake on The Lake" and other once-great American cities, an original six-part documentary series.

Take Care of Business: Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey, Episode 4

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:55:00 EDT

After World War II, Cleveland was booming, thanks to its leadership role in heavy industry and a business-friendly climate. Today, the city’s high taxes and onerous regulatory demands make it nearly impossible for new businesses to set up shop while choking the life out of existing companies. While relatively laissez-faire cities such as Houston are growing even during the current recession, Cleveland remains stuck in a rut. How can city officials make the city a more welcoming place for entrepreneurs to thrive?

Reason Saves Cleveland with Drew Carey is written and produced by Paul Feine; camera and editing by Roger Richards and Alex Manning; narrated by Nick Gillespie; music by the Cleveland band Cats on Holiday. This is the fourth of six episodes that will air March 15-19, 2010.

Approximately 10 minutes long. Scroll down for iPod, HD, and audio versions of this video.

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The Decline of a Once-Great City: Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey, Episode 1

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Sixty years ago, Cleveland was a booming city full of promise, opportunity, and people. Today, the city’s population is less half of what it was in its prime and it ranks as one of the poorest big cities in the United States. Hometown hero Drew Carey reflects on how the city became “the mistake on the lake” and wonders about the city’s future. Is a Cleveland renaissance possible or is the city doomed to long, slow death?

Reason Saves Cleveland with Drew Carey is written and produced by Paul Feine; camera and editing by Roger Richards and Alex Manning; narrated by Nick Gillespie; music by the Cleveland band Cats on Holiday. This is the first of six episodes that will air between March 15-19, 2010.

The next episode, Fix the Schools, will go live at noon ET today.

Approximately 5 minutes long. Scroll down for iPod, HD, and audio versions of this video.

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Advice Goddess Amy Alkon on Beating Some Manners into Impolite Society

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:30:00 EST

"I don't like regulations," says Amy Alkon, a syndicated advice columnist who blogs daily at AdviceGoddess.com. "I like to shame people into behaving better."

Reason.tv's Ted Balaker sat down with Alkon to discuss her new book, I See Rude People: One woman's battle to beat some manners into impolite society. Alkon explains how she and others mix chutzpah with technology to fight back against the insane drivers, coffee-house yackers, and subway perverts who make our lives miserable.

Interview by Ted Balaker. Shot by Alex Manning and Paul Detrick. Edited by Alex Manning. Music: "I Think I Started a Trend," by Brad Sucks (Magnatune Records).

Just under 10 minutes. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

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Anthony Randazzo Discusses Banking Reform and Regulation on Al Jazeera

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:59:00 EST

The Reason Foundation's Director of Economic Research Anthony Randazzo joins a panel to discuss whether banking reform will avert another crisis on Al Jazeera on December 15, 2009.

Approximately 20 minutes.

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Virginia Postrel: How to Reform Health Care Without Killing Innovation

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:54:00 EST

Former Reason magazine Editor in Chief Virginia Postrel has seen the strengths and the shortcomings of the American health care system both as a kidney donor and a breast cancer survivor.

She argues that individuals should be free to sell their organs, and that encouraging organ markets may be the best way to save the lives of the more than 100,000 Americans currently awaiting transplants. A 2009 article Postrel wrote for the Atlantic Monthly highlights her experience with the ultra-expensive wonder drug, Herceptin, and the perils of centrally controlling health care costs.

Reason.tv's Ted Balaker sat down with Postrel to discuss organ markets, wonder drugs, and how to reform health care without squashing innovation.

Interview by Ted Balaker. Shot by Hawk Jensen and Paul Detrick. Edited by Paul Detrick. Music: "Something New" by Very Large Array (Magnatune Records).

Approximately nine-and-a-half minutes. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

To see Reason.tv's health care play-list, go here.

Postrel, the editor in chief of the blog Deep Glamour, talks to Reason.tv about politics, style, and voter expectations here.

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Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for February 2010

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST

Last month's nannies pulled a modern-day Footloose by banning singing, dancing and rapping at new bars and restaurants—in Snoop Dog's home, no less!

But what about this month?

Check out who's pulling the plug on electric bingo machines (sorry charity fundraisers) and who won't let pet stores sell dogs and cats (seriously?).

But the Nanny of the Month goes to the heartland pol who's waging a very real war on fake pot (A.K.A. spice, K2, genie, black mamba, bliss, dragon, Bombay Blue ...) Ladies and gentlemen, we present Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for February 2010: Kansas State Rep. Robert Olson!

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producers are Alex Manning and Paul Detrick. Animation by Meredith Bragg.

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Watch previous Nanny of the Month videos here.

Matt Welch Discusses Financial Regulation on CNBC's Power Lunch

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST

On March 1, 2010 R eason Editor in Chief, Matt Welch , appeared on CNBC's Power Lunch to discuss the Securities and Exchange Commission and whether financial regulation actually works.

Approximately 9 minutes.

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Treat Me Like a Dog

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

When it comes to health care, who gets treated better—man or man's best friend? Of course, it's hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison when you're comparing four-legged patients to people, and there are many ways in which human care tops pet care. But pet owners told Reason.tv there are some ways where it would be a step up to be treated like a dog.

Pet owners like the convenience of animal care; they also like the client-focused atmosphere. "I think one of the things that human health care can learn from veterinary medicine is the client service side of things, the relationship side of things," says Dr. Peter Weinstein, executive director of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association. Various reasons explain why people often find animal care so pleasant, says Weinstein. One reason—animal care workers love what they do. Another reason—competition.

Weinstein notes that vets work hard to differentiate themselves from their competitors because "there are a large number of vet hospitals, many located very closely to one another." And vets know even more competitors could emerge because less red tape makes it easier to open an animal hospital. Weinstein recalls opening his clinic, which offered everything from X-rays to operations: "I believe it was 12 weeks from the time I signed the lease to the time I saw my first client. Try doing that with human health care."

It would take at least 20 times as long to open a comparable human hospital in California. It can take even longer in the 34 states with "certificate of need" (CON) laws, where state agencies—not consumers—decide how many hospitals there should be. These laws even allow existing hospitals to hold up plans for new hospitals. "The existing hospitals go in front of these government agencies and say, 'we don't need any competitors; we're taking fine care of the people,'" explains Reason magazine's Ronald Bailey. Recently, certificate of need—often called CON law—provoked a showdown in Tennessee where frustrated residents resorted to protests and petition drives to pressure the state to green-light a new hospital.

Weinstein is happy veterinarians don't have to deal with anti-competitive CON laws, "In veterinary medicine we could have two practices right next to each other and then it's the consumer deciding to whom they want to go." Consumer choice and competition—maybe we could use more of that in human health care.

"Treat Me Like a Dog" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. The director of photography is Alex Manning, the field producer is Paul Detrick and the animations were done by Hawk Jensen.

Approximately six minutes. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

To see Reason.tv's health care play-list, go here.

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Pot Wars: Battlefield California

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST

Over the past couple of years, the medical marijuana industry in Los Angeles has exploded. Estimates vary, but there may be as many as 800 dispensaries currently open for business in the city of angels. An ordinance recently passed by the LA city council, however, is about to change all that.

The new ordinance will force hundreds of dispensaries to close and all but a few to relocate. The goal was to bring clarity to the medical marijuana industry, but the only thing that's clear is that the transition process will be difficult. Especially now that the DEA has begun raiding dispensaries again despite the promises made by the Obama administration.

While federal, state and local governments struggle to make sense of medical marijuana laws, an increasing number of Californians support a completely different approach: marijuana legalization. Nothing more than a pipe dream? Maybe. But consider this: Fixty-six percent of Californians currently support pot legalization, the same proportion of Californians who voted for the Compassionate Use Act, which legalized medical marijuana, back in 1996.

Produced by Paul Feine. Shot and edited by Alex Manning. Graphics by Hawk Jensen.

Hosted by Nick Gillespie.

Approximately 9 minutes.

Scroll down for iPod, HD, and audio versions of the video.

Watch it at Reason.tv's YouTube channel (subscribe and receive automatic notification when new material goes live!).

Taco Truck Takedown! Why is the LAPD harassing food carts?

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

Taco trucks pull up to curbs and offer LA eaters everything from tofu bowls to Korean barbeque. Customers flock to them, and recently so have police officers. Truck owners report being cited for everything from parking too close to curbs to parking too far away. Sometimes officers shut them down.

Why would law enforcement target taco trucks for nuisance violations?

Turns out nearby restaurants don't like the competition.

"Taco Truck Takedown" is produced by Ted Balaker. The director of photography is Alex Manning, the field producer is Paul Detrick and the production associate is Tannen Wels. Music by Magnatune.

Approximately two-and-a-half minutes.

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Related Reason.tv video: Food Fight: Battle of the Bacon Dogs, featuring Drew Carey and a woman who served 45 days in jail for selling something that is simply delicious.

Don't Get Hurt

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

What if you were injured and developed severe pain that wouldn't go away? Would your government let you take the kind of pain medication you need? If federal officials follow the recommendation of a Food and Drug Administration panel, many of the most effective prescription painkillers—including Vicodin, Percocet, and countless generics—would be banned.

Scott Gardner says that kind of a move would be "intensely cruel."

"I took Vicodin for three years," says Gardner. "I needed it. It got me through a very tough period of my life." The tough period began after a cycling accident shattered the left side of his body. After eight surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy, Gardner's once active life is now filled with limitations. He suffers from chronic pain that prevents him from sleeping more than a few hours at a time, and yet his pain today is nothing compared to the agonizing days and months following his accident.

"When there's nothing but pain, there's no reason to live," says Gardner. "There were times where the only way I could stay sane and civil was because I could take painkillers."

The fear of addiction and abuse already makes many suspicious of pain medication. Media reports about celebrities like Rush Limbaugh or Matthew Perry suggest that it's common for people to become addicted to medications they once took for legitimate medical conditions. And countless public service announcements remind us of the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

Now the old fear of prescription drug abuse takes a new twist. The FDA panel is targeting drugs like Vicodin and Percocet because they contain acetaminophen, a popular painkiller also found in many over-the-counter drugs. Panel members warn that some Americans ingest too much acetaminophen, and overdoses can lead to liver damage, even death.

But maybe the FDA panel isn't putting this threat into context. After all, mundane threats like falling down stairs claim more lives than acetaminophen overdoses. And it turns out the more common fear—that patients will become addicted to prescription drugs—is also overblown. In fact, the barrage of warnings we hear about prescription drugs obscures an important point—people saddled with severe chronic pain need these painkillers.

Says Gardner, "I think people who haven't dealt with pain don't really know what it's like."

"Don't Get Hurt" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. The director of photography is Alex Manning, the field producer is Paul Detrick and the animation in the piece is from Hawk Jensen.

Approximately five minutes. Scroll down for downloadable versions.

To watch this video on Reason.tv's YouTube channel, go here. If you subscribe to the channel, you can also get automatic notifications when new videos go live.

For Reason.com's coverage of "opiophobia," or overblown fears by the government about prescription painkillers, go here.

Nanny of the Month for January 2010

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST

Past Reason.tv Nannies of The Month have included New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (anti-salt, smoking, trans fat, you name it), a New York state senator who wanted to ban fish pedicures, and a Phoenix pol who banned churches from feeding the hungry on their own property.

So who is the first Nanny of The Month of this brand-new, sparking decade? Well, it's NOT Brownsville, Texas, for banning plastic shopping bags. And it's NOT Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) for terminating trans fat in the Golden State.

But it IS a town council somewhere in California that banned something natural and pure. And it does involved the great rapper Snoop Dogg (though not in the way you might think).

Click through to find out.

Written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate producers were Paul Detrick and Alex Manning and the animation is by Meredith Bragg.

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Watch previous Nanny of the Month videos here .

Reason.tv's Nanny of the Year!

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST

In 2009, America's meddlers worked overtime minding other people's business.

Nanny of the Month winners have targeted everything from fish pedicures to feeding the homeless. But there can be only one Nanny of the Year.

Who took home top honors as the year's biggest buttinsky? Click the video to find out.

Nanny of the Year is written and produced by Ted Balaker. The director of photography is Alex Manning and the associate producer is Paul Detrick.

Approximately 1:20 minutes.

This video is also available at Reason.tv's YouTube Channel (subscribe now!).

And make sure to tune in next month for more examples of busybodies minding your own business.

Don't Break What's Working in Health Care

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST

When it comes to health insurance reform, California State University, Northridge economist Glen Whitman emphasizes, "We have to make sure we don't just fix the parts that are broken. We also have to make sure we don't actually break the parts that are working very well. And it turns out that one of the areas that America is really great at is innovation."

Reason.tv's Ted Balaker sat down with Whitman to discuss his new Cato Institute policy analysis, coauthored with Raymond Raad, "Bending the Productivity Curve: Why America Leads the World in Medical Innovation."

Whether it's Nobel laureates in medical fields or the most important recent medical innovations, Whitman and Raad find that the U.S. has contributed more than any other nation, and in some cases, more than all nations combined. Whitman cites some key factors that account for America's innovative ways, and warns that if America adopts a more centrally planned health system we may not only innovate less but we might not know what innovations we're missing.

Interview shot by Alex Manning and Hawk Jensen; it was edited by Manning. Approximately 10 minutes.

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Related video: "Would ObamaCare Kill Medical Innovation?"

ObamaCare and Mission Creep

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:02:00 EST

From the war in Iraq to the space station, government programs almost always end up costing much more than they were supposed to. They also usually end up doing more than they were supposed to. Would ObamaCare be any different?

Some say ObamaCare would lead to death panels, even euthanasia classes. Now supporters of President Obama's health care overhaul are fighting back against such charges. And the president himself warns: "If you misrepresent what's in this plan, we will call you out."

But you don't have to side with those who warn of euthanasia classes to recognize that government programs often end up doing all kinds of things that weren't in politicians' original plans. Call it mission creep. Politicians pass a program, and then the scope of the program grows and changes.

It's happened with everything from state-level health insurance plans to the Troubled Asset Relief Program. TARP's original mission was spelled out in its name—the government would purchase troubled assets from financial institutions. However, just over a year later TARP's mission has exploded, and billions in TARP funds have gone to bail out General Motors, Chrysler, and struggling homeowners. TARP money may even fund another stimulus.

"The Best Laid Plans of ObamaCare" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, and hosted by Nick Gillespie. Director of Photography: Alex Manning; Associate Producer: Paul Detrick

Approximately 2.30 minutes.

What this video at Reason.tv's YouTube Channel.

Watch the companion video, "Would ObamaCare Cover Sticker-Shock Treatment?."

Red, White, and Sacrebleu

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:00:00 EST

From wine elves to classy pitchmen, American winemakers have tried just about everything to challenge the dominance of French vintners. And yet, with infamous labels like Ripple and Thunderbird, Yankee wines had long endured the reputation of being good for just one one thing—getting blitzed.

So it must have seemed like a cruel joke in 1976 when a British wine merchant arranged The Paris Tasting, a one-of-its-kind competition that pitted mighty France versus lowly America in a blind taste test judged entirely by Gallic wine experts.

But as viewers of the movie Bottle Shock and the documentary Mondovino can tell you, the unthinkable happened: America took home top honors for both red and white wine.

The Paris Tasting made Mike Grgich an instant legend, but back then, even the maker of the winning white couldn't believe he had won. "I said are you sure it's me?" recalls Grgich. How could this American, an immigrant who fled communist Yugoslavia, shock the world?

The French wanted to find out, so Jean-Noël Fourmeaux, an official government wine taster became a wine spy. He headed to California to discover how, in the span of a couple of decades, American winemakers progressed from Thunderbird to Grgich's award-winning white.

Fourmeaux encountered a freewheeling atmosphere of technological and cultural innovation—one that attracted the likes of Squire Fridell of Glen Lyon Vineyards, a winemaker who has his own reason for smiling at America's emergence as a leader in wine. Fourmeaux pondered what he could create by mixing French tradition with Yankee innovation, and it led him to a most unexpected decision.

"Red, White, and Sacrebleu" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. Director of Photography: Alex Manning; Field Producers: Paul Detrick and Hawk Jensen; Production Associates: Zach Weissmueller and Tannen Wels.

Special thanks to D'Argenzio Winery and the Wine Institute.

Approximately 7.30 minutes. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

To sign up for Reason.tv's YouTube page, go here.

Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for November 2009

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Smoking, fast food, giant inflatable blue gorillas—no matter what it is, chances are some nanny wants to ban it. And this past month was no exception.

Reason.tv's October 2009 Nanny of The Month Award went to New York State Sen. Jeff Klein for his efforts to rid the Empire State of fish pedicures.

Who is the Nanny of the Month for November 2009?

The runners up include the California Energy Commission for banning big-screen TVs unless they conform to stringent new energy standards and the Food and Drug Administration, which is waging war against caffeinated booze drinks.

But can be only one Nanny of the Month, and this time it's ...

Click the video to learn the awful truth.

Nanny of the Month is produced by Ted Balaker. The director of photography is Alex Manning and the associate produce is Paul Detrick. Approximately 1.17 minutes.

This video is also available at Reason.tv's YouTube channel (subscribe now!).

And make sure to tune in next month for more examples of busybodies minding your own business.

Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for October 2009

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:00:00 EDT

No matter what it is—cigarettes, trans fat, incandescent light bulbs—chances are some nanny wants to ban it. And this past month was no exception.

Last month, the top prize for biggest buttinsky went to the Alabama state Supreme Court, for upholding a ban on sex toys and devices specifically designed to stimulate human genitals. Because, well, you know, the government really does have a right to regulate your most private parts.

Who is the Nanny of the Month for October 2009? The runners up include:

The Fairfax County, Virginia police for arresting Eric Williamson after a woman saw him making coffee naked—in his own home.

Then there's the Los Angeles City Council, which extended its ban on new fast food restaurants in South LA.

But there's only one Nanny of the Month, and this time it's...

Click above to learn the awful truth.

Nanny of the Month is produced by Ted Balaker. Director of Photography is Alex Manning, and researchers are Paul Detrick, Hawk Jensen, Tannen Wels, and Zach Weissmueller.

Approximately one minute. Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions.

Tune in next month for more examples of just who is trying to mind your own business.

Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel by clicking here.

John Mackey's Conscious Capitalism: Full Interview Version

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT

Note: This is the full version of an hour-long conversation with Mackey. For an abridged, five-minute version, go here.

When he started his first organic food store in Austin, Texas in 1978, Whole Foods Market CEO and co-founder John Mackey had no idea that he would eventually usher in not just a revolution in how we shop but what we buy. If you dig being able to buy dozens of types of once-exotic apples, or cheese, or wine, or soaps, or countless other items, you can thank Mackey in part for helping to create cathedrals of commerce that have vastly enriched our day-to-day lives and vastly expanded our palates. (Full disclosure: Mackey has contributed to Reason Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes this website.)

In August, Mackey became one of the most controversial businessmen in America when he penned an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal outlining his company's free-market-oriented health care system and offering eight concrete reforms that would reduce costs and improve access. Noting that health care is not "a right" as that term is properly understood, Mackey forcefully argued that increasing government intervention into health care is precisely the wrong thing to do: "The last thing our country needs is a massive new health-care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us much closer to a government takeover of our health-care system. Instead, we should be trying to achieve reforms by moving in the opposite direction—toward less government control and more individual empowerment."

The response from the left to Mackey's op-ed was swift: Advocates of single-payer health care, union activists, and others called for protests at and boycotts of Whole Foods, despite the fact that the company provides affordable and well-regarded coverage to its employees.

As a cutting-edge entrepreneur who is comfortable quoting astrological signs and Ludwig von Mises, who practices veganism and sells some of the best meat in America, and who chases profits and is an outspoken advocate of charitable giving, Mackey confounds conventional political categories. As an advocate of what he calls "conscious capitalism," Mackey is that rarest of businessman: an articulate and passionate defender of free enterprise and free individuals.

In late September, Mackey sat down with Reason's Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie to talk about health care reform, corporate social responsibility (on which Mackey has written for Reason), why government interventions rarely achieve their goals, and how Mackey came to his unstinting belief in free markets.

Approximately five minutes. Shot by Dan Hayes and Meredith Bragg. Edited by Meredith Bragg.

This is the full version of an hour-long conversation with Mackey. For an abridged, five-minute version, go here or click below.

Too Big To Fail 2.0: This Time It's Personal Finance. And Just About Everything Else.

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EDT

As the one-year anniversary of TARP chugs into view, Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie sat down with Reason Foundation policy analyst Anthony Randazzo to look at the next round of comprehensive financial regulations being crafted in Washington, D.C.

The short version? Get ready for government oversight of just about every burp, hiccup, and fart in the economic system, from payday loans to "systemic risk." Three major proposals are high on President Barack Obama's fall agenda and if pending legislation passes, says Randazzo, the government will create a multi-tiered system for identifying financial institutions that are explicitly "too big to fail." The likely result? Far less choice and innovation for consumers and industry alike, a slower and weaker recovery, and a huge bill for taxpayers.

For more details, read Randazzo's new study, "The Future of Too Big To Fail and Bailouts."

Related videos: George Mason University and Mercatus Center scholar Todd Zywicki on "The Next Great Leap Backwards for Consumer 'Rights'" and "Turning Japanese: Is America creating its own Lost Decade?"

Scroll down for embed code and downloadable versions. Approximately 9 minutes. Shot by Dan Hayes and Meredith Bragg and edited by Dan Hayes.

Jacob Sullum talks Tobacco advertising on CNBC

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Jacob Sullum talks about regulations and tobacco advertising on CNBC.

Air Date: April 14 2009

About 4:30 minutes.

Scroll down for iPod and audio versions of this video and subscribe to Reason.tv's Youtube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

Throw-Pillow Fight

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:00:00 EDT

Should moving a throw pillow get you fined or jailed?

With all the artistry and attitude, it's no wonder design shows are so much fun. But are the people on those shows putting your life, and even the president's life, at risk?

Natasha Lima-Younts can't see how she's putting anyone's life at risk. She's been an interior designer for more than 20 years. She started her own business, and hired dozens of employees. She has an extensive portfolio and magazine features about her work. What she doesn't have is a state license. That doesn't bother Yount's client Angie Stoeker, who loves what Younts has done with her home, but it does bother those who push for licensing laws.

Alabama politicians once threatened unlicensed designers with jail time—moving a throw pillow could get you a year behind bars—and 22 states plus the District of Columbia regulate interior designers. Industry groups lobby for such laws because they say unlicensed designers put lives at risk. "Every decision an interior designer makes affects the health, safety, and, welfare of the public," says the the American Society of Interior Designers. Another group implies that "confusing floor patterns" and other items installed by unlicensed interior designers cause 11,000 deaths per year.

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie went looking for dead bodies, and for an explanation for why the state of Florida launched a legal case against Younts. State regulators demand that she obtain a license, a license she says she doesn't need, a license that could cost her six years and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Do licensing laws protect consumers from death and destruction or, as the Interior Design Protection Council argues, do they protect licensed designers from competition? Should Younts be stripped of the career it took her decades to build? Should President Obama be worried about his interior designer, the unlicensed Michael Smith? Jump into the throw-pillow fight and decide for yourself.

"Throw-Pillow Fight" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Director of photography is Roger Richards.

Frank Buckley on Libertarian Paternalism

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EDT

Reason.tv caught up with F.H. Buckley of George Mason University to discuss his new book, Fair Governance: The Enforcement of Morals, and the appointment of "libertarian paternalist" Cass Sunstein as regulations czar in President Obama's administration.

Can certain rules make us more free? If opt-out rights are great, why not expand them? Are we becoming too risk-averse as a society? Is "libertarian paternalism" a dangerous oxymoron? Watch now for answers.

Approximately 5.30 minutes. Interview conducted by Nick Gillespie. Shot and edited by Dan Hayes.

Slumdog Thousandaire

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:00:00 EST

Perhaps the only people who don't like the hit movie Slumdog Millionaire are those who compete against it at awards shows. After all, it's already cleaned up at the Golden Globes, and the BAFTAs, and it's poised to repeat these feats at the Oscars.

The film follows an Indian orphan named Jamal who grows up and hits it big on the famous game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? In important ways, Slumdog tells the story of India itself—a poverty-stricken underdog with its own rags-to-riches tales. British rule ended in 1947, and the economic woes America faces now are nothing compared to the widespread malnutrition and starvation India faced then.

Indians were enthusiastic about self-rule, but "the problem was that the Indian political leaders had this very Fabian Socialist idea," says Shikha Dalmia, a senior analyst at Reason Foundation and native of India. "And that completely thwarted the entrepreneurship of the country."

For decades would-be entrepreneurs staggered under the weight of corruption and bureaucracy. Want to import a computer for your business? You'd have to get permission from a bureaucrat. Want to sell food from a small cart? You'd need all kinds of licenses.

But in the 1990s, India emerged as a high-tech powerhouse. What changed?

"In the 1990s India started liberalizing its economy," says Dalmia, "and it did three things: cut taxes, liberalized trade, and deregulated business." Although they failed to cut the kind of red tape that entangled Slumdog's orphans, the reforms did make it easier for more Indians to start businesses and hire employees.

"One IT company doesn't just employ computer professionals," says Dalmia. "It also needs landscaping services, cleaning services, and restaurants. There was this tremendous spillover effect that allowed people to lift themselves out of poverty."

Since the early 1990s, India has cut its poverty rate in half. About 300 million Indians—equivalent to the population of the entire United States—escaped the hunger and deprivation of extreme poverty thanks to pro-market reforms that increased economic activity.

Yet here in America we're turning away from market reform. Says Dalmia, "It's just this great conundrum that at the same time that deregulation and markets have produced such dramatic results in India, they are falling into suspicion in America." Dalmia's prescription for India is at odds with what politicians have chosen to "stimulate" the United States. "What India needs to do is continue apace with its liberalization effort, but expand it to include the poor. Release them from the shackles of government corruption and government bureaucracy."

"Slumdog Thousandaire" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. The director of photography is Alex Manning.

Go here for an audio podcast version.

The SEC's Disastrous Distractions

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST

Appointed to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2002, Paul Atkins was a persistent—and unfortunately prescient—critic of the agency's failure to execute its regulatory functions in an efficient and effective manner.

Instead of working to make financial markets more transparent, argues Atkins, who stepped down from his post earlier this year, the SEC spent its time and resources focusing on irrelevant or secondary issues, allowing all sorts of problematic behavior to flourish and grow.

In December, Atkins sat down with Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch for a wide-ranging 45-minute conversation about the proper role of government oversight in a free enterprise system, the dangers of regulation, and what's likely to unfold as the Democrats take over the White House.

For an audio podcast version of this conversation, go here.

Just Can't Quit

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

California became the first state to ban smoking in bars a decade ago. Since then, smoking bans in bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, universities, you name it, have flourished.

But there was a time when Americans would have been outraged at the idea of politicians telling business owners how to run their own bars. Today, most gladly allow nanny state cops to snuff out smoking in bars, cars, beaches, stage plays—almost anywhere. Years ago comedian Dennis Leary quipped, “What’s the law now, you can only smoke in your apartment, under a blanket with all the lights out?”

It seems like plenty of politicians would love to ban that too, but they could never ban smoking in private homes...or could they?

Recently, the Bay Area city of Belmont passed a law that targets people who smoke in their own homes. “I’m pretty sure I still live in America,” says smoker and Belmont resident David Scott.

But if Scott lights up once the new law takes effect in January, he might just get a visit from a police officer. The mayor who championed the new law declares, “It is our responsibility to take care of everyone!’ and a pro-ban councilmember who worries about smoke wafting into neighboring units compares smoking in an apartment to shooting a gun through the wall.

Smoking is one of the worst things you can do to your body, but how dangerous is second-hand smoke? Are banners saving lives or battering science? Are they progressive champions or plunderers of property rights?

Citing the proliferation of privately enforced bans, reason.tv host Nick Gillespie says, “I actually like smoking bans; I just don’t like it when the government does the banning."

Indeed, smoking bans have already set the stage for all sorts of other nanny state policies to save us from ourselves. The nannies have already barged through our front doors. Just how much farther will the banners go?

"Just Can't Quit" was written and produced by Ted Balaker.

As a bonus double-feature, click below to see 2002's Talking Butts: A Smoking Documentary, which was made with the help of reason's Paul Feine, Jesse Walker, Jacob Sullum, and Charles Paul Freund. The 25-minute film explores why people smoke and why attempts to regulate and punish smokers have unintended consequences. And it features a cameo by filmmaker John Waters that is absolutely unforgettable.

To embed Talking Butts on your site, go here.