Today’s podcast is titled “Examining Income Inequality in America.” Recorded in 2007, Dennis McCuistion, former Clinical Professor of Corporate Governance and Executive Director of the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance at the University of Texas at Dallas, Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton and professor at UC Berkeley, and Byron Schlomach, chief economist for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, discuss income inequality and the American middle class. Listen now, and don’t forget to subscribe to get updates each week for the Free To Choose Media Podcast.
Why Procrastination Might Be Your Secret Weapon in Business
Every entrepreneur has been there: Staring at a looming deadline, knowing you should have started weeks ago, feeling that familiar wave of guilt about procrastination. What if that guilt is misplaced? What if your tendency to delay might actually be fueling your best ideas? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant discovered this counterintuitive truth after initially passing on investing in what would become Warby Parker—a billion-dollar company. His mistake? Judging the founders’ procrastination as a weakness rather than recognizing it as a creative advantage. In his compelling TED Talk, which you can watch below, Grant reveals research showing that moderate procrastinators consistently …
Is Capitalism Racist?
“Capitalism is structurally racist.” You’ve probably seen this claim in think pieces, academic papers, or social media debates. The argument suggests that capitalism, as an economic system, inherently creates and perpetuates racial inequality. It’s a serious charge that deserves serious examination. But before we dive into whether capitalism promotes or prevents racism, we need to establish something important: racism describes thoughts, feelings, and behaviors—things that only individuals possess. Systems don’t have thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. They don’t possess the agency required to be “racist” or “not racist.” Yes, this might sound like we’re splitting hairs. And no, pointing this out …
Episode 242 – The 2008 Subprime Mortgage Crisis (Podcast)
Today’s podcast is titled “The 2008 Subprime Mortgage Crisis.” Recorded in 2008, Dennis McCuistion, former Clinical Professor of Corporate Governance and Executive Director of the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance at the University of Texas at Dallas, speaks with a panel of finance and banking professionals about the credit and subprime mortgage crisis and their predictions about a recession or depression. Listen now, and don’t forget to subscribe to get updates each week for the Free To Choose Media Podcast.
Why Private Property Is Nature’s Best Friend
In our last post, we explored how capitalism and environmental protection aren’t opposing forces but natural allies. Today, let’s dive deeper into one of the most powerful yet counterintuitive tools for environmental protection that also happens to be a key feature of capitalism: private property rights. “But wait,” you might be thinking, “doesn’t private ownership lead to exploitation? Aren’t greedy corporations the ones polluting our rivers and clear-cutting our forests?” It’s a reasonable concern, but it misses a crucial economic principle that explains why the opposite is often true. To understand this, we need to start with a concept that …
Episode 241 – Real Education and Education Myths (Podcast)
Today’s podcast is titled “Real Education and Education Myths.” Recorded in 2008, Dennis McCuistion, former Clinical Professor of Corporate Governance and Executive Director of the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance at the University of Texas at Dallas, and Charles Murray, the W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, discuss Mr. Murray’s book, Real Education, and his critiques of the American educational system. Listen now, and don’t forget to subscribe to get updates each week for the Free To Choose Media Podcast.
Tobi Lütke on Why Entrepreneurship Is “Load-Bearing” for Society
If you’ve ever bought or sold anything online, chances are you’ve interacted with Shopify. What started as a solution to sell snowboards has evolved into a platform that powers millions of businesses worldwide. In a recent interview, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke shared insights from his 20-year entrepreneurial journey that could change the way you think about your own business. Lütke believes entrepreneurship is fundamentally “load-bearing for society”—a powerful phrase that captures just how essential business creation is to our economic well-being. As he points out, between 60-80% of people work for small businesses, not the giant corporations that dominate headlines. …
Does Capitalism Hurt the Environment?
“Capitalism is killing the planet.” You’ve probably heard this claim or something like it. The narrative is familiar: profit-hungry corporations belch pollutants into our air and dump toxins into our water with no regard for anything but their bottom line. According to this view, only the strong, regulatory hand of government stands between us and environmental catastrophe. It’s a compelling story—but is it accurate? In our previous discussions, we’ve explored what capitalism really means: a system based on private ownership, voluntary exchange, and individual decision-making. Now let’s apply this understanding to environmental questions. The standard environmental narrative often begins with …
Episode 240 – Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence with Charles Murray (Podcast)
Today’s podcast is titled “Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence with Charles Murray.” Recorded in 2004, Dennis McCuistion, former Clinical Professor of Corporate Governance and Executive Director of the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance at the University of Texas at Dallas, and Charles Murray, the W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, discuss Mr. Murray’s views on government policy, culture, achievement, and human potential, with particular emphasis on his book, Human Accomplishment. Listen now, and don’t forget to subscribe to get updates each week for the Free To Choose Media Podcast.
Episode 239 – Defining Public Policy in a Free Society (Podcast)
Today’s podcast is titled “Defining Public Policy in a Free Society.” Recorded in 2006, Dennis McCuistion, former Clinical Professor of Corporate Governance and Executive Director of the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance at the University of Texas at Dallas, Tibor Machan, research fellow at the Hoover Institution, professor emeritus at Auburn University, professor of business ethics at Chapman University, and co-founder of Reason magazine, and Tom G. Palmer, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute discuss public policy in a free society, examining both domestic and foreign policy issues. Listen now, and don’t forget to subscribe to get updates each week …