The Myth of the Good Old Days

Housing, healthcare, groceries, and the cost of living give us plenty to worry about. But how bad was life before modern conveniences transformed human life?Paul Meany sits down with Chelsea Follett, author of The Grim Old Days: An Introduction to the Preindustrial Past, to explore what everyday life was really like before antibiotics, refrigeration, indoor plumbing, and modern sanitation. From romanticized visions of the past to the extraordinary improvements we often take for granted, they examine why understanding that history matters for how we see the world today. Buy Chelsea's new book here: https://www.cato.org/books/grim-old-days Producer: Barbara GallettiPost Production: Sedona LaMarreAudio Engineer: Cecil ShermanOriginal Music: Cecil Sherman Director of Photography: Darren WalkerAssistant Editors: Lester Romero and Shaneen GevorgizAssistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde Motion Graphics: Jonathan FieldsExecutive Producer: Kristina Kendall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everything about the Trump administration’s oil deal with Venezuela is troubling: It was negotiated in secret, raises questions about its legality and transparency, and was made with Venezuela’s unelected interim government.Ian Vasquez joins Laura Bondank-Harmon to explain why the agreement could undermine Venezuela’s democratic transition. Read more of Ian's work here: https://www.cato.org/blog/everything-about-us-venezuela-oil-deal-troublesome Producer: Barbara GallettiPost Production: Sedona LaMarreAudio Engineer: Cecil ShermanOriginal Music: Cecil Sherman Director of Photography: Darren WalkerAssistant Editor: Lester RomeroMotion Graphics: Jonathan FieldsExecutive Producer: Kristina Kendall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Young Americans are leaving home, finding jobs, buying homes, starting families, and saving for retirement later than previous generations. But is this a problem with young people, or are bad policies getting in their way?Rikki Schlott sits down with Cato’s Ryan Bourne to explore how regulations, inflation, and government intervention can make these steps into adulthood harder and more expensive. Read Cato's "Handbook on Affordability" here: https://www.cato.org/handbook-affordabilityRead Rikki's article "The Peter Pan State: How Bad Policy Delays Adulthood" here: https://www.cato.org/free-society/spring/summer-2026/peter-pan-state-how-bad-policy-delays-adulthoodProducer & Video Editor: Barbara GallettiPost Production: Sedona LaMarreAudio Engineer: Cecil ShermanOriginal Music: Cecil Sherman Director of Photography: Jonathan FieldsAssistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde Assistant Editor: Lester Romero Motion Graphics: Jonathan FieldsExecutive Producer: Kristina Kendall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Socialism is making a comeback in American politics, but do people actually know what "socialism" means?In this episode of the Cato Weekly Podcast, Paul Meany sits down with Marian Tupy to unpack the rise of “democratic socialism,” the growth of the welfare state, and the crucial difference between government assistance and government control.Read Marian's article here:https://www.cato.org/commentary/bill-mahers-category-error-socialism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Flock cameras and other forms of surveillance technology are spreading across America, promising to help police solve crimes. But the technology has also created a vast network for tracking where Americans go.Join Laura Bondank-Harmon and Clark Neily as they discuss how much privacy and freedom we’re giving up in the name of security. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Hard Is It to Rig an American Election?Election fraud claims are increasingly more common.Walter Olson joins Stephen Rowe to separate genuine election irregularities from viral fraud claims. They explain what the evidence tells us about mail-in voting, voter ID, foreign interference, and the integrity of the US election system.Read Walter's work here:https://www.cato.org/people/walter-olson Producer: Barbara GallettiPost Production: Sedona LaMarreAudio Engineer: Cecil ShermanOriginal Music: Cecil Sherman Director of Photography: Darren WalkerAssistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde Assistant Editor: Lester RomeroMotion Graphics: Jonathan FieldsExecutive Producer: Kristina Kendall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an unprecedented expansion of its role in the marketplace, the Trump administration has acquired ownership interests in dozens of firms.Cato's Scott Lincicome joins Laura Bondank-Harmon to discuss this radical move from the US government, the seen and unseen costs of intervening in the private sector, and how should Congress act if they want to put a stop to it before it's too late. Read more of Scott's work here:https://www.cato.org/free-society/winter-2026/conspicuous-fist-trumps-state-corporatism Executive Producer: Kristina Kendall Producer: Barbara GallettiPost Production: Sedona LaMarreAudio Engineer: Cecil ShermanOriginal Music: Cecil Sherman Director of Photography: Darren WalkerAssistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde Assistant Editor: Lester RomeroMotion Graphics: Jonathan Fields Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Free health care, housing, college, paid leave, and retirement benefits may sound appealing... but how would we pay for them?Rikki Schlott sits down with Cato’s Adam Michel to unpack the Democratic Socialists of America’s ambitious agenda and the staggering cost of its proposals. If taxing the rich and corporations is not enough to foot the bill, who would be paying next?Access Adam Michel's research here:https://www.cato.org/blog/who-will-pay-democratic-socialisms-200-trillion-costExecutive Producer: Kristina Kendall Producer: Barbara GallettiPost Production: Sedona LaMarreAudio Engineer: Cecil ShermanOriginal Music: Cecil Sherman Director of Photography: Darren WalkerAssistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde Assistant Editor: Lester RomeroMotion Graphics: Jonathan Fields Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every Tuesday on The Cato Weekly Podcast, leading scholars and policymakers from the Cato Institute delve into the big ideas shaping our world: individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Whether unpacking current events, debating civil liberties, exploring technological innovation, or tracing the history of classical liberal thought, we promise insightful analysis grounded in rigorous research and Cato’s signature libertarian perspective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A number that's precise, dramatic, and politically convenient should raise your suspicion, not lower it. Aaron Brown, author of Wrong Number:How to Extract Truth from a Blizzard of Quantitative Disinformation, joins Cato's Ryan Bourne to break down the warning signs of a bad statistic, from missing context to claims that arrive straight from a press release. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.