My guest today is Ronald Bailey. He's an award-winning science journalist for Reason Magazine and an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute. In his new book THE END OF DOOM: ENVIRONMENTAL RENEWAL IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, he says the sky ISN'T falling, and in fact, the world is becoming safer, cleaner, and healthier than ever before. On this podcast, he'll present the proponderance of scientific data debunking a wide range of environmental alarmist myths about overpopulation, world hunger, the...
Aug 24, 2015•42 min
Welcome to the preview station for KickAss Politics with Ben Mathis! My guest today is Arthur C. Brooks, best-selling conservative author and president of the American Enterprise Institute. He has a new book called THE CONSERVATIVE HEART: HOW TO BUILD A FAIRER, HAPPIER, AND MORE PROSPEROUS AMERICA. He says conservatives need to stop just being against things and start being FOR people. He talks about his journey to from a french horn player and a liberal ex-patriot living in Barcelona to economi...
Aug 18, 2015•45 min
In the summer of 2009, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was a darling of the Tea Party and a leading contender for the GOP nomination in 2012 until it all came crashing down in a bizarre sex scandal and an even more bizarre attempt at "damage control." His speechwriter Barton Swaim had a front row seat for the fiasco and he writes about it in his new book THE SPEECHWRITER: A BRIEF POLITICAL EDUCATION. He'll discuss the scandal as a case study in how NOT to do damage control. He'll also talk ...
Aug 17, 2015•42 min
Welcome to the preview station for KickAss Politics with Ben Mathis! In the last podcast, we covered the broad strokes of President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran as well as the ramifications of this deal for the Middle East and for U.S. diplomacy. In today’s podcast, we’ll focus on the one who has the most to lose in this deal - Israel. Today’s guest is Danny Ayalon. He’s the former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. and served as the Deputy Foreign Minister under the current Prime Minister Benjami...
Aug 17, 2015•33 min
In today's episode, we'll look at just what's in President Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran and what it means for U.S. prestige, Israel, and the Middle East. Will it set Iran on a path torward a nuclear bomb? Will it set off a nuclear arms race among other Middle East nations? Will it set a dangerous precedent in U.S. foreign policy. We'll discuss all of this with Michael Rubin. He's a former Pentagon official specializing in Iran and a Middle East scholar with the American Enterprise Insitit...
Aug 16, 2015•36 min
In today's episode, I talk with Bruce Carlson, the host of the very popular podcast "My History Can Beat Up Your Politics." Bruce takes the politics of today and puts it into larger historical context for listeners. He says knowledge of the political history of America is key to putting political devleopments into perspective, controlling heated partisanship, and creating better and more informed voters. He'll share historical precedents for the 2016 election, give us a crash course in the "Lynd...
Aug 16, 2015•44 min
Today's guest is John Tamny. He is the editor of RealClearMarkets.com and the political economy editor at Forbes Magazine. He’s got new book called Popular Economics: What the Rolling Stones, Downton Abbey, and LeBron James Can Teach You About Economics. He’ll pull back to the curtain to explain how economics is one of the simplest and most basic disciplines to understand because according to him everyone is an economist. He’ll explain how the Dallas Cowboys, and Paris Hilton are excellent examp...
Aug 15, 2015•39 min
Famed neurosurgeon, author and now Presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson comes on the podcast to talk about the GOP debate, his suprising political ascent, the issues that matter most to him, and some of the life lessons he's picked up along the way. He'll tell us how his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast two years ago and his subsquent political rise interrupted his plan for a quiet retirement and why he feels compelled to run for office for the first time in his life. Plus Dr. Carson wil...
Aug 12, 2015•33 min
Does it seem like America is straying farther from the original framework designed by our Founding Fathers? Does it seem like the Federal government is increasingly encroaching on the rights of individuals and the states? Do you think the President is expanding the powers of the Executive Branch into dangerous Constitutional territory? If so, then you are not alone. Senator Mike Lee says he's spent the past 4 years in the U.S. Senate getting a crash course in how politicians, judges, and bureauc...
Aug 12, 2015•31 min
Did you know that many of the 13 colonies were founded as tax havens from the British? Or that our Founding Fathers declared independence from Britain because King George wanted to raise the 1-2% on colonial Americans to 3-4%? Compare that to the 33% income tax that the average American pays today! Did you know that the tax on your telephone calls was originally intended to be a "temporary tax" to pay for the Spanish-American War over 100 years ago? How did taxes get so out of control between 17...
Aug 12, 2015•37 min
In yesterday's episode, we talked about how law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels have been misusing U.S. civil asset forfeiture laws to seize billions in property and money from ordinary law-abiding Americans. They're taking homes, cars, boats, and even the cash out of your wallet. In this episode, you'll hear about how the feds are taking civil asset forfeiture abuse one step farther and literally stealing money out of the bank accounts of citizens who have done nothi...
Aug 11, 2015•26 min
Can law enforcement take your stuff even if you've committed no crime? Yes the can. Money? Yep, they can take that too. In fact, law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels are doing it every day. They're seizing cars, boats, jewelry, cash, and even homes and businesses all without ever charging the owner with any crime. It's a little known but widely abused area of law called Civil Asset Forfeiture and it's turning entire police departments into financial predators. In this episode, ...
Aug 11, 2015•37 min
Last week was President's Day and in this episode, I'll provide a brief history of the holiday and talk about how our founding father George Washington has really gotten shortchanged with this whole President's Day thing. I'll look at the many ways in which our country would not be the same or might not even exist today if it hadn't been for our first President and our greatest patriot. Today I'm making the case for why George Washington deserves his own day. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes and l...
Aug 11, 2015•25 min
In yesterday's podcast, Churchill on Leadership, I talked with Dr. Steven F. Hayward about the leadership qualities that made Winston Churchill one of the greatest men in history. In this short bonus podcast, I'll take a look at the lighter side of Sir Winston with a collection of some of my favorite quotes and anecdotes that highlight the razer sharp wit of Winston Churchill. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review on iTunes. For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com...
Aug 11, 2015•15 min
50 years ago this past Saturday, the world mourned the passing of the greatest leader of the 20th Century - Sir Winston S. Churchill. On the anniversary of Churchill's death, I'll sit down with Dr. Steven F. Hayward, author of Churchill on Leadership to discuss some of the qualities that made Winston Churchill a remarkable leader and a towering figure in history. Be sure to subscribe to the show on iTunes and leave us a review. For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjo...
Aug 11, 2015•48 min
In this episode, I ask Stephen Hadley, the former National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, just how dangerous is the world today?" We also talk about the Islamic State, Vladimir Putin, and the need for a greater U.S. investment in conflict prevention and post-conflict infrastructure. If you like this episode then subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then...
Aug 11, 2015•34 min
Welcome to this preview station for KickAss Politics. In my recent interview with Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin, we discussed her experience as a journalist in South Africa covering the end of apartheid and the release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years in prison. Our conversation inspired me dedicate an entire episode to Nelson Mandela. He was a man of remarkable personal strength, wisdom and humility who represented the very best of the human spirit. Sadly though, Mandela's memory serv...
Aug 11, 2015•34 min
Welcome to this preview station for KickAss Politics! In this podcast, I talk with Fox News National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin. We talk about her and her husband's experiences in the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and her early years covering the fall of Aparheid and the release of Nelson Mandela. She also tells me about the transition from reporting in some of the most dangerous places in the world to being a working mom and Fox Pentagon Correspondent and how that exper...
Aug 11, 2015•37 min
In this first episode of KickAss Politics, I'll explore how the emerging "sharing economy" and innovative businesses like Uber, Lyft and AirBnB are radically reshaping our notions of ownership and traditional distribution models. Then I'll talk with Grover Norquist, president and founder of Americans for Tax Reform, about how government regulators and politicans are stifling the sharing economy and going out of their way to tax, over-regulate, and even destroy innovative companies in spite of ov...
Aug 05, 2015•37 min
