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The Inside and Outside of CPAC 2012

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST

"The Occupy movement, if it weren't so dangerous to the American ideal, would be comical," says John Thompson, a Rick Santorum supporter who attended The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which kicked off in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, February 9th, 2012.

CPAC is the premier annual gathering of the conservative movement, but this year not all the action was inside the convention center. Occupy D.C. was joined by the AFL-CIO, SEIU, National Nurses United, Metro Labor Council, and OurDC for a demonstration right outside. The group says it was protesting a "gathering of bigots, media mouthpieces, corrupt politicians, and their 1 percent elite puppet masters."

Reason's Lucy Steigerwald was on hand to see what all the fuss was about.

Produced by Jim Epstein, with help from Joshua Swain and Julie Ershad.

Approximately 4.30 minutes.

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Chef Geoff Tracy vs DC Speed Cameras

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Over a three day period in January, Washington, D.C. celebrity chef Geoff Tracy received three $150 tickets from a single newly installed traffic camera. In an attempt to alert other motorists of the speed trap, Tracy hired a sign spinner for a full week to caution passing drivers. But helping people avoid costly tickets doesn't sit well with at least one fan of D.C.'s $43 million revenue generating traffic cameras .

About 2:25 minutes. Written and produced by Rob Raffety

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Halftime in America: Remy Chrysler Ad Parody

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

It's halftime.
Both teams are listening to a Madonna performance that sounds eerily similar
to a Lady Gaga song they'll hear 10 years from now.
It's halftime in America too.
People are out of work and they're hurting.
And they're wondering where all their money went.
Well, $12.5 billion of it went to Chrysler. In the form of a bailout.
But it's okay, because Chrysler is all-American.
Though technically 58.5% of Chrysler is owned by an Italian corporation.
And Chrysler manufactures many of it's vehicles in Canada. And Mexico.
But I guess that doesn't make for a great commercial.
Unlike polar bears. Or dogs.
Or that digestive yogurt.
Yeah Americans are hurting.
And their dollars are being used to bail out the chosen ones.
Instead of themselves.
What happened to freedom?
What happened to choice?
Yeah.
We need to guard them like Ben Roethlisberger's friend guards a bathroom door.
Allegedly.

Written by Remy and produced by Meredith Bragg.

About 1.30 minutes.

"Halftime in America" is one of a series of collaborations between Remy and Reason.tv. To watch Remy's other videos, go to youtube.com/goremy

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Will More Federal Money Help Our Schools? Peter Suderman on Fox Business

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

President Obama wants more federal tax-dollars going to teachers as a way of improving education. Reason associate editor Peter Suderman appeared on Fox Business' Power and Money says the problems are not in spending but in heavy-handed bureaucracy and regulation. Airdate Feb 7, 2012.

Aproximately 4 minutes.

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Jim DeMint: Why Republicans Must Become More Libertarian

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

"The new debate in the Republican party needs to be between conservatives and libertarians," says Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). "A lot of the libertarian ideas that Ron Paul is talking about...should not be alien to any Republican."

Yet right after the 2010 midterm elections, the influential Tea Party favorite proclaimed that "you can't be a fiscal conservative and not be a social conservative," a comment that was widely viewed as a slap at libertarians. And South Carolina's junior senator is also a staunch pro-lifer, has favored a constitutional ban on flag burning, and is on the record saying that gays shouldn't be allowed to teach at public schools.

More recently, DeMint has been leaning libertarian. His new book, Now or Never: Saving America from Economic Collapse, is a warning to the nation that we need radical spending cuts (including putting defense spending on the table) or else face economic oblivion. And he was instrumental in getting Tea Party Republicans elected in 2010, including the most libertarian member of the caucus, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who also wrote the foreword to DeMint's book.

Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch sat down with DeMint for a wide-ranging discussion about fiscal vs. social conservatism, cutting spending, the GOP presidential nomination, whether the Tea Party still matters, and much more.

Approximately 29 minutes.

Shot by Meredith Bragg and Jim Epstein; edited by Epstein.

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Mike Riggs Discusses MegaUpload, Niall Ferguson, & Tim Tebow on Alyona's Happy Hour

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Reason Associate Editor Mike Riggs appeared on the Alyona Show's Happy Hour to discuss the torrent site BTJunkie voluntarily shutting down after learning MegaUpload's fate, genetically modified babies, Niall Ferguson's comments on war with Iran, and Tim Tebow's political side. Airdate: Feb 6, 2012.

8.44 minutes.

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Nick Gillespie Talks Politics of Homeownership on Freedom Watch

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Reason.tv editor in chief Nick Gillespie appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss government intervention in the housing market and the inevitably disastrous results of such intervention. Air Date: January 17, 2012.

About 4:30 minutes.

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Arab Spring Update: Freedom House's Arch Puddington on How 2012 Will Be Like 1989.

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST

"As significant as 1989 when the Berlin wall came down, overwhelmingly the story of 2012 is centered in the Middle East,” says Freedom House's Arch Puddington. "People were inspired by events in Egypt, they started demanding their rights.”

Puddington has helped record the long-overdue revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, and countries in the Freedom in the World 2012 index. Founded in 1941, Freedom House quantifies and ranks the political freedom and civil liberties of every country in the world as "Free," "Partly Free," or "Not Free."

Though the Arab Spring has led some regimes to respond with arrests and killings, Puddington remains confident political rights and civil liberties will succeed in the longer run. Since the first Freedom in the World index was published in 1973, he notes, free countries have doubled in number and not-free countries have declined. In the 2012 edition, 87 countries are listed as Free, 60 as Partly Free, and 48 as Not Free.

Approximately 5 minutes.

Interview by Matt Welch. Camera by Meredith Bragg and Joshua Swain; edited by Swain.

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Brian Doherty Talks Ron Paul Campaign Updates on CNN's Out Front with Erin Burnett

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Reason Senior Editor Brian Doherty appeared on CNN's Out Front with Erin Burnett to discuss how Ron Paul has transformed the Republican Party, and what can be expected from him in upcoming primaries and caucuses.

Approximately 5 minutes

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Mormons for... Ron Paul?!

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 EST

"I think it's definitely possible to be a libertarian and a Mormon," says Dustin Peterson, BYU-Idaho student and board member of Latter-Day Saints for Ron Paul.

Peterson, who spent time volunteering for the Paul campaign in Iowa, spoke with Reason.tv while in Spokane, WA about why Ron Paul might take Mormon votes away from the only Mormon in the race.

While many political analysts believe Mitt Romney has a near-monopoly on the Mormon vote, Ron Paul has spent considerable time courting LDS members living in Western caucus states like Nevada and Idaho (which happen to be the states where he performed best in 2008).

While he expects most Mormons to fall into line behind Romney, Peterson says Mormons have many reasons to support Ron Paul, including theological ones.

"Within our faith, there's a concept called 'agency,' and that's close to liberty," says Peterson. "We're taught to make choices and to decide based on our agency."

While Peterson believes that Mitt Romney will still win most of the Mormon vote, he's hopeful about the future.

"About half the students at BYU-Idaho are Ron Paul supporters, and the other half support Mitt Romney," Peterson says. "There's a battle going on right now on the campuses about the future of the Republican Party."

About 1:40 minutes. Interview by Zach Weissmueller. Shot by Sharif Matar. Edited b Weissmueller.
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FDR, The New Deal and The Expansion of Federal Power with Authors Burton and Anita Folsom

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

During his first presidential press conference, Barack Obama defended federal economic intervention, stating "there are several who have suggested that FDR was wrong to intervene back in the New Deal. They are fighting battles that I thought were resolved a pretty long time ago." "We were just amazed to hear him say that," says historian Anita Folsom. While this "idea is taught in colleges all over the country, we have to come to the realization that these big government ideas do not lead to prosperity."

In his 2008 book, New Deal or Raw Deal: How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America, historian Burton Folsom took on the idea that the New Deal "worked." Now he's collaborated on a new book with his wife Anita, FDR Goes to War: How Expanded Executive Power, Spiraling National Debt, and Restricted Civil Liberties Shaped Wartime America, which tackles the idea that Roosevelt was a great wartime leader. During the war, the book argues, Roosevelt Administration stomped on civil liberties, fixed prices throughout the economy, ballooned the national debt, and brought the top income tax rate up to 94%.

The Folsoms see Roosevelt's big government approach as instrumental in shaping the modern word. From ObamaCare to the Community Reinvestment Act, they draw a direct line from FDR's actions to the worst public policies of today, along with the general view that "government programs are the solution to economic and political problems."

Bert and Anita Folsom sat down with Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie to discuss their new book and the enduring myths of FDR's presidency.

About 9:30 minutes. Shot by Meredith Bragg, Jim Epstein and Joshua Swain and edited by Bragg.

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Anthony Randazzo Talks Insider Trading Laws and Bernanke's "Do No Harm" on Freedom Watch

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Reason's Director of Economic Research Anthony Randazzo joined Freedom Watch to discuss the effectiveness of insider trading laws and Ben Bernanke's most recent statement to Congress regarding monetary policy. Air Date: February 3, 2011.

Approximately 7 minutes.

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China and Transportation: What We Can Learn in the United States

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

China's economy has been the envy of the world for a decade, but what about its transportation system? With the largest population in the world and growing, maybe we should be looking at its mobility. The economic superpower has built a 21st century road system to keep up with its new appetite for cars.

Transportation economist and Vice President of Policy Research at Reason Foundation, Adrian Moore, says that China is using "pricing scientifically" to keep up with the largest car market in the world. He sat down with Reason.tv to talk about what many are calling, "the most important bilateral relationship in the 21st century."

Moore has been working with China on free market transportation solutions for booming cities that are attracting hundreds of thousands of people every month. China's demand for cars is being driven by its new middle class, which is roughly the size of the entire population of the United States.

Doing transportation right is something China can't afford to do wrong. Moore explains what it is doing right, wrong and what this "capitalist country" can learn from the "avowedly communist system".

Filmed and edited by Sharif Christopher Matar.

Approximately 10 minutes.

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Peter Suderman Talks Romney Flip Flops on Freedom Watch

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Reason Associate Editor Peter Suderman appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss Mitt Romney's book, No Apology, and Romney's record of flip-flops on healthcare. Air date: 2/1/2012.

Approximately 5:29 minutes.

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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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