According to recent polls, only 42% of Americans could name the three branches of the federal government and only 28% could name two of the five rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. Even worse, 35% believed that “from each according to his ability to each according to his need” was embodied in the Constitution (but it came from Karl Marx!). In short, voters are politically dumb. Yet, their decisions directly affect 300+ million Americans and influence the rest of the world in an ancillary way. From a purely self-interested perspective, spending the time to understand political issues is a clear waste of time, as is voting itself. What does this tell us about the viability of democracy in America? In this episode, Ilya Somin, author of the soon-to-be-released “Democracy and Political Ignorance” shares his perceptive views and insights. Ilya is a Professor of Law at George Mason University, a prolific blogger and a frequent guest on Mainstream Media. There is no more important issue in America, and no better guest to discuss the topic than Ilya Somin.
The Bob Zadek Show
Bob talks about the issues that affect our lives on a daily basis from a purely libertarian standpoint. He believes in small government, fewer taxes, and greater personal freedom.<br /><br />America has lost its way, but it cannot and does not need to be reinvented. Our founders were correct about their approach to government, as were John Locke, Adam Smith and the other great political philosophers who influenced them. The country’s first principles are economic and social freedom, republicanism, the rule of law, and liberty. Bob believes we must take the best of our founding principles and work from them because a country without principles is just a landmass.
Bob talks about the issues that affect our lives on a daily basis from a purely libertarian standpoint. He believes in small government, fewer taxes, and greater personal freedom.<br /><br />America has lost its way, but it cannot and does not need to be reinvented. Our founders were correct about their approach to government, as were John Locke, Adam Smith and the other great political philosophers who influenced them. The country’s first principles are economic and social freedom, republicanism, the rule of law, and liberty. Bob believes we must take the best of our founding principles and work from them because a country without principles is just a landmass.Listen on
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