Happy New Year, LibertyWeek listeners. We celebrate a fresh start with a holiday health update and move quickly into the biggest story Scandal Watch has seen yet – Bernard Madoff’s (allegedly) massive $50 billion (alleged) investment fraud, including its impact on non-profit organizations like The Innocence Project. We review another chapter from the Nanny State Diaries in which British drivers are being asked to give up control over their speedometers, and report of the scandalous spread of federal crime spurred on by the arrival of The Greatest Depression. Moving on to Technology News, we take the Australian government to task for their attempts at Internet censorship (thanks for the heads-up, World Socialist Web Site!) and discuss the controversy over new Top Level Domain names. Finally, Olympic News brings us to worries over Vancouver 2010 and some accomplishments to be proud of by the London 2012 organizing committee.

 

 Episode 23: Madoff About You [47:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (138)

Season’s greetings and happy holidays, LibertyWeek listeners – it’s the Christmas Episode! Your festive hosts Richard Morrison and Cord Blomquist deliver up the best stories of the day with an Xmas twist. We take a look back at executive power in George Washington’s time and then forward to the financial bailout that’s turning into an unaccountable slush fund akin to Santa’s magic bag of toys. Next we talk about how we’re all going to survive the New Great Depression (hint: buy smaller Christmas trees), dispatches from The War on Christmas™, our handy last minute gift guide and a heart-warming tale of Christmas-themed Olympic News. Don’t forget to talk back to the show at feedback@libertyweek.org.

 

 Episode 22: It Sure Is Looking Christmasy Around Here [31:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (128)

This week your friendly neighborhood hosts Richard Morrison and Cord Blomquist take you on an audio journey. We start with praise for our brother podcast, the Bureaucrash Podcrash, hosted by Crasher Xaq Fixx and (this week) featuring an interview with legendary film producer and First Amendment defender John Stagliano. We also give a shout out to the new social network – already being called “Facebook for libertarians” – Bureaucrash Social. Sign up today! We then move on to a Scandal Watch update on Obama and Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the implications of the proposed auto bailout, recent Gallup poll results and a very Blago-centric edition of Olympic News. All of this brought to you with the enthusiastic participation of our special guest, Competitive Enterprise Institute General Counsel Sam Kazman.

# Special thanks to J.P. Freire of The American Spectator for the Tweet of the Week.

 

 Episode 21: We Clear Ourselves of All Wrongdoing [37:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (152)

Welcome back to LibertyWeek, where your hosts Richard Morrison and Cord Blomquist bring you the best in news and views, always from the perspective of free markets and limited government. This week we start with praise for the new look and feel of OpenMarket.org: the blog you want to read. We then move on to the most delicious edition of Scandal Watch yet – the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on federal charges of “staggering” corruption. After that we look at the demise of Rep. William “Freezer Cash” Jefferson, the rise of Rep.-Elect Anh “Joseph” Cao, investigations into the mortgage mess, how taxpayers get trashed by recycling mandates and a debate over the ethics of scalping tickets in Olympic News.

# Special thanks to Josh Barro for the Tweet of the Week.

 

 Episode 20: The Future is Cao? [36:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (152)

This week your hosts Richard Morrison and Cord Blomquist bring you the latest in free market news from our new location and studio on L Street NW in Washington, D.C. We start with the success of Christopher C. Horner’s new book on global warming, Red Hot Lies. We then move on to Barack Obama’s nominee for attorney general, stopping online poker cheats, Ted Stevens’ never-ending corruption scandal and some humbling Olympic News.

 

 Episode 19: Will Obama Torture the Constitution? [30:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (140)