Cato Institute is excellent please improve audio.

Super informative and in-depth!

Great podcast that is a must listen for libertarians but also works for politics in general. Each event is balanced with speakers from across the political spectrum and debates are reasoned & cordial, unlike recent presidential debates. It does get a little highbrow at times (some as discusion on monetary policy), but one of the best political podcasts currently streaming.

Too many of their speakers don't know how to use a microphone. 1 in 5 don't use it for much of their speaking time.

The debates cover a wide variety of excellent topics, and the conferences usually have a strong non-libertarian voice to provide a contrast to Cato's in-house opinion.

Cato's podcast of events is awesome I've been listening to the same 7 hours long casts for months. Great speakers, great info, all wonks of the political sort should listen!

If you wonder down the rabbit hole frequently then this is great for you. In a perfect world I would be the first person in line to drink the kool aid. Unfortunately, I have to agree with some of the other commenters. The system is abused now with the current oversight, remove oversight and shrink government will in some way improve conditions? PhD in Engineering, too logically rooted to make such a fantastic leap. Talking points are useful, but should be considered carefully as mentioned. Keep in mind that in general, all regulation historically was implemented in order to improve the lives of fellow people. Whether it be working conditions, environmental protection, etc etc. These regulations were enacted because of abuse in the area, removing them and hoping for no abuse is silly.

I always learn something from listening to these wish I could attend in person

Refreshing. Reasoned. Intellectual. Willing to be honest with credit and criticism of the left and the right.

I've been listening to this podcast every week for several months, and I've decided to stop. It's okay if you want to listen to the libertarian perspective, but it doesn't seem to go beyond talking points and doesn't have enough depth for me. After each lecture, there are never any challenging questions from the host or the audience. I know that libertarians want a much smaller government. So each week, why don't they offer a lecture on a specific topic and provide some real details about how smaller government would work, and also address any counterarguments and concerns? I believe that the libertarian movement has been a negligible political force because it rarely gets beyond its own nice-sounding superficial talking points, and when it does, you hear extremists like Rand Paul saying that private businesses should be able to discriminate against anyone for any reason, and that the market's "invisible hand" will eventually force people to be decent. I suppose that if you happen to belong to a non-oppressed group - as Rand Paul does - "eventually" isn't so bad. :-) On a positive note, anyone not familiar with libertarian talking points could learn from these podcasts, and the audio quality is very good.

If your are libertarian (e.g., you can't see where and how government helps us), then these podcasts will appeal to you. They are well researched, well reasoned, well produced, and well -- just plain good. If you are not inclined to agree with the Cato Institute view of things, then I challlenge you (especially you, AmericanScream) to listen carefully and determine where and how the contributors are wrong. No matter what your political bent is, these podcasts are most worthwhile.

Each Cato Institute podcast I've listened to has held my attention and been fascinating throughout. They deal with issues of liberty and law, and are invaluable for anyone who wants to intelligently discuss politics.

This is some of the best political dialogue available. This goes way beyond anything you'll see on Fox or CNN. As for Scream's comment... I followed the money and checked. Cato is funded mostly by individuals, not 'big business'. So, that's 100% incorrect.

Masquerading as a non-partisian think tank, the CATO institute is really a lobbying organization for big business that wants an end to government regulation. This group is primarily responsible for promoting this utopian flavor of libertarianism which has absolutely no substance. Take everything this group publishes with a grain of salt and most importantly, FOLLOW THE MONEY. Look at who funds this organization.

I wish I found this earlier! Apple should feature this for a while.

I'm a brazilian PhD in Philosophy, living in SF, CA, and I've just listened to two podcasts while babysitting my dauther on President's day. Very thoughtful and interesting discussion on the US relations to China, and another a R. Epstein speech on Constitutional issues. Even the audience's questions were great. I certainly recommend it.