Liberty + Leadership

In this episode of Liberty + Leadership, Roger Ream sits down with Bradley Birzer, the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College and author of “The Declaration of Independence: A Radical Experiment in Liberty.” Together, they explore the ideas and events that shaped the Declaration, the tension between conservatism and radicalism in the American founding and why the founders believed liberty required both enduring principles and courageous citizens. They discuss the int...

Roger welcomes Amanda Stiglbauer, a longtime mentor and instructor with TFAS’s high school division, the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE), for a conversation about teaching economics in a way that connects with students and helps them understand the world. Amanda, who recently joined TFAS as FTE’s economic education curriculum fellow, shares how her early love of teaching merged with a growing passion for economics and how discovering the economic way of thinking gave her a framework f...

Roger welcomes Ben Rothove, editor-in-chief of the Madison Federalist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Elsa Johnson, managing editor of the Stanford Review, for a conversation about their experiences as student journalists and fellows in TFAS’s new Campus Transparency Fellowship, a program created to bring accountability and openness back to higher education. They discuss the challenges of reporting on controversial topics such as DEI mandates, antisemitism, and administrative over...

Roger welcomes Kurt Couchman, senior fellow in fiscal policy at Americans for Prosperity, for a conversation on the risks of the nation’s growing debt and his proposal for a balanced budget amendment to restore sound governance. They discuss why fiscal insolvency threatens future generations, how intergenerational debt burdens undermine prosperity, and why Congress struggles to act despite bipartisan public support for reform. Couchman explains “fiscal democracy,” outlines his balanced budget...

Roger welcomes Sam Feist, longtime journalist and CEO of C-SPAN, for a conversation about why the role of nonpartisan reporting and transparency remains essential to the future of journalism and public trust. They discuss the importance of unfiltered access to government, the challenge of maintaining neutrality in a polarized media environment, and the upcoming launch of "Ceasefire," a program designed to foster civil dialogue and bipartisan common ground. Feist also reflects on lessons learn...

Roger welcomes Lord Daniel Hannan, a British writer, historian and member of the UK House of Lords, for a wide-ranging conversation on executive overreach, constitutional principles and the ideas that preserve liberty. They explore how power has steadily concentrated in the hands of presidents and prime ministers, weakening the roles of legislatures and citizens alike. They also reflect on what America borrowed and improved on from British political traditions through its written Constitution...

Roger welcomes Marian L. Tupy, founder and editor of HumanProgress.org and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, for a compelling conversation about human progress, population growth and the myth of scarcity. They explore the legacy of economist Julian Simon, the surprising data behind global trends and why more people often means more innovation, not less. They also break down how human ingenuity continues to drive prosperity across the globe and w...

Roger welcomes Ted Tucker, executive director of the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE) and Lisa Chang, director of operations and teacher programs at FTE, to discuss the organization’s 50-year legacy of teaching the economic way of thinking to high school students and teachers. They share the fascinating history of FTE’s founding in the 1970s, the pivotal role of leaders like Milton and Rose Friedman and Gary Walton, and how FTE has evolved to meet the needs of a changing world. They ex...