Qualified Opinions

"The issue is never the issue—the issue is the revolution."

When we talk about political violence in America, the public conversation is overwhelmingly dominated by the threat of the far-right. But is that tracking the whole reality? In this episode, Veronique de Rugy sits down with author and commentator Noah Rothman to discu...

What happens when a fiscal watchdog and a government official start as fierce public rivals and end up as friends?

In this episode of Qualified Opinions, host Veronique de Rugy sits down with her long-time friend Matt Mayer—former Bush administration Homeland Security official and current President of Opportunity Ohio—to dissect the massive disconnect bet...

Host Veronique De Rugy is joined by Jessica Melugin, Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, for a deep dive into the shifting landscape of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The conversation explores:

• The Legacy of Lina Khan: How the Biden-era FTC expanded merger filing rules (HSR Act...

Vero is joined by colleagues Rebecca Lowe, a political philosopher, and Henry Oliver, a literary critic, to discuss their new project, The Pursuit of Liberalism.

While the liberal order—built on free markets, free speech, and the rule of law—has delivered more for human flourishing than any other system, many feel it is currently "losing the argument". The trio explores whether this is because ...

In this episode, Vero De Rugy sits down with Paul Mueller and Dave Hebert, senior research fellows at AIER, to discuss trade and national security.

The conversation dives deep into the complex—and often manipulated&md...

As Social Security approaches its 90th anniversary, the program faces a looming identity crisis and a massive fiscal deadline. In this episode, host Veronique De Rugy sits down with Romina Boccia, Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy at the Cato Institute and co-author of Reimagining Social Security: Global Lessons for Retirement Policy Changes.

Together, they dismantle the most persistent myths surro...

In this episode, Veronique de Rugy and Luke Foster peel back the layers of the "French political soul," and explore the intellectual roots of the Franco-American relationship. 

Foster, a professor and co-founder of Academia Tocqueville, argues that Tocqueville's emphasis on civil society as a check on central power remains the ultimate diagnostic tool for modern governance.

De Rugy and Fo...

Host Veronique De Rugy is joined by Peter Boettke to discuss his recent work on the "marvel" of the market and why modern economics has lost its way. Centered on F.A. Hayek's landmark essay, The Use of Knowledge in Society, this episode explores how prices serve as a vital vehicle for learning and coordination that no top-down planner can replicate. They discuss the transition of economics from a tool for "social understanding" to ...

This episode of Qualified Opinions features a provocative discussion with Russ Greene on the topic of "Total Boomer Luxury Communism." It's a system where wealth is systematically transferred from younger, less affluent generations to the most prosperous cohort in US history through entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. 

Vera and Russ dive into the structural unfairness of age-bas...

Dive into a provocative discussion with host Veronique De Rugy, John Cochrane, author of The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level, and Tom Hoenig, a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

Veronique and guests challenge the notion of Federal Reserve independence, arguing that independence is not an absolute virtue, but a limited grant tied to obeying strict rules—namely, sticking to...

As the Supreme Court reviews one of the most consequential economic and constitutional cases in decades, questions loom over how the president can wield emergency powers to reshape trade policy. At the center of this debate is the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEPA) and its use by President Trump to impose tariffs.

Today, Veronique sits down with Donald J. Boudreaux, Senior Fellow at the Merca...

Graduate student unions are on the rise, and they're not like the workers' unions of the 1950s and 1960s—they are something all their own. At the heart of these unions sit many of the issues sending our universities into decay: social justice activism, radical politics, and woke culture.

Jon Hartley joins to discuss the battle against these institutions.

Jon Hartley is an economist specializing in finance, labor economics, an...

Free market ideas are waning on both sides of the aisle in modern American politics, but the justifications for this sit on shaky ground. In The Triumph of Economic Freedom, Donald Boudreaux and Phil Gramm debunk seven economic myths about American Capitalism.

Donald Boudreaux joins the show today to discuss.

Donald Boudreaux is a Senior Fellow at the Mercatus Center, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, and one ...

How much do people understand about the budget? How about the tax system, or Social Security?

With new budget proposals being unveiled and John Thune eager to get a budget passed before July 4th, Vero sits down with Danny Heil and Tom Church from the Hoover Institution to break through the noise about this complicated process.

Danny Heil is a policy fellow at the Hoover Institution whose focus is on the federal budget, tax policy, ...

If you've ever wondered why the federal government is in the business of running your local school district from 3,000 miles away, you're not alone. In fact, the idea that education policy should be dictated by Washington, DC, rather than parents, teachers, and communities was never a given in American life and most of our nation's history.

It wasn't fully a reality until 1980, when the Department of Education was established. Howe...

When we think of the gig economy, we think of its compartments. We might imagine an Uber driver shuttling people around town, or the DoorDash delivery person who brings us our Chinese food. But is it more complicated than this? Who are the people behind these careers? Are policymakers missing the mark when building legislation around independent workers?

Liya Palagashvili joins Veronique to discuss.

Liya Palagashvili is a senior re...

From grant cutting to staff firing, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has made a lot of noise in recent weeks. But there is another side of DOGE, one committed to deregulation.

Joining the podcast today to discuss is James Broughel.

Dr. James Broughel is a Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Dr. Broughel is an accomplished economist whose expertise lies in regulatory institutions and the impact of...

Across the political spectrum, free enterprise is under seige. From the left, we see calls for wealth redistribution, aggressive regulation, and ever-expanding entitlement programs. From the right, we are witnessing growing trade protectionism and government intervention in the economy. Today, we are diving into the most pressing economic issue of our time: the future of free markets in America.

Joining Qualified Opinions today is ...