017 Top Priority Podcast | Cronyism

Show: 017 Top Priority Podcast | Cronyism

Date Recorded: January 16, 2020

Host: Duane Lester, Manager of Issue Education, Grassroots Leadership Academy 

Guests: Michael Lambert, Policy Analyst of Corporate Welfare, Americans for Prosperity

Show Notes & Timestamps

• What is Cronyism? In short, Cronyism is government picking winners and losers. min [2:14]
• Cronyism, as our Community understands it, includes three subsets: min [3:45]

1. Financial handouts to include: subsidies, tax incentives, loan guarantees, and bailouts
2. Regulatory preference to include: monopolies, government mandates,
3. Protectionism to include: tariffs and quotas 

• Through the lens of our Vision, we exist to break barriers, what barriers are created by financial handouts? min [5:05]
• In The Law Frederic Bastiat discusses the seen versus the unseen; what are the unseen costs of government financial handouts to companies like Amazon? min [6:41] 
• How do financial handouts for sports stadiums hurt people in communities? min [10:33] 
• What is the STC perspective on tax credits? min [12:45] 
• How does regulatory preference kill innovation and hurt people? min [14:24] 
• Is Cronyism a set of barriers disguised as opportunities? min [23:17] 
• Government favoritism is a corrupting force because it erodes the belief in voluntary exchange and distorts the power free people in free markets. min [26:17] 
• How our Community views Cronyism through the lens of the second mutually-reinforcing principle—Mutual Benefit. min [28:56]
• How does Cronyism discourage innovation and competition? min [30:36]
• Because of the explosion of innovation, farmers in New Zealand now argue against farm subsidies! min [32:53]  
• How our Community views Cronyism through the lens of the first mutually-reinforcing principle—Equal Rights. min [33:37]
• How our Community views Cronyism through the lens of the third mutually-reinforcing principle—Openness. min [37:20]
• How our Community views Cronyism through the lens of the fourth mutually-reinforcing principle—Self-Actualization. min [38:48]

**Additional Resource**

• FREE copy of The Law by Frederic Bastiat
• FREE copy of Animal Farm by George Orwell: “Some animals are more equal than others.”
• We reject the false choice of being pro-business or anti-business, “Instead [we] oppose when business lobbies government for special favors and rigs the system to protect their profits. This wastes resources, disrespects customers, and is unfair to taxpayers. At the same time, we celebrate principled entrepreneurship that creates real value for people, long term. That’s what we’re after” —Charles Koch—

What is Top Priority | Ideas for Human Flourishing?

We have a deep belief in people and promote ideas of human flourishing.

Top Priority is a collection of interactive, learning-oriented conversations on how the Stand Together Community engages with and advocates for solutions through the lens of our Community Vision: We transform society by breaking the internal and external barriers that prevent people from realizing their potential, enabling all people to improve their lives and find fulfillment by helping others do the same.

The Stand Together Community Vision is guided by four, mutually reinforcing principles: Equal Rights | Mutual Benefit | Openness | Self-Actualization

Explore the free and civil society through the lens of each of these four mutually reinforcing principles and stand together to help every person rise.

Top Priority is a production of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation's Grassroots Leadership Academy, where we make Human Flourishing a top priority.