From the Speakeasy

Conversations with Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Artists and Thinkers

The Bill Walton Show

Episode 134: The TBWS Roundtable on “Joe Biden’s Horribles”

05/30/2021

Guest(s): Bill WaltonFrank WazeterGreg CorombosRich McFadden

My friend Paul Teller keeps a running (and depressing) list of the destructive actions taken by Joe Biden’s Administration. Joe Biden has been in office for just a few months and already the list is a mile long.   Paul, who was a top aide to VP Mike Pence and is now his chief of staff, calls his list “The Horribles” The TBWS Team agrees that the name is apt.

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Episode 133: The Future of Policing in America

05/29/2021

Guest(s): Bill WaltonFrank WazeterRich McFaddenGreg Corombos

The Bill Walton Show Roundtable worries about what the future of law enforcement could look like in this country.

In many cities, seasoned officers are rushing to retire – causing a major deficit as those positions are becoming harder to fill.

Increasingly, resisting arrest is becoming a badge of protest.  And rather than punishing law breakers, police officers are being demonized for doing their jobs.

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Episode 132: “Combating Woke Capitalism” with Justin Danhof and Matt Schlapp

05/18/2021

Guest(s): Justin DanhofMatt Schlapp

For years, major American corporations have been drifting to the political Left. 

Now that drift seems more like a tidal wave. Companies like Coca Cola, Delta Airlines … and even Major League Baseball have, for example, condemned Georgia’s legislature’s effort to protect free and fair elections. 

And increasingly the very top echelons of many big corporations – the C Suites and the boards of directors – are filled with people on the left promoting a “woke” agenda.

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Episode 131: “The Chinese dominance of your medicine cabinet” with Rosemary Gibson

05/17/2021

Guest(s): Rosemary Gibson

When you think of all the things in your house that are “made in China”, one thing you may not realize is how many medicines are.

That bottle of aspirin? Made in China. Penicillin? Made in China. Even something as simple as Vitamin C is produced in China.

And if that’s not shocking enough, there’s also a good chance your doctor doesn’t even know where these medicines are being manufactured!

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Episode 130: “Refounding America” with Mercy and Matt Schlapp

05/11/2021

Guest(s): Matt SchlappMercedes Schlapp

This past year has been filled with adversity, but with tough times can come great blessings. In my case, Sarah and I have found a wonderful blessing in our friendship with Mercy and Matt Schlapp and their five daughters. We all found ourselves locked down in our places in Madison and Rappahannock County, Virginia during the pandemic. So what did we do?

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Episode 129: “Weighing the Cost of Panic” with Jay Richards and John Tamny

05/09/2021

Guest(s): Jay RichardsJohn Tamny

In this episode, Bill talks with Jay Richards and John Tamny about the Covid-19 pandemic and the trade-offs between freedom and government mandated “safety.”

Should governments have simply provided people with information about risks and precautionary measures, or were the microscopic instructions, lockdowns and mask mandates necessary?

At this point the answer seems pretty clear.

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Episode 128: The Bard and The Bible

05/02/2021

Guest(s): Bob Hostetler

For the past year or so, I’ve been reading in a daily devotional titled the The Bard and The Bible. In it each day is a quote from William Shakespeare, a related passage from the King  James Bible and a witty and wise reading of how they might relate to us today.

With Shakespeare, and of course anything related to the Bible, increasingly banned from American school curriculums, we are losing touch with these cornerstones of our western culture. The Victorians celebrated Shakespeare and the Bible as the twin moral underpinnings of British civilization. And when American pioneers headed west in their covered wagons, the two books that they brought with them were the King James Bible and the works of Shakespeare.

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Episode 127: An Actor’s Craft: A conversation with Tony LoBianco

04/25/2021

Guest(s): Tony LoBianco

During the last several years, I have had the great pleasure of getting to know a wonderful actor, Tony LoBianco.  It’s the 50th anniversary of his iconic movie “The French Connection” where he played Sal Boca, and a perfect occasion to invite him on the show to talk about the acting craft and working with other creatives.

A leading actor in films, TV and the stage, he’s made over 100 films during the course of his career and along the way won an Obie, an Emmy, an Outer Circle Critics Award, and was nominated for a Tony award for Best Actor.

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Episode 126: The Unsettling Truth About Green Energy with Mark Mills

04/16/2021

Guest(s): Mark Mills

In this episode, Mark Mills, Energy & Tech expert at the Manhattan Institute, and I go in-depth about the perils of so-called “green energy.”

Case in point: February’s deadly blackout in Texas.

Texas, with the most wind farms in the country providing 25% of its energy, learned what happens when the weather gets cold and the wind goes away. Just when you need electricity the most, it’s not there.

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Episode 125: Warriors and Worriers with Joyce Benenson

04/09/2021

Guest(s): Joyce Benenson

What are the evolutionary differences between men and women, and how do they survive and thrive through differing competitive strategies? 

In this episode, Dr. Joyce Benenson talks with Bill about her book Warriors and Worriers,which draws her extensive lifelong research on children’s interactions. The result is fascinating array of studies and stories that explore the ways boys and men deter their enemies, while girls and women find assistants to aid them in coping with vulnerable children and elders. 

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Episode 124: The Strange Rabbit Hole of Theory with James Lindsay

04/06/2021

If it’s possible to have a fun and entertaining conversation about political correctness, critical race theory and the state of being “woke”, this is it. Joining me is James Lindsay, PhD, Co-author of Cynical Theories and founder of the newdiscourses.com website and podcasts. James, who has been called the Donald Trump of Intellectuals (meant as an insult), because of his courage to take on political correctness, guides me down through the stranger and stranger rabbit hole of “Theory.”  

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Episode 123: Trans Men in Women’s Sports

03/31/2021

Guest(s): Bill WaltonMaureen O’DonnellGreg CorombosFrank Wazeter

On this episode, our TBWS Roundtable discusses the push by the radical woke left to let transgendered boy/girl athletes participate in girls and women’s sports.   After coming out strongly against trans men in women’s sports, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem recently vetoed a bill that would’ve banned it. Why? She says “it’s complicated” and she may be right.   

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Episode 122: The “Mis-Pricing” of Calvin Coolidge

03/26/2021

Guest(s): Amity Shlaes

On this episode, we look into the life and presidency of Calvin Coolidge with Amity Shlaes, author of The NY Times bestsellers Coolidge, The Forgotten Man, The Greedy Hand and The Great Society.

Amity is also co-editor of a fascinating new edition of The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge revealing how he embodied the best of America’s founding principles and the character of the American people.

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Episode 121: A Wide-Ranging Conversation with the Always Interesting Yaron Brook

03/19/2021

Guest(s): Yaron Brook

On this episode, I’m talking with Yaron Brook, Chair of the Ayn Rand Institute, in a wide-ranging conversation that launches into the case for why the profit motive is a good thing. Capitalism gets a bad rap in the media and pop culture, but should business be epitomized by Gordon Gecko or Steve Jobs? Was the 2008 financial crisis caused by greedy Wall Streeters or by wrongheaded government policies? 

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Episode 120: The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure with John Allison

03/04/2021

Guest(s): John Allison

On this episode, I’m joined by John Allison, named one of the 100 most successful CEOs in the world by the Harvard Business Review. In this wide-ranging interview, we talk about how he went from growing up in a lower-middle income family in North Carolina to becoming the head of BB&T, the Cato Institute and author of “The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure”.

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Episode 119: CPAC, Trump and the future of the GOP

03/03/2021

Guest(s): Rich McFaddenGreg CorombosFrank WazeterBill Walton

The TBWS Roundtable discusses former President Trump’s CPAC speech, and what it means for Republicans going forward. Has he learned anything about shoring up his weaknesses? Will he attempt another run for President? Should he? And if not, where does the Republican party go from here?We also look at the future for Mike Pence. What role will the former VP play in the party?

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Episode 118: “Just the Facts”

02/26/2021

Guest(s): Jim Agresti

The phrase “Just the facts” has taken on new meaning with the creation of media-based fact checkers. However, the definition of truth varies based on the organization doing the research.

I’m joined today by Jim Agresti, the President and co-founder of Just Facts as we talk about why what you see in the media is often agenda driven and what his organization does to find the truth.

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Episode 117: “Sim City” COVID with Phil Magness and Jeffrey Tucker

02/18/2021

Guest(s): Jeffrey TuckerPhil Magness

In this Episode, we continue our conversation with Jeffrey Tucker and are now joined by Phil Magness also with the American Institute for Economic Research regarding the current state of the nation due to the Coronavirus. How does the handling of the virus remind us of the video game “Sim City”? What does the future hold now that the vaccine is starting to be distributed? We also discuss what the role of politics has played in the pandemic.

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Episode 116: A new clarity in a COVID world with Jeffrey Tucker

02/13/2021

Guest(s): Jeffrey Tucker

With the first anniversary of the emergence of the Coronavirus, Jeffrey Tucker head of research at the American Institute for Economic Research joins me for an in-depth discussion about what have we learned so far about the virus and what the future holds for our daily lives. We also talk about how 2020 was almost medieval, and how long it will be before we fully understand the pandemic’s aftermath.

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Episode 115: A light at the end of the COVID tunnel? with Phil Kerpen

02/11/2021

Guest(s): Phil Kerpen

As Coronavirus lockdowns around the country are slowly starting to be lifted, I’m joined by Phil Kerpen, President of American Commitment to talk about what shutting down businesses and social activities have meant for our economy and our social fabric. We also discuss what the future holds now that vaccines are starting to be administered.

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Episode 113: From Biden to Brady: Looking back on January 2021

01/29/2021

Guest(s): John Tamny

As we start a new year, I’m joined by my friend John Tamny with Freedom Works and Real Clear Markets to recap the events of the past month. We talk about the unrest at the U.S. Capitol, the first days of President Biden‘s administration, and the role Gisele Bundchen plays in the ongoing success of Tom Brady as he prepares for his 10th Super Bowl.

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Episode 110: Paul Krugman vs. Ayn Rand with Tal Tsfany

12/17/2020

Guest(s): Tal Tsfany

Tal Tsfany, the President and CEO of the Ayn Rand Institute joins me to talk about a recent article by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and how liberals are looking to rob Americans of the free will granted to them in the Constitution. We also discuss how Ayn Rand would react to all of this if she was still with us today.

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