Philip Howard – Getting Unions Out of Government

0:00 Philip’s early work on post-nuclear war recovery 2:26 Philip’s skepticism toward the role of lawyers in the US 4:34 What’s wrong with the EPA, OSHA, and the EEOC? 6:59 How to ensure worker safety without “4,000 rules” 8:07 Why the US spends so much on healthcare 11:32 Philip: We’ve degenerated into a culture of distrust 14:58 The origins of American distrust 18:42 Re-instilling trust 21:38 The problems of national security and public health 26:57 Are public employee unions constitutional? 39:35 Market constraints don’t hold for government employees 34:55 Do public sector workers need protection from exploitation? 39:22 Philip: “Public service is repellant to good candidates” 40:58 A short history of the civil service 46:49 Is Philip inveighing against the Democratic Party and the labor movement at large? 53:12 Philip: Police unions prevent accountability, too 56:08 The necessity of a constitutional solution to public unions 1:00:58 Philip: The political organizing of public unions harms the public 1:04:46 Would the current Supreme Court be receptive to Philip’s case? Recorded October 27, 2023 Links and Readings Philip’s book, The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America Philip’s book, Life Without Lawyers: Restoring Responsibility in America Philip’s latest book, Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions Edward Banfield’s book, The Moral Basis of a Backward Society Robert Putnam’s book, Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy Philip’s forthcoming book, Everyday Freedom: Designing the Framework for a Flourishing Society

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