Are Plastic Straw Bans Just Late Socialism?: Podcast

The Reason Podcast crew takes on Trump's lawyers, trade wars, plastic straw bans, and the rise of socialism.

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Are Plastic Straw Bans Just Late Socialism?: Podcast

President Donald Trump's current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, spent the weekend calling Trump's previous lawyer, Michael Cohen, a liar, while Trump continued to make false statements about the Russia investigation. On today's podcast, Reason's Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Christian Britschgi try to sort out who and what, if anything, we should believe. In the moderator's chair, Peter Suderman—that's me!—fills in for Matt Welch, who is still on vacation.

Later on, the gang discuss the latest twists and turns in the Trump trade war drama, Britschgi's groundbreaking reporting on plastic straw bans, and why everyone is talking about socialism. As always, this fun-filled and freewheeling hour of news and opinions ends with staff recommendations: for board games (Secret Hitler), documentaries (Far From the Tree), books (To the Bridge), and TV shows (Sharp Objects). Listen below!

Subscribe, rate, and review our podcast at iTunes. Listen at SoundCloud below:

Audio production by Ian Keyser.

'Songe D'Automne' by Latché Swing is licensed under CC BY NC SA 2.0 FR

Further reading:

"Hilarious Straw Ban Memes Hit on the Dark Truth That All Laws Require Force"

"San Francisco Bans Straws, Cocktail Swords"

"Sorry If You're Offended, but Socialism Leads to Misery and Destitution"

"Trump's Soybean 'Deal' With the E.U. Is Actually Pretty Insignificant"

"The Commerce Department's Tariff Waiver Process Encourages Cronyism, Creates Shortages"

"Secret Hitler"

Don't miss a single Reason Podcast! (Archive here.)

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What are we consuming this week?

Katherine Mangu-Ward

• Secret Hitler
• Pandemic Legacy
• Marvel Champions: The Card Game

Christian Britschgi

• Babylon Berlin
• Ordinary Corrupt Human Love 2018 album by Deafheaven

Nick Gillespie

• To the Bridge: A True Story of Motherhood and Murder by Nancy Rommelman
• A Wilderness of Error: The Trials of Jeffrey MacDonald by Errol Morris
• Far From the Tree (2018)

Peter Suderman

• Sharp Objects

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Comments

[Just Say'n]

A Mitch Daniels love letter may be a sign of late stage libertarianism...

[loveconstitution1789]

There is no language in the state or US Constitutions that allows for banning any product or service.

Even the Prohibitionists knew that they needed a constitutional amendment to make an alcohol ban legal.

[NoVaNick]

Yeah-just like the Constitution clearly states that only Congress has the power to declare war. How quickly they forgot about that one...

[Jerryskids]

President Donald Trump's current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, spent the weekend calling Trump's previous lawyer, Michael Cohen, a liar,

Careful there, 9/11 boy, you're close to calling Cohen a failing loser and that's Trump's main man. Trump knows how to pick the best men. He picked you, didn't he?* Don't you be over there second-guessing Trump's very good brain.

*And Reince Preibus and the Goldman Sachs boys. If you're going to drain the swamp, Reince and the Goldman Sachs boys are the ones you want backing your play.

[SIV]

They'll have you cocktail sword when they pry it from your cold drunken fingers, eh McSuderman?

[Whorton]

Do you have ANY IDEA what banning cocktail swords will do to the TIKI drink industry?

There goes ANY reason I ever had to visit San Francisco. . . Oh wait, I never did.

[NoVaNick]

when you think about it, banning plastic straws is very much the opposite of what progressive socialism is supposed to be.

1. It will cause the straw makers and possibly sanitation workers to lose their jobs because of less work.
2. Whatever product will replace it will likely cost more to manufacture and dispose of, putting a burden on working families.
3. Vulnerable populations, especially children, the elderly, and disabled will be most adversely impacted by a straw ban, as well as those who work in the food service industry (predominantly Latina and African American). Some could even be exposed to violence if they cannot provide straws.
4. Straw bans are all about making wealthy assholes who do not have to work for a living feel good about themselves.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Wait, you didn't come into this conversation believing that modern socialists were for the working class, did you?

[Whorton]

Don't forget, it is likely to cause an overall reduction in the musculature needed to "Suck."

-and in San Francisco, that will be the end of civilization as they know it!

[Rhywun]

Trump continued to make false statements about the Russia investigation

LOL OK

#resist

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

The "Russia Investigation" is the greatest Tragicomedy I've seen in my lifetime.

[Rufus The Monocled]

It's incredible really.

[TLBD]

Trump continued to make false statements about the Russia investigation

Bwahahahahaha. Fuck you Suderman.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Banning plastic straws is post-retard.

Not peak derp. This is not possible.

[Libertymike]

Say hello to Tom Brady.

Yet, stupid New England fans will continue to root for Tawwmee.

[Rufus The Monocled]

I made the point elsewhere that while some low income shmuck may get fined (or worse), I bet Tom Brady will continue to use for his fancy health drinks.

[Rufus The Monocled]

use straws.

[Libertymike]

Maybe so, but not with the consent and knowledge of his skank wife.

[tudugipoju454]

Stay at home mom Kelly Richards from New York after resigning from her full time job managed to average from $6000-$8000 a month from freelancing at home... This is how she done it
.......
???USA~JOB-START

[Whorton]

This warrants a podcast? Really? How dare you waste bandwidth for this.

[bsmith]

Pretty brave work knocking down those stawmen on this cast. Come on, usually Nick brings some decent arguments without needing to set up the worst arguments on the other side. Even he took the easy route on this one. Blah blah blah