How Awful Policies Fueled the L.A. Fires

Plus: A listener asks the editors if Donald Trump is the most libertarian president ever.

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How Awful Policies Fueled the L.A. Fires

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In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman reflect on the failed policy decisions that have exacerbated the L.A. wildfire crisis, as well as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's announcement that the company is ditching third-party fact checking on Facebook.

 

01:54—L.A. wildfires and failed policy

28:06—Weekly listener question

37:36—Zuckerberg announces the company nixes third-party fact checking

47:06—This week's cultural recommendations

 

Mentioned in this podcast:

"California's Fire Catastrophe Is Largely a Result of Bad Government Policies," by J.D. Tuccille

"Looting Is Bad. So Are Curfews," by Jack Nicastro

"What's Wrong With a Private Firefighter?" by Liz Wolfe

"Los Angeles Zoning Laws Pushed People and Homes Toward Fire-Prone Areas," by Jack Nicastro

"Fires Incinerated the Facade of California Governing Competence," by Matt Welch

"Hell Out West," by Liz Wolfe

"A Failed State," by Liz Wolfe

"Burning Los Angeles," by Nick Gillespie

"California Regulations Prevent Insurers From Accurately Pricing Wildfire Risk, so Now They're Fleeing the State," by Ronald Bailey

"Why is the bureaucracy and red tape there in the first place?" by Nick Gillespie

"Zuck Finds His Spine," by Liz Wolfe

"Mark Zuckerberg Was Right To Fire Facebook's Rogue Fact-Checkers," by Robby Soave

"Facebook's New Free Speech Policy Shows Business Getting Back to Business," by J.D. Tuccille

"An Urgent Meeting of the Fact-Check Legion of Doom," by Robby Soave

"Let's Stop Talking about Free Speech and Start Defending It," by Nick Gillespie

"Why Facebook 'Welcomes' Regulation, by Todd Krainin," Nick Gillespie, and Jim Epstein

"Mark Zuckerberg: 'I Believe We Need a More Active Role for Governments and Regulators,'" by Nick Gillespie

"TikTok Took a Beating at the Supreme Court," by Robby Soave

"Trump Dodged My Question About the Federal Debt," by Nick Gillespie

"Parents, Not the Government, Should Make IVF Decisions," by Ronald Bailey

"Breeder Reactionaries: The 'feminist' war on reproductive technologies," by Wendy McElroy

"The Brutalist Is Great American Cinema," by Peter Suderman

 

Event:

Reason Speakeasy: Bryan Caplan and David Bier, January 21, 2025

 

Send your questions to [e-mail]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

 

Today's sponsors:

• ZBiotics. ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by Ph.D. scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Make ZBiotics your first drink of the night, drink responsibly, and you'll feel your best tomorrow. Go to zbiotics.com/ROUNDTABLE to get 15 percent off your first order when you use ROUNDTABLE at checkout. ZBiotics is backed with a 100 percent money-back guarantee so if you're unsatisfied for any reason, they'll refund your money, no questions asked.

 

• Are you a student looking for a transformative opportunity that supports the foundations of a free society? Reliance College invites students aged 16 to 24 to the 2025 Great Connections Seminar in Chicago, from July 26th to August 2nd. This year's theme, "Reason and Free Will," dives into timeless ideas from writers such as Thomas Jefferson, Ayn Rand, and Aristotle. Students sharpen critical thinking in small, dynamic groups, developing the intellectual tools needed to thrive in a free society. Outside the classroom, they'll explore Chicago's vibrant culture—touring museums, trying improv comedy, and building lifelong connections. Parents, this program equips students to think, reason, and act independently. Go to reliancecollege.org/reason to learn more and apply. Early registration is just $400 before March 1st, including room and board, with scholarships available. Don't miss out! Visit www.reliancecollege.org/reason to learn more and apply.

Audio production by Ian Keyser

Assistant production by Hunt Beaty

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

• Video Editor: Ian Keyser
• Producer: Hunt Beaty

What are we consuming this week?

Katherine Mangu-Ward

• A Man on the Inside

Peter Suderman

• The Brutalist

Nick Gillespie

• Joy: The Birth of IVF

Matt Welch

• My American Revolution: Crossing the Delaware and I-78 by Robert Sullivan

---

Comments

[Dillinger]

shame because risky enough building multi-million dollar homes where they can be shaken to the ground at any minute you'd think they'd have taken more steps on a personal level to ensure the safety of their stuff from fire ... especially in light of lack of insurance which is a rolling joke anyway none of this would be covered without years of litigation.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Dude, don't you Reason-libertarian? This tragedy is the result of bad government policies.

[sarcasmic]

Still waiting for Reason to criticize Democrats instead of blaming everything on Trump.

[Don't look at me!]

Poor sarc. No more ideas™ .

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Still waiting for you to say something interesting.

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

This is all you’ve got anymore, isn’t it Drunky?

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Stop picking on the NPC!

[JesseAz (mean girl ambassador)]

Did he ever have anything besides alcoholism and retardation?

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Blind rage?

[JesseAz (mean girl ambassador)]

I put that in the alcoholism column.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

I think he was an asshole before the alcohol,

[JesseAz (mean girl ambassador)]

Nobody knows how he was at age 9.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

I think he got addicted in the womb.

[Alberto Balsalm]

Fucking Jesse and all his sockos having a circle jerk. Every. Fucking. Day. Loser.

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Hey Drunky. Here’s a little news to brighten your day.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/01/13/trumps-net-worth-surges-to-7-billion-as-truth-social-parent-rallies/

[Chupacabra]

In the old days, he used to post photos of underage girls that he lusted after, usually the Olsen twins.

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug - Jan 6 = 9/11 (same motive)]

Plus: A listener asks the editors if Donald Trump is the most libertarian president ever.

In general all four Reason participants laughed at this notion.

This explains why Jesse wasn't jerking off upthread. Instead he ignored their responses.

[JesseAz (mean girl ambassador)]

Hey buddy. You left after I posted directly from Soros the other day. Why don't you listen to your own god instead of lying about him?

I mean reasons attempt at making Carter a libertarian hero despite doubling fed work force, adding gov oversight of business, and 2 departments basically makes their opinion of the question fucking worthless. Kind of like you in general.

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

I posted this above, but I wanted to ensure you saw this bit of cheer…….

https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/01/13/trumps-net-worth-surges-to-7-billion-as-truth-social-parent-rallies/

Weren’t you saying that Trith Social would crash and burn last year?

Eat shit, Kiddie Raper. You lose big, and Trump keeps on winning. Get used to it.

[Rick James]

There California was, minding its own business when... ALL OF A SUDDEN!

[Quo Usque Tandem]

Maxine Waters is claiming this is all due to the "fact" that the "rich" [however she defines that] are not "paying their fair share" of taxes.

I suppose we should all be living on the same meager amount no matter how much anyone makes. Sounds a lot like "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need."

Regardless, such will make certain the stupid [poor] Democrats will keep on voting the party line, and the smug [wealthy, privileged] ones can never admit they were wrong [in voting for Democrats]. Ergo, nothing will change.

[Not a Conservative but a Biden LOATHER]

Maxine Waters’ net worth is estimated to be between -$365,000 and $5.22 million.

[One-Punch_Man]

Tell Christian. He thinks policy had no affect

[Not a Conservative but a Biden LOATHER]

Awful PEOPLE not awful policies.
Jesus said "as a man thinketh so is he"
AWFUL people

[Not a Conservative but a Biden LOATHER]

But your own REASON testifies to this going back 5 years.

NJ Wharton Tract is similar. So glad nothing's happened.But NJ Dems are tempting fate there.