The Truth Quest Podcast

Ep. 32 - The Truth About Socialism - Part II

Today's episode continues our examination of socialism. We will discuss a series of "Questions for Skeptics" that you can use to engage those who believe socialism is a viable social and economic option. We also examine so-called socialism in Scandinavian countries. Then we look at socialism and religion followed by a brief look at the solution to socialism - free market capitalism.
Show Notes:
Sorry Bernie but Nordic Countries are not Socialist
The Tom Woods Show
Episode #717 Debunking Utopia: Exposing the Myth of Nordic Socialism (Nima Sanandaji)
Episode #1404 Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies
Freedom of Choice is What Sets Capitalism Apart
Banning Sweatshops Only Hurts the Poor
Is Sweden Socialist?
The Myth of Scandinavian Socialism
International Liberty Blog - Daniel J. Mitchell
The Case Against Socialism
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
Join the conversation at The Truth Quest Facebook Fan Page
Order a copy of Shawn's books - Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available at Rumble, Thinkspot, BitChute and Brighteon. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 31 - The Truth About Socialism - Part I

In this episode we discuss the lack of socialist society success stories, the immorality of socialism, Democratic Socialism, socialistic incrementalism in America, and we examine how socialism violates both economic and natural laws.
Show Notes:
Daniel J. Mitchell
The Endless Failure (but Bizarre Allure) of Socialism
Socialism: A Dreary Failure, Malignantly Evil, or Both?
An Amusing Examination of Socialism
Young People and the Socialist Delusion
Can Bernie Make Socialism Great Again?
A Primer of the Folly (and Evil) of Socialism
Venezuela Accelerating Descent to Socialist Misery
The Horrifying Death Throes of Venezuelan Socialism, Captured in 28 Headlines
PragerU
Socialism Makes People Selfish
What's Wrong with Socialism
Venezuela's Maduro Admits Socialism Has Failed
Frozen in Time Havana Looks to Put a Modern Stamp on Its 500-Year History
Soho Forum: Socialism vs. Capitalism: A Debate with Jacobin Magazine
Why Socialism Failed
Mises.org
Four Reasons Why Socialism Fails
Still Fighting the Last War Against Socialism
Why Socialism Must Fail
John Stossel - Venezuela is Socialism
Tom Wood's Episodes
Episode 696 The Problem With Socialism: Tom DiLorenzo Educates Socialist Millennials (Tom DiLorenzo)
Episode 586 Why Capitalism Is Morally Superior to Socialism (Jason Brennan)
Episode 408 The Main Reason Socialism Can’t Work (Mateusz Machaj)
Episode 337 The Fatal Errors of Socialism (James Otteson)
Episode 1404 The Failed Idea That Never Dies
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Join the conversation at The Truth Quest Facebook Fan Page
Order a copy of Shawn's books - Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available at Rumble, Thinkspot, BitChute and Brighteon. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 30 - The Truth About the New Testament - Is it historically reliable

When I first started studying Christian apologetics someone gave me a copy of I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Frank Turek and Norman Geisler. If you read just one book this year and you are curious about Christianity or looking to bolster your current faith or, for that matter, you are a skeptic of Christianity, I cannot encourage you enough to read this book. One of the most profound insights I ever got into Christianity came from Chapters 9-12, which covers the historical reliability of the New Testament. Much of what I discuss in today’s episode comes from these three chapters. I hope you find it as profound as I did.
Show Notes:
I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Frank Turek and Norman Geisler
Early Testimony – Frank Turek
What Criteria Do Historians Use to Get to the Minimal Facts About the Historical Jesus - CrossExamined.org
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Ep. 29 - The Truth About Vaping

I recently watched a John Stossel report on Reason TV that caught my attention. It was essentially a defense of the e-cigarette industry. Prior to seeing that report, my general perception of e-cigarettes and vaping was negative. It wasn’t based on anything tangible, just a compilation of whatever news coverage I had consumed up to that point.
With Stossel’s gentle prodding, I read up on e-cigarettes and I started seeing some recurring themes that we often discuss on the Truth Quest Podcast – namely unconstitutional federal government involvement in the free markets and media bias. I had to get to the bottom of the smear campaign against e-cigarettes and vaping. Tune in to see what I found.
Show Notes:
John Stossel - Reason TV
Reason.com - The Government's Dumb War on Vaping
Prager University - What's Wrong with E-Cigarettes?
Fee.org - The Government's Crusade Against E-Cigarettes and Vaping Undermines Public Health
AEI - Vapers Wary of FDA Deeming Rules
Orange County Register - Why Banning Vaping Products Hurts Public Health
CDC - Youth Tobacco Use
Royal College of Physicians - Nicotine Without Smoke: Tobacco Harm Reduction
Gov.uk - E-Cigarettes: An Evidence Update
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The video of this episode is available at Rumble, Thinkspot, BitChute and Brighteon. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 28 - The Truth About the Federal Reserve - The Results

In the previous episode, #27 The Truth About the Federal Reserve – An Introduction, I laid the groundwork for this episode. So now that you know what the Fed is, why it was created and how it creates money, let’s look at the results of the last 100+ years since this monstrosity was created.
We will discuss the constitutionality of the Fed, how it creates inflation, its impact on savers and people on fixed incomes, malinvestment, bailouts, how it funds the welfare and warfare state, the gold standard, and I conclude the episode with a side-by-side comparison of the current monetary system dominated by the Fed with one without it.
Show Notes:
Creature from Jekyll Island, Edward Griffin
Numerous writings and podcast from the likes of Ron Paul, John Tamny, Tom Woods, Fee.org and Mises.org.
ContraKrugman Episode 185 - Economist's Love Letter to the Fed
A Century of Failure: Why It's Time to Consider Replacing the Fed - Mises
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Ep. 27 - The Truth About the Federal Reserve - An Intro

I read and hear a lot about how bad the Federal Reserve is for America. The cries for “Audit the Fed” continue to grow louder. Inherently I understand that government intervention always causes market distortions but trying to explain how the Federal Reserve detrimentally impacts the economy at a level that the average person can understand has proved daunting. But I am going to give it a shot in this episode and the next one.
In this episode I am going to introduce you to the Federal Reserve – explain what it is, why and how it was created and explain how it creates money.
Episode #28 will be spent looking at the Fed's record over the 100+ years of its existence and argue why it should be abolished.
Show Notes:
Creature from Jekyll Island, Edward Griffin
The Myth of Fed Independence – Mises.org
End the Fed, Ron Paul
Numerous writings and podcast from the likes of Ron Paul, John Tamny, Tom Woods, Fee.org and Mises.org.
-----------------------------------------Grab your Truth Quest Merchandise at The Truth Quest Shirt Factory:
With each shirt design there will be an explanation of what to expect from those inquisitive or brave enough to ask you about it. In most cases there are links to podcast episodes that will further deepen your understanding of the importance of each phrase. 
We hope you take the challenge of wearing these shirts in public and to family gatherings. Don't worry! You will be equipped with the rhetorical tools to engage in conversation and/or debate. 
Good luck! And thanks for supporting the Truth Quest Podcast!
Check out the "END THE FED" shirt inspired by this episode.
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
Join the conversation at The Truth Quest Facebook Fan Page
Order a copy of Shawn's books - Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available at Rumble, Thinkspot, Brighteon and on BitChute. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 26 - The Truth About the Judeo-Christian Tradition

As I thought ahead to the publication of this week’s episode, I noticed that it would fall on the week of Christmas. I glanced up at my bookshelf and pulled down my copy of In Defense of Faith by David Brog and I realized the message Brog presents in that book was a perfect foundation from which to base this week’s episode on.
Brog describes his book’s purpose as a rebuttal to the claim that people of faith are responsible for our greatest sorrows, bloodshed, war, hatred. His primary message is the Judeo-Christian tradition has been an overwhelming force for good throughout history with its message of equality and sanctity of all humans combined with the call to love one another. It’s the idea that all humans are made in the image of God and, therefore, are worthy of respect.
When you look at the atrocities committed in the world over time, you will notice that most of them were perpetrated with a purposeful rejection of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Show Notes:
In Defense of Faith, David Brog
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We hope you take the challenge of wearing these shirts in public and to family gatherings. Don't worry! You will be equipped with the rhetorical tools to engage in conversation and/or debate. 
Good luck! And thanks for supporting the Truth Quest Podcast!
Check out the "The World Needs More Jesus" shirt partially inspired by this episode.
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The video of this episode is available at Rumble Thinkspot, Brighteon and BitChute.
Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.
Truth Social: @TruthQuestPodcastGETTR: @TruthQuest_PCTwitter: @apathyreigns
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
Order a copy of one of my books, Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.

Ep. 25 - The Truth About the Government Shutdown

Another fiscal year has come and gone and another spending resolution deadline is looming. It seems like every year we go through the same exercise with the political class arguing and casting blame on each other over who is going to cause the latest, pending government shutdown.
Well guess what? It is largely inconsequential. The amount of federal spending that Congress actually controls is around 14% of the budget. So we are supposed to tie ourselves in knots over a minuscule part of the budget while the federal government continues its ever-expanding march into unconstitutional areas of American's lives. It's all an unnecessary distraction from the real problems that plague our nation and it is a distraction from Congress' abdication of most of their constitutional duties.
Show Notes:
Shock Report: 86% Of Government Spending Is Now On Autopilot - IBD
Report: 86 Percent of Federal Spending Now on Autopilot - NewsMax
GAO - Government-Wide Inventory of Accounts with Spending Authority and Permanent Appropriations, Fiscal Years 1995 to 2015
“No Deal” – Government Shutdown Inevitable, Blamescaping Begins
Everything you need to know about a government shutdown
What closes when the government shuts down
Government shutdown spreading pain as it takes hold in Minnesota
Federal Government Shutdown: Impact on Food Safety May Compound Over Time
Dana Carvey - Church Lady - "Isn't that special?"
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
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Order a copy of Shawn's books, Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available at Rumble, Thinkspot and on BitChute. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 24 - The Truth About Tariffs

We are told that protective tariffs are necessary to save jobs. We are told that high-wage countries like the United States cannot compete with low-wage countries like Vietnam and China. We are told that the dumping of products needs to be addressed with protective tariffs. But we are never told the whole truth. Politicians and mainstream news outlets never really evaluate the whole picture when it comes to tariffs. They never explain who really pays. They never ask the question: What about the consumer?
Listen to learn the truth about tariffs?
Show Notes:
Woodrow Wilson and Tariffs
The New Tariff of Abominations?
Why Tariffs Won't Create Jobs or Help the Auto Industry
Harley-Davidson is Right and Trump is Wrong
The Economic Illiteracy of Tariff Man
Tariffs and Americas Early Economic History
Basic Economics - Thomas Sowell
Economics in One Lesson, Henry Hazlitt - Chapter 11. Who’s “Protected” by Tariffs?
President Trump's Predecessors Learned About Steel Tariffs the Hard Way
Economics Was Invented to Refute Trump's Tariff Arguments
Tariffs Worked in History When They Warded Off All Other Taxes
Free Trade Let's Us Turn Corn into Cars
Tariffs: The Taxes That Made America Great - Pat Buchanan
The Truth Quest Podcast Patron Page
Join the conversation at The Truth Quest Facebook Fan Page
Order a copy of Shawn's books - Pritical Thinking, The Proverbs Project, The Termite Effect.
The video of this episode is available on Rumble, Thinkspot, Brighteon and on BitChute. Check out short highlight videos of each episode on Instagram.

Ep. 23 - The Truth About Nullification

The federal government is not supposed to be this gargantuan entity that is involved in virtually every aspect of our lives. The states created the federal government via the Constitution. They granted the federal government a few powers while all others were left to the states. Unfortunately, modern America's political system is a far cry from the Founder's vision of limited power at the federal level. Fortunately there is a method whereby the power that the federal government tries to wield can be checked. That method is called nullification.
Nullification is the practice whereby states resist federal actions that they deem unconstitutional. In this episode, I introduce you to the concept, dispel quite a few inaccurate assumptions made by mainstream news outlets and so-called historians and provide you with several examples of nullification efforts currently going on today.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Tom Woods and The Tenth Amendment Center who have written extensively on this subject.
Show Notes
Twitter | Rumble | BitChute | Spotify | Apple
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Nullification - Tom Woods
Tenth Amendment Center - Nullification Overview
Tenth Amendment Center 2018 State of the Nullification Movement Report
Nullification: The Rightful Remedy - Documentary
Nullification: Thomas Jefferson's Kentucky Resolutions of 1798
NullificationFAQ.com
Tenth Amendment Center Publishes Episode #23
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