Charles Murray and Jonah Goldberg on civil disobedience in America

The American ideal of limited government on life support. Is it time for civil disobedience? Charles Murray says yes. Murray has been writing on government overreach for more than 30 years. His new book, "By The People," is a blueprint for taking back American liberty. Jonah Goldberg sits down with Murray to discuss civil unrest in Baltimore, the scope of the government, and why bureaucrats should wear body cameras.

According to AEI scholar, acclaimed social scientist, and bestselling author Charles Murray, American liberty is under assault. The federal government has unilaterally decided that it can and should tell us how to live our lives. If we object, it threatens, “Fight this, and we’ll ruin you.” How can we overcome regulatory tyranny and live free once again? In his new book, “By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission” (Crown Forum, May 2015), Murray offers provocative solutions.

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Charles Murray and Jonah Goldberg on civil disobedience in America

[Vondur]

AEI: please raise the volume on future videos. Thanks!

[FayteZephyr]

I wanted to listed, but its so hard to hear. I got the sound on max and can still barely hear them.

[ybrix]

The volume isn't that bad. Could be slightly better.

[nancybartley]

So I'm not crazy!!! Disruptive students destroy the ability of the teacher to teach and the behaving children to learn. For years I held that this was the main reason the quality of education was (and remains) so poor. Yet, as far as I can discern, this is never researched and addressed. I wish Charles had been my principal.

[johnstewart]

Teacher's aren't well paid -- relative to what they could make elsewhere -- and don't have job security here in Florida, at least. In fact, if I had stayed at my nonteaching job, I'd be making a little more and my 401K would be worth as much as my pension will be.

[charlespeterson]

Body cameras on bureaucrats. Now that made me laugh out loud.

[KatherineTomsichEvans]

I disagree with this version of civil disobedience.  I'd rather see laws changed or abolished so I don't have to take a chance at being caught whilst 'going with the flow'.  How do you defend that when stopped?  "Gee, officer, I was just going with the flow of traffic!" sounds pretty weak.  Bureaucrats love to make examples of people. I also dislike the sports analogy.  But then, that is a big reason I don't like sports- I never could get that hang of which rules were okay to break.

[richdobbs]

Yuck!  So everyone is a law breaker who at the whim of a trooper can be stopped even though he's doing the same as everyone else?  At least the trooper is limited in most cases to giving you a fine that wont impoverish you.  But in the overall scope of unlimited government, the government can take your children, your home, your saving and your freedom.  And because this is all at the hands of armed agents, you can even lose your life.  This doesn't sound like any sort of viable strategy at all.