Richard Epstein: Gov't Bailouts Disruptive, Politicized
The Hoover Institution - Hoover Institution
Considered one if the most influential legal thinkers of modern times, Richard Epstein brings his libertarian views to bear on the current financial crisis -- "government incentives were perverse, so the actions of the private parties were perverse" -- and rates the performances of George Bush and Barack Obama in their responses to the crisis.He speaks to the importance of contracts and the constitutionality of the "ex post facto" taxation on AIG executives and the Employee Free Choice Act embraced by President Obama.Finally he speaks of his personal and professional dealings with Barack Obama when they were law school faculty mates at the University of Chicago.