[GUEST] Thomas Eddlem : Is Elon Musk a BIGGER Threat to Capitalism than Zohran Mamdani?

What if the main threat to a free market isn’t socialism at all, but a subtler merger of money and state that guarantees profits for the biggest players? We sit down with Thomas Edlum of the Libertarian Institute to challenge a comforting myth and follow the money through subsidies, defense and intelligence contracts, and policy choices that pad billionaire balance sheets while narrowing the path for everyone else.We track how the security state and big tech built a mutually profitable pipeline: procurement dollars, data sales, and narrative pressure that moved from deplatforming the fringe to suppressing mainstream dissent. From cloud contracts to satellite launches, “private” deals become public dependencies, and a stray executive threat to yank government purchasing can rattle entire markets. That’s not healthy competition—it’s a politicized supply chain.Then we zoom out to the budget mechanics that keep it all running. Autopilot spending locks in outlays before Congress even debates basics, so “waste and fraud” commissions nibble at the margins while deficits grow. Yet in a closely divided House, a small cross-party bloc could force real votes, sunset surveillance powers, and claw back subsidies that entrench incumbents. The leverage exists; the will is the question.Throughout, we focus on the people who feel the pressure most: younger workers staring down high rents, heavy debt, and wages that lag soaring asset prices. We lay out how rate policy inflated housing, how inflation quietly forgives the debts of the most leveraged owners, and why bailouts shield corporate losses while families eat the risk. A pro-market agenda that ends privilege, opens entry in housing and tech, and shrinks the security state’s reach speaks to that pain—and offers a path forward.If this conversation reframed how you see “the market,” share it with a friend, subscribe for more deep dives, and leave a review telling us which reform should come first.CHAPTERS0:00 Setting The Stakes: Threats To Markets2:03 Are Billionaires A Bigger Risk Than Socialists5:20 Subsidies, Contracts, And The Security State9:30 Fascism, Not Socialism: Defining The System13:20 Trump’s Interventionist Economics17:30 Big Tech, Censorship, And State Power22:00 The Budget Autopilot And Why Cuts Fail26:10 Doge Promises Vs. Political Reality30:10 Building A Reform Bloc In Congress33:20 Youth Economics, Messaging, And ClassAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy