The Permission Society - When Everything Requires Approval

Why We Distrust Power

Episode 12: Why We Distrust Power Most Americans can tell you there are three branches of government. Far fewer can tell you why they exist. In this episode, we explore one of the most important—and least understood—ideas in the American constitutional system: the separation of powers. The Founders did not divide government because they trusted politicians. They divided government because they didn't. Drawing on their experiences with monarchy, history's warnings about concentrated power, and their understanding of human nature, they built a system designed to make government compete with itself before it could act on the people. We'll examine how the system was intended to work, a moment in American history when it worked exactly as designed, and what happens when constitutional safeguards begin to erode. Along the way, we'll explore why political gridlock may not be a flaw at all, but a feature—and why liberty often depends on government moving slower than we'd like. If freedom survives because power is divided, what happens when those divisions begin to disappear? That's the question. Welcome to The Defiant Citizen.

Flawed Men, Enduring Ideas

Episode 11: Flawed Men, Enduring Ideas Phase II of the Restoration Project begins here. For generations, Americans have argued about what the Founders believed, what they meant, and which modern political movement they would support. But before we can understand the Constitution, we have to understand something even more important: What assumptions were the Founders making about human nature when they built the American system? In this episode, Gary Mullins explores the foundation beneath the Constitution—the belief that human beings are capable of both greatness and corruption, and that government must be designed accordingly. You'll learn why the Founders intentionally built a slow and restrained system of government, why checks and balances exist, and why liberty requires constant vigilance. You'll also confront one of the most common objections raised against the Founders: their personal flaws and contradictions. Can flawed people create enduring ideas? From Washington and Jefferson to Lincoln, Roosevelt, and other influential figures throughout history, this episode examines why judging ideas solely by the imperfections of their creators may leave us with nothing worth preserving. Topics Covered: * The Founders' view of human nature * Why the Constitution was built around restraint * Separation of powers and checks and balances * The danger of concentrated power * Slavery and the Founders' contradictions * Habeas corpus and civil liberties * Why flawed people can still create lasting institutions This episode serves as the gateway into Phase II: The Founders' Framework, where we'll begin examining the principles that shaped the American Republic and whether they still have something to teach us today. The Defiant Citizen is the podcast companion to The Publius Project—a nonpartisan exploration of citizenship, constitutional government, and the restoration of the American Republic.

The Cost You Never See

Episode 10: The Cost You Never See What if the biggest cost of government isn’t what you pay… but what you stop trying to do? Episode 10 explores the hidden “mental tax” of the modern managed state — the delays, approvals, paperwork, compliance systems, and endless hoops that slowly train ordinary Americans to hesitate instead of build. Through real-world stories of permits, small businesses, contractors, denied applications, and everyday bureaucracy, this episode examines how a culture of citizens gradually becomes a culture of applicants. Not through force or dramatic crackdowns… but through friction. Quietly. Constantly. Until people begin regulating themselves before the system ever has to. Building on Restoration Paper No. 9, The Cost of the Managed State, and the companion essay From Citizen to Applicant, this episode asks a difficult question: What happens to a free society when people stop asking “What can I build?” and start asking “Am I allowed?” This is an episode about initiative, responsibility, self-government, and the invisible cost of living inside systems that slowly discourage action itself. If you’ve ever looked at an idea and thought, “Yeah… probably not worth it,” this episode is for you.

It's a Great Big Club...And We Ain't In It!

Episode 9: It's a Great Big Club..And We Ain't In it! You don’t have representation. You have the illusion of it. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on how the system actually works—and why your vote doesn’t carry the weight you think it does. From the “Wealth Primary” that decides who gets to run… to the donor networks that shape decisions behind the scenes… to the closed loop that protects the people inside it… this isn’t a broken system. It’s a system that’s doing exactly what it was built to do. The question is— who was it built for?

Who Governs? The Citizen, The Expert, or The System

Episode 8: Who Governs? During COVID, businesses closed, movement was restricted, and millions complied. But here’s the question no one asked: Who actually had the authority to do it? In this episode, I examine how “experts” moved from advising decisions to making them - and what that means for a system that was designed to be governed by citizens. This isn’t about left vs. right. It’s about whether the American people still control the system - or if we’ve handed it over without realizing it.