Why is socialism gaining appeal while free enterprise has produced extraordinary prosperity?

John Tillman, author of The Political Vise and founder of Hall of Giants, joins me to discuss why socialist ideas can be so compelling, where free-market advocates have fallen short, and why defending capitalism requires more than statistics.

We explore political power, victimhood, entrepreneurship, identity, storytelling, and how to make a more human case for economic freedom.

Get show notes and more at vanceginn.substack.com.

Should politicians decide which American businesses succeed?

From Washington's ownership stake in Intel to tariffs, industrial subsidies, and proposed restrictions on diesel exports, the government is taking a larger role in directing economic decisions.

In This Week's Economy #185, economist Dr. Vance Ginn explains why these policies can raise costs, distort competition, and put taxpayers at risk. He explores the lessons of spontaneous order, the hidden costs of government intervention, and why markets work better when entrepreneurs and consumers make economic decisions.

The central question: Does America need more government direction or more economic freedom?

Explore Ginn Economic Consulting at https://vanceginn.com and subscribe to the Let People Prosper newsletter at https://vanceginn.substack.com.

Why has the American Dream become so expensive?

Akash Chougule, President of FREOPP, joins me to discuss Affording the American Dream and what it will take to expand opportunity and upward mobility.

We explore housing, healthcare, energy, child care, federal debt, and a central question: Should government help people pay higher prices, or remove the barriers making things expensive in the first place?

The conversation is ultimately about creating the conditions for people to build better lives through greater supply, competition, innovation, choice, and economic freedom.

Learn more at VanceGinn.com and get show notes at vanceginn.substack.com.

From inflation and immigration to prescription drugs, diesel, and data centers, policymakers are reaching for new ways to control economic outcomes.

In TWE 184, I ask a more fundamental question: What caused the problem in the first place? We examine federal deficits, H-1B visas, Texas data centers, drug pricing, and energy through the common lens of scarcity, incentives, supply, and competition.

The lesson: good intentions don't guarantee good economic outcomes. Lasting prosperity comes from addressing causes and allowing people to produce, compete, innovate, and solve problems.

Get show notes at vanceginn.substack.com.

Mark Moses, Senior Fellow at the California Policy Center and author of The Municipal Financial Crisis, joins me to discuss why local governments still face fiscal pressures and what taxpayers should know about government finances.

We explore municipal budgets, public pensions, balance sheets, AI, data centers, and whether governments lose focus on their essential responsibilities when their missions continually expand.

The central question: What should local government actually do?Learn more about my work at Ginn Economic Consulting at VanceGinn.com. Subscribe to my newsletter for show notes and more: vanceginn.substack.com.

Nearly $2 billion in Medicaid fraud-related and other recoveries should get our attention. So should CMS's estimate of $37.4 billion in improper Medicaid payments, although improper payments are not necessarily fraud.

But the bigger economic question is about incentives.

In this episode, I examine how federal Medicaid matching can affect state spending decisions, how complicated financing arrangements can encourage states to pursue additional federal dollars, and why greater state flexibility should come with greater fiscal responsibility.

Then I go one step further: Medicaid reform shouldn't simply move control from Washington to the states. More healthcare dollars and decisions should ultimately move toward patients and doctors.

Protect taxpayers. Empower patients. Let doctors focus on healing.

Find show notes at vanceginn.substack.com and more info on my work at vanceginn.com.

Is classical liberalism losing ground in America?

Duke University professor Dr. Michael Munger joins me to discuss constitutional government, public choice, tariffs, free trade, and the institutions underlying a free and prosperous society.

We explore why restraints on government matter even when they prevent our preferred political outcomes, how political incentives shape policy, what tariffs actually do, and why institutional “friction” can sometimes protect against bad collective decisions.

Mike first joined the show in 2023 to discuss whether capitalism was sustainable in America. This time, we tackle an even broader question: Can America maintain the classical-liberal institutions that allow freedom and prosperity to flourish?

Find more at VanceGinn.com.

If the government sends you a check while everything around you gets more expensive, are you really better off?

This week, I break down inflation and wages, the Fed’s latest rate hike, President Trump’s proposed $5,000 dividend, Governor Abbott’s Texas affordability agenda, rising healthcare costs, and calls to slow AI.

The common question is simple: Are policymakers addressing what makes things expensive, or adding another subsidy or regulation to manage the symptoms?

We discuss why lasting affordability depends on sound money, spending restraint, more supply and competition, better healthcare incentives, and innovation.

More on my work at Ginn Economic Consulting at VanceGinn.com, and show notes for Let People Prosper on Substack at vanceginn.substack.com.