Happy Hour Econ

The World Cup has landed on American soil (with a little help from Canada and Mexico), and suddenly the whole world is discovering what U.S. locals take for granted—free refills, blasting AC, and the sheer, unbottled majesty of a Buc-ee's. But amid all the cultural exchange and ranch dressing diplomacy, there's a bigger question lurking behind the confetti: is hosting the world's biggest sporting...

Elon Musk is officially the world's first trillionaire. Cue the outrage. But Lou and Phil aren't exactly reaching for the pitchforks. That’s because when you actually look at where that wealth comes from, the story gets a lot more complicated than the internet would have you believe. From Starlink satellites spooking people in the night sky to SpaceX cafeteria workers sitting on surprise fortunes,...

Happy Birthday, America! What better way to celebrate 250 years than by arguing about taxes? Turns out the Founders had some thoughts on the matter. Lou and Phil dig into the surprisingly economic origins of the American Revolution, and why the tariff debate happening right now looks a lot more familiar than anyone in D.C. wants to admit. Also, was the Revolution actually just class warfare agains...

The Federal Reserve: everyone's heard of it, nobody really knows what it does, and somehow it controls your mortgage rate. Lou and Phil crack open the black box of America's central bank—what it's supposed to do, and its, uh,  mixed  track record of actually doing it. Also: is there a world where it just… doesn't exist? Welcome to Happy Hour Econ from Free To Choose Network, where comedian Lou Per...

Hollywood has a problem. Star Wars just posted its worst domestic opening in the Disney era, the cost of an afternoon or night out at the multiplex keeps climbing, and somewhere in a boardroom, nobody seems to be connecting the dots. Lou and Phil grab a seat to break down why the movie industry keeps flooding the market with slop, ignoring the sovereign consumer, and acting surprised when nobody s...

Vacations? In this economy? Rising inflation, spikes in fuel prices, airline closures (RIP Spirit Airlines), and a whole host of other factors have people feeling the budget crunch as schools let out and summer looms. But we all need a break sometimes, so we just put the plane tickets—or admission fees or tanks of gas or nice lunches—on the credit card. Convenient, sure, but at what cost? Join com...

We already tax the rich. Like, a lot. The top 1% pays over 40% of their income in federal taxes while shouldering more than 80% of the federal government's revenue. So why does everyone keep yelling "tax the rich" and "pay your fair share" as though it's not already happening? Lou and Phil follow the money and the rhetoric to uncover who's really behind the push for wealth taxes, what they're actu...

Used to be, California was a land of freedom and opportunity. A place where you could go to escape the oppressive regulatory regimes of the East. Today, it’s a different story. “Petty” crimes get ignored while burdensome regulations are strictly enforced. The money from high taxes gets spent on projects that never materialize. Join Lou and Phil as they chat about the absolute state of California o...

“The rent is too darn high.” We hear a lot about a “housing affordability crisis” in the U.S. And to be fair, in some places around the country, particularly certain urban areas, the cost to rent or buy a place to live is very steep. But not everywhere. So what’s really going on here? Is it a supply-and-demand issue? Landlords and sellers just being greedy? NIMBYs run amok? Well, it’s complicated....

Look, we all need to eat. Where there are people, there is a built-in demand for sustenance. Therefore, the existence of “food deserts” is obviously the result of late-stage capitalism deliberately keeping nutrition away from certain groups of people. Right? Well, no. In this week’s Happy Hour Econ, Lou and Phil are cooking up a spicy look at what’s behind how we feed ourselves. Welcome to Happy H...

With the successful execution of Artemis II, manned space exploration is back on the scene. But sending humans to the moon raises a whole host of questions. Why are we doing this? Why did we ever do this? Should we be spending money on it? Who owns the moon, anyway? And what does any of it have to do with Spaghetti Westerns? Join your favorite space-cases, Lou and Phil, as they boldly go where no...

It’s 4/20, and you know what that means! Love it, hate it, or fall somewhere in the middle, the simple fact is that marijuana—or cannabis, or weed, or even the Devil’s Lettuce—is having a very real moment. But how did we go from  Reefer Madness -levels of social stigma to sleek, sophisticated dispensaries that will deliver directly to your door? Join Lou and Phil for this blazing episode of  Happy...

If you tried to describe Las Vegas, Nevada, to someone who’d never heard of it, the city would seem like a fever dream lifted straight out of a completely unhinged novel. In the middle of a desolate desert landscape, a glittering oasis rises as though from nowhere, filled with every form of entertainment and vice you could hope for, all cleverly designed to keep you there for as long as possible....

What happens when bold predictions of global catastrophe meet…reality? In this episode of  Happy Hour Econ , a comedian and an economist take a hilarious yet insightful deep dive into  The Population Bomb  and the legacy of Paul Ehrlich’s infamous overpopulation predictions. Lou and Phil dive into why humanity stubbornly refused to starve (thanks, innovation!), how government policies sometimes ma...

Why are gas prices so high—and why does it feel like they  never  come back down? In this episode of  Happy Hour Econ , comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magness break down the real reasons behind rising gas prices, from global oil supply shocks to foreign policy chaos and everything in between. With humor and sharp economic insight, they explore how events like conflict in the Middle East, di...

This week on  Happy Hour Econ , the brackets are busted, the probabilities are brutal, and your leftover lasagna might actually have better odds than your Final Four picks. Why is it nearly impossible to pick a perfect March Madness bracket? How does the NCAA make billions—and who actually gets paid? And what do your fridge leftovers have to do with economic theory? In this episode of  Happy Hour...

In this episode of Happy Hour Econ , comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magness walk into a bar… and accidentally start a 25-minute debate about socialism. Oops. With the Democratic Socialists of America hitting 100,000 members and socialism suddenly trending with younger generations, Lou asks the obvious question: Why? The conversation also touches on socialism vs capitalism, the role of marke...

Why do Americans not choo-choo-choose trains? In this episode of Happy Hour Econ , comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magness climb aboard the great American train debate and ask a simple question: Why does everyone on the internet suddenly want bullet trains? From Lou’s beer-blurred European train adventures to Phil’s deep dive into railroad history, they explore why train travel works in Euro...

In this episode of Happy Hour Econ , comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magness swap Olympic highlights for tariff takedowns—and somehow make constitutional law feel like a bar bet you didn’t know you were placing. While the rest of America was celebrating gold medals, Phil was glued to a different showdown: the Supreme Court smacking down President Donald Trump ’s sweeping “Tariff Liberation D...

Are you boycotting us right now? From the Boston Tea Party to the Super Bowl halftime show heard ’round the internet (featuring global superstar Bad Bunny), the guys break down what boycotts are, how they work, and why simply changing the channel may not be the revolutionary act you think it is. The conversation dives into the real-world impact of boycotts in Puerto Rico, including how shipping re...

What’s the real cost of hosting the Winter Olympics ? Why do cities go billions into debt for two weeks of figure skating and curling? And are Olympic gold medals actually… plastic? In this laugh-out-loud episode of Happy Hour Econ , comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magness break down the economics of the Olympic Games , exposing the financial myths, political drama, and corruption scandals b...

Can artificial intelligence replace artists, comedians, or even George Carlin? 🤖🍸 In this episode of Happy Hour Econ , comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magnus dive into the economics of AI, creativity, and art—while trying to figure out if robots are coming for Lou’s stand-up career. From AI-generated comedy specials and deepfake celebrity voices to copyright law, creative authenticity, and...

Is ChatGPT a productivity tool, a plagiarism machine, or the first step toward a robot apocalypse? On this episode of Happy Hour Econ , comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magness dive into how machines still can’t think like humans (or write a good term paper), how creative destruction has always reshaped the economy, and why nuclear power is suddenly back in the conversation. AI is already imp...

WTF is the World Economic Forum—and why does it feel like every James Bond villain vacations there? From  global elites and technocrats  to  climate change policy ,  net zero , and the infamous “ you’ll own nothing and be happy ” slogan, we unpack the biggest ideas—and strangest headlines—coming out of Davos. Topics include  credit card interest rate caps ,  usury ,  central planning ,  AI-driven...

How much should you tip a bartender, waiter, delivery driver, or barista—and why does tipping feel so awkward now? In this episode of  Happy Hour Econ , comedian  Lou Perez  and economist  Phil Magness  break down the  economics of tipping , America’s tipping culture, why tip screens seem to be everywhere, and how that iPad that  definitely  judged you. Welcome to Happy Hour Econ from Free To Choo...