Let People Prosper

Every regulation has a cost, even when it doesn't appear on a tax bill. This week, I talk with Richard Morrison of the Competitive Enterprise Institute about why regulation shapes prices, innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunity. We discuss ESG, financial regulation, corporate governance, and why policymakers should focus on clear, predictable rules instead of using private marke...

Government spending should not grow faster than the people paying for it. In this episode of This Week’s Economy , I examine the latest Sustainable Budget Project results and compare state spending growth with the responsible benchmark of population growth plus inflation. Only eight states kept state-funded spending within that limit over the past decade, while just three, Colorado, North Dakota,...

Too much of modern politics is built on false choices. Left or right. Win or lose. Good or bad. My side or your side. That may work for cable news, campaign fundraising, and social media algorithms, but it does not work well for families, communities, or good policymaking. Real life is more complicated than our political categories allow. That is why I enjoyed this conversation with Dr. Lauren Hal...

Every government policy has a cost. Sometimes it appears through higher prices and debt. Other times it means fewer homes, weaker job growth, distorted investment, or billions lost to fraud. In Episode 173, I examine the labor market, inflation-adjusted wages, housing policy, federal overspending, Texas’s economic model, tariffs, corporate welfare, and healthcare fraud. The path to prosperity is n...

Ryan Bourne of the Cato Institute joins the Let People Prosper Show to discuss America’s affordability crisis. We examine why housing, healthcare, childcare, energy, and other essentials cost so much, how government policies restrict supply and competition, and why price controls and subsidies often make the problem worse. Subscribe to the show, read the show notes at vanceginn.substack.com, and f...

Across the country, a growing backlash is forming against data centers. Anti-growth proponents and NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard activists) are working to block the very infrastructure that powers artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the digital services Americans rely on every day.  The Economist  had a good write-up on data centers. But America will not stop needing these technologies. If...

July 4th has passed, but the real work of preserving liberty never ends. It is easy to celebrate independence with fireworks, flags, and family gatherings. But it is harder to understand the principles that made independence meaningful in the first place. America was not founded merely as a break from British rule. It was founded on the belief that rights are not gifts from government, power must...

Too many people express skepticism about capitalism while enjoying the countless innovations it has produced every day. The smartphones in our pockets, life-saving medicines, online services, modern transportation, and countless other conveniences that make life easier did not appear by accident. They were created by people who had the freedom and incentive to take risks, solve problems, and impro...

America is approaching its 250th birthday, and that should mean more than fireworks, speeches, and nostalgia. It should make us ask a harder question: Do we still understand what made the American experiment different? The United States did not become prosperous because government officials directed the economy from Washington. It became exceptional because our institutions protected liberty, prop...

America is preparing to celebrate 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. But the best way to honor the Founders is not just to celebrate the past. It is to preserve the principles that made liberty and prosperity possible. In this episode of This Week’s Economy , I discuss four American values that built the nation: strong property rights, upward mobility, innovation, and freedom of spee...

Parents are tired of being told to sit down, be quiet, and trust the system. They saw what happened during school shutdowns. They saw what their kids were being taught. They saw learning loss, political agendas, falling standards, and too many excuses from education bureaucracies. And parents started asking a basic question: Why should children be trapped in schools that do not serve them? That is...

The surest path to prosperity is a job. Work provides more than a paycheck—it offers dignity, purpose, and the chance to build crucial skills and relationships. Unfortunately, government policies too often make it harder for people to work, hire, and adapt to changing economic realities. From occupational licensing and other labor regulations to outdated rules that fail to reflect today’s workforc...

Politics has become too angry, too tribal, and too disconnected from real life. Too many people are tired of being forced into red or blue boxes. They are tired of politicians treating disagreement like war. They are tired of the media, campaigns, and algorithms rewarding outrage over understanding. That’s why I enjoyed this conversation with Dr. Lura Forcum, who writes at How to Human on Substack...

Affordability remains one of the biggest concerns for American families. Inflation has cooled, but prices are still too high because bad policy keeps raising costs and limiting choices. In this episode of This Week’s Economy , we discuss the latest jobs report, government spending, Washington’s growing role in private business, credit-card debt, and why antitrust policy should protect consumers in...

Everyone wants to know when the next recession is coming. Wall Street watches every data release. Politicians blame their opponents. The Federal Reserve tries to read the tea leaves. And too many commentators treat recessions as if they are an inevitable punishment after a long expansion. But what if much of that conventional wisdom is wrong? In this episode of the Let People Prosper Show, I’m joi...

Entrepreneurship is not just about starting businesses. It is about solving problems, creating value, building communities, and improving lives. In this episode of This Week’s Economy , I discuss how free-market capitalism rewards entrepreneurs, why profit and loss matter, and how strong institutions like property rights, contract enforcement, free trade, and sound policy help people create, inves...

Some conservatives are sounding more like the left on economics. Tariffs. Industrial policy. Government-directed investment. Picking winners and losers. These policies are increasingly being promoted as solutions to America's affordability challenges, but do they actually help families prosper? In Episode 201 of the Let People Prosper Show, I sit down with Marc Short, Chairman of Advancing Ame...

Affordability continues to dominate the concerns of American families, and for good reason. As prices remain elevated, energy costs are squeezing household budgets, housing has become increasingly out of reach, and the value of every dollar continues to erode. But these problems didn’t appear out of nowhere; much of today’s affordability crisis is the result of years of bad policy. In this episode...

Is Texas still living up to its reputation as a model for freedom and prosperity? In Episode 200 of the Let People Prosper Show, Vance Ginn talks with Jeramy Kitchen, president of Texas Policy Research, about the growing gap between Texas’s conservative branding and the reality of rising government spending, high property taxes, corporate welfare, and expanding bureaucracy. They discuss: transpare...

America spends more on healthcare than any country in the world, yet patients often feel powerless, overcharged, and disconnected from their care. In today's episode of This Week’s Economy, we discuss why the healthcare system is failing patients and how market-based reforms can improve affordability, transparency, and patient choice. Topics include healthcare costs, employer-sponsored insuran...

Why are prices still so high across the economy? In this episode of the Let People Prosper Show, Vance Ginn talks with Patrick McLaughlin of the Hoover Institution about the hidden economic costs of regulation. They discuss how freight rules, transportation bottlenecks, and regulatory accumulation quietly increase prices, slow growth, and reduce competition. The conversation also explores the East...

One of the biggest myths about capitalism is that it concentrates power among elites. In reality, free-market capitalism decentralizes power by allowing millions of individuals to make decisions through voluntary exchange, entrepreneurship, investment, and competition. In this episode of This Week’s Economy, we explore why strong institutions matter, how economic freedom disperses power, and why c...

Politicians often promise to tax “the rich” to fund bigger government. But what happens when high earners leave? In Episode 198 of the Let People Prosper Show, Jack Salmon of the Mercatus Center joins me to explain how taxes influence migration, investment, entrepreneurship, and state competitiveness. We discuss why high-income taxpayers are more mobile than politicians assume, why wealth taxes of...

The economy may be growing on paper—but millions of Americans still feel squeezed. In Episode 163 of This Week’s Economy , we break down the latest economic data and explain why inflation, debt, regulation, and bad incentives continue making life more expensive for families and businesses. We cover: • The rise of the “K-shaped economy” • Why gas prices keep climbing • How government overspending f...

Electricity bills are rising. Gas prices are volatile. And families across the country are feeling it. But here’s the uncomfortable truth policymakers don’t like to admit: High energy costs are not just the result of markets—they’re the result of policy choices. Too often, lawmakers pass rules that sound good politically but quietly drive up costs, reduce reliability, and limit economic opportunit...