Let People Prosper

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How Candidates Should Address America’s Affordability Crisis | This Week's Economy Ep. 186 Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

A real affordability agenda starts by addressing why things cost so much.

Families are trying to afford a home, pay medical bills, and keep the lights on. They deserve more than another campaign promise that the government will pick up part of the tab.

In episode 186 of This Week’s Economy, I explain how policymakers can address the underlying costs of housing, health care, and energy—and why subsidies, tariffs, and production restrictions can work against the relief candidates promise.

The test is simple: Does a proposal make it easier to produce and compete, or does it shift costs while leaving the underlying problem in place?

Listen for practical reforms that expand supply, empower patients, encourage energy investment, and give people more freedom to prosper.

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Why Is Socialism Winning Young Americans? with John Tillman| LPP 220 Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

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.

What Happens When Government Takes the Wheel? | TWE 185 Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

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.

Affording the American Dream with Akash Chougule| LPP 219 Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

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.

Government Controls or Market Solutions? | TWE 184 Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

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.

When Local Government Does Too Much with Mark Moses | LPP 218 Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

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.

Medicaid Fraud: Following the Money | TWE 183 Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

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 America? with Michael Munger | LPP Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

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.

Can Government Promises Fix High Prices? | TWE 182 Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

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.

Agency Power, Antitrust, and the Supreme Court with Ashley Baker | LPP 216 Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

How much power should federal agencies have, and who should be accountable when they exercise it?

Ashley Baker, Executive Director of the Committee for Justice, joins me to discuss agency power, antitrust, the Supreme Court, regulatory compliance costs, and the constitutional limits on the administrative state.

We dig into Trump v. Slaughter, FTC authority, merger enforcement, regulatory barriers to competition, and why constitutional restraints matter for both liberty and prosperity.

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Find more of my work at VanceGinn.com and subscribe at VanceGinn.Substack.com.

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