Let People Prosper

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Who Will Shape the AI Economy? | This Week's Economy Ep. 151 Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept or a Silicon Valley experiment—it’s already shaping how we learn, work, and deliver care. From classrooms and hospitals to small businesses and local governments, AI is quietly changing how much we can do with the time and resources we have. While this progress has sparked excitement, it has also triggered a familiar political response: fear. Warnings about job loss, concentration, and runaway technology now dominate the conversation. But that misses the lessons history and basic economics can teach us.In this episode of This Week’s Economy, we examine AI through a clear policy and economic lens. We’ll talk about creative destruction, labor markets, and the enormous potential AI holds to expand opportunity and raise living standards, and we'll discuss the threats posed by poor regulatory policies. The question isn’t whether AI will transform our economy. It’s whether we’ll let markets, competition, and human ingenuity guide that transformation—or regulate it away.Tune in to the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify, and visit my website vanceginn.com for more information about Ginn Economic Consulting and me.

Fiscal Responsibility Isn’t Optional with Dr. Veronique DeRugy | Let People Prosper Ep. 185 Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

Washington never runs out of ideas for spending money it doesn’t have.

This episode of the Let People Prosper Show takes on one of the latest examples: so-called “Trump Accounts.” Marketed as a pro-family, pro-capitalism idea, they’re actually another case of federal social engineering through the tax code—layered on top of an already broken fiscal foundation.

To unpack it all, I sat down with Veronique de Rugy, one of the sharpest and most honest fiscal minds in America. She’s the George Gibbs Chair in Political Economy at the Mercatus Center and a nationally syndicated columnist who has spent her career calling out budget gimmicks, cronyism, and policies that trade long-term prosperity for short-term politics.

She was last on the show in Episode 102, discussing immigration and American values. This time, we dive into deficits, tariffs, inflation, entitlement pressure, and why Washington’s obsession with using the tax code to “fix” social problems often makes things worse.

🎧 Watch or listen to the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify, and visit my website for more information about my work at Ginn Economic Consulting.

We Can’t Pretend Bad Economic Policy Doesn’t Hurt Us | This Week's Economy Ep. 150 Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

Economic policy affects more than just spreadsheets. When leaders fail to control spending, undermine markets, or delay hard decisions, families feel it through higher prices, fewer opportunities, and slower growth.

With rising concerns about affordability, the consequences of poor economic policy aren’t abstract — they shape how people live, work, and plan for the future. Price controls, restrictive immigration policies, and higher taxes don’t solve these problems. They make them worse.

In the episode of This Week’s Economy, we examine what happens when policymakers ignore first principles. I break down why recurring shutdowns expose deeper budgeting failures, how states are approaching tax relief and economic freedom, what a new pick for Fed chair could mean for inflation and stability, and why labor shortages and immigration policy matter for long-term growth. Across each issue, the lesson is the same: prosperity follows discipline, sound incentives, and trust in markets — not political shortcuts.

Catch the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify, and visit my website at vanceginn.com for show notes and more information about my work at Ginn Economic Consulting.

Empowering Workers in a Changing Economy with Vinnie Vernuccio | Let People Prosper Ep. 184 Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

If you listen closely to today’s labor debates, you’ll hear a familiar refrain: workers need more protection from Washington. But scratch the surface, and what many politicians really mean is more power for unions, more mandates for employers, and fewer choices for workers themselves.

That’s backward.

In this episode of the Let People Prosper Show, I talk with Vinnie Vernuccio, one of the sharpest labor-policy minds in the country and a longtime advocate for actual worker freedom. We talk about what it really means to be pro-worker in a 21st-century economy—one defined by flexibility, technology, and individual choice, not 1930s labor law.

This is a timely conversation. Between renewed pushes for the PRO Act, rising use of AI in the workplace, and growing attacks on independent contracting and right-to-work laws, the future of work is being shaped right now. And too often, workers are treated as political props rather than individuals with agency.

This episode pushes back—hard.

🎧 Watch or listen to the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify, and visit my website for more information about my work at Ginn Economic Consulting.

Why Free Markets Help Families Flourish | This Week's Economy Ep. 149 Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

Affordability is not an abstract debate for American families—it’s the defining issue of daily life. Grocery bills, housing costs, energy prices, healthcare, and childcare all shape whether families feel secure or stretched.

Families don’t become pessimistic out of nowhere. Confidence erodes when planning for the future feels harder, margins feel thinner, and basic economics no longer seem to work in their favor.

Meanwhile, leaders on both sides of the aisle are increasingly pointing the finger at free-market capitalism for nearly everything—high prices, inequality, corporate power, even government debt. But what’s often labeled “capitalism” today is really a mix of subsidies, bailouts, protectionism, regulatory micromanagement, and monetary manipulation—policies that distort markets rather than allow them to function.

True free markets are not chaos or greed. They are a rules-based system built on voluntary exchange, price signals, competition, and accountability. When people are free to trade, build, innovate, and respond to real prices, costs fall and opportunity expands—giving families the freedom to flourish.

In today’s episode of This Week’s Economy, we explore how free-market capitalism supports families, restores dignity through work, and lowers prices to make life more affordable. We’ll also examine how these principles apply at the federal, state, and local levels. Tune in to the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify, and visit my website vanceginn.com for the show notes in my newsletter and more information.

Does Economic Freedom Support Social Mobility? with Dr. Justin Callais | Let People Prosper Ep. 183 Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

We talk a lot about opportunity in America—but far less about where opportunity actually exists and why.

Why do some states consistently help people climb the economic ladder while others trap families in place for generations? Why do well-intended policies often backfire? And why is “doing more” by the government so often the wrong answer when it comes to social mobility?

That’s exactly what we unpack in Episode 186 of the Let People Prosper Show with Dr. Justin Callais, Chief Economist at the Archbridge Institute and lead author of the new Social Mobility in the 50 States (2025) report.

Justin brings data, clarity, and—refreshingly—humility to one of the most politicized topics in economics. The findings challenge both the left’s obsession with redistribution and the right’s tendency to overlook the very real policy barriers that states create.

Watch the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify, Substack for show notes at vanceginn.substack.com, and visit my website at vanceginn.com for more information about my work at Ginn Economic Consulting.

Do You Own Your Home If You Pay Property Taxes? | This Week's Economy Ep. 148 Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

How property taxes undermine homeownership—and what states and localities can do to fix it.

Affordability is a major issue for voters. Families are feeling squeezed by higher housing costs, rising insurance premiums, and everyday expenses that often outpace income. For many Americans, the question is no longer just whether they can buy a home, but whether they can afford to keep the one they are in.

Across the country, states are beginning to confront one overlooked driver of the housing affordability crisis: property taxes.

From proposals to cap assessments to more ambitious efforts to reduce or even eliminate property taxes, lawmakers are reexamining a tax that quietly raises housing costs annually.

In This Week’s Economy, we’ll look at how property taxes undermine true homeownership, why they fall hardest on those least able to pay, and what meaningful reform would require if states and localities want to restore affordability and let people prosper.

Check out the show notes at vanceginn.substack.com and more information on my work at Ginn Economic Consulting at vanceginn.com. Thank you for watching. Please subscribe and share now!

The 1619 Project Myth with Dr. Phil Magness | Let People Prosper Ep. 182 Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

Few projects in recent memory have done more to distort America’s past—and poison our present debates—than the 1619 Project. What was marketed as a serious historical reckoning quickly hardened into political dogma, shutting down debate, smearing critics, and rewriting the story of capitalism, freedom, and the American founding.

That’s why this conversation matters.

In Episode 182 of the Let People Prosper Show, I’m joined by Dr. Phillip W. Magness, Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and one of the earliest and most rigorous critics of the 1619 Project. Phil didn’t approach this debate with slogans or counter-myths. He approached it the only way serious scholarship should: with evidence, primary sources, and a willingness to follow the facts—even when they cut against the narrative.

What follows is a conversation about history, yes—but also about capitalism, academic integrity, and why truth still matters in a politicized age. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and Substack newsletter with show notes at vanceginn.substack.com, and for more information, visit my website at vanceginn.com.

Affordability Is Still the Economic Story of 2026 | This Week's Economy Ep. 147 Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

Today’s episode is our first of 2026 focused squarely on the latest economic headlines—and what they mean for your wallet, your work, and the direction of the country.

Washington has been busy. From another federal budget fight and renewed debates over health care subsidies, to fresh inflation data and major corporate developments, policymakers are already setting the tone for the year ahead. The choices being made now will shape whether families see real relief—or continued pressure—from higher costs and slower growth.

In this episode, we’ll look beyond the headlines to examine what’s really driving these developments, where policy is helping—or hurting—affordability, and what leaders should prioritize if they’re serious about restoring growth and prosperity in 2026. Tune in to the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify, and visit my website for more information.

Empowering Workers with a Prosperous Future with Austen Bannan | Let People Prosper Ep. 181 Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

If you’ve ever wondered why it’s easier to order groceries on your phone than to legally cut hair, start a home business, or switch careers, this episode explains exactly what’s gone wrong.

America’s labor policies are stuck in the past—designed for a 1930s economy that no longer exists. Meanwhile, workers have moved on. They want flexibility. They want choice. They want opportunity. And increasingly, government is standing in the way.

My guest is Austen Bannan, Workforce Policy Fellow at Americans for Prosperity and one of the sharpest voices making the case for worker freedom over bureaucratic control. Austen works at the intersection of labor policy, occupational licensing, and education reform—where outdated rules quietly crush opportunity for millions of Americans.

This is a conversation about why empowering workers—not protecting systems—is essential if we actually want people to prosper.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of the Let People Prosper Show, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. You can also find more of my work at vanceginn.com and vanceginn.substack.com.

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