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, property, voluntary exchange, civil society, religious freedom, and the rule of law. Those principles gave free people room to work, build, trade, worship, raise families, and solve problems in ways no central planner could design.

That is why I enjoyed this conversation with Samuel Gregg, President of the American Institute for Economic Research. Sam is one of the leading voices connecting economics, history, political philosophy, and the moral foundations of free societies. He previously joined me on Episode 17 of the Let People Prosper Show to discuss free markets, culture, and the future of economic freedom.

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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 speech.

These principles are still being tested today through property taxes, rising costs, regulatory barriers, antitrust debates, AI policy, and threats to free expression.

The lesson is clear: America prospers when we trust free people more than centralized power.

Find more at https://vanceginn.com.

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 why I enjoyed this conversation with Dr. Corey DeAngelis, one of the nation’s leading voices for school choice and parental rights. Corey is the author of The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools and has been one of the most effective advocates for letting education dollars follow students, not systems.

He previously joined me on the Let People Prosper Show to discuss the parent revolution and school choice. This follow-up matters because the school choice movement has not slowed down. It is accelerating.

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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 workforce, barriers to work can limit opportunity and economic mobility.

In today’s episode of This Week’s Economy, we’ll explore how policy shapes labor markets, why the nature of work is changing, and what policymakers can do to remove barriers so more Americans can work, earn, and prosper.

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

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. Lura studies people, politics, and persuasion. She brings a rare mix of policy experience, consumer psychology, communications strategy, and practical wisdom about why voters think the way they do. And her message is timely: if we want better politics, we need to understand people better.

In this episode of the Let People Prosper Show, we talk about independent voters, polarization, persuasion, trust, and why America needs more human connection and less political rage.

Get show notes at vanceginn.substack.com and find out more about my work at Ginn Economic Consulting at vanceginn.com. Please subscribe and share!

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 instead of becoming a political weapon.

The bottom line: affordability improves when competition, entrepreneurship, innovation, and sound policy are allowed to work.

Find show notes and more at https://vanceginn.com.

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 joined by Dr. Tyler Goodspeed, Chief Economist at ExxonMobil and an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, to discuss his new book, Recession: The Real Reasons Economies Shrink and What to Do about It.

Tyler brings a rare combination of economic history, macroeconomic expertise, and real-world policymaking experience. He served as Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers during the first Trump administration and previously served as Vice Chairman and Chief Economist for Macroeconomic Policy. We overlapped during my time at the White House Office of Management and Budget, where these debates were not academic. They shaped real decisions affecting millions of Americans.

With dual PhDs in economics and history, Tyler has the long-run perspective needed to challenge the easy stories politicians tell about downturns. The goal should not be for the government to micromanage the economy. The goal should be to understand what actually causes downturns, avoid making them worse, and build the conditions for stronger long-run growth.

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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, invest, and build.

I also cover how tariffs, excessive licensing, high taxes, local restrictions, and rising property taxes can make it harder for entrepreneurs to thrive.

Free people, not central planners, drive prosperity.

For more insights, visit https://vanceginn.com and subscribe at https://vanceginn.substack.com.