Center on Wealth & Poverty

The Mission of Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth & Poverty is to apply the perennial truths of economics and ethics to the urgent challenges of today. We are building a sustained argument against the progressive ideological regime that increasingly dominates America’s institutions and rebuilding the foundation of the nation’s first principles: freedom, equality, charity, and the pursuit of happiness for all. Read more.

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Ice vs. Electricity

_{Gale Pooley
January 7, 2026
3
Abundance}

In 1925, households kept food cool with iceboxes—wooden insulated cabinets chilled by a block of ice. Depending on size and quality, they typically cost between $15 and $50. With entry-level workers earning about 25 cents an hour, a $35 icebox carried a time price of 140 hours.

Why Christmas is the Greatest Story of All Time: Scott S. Powell; December 30, 2025; 8; Uncategorized

The BRICS’ New Unit Currency is a Good Step Forward: Nathan Lewis; December 13, 2025; 4; Currency

It’s Time to Say Goodbye to the Obamacare Failure: Walter Myers III; December 3, 2025; 5; Free Enterprise

Housing Amenity Abundance: Gale Pooley; November 26, 2025; 2; Abundance

Thanksgiving: Why It Is America’s Foundational Holiday: Scott S. Powell; November 26, 2025; 7; Principles

Video

Why Utilities Cost More: Oregon’s Net Zero

San Francisco’s Harm Reduction Problems: Editor; November 24, 2025; Homelessness

Little Saigon Left Behind: Crime, Chaos, and Political Silence: Jonathan Choe; September 10, 2025; Homelessness

Michele Steeb Tells NTD News Trump Is Not Criminalizing the Homeless: Center on Wealth & Poverty; August 12, 2025; Homelessness

Robert Marbut Defends Trump’s Homeless Executive Order on Chris Cuomo’s Show: Center on Wealth & Poverty; July 28, 2025; Homelessness

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