Wealth & Poverty Review | Page 5

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saving energy and money concept. idea for save or investment. businessman holding lightbulb beside piggy bank and coins stacking on desk with note book.
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The Virtues of the “Knowledge Theory of Value”

Kevin Hoover suggests that William Nordhaus relied on the labor theory of value in his paper on light (Letters, April 24). Yet Nordhaus actually used knowledge, not labor. He offered a method to measure innovation: the discovery and sharing of valuable new knowledge. Nordhaus measured the amount of knowledge per unit of time and observed that knowledge about light was growing exponentially, surpassing traditional measures of economic development. It is the time price over time that truly deserves our attention. Read More ›
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President Donald J. Trump signs an Executive Order on on the Administration’s tariff plans at a “Make America Healthy Again” event, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in the White House Rose Gardent. (Official White House Photo by Abe McNatt)
Image from the White House at Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_White_House_-_54426179977.jpg

Tariffs Done Wrong

Economic Nationalism, done right, could work very well for the United States in coming decades. The most glorious period for US business, before 1913, was a time of high tariffs and controlled immigration. But, it was also a time when there was no Income Tax; and, in this pre-Federal Reserve era, the money was fixed to gold. The result was very good. The United States, at first a promising “emerging market,” ended up a global superpower. Read More ›
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Mosaic ceiling of the Florence Baptistery, Italy
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How Easter Transformed the World Like Nothing Else Ever Could

Across cultures throughout human history, people have sought to flee oppression and escape persecution. A recurring theme in Western literature and in modern classics such as Superman and Disney originals, which revolve around the struggle between good and evil, is the need and critical role for a rescuer or savior. Read More ›
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Alarm clock and dollars, close up. Time is money. Gray alarm clock on money banknotes Dollars, concept of business planning and finance. Finance concept with alarm clock and money in jar
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We Should Measure Prices in Time

How can the laws of enterprise and business consulting diverge so significantly from the accepted wisdom of economic analysis and political rhetoric? More baffling, how is it that products are becoming simultaneously more expensive and more affordable? This paradox is possible because while we buy things with money, we actually pay for them with our time—not in dollars and cents but in hours and minutes of work. Read More ›
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young farmer on farmland
Image Credit: Dusan Kostic - Adobe Stock

AH (Artificial Horses) Made Farmers 62.5 Times More Productive

In 1800, the U.S. Census Bureau recorded a population of 5.3 million. Roughly half — about 2.65 million — were farmers. Today, the U.S. population is nearing 340 million, yet the number of farmers has risen only slightly to 2.72 million. Back then, one farmer fed just two people. Today, each farmer feeds 125. Read More ›
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growing money tree growing from coins
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Can the Left Do “Abundance”?

In 1981 George Gilder wrote about supply-side economics in his book "Wealth and Poverty." Ronald Reagan read it and embraced its message, enabling decades of technology-led growth. Also, Mr. Gilder was one of the first to talk about abundance. His most important economic axiom, for me anyway, is "waste what's abundant to make up for what's scarce." Silicon Valley lives by this. Read More ›
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Public domain image of the Barry Faulkner mural "The Constitution," at Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faulkner_-_%22Constitution%22_mural_(corrected).jpg

Returning to Our Founding Will Make America Great Again

To make America great again, every American citizen should know what was the main driver of America's success in becoming the world's superpower economically and militarily by the early 20th century. America's greatness then was primarily attributable to its spiritually-grounded culture and its form of government—a unique constitutional republic that empowered the people and the states more than elites and the federal government. Read More ›
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gold bullion bars on usd money bills. Success concept
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Another Round of Inflation on Deck

When we wrote this in 2022, it took about $1800 to buy an ounce of gold. Today, it is more like $2900. That implies an $1800/$2900=0.621 or a 38% decline in dollar value over that period. Prices will eventually adjust, over a period of years, to the new, lower value of the currency, with some prices moving faster and some moving slower. “All things being equal” (they never are but it is a good principle), we should expect a $2900/$1800 or 61% rise in prices of goods and services going forward, compared even to the inflation-boosted prices that we have had to get used to in 2022-2024. Read More ›
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Account photo of a luxury cruise ship sailing in the open sea at sunset
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Cruise Ship Billionaires

Adjusted for inflation, the Icon of the Seas cost 55 times more to build than the Mardi Gras but passengers pay 23 percent less to enjoy. How is this possible? Two words: people and knowledge. More people create larger markets. With a larger market, projects that require a high development or fixed cost become feasible because you can now spread these costs over lots more customers. Read More ›
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President Donald Trump holds a cabinet meeting, Wednesday, February 26, 2025, in the Cabinet Room. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
Public domain image from the White House: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Donald_Trump_holds_a_cabinet_meeting_(54352152567).jpg

Can DOGE Audits Save U.S. From Debt Market Collapse?

In air combat over enemy territory, when the fighter plane encounters flak, the pilot knows he is over the target. The American people can be sure that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that was reactivated by Trump is over the target. Read More ›