About this episode
Lance Roberts interviews John Tamny, author, economist, and editor of RealClearMarkets. Tamny's provocative new book, Deficit Delusion, reframes how we think about debt and growth. He makes a bold case: Trump-style protectionism and fear-driven immigration policies are economically self-defeating—even for conservatives. Trade is the greatest foreign policy mankind has ever devised, plus it's great for workers as is any scenario that expands the division of labor. $36.1 trillion Government Debt is not a crisis—it's a sign of U.S. strength & investor confidence about the U.S.'s future, it's not weakness. 1:55 - Will the Debt Spiral spark a financial crisis? 4:03 - What is the debt relative to economic growth? 5:18 - The Uber Analogy & Expectations of Debt 8:40 - What are we NOT doing because of Excessive Government Debt? 12:30 - The Premise of Productive Debt & Economic Growth 16:33 - The Danger of Government Spending Cuts 18:40 - The Dark Side of the Flat Tax 22:25 - GDP: The Most Fraudulent Number in Economics 25:58 - What is the "right" tax rate? 28:46 - We Need to Fund the 'nut jobs' 31:09 - Why taxes should be cut for everyone 33:33 - How long before the first, one-man "unicorn" $1B company? 37:13 - The Debt Crisis Isn't the Thing to Worry About Hosted by RIA Advisors Chief Investment Strategist, Lance Roberts, CIO, w John Tamny, Editor/Real Clear Markets Produced by Brent Clanton, Executive Producer ------- Watch today's video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Hm6yNkNtC0Q -------- Articles mentioned in this report: "Greg Mankiw's Solutions Would Expand Federal Debt" https://www.realclearmarkets.com/2025/08/12/greg_mankiws_solutions_would_expand_federal_debt_1128148.html ------- Register for our next Candid Coffee, "Savvy Social Security Planning," August 23, 2025: https://streamyard.com/watch/pbx9RwqV8cjF ------- Get more info & commentary: https://realinvestmentadvice.com/newsletter/ -------- SUBSCRIBE to The Real Investment Show here: http://www.youtube.com/c/TheRealInvestmentShow -------- Visit our Site: https://www.realinvestmentadvice.com Contact Us: 1-855-RIA-PLAN -------- Subscribe to SimpleVisor: https://www.simplevisor.com/register-new -------- Connect with us on social: https://twitter.com/RealInvAdvice https://twitter.com/LanceRoberts https://www.facebook.com/RealInvestmentAdvice/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/realinvestmentadvice/ #JohnTamny #GovernmentDebt #DeficitDelusion #Budget #InvestingAdvice #Money #Investing