Popular Economics: What the Rolling Stones, Downton Abbey, and LeBron James Can Teach You about Economics - Hardcover

"Want to understand the vital purpose of stable money in a free-market economy? Read John Tamny's chapters on the importance of reliable standards--whether you are measuring ingredients for a chicken wings recipe, constructing a house, or timing athletes running the forty-yard dash--and you will fully comprehend that money is meant to provide a dependable measure of value. Tamny's writing throughout this brilliant book rings with clarity and consistency; you will be left wondering why these same qualities don't apply to our money." --Judy Shelton, author of Money Meltdown. "Popular Economics is an essential 21st century complement to Henry Hazlitt's Economics In One Lesson. In a book that is happily free of charts and incomprehensible equations, John Tamny uses exciting stories from the world around us to show the reader that nothing is easier than economic growth. Popular Economics is the answer for those confused by the 'dismal science.'" --Arthur Laffer, economist, creator of the "Laffer Curve" "John's book is many things. It's a great way to learn economics, it's a very strong case for economic liberty, and it is an epic myth-buster. I will be giving it out to friends, of all viewpoints, for a long long time." --Cliff Asness, Managing Principal, AQR Capital "Ignore John Tamny's easy to read, Popular Economics, at your own moral peril. It's as close to spiritual as you get in this realm--a better tutorial than any econ text. I'd make it mandatory for the 95% of econ majors--right up through PhDs--who never really got the basics. While making you edgy toward the endless societal consensus nonsense it cuts through like a guillotine--it also frees you to see the true creative beauty of reality all around us." --Ken Fisher, Founder & CEO, Fisher Investments "In a revelatory analysis of the so-called 'financial crisis,' John Tamny makes the unexpected case that the actual crisis was the huge banking blunder of betting the investment capital of the U.S. economy on housing, a retrospective consumption good already grossly in over supply. Confirming the blunder, government under both Bush and Obama bailed out the banks and debauched the dollar, devaluing the entire entrepreneurial economy of the future. Rare is a book so contrary, so pithy, and so true." --George Gilder, author of Knowledge & Power "John Tamny offers a wide ranging analysis of some of the most pressing issues facing the American economy today, from income inequality and job creation to budget deficits and tax reform. Through engaging examples and stories, he provides a thought-provoking argument in favor of a free market approach to economic growth. Whether you agree with him or not, there is no question that his perspective needs to be part of the discussion on American economy policy in the new millennium." --Enrico Moretti, Professor of Economics, Cal-Berkeley, author of The New Geography of Jobs

"John Tamny is a one-man antidote to economic obfuscation and mystification." -George Will, Nationally Syndicated Columnist "In spirit, Tamny does for economics what the Gutenberg printing press did for the Bible, making a previously inaccessible subject open to all. Equally important, he does to economists what Toto did to the Wizard of Oz: pulling aside the curtain to expose the fraud that has become modern economics." -Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Forbes Media "Ignore John Tamny's easy to read Popular Economics at your own moral peril. It's as close to spiritual as you get in this realm-a better tutorial than any econ text." - Ken Fisher, Founder & CEO, Fisher Investments "John's book is many things. It's a great way to learn economics, it's a very strong case for economic liberty, and it is an epic myth-buster. I will be giving it out to friends, of all viewpoints, for a long, long time." - Cliff Asness, Managing Principal, AQR Capital ECONOMICS 101 In Popular Economics: What the Rolling Stones, Downton Abbey, and LeBron James Can Teach You About Economics (Regnery Publishing; April 13, 2015; $27.99) Tamny translates the so-called difficult and intimidating subject of economics into plain language, revealing that there is nothing mysterious about finance, commerce, and budgets. In fact, we are all microeconomists in our daily lives. "Economics is easy, and its lessons are all around us," says Tamny. "But Americans have allowed the so-called `experts' to convince them they can't understand, much less grow the economy. Happily, economic growth is simple, too. If you can understand the four basic elements of economic growth-taxes, regulation, trade, and money- prosperity will explode." Much like Freakonomics, Tamny uses pop culture and engaging stories to illustrate how understanding our economy is common sense-just look no further than the movies we enjoy, the sports we watch, and what we do every day. In Popular Economics, you'll discover: How Paris Hilton and the Dallas Cowboys help illustrate good and bad tax policy How Facebook and Monday Night Football demonstrate the debilitating effect of antitrust regulation How the simple act of cooking chicken wings reveals why the "floating dollar" is a recipe for disaster Why Downton Abbey and ESPN are evidence that the U.S. should bulldoze its tax code