Experts studying specific historical topics often reach conclusions OPPOSITE to public belief. Today's economy follows this pattern—"great on paper" while visibly failing outside your window. Despite glowing official numbers, real-world indicators tell a different story: household finances, quality of life measures, and cost of living reveal a crumbling reality. This episode exposes how elites manipulate statistics to maintain the façade while everyday Americans struggle beneath mounting evidence that something is fundamentally broken.

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SPONSORS:

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LINKS:

Link to my second podcast on world history and interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj

Link to my cancellation insurance: https://becomepluribus.com/creators/20

Link to my Twitter- https://x.com/whatifalthist

Link to my Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/rudyardwlynch/?hl=en

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RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast

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Bibliography:

The Economics of Discontent by Jean Michel Paul

Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell

The Great Wave by David Hackett Fischer

Secular Cycles by Peter Turchin

Ages of Discord by Peter Turchin

Capital by Thomas Picketty

Why Nations Fail by Robinson and Acemoglu

False Economy by Alan Beattie

Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber

Crashed by Adam Tooze

The Road to Serfdom by Hayek

The Rise and Fall of Nations by Ruchir Sharma

The Growth Delusion by David Pilling

The Great Leveler by Walter Scheidel

End Times by Peter Turchin

The Leviathan and Its Enemies by Sam Francis 

The Origins of Woke by Richard Hanania 

The Absent Superpower by Peter Zeihan

Political Order and Political Decay by Francis Fukuyama

The Storm before the Calm by George Friedman

The Soul of France pt 1 by Fernand Braudel

Lost Connections by Johann Hari

The Master and His Emissary by Ian McGhilchrist