If the government can print money, why does it still need to borrow? That simple question recently exposed just how broken modern economic thinking has become, and why Americans urgently need biblical truth and common sense when it comes to money.

On this episode of Pirate Money Radio with Kevin Freeman, I’m joined by one of the clearest economic thinkers I know: former six-term Congressman Bob McEwen. Together, we unpack the difference between free markets and socialism, explain why inflation quietly steals from families, and show how Christian finances must be grounded in truth, standards, and personal responsibility.

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The Problem with Modern Monetary Thinking

One of the most revealing moments in recent economic history came when a top government economist openly admitted confusion about how money works. If money can simply be created, why does debt even matter?

That question exposes the fatal flaw of modern monetary theory: it removes standards.

Bob McEwen explains economics the way farmers, small business owners, and families instinctively understand it, you must produce before you consume. Wealth is not printed. It is created through voluntary exchange, hard work, and service to others.

When the government abandons that principle, confusion replaces clarity—and inflation replaces prosperity.

Free Markets vs. Socialism: Two Very Different Outcomes

Bob McEwen breaks economics down to its simplest truth:
There are only two ways to get money from someone else.

Free Enterprise

  • You offer something valuable
  • The exchange is voluntary
  • Both parties are better off
  • Wealth is created

Socialism

  • Money is taken through force or policy
  • No value is created
  • Incentives are destroyed
  • Poverty follows

Socialists know how to redistribute wealth, but they don’t know how to create it. History proves this every time. From Detroit to Venezuela, the pattern never changes: the bigger the government, the fewer the choices, and the poorer the people.

Freedom and prosperity always travel together.

Why Printing Money Is a Form of Theft

Inflation doesn’t announce itself with a gun, but the result is the same.When government prints money without restraint, every dollar you hold buys less. That’s not theory. That’s math.

Bob explains money as a representation of past work, a claim on value you’ve already created. When that measuring stick is manipulated, savings are destroyed, wages fall behind, and families lose purchasing power.

That’s why civilizations have always relied on standards, especially gold, as an honest measure of value. Gold doesn’t change. Politicians do.

Truth, Standards, and Biblical Foundations

One of the most powerful moments in this conversation is when Bob connects economics directly to faith. Truth requires a standard. Without it, everything becomes opinion—and opinions don’t protect liberty. America’s founders understood this. They grounded law, money, and markets in biblical principles: individual responsibility, private property, honest weights and measures, and equality before God.

That’s why this conversation isn’t just about economics—it’s about spiritual foundations. When truth is removed, error flourishes. When standards disappear, corruption fills the void.

First, Second, and Third-Party Payers: Why Government Always Wastes Money

Bob McEwen delivers what may be the clearest explanation ever given on why government programs always cost more and deliver less.

First-Party Payer

  • You pay
  • You consume
  • You care about price and quality

Second-Party Payer

  • You control only one variable
  • Inefficiency begins

Third-Party Payer

  • You don’t pay
  • You don’t consume
  • You don’t care about price or quality

Every government program operates as a third-party payer system. That’s why waste is inevitable, and why bigger government always leads to bigger problems. As Abraham Lincoln warned, government should do only what individuals cannot do better themselves.

Christian Finances Require Biblical Principles

Christian finances must be rooted in stewardship, honesty, and truth, not political promises. Scripture teaches that money reflects character. Faithfulness with “unrighteous mammon” matters. When believers understand economics biblically, they’re equipped to give generously, invest wisely, and resist systems that quietly steal from future generations.

Sound money supports strong families, thriving communities, and enduring liberty.

Final Thoughts: Why Pirate Money Radio Matters

This episode of Pirate Money Radio with Kevin Freeman isn’t about politics—it’s about reality.

Bob McEwen reminds us that economic laws work the same way moral laws do. You can ignore them for a while, but eventually, the consequences arrive.

America’s future depends on whether we return to truth, standards, and biblical wisdom. That starts with understanding money, not as something government creates, but as something people earn.

Stream Pirate Money Radio on the Real Life Network.