Ep. 254 | Debt, Tariffs, and the Truth About Today’s Global Economy
What happens when a grown-up economist says the quiet part out loud: the U.S. is acting like it can break the rules forever?
Andrés Velasco joins Matt and Luigi for a sharp, no-spin talk on debt, tariffs, copper, central banks, globalization, and why countries that treat boom times like a Vegas weekend usually end up crying in the shower. From Chile’s “save it, don’t blow it” playbook to America’s very expensive habit of pretending deficits don’t matter, this episode puts real-world economics back in plain English.
🍸 Episode Highlights:
Latin America is doing better than the doom crowd admits.
Democracy in the region held up better than many expected.
Inflation used to be the norm. Now it is mostly under control.
Tariffs on Canada and Mexico get called what they are: nonsense.
Chile’s copper money worked because they saved when everyone wanted to spend.
Commodity booms usually end badly when governments get cocky.
AI, electrification, and climate policy are making copper even hotter.
Massive public debt stops being funny when rates are no longer near zero.
Central banks still have power, but only if politicians keep their hands off.
Bitcoin gets no love.
Watch this one, then send it to the person who still thinks tariffs are a magic trick and deficits are fake.
💡 Notable Takeaway:
“There’s no example in human history where a country got rich without a dynamic private sector.”
👤 About our Guest:
Andrés Velasco is the Dean of the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics and former Finance Minister of Chile. He is widely known for steering Chile through a global crisis by saving during the copper boom instead of spending like a maniac.
🔗 Links + Stuff
Download “The London Consensus” for FREE: https://press.lse.ac.uk/books/e/10.31389/lsepress.tlc
London School of Economics Profile: https://www.lse.ac.uk/school-of-public-policy/people/Andr%C3%A9s-Velasco
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📲 Connect with the hosts
Follow along for behind-the-scenes clips, commentary, and things that don’t make it into the episode.
• Matt Meehan:https://www.instagram.com/matthew.r.meehan
• Luigi Rosabianca:https://www.instagram.com/luigi_rosabianca
• The Liquid Lunch Project:https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/
💬 One last thing
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