Crony Capitalism And The Cost To Consumers

When the rules change on a whim, your budget becomes collateral damage. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel sits down with University of Michigan economics professor Dr. Justin Wolfers to unpack why the affordability crisis is also a governance crisis: unpredictability, interventionist decision-making, and pay-to-play incentives that can quietly raise prices while weakening competition.We dig into concrete Michigan flashpoints that make the stakes real, including the Gordie Howe International Bridge and what it means when major infrastructure and cross-border trade can be threatened for political leverage. We also talk energy policy and the cost of forcing uneconomic choices, plus the strange contradictions of blocking renewable energy like wind while global conflict pushes oil prices higher. Along the way, we connect these choices to business confidence, market stability, and the long-run foundations of growth.Tariffs and manufacturing are a core thread, especially for automakers and suppliers that live and die by predictable supply chains. We also confront a harder question: what happens to democracy when major corporations feel too intimidated to speak publicly, even when policies hurt their bottom line? Finally, we zoom out to America’s innovation edge, the risk of scientific brain drain, and why welcoming global talent matters for pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, AI, and the next generation of high-quality jobs.Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s feeling the squeeze, and leave a review if you want more conversations like this. What’s the clearest sign you’ve seen that policy chaos is showing up in your everyday costs?