From the Introduction: "Why is the human race so poor? Why do billions still lack enough even to eat? ..."Safety is certainly an important factor. No one will bring wealth out of hiding, much less invest it, if it is likely to be stolen. But honesty is equally important..."The most reliable barometer of economic honesty is to be found in prices. Honest prices, neither controlled nor manipulated, provide both investors and consumers with reliable economic signals. They are the foundation for a successful economy. "A corrupt economic system does not want honest prices, honest information, or honest results. The truth may be unprofitable for powerful government leaders or private interests allied with them, or economic "experts" whose careers have been devoted to price controls and manipulations. "Can it really be this simple, that job growth and economic prosperity depend on allowing economic prices to tell the truth, free from the self-dealing, manipulations, and self-interested theories of powerful special interests?" Yes. Hunter Lewis writes in a crystal clear style. He cuts through the confusion about our economy and why it is doing so poorly. He notes that the Soviet Union fell because it would not allow prices to tell the truth about the economy. Why are we repeating the same mistake? Why won't the US Federal Reserve allow truthful prices? Why do we tolerate manipulations of the price system? Lewis not only tells us what is wrong with our economy. He tells us what to do about it.