The Hidden Economic Force No Politician Wants to Talk About

Let’s cut through the noise. The pundits on the cable news scream until they’re red in the face. One side chants, “It’s the economy, stupid!” The other side retorts, “No, it’s about values!” They frame it as a binary choice, a zero-sum game where we must choose between putting food on the table and having a moral compass. We’re told that “kitchen-table issues” are the real ones, and that discussions about ethics, virtue, and character are a distracting smokescreen for the elite.

In this essay from Chuck Colson, he dismantles this notion with the precision of a lawyer and the conviction of a believer. Values aren’t peripheral to the economy; they are its very foundation. The economy isn’t some abstract machine that runs on tax rates and interest rates alone. It runs on trust. It runs on integrity. It runs on self-discipline. These are not economic terms; they are moral ones.

In my commentary, I explain in how reducing a complex system to its human components. A thriving economy requires people who honor contracts (honesty), invest for the future (delayed gratification), and cooperate with colleagues (respect). It requires lawmakers to act with integrity and citizens to exercise self-control. When these virtues erode, the economic costs are staggering and tangible. In the 90s, we point to the S&L crisis of that day—a direct result of unchecked greed and a lack of fiduciary integrity. Today, we could point to the 2008 financial crisis, fueled by predatory lending and the repackaging of toxic debt—a catastrophic failure of honesty on a massive scale.

From the Health Secretary Louis Sullivan’s estimate that 70% of healthcare costs stem from preventable, behavior-driven issues. That figure may have shifted, but the principle hasn’t: the epidemics of obesity, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases represent a massive drain on our national productivity and public coffers. These are, at their core, crises of self-worth and self-control. The collapse of the family unit, another moral failing, is one of the single greatest drivers of childhood poverty and its associated economic burdens.

So if this premise is true—that morality and economics are inextricably linked—what do we do? How do we apply this wisdom to the current American economy, characterized by soaring national debt, high living costs, and a deep-seated anxiety about the future? The solutions aren’t found in another multi-trillion-dollar stimulus package alone. They are found in rebuilding our moral capital. Here are four practical ways to start:

1. Champion Vocational and Character Education: Our education system is overwhelmingly geared toward preparing students for four-year college degrees, often at the expense of the skilled trades and, more importantly, character formation. College is necessary for some fields( medical, law, and engineering) but we need a renewed emphasis on vocational training that pairs technical skills with apprenticeships in integrity, punctuality, and craftsmanship. A welder, an electrician, or a coder who is reliable, honest, and takes pride in their work is infinitely more valuable to the economy than a college graduate who lacks these core virtues. Funding for schools and programs that explicitly teach ethics, financial literacy, and personal responsibility is not a frivolous expense; it’s a critical investment in our economic infrastructure.

2. Promote Corporate Cultures of Integrity (and Punish the Opposite): The law should incentivize long-term value creation over short-term stock manipulation. This means reforming corporate governance to hold executives personally, and financially, accountable for malfeasance. It means rewarding companies that invest in their employees, their communities, and sustainable practices. Consumers and investors have immense power here. We must actively support businesses known for their ethical standards and withdraw support from those that cut corners, exploit workers, or engage in deceptive practices. The market should be a moral auditor.

3. Strengthen Families and Civil Society: The government cannot legislate virtue, but it can stop punishing its formation. Tax and welfare policies should be reformed to encourage and support marriage and two-parent households, which remain the most stable economic units for raising children. Furthermore, we must remove barriers to the work of churches, synagogues, and community non-profits. These institutions are the primary incubators of social trust, compassion, and personal responsibility—the very “disposition” that historian Gertrude Himmelfarb identified as crucial. They provide a safety net that is more effective and far less expensive than the government’s.

4. Demand Moral Leadership from the Top Down: Corruption, hypocrisy, and a blatant disregard for truth from our political, cultural, and business leaders have a trickle-down corrosive effect. It normalizes dishonesty and tells the citizenry that ethics are for suckers. We must demand leaders who model personal integrity, public virtue, and fiscal responsibility. This starts at the local level—on school boards, in city councils, and in state legislatures. Electing leaders who not only talk about values but live them is essential for restoring the trust that lubricates every economic transaction.

Our question, echoing Ben Wattenburg, remains the ultimate test: Would you rather give your child $100,000 or the virtues of discipline and hard work? The answer is obvious. The child with character will create wealth. The child without discipline will squander it. Our national economic policy must understand that we are that child. The path to prosperity isn’t found in a printing press for money, but in a renewal of the American character. It’s the hardest work there is, but it’s the only stimulus package that truly lasts.