---
title: "Fascinating interview by Russ Roberts of Bruce Bueno de Mesquita on…"
date: 2021-07-08
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships shared a link.
---

# Fascinating interview by Russ Roberts of Bruce Bueno de Mesquita on…

*July 8, 2021 · Facebook*

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[https://www.econlib.org/archives/2016/12/bruce_bueno_de.html](https://www.econlib.org/archives/2016/12/bruce_bueno_de.html){target="_blank"}
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Fascinating interview by Russ Roberts of Bruce Bueno de Mesquita on the Spoils of War. Lots of information I hadn\'t heard before, such as the positive correlation between the number of men killed under a President\'s regime, and the \"greatness\" ranking they receive from historians.\
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\"His last position, just before becoming President, was President of the Patowmack Canal Company--the Potomac Canal, as we know it, from the Potomac River. What that canal did was bring, make it possible to bring produce from the Shenandoah Valley--which George owned--up to the port in Alexandria, which had been built by Lawrence, by the Ohio Valley Company, in which George had a direct interest, and shipped goods out. So it was a very profitable undertaking--or so he thought it would be, in the long run, for him. And that's what motivated him. Most people think of Washington as--besides a great hero, which he certainly was--as kind of a gentleman farmer. Economists have estimated the worth in real dollars adjusted for inflation, not appreciated, of George Washington's estate, in contemporary terms; and it's about \$20 billion dollars. He is by far the wealthiest President. He is the 59th wealthiest person in American history. Three of the American founding fathers are in the list of the top 100 wealthiest Americans in all of history: Hancock, who was wealthier than Washington--made his money smuggling; and Ben Franklin, who was not quite as wealthy, who made his money because he had a monopoly on the printing press. These are the folks who led the Revolution. These were not the downtrodden. These were not the oppressed. These were people who stood to lose huge amounts of wealth because of the King's policies. And so they fought a Revolution. Which was, by the way, not very popular. Sixty percent of the colonists either were neutral or opposed to the Revolution.\"
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