> There’s obvious debunking that could be done – the first one I’d point out (almost did) is that trade creates wealth, if for no other reason than people like

> There’s obvious debunking that could be done – the first one I’d point out (almost did) is that trade creates wealth, if for no other reason than people like variety. So if you have 10 potatoes and I have 10 carrots, and we swap some of them, we’re both wealthier. Wrong. No goods created or services rendered = no net change in wealth. What the OP is describing is more like inflation. (I know, I know. I'm falling into his clever trap. This is why I never joined the debate team in high school.)