Does Jeff Bezos deserve his fortune? I’m sure you’ve heard rising complaints about billionaires—from “eat the rich” to “tax the rich”—often as a proxy for broader anxiety about affordability and who gets to keep what they earn. Wealth taxes are gaining momentum in the US, while they are vanishing from Europe.

Who holds the moral high ground in this debate, and what does the data tell us? Join the Cato Institute’s Marian L. Tupy, author of Superabundance and editor of Human​Progress​.org, for a discussion on entrepreneurs, the folly of redistribution, and how we prevent harm from wealth taxes. Drawing on his recent Wall Street Journal article, Tupy will unpack the value that entrepreneurs like Bezos create—starting with the most valuable thing they give back to us: time.

Affordability has become the defining political issue of 2026. To address this issue and offer market-based solutions for policymakers, Cato published the Handbook on Affordability, spearheaded by Cato’s Ryan Bourne. The Handbook features chapters on issues from housing to energy policy.

Travis Fisher, director of energy and environmental policy studies, is one of the leading voices in the energy abundance movement—and he’s convinced an abundant future requires abundant energy. Fisher authored the Handbook’s energy chapter and has driven the national conversation on Consumer-Regulated Electricity (CRE), an idea now gaining traction across the country, including a first-in-the-nation win in New Hampshire. As AI’s power demands reshape the grid, Fisher is offering a market-based path to keep energy abundant, affordable, and ready for what’s next.

Together, Bourne and Fisher will examine the forces shaping today’s energy and affordability landscape. Encouragingly, Illinois recently advanced bipartisan legislation that seeks to address high energy costs.

For more information, please contact Serena Home at (202) 218‑4602 or shome@​cato.​org.