Voluntary trade creates wealth. We trade things that we have a surplus of for things that we find scarce. This allows people to focus on producing the things that they are best at and trading for the other things in life that they want. The consequences of our choices lie in the future. We all try to predict what choices will turn out to be the best.
Some people do a better job than others, but everyone tries to forecast their own economic future.
When things get confusing, look to these principles for clues about what is happening. Free enterprise Our system of answering the three basic economic questions is called free enterprise because at its root lies freedom of choice. In a free market, what will be produced, how it will be produced, and who will get the product are questions generally answered by the market, not dictated by any government entity. Production is driven by the motive of making a profit, and consumption is governed by the resources each individual possesses. Few other countries' citizens have the measure of economic freedom that exists in the United States.