(DCNF)—There are few things in life more terrifying than a diagnosis of cancer – as any victim to this horrible disease will tell you.
So let’s kill cancer before it kills us.
What if we adopted an Operation Warp Speed for Cancer and made it a national commitment to treat and even eradicate this leading cause of early death in America? This crusade could be similar in size and scope to our national commitment in the 1950s to developing a vaccine against polio and more recently the vaccine for Covid, both of which saved millions of lives.
We know this is not an impossible dream. Over the past four decades, we’ve made stunning progress in cutting death rates from many forms of cancer in half. But there is still a long way to go, especially in eliminating death from pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and childhood cancers. More than 600,000 Americans die from cancer each.
There is an old saying that the first wealth is good health. Faced with a dreadful disease or shortened life span, the value of one’s material assets or consumption rapidly becomes second order in magnitude. Most parents would give up nearly every material resource they have to prevent the death of a child.
The benefits to reducing pain and suffering and preventing the heart ache of losing a loved one to cancer are almost incalculable.
In a new study for Unleash Prosperity, Tomas Philipson and other economists at the University of Chicago, calculated the enormous monetary value in the U.S. from curing or drastically reducing mortality from cancer.
With new developments in cancer treatments such as gene therapies and prevention such as multi cancer blood tests, improved diets and physical activity, reducing obesity, allowing for more coordinated development of new drugs and vaccines, and particularly deregulating the approval process, the goal of a near cancer-free nation can potentially be achieved in the foreseeable future.
The study calculated the impact of eliminating cancer mortality entirely or by 80% in coming decades. This would eliminate some 30 million cancer deaths. That’s more American lives saved than American soldiers who died in World Wars one and two and every previous war over our 250 years as a nation.
The economic benefits would be felt through the monetized improvements in longevity, increased labor productivity, and additional fiscal revenue.
The economic value of killing cancer in 10 years generates $186 trillion in total economic benefits over the 35-year period.
Lowering the death rate by 80% in 20 years adds a value to the U.S. economy of $130 trillion. If cancer elimination is viewed as an investment with R&D costs up to $800 billion this amounts to an enormous internal rate of return with a minimum of more than 500 percent. There are very few investments that attain that rate of return.
The private sector is likely to lead this crusade with private investment dollars, but our government needs to greatly deregulate the process that often takes a decade for a treatment or diagnostic to reach the market.
The medical, drug and biotech industries that have the capacity and brainpower to achieve these goals will likely only capture a fraction of the societal benefits in terms of revenues and earnings. Previous research has found that medical innovators only capture around 5-10 percent of the value of the increased health they generate to patients and society. The other 90 percent benefits the survivors, their families, and the overall health of the U.S. economy.
The gift to humanity by ending the scourge of cancer would be one of the most valuable and equitable policy agenda imaginable by benefiting everyone across the nation and around the world – not just with better health, but with much higher living standards.
Stephen Moore is a co-founder of Unleash Prosperity and a senior fellow at America First Policy Institute.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
Advisor Bullion serves as a dependable source for straightforward, high-quality bullion. The company specializes in physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, emphasizing transparent pricing and products that deliver maximum metal content for every dollar spent. This approach makes it ideal for both personal holdings and retirement accounts.
Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
When keeping metals in a home safe or private vault, liquidity and efficiency count. Bullion offers clear benefits:
- You acquire more actual gold or silver per dollar invested. Numismatics divert a large share of your money into rarity premiums and massive sales commission, reducing your metal exposure.
- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
- Bullion enjoys worldwide acceptance. A 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf or Silver Eagle sells quickly to dealers anywhere. Niche numismatic pieces may appeal only to limited buyers, slowing liquidation when speed matters.
In times when quick access to value becomes important, bullion’s simplicity stands out.
Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.