Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
March 9, 2026: Two hundred and fifty (250) years ago, on March 9, 1776, Adam Smith first published “The Wealth of Nations.” The book would become a standard of economics. Smith knew that Britain would not benefit from a fight to take something from the United States. Smith argued that two main things stood in the way of Britain gaining anything from keeping the New England colonies. One was slavery, which Smith morally opposed and also viewed as standing in the way of growth. Smith’s other argument against holding onto New England was the system of colonialism itself. Smith argued that colonies could never fully have open markets, preventing them from fully being able to realize their own economic gains. He also stated England would be better off trading with fellow European countries.[1]
Scott Rasmussen is the president of RMG Research, Inc. and founder of the Napolitan Institute.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- March 6, 2026-Lawmakers in 21 states proposed 53 bills addressing AI in education in 2025
- March 5, 2026-10% of voters have very closely followed news about the Board of Peace
- March 4, 2026-71% of voters agree with the Supreme Court ruling that the president cannot impose wide-ranging tariffs on his own
- March 3, 2026-95 years ago, “The Star-Spangled Banner” officially became the national anthem of the United States
- March 2, 2026-15% of voters say most federal spending is waste and fraud
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Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Bookmark this page to check out the latest update.
The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here. Scott's most recent book, The Sun is Still Rising: Politics Has Failed But America Will Not, was published in 2018 by the Sutherland Institute.
Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Ballotpedia is the nonprofit, nonpartisan Encyclopedia of American Politics.
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