Don Klipstein wrote:

The way I hear it from a conservative engineer and a conservative
manufacturing company owner, wealth is created by making nothing or
things that are worth less or worthless into things that are worth
more.
As in, at least traditionally described, mining and agriculture and
manufacturing - making goods from dirt, making raw materials into
valuable goods, especially making goods production tools.

If any transaction between willing partners creates wealth as you
say, do you claim lack of exceptions? What if one of the parties is
dishonest and the other is incompetent? What if one party pays the
other to destroy something that has value?

No, there ARE exceptions (fraud, mistakes, roads to nowhere, etc.). But, in
the main, these exceptions are nibbling at the margins.