Clearing the Tabs December 2019

Some things I've read this month or will be reading soon.

December 3
How Poverty Ends
The Many Paths to Progress—and Why They Might Not Continue

An 'Easy' Way to Cut $640 Billion from the Federal Budget

December 4
It’s unclear if higher education needs more public funding

December 5
Australia’s China Syndrome
Increasing dependence on Beijing imperils the nation’s future.

December 11
The Person Of The Year Is Not Greta Thunberg. It’s The Hong Kong Protester

December 30
Shale's Credit Struggles a Reminder of Fed's Inconsequential Nature

December 31
Even If They Do 'End the Fed', Little to Nothing Will Change

Things That Did Not Happen 12-2-2019

My Uber driver had the hearing on, too! Asked a lot of questions about the impeachment process (was very concerned about Trunp’s ability to run again). Silver lining of Trump era is that people are more engaged and interested in the Constitution and our government https://t.co/ZhXlw7Tqck

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 9, 2019

No Time To Die: Official Trailer Just Released

"Bond… James Bond” – The first trailer for #NoTimeToDie is here! In cinemas April 2020 #Bond25 #BondJamesBond pic.twitter.com/Xo1pSYHgbc

— James Bond (@007) December 4, 2019

Clearing the Tabs November 2019

Some things I've read this month or will be reading soon.

November 6
Anti-capitalism: trendy but wrong

November 9
Unsustainable California

November 18
How Many People Must Die to Fix the Planet?

November 21
America’s Drift toward Feudalism

Hong Kong Elections: What is Beijing afraid of?

Labour’s manifesto is extraordinary – and not in a good way
Labour's manifesto: tough on profits, tough on the causes of profits

November 22
This is How Radical Prosecutors Seek to Overthrow Justice and the Rule of Law

November 23
The Income Tax And America’s Grasp For World Power

November 27
Kotkin: Mayors Won’t Rule the World

November 30
The prisoner of intersectionality

Top Billing at Real Clear Markets, Again

My review of John Tamny's new book, They're Both Wrong, has earned me a top spot at RealClearMarkets.com again. Always as honor to be linked there.

My Review of They're Both Wrong by John Tamny

I have reviewed a book that will be released next week by John Tamny titled They're Both Wrong: A Policy Guide for America’s Frustrated Independent Thinkers. I hope you will take a few minutes to read it and consider the book as a gift for others as we approach the holiday season, I think you and others will enjoy it.

Clearing the Tabs October 2019

Some things I've read this month or will be reading soon.

October 1
Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution

October 4
Trump Administration Asks for Comments on Child Sex Trafficking in Foster Care System

October 6
The Old Can Share the Wealth, or the Young Will Take It From Them

Downward mobility is increasingly the norm in the United States, a country built on aspiration. It’s a problem worldwide, and a reason confidence in democracy has plummeted.

October 11

Highlight: "My perfect world's presidents would have nothing to do with trade," Center for Economic Freedom President @johntamny says. "Trade happens among individuals, not countries. ... For us to put a bullseye on China is for us to put a bullseye on the U.S. economy." pic.twitter.com/zo8xYkGMdy

— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) October 11, 2019

October 15
‘Medicare for All’ vs. a Better Medicare

October 21
Target Employees Won The 'Fight For $15' but Weren't Ready for the Trade-Offs
Workers say they've had their hours cut and lost other benefits, such as health insurance. If only someone could have predicted that.

October 22
Trump's Energy Department won't clean up the dishwasher industry's mess


October 25
Climate Stalinism
Today’s radical green movement demands submission to an elite governing class—and its views are entering the mainstream

October 27
In One Picture, Why Connecticut Is Going Downhill

October 29
How To Make the Case For School Choice

Correlation is not Causation

Not all heroes wear capes...

"Correlation is not causation" pic.twitter.com/7TcRlwJB1Q

— Ameet Kini, MD, PhD (@AmeetRKini) October 22, 2019

Why Does Gasoline Cost What It Costs?

⛽ Have you noticed a spike in gas prices lately? #KaiExplains what exactly determines the cost of each gallon: https://t.co/4oxnp2mBNi pic.twitter.com/ICcjgayoY0

— Marketplace (@Marketplace) October 19, 2019

Clearing the Tabs September 2019

Some things I've read this month or will be reading soon.

September 5
Don't Be Silly, The Media Cannot Talk Us Into Recession. But Presidents Can.

September 9
Is Majoring in English Worth It?
Employers used to be able to count on the skills a liberal-arts education cultivated.

September 22
A Plummeting Oil Price Would Be Very Bullish For The U.S. Economy

September 25
Cleaning Up Vacant Lots Can Curb Urban Crime

Outstanding Golfing Troll

I saw this on Instagram and it made me laugh. I do not know if the sign is real or just Photoshopped. If it is real, it is top-level advertising and trolling. If it is fake, well, it would be funny to see a golf course do this.

Clearing the Tabs August 2019

Some things I've read this month or will be reading soon.

August 2
Estonia Experiments with Higher Taxes, Learns a Lesson

August 3
The regression of America’s big progressive cities

August 4
Economic Illiteracy from the New York Times

August 12
Can the Working Class Trust the Democrats?

August 16
The United States Must Stand Strong with the People of Hong Kong

August 24
Public schools should be places of learning, not propaganda

"Public schools need to focus not on ideology but on intelligent pragmatism. They should focus on both on improving reading and math scores and becoming reliable suppliers of talent to our local companies."

August 26
How the 1619 Project Rehabilitates the ‘King Cotton’ Thesis
My friend of nearly 20 years now, Phil Magness, continues to ruin theories of Leftists

August 31
The Recycling Folly
The bottom line is that most recycling programs impose a fiscal and personal cost on people for very meager environmental benefits.

Note for Parents with Kids Going Back to School

I am not saying grades are not important, but I saw this some time ago and I thought, "how much greater could we be if we measured kids in this way?"

View this post on Instagram

Worry more about this -than that- and our world will grown up to be a much nicer place! 🌎❤️

A post shared by 🚎 Team Kids 🌍 (@teamkidsorg) on May 20, 2017 at 6:22am PDT

Clearing the Tabs July 2019

Some things I've read this month or will be reading soon.

July 7
If The U.S. Oil Industry Can't Survive $56 Oil, It Needn't Exist

41 Inconvenient Truths on the "New Energy Economy"
Bill Gates has said that when it comes to understanding energy realities “we need to bring math to the problem.” He's right.

July 9
Keynesian Economics and Journalistic Malpractice

July 21
With His Dismissal Of The Gold Standard, John Cochrane Channeled The Great Tina Fey

July 25
This Is The Original Laffer Curve

Tax Reform Has Never been So Easy

Fred Lieb Information Needed; Baseball Writer

I'm posting this in a couple of places on the internet in the hopes that the right person or people might find this.

I am doing a deep research dive into the life of Frederick (Fred) George Lieb. Fred Lieb was a prolific baseball writer who lived from 1888 until 1980. His last published book was Baseball As I Have Known It. Lieb is in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown as part of the Writers Wing. Fred Lieb dubbed Yankee Stadium "The House That Ruth Built."

I am looking for the hard-to-find items as they relate to Mr. Lieb. Articles, book excerpts, personal correspondence (perhaps you or a family member purchased something at auction), clippings, manuscripts, photos, autographs, etc, etc. Mr. Lieb spent the better part of his later years in St. Petersburg, Florida, writing baseball columns for the St. Petersburg Times as well as for The Sporting News, so perhaps someone from that area has items I would not have uncovered just yet.

I have of course already done some pretty common searches on the internet and have accumulated a few things. I do NOT need to own what you have, but scans and details would be most welcome.

Please reach out to me at SteveParkhurst@gmail.com if you have any items, any questions, or any tips on where I might look next.

Leftist Doesn't See President Trump's Expanded Base

Politidope with a thoroughly uneducated take. Count those who have gone back to work on President Trump's watch as part his base, which supposedly hasn't expanded as the economy has indeed expanded.

This isn't rocket science. Trump won the Electoral College by winning 3 states (WI, MI & PA) by a margin that could fit into Cowboy Stadium with room to spare and hasn't expanded his base since the day he was elected. https://t.co/mW5tZtYCYw

— Matt Rogers 🎙 (@Politidope) July 1, 2019

Clearing the Tabs June 2019

Some things I've read this month or will be reading soon.

June 29
The Economic Benefits of Reducing the Regulatory Burden

June 22
Evidence from the States: Higher Taxes = Fewer Jobs

The rise of the intolerant left

June 21
Histrionics, Hysteria and Joe Biden
Will the Democratic Party banish its democratic instincts?

June 20
A Tribute to Art Laffer

June 19

Connecticut’s Fiscal Decay

President Trump Awards Arthur Laffer The Presidential Medal of Freedom
A world $100 trillion richer.

June 18

The Trump Tax Reform Is Generating Good Results

June 15

What is social justice?
Perhaps no issue more motivates progressive activists than social justice. Good intentions may motivate the social justice warriors, albeit sometimes sprinkled with a dollop of self-hatred. But good intentions do not necessarily produce good results.

June 11

California’s Progressive Betrayal

The Golden State’s left-wing policies hurt working-class and middle-class residents

June 9
The populist dilemma

June 6

Loneliness in America Is Caused by Our Broken Culture

June 5

Tariffs Are Taxes

Worst Umpire Ever?

Seriously, what is umpire thinking or looking at? The batter clearly swings the bat, and what is the umpire checking down at first base for?

View this post on Instagram

Good take bro! - Both umps said no swing lol - Via @jackson.coen

A post shared by Prospect Dugout ✪ (@prospectdugout) on Jun 26, 2019 at 3:24pm PDT

Free Economics Course with John B. Taylor Offered Online

If you want to learn a little, or a lot, about economics, Stanford University and the Hoover Institution are offering us all a free opportunity to learn from one of the modern greats, John B. Taylor, creator of "The Taylor Rule." The course is free online and begins on July 1. You need to register. Link in tweet below:

Economics for Non-Economists. Ever wonder what drives our economy? My Stanford course Principles of Economics gives answers & is free online this summer. Register here https://t.co/5bZwlk24Hv, watch videos, take quizzes & earn Certificate of Accomplishment. Classes start July 1.

— John B. Taylor (@EconomicsOne) June 26, 2019

Way To Frame That Pitch, Catcher

View this post on Instagram

This cracks me up every time I watch it. Nice try, Catcher. Nice try. Also, the umpire should have called the strike, just for the effort.

...Austin Barnes trying to frame a pitch from Joe Kelly? #😳 #makingtheffort #GoDodgers

A post shared by Steve Mears (@moneyballsteve) on Jun 20, 2019 at 8:14am PDT

Watching a 1-0 High School Baseball Game

If you know me at all you know I love baseball. If you know me well, you have likely heard my lectures about how I prefer a nice 1-0 ballgame versus a 10-9 slugfest.

Well, on Saturday I watched a Texas high school playoff game between Magnolia West and Georgetown. It was game three of the series, the deciding game to determine who would advance to the Texas state 5A playoff tournament to be played in Round Rock at Dell Diamond next week.

I got my 1-0 ballgame and it was quite remarkable how it happened. After a scoreless top of the first, Georgetown came to bat. Their leadoff hitter, Jeffrey David, hit the first pitch he saw to right-center and was able to get a triple as he slid safely in to third base. The next batter, Wyatt Childress, fell behind 0-2, but the third pitch he saw he hit a slow bouncer to the shortstop who fielded the ball and threw out Childress at first, but David scored from third on the play to give Georgetown the 1-0 lead, and the only run of the game was scored right there on the fourth pitch of the game.

The two teams played the entire seven inning ballgame, and the only run that scored was in the bottom of the first. The game did not even last two hours. I love baseball, have I mentioned that? A 1-0 game is rare at any level, major leagues, minor leagues, college, and so on. It is even more rare in high school, and yet, there it was unfolding before my eyes on Saturday afternoon. -

Clearing the Tabs May 2019

Some things I've read this month or will be reading soon.

May 30
Greta’s very corporate children’s crusade
Behind the schoolgirl climate warrior lies a shadowy cabal of lobbyists, investors and energy companies seeking to profit from a green bonanza

May 25
Localism still has a heartbeat, even in California

May 21
Finally, a Market-Oriented Way to Help Poor Communities

May 20
The importance of place: Neighborhood amenities as a source of social connection and trust

Americans who live in closer proximity to community parks, libraries, restaurants, and theaters are more content with their neighborhood, more trusting of others, and less lonely regardless of whether they live in large cities, suburbs, or small cities or towns.

May 6
Class, Empathy, and the Green New Deal

Phil Mickelson on Bubba Watson and Using Two Drivers

Phil Mickelson was a legend, and a golf legend, well before he joined Twitter and Instagram. His posts are putting him in a whole other stratosphere as he is absolutely hilarious. This gem of a post is filled with great lines, "cute little cuts" being one of them, after he mocks Bubba Watson for his grizzly "bear" chest hair.

With the #USOpen coming up, it can’t be all about hitting bombs. pic.twitter.com/jwImeqeg4D

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) May 30, 2019

Clearing the Tabs April 2019

March 23
Understanding the appeal of democratic socialism key to defeating it

March 28
How to Bring Back Struggling Cities
A Manhattan Institute report offers strategies to revitalize such struggling cities as Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Pittsfield, Massachusetts; and Youngstown, Ohio.

April 2
'Equal Pay Day' and Other Meaningless Tropes

April 10
The End of Aspiration

Clearing the Tabs 3-22-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

March 17
The rise of free lunch economics and the growth of our national debt

If The University Admissions 'Scandal' Bothers You, So Does Human Nature

March 18
Understanding the Trade Deficit

March 19
Martin Wolf Isn't the Solution to 'Secular Stagnation,' He Is Secular Stagnation

Here is a guy in New Jersey who has stolen an ATM machine and he is trying to get it onto a city bus. Incredible.

Meanwhile In New Jersey...

pic.twitter.com/PRMkIKPtJR

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 19, 2019 

March 20
New Academic Study: Payroll Tax Burdens Stifle Entrepreneurship

Clearing the Tabs 3-8-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

March 2
The Imperial Presidency

March 4
Brady, Arrington & Estes Point to Trade as Key Issue for Country this Year

“If we’re able to have a fair deal with China, then the future is much brighter for the next generation of farmers and ranchers.”

March 5
Yet Another Bogus Claim: Medicare for All Boosts Economic Growth

March 6
Taking on Addiction

Some Towns Are Trashing Their Costly, Inefficient Recycling Programs
The market seems to be sending towns and cities a powerful message that there is no need to recycle all the things all the time.

Clearing the Tabs 3-1-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

February 26
Why Suburbs Need to be the Next Frontier for Cities Policy

How to think about a wealth tax — Political Economy with James Pethokoukis


February 27
Where Millennials Really Go for Jobs
Contrary to media hype, tech firms and young workers aren’t flocking to “superstar” cities.

March 1
Why Social Justice Is Killing Synagogues and Churches
Data suggests that the more a religious movement is concerned with progressive causes, the more likely it is to rapidly lose members

Clearing the Tabs 2-22-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

February 16
America’s role model should be America

February 17
Cities Point the Way in Promoting Opportunity and Reducing Poverty

February 18
The dark side of Green technology

Cheer up. Despite national gloom, we're actually pretty happy with our lives and neighbors.

February 19
Health Care and Opportunity Zones: The Game Begins

"Of the 8,762 census tracts across the county that have been designated as Opportunity Zones, 2,905 (33%) either contain a hospital or are ½ a mile from a hospital."

I found Alan Alda's conversation with Stephen Fry completely interesting:


February 20
New York’s Slow-Motion Fiscal Suicide

February 21
Arthur Brooks has a new podcast episode this week that is off the beaten path and completely worth your time:


February 22
Curing Blindness is Just the Beginning

America’s oligarchs face left-wing, right-wing backlash

Clearing the Tabs 2-15-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

February 9
Restoring the California Dream, not nailing its coffin

February 11
Own the Libs, or Let the Libs Own Us?

She’s No Alexander Hamilton

February 12
Five Reasons the Green New Deal Is Worse Than You Thought
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal isn't even serious about environmentalism, let alone economics.

February 13
This Train Won’t Leave the Station
If high-speed rail can’t make it in California, it can’t make it anywhere.

February 14
Arthur Brooks has begun season 2 of his outstanding podcast. Here is the first episode of the new season:

February 15
How the collapse of communities gave us Trump

Twilight of the Oligarchs?
Still capitalists at heart, tech titans cozied up to the progressive Left—until the contradictions became too obvious.
- 

This is a really interesting podcast interview by The Bulwark with Democratic Presidential candidate John Delaney. Delaney is a very cerebral, pragmatic thinker. I do not agree with him on much, but consider this: If Mr. Delaney's positions were the starting point, rather than the radical exception, for the Democrats, this would really improve both parties. I hope you will take some time and listen to this:

Reaction to Super Bowl LVIII

Super Bowl LVIII not one for the ages . . . I thought Gladys Knight did a nice job with the National Anthem . . . Nothing about the game was dramatic or interesting . . . Tony Romo couldn’t flourish because there was little flourishing on the field . . . Few of the commercials were good, far fewer than I ever remember . . . There was a strong commercial featuring Martin Luther King Jr’s words . . . Telluride by Kia with a Georgia boy doing the voiceover for a Georgia town outside Atlanta, I liked it . . . Eat like Andy by Burger King was odd, and interesting, not sure it’s going to get me to a Burger King anytime soon . . . Bubly with Michael Buble, that was kinda funny, Dave isn’t pronounced that way . . . Amazon with a woman answering questions about bad inventions at Amazon made me laugh out loud, the clincher was when she was questioned about whether an incident involving blackouts was Amazon’s fault, she replied, “I don’t know, was it?” . . . The silver lining, next year can’t be worse than this, can it?

Clearing the Tabs 2-1-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

January 26
No, Trump Should Not Be Given Increased Trade Authority

Americans would suffer from an escalating trade war.

January 28
How much revenue would the 70 percent tax rate on millionaires raise? It depends.

January 29
The Evidence-Based Case for Free Trade

Well, of Course the Number of Uninsured Is Rising

January 31
Make the Moral Case for Capitalism

February 1
Trump, Xi, Trade, and the Need for a Second Stage of Pro-Market Economic Reform in China

Clearing the Tabs 1-25-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

January 19
The Tech Economy’s Untold Story

An open letter to Gillette from Godfrey Elfwick (humor)
‘In order to get through to the majority of men, you need to really talk down to them’

Enjoy this conversation with Matt Lewis and historian H.W. Brands:

January 20
As Kliff Kingsbury Ascends To The NFL, Hal Mumme Must Be Smiling Somewhere

January 22
Beware Academics Aiming to Centrally Plan Your Buying Habits

Urban Renewal
A conservatism that doesn’t work for city dwellers doesn’t really work at all.

January 24
The Secrets of Lyndon Johnson's Archives
Robert Caro is an amazing writer, researcher, and story teller. I was fortunate enough to meet him at the Library of Congress in 2003 when he gave a talk about his then most recent book on LBJ, Master of the Senate. I got a signed copy of the book. The speech was also filmed by C-SPAN and aired on Book TV some time later. Anyway, this piece by Mr. Caro is simply amazing and I could not stop reading. As someone who has done research in the archives of presidential libraries and the Library of Congress, I could absolutely envision what Mr. Caro was describing with the request slips and the obscure folder names and then the luck in finding something magical. Anyway, spend some time with it and let me know what you think.

Tony Romo In The Booth

I was watching Sunday's AFC Championship game between the Patriots and the Chiefs and I followed along briefly on Twitter for a few minutes. I happened to see Tony Romo was trending so I clicked to see what people were saying. Most people were dogging him pretty bad, and most felt that he was rooting for one team and/or against the other team. I was NOT getting that impression. I think Tony Romo gets giddy about football in general. So, in the second half of the game, the Chiefs scored a touchdown on a short screen pass by Pat Mahomes and the receiver (I have forgotten his name) made a nice run along the sideline for a touchdown. Almost immediately, Romo was diagramming the "bottom of the screen" where the play went and he circled on the screen how four guys had been bunched up and allowed the receiver to be open with space to run. I was stunned at how he had seen that so quickly. I went ahead at that point and posted to Twitter what I was thinking, like anyone cared.

I seem to be going against the grain here, but I like @tonyromo in the booth. Dude is seeing stuff right away that no one else sees. #KCvsNE

— Steve “Beto” Parkhurst (@SteveParkhurst) January 21, 2019

By the end of the game, Romo was looking like Nostradamus as he had been proven right in calling places for both teams and he was seeing stuff that frankly, even the Kansas City defense apparently was not seeing. After the game I was happy to see Romo getting some praise. I do not want to assume that the people making the negative comments were on the losing end of the game, I hope people were listening more objectively than that. The praise from Romo seemed to be coming from all quarters. Here is just a sample:

Think about the gamble CBS took on Tony Romo. Remember, when he was first hired, people thought there was a chance he would still go back to play.

To boot Simms and put Tony on the A team took guts, but it’s resulted in the best announce team in the sport.

— Anthony Romano (@ARomanoWDBJ) January 21, 2019

And Tony Romo has firmly taken the mantle of best analyst in football. He was incredible. I love when the analyst tells you what WILL happen.

— Dale Arnold (@DaleEArnold) January 21, 2019

I enjoyed both games Sunday, though the fact that the NFL has a huge officiating problem that they have to fix was on display. Anyway, I enjoyed hearing Tony Romo and right now I think he is the best guy in the booth on any network.

Clearing the Tabs 1-18-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

January 12
House Democrats Threaten Workers and Competitiveness with a Higher Corporate Income Tax Rate

The Democrats Finally Won the Suburbs. Now Will They Destroy Them?
Whatever the thinkers say people should do, what they keep doing given the choice is moving to places where they can live in single-family homes.

Liberty Has a New Champion on the Federal Bench
Don Willett has championed economic freedom and accountability for cops.

January 14
Arthur C. Brooks to join The Washington Post Opinions section as a columnist
Brooks’ first column for The Post will run on Sunday, January 20th

January 15
AEI Political Report: America’s outlook — the economy and the country

January 16
The Ideal Free Trade Agreement

Fed Says Student Debt Has Hurt the U.S. Housing Market
Student loans prevented 400,000 young Americans from buying homes, Fed says in paper covering 2005 to 2014

January 17
‘Modern Monetary Theory’ Is a Joke That’s Not Funny
Yes, a government that issues its own currency can pay its bills. But piling up debt for no urgent reason is lunacy.

Dear Shutdown Alarmists, the Economic Growth Already Happened

January 18
AEI names Robert Doar as new president as conservative movement tries to find its way in Trump era

Arthur Brooks Tweets About His Book, Contempt, and Outrage

Arthur Brooks has a new book coming out in March and I am really looking forward to getting my hands on it. Yesterday, Mr. Brooks tweeted a series of comments about some of what his new book will be about, I would love to discuss this or the book (after its release in March of course) with you at some point, so please consider getting a copy, and you can pre-order now.

Last week I made the argument not to express contempt for people who disagree with us. This was a common response: “They hate people like me, so they deserve contempt.” But by and large, this is based on a key error. 1/7

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 14, 2019

The Outrage Industrial Complex has convinced us that our ideological compatriots are motivated by love for humanity, but those on the other side are motivated by hatred for you. Social scientists call this “political motive asymmetry.” 2/7

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 14, 2019

But the data show that this is an inaccurate portrayal of the motivations of most Americans. While there’s a lot of disagreement, only a small minority (and Twitter bots) have genuinely radical views or wish harm upon their ideological foes. 3/7

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 14, 2019

Furthermore, 93% of Americans believe the country is too divided. Unfortunately, the other 7% are driving the debate, ginning up fear and hatred, and profiting from it. 4/7

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 14, 2019

When we forget this and treat others with contempt, it turns them into permanent enemies, something social scientists call the “boomerang effect.” This makes things worse. 5/7

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 14, 2019

Not that we should agree or stay silent when others say things that we disagree with. But how we disagree matters if we hope to be effective at making our case to people who don’t already agree with us (and bystanders watching the debate). 6/7

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 14, 2019

I give all the evidence of this in LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. My aim is to help a new generation of leaders rebel against the culture of contempt, win the future, and become happier people. You can pre-order your copy here: https://t.co/YbOGYqeQBv 7/7

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 14, 2019

Clearing the Tabs 1-11-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

I strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration. #SOTU

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 26, 2011

January 5
Emmanuel Newsom?

The Adverse Consequences of a 70-Percent Top Tax Rate on Households

January 8
Why 70 Percent Tax Rates Cannot Finance Socialism

Nancy Pelosi: Pay No Attention to Your Fatter Paychecks

San Antonio lands Texas’ first ‘opportunity zone’ investment under Trump tax bill

January 9
The Unworkable 70 Percent Tax

No, Economists Don't Agree a 70 Percent Top Marginal Tax Rate Is a Good Idea
Sorry, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Paul Krugman.

Trump 1, Pelosi-Schumer 0 -- Border wall debate did not turn out well for Dems Tuesday night

January 11
Master Thinker
Adam Smith shaped how we think about markets and society.

Arthur Brooks Previewing Next Book, Love Your Enemies

Arthur Brooks tweeted what looks to be a partial preview if his next book, which will come out in March. Take a look, and consider buying the book.

Today in America, there is an “outrage industrial complex” that profits by setting us against each other. It’s impossible to miss—on TV, Twitter, politics, campus. Most of us hate it, because it’s making us miserable. 1/5

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 6, 2019

One in six Americans have stopped talking to close friends and family members over politics. Millions are organizing their lives to avoid hearing viewpoints differing from their own. Ideological polarization is at higher levels than at any time since the Civil War. 2/5

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 6, 2019

A “culture of contempt” has formed—a habit of seeing people who disagree with us not as merely incorrect or misguided, but as worthless. When someone treats you with contempt, you never quite forget it. It creates a permanent enemy. 3/5

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 6, 2019

Contempt is highly destructive for our relationships and our health. It leads us to believe kindness, good faith debate, and reconciliation are impossible. It is a threat to our freedom and prosperity. 4/5

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 6, 2019

Are you sick of this situation and looking for a way to fight back? I wrote LOVE YOUR ENEMIES to give you the tools to do so. It’s available everywhere March 12. Pre-order now. 5/5 https://t.co/FOSnfkibtU

— Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks) January 6, 2019

Order Love Your Enemies by Arthur Brooks today.

Clearing the Tabs 1-4-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

I strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration. #SOTU

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 26, 2011

December 29
How to Talk about Public Policy and Why It Matters 

What will come after the era of Trumpism

December 30
A Time for Choosing, Still

January 2
Real Productivity: Getting the Right Things Done

January 3
“I Survived Communism – Are You Ready For Your Turn?”
An important warning for Canada.

January 4
Can High-Speed Rail Make Housing Affordable?