Clearing the Tabs January 15, 2021

Happy New Year!

Here are some things I've read so far this month or will be reading soon. It appears the month will be a long one, and a lot of people are staying at home looking for things to read, so I've broken this month into two parts again, expect a post on January 31 as well. Also, just because I post something here does not mean I agree with it, it simply means it made me think and I think my readers might enjoy it.

May 2021 be the year of commerce.

— 𝔸𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕊𝕙𝕝𝕒𝕖𝕤 (@AmityShlaes) January 2, 2021

January 3

Can California stop Big Tech from decamping for cheaper places?

January 4

The Return of Reckless Keynesian Economic Policy

Beyond Economic Populism

January 5
Amazon Failed at Health Care Because It Wasn't a 'Disrupter'

What Biden's Rich Supporters Won't Tell Him About Taxes

January 10
The Lesson We Should Learn from 2020

Mind on Money: The American idea is superior to politics

January 11
Will 2021 Bring Positive Change for Working-Class People?

Seven New Books on Faith, Work & Economics

January 12
Is Civility Futile in the Face of Injustice?

The Missing Piece of the D.B. Cooper Story
Many saw flight attendant Tina Mucklow as the key to the mysterious skyjacking. But does her story hold the answers?

A New Localism Can Heal, Advance Flyover Country

The big ‘cancel’

January 13
Who Wants to Cut Taxes for the Rich? Democrats!

January 14
In the World of Business, 'Unimaginable Power' Doesn't Exist

Find the Place You Love. Then Move There.
If where you live isn’t truly your home, and you have the resources to make a change, it could do wonders for your happiness.

January 15
We must take a stand against the insurrectionists
If you are a principled centrist or principled conservative, now is not the time to remain silent.

When Pragmatic Politics Goes Bad: An Apology to the Never Trumpers
I have awakened on too many days with gratitude on my lips for the blessing of living in a peaceful, orderly, democratic, and free society to see such hard-won advances thrown away for political ambition. Those who realized our inheritance was at risk saw more clearly than I did.

The $25 Billion Theft

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?

Baseball by the Graveside

This is kinda cool. This is the sort of thing I would do.

Visited Josh Gibson's resting spot while on my walk today. @nlbmprez pic.twitter.com/E2DpIoa7sz

— Neil (@NeilAnAlien) August 7, 2016

It also reminded me of a book Invincible Summer: Traveling America in Search of Yesterday's Baseball Greats by Dave D'Antonio. I remember reading this book and loving it. I didn't realize until I looked up the book on Amazon that the book came out in the summer of 1997, 19 years ago. How time flies.

You may recall a few weeks ago I bought a copy of Newt Gingrich's newest book, Breakout. I tweeted about the purchase, and Newt re-tweeted me, which was awesome. Obviously, as an opinion leader, Newt wanted to know what I thought about the book. I'm sure you're curious too.

So, here's my Amazon review:

Breakout inspires, motivates, encourages and guides. Five Stars!

Newt Gingrich's Breakout is an important contribution to the future of our country.

Breakout is not your typical Left vs. Right book. For instance, if you read a book like Gingrich's To Save America, this is very different. It would actually be interesting to know how few times the words "Republicans" or "Democrats" actually appear in Breakout. Instead, this book is about big ideas and big thinkers, people who are trying to make things happen, and usually succeeding, in spite of government regulators and those who want to keep the old order in place.

Newt accurately uses a new label, "prison guards," to identify those keeping us locked down in the old, failed ways: bureaucrats, teachers, regulators, professors, government agencies, and environmentalists, to name but a few. Newt cites many great examples and resources throughout his book, all of which can easily be found for further research so we can all work toward achieving Breakout.

Newt's final chapter (chapter 13) and his Conclusion are both brief, but both a really great, important summations of what needs to be done to achieve Breakout. If you do not walk away from this book hopeful and motivated to make real change happen, the problem might just be with you, and you must be happy with the status quo which ultimately is the path to continued failure and mediocre outcomes.

As I mentioned before, go in to this book with an open mind. Breakout isn't just for Republicans or just for Democrats: it's for us. All of us. Breakout awaits, and this enjoyable, readable roadmap toward Breakout is a quick and easy read and will certainly open your mind to clearer thinking about what can happen if we all demand it and work toward it.

A Confederacy of Dunces

I saw this copy of my favorite novel at the local bookstore today, and I had to snap a picture. It reminded me to remind you to start the new year right. If you have not read A Confederacy of Dunces, you're doing it all wrong. Get a copy today, they can be found cheap. You won't be sorry, and you'll laugh like crazy. After you read it, let me know what you thought.

Pre-Order Skyfall DVD and Blu Ray

You can now officially order Skyfall on DVD or Blu-Ray via Amazon. This is awesome. Order today.