Earl R. Smith II's Blog, page 30
July 8, 2019
Income and wealth inequality aren’t just about the 1%
It’s easy to individualize questions about the rapidly accelerating income and wealth inequality in this country and to think that it is about the 1% versus the 99%. But there is a broader trend that is having a far deeper impact on American society – the accelerating diversions between social and economic health of the […]
July 6, 2019
The Mystery of Why This is Happening – Part I
You’re watching one of those nature shows about birds – or maybe it’s about fish. The camera draws back to reveal a large flock or school. And then, before your eyes, something magical happens. Almost simultaneously, every member of the group changes direction. Maybe you think that a single individual began the process but that […]
July 5, 2019
‘Democracy In Chains’ by Nancy MacLean – A Review
Historians, as authors, are different from the “tell all” opportunists that tend to focus on the salacious in order to sell books. Authors like Nancy MacLean provide a description of the way things used to be. That’s what historians are supposed to do. But sometimes a historian takes a broader view of history and lays […]
July 4, 2019
The Losing Strategy & Winning Strategy For 2020
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and being one traveler long they stood, the Democrats face a dilemma. How they deal with it will likely determine the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election. The Losing Strategy All politicians are narcissists. It’s a requirement of the profession. They must believe in their own inherent superiority […]
July 2, 2019
The Price of Inequality by Joseph Stiglitz – A Review
There are lots of books about rising wealth and income inequality. But this book stands out for one reason. Joseph Stiglitz peels back the curtain to show you how it’s being done. The most important chapter in the book is the second one – Rent Seeking and the Making of an Unequal Society. This chapter […]
July 1, 2019
Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick Deneen
Five Stars. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the future. Deneen does a masterful job of describing the final flowering of Liberalism. He lays the ground for looking forward to the next great form of political, social and economic organization for humanity. It is easy, and comforting, to think that the […]
June 29, 2019
If the Shoe Fits, They Will Wear It
The core question in every election is how well each of the contending candidates matches the attitudes, expectations and aspirations of the voters who define themselves as independents. But the gauntlets that contenders must run in order to participate in a general election often makes a close fit difficult to achieve. The primaries are generally […]
June 28, 2019
Remember George McGovern
Those of us who are old enough to remember, need to tell those who are not the story of George McGovern. It’s a lesson of how a sense of manifest destiny and certainty of prevailing can delude an army of supporters and reelect in a landslide the only man who was forced to resign the […]
Reading the Tea Leaves
The campaign has just begun, and the first debate is now in the history books. It’s time to reassess. Up until now, candidates have deliver it been able to carefully craft an image and delivered through a process that does not invite critical review. But all that changed over the last two days. One of […]
June 27, 2019
Don’t Get Lost in the Weeds
It’s so easy to think that the 2020 election is about Democrats retaking the White House and control of the Senate. That would be a mistake and it carries the seeds of colossal tragedy. The election of Donald Trump brought to full flower a vision of American government that is so antithetical to the intentions […]
