Brian Gongol Show on WHO Radio - June 10, 2017
Please note: These show notes may be in various stages of completion -- ranging from brainstormed notes through to well-polished monologues. Please excuse anything that may seem rough around the edges, as it may only be a first draft of a thought and not be fully representative of what was said on the air.
Programming notes
Segment 1:
BUT FIRST: The opening essay
Alabama visitor - thought it was the second crop
Naturally, we got to talking about other differences
That's why federalism works. Also a reminder about why it's so dangerous to turn over our hopes, expectations, and demands to Washington
When you start adding up the range of unexpected and unusual events right now, it's almost too much to gather
2016/2017 isn't even a black swan period anymore. We're well into purple-polka-dotted-with-rainbow-stripes swan territory. https://t.co/tnml6RzuAS
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 9, 2017
Cranks to the right of me...moonbats to the left: https://t.co/2S0OndV4Mt
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 9, 2017
21st Century conservatism
What's missing from politics right now
- Cybersecurity
- Entitlement reform
- Modernizing job training and lifelong education
Time-matching:
- Infrastructure
- Pensions
- Education
In many ways, we need our expectations to be lower, but our situational awareness to be much broader
"The essence of a free society is that there are whole areas of life where the State has no business at all..." - Margaret Thatcher
— Poor Richard's Ghost (@PoorRicksGhost) June 7, 2017
Interesting to watch the fracturing of major parties under three different electoral systems (US, France, UK) all in the last 12 months. https://t.co/bOKIMBGOMu
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 9, 2017
Segment 2:
Have fun
Tom Petty show
Joe Walsh opened
40 years to tour with the same band is pretty incredible in its own right
It was a little too obvious for the guy near me to light up his marijuana during "Last Dance with Mary Jane"
Huge crowd -- not quite capacity, but really full
Got money's worth -- was after 11 by the time the show was out
iHeartRadio app
Speaking of apps...
I'm glad Twitter thinks of me as a reader, but what YouTube video could I possibly want converted to a book? pic.twitter.com/ja9YURXd5T
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 4, 2017
Adam West, TV’s ‘Batman,’ Dies at 88 https://t.co/uzGG9ePrZY
— Variety (@Variety) June 10, 2017
Segment 3: John Lettieri interview
Segment 4: John Lettieri interview
Segment 5:
Overheard: "We'd better have all boys, and they'd better be good at sports."
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 3, 2017
Words spoken without irony.
You, sir, are the problem.
Coolidge and Sasse book reviews
Important from @BenSasse: The civic/moral dimension to truly "leaving no child behind" is up to the parents.https://t.co/6hmPzXYITE pic.twitter.com/3VglFxQ4lu
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 5, 2017
This (from @BenSasse) underscores why I think Presidential debates should be conducted via timed writing samples:https://t.co/eXBsKjxrqd pic.twitter.com/Gv1jtESmJL
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 8, 2017
That's central to the book: The only true safeguard is a well-prepared public. And that starts at home, not with any document. https://t.co/8vIGUHYJFB
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 5, 2017
Calvin Coolidge thought little could matter more than the care that should be put into a President's words: https://t.co/zUqoV6vBXh pic.twitter.com/UaWocdpsee
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 5, 2017
"In the course of a year the entire number [of Presidential speeches] reaches about twenty, which probably represents an output of at least seventy-five thousand words. This kind of work is very exacting. It requires the most laborious and extended research and study, and the most careful and painstaking thought. Each word has to be weighed in the realization that it is a Presidential utterance which will be dissected at home and abroad to discover its outward meaning and any possible hidden implications. Before it is finished it is thoroughly examined by one or two of my staff, and oftentimes by a member of the Cabinet. It-is not difficult for me to deliver an address. The difficulty lies in its preparation. This is an important part of the work of a President which he cannot escape. It is inherent in the office."
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain", pleads the White House. Even Dorothy wasn't that naive. https://t.co/pnDESCKAJd
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 5, 2017
Among many exceptional and worthy takeaways from @BenSasse's book, this is probably the most enduring:https://t.co/j6WNEG6F60 pic.twitter.com/iriqKiXTNG
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 4, 2017
Segment 6:
"Certified Hawaiian deep-sea water" - and developing a detector for this stuff
Contrary to popular opinion
Professional-class jobs or true business education?
Segment 7:
Your role in cyberwar
Quote of the Week
"This free world knows, out of the bitter wisdom of experience, that vigilance and sacrifice are the price of liberty." - Dwight Eisenhower
— Poor Richard's Ghost (@PoorRicksGhost) June 9, 2017
Fallacy of "he's a good person"
A brief passage from Calvin Coolidge, appropriate for today:https://t.co/NreTNyx50H#ComeyHearing pic.twitter.com/bgoHxemyb2
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 8, 2017
People with an abiding respect for the rule of law use caution when making serious accusations. https://t.co/5FZemgTGxk
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 9, 2017
Republicans and Democrats alike have been far too willing to give a free pass to their own people because they liked them, instead of holding fast to principle
"It is a great advantage to a President, and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man. When a man begins to feel that he is the only one who can lead in this republic, he is guilty of treason to the spirit of our institutions." - Calvin Coolidge
All sides in American politics ought to lay off this kind of hero-worship. We need more politics based on ideas and less on personalities. https://t.co/P451YVs8FS
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 6, 2017
Cyberwar on democracy isn't a literal call to arms, but it's just as urgent
Our collective susceptibility to snark and flippant one-liners ("The 1980s called....") may be our most dangerous national Achilles heel. https://t.co/Tua6PFpy2Q
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 9, 2017
Transparency and appropriate oversight know no partisan allegiances. I'm with my Senator @ChuckGrassley on this: https://t.co/BLTJ5EHoYZ
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 9, 2017
This should eradicate any arguments that POTUS comments issued via Twitter should be taken less seriously. They are de facto news releases. https://t.co/6vkkSFGmZE
— Brian Gongol (@briangongol) June 7, 2017
"Self-government requires decentralization and many checks and balances to safeguard liberty." - Herbert Hoover
— Poor Richard's Ghost (@PoorRicksGhost) June 5, 2017
Segment 8:
Virtue of random junk pickup week
Yay Capitalism Prize
Amazon Prime for the poor
Make money
Tesla market cap exceeds BMW
By the numbers
87% of all vehicle-miles traveled are by cars, pickups, vans, and motorcycles
Even on the Interstates, big trucks and buses only account for 23% to 24%
33 billion total vehicle-miles traveled, of which 11.5 billion are strictly passenger vehicles on city streets. Responsibility to pay for things really does begin at home.
Listen on-demand
- Podcast of this episode - segment 1 -- Don't let Iowa decide for Alabama or vice-versa: The virtues of Federalism
- Podcast of this episode - segment 2 -- Tom Petty puts on a good show: 40 years is a long time to rock
- Podcast of this episode - segments 3/4 -- Finding the keys to the engines of growth: We need more competition, not less
- Podcast of this episode - segment 5 -- Two books you should read right now: A new book by Ben Sasse and an old one by Calvin Coolidge
- Podcast of this episode - segment 6 -- Teach them young: Don't fall for the hype. Teaching kids the laws of money
- Podcast of this episode - segment 7 -- Breaking the (rule of) law: Enemies within and enemies without
- Podcast of this episode - segment 8 -- Who drives Iowa's highways? It's not just trucks -- not by a long shot