The Civil Wars

This week on America’s Most Beloved Podcast®, we meditate on the idea that Millennials (including one who was recently elected to Congress) feel as though they have never experienced American prosperity. Really. Then, the great Victor Davis Hanson joins to discuss his new book, The Case For Trump, and gets on a certain podcast host’s case for not…well, just listen. Finally, we call on Electoral College expert Tara Ross to explain why Senator Elizabeth Warren has no idea what she is talking about (it’s a 10 second long segment — KIDDING). Finally, we predict what the Mueller Report contains. Please leave your predictions in the comments below.

Note: the Lileks column that Rob referenced in the podcast is here.

Music from this week’s podcast: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (from the soundtrack to The Last Waltz) by The Band

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There are 97 comments.

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  1. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    The 70s were about central bank “mistakes”. LBJ leaned on Arthur Burns for guns and butter. He knew it would end badly and it did. 

    Now we have asset bubbles and wider social problems instead of CPI inflation but it’s the same thing. 

    All of this is completely unnecessary.

    • #91
  2. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    I like Rob Long alot. I admire his writing and his thinking. But I have to observe that his anti-Trumpism this episode was weaksauce. “Trump is yucky so I don’t want to support him.” That’s the emotional pablum that leftists use all the time.

    Conservative: Capitalism has always helped the poor and improved the environment whenever it has been tried.

    Leftist: But it feels yucky.

    Conservative: But… it helps poor people and in it’s best forms it protects the rights of minorities. Minorities always get screwed in feudal and especially in Communist systems.

    Leftist: But it’s still yucky.  

    Conservative: How is it yucky if people live healtheir happier lives and create socities that contribute to the arts and sciences?

    Leftist: Because I feel that way. 

     

     

     

    • #92
  3. Bishop Wash Member
    Bishop Wash
    @BishopWash

    Ralphie (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    but just wrap your brain around a 16% mortgage rate.

    Something I think about is that when I was a young adult and moved away from home, I had to write letters, and make long distance phone calls to family. The ability to instantly contact others rather inexpensively is something I experience as a big improvement over the past.

    My small town was part of a local telephone exchange where about ten towns were connected. They must have been connected in some form of series because calls between towns directly connected were free but calls that had to hop cost some fee. Fortunately, we were near the middle and had two or three direct connects.

    • #93
  4. Joseph Eagar Member
    Joseph Eagar
    @JosephEagar

    Richard O'Shea (View Comment):

    Ralphie (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    but just wrap your brain around a 16% mortgage rate.

     

    We got deal at 10.25% in 1978. And we only had 10% down, so we were high risk.

    Something I think about is that when I was a young adult and moved away from home, I had to write letters, and make long distance phone calls to family. The ability to instantly contact others rather inexpensively is something I experience as a big improvement over the past.

    Bought my first home in 1979 – 12.5% as I recall. Long distance calls had to be scheduled via letter to make sure everyone was home.

    What percentage of your income went to the mortgage payment?  Half?

     

    • #94
  5. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Joseph Eagar (View Comment):

    Richard O’Shea (View Comment):

    Ralphie (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    but just wrap your brain around a 16% mortgage rate.

     

    We got deal at 10.25% in 1978. And we only had 10% down, so we were high risk.

    Something I think about is that when I was a young adult and moved away from home, I had to write letters, and make long distance phone calls to family. The ability to instantly contact others rather inexpensively is something I experience as a big improvement over the past.

    Bought my first home in 1979 – 12.5% as I recall. Long distance calls had to be scheduled via letter to make sure everyone was home.

    What percentage of your income went to the mortgage payment? Half?

    If they were scheduling phone calls by mail, I think it had to be more than half.

    • #95
  6. Richard O'Shea Coolidge
    Richard O'Shea
    @RichardOShea

    Joseph Eagar (View Comment):

    Richard O’Shea (View Comment):

    Ralphie (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    but just wrap your brain around a 16% mortgage rate.

     

    We got deal at 10.25% in 1978. And we only had 10% down, so we were high risk.

    Something I think about is that when I was a young adult and moved away from home, I had to write letters, and make long distance phone calls to family. The ability to instantly contact others rather inexpensively is something I experience as a big improvement over the past.

    Bought my first home in 1979 – 12.5% as I recall. Long distance calls had to be scheduled via letter to make sure everyone was home.

    What percentage of your income went to the mortgage payment? Half?

    I don’t remember – it would be interesting to know.  I may still have some old checkbooks in the basement from the ’70s.  I was working two jobs and my wife was in college.  So, I would guess it was about half of my main job.  I remember a lot of months where our checking account total was scary.

    It was not an expensive home – two bedroom, with Insulbrick (!) on the outside.  It couldn’t hold the heat in the winter because of the poor insulation.  It was built in the 1920’s (which wasn’t as old then as it seems now…..)

     

    • #96
  7. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Nobody cared about insulation in the 20s, just throw another tree on the fire…

    • #97
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