Anyone who experienced World War I close-hand was grossed out by it forever. It just was so awful. Amity Shlaes More Quotes by Amity Shlaes More Quotes From Amity Shlaes In a way, Calvin Coolidge is better than Reagan. His tax rates were lower, and he cut budgets. Amity Shlaes taxes cutting way If Coolidge were a stock, he'd be a buy. The experts have historically ranked Coolidge in the bottom quartile or bottom half of all presidents. But his economic performance and his statesmanship suggest Coolidge belongs in the top quarter of presidents. The disparity between the Coolidge price and Coolidge value is huge. So revision is warranted. Amity Shlaes half president experts Coolidge was a pragmatist. He didn't start out with a tax theory. But he observed over time that lower tax rates sometimes brought in extra revenue. The success of his and Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon's experiment with rate cuts has been obscured by our modern history books. Amity Shlaes cutting sometimes book Coolidge cut the budget, and even better, cut it during peace and prosperity. He left a federal budget lower than the one that greeted him when he arrived in office. He managed to freeze or cut the budget over more than five years in office. If you look at charts of presidents - Nixon, Ike, and Reagan - you see them failing on this score. Amity Shlaes cutting office years Coolidge was a federalist. You go back and read him and it's almost intimidating to write about him because he writes better himself than anyone. He's one of the best writers as presidents go. Amity Shlaes intimidating president writing Economics are part of our life. We try to treat them separately, like over there is the economy and here is history. Econ affects history and history often doesn't get it right if it doesn't respect econ. Amity Shlaes economics economy trying Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing out deals to specific groups. Coolidge fixed a problem like that. He came into a rough time and he, and Harding before him, fixed that by budgeting. Amity Shlaes budgeting groups government Coolidge thought budgets were virtuous. He had his econ straight. He didn't just cut taxes, he also cut the budget. Amity Shlaes virtuous taxes cutting Coolidge's stat was so low; he's ranked in the bottom half of presidents. What I found when I encountered this man was the leader I might like to see today. Amity Shlaes leader president men Coolidge liked the dignity of the presidency. He didn't get on the phone easily. It's possible that he banished the phone from his desk. He was known to use it from time to time. The person who was hilarious with the phone was Hoover. He was a real engineer. He made a closed circuit phone where he could call the important people and they could call him, a government hotline, but it was closed. He shut out the possibility of input from people he didn't expect to get input from. Amity Shlaes phones government real I'm not sure Roosevelt was quite a monster, he just did a poor job on the economics. Amity Shlaes economics monsters jobs Fame is worth less than service. Amity Shlaes fame I think the Bushes would have liked President Coolidge, though I often wonder what nickname 43 would pick for 30. President Bush has great respect for his father, and so did President Coolidge, whose father was also in government, albeit in a smaller way. Amity Shlaes government father thinking Coolidge and his treasury secretary Mellon loved new technology. Like JFK, C.C. divined that a new technology could lift the nation out of its doldrums; the only difference was that JFK's new technology was space travel, and Coolidge's travel by airplane. Amity Shlaes airplane differences technology The lucky biographers find themselves drawn into a sort of friendship with their subject. Amity Shlaes biographers subjects lucky Today we care about budgets more than anything. Our American future hangs on the ability of government to cut budget. Amity Shlaes cutting care government In my view, if you have one in 10 unemployed - something is wrong with the economy whether you call it recession or not. Amity Shlaes wrong view something you Grades can matter, especially for those students and parents who live for the next round of applications to graduate or professional schools. But there's a problem with the grade emphasis. Math or science graduates earn more than students majoring in the humanities. Amity Shlaes live parents matter science If you do a serious presidential bio, you want to supply the reader with maximum material because otherwise you're offending the reader. A president for many people is a serious thing and they want to know everything. Amity Shlaes know you serious people When you see government leaders really bullying business, you know that government's economic policy is failing. They get angry and they get desperate. Amity Shlaes you angry bullying business
