??Nobody has ever worked harder at inactivity, with such force of character, with such unremitting attention to detail, with such conscientious devotion to task.?

Even better, Cal?s own words (1920 inaugural address) long before Reagan or our present crisis:

?The resources with which to meet taxation are dangerously near the point of exhaustion. There is a limit to the taxing power of a State beyond which increased rates produce decreased revenues. If that be exceeded intangible securities and other personal property become driven out of its jurisdiction, industry cannot meet its less burdened competitors, and no capital will be found for enlarging old or starting new enterprises. Such a condition means first stagnation, then decay and dissolution. There is before us a danger that our resources may be taxed out of existence and our prosperity destroyed.?

(Hmmmmmm?.economic and common sense. A one man package much wiser than Obama, Reid, Pelosi and that wicked CBO tart all rolled into one.)

Or this, from 1926, where Cal argues against anything like Obamacare:

??we must also recognize that the national administration is not and cannot be adjusted to the needs of local government. It is too far away to be informed of local needs, too inaccessible to be responsive to local needs.?

Finally, Sobel makes the case for keepcoolwithcoolidge?s position below:

?Coolidge was the last president who believed in a passive executive branch in times of peace and prosperity.?

I guess he wasn?t out looking for?or creating?a useful crisis. That would be un-American.

Ntrepid
Proud Redstate Member since April 2006??

* All quotes from the first chapter of Sobel?s book.

Ntrepid
Proud Redstate Member since April 2006??

Ntrepid
Proud Redstate Member since April 2006??

However, I do believe that, if it’s like her book The Forgotten Man, Amity Shlaes upcoming biography of Coolidge should definitely be worth a view. http://www.amazon.com/Coolidge-Amity-Shlaes/dp/0061967556/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1332436966&sr=8-7

Robert Sobel’s Coolidge might also be worth a look: http://www.amazon.com/Coolidge-Robert-Sobel/product-reviews/0895262479/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#R17FX60EQUHJUX

“Puritan in Babylon” is also worth a look: http://www.amazon.com/Puritan-Babylon-Story-Calvin-Coolidge/dp/1931541523 (also available for download for free here http://www.archive.org/details/puritaninbabylon011493mbp )

Or his autobiography here: http://www.archive.org/details/autobiographyofc011710mbp (can also be found on Amazon)

I will say this: I am no specialist on Coolidge or the historiography on him, so these are based upon other people’s recommendations that seemed reasonable.

Hope those help, though.

p.s. – I would be interested in recommendations on books to read to educate myself on Coolidge – history and philosophy.

People back then had somewhat different views of life: to be sure, the Socialists were out there, and their psychology of envy has not changed. But they were rightly not seen as mainstream, and as even dangerous.

Now we have Socialism Chic!

We will see how skewed Americans’ eyes are as the numbers behind crypto-Socialism lead us into economic collapse. Mass psychology can be brutal at such times.