Amity Shlaes

He was fascinated with insurance because he saw the actuarial potential of insurance. You could build an annuity for every American because by the math, the pool is large enough, right? If every American signs up for some kind of annuity, which would be the equivalent of Social Security, and pays in, well, there'll be enough money for everyone's annuity.

He was fascinated with insurance because he saw the actuarial potential of insurance. You could build an annuity for every American because by the math, the pool is large enough, right? If every American signs up for some kind of annuity, which would be the equivalent of Social Security, and pays in, well, there'll be enough money for everyone's annuity.

He gave speeches about insurance for this reason, because he saw Social Security coming. He said the man who takes an insurance policy makes the uncertain less uncertain. So he thought a lot about helping people to deal with the great challenges of life, old age, poverty. But he had more traditional solutions. And our history books tend to joke about this.

He gave speeches about insurance for this reason, because he saw Social Security coming. He said the man who takes an insurance policy makes the uncertain less uncertain. So he thought a lot about helping people to deal with the great challenges of life, old age, poverty. But he had more traditional solutions. And our history books tend to joke about this.

He gave speeches about insurance for this reason, because he saw Social Security coming. He said the man who takes an insurance policy makes the uncertain less uncertain. So he thought a lot about helping people to deal with the great challenges of life, old age, poverty. But he had more traditional solutions. And our history books tend to joke about this.

Oh, before Social Security, the 1930s program, there was nothing. There was not nothing. Tocqueville's America, the America of the 20s even, was just a thick net of little programs.

Oh, before Social Security, the 1930s program, there was nothing. There was not nothing. Tocqueville's America, the America of the 20s even, was just a thick net of little programs.

Oh, before Social Security, the 1930s program, there was nothing. There was not nothing. Tocqueville's America, the America of the 20s even, was just a thick net of little programs.

Sometimes, you know, the Italian Men's Burial Society or sometimes through the church, sometimes through the town, the town charity hospital that were doing a not perfect, but a not dismissible job at providing social services. So you could debate with a straight face. that having an economy strong enough to support yet more local charity was the answer for even industrialized cities.

Sometimes, you know, the Italian Men's Burial Society or sometimes through the church, sometimes through the town, the town charity hospital that were doing a not perfect, but a not dismissible job at providing social services. So you could debate with a straight face. that having an economy strong enough to support yet more local charity was the answer for even industrialized cities.

Sometimes, you know, the Italian Men's Burial Society or sometimes through the church, sometimes through the town, the town charity hospital that were doing a not perfect, but a not dismissible job at providing social services. So you could debate with a straight face. that having an economy strong enough to support yet more local charity was the answer for even industrialized cities.

We don't have that conversation anymore, but it wasn't a joke in the 20s.

We don't have that conversation anymore, but it wasn't a joke in the 20s.

We don't have that conversation anymore, but it wasn't a joke in the 20s.

The interpretation is that he had good instincts. He probably did because he understood that there were business cycles. He'd seen, I think, more than five crashes in his adulthood. And he knew that in a crash, it would be hard to stand up for less government, wouldn't it? But that, I don't believe, was the main motive. There's also a school that says, well, he was sick. He was sick.

The interpretation is that he had good instincts. He probably did because he understood that there were business cycles. He'd seen, I think, more than five crashes in his adulthood. And he knew that in a crash, it would be hard to stand up for less government, wouldn't it? But that, I don't believe, was the main motive. There's also a school that says, well, he was sick. He was sick.

The interpretation is that he had good instincts. He probably did because he understood that there were business cycles. He'd seen, I think, more than five crashes in his adulthood. And he knew that in a crash, it would be hard to stand up for less government, wouldn't it? But that, I don't believe, was the main motive. There's also a school that says, well, he was sick. He was sick.

He kind of had what we would call a version of emphysema. But the main motive, I believe, was restraint. In my book and in our Coolidge movie we have, we talk about Rushmore because he happened to go to Mount Rushmore in the summer of 27. That is the year before he would have run There was Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, the Nietzschean, the monumentalist, building these giant busts of presidents.

He kind of had what we would call a version of emphysema. But the main motive, I believe, was restraint. In my book and in our Coolidge movie we have, we talk about Rushmore because he happened to go to Mount Rushmore in the summer of 27. That is the year before he would have run There was Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, the Nietzschean, the monumentalist, building these giant busts of presidents.

He kind of had what we would call a version of emphysema. But the main motive, I believe, was restraint. In my book and in our Coolidge movie we have, we talk about Rushmore because he happened to go to Mount Rushmore in the summer of 27. That is the year before he would have run There was Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, the Nietzschean, the monumentalist, building these giant busts of presidents.