SharonAnn
SharonAnn's JournalJust finished "The Fifth Risk" by Michael Lewis. Great book. Well written and very, very interesting
Highly readable, as are all his books. Covers some of the buried functions that our government performs and how important they are. Based on real profiles of and interviews with people who work in these functions. I couldnt put it down until I finished it.
Its really, really interesting and I learned a lot. Didnt want it to end.
What would you name as the top 5 risks?
Lewis asks this question to former government employees from the departments of Energy, Agriculture, and Commerce about their agencies.
The former chief risk officer at Energy answers: 1) a broken arrow (a lost or damaged nuclear missile/bomb), 2 and 3) North Korea and Iranian nuclear aggression, 4) the vulnerability of the electrical grid.
It is the 5th risk that Lewis focuses on, and it where the books title comes from. That risk is bad project management.
Most of what the government does, as Lewis points out, only makes the news when things go very badly. The real work of government involves dealing with enormously complex challenges that cant be managed by the market.
I'm reading Andrew McCabe's book, "The Threat". It's excellent, informative, and very readable.
I highly recommend it. Much more readable than I expected and also much more informative.
I checked out the e-book from my local library.
Conservative Pundit S.E. Cupp Quits The NRA, Makes Powerful Plea For Gun Control
Conservative commentator S.E. Cupp, a longtime NRA advocate once featured as an NRA Mom in an ad campaign, said she has quit the organization in an emotional call for stronger gun control laws.
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Cupp specifically called for universal background checks, gun violence restraining orders, raising the minimum age for gun purchases to 21, banning 100-round drums, fixing the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and mental health programs in schools.
And she said some people, including domestic abusers and those who make violent threats, should never have access to a gun of any kind, period.
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https://www.huffpost.com/entry/s-e-cupp-quits-nra-gun-control_n_5d50c0dae4b0fd2733f23c00?fbclid=IwAR3Hu8PIndqueeXEhjKA13wLy3OTvnZSZ-Tk2ieJR_s_w5KQDvMtwPhGOUI
New light on Koch brothers efforts to abolish the Energy Department
A scheme to abolish the Department of Energy (DOE) helped spur a failed 1980 Libertarian Party presidential bid and in the process laid the groundwork for Charles and David Kochs powerful network of influence as documents from a newly published archive show.
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That election also handed the Kochs their first political setback, driving them to rethink their approach to libertarian ideas, The New York Times reported in 2014. Instead of replacing the Republican Party, they have helped to profoundly reshape it.
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This is a battle that [Charles and David] fought and lost 40 years ago, Graves added, and yet its still a battle that is animating the Republican Party candidates that Koch has backed.
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https://truthout.org/articles/documents-shine-new-light-on-koch-brothers-efforts-to-abolish-energy-department/
Profile Information
Name: SharonGender: Female
Hometown: Iowa
Home country: USA
Current location: East Tennessee
Member since: Tue Jul 8, 2003, 09:54 AM
Number of posts: 13,772