Jamie now onto our speaker today. A former Senate Speech writer Alan Pell Crawford has reviewed books on u. S. History, politics and culture for the wall street journal since 1993. Alan has been a resident scholar at George Washingtons mount vernon. My previous employment, the International Center for jefferson studies at monticello and the boston and the name. He is the author of several books, including unwise passion, true story of a remarkable woman and the first great scandal of 18th century america. Twilight at monticello, and most recently, what we are all here today to learn about his wonderful, entertaining new book how not to get rich the financial misadventures of mark twain. Please join me in welcoming alan crawford. [applause] alan thank you, jamie. We are all familiar with the story of how mark twains death was greatly exaggerated. [laughter] alan there were two times in which this took place. The first one, the one we are all familiar with, was in 1897 in london. The sec
I was publisher of the wall street journal. I spent quite some time overseeing the Digital Businesses of the journal. I consider myself, in fact, maybe the oldest possible digital native. I oversaw businesses that were based on what we then called electronic publishing even before the internet in the 1990s, so i lived in a time before the internet, before Technology Policy was aimed at encouraging innovation back in the 80s and 9s 90s and before government was heavily involved in regulating communications telephones, other technologies. The internet was different in the 1990s. It was liberating, it was permissionless, it was very little government regulation. Were all beneficiaries of that, and my column tries to identify areas where we may be black siding backsliding or where we may be suppressing innovation or not making the most of this extraordinary opportunity. Host well, youve written that washington is a disaster for innovation disaster area for innovation. Why do you write that
Be deciders of their fate. And im curious about a comment that was made that the European Union is better for the usa, quote end quote. My question is why . What can you share with us that would help convince me that it is in americas best interest to have a European Union as opposed to not having one in as much as our relationship with europe was good in both contexts . I think i said lets all take a swing at it. The eu whatever its current problems may be, is a Major Economic block in the world and Major Trading partner. Is that good or bad for us if they have collectively xr more strength . A prosperous european economy and european growing is one that american businesses can send and sell more products to and investors can make money investing in europe. Do you have data that shows europe was growing slowing before the eu as opposed to after the eu . In the 1990s in grew quite well as did we. He has had it happened problems since 2008, we recovered more quickly than europe has. Thi
Decades or more and the policy has failed. We ought to try Something Else not just continue applying that same model to new substances. Thats just me. Mr. Wooldridge. In talking about alcohol in the period of alcohol prohibition, bootleg dhol was adulterated with methyl alcohol and other compounds and drinkers were blinded and people were paralyzed and there was a term called jake leg which was a kind of paralysis in which people were perm nentsly injured from their use of alcohol and that, of course, we know is the function of prohibition and not of the legal control. Are these drugs harmful . The evidence is of people who present themselves to the police and so on yes, these seem to be quite harmful. They are harmful as a consequence of the market distortions that Law Enforcement creates for the drugs that people want to get and there was an article in the New York Times magazine this sunday, i didnt want to use these drugs, but theyre easier to get and theyre being represented as be
What is more important to you, the art or the politics . Molly i think the art at this point. Artists are really defiant by nature dont you think . Brian how would you define your politics . Molly im a leftist. Brian what does that mean for you . Molly what does being a leftist mean for me . I think i have a rather oldfashioned definition. I believe in the individual. I believe in their inalienable rights, however, i also come from a more leftist economic perspective. I believe the best way to ensure those sort of inalienable rights is a social democracy. Perhaps even more socialistic. You know . Brian where did it all start . I know it says on wikipedia that your mother was jewish and your father was puerto rican. Molly is. They are both fortunately alive. Brian your mother, you say she is an illustrator. Molly she was an illustrator of childrens books and toys. In the era that she was working, toy packaging was very artistic. Everything had these beautiful handdone illustrations. She