The next time a Texan walks into the White House, he or she should not have to depend on the services of staff whose loyalty lies elsewhere. Staff of questionable loyalty and competence is what you get when you don't know your staff, what you get when you accept the staff of a previous President.
The next Texan in the White House should not depend upon minions of the New York City oligarchy for advice. The New York City bankers have ruined the American economy, heck, they've damaged the world economy. The Council on Foreign Relations, which is run by the New York bankers, has done nothing to stem the decline in American prestige. The next Texan to enter the Oval Office should not depend upon the Council on Foreign Relations for staff or advice. The next Texan in the White House should not have to depend on Harvard economists on the Council of Economic Advisers, he or she should have competent economists educated in Texas. It is Harvard educated economists who helped ruin the world economy.
We need a Texas Diplomacy Project to provide the next Texan entering the White House with trustworthy and competent advisers in foreign affairs. In all human endeavors there is a strategic facet and a tactical facet. Underlying strategy is intent. I say our intent should be greatness.
Consider England. Queen Elizabeth I reigned from 1533 to 1603. At Elizabeth’s death in 1603 the population of England would reach 5 million. The DFW metroplex has a population of 6.1 million, making us the number 4 metroplex in America. England was a nation, playing on the international stage, defending itself against the Spanish Armada. Shakespeare wrote during Elizabeth's reign. DFW has a population equaling all of England during Elizabeth's time, but we actually have more resources today than they had back then. DFW alone could be another England.
Now consider Queen Victoria who reigned from 1798 to 1901. In 1851 the population of England was 21 million, but Queen Victoria as head of the British Empire ruled over 410 million people, one quarter of the world's population. The population of Texas today is estimated at 24 million, more than England under Queen Victoria.
Dallas-Fort Worth can and should be a player on the world stage for the sake of America's prosperity. Texas can and should be a player on the international stage for the sake of America's liberty. But we should not do it all by ourselves. We need to ally ourselves with all the states in the American heartland. Texas and DFW need to practice diplomacy at the regional, national, and international levels.
Our intent will be greatness for the good of all Americans. Our strategy should be to practice diplomacy to the legal limits of our state government. Our strategy should include developing think tanks on Economics and Foreign Affairs. Our strategy should be to develop relations with people, institutions, city, state and national governments throughout the heartland of America and around the world. This will be the Texas Diplomacy Project.
Texans will not bow to the will of the money lords of the East Coast. Texans will stand tall and bow to no one.
Robert Canright
Remember TLR = the Texas Leadership Revolution
Friday, December 26, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
TBAR: The Texas Banking and Finance Project
I mentioned in an earlier post, "Texas, a New Financial Center," that Texas needs to become a world center for banking and finance. An article in the Tuesday, December 23, 2008 Wall Street Journal, "Two Cities Lose 'Hometown Banks' Today," by Dan Fitzpatrick, describes how towns lose major banks when those banks are purchased by another bank and the headquarters are moved.
Two important lessons from this article:
(1) If we are going to develop a world class bank in Texas, then we need to structure the ownership carefully so our bank is not hijacked by another bank through a hostile takeover.
(2) There is not a city in Texas on the top 10 list. Clearly, this is unacceptable. DFW is the number 5 metroplex in America and we do not have banks to rival Birmingham, Alabama.
Here are the top ten cities for banking in America:
1. New York
2. Charlotte, N.C.
3. San Fransisco
4. Pittsburgh
5. Boston
6. Minneapolis
7. Atlanta
8. McLean, Va.
9. Birmingham, Ala.
10. Winston-Salem, N.C.
We are obviously on the wrong track when it comes to banking. The Texas Banking and Finance Project will make Texas a powerhouse in banking and bring prosperity to Texas.
Robert Canright
Here are other articles that are part of the Texas Banking and Finance Project
Texas, a New Financial Center Saturday, December 6, 2008
Texas, China, and a New Currency, Part 1 Sunday, April 12, 2009
Texas, China, & a New Currency, Part 2 Sunday, April 19, 2009
Texas, China, & a New Currency, Part 3 Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Amherst Holdings and the Texas Banking Project Saturday, July 25, 2009
A Philosophy of Banking Friday, December 23, 2011
Financial Thinking and Bitcoin Valuation September 4, 2017
Two important lessons from this article:
(1) If we are going to develop a world class bank in Texas, then we need to structure the ownership carefully so our bank is not hijacked by another bank through a hostile takeover.
(2) There is not a city in Texas on the top 10 list. Clearly, this is unacceptable. DFW is the number 5 metroplex in America and we do not have banks to rival Birmingham, Alabama.
Here are the top ten cities for banking in America:
1. New York
2. Charlotte, N.C.
3. San Fransisco
4. Pittsburgh
5. Boston
6. Minneapolis
7. Atlanta
8. McLean, Va.
9. Birmingham, Ala.
10. Winston-Salem, N.C.
We are obviously on the wrong track when it comes to banking. The Texas Banking and Finance Project will make Texas a powerhouse in banking and bring prosperity to Texas.
Robert Canright
Here are other articles that are part of the Texas Banking and Finance Project
Texas, a New Financial Center Saturday, December 6, 2008
Texas, China, and a New Currency, Part 1 Sunday, April 12, 2009
Texas, China, & a New Currency, Part 2 Sunday, April 19, 2009
Texas, China, & a New Currency, Part 3 Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Amherst Holdings and the Texas Banking Project Saturday, July 25, 2009
A Philosophy of Banking Friday, December 23, 2011
Financial Thinking and Bitcoin Valuation September 4, 2017
Sunday, December 21, 2008
TLR: Integrity and Competence, the Cornerstone and Keystone
Integrity and competence will the the cornerstone and keystone of the Texas Leadership Revolution (TLR). I mentioned this concept back on December 6th and on October 5th.
Integrity is the cornerstone of a good life, a good person, a good society. A cornerstone is a reference point for the rest of the building and sometimes conveys symbolism for the intent of the building. If you misplace the cornerstone, the entire structure is misaligned. If you do not build an organization upon a foundation of integrity, that organization will never be right and cannot do any good. This is why so many Wall Street organizations today are failing, because they lack integrity.
Competence is the keystone of a good life, a good person, a good society. A keystone is considered a crucial element of a structure, whose removal would cause the structure to collapse. Certainly a keystone is the apex of an arch. If we remove competence from a society, that society descends into chaos and despair. On December 20, 2008, CNN reports some residents of New Hampshire have been without power for 8 days in freezing weather. The people have become desperate, pounding at the doors of the power company, running power company trucks off the road in order to try and force workers to restore power to their homes. This is the kind of staggering incompetence we used to see only behind the Iron Curtain, in South America, and in Africa. This means parts of America are slipping into the 3rd world, where government cannot provide the basic necessities of life.
We need to restore America to greatness and prosperity. We need to start here in Texas, we need to start now, and we need to start upon a foundation of integrity. Then we need to rise to the apex of competence, accumulating wealth, power and influence along the way.
As the lights go out in the Northeast, we need to be a shining light of hope for the rest of the country. We need to restore prosperity to America, and the sooner we start the sooner we can stop this slide into the 3rd world and restore America as a great country.
Robert Canright
Integrity is the cornerstone of a good life, a good person, a good society. A cornerstone is a reference point for the rest of the building and sometimes conveys symbolism for the intent of the building. If you misplace the cornerstone, the entire structure is misaligned. If you do not build an organization upon a foundation of integrity, that organization will never be right and cannot do any good. This is why so many Wall Street organizations today are failing, because they lack integrity.
Competence is the keystone of a good life, a good person, a good society. A keystone is considered a crucial element of a structure, whose removal would cause the structure to collapse. Certainly a keystone is the apex of an arch. If we remove competence from a society, that society descends into chaos and despair. On December 20, 2008, CNN reports some residents of New Hampshire have been without power for 8 days in freezing weather. The people have become desperate, pounding at the doors of the power company, running power company trucks off the road in order to try and force workers to restore power to their homes. This is the kind of staggering incompetence we used to see only behind the Iron Curtain, in South America, and in Africa. This means parts of America are slipping into the 3rd world, where government cannot provide the basic necessities of life.
We need to restore America to greatness and prosperity. We need to start here in Texas, we need to start now, and we need to start upon a foundation of integrity. Then we need to rise to the apex of competence, accumulating wealth, power and influence along the way.
As the lights go out in the Northeast, we need to be a shining light of hope for the rest of the country. We need to restore prosperity to America, and the sooner we start the sooner we can stop this slide into the 3rd world and restore America as a great country.
Robert Canright
Sunday, December 14, 2008
TBAR: The Texas Publishing Project
The publishing industry shapes public opinion. If Texas is going to provide a counterweight to power of New York City, then publishing has to be a part of the Texas Ascendancy Project. It fits within the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance (TBAR).
It is important to all the people of America, it is important to all the people of the world that America has some force that can counteract the inept bundling of the power brokers of New York City and the Northeast. Their bungling has rocked banks around the world and badly damaged the American economy.
As I have mentioned earlier in talking about Timberwolf Press, it is important that Texans support Texas publishers. That has not been happening.
Now is a good time to focus on publishing. The publishing industry is reeling from the new economy and wondering how to survive, as described in the following three (3) paragraphs.
(1) In the Sunday July 30, 2008 Dallas Morning News, in the Points section, a pertinent article appeared: "Age of the Disposable Book" by Jonathan Karp. The same article appears in the online edition of the DMN as "The Problem with the Publishing Industry" with a Tuesday July 22 date. He likens meeting sales goals to a game of blackjack. He says industry sales projections are fundamentally based on blind hope.
(2) In the Sunday November 30, 2008 New York Times, James Gleick's Op-Ed piece, "How to Publish Without Perishing," discusses the pressure writers and publishers feel from electronic publishing.
(3) The Sunday December 14, 2008 New York Times Book Review printed "Bail Out the Writers," an essay by Paul Greenberg where he expressed despair at the increased competition in getting published.
The New York publishing industry is feeling its power slipping away. We need to make a grab for it. Everything that is driving New York publishers nuts, we need to embrace. They are trying to figure out how to survive and flourish as technology changes the publishing industry. That means it is up for grabs.
Both James Gleick and Jonathan Karp believe quality writing will be a part of winning plan. I am a believer in quality products, so I think Texas needs to embrace quality writing. We can support a Texas publishing industry by buying quality products and spending time reading.
Teaching good writing needs to be a priority in the education of our children. We need to care about our children's writing skills. We parents put a lot of effort and tutoring time into math, but not, I think, into writing. Furthermore, good scores on TAKS and SAT writing tests are not a convincing indication of good writing skills. Frankly, most adults have poor writing skills, so it is difficult for most parents to help their children improve their writing. I believe Texas needs a cottage industry for tutoring writing skills, and adults should partake of opportunities to improve their writing skills.
The internet can be an important part of the Texas Publishing Project. Internet publishing can minimize publishing costs. It can permit small online magazines to flourish, but they cannot flourish if they are not read. A couple of examples here in Texas are the Emerson Institute for Freedom and Culture and the blogs for Interdisciplinary World and the Emerson Institute. If you know of other good websites and blogs done by Texas, let share them in a comment.
Let us all keep alert to opportunities to support good writing in Texas and the growth of a Texas Publishing industry.
Robert Canright
If you have not read an earlier post, TBAR and the Texas Journalism Project, check it out!
Response to Comment by Dr. Troy Camplin:
Dr. Camplin, I think the Emerson Institute for Freedom and Culture looks like a good fit for a literary journal in which citizens could enter into free public discussion in the manner discussed by the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas in his work, "Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Investigation of a Category of Bourgeois Society." Corporate mass media has destroyed rational discourse in America. Non-profits will have to bring back public discourse so we can resume the great dialog that is democracy.
It is important to all the people of America, it is important to all the people of the world that America has some force that can counteract the inept bundling of the power brokers of New York City and the Northeast. Their bungling has rocked banks around the world and badly damaged the American economy.
As I have mentioned earlier in talking about Timberwolf Press, it is important that Texans support Texas publishers. That has not been happening.
Now is a good time to focus on publishing. The publishing industry is reeling from the new economy and wondering how to survive, as described in the following three (3) paragraphs.
(1) In the Sunday July 30, 2008 Dallas Morning News, in the Points section, a pertinent article appeared: "Age of the Disposable Book" by Jonathan Karp. The same article appears in the online edition of the DMN as "The Problem with the Publishing Industry" with a Tuesday July 22 date. He likens meeting sales goals to a game of blackjack. He says industry sales projections are fundamentally based on blind hope.
(2) In the Sunday November 30, 2008 New York Times, James Gleick's Op-Ed piece, "How to Publish Without Perishing," discusses the pressure writers and publishers feel from electronic publishing.
(3) The Sunday December 14, 2008 New York Times Book Review printed "Bail Out the Writers," an essay by Paul Greenberg where he expressed despair at the increased competition in getting published.
The New York publishing industry is feeling its power slipping away. We need to make a grab for it. Everything that is driving New York publishers nuts, we need to embrace. They are trying to figure out how to survive and flourish as technology changes the publishing industry. That means it is up for grabs.
Both James Gleick and Jonathan Karp believe quality writing will be a part of winning plan. I am a believer in quality products, so I think Texas needs to embrace quality writing. We can support a Texas publishing industry by buying quality products and spending time reading.
Teaching good writing needs to be a priority in the education of our children. We need to care about our children's writing skills. We parents put a lot of effort and tutoring time into math, but not, I think, into writing. Furthermore, good scores on TAKS and SAT writing tests are not a convincing indication of good writing skills. Frankly, most adults have poor writing skills, so it is difficult for most parents to help their children improve their writing. I believe Texas needs a cottage industry for tutoring writing skills, and adults should partake of opportunities to improve their writing skills.
The internet can be an important part of the Texas Publishing Project. Internet publishing can minimize publishing costs. It can permit small online magazines to flourish, but they cannot flourish if they are not read. A couple of examples here in Texas are the Emerson Institute for Freedom and Culture and the blogs for Interdisciplinary World and the Emerson Institute. If you know of other good websites and blogs done by Texas, let share them in a comment.
Let us all keep alert to opportunities to support good writing in Texas and the growth of a Texas Publishing industry.
Robert Canright
If you have not read an earlier post, TBAR and the Texas Journalism Project, check it out!
Response to Comment by Dr. Troy Camplin:
Dr. Camplin, I think the Emerson Institute for Freedom and Culture looks like a good fit for a literary journal in which citizens could enter into free public discussion in the manner discussed by the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas in his work, "Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Investigation of a Category of Bourgeois Society." Corporate mass media has destroyed rational discourse in America. Non-profits will have to bring back public discourse so we can resume the great dialog that is democracy.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
TLR: More on the Texas Democracy Project
The Texas Democracy Project can organize voters at the grass roots level to discuss issues, meet like-minded people, and to get out and vote. We have political parties, but we have small voter turn-out when we are not voting for President.
Independent political clubs, focused on voter education instead of voter manipulation, and focused on getting as much voter participation as possible, will strengthen our democracy.
American newspapers are misrepresenting political events in America. Only by blogging, emailing, and making personal contact can voters learn what is really happening in America. Our American newspapers and TV news are like the Communist's Pravda. The Russian people found ways to communicate news amongst themselves, and so can we.
Independent political clubs can become important hubs for sharing information. Some of the Ron Paul groups are like this in their sharing of information. If we are going to continue as a free people, we need to organize for our self-preservation. It is great that some people participate in Republican clubs or Democratic clubs, but independent voters do not organize and they should.
Everybody in America needs to care about our Republic, or our Republic and our liberties will disappear.
Robert Canright
TLR = the Texas Leadership Revolution
Independent political clubs, focused on voter education instead of voter manipulation, and focused on getting as much voter participation as possible, will strengthen our democracy.
American newspapers are misrepresenting political events in America. Only by blogging, emailing, and making personal contact can voters learn what is really happening in America. Our American newspapers and TV news are like the Communist's Pravda. The Russian people found ways to communicate news amongst themselves, and so can we.
Independent political clubs can become important hubs for sharing information. Some of the Ron Paul groups are like this in their sharing of information. If we are going to continue as a free people, we need to organize for our self-preservation. It is great that some people participate in Republican clubs or Democratic clubs, but independent voters do not organize and they should.
Everybody in America needs to care about our Republic, or our Republic and our liberties will disappear.
Robert Canright
TLR = the Texas Leadership Revolution
Sunday, December 7, 2008
TBAR: What Can I Do?
I've been asked by email what we can do with the Texas Ascendancy Project. Let's think long term. Let's start with the Texas Banking and Finance Project. You and I are not billionaires or millionaires, so it will have to be our children who make this happen. The keys are education and expectation. Our children need to expect to accomplish great things and we need to educate them towards this end.
Here's an example of how I work with my son. After I blogged about the Texas Banking and Finance Project, I showed my 5th grade boy some info about the Rothschild banking family. I pointed out that the founder of the banking empire was born in a ghetto, became a successful banker, and reared his boys to become successful bankers, teaching them a formula for long term success for their banks. I pointed out to my son that for hundreds of years, Canrights have been teachers, preachers, missionaries, doctors, scientists, mathematicians, and engineers, but some were businessmen and at least one was a banker. Now he understands families have long lasting traditions. Next, I showed him that the author Mary Higgins Clark has brought her daughter Carol Higgins Clark into the writing business. We can start a business and teach it to our children.
Next, I talked to my son about "back of the envelope" calculations.
The Saturday December 6, 2008 issue of the Wall Street Journal had, on the first page of section B, Personal Finance, a photo of an envelope with simple calculations. Here's what the back-of-the-envelope calculations showed:
Citigroup , June 5, 2008
price per share = $20.60
tangible book value per share = $9.36
ratio of price/tangible book value = 2.20
on December 5, 2008
price per share = $7.71
tangible book value per share = $8.05
ratio of price/tangible book value = 0.96
Then I explained to him that the ratio being less than one meant the entire bank was priced at less than value of its pieces, so you could buy the bank, split it into pieces, sell all the pieces, and make a profit. Or keep it and know the bank can be fixed to make it worth ten times its purchase price.
I explained to my son that he has many options in life, that I will do the best I can to educate him to take advantage of his options. His choices are his to make, but he should not be afraid to aim high.
We have to educate our children, so let's educate them for greatness. We can use the Texas Ascendancy Project as an aid, a road map, in educating our children and explaining their options.
I can hear someone already saying, "Why bother, nothing you do makes a difference." Well, you and I might not make a big difference now, but even a small change in direction now can make a big difference further down the road.
There is a great line spoken by Gandolf in "The Two Towers." When Merry and Pippin show up with the Ents, Gandolf says, "The coming of Merry and Pippin is like the dropping of small stones that start an avalanche." Be patient and take heart. The steady application of a good plan will make a difference over time.
Robert Canright
The WSJ article mentioned was, "Heebner the Contrarian" by Diya Guillapalli.
Here's an example of how I work with my son. After I blogged about the Texas Banking and Finance Project, I showed my 5th grade boy some info about the Rothschild banking family. I pointed out that the founder of the banking empire was born in a ghetto, became a successful banker, and reared his boys to become successful bankers, teaching them a formula for long term success for their banks. I pointed out to my son that for hundreds of years, Canrights have been teachers, preachers, missionaries, doctors, scientists, mathematicians, and engineers, but some were businessmen and at least one was a banker. Now he understands families have long lasting traditions. Next, I showed him that the author Mary Higgins Clark has brought her daughter Carol Higgins Clark into the writing business. We can start a business and teach it to our children.
Next, I talked to my son about "back of the envelope" calculations.
The Saturday December 6, 2008 issue of the Wall Street Journal had, on the first page of section B, Personal Finance, a photo of an envelope with simple calculations. Here's what the back-of-the-envelope calculations showed:
Citigroup , June 5, 2008
price per share = $20.60
tangible book value per share = $9.36
ratio of price/tangible book value = 2.20
on December 5, 2008
price per share = $7.71
tangible book value per share = $8.05
ratio of price/tangible book value = 0.96
Then I explained to him that the ratio being less than one meant the entire bank was priced at less than value of its pieces, so you could buy the bank, split it into pieces, sell all the pieces, and make a profit. Or keep it and know the bank can be fixed to make it worth ten times its purchase price.
I explained to my son that he has many options in life, that I will do the best I can to educate him to take advantage of his options. His choices are his to make, but he should not be afraid to aim high.
We have to educate our children, so let's educate them for greatness. We can use the Texas Ascendancy Project as an aid, a road map, in educating our children and explaining their options.
I can hear someone already saying, "Why bother, nothing you do makes a difference." Well, you and I might not make a big difference now, but even a small change in direction now can make a big difference further down the road.
There is a great line spoken by Gandolf in "The Two Towers." When Merry and Pippin show up with the Ents, Gandolf says, "The coming of Merry and Pippin is like the dropping of small stones that start an avalanche." Be patient and take heart. The steady application of a good plan will make a difference over time.
Robert Canright
The WSJ article mentioned was, "Heebner the Contrarian" by Diya Guillapalli.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
TBAR: Texas, a New Financial Center
In October 2008 America has gotten a taste of the financial damage New York financiers have inflicted upon other countries. America needs another financial center to rival New York city and provide a counter-balance to its reckless market manipulation.
The Medici family controlled Florence using the power of the Medici Bank. The Medici's were too corrupt and incompetent to maintain their power. For 200 years the Rothschild's have been successful bankers. I have not seen reports that the Rothschild bank has been burned with Credit Default Swaps or Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs). To the contrary, reports say the Rothschild banks are doing very well now. The founder of the family fortune, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, is famous for saying, "Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws." This could be interpreted a couple of different ways, but nevertheless shows bankers do think about lawmakers.
The incompetence of New York bankers has threatened the world economy. For the good of the nation and the world, Texas needs to develop a financial center to rival New York. But we need to be careful about misusing that power to meddle in politics like the Medicis. We need to study the Rothschilds and learn from them how to establish a lasting banking and financial empire.
This is a perfect time to start investment banks in Texas, now that the investment banks in New York are reeling from their failures. We will call the plan to turn Texas into a world center of banking and finance the "Texas Banking and Finance Project".
Integrity and competence need to be the watch-words of the Texas banking industry. Integrity is a key ingredient for lasting success.
Robert Canright
TBAR = the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance
The Medici family controlled Florence using the power of the Medici Bank. The Medici's were too corrupt and incompetent to maintain their power. For 200 years the Rothschild's have been successful bankers. I have not seen reports that the Rothschild bank has been burned with Credit Default Swaps or Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs). To the contrary, reports say the Rothschild banks are doing very well now. The founder of the family fortune, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, is famous for saying, "Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws." This could be interpreted a couple of different ways, but nevertheless shows bankers do think about lawmakers.
The incompetence of New York bankers has threatened the world economy. For the good of the nation and the world, Texas needs to develop a financial center to rival New York. But we need to be careful about misusing that power to meddle in politics like the Medicis. We need to study the Rothschilds and learn from them how to establish a lasting banking and financial empire.
This is a perfect time to start investment banks in Texas, now that the investment banks in New York are reeling from their failures. We will call the plan to turn Texas into a world center of banking and finance the "Texas Banking and Finance Project".
Integrity and competence need to be the watch-words of the Texas banking industry. Integrity is a key ingredient for lasting success.
Robert Canright
TBAR = the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
TLR and the Speech Writing Project
The Presidency Project, Part of the Texas Leadership Revolution (TLR)
We need to prepare our children as though any one of them might become President of the USA. The challenges facing America are increasingly difficult. Texans have occupied the White House in the past and faced great challenges: Vietnam, the 1st Gulf War, then the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The next Texan in the White House might face unimaginably difficult problems, so this Texan should be a person of integrity and vision, a person well grounded in history, economics, and finance. The next Texan in the White House might make fateful decisions that will make or break America. We need to send our best to the White House.
We also need to prepare our children to support a Texan running for the White House. There are many components to that web of support. One component is speech writing.
The Speech Writing Project
Presidential candidates rely on a number of highly qualified speech writers. Every important aspect of a presidential campaign must be prepared and nurtured. The rhetoric and oration of a U.S. President are vital to shaping the public vision and will. Publius Cornelius Tacitus (56 – 117 A.D.) was a Roman Senator, Consul, Governor, and historian. He wrote “A Dialogue Concerning Oratory,” emphasizing the importance of eloquent oratory to stir the public. Presidential oratory can be studied, as evidenced by the following books:
1. Woodrow Wilson and the Lost World of the Oratorical Statesman by Robert Kraig
2. The Rhetorical Presidency by Jeffrey Tulis
3. On Deaf Ears by George C. Edwards III
4. The Sound of Leadership by Roderick P. Hart
5. The Moral Rhetoric of American Presidents by Colleen J. Shogan
The universities and the public schools can promote presidential rhetoric and oratory. The public schools could include study of presidential speeches in speech, debate, and English composition. English Language Arts in Texas public schools needs to move from TAKS tests to competent teaching of rhetoric. The books by Robert Kraig and Colleen Shogan listed above were published by Texas A&M Press and Roderick Hart is with the University of Texas, Austin. These are good examples of how our universities can support the Speech Writing Project.
America needs Texas to provide a counter-weight to the power and influence of Wall Street. America needs Texas to provide competent, honorable leadership to restore our prosperity and preserve our liberty. All Texans need to consider where in the Texas Ascendancy Campaign they can best contribute. There will be many projects; there will be many opportunities where Texans can contribute to the Ascendancy of Texas.
Robert Canright
We need to prepare our children as though any one of them might become President of the USA. The challenges facing America are increasingly difficult. Texans have occupied the White House in the past and faced great challenges: Vietnam, the 1st Gulf War, then the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The next Texan in the White House might face unimaginably difficult problems, so this Texan should be a person of integrity and vision, a person well grounded in history, economics, and finance. The next Texan in the White House might make fateful decisions that will make or break America. We need to send our best to the White House.
We also need to prepare our children to support a Texan running for the White House. There are many components to that web of support. One component is speech writing.
The Speech Writing Project
Presidential candidates rely on a number of highly qualified speech writers. Every important aspect of a presidential campaign must be prepared and nurtured. The rhetoric and oration of a U.S. President are vital to shaping the public vision and will. Publius Cornelius Tacitus (56 – 117 A.D.) was a Roman Senator, Consul, Governor, and historian. He wrote “A Dialogue Concerning Oratory,” emphasizing the importance of eloquent oratory to stir the public. Presidential oratory can be studied, as evidenced by the following books:
1. Woodrow Wilson and the Lost World of the Oratorical Statesman by Robert Kraig
2. The Rhetorical Presidency by Jeffrey Tulis
3. On Deaf Ears by George C. Edwards III
4. The Sound of Leadership by Roderick P. Hart
5. The Moral Rhetoric of American Presidents by Colleen J. Shogan
The universities and the public schools can promote presidential rhetoric and oratory. The public schools could include study of presidential speeches in speech, debate, and English composition. English Language Arts in Texas public schools needs to move from TAKS tests to competent teaching of rhetoric. The books by Robert Kraig and Colleen Shogan listed above were published by Texas A&M Press and Roderick Hart is with the University of Texas, Austin. These are good examples of how our universities can support the Speech Writing Project.
America needs Texas to provide a counter-weight to the power and influence of Wall Street. America needs Texas to provide competent, honorable leadership to restore our prosperity and preserve our liberty. All Texans need to consider where in the Texas Ascendancy Campaign they can best contribute. There will be many projects; there will be many opportunities where Texans can contribute to the Ascendancy of Texas.
Robert Canright
Monday, December 1, 2008
TLR and the Texas Democracy Project
The Texas Leadership Revolution (TLR) needs to be grounded in democracy. For the state of Texas to advance on the world stage, we need broad participation in order to make the best use of all the talent in Texas.
Small towns in Texas, like Plano, are run by oligarchies and are functionally undemocratic because the vast amount of its citizens do not vote. When the citizens do not vote, they signal they do not care what happens. The State Legislature is butchering education in Texas because the citizens of Texas do not vote. The welfare of Texas depends upon the health of the democratic process in Texas.
The Texas Democracy Project, a part of the Texas Leadership Revolution, will seek greater voter turnout and promote better information for the electorate. The major media has shown itself to be manipulative and dishonest, which undermines the democratic process. Hence, there is a connection between the Texas Journalism Project and the Texas Democracy Project.
We need a grass roots movement to restore democracy to Texas.
Robert Canright
Small towns in Texas, like Plano, are run by oligarchies and are functionally undemocratic because the vast amount of its citizens do not vote. When the citizens do not vote, they signal they do not care what happens. The State Legislature is butchering education in Texas because the citizens of Texas do not vote. The welfare of Texas depends upon the health of the democratic process in Texas.
The Texas Democracy Project, a part of the Texas Leadership Revolution, will seek greater voter turnout and promote better information for the electorate. The major media has shown itself to be manipulative and dishonest, which undermines the democratic process. Hence, there is a connection between the Texas Journalism Project and the Texas Democracy Project.
We need a grass roots movement to restore democracy to Texas.
Robert Canright
Thursday, November 27, 2008
TBAR and the Texas Journalism Project
Texas needs world class journalism. Eventually we need a news outlet rivaling the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. It is possible to begin this project without spending billions of dollars. Using the internet for publishing will minimize cost. People are having trouble making money presenting news on the internet. Perhaps the key is to run a non-profit news organization, like ProPublica (http://www.propublica.org/). A profitable new organization will have to be privately held to maintain integrity. When a news organization is publicly traded, it will be purchased and silenced. So if it becomes influential, the corrupting influences in America will buy the publicly traded news organization and turn it into a propaganda organ.
Keep an eye on ProPublica. It started slowly, but it is maturing and improving. You can recommend an alternative media outlet in a comment. I am looking at Break the Matrix (http://www.breakthematrix.com/), but I have not yet formed an opinion on it.
Another thought to consider for creating a new journalistic enterprise is to model it after the Open Source Software movement: highly skilled, trained, and motivated individuals contributing their efforts for free. With a sufficiently educated population, it will be possible to have many competent, informed, amateur journalists contributing work. Some organization is needed to pull together the content, but this is possible.
The Texas Journalism Project could be a topic of study and experimentation at journalism schools in Texas. We have strong journalism programs in Texas. The Mayborn Graduate School of Journalism at the University of North Texas, in Denton, is very active. They have a student produced magazine, Cover, they have a separate Mayborn magazine, and an excellent annual conference, The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writers Conference of the Southwest. The DFW metroplex is lucky to have a program like the Mayborn.
American democracy needs good journalism, but good journalism is disappearing as big business buys the media, silences investigative reporting, and promotes corporate propaganda. For Texas to achieve greatness, it needs great journalism.
Robert Canright
remember: TBAR is the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance
Other articles that are part of the Texas Journalism Project
Dallas Morning News and Texas Publishing Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Is the Press Our Enemy? Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Keep an eye on ProPublica. It started slowly, but it is maturing and improving. You can recommend an alternative media outlet in a comment. I am looking at Break the Matrix (http://www.breakthematrix.com/), but I have not yet formed an opinion on it.
Another thought to consider for creating a new journalistic enterprise is to model it after the Open Source Software movement: highly skilled, trained, and motivated individuals contributing their efforts for free. With a sufficiently educated population, it will be possible to have many competent, informed, amateur journalists contributing work. Some organization is needed to pull together the content, but this is possible.
The Texas Journalism Project could be a topic of study and experimentation at journalism schools in Texas. We have strong journalism programs in Texas. The Mayborn Graduate School of Journalism at the University of North Texas, in Denton, is very active. They have a student produced magazine, Cover, they have a separate Mayborn magazine, and an excellent annual conference, The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writers Conference of the Southwest. The DFW metroplex is lucky to have a program like the Mayborn.
American democracy needs good journalism, but good journalism is disappearing as big business buys the media, silences investigative reporting, and promotes corporate propaganda. For Texas to achieve greatness, it needs great journalism.
Robert Canright
remember: TBAR is the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance
Other articles that are part of the Texas Journalism Project
Dallas Morning News and Texas Publishing Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Is the Press Our Enemy? Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Texas Needs More Tier 1 Universities
I've mentioned before that New York City has several Tier One Universities. Let's compare universities:
Just New York City:
Columbia University: Reading SAT 660-760 Math SAT 670-780
Barnard College: Reading SAT 640-740 Math SAT 620-700
Cooper Union: Reading SAT 610-700 Math SAT 640-770
The whole state of Texas:
Texas A&M: Reading SAT 520-630 Math SAT 560-670
University of Texas, Austin: Reading SAT 540-670 Math SAT 570-700
Rice University: Reading SAT 640-750 Math SAT 670-780
So it takes the entire state of Texas to match just New York City for universities. This article from the Star-Telegram, "Public universities in North Texas should work together on Tier 1 status," by Mike Norman, says New York State has 7 Tier One universities and California has 9 Tier One universities to our 3 Tier One Universities.
US Census numbers (2006) say New York State had (2006) 19,306,183 people, California had 36,457,549 and Texas had 23,507,783, an number between California and New York State. So Texas should have 8 Tier One universities, not just 3.
Dallas / Fort Worth
We need a Tier One university in the DFW Metroplex, probably two or three. The DFW University Project plans to make this happen.
If our children are to have a future, we must wrestle control of America away from the incompetents in New York City and Wall Street. Developing our universities must be a part of the program.
U.T. Dallas: Reading SAT 540-670 Math SAT 580-690
U.T. Dallas compares well with U.T. Austin
U.T. Arlington and the University of North Texas do not compare as well to U.T. Austin.
The DFW metroplex needs to improve the quality of its schools for U.T. Arlington and U.N.T. to improve their SAT scores.
Eventually, it would be nice if all 3 became Tier One universities.
They should all move in that direction. It appears as though U.T.D. is moving in that direction.
Tier One Universities & Parents
When you listen to the university presidents speak about becoming a tier one university, you will hear them discuss research and budgets. But if you ask parents to discuss a First Tier university, they will pull out their copy of America's Best Colleges, published by U.S. News and World Report.
There you will find Columbia ranked 6th in the nation, U.T. Austin ranked 47th, and Texas A&M ranked 64th in the nation. The list lumps the top 130 universities into one list that represents 1st tier and 2nd tier universities, without drawing the line between them. Next come buckets called 3rd tier and 4th tier. U.T. Dallas and Texas Tech are both in the 3rd tier bucket even though the SAT scores of U.T. Dallas are much higher than at Texas Tech.
We can say then that U.T. Dallas has a student body comparable to 1st tier schools in Texas, but the 1st tier public universities in Texas still lag the 1st tier private universities in New York City.
Tier One Universities & Culture
A university's ranking in the U.S. News and World Report college lists is influenced by the reputation of the university. The historic and cultural contributions of a university and its graduates affect the reputation of the university.
The students at U.T. Dallas are just as accomplished as the students at U.T. Austin, so why does U.T. Austin have a better reputation? How can U.T. Dallas improve its reputation? If we doubled the budget at U.T. Dallas overnight, it's reputation would not double overnight, so what will it take to improve the reputation of U.T. Dallas? That will have to be the topic of another blog entry.
Robert Canright
PS: Here is what the President of UTD has to say about Tier One Universities.
Here is a podcast on Tier One Universities, it is the Think Program on KERA radio, hosted by Krys Boyd (October 29, 2008).
Just New York City:
Columbia University: Reading SAT 660-760 Math SAT 670-780
Barnard College: Reading SAT 640-740 Math SAT 620-700
Cooper Union: Reading SAT 610-700 Math SAT 640-770
The whole state of Texas:
Texas A&M: Reading SAT 520-630 Math SAT 560-670
University of Texas, Austin: Reading SAT 540-670 Math SAT 570-700
Rice University: Reading SAT 640-750 Math SAT 670-780
So it takes the entire state of Texas to match just New York City for universities. This article from the Star-Telegram, "Public universities in North Texas should work together on Tier 1 status," by Mike Norman, says New York State has 7 Tier One universities and California has 9 Tier One universities to our 3 Tier One Universities.
US Census numbers (2006) say New York State had (2006) 19,306,183 people, California had 36,457,549 and Texas had 23,507,783, an number between California and New York State. So Texas should have 8 Tier One universities, not just 3.
Dallas / Fort Worth
We need a Tier One university in the DFW Metroplex, probably two or three. The DFW University Project plans to make this happen.
If our children are to have a future, we must wrestle control of America away from the incompetents in New York City and Wall Street. Developing our universities must be a part of the program.
U.T. Dallas: Reading SAT 540-670 Math SAT 580-690
U.T. Dallas compares well with U.T. Austin
U.T. Arlington and the University of North Texas do not compare as well to U.T. Austin.
The DFW metroplex needs to improve the quality of its schools for U.T. Arlington and U.N.T. to improve their SAT scores.
Eventually, it would be nice if all 3 became Tier One universities.
They should all move in that direction. It appears as though U.T.D. is moving in that direction.
Tier One Universities & Parents
When you listen to the university presidents speak about becoming a tier one university, you will hear them discuss research and budgets. But if you ask parents to discuss a First Tier university, they will pull out their copy of America's Best Colleges, published by U.S. News and World Report.
There you will find Columbia ranked 6th in the nation, U.T. Austin ranked 47th, and Texas A&M ranked 64th in the nation. The list lumps the top 130 universities into one list that represents 1st tier and 2nd tier universities, without drawing the line between them. Next come buckets called 3rd tier and 4th tier. U.T. Dallas and Texas Tech are both in the 3rd tier bucket even though the SAT scores of U.T. Dallas are much higher than at Texas Tech.
We can say then that U.T. Dallas has a student body comparable to 1st tier schools in Texas, but the 1st tier public universities in Texas still lag the 1st tier private universities in New York City.
Tier One Universities & Culture
A university's ranking in the U.S. News and World Report college lists is influenced by the reputation of the university. The historic and cultural contributions of a university and its graduates affect the reputation of the university.
The students at U.T. Dallas are just as accomplished as the students at U.T. Austin, so why does U.T. Austin have a better reputation? How can U.T. Dallas improve its reputation? If we doubled the budget at U.T. Dallas overnight, it's reputation would not double overnight, so what will it take to improve the reputation of U.T. Dallas? That will have to be the topic of another blog entry.
Robert Canright
PS: Here is what the President of UTD has to say about Tier One Universities.
Here is a podcast on Tier One Universities, it is the Think Program on KERA radio, hosted by Krys Boyd (October 29, 2008).
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture & the NYT OpEd Page
If we started today it would be difficult to match the culture in New York City within fifty years. It is, beyond doubt, the premier city in America, yet the incompetence and corruption of its oligarchs are a threat to the liberty of all Americans and the prosperity of the entire world. The economic tremors from Wall Street during September 2008 have rocked financial markets around the world, and the subsequent looting of the U.S. Treasury by Wall Street will burden our children and grandchildren.
Intellectual insight is one area we can begin competing in now. The Op-Ed pages of the New York Times (NYT) and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) are zombies, the living dead. Unfortunately, the Op-Ed pages of the Dallas Morning News (DMN) are stone dead. We need an independent magazine providing intelligent, thoughtful commentary and cultural analysis in contrast to the mindless, repetitive, and blatant propaganda crowding the Op-Ed pages of the NYT, WSJ, and DMN.
A cultural magazine published in Texas could be done online to save money. The Mayborn is an example of an online magazine produced in Texas. The Mayborn publishes narrative non-fiction as its mission, not social analysis, not cultural critique. No one in Texas does. Google "Texas" with combinations of "social/cultural" and "commentary/critique", for example: Texas social commentary. Try these searches and you will find nothing. And when we do get a source of cultural critique in Texas, it needs to have an online presence that turns up in a Google search. The Emerson Institute for Freedom and Culture has an online magazine and it might eventually include social commentary. It is worth watching.
Seeing the need for cultural commentary in Texas, I was pleased and excited to discover the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture was sponsoring a Festival of Ideas. Then I was disappointed to learn David Brooks and Nicholas Kristof, Op-Ed writers from the NYT were featured speakers. I had hoped the sponsors of the Festival of Ideas were presenting thinking people from Texas. Brooks and Kristof are trite. Their bios sound impressive, Brooks is articulate and Kristof probably is too, but their work is worthless. They are minions of the oligarchs, paid to promote the corporate program.
Texans cannot be kowtowing to New York Times Op-Ed writers. This is exactly how to fail in developing culture in Dallas. The first step to compete against New York City is to free ourselves from this servile grovelling before employees of the New York Times.
It is great that the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture exits and that it is sponsoring a Festival of Ideas. I hope they have better luck next year in promoting culture in Texas, instead of fawning over New Yorkers.
Robert Canright
Intellectual insight is one area we can begin competing in now. The Op-Ed pages of the New York Times (NYT) and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) are zombies, the living dead. Unfortunately, the Op-Ed pages of the Dallas Morning News (DMN) are stone dead. We need an independent magazine providing intelligent, thoughtful commentary and cultural analysis in contrast to the mindless, repetitive, and blatant propaganda crowding the Op-Ed pages of the NYT, WSJ, and DMN.
A cultural magazine published in Texas could be done online to save money. The Mayborn is an example of an online magazine produced in Texas. The Mayborn publishes narrative non-fiction as its mission, not social analysis, not cultural critique. No one in Texas does. Google "Texas" with combinations of "social/cultural" and "commentary/critique", for example: Texas social commentary. Try these searches and you will find nothing. And when we do get a source of cultural critique in Texas, it needs to have an online presence that turns up in a Google search. The Emerson Institute for Freedom and Culture has an online magazine and it might eventually include social commentary. It is worth watching.
Seeing the need for cultural commentary in Texas, I was pleased and excited to discover the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture was sponsoring a Festival of Ideas. Then I was disappointed to learn David Brooks and Nicholas Kristof, Op-Ed writers from the NYT were featured speakers. I had hoped the sponsors of the Festival of Ideas were presenting thinking people from Texas. Brooks and Kristof are trite. Their bios sound impressive, Brooks is articulate and Kristof probably is too, but their work is worthless. They are minions of the oligarchs, paid to promote the corporate program.
Texans cannot be kowtowing to New York Times Op-Ed writers. This is exactly how to fail in developing culture in Dallas. The first step to compete against New York City is to free ourselves from this servile grovelling before employees of the New York Times.
It is great that the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture exits and that it is sponsoring a Festival of Ideas. I hope they have better luck next year in promoting culture in Texas, instead of fawning over New Yorkers.
Robert Canright
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Texas, New York, and Universities
Compare the financial devastation Wall Street has visited upon America in September, 2008, and the entire world for that matter, to the financial damage Al-Qaeda visited upon America on 9/11/01. There is no comparison: New York has hurt America's finances far more than Al-Qaeda.
If Texas is to free America from the New York City oligarchy, we need a city in Texas that can compete with New York City. We do not have one, so we need to start working on this.
The DFW Metroplex is a good candidate to compete with New York City. Universities are an important part of a city's culture and intellectual infrastructure. New York City has Columbia University, the New School (formerly the New School for Social Research), City College of New York, Barnard College, Cooper Union, and others. There is also the Julliard School.
We have some good colleges in DFW, but even the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M fail to compare with Columbia University.
The University of Chicago (founded 1891) is higher ranked than UT Austin (founded 1883). DFW needs a university on par with Columbia University and the University of Chicago. UT is older than the University of Chicago, so we could have developed UT into a better university, but we failed to do so.
Texas needs to lift the standards for UT Austin, Texas A&M, and develop a first tier university in DFW. U.T. Dallas is probably the best candidate to become a DFW tier one university and the effort to uplift U.T. Dallas could be called the DFW University Project.
The oligarchy in New York City is out of control; it is a threat to the liberty and prosperity of all Americans. Texas must wrestle political and financial power away from the New York oligarchy for the good of the nation. Improving our universities is an important part of this effort, and developing a first tier university in DFW has to be a part of the plan.
Robert Canright
If Texas is to free America from the New York City oligarchy, we need a city in Texas that can compete with New York City. We do not have one, so we need to start working on this.
The DFW Metroplex is a good candidate to compete with New York City. Universities are an important part of a city's culture and intellectual infrastructure. New York City has Columbia University, the New School (formerly the New School for Social Research), City College of New York, Barnard College, Cooper Union, and others. There is also the Julliard School.
We have some good colleges in DFW, but even the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M fail to compare with Columbia University.
The University of Chicago (founded 1891) is higher ranked than UT Austin (founded 1883). DFW needs a university on par with Columbia University and the University of Chicago. UT is older than the University of Chicago, so we could have developed UT into a better university, but we failed to do so.
Texas needs to lift the standards for UT Austin, Texas A&M, and develop a first tier university in DFW. U.T. Dallas is probably the best candidate to become a DFW tier one university and the effort to uplift U.T. Dallas could be called the DFW University Project.
The oligarchy in New York City is out of control; it is a threat to the liberty and prosperity of all Americans. Texas must wrestle political and financial power away from the New York oligarchy for the good of the nation. Improving our universities is an important part of this effort, and developing a first tier university in DFW has to be a part of the plan.
Robert Canright
Saturday, October 25, 2008
TLR: History and Leadership, the History Project
The DVD set for the John Adams mini-series contained a story about the author, David McCullough: "Painting with Words."
At one point he said he has often been asked what event in history he wished he could have witnessed personally. McCullough said that when Ralph Waldo Emerson graduated from Harvard, he visited President John Adams in the last year of his life, 1825.
Emerson recorded President John Adams saying this:
"I would to God there were more ambition in the country. By that I mean ambition of the laudable kind, to excel."
I believe this describes the ambition expressed in the Texas Ascendancy Campaign, the ambition expressed when I urge Plano so send one of its own to the White House, the ambition to strive for greatness for the sake of America and the sake of all Americans.
The History Project
In his farewell address to the nation, Ronald Reagan said, "... freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs protection. So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion but what's important..."
The history of our American Revolution, the history of great nations and great men, and the history of freedom must warm the blood and light the way for the ambitious leadership that will carry us to prosperity in this next century.
We must do a better job of teaching history in our schools, history based not on what's in fashion, but what's important.
Robert Canright
Remember, TLR = the Texas Leadership Revolution
At one point he said he has often been asked what event in history he wished he could have witnessed personally. McCullough said that when Ralph Waldo Emerson graduated from Harvard, he visited President John Adams in the last year of his life, 1825.
Emerson recorded President John Adams saying this:
"I would to God there were more ambition in the country. By that I mean ambition of the laudable kind, to excel."
I believe this describes the ambition expressed in the Texas Ascendancy Campaign, the ambition expressed when I urge Plano so send one of its own to the White House, the ambition to strive for greatness for the sake of America and the sake of all Americans.
The History Project
In his farewell address to the nation, Ronald Reagan said, "... freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs protection. So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion but what's important..."
The history of our American Revolution, the history of great nations and great men, and the history of freedom must warm the blood and light the way for the ambitious leadership that will carry us to prosperity in this next century.
We must do a better job of teaching history in our schools, history based not on what's in fashion, but what's important.
Robert Canright
Remember, TLR = the Texas Leadership Revolution
Sunday, October 5, 2008
America Needs Texas Ascendant
The government bailout of Wall Street on October 4, 2008, shows that Wall Street rules America. That Wall Street needed a bailout and numerous New York investment banks failed proves Wall Street is an incompetent master. (Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley reorganized as bank holding companies.)
America needs Texas ascendant. For the good of the nation, Texas must take control of America away from Wall Street.
Since the founding of our American republic, when Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury and also the founder of the Bank of New York, New York bankers have had a dangerous amount of power. Alexander Hamilton also founded the New York Post newspaper, establishing the money men as the controllers of America's news from the first days of our republic.
New York money men have ruled, or tried to rule, America since its inception. Today they clearly run Washington even though a Texan sits in the Oval Office (this is October 2008).
It is time for a true Texan to be President. The next Texan to go to the White House cannot be a servant of New York money.
If money rules America, then we in Texas must replace New York as the financial center of America. Now that investment banks in New York are failing, it is an excellent time to start investment banks in Texas. There is a lot of unemployed expertise waiting to be picked up.
How can Texas do better in banking than New York? Honor, that is how. Cicero said that nothing dishonorable can be beneficial. The New York bankers spun a web of deception that has rocked the financial world. We in Texas must put honesty and honor first. We must lift high the standards of business in Texas so the entire world expects Texas businessmen to be the most trustworthy and reliable bankers on earth.
Competency and honor will lead to lasting success. Look at how dishonesty in New York destroyed very old financial firms. Lehman Brothers was over 100 years old when it went bankrupt. There is a natural law in politics that our founding fathers believed in. There is also a natural law in economics. Wall Street has proven that a day of retribution will eventually come to those who violate the natural laws of economics.
There are many good church people in Texas. There are many good people in Texas who are not Christians. But the good people of Texas must no longer accept Machiavellians like Lee Atwater because evil deeds always come back. Texas cannot have honest business and at the same time corrupt politics. If we want to set standards for honesty in business, we must also set standards for decency and honesty in our politics.
America needs Texas leadership, but America needs the best we have to offer. To be our best we must be honorable.
Robert Canright
America needs Texas ascendant. For the good of the nation, Texas must take control of America away from Wall Street.
Since the founding of our American republic, when Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury and also the founder of the Bank of New York, New York bankers have had a dangerous amount of power. Alexander Hamilton also founded the New York Post newspaper, establishing the money men as the controllers of America's news from the first days of our republic.
New York money men have ruled, or tried to rule, America since its inception. Today they clearly run Washington even though a Texan sits in the Oval Office (this is October 2008).
It is time for a true Texan to be President. The next Texan to go to the White House cannot be a servant of New York money.
If money rules America, then we in Texas must replace New York as the financial center of America. Now that investment banks in New York are failing, it is an excellent time to start investment banks in Texas. There is a lot of unemployed expertise waiting to be picked up.
How can Texas do better in banking than New York? Honor, that is how. Cicero said that nothing dishonorable can be beneficial. The New York bankers spun a web of deception that has rocked the financial world. We in Texas must put honesty and honor first. We must lift high the standards of business in Texas so the entire world expects Texas businessmen to be the most trustworthy and reliable bankers on earth.
Competency and honor will lead to lasting success. Look at how dishonesty in New York destroyed very old financial firms. Lehman Brothers was over 100 years old when it went bankrupt. There is a natural law in politics that our founding fathers believed in. There is also a natural law in economics. Wall Street has proven that a day of retribution will eventually come to those who violate the natural laws of economics.
There are many good church people in Texas. There are many good people in Texas who are not Christians. But the good people of Texas must no longer accept Machiavellians like Lee Atwater because evil deeds always come back. Texas cannot have honest business and at the same time corrupt politics. If we want to set standards for honesty in business, we must also set standards for decency and honesty in our politics.
America needs Texas leadership, but America needs the best we have to offer. To be our best we must be honorable.
Robert Canright
Saturday, September 13, 2008
TLR and the Arts
If you view this diagram of the Texas Ascendancy Project you will see a connection between the Texas Leadership Revolution (TLR) and the Arts. The arts do reflect the feelings of a society and leadership needs to take seriously the messages from the artists.
Rod Dreher echoed this thought in his Sunday August 31, 2008 column, "GOP Slouches Toward St. Paul". He quoted Dr. Claes Ryn saying:
"The problem [for conservatives], simply put, was lack of sophistication – an inability to understand what most deeply shapes the outlook and conduct of human beings. Persons move according to their innermost beliefs, hopes and fears. These are affected much less by politicians than by philosophers, novelists, religious visionaries, moviemakers, playwrights, composers, painters and the like...."
Here's another quote: "'Conservatives really don't understand that culture trumps politics,' screenwriter and novelist Andrew Klavan told me recently."
Rod Dreher makes good points when he says later:
"...the chief task before conservatives is not to fight the Democratic Party or prop up the Republican Party. It's nothing less than to recover what it means to be fully human in a postmodern world that denies human nature and the transcendent order underlying our affairs. We must lift our eyes higher than the horizons of the next election and build the institutions and customs that will create an enduring culture based on truth and beauty and virtue...."
I question the fairness of Rod Dreher giving post-modernism a gratuitous slap in the face.
But Dreher is right when he says we need to embrace culture and the virtues of truth and beauty. This is exactly why I wrote my book, developed the Winding Spring Process of Education, and started the Texas Ascendancy Project.
The Texas Ascendancy Campaign believes the connection between leadership and the arts is important. I'm happy to see Rod Dreher also seeing this connection.
Dreher wrote about recovering, "what it means to be fully human," and we can do that by studying the classics.
Robert Canright
Rod Dreher echoed this thought in his Sunday August 31, 2008 column, "GOP Slouches Toward St. Paul". He quoted Dr. Claes Ryn saying:
"The problem [for conservatives], simply put, was lack of sophistication – an inability to understand what most deeply shapes the outlook and conduct of human beings. Persons move according to their innermost beliefs, hopes and fears. These are affected much less by politicians than by philosophers, novelists, religious visionaries, moviemakers, playwrights, composers, painters and the like...."
Here's another quote: "'Conservatives really don't understand that culture trumps politics,' screenwriter and novelist Andrew Klavan told me recently."
Rod Dreher makes good points when he says later:
"...the chief task before conservatives is not to fight the Democratic Party or prop up the Republican Party. It's nothing less than to recover what it means to be fully human in a postmodern world that denies human nature and the transcendent order underlying our affairs. We must lift our eyes higher than the horizons of the next election and build the institutions and customs that will create an enduring culture based on truth and beauty and virtue...."
I question the fairness of Rod Dreher giving post-modernism a gratuitous slap in the face.
But Dreher is right when he says we need to embrace culture and the virtues of truth and beauty. This is exactly why I wrote my book, developed the Winding Spring Process of Education, and started the Texas Ascendancy Project.
The Texas Ascendancy Campaign believes the connection between leadership and the arts is important. I'm happy to see Rod Dreher also seeing this connection.
Dreher wrote about recovering, "what it means to be fully human," and we can do that by studying the classics.
Robert Canright
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Introduction to Texas Ascendant
The Texas Ascendancy Campaign is a vision for a greater Texas. Improvements to education in Texas are leading to improvements in business and the arts. The Texas Ascendancy Campaign is described in the Texas Ascendant web page, which includes a link to a diagram describing the parts of the project.
TBAR: the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance
The Texas Business and Arts Renaissance (TBAR) Project highlights the synergistic interaction between business and the arts. TBAR was a topic in the Education for the 21st Century blog, but this topic is so important that it has moved to this new Texas Ascendant blog.
Previous blog entries dealing with TBAR are:
May 24, 2008: TBAR: the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance
June 2, 2008, TBAR and Summer Festivals
June 14, 2008, TBAR, Virtual Reality, the Arts, and the Public Schools
July 3, 2008, TBAR, Venture Capital and Economic Growth
July 9, 2008, TBAR, Rooster Teeth in Austin
TLR: the Texas Leadership Revolution
The Texas Leadership Revolution Project encourages advancements in leadership driven by improvements in moral education and improved content in teaching history. The 12th Man Writ Large project is an example of a TLR project.
A previous blog entry dealing with TLR is:
August 8, 2008, TLR: the Texas Leadership Revolution
The Greatest State
Please continue reading here for ideas on how we can work to make Texas the greatest state in the union, undisputed. Please leave comments!
Robert Canright
TBAR: the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance
The Texas Business and Arts Renaissance (TBAR) Project highlights the synergistic interaction between business and the arts. TBAR was a topic in the Education for the 21st Century blog, but this topic is so important that it has moved to this new Texas Ascendant blog.
Previous blog entries dealing with TBAR are:
May 24, 2008: TBAR: the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance
June 2, 2008, TBAR and Summer Festivals
June 14, 2008, TBAR, Virtual Reality, the Arts, and the Public Schools
July 3, 2008, TBAR, Venture Capital and Economic Growth
July 9, 2008, TBAR, Rooster Teeth in Austin
TLR: the Texas Leadership Revolution
The Texas Leadership Revolution Project encourages advancements in leadership driven by improvements in moral education and improved content in teaching history. The 12th Man Writ Large project is an example of a TLR project.
A previous blog entry dealing with TLR is:
August 8, 2008, TLR: the Texas Leadership Revolution
The Greatest State
Please continue reading here for ideas on how we can work to make Texas the greatest state in the union, undisputed. Please leave comments!
Robert Canright
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