As family and friends gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, The Far Middle episode 131 examines the numerous reasons Americans have to be thankful.

Before delving into the episode’s connections, Nick offers a fitting sports dedication this Thanksgiving eve: the wild NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins from Thanksgiving Day back in 1993.

This episode’s discussion follows a recent evening Nick spent in Philadelphia, assessing America’s opportunities and challenges with a group of businesspeople and thought leaders. Nick explains the opportunity stemmed from an invitation to discuss his advocacy efforts, including The Far Middle, his book Precipice, and more broadly the state of doers in America today.

“Value creators have much to be thankful for today in America, in places like Pennsylvania, and in cities like Philadelphia,” says Nick. “But there’s also a lot to be concerned about when one looks to the future and contemplates troubles, trends, and developments.”

Stressing the importance of America’s middle class, Nick calls it “the lifeblood of so much of free enterprise and capitalism and the American dream and the western republican democracy way… the middle class is something to be thankful for today and also something to be worried about.”

Nick goes on to address other topics of that recent Philadelphia conversation, including: the forgotten man and woman—a motivator for all; the definition of Liberal versus Leftist; his essay on whether America needs a third party; and, the concept of “institutionalizing.”

As the connections conclude, Nick summarizes the many reasons Americans have to be optimistic and thankful, juxtaposed to related reasons for concern and worry.

And in a somber closing, Nick goes back 60 years ago today, November 22, to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Nick recounts growing up and adults saying how they would never forget where they were on November 22, 1963. “That feeling would unfortunately be experienced by the next generation when September 11th rolled around in 2001,” says Nick. “Then we ended up knowing what it felt like. Let’s hope our kids don’t get to experience the same thing.”

Wishing all the constant listeners health and happiness this Thanksgiving!

The Far Middle episode 130 begins by going back 77 years ago today, to November 15, 1946, when Ted Williams earned his first American League MVP award, which he would earn again in 1949. “Teddy Ballgame” serves as this episode’s sports dedication.

Nick looks back at the awesomeness that was Ted Williams, from the Hall of Famer’s accomplishments on the diamond (nineteen-time All-Star, two-time Triple Crown, the last to hit .400 in a season, the list continues) to his military service off the field during World War II and the Korean War. Nick notes that he’s the only Hall of Famer to have served in two wars. To put it simply, Ted Williams was, “The greatest hitter that ever played the game, a true individual in every sense of the word, and one of the greatest Americans,” says Nick.

Williams made hitting a science. Indeed, he wrote a book on it, The Science of Hitting. In true Far Middle fashion, science then continues as a recurring theme across this episode’s connections.

Those connections begin with a bit of political science and geopolitics in terms of what people in prominent positions often say or backtrack from once said, highlighting JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon’s comments regarding communism (and indirectly China) as one recent example.

On the topic of China, Nick calls out Climate Czar John Kerry for doing everything in his unelected power to destroy domestic energy and manufacturing jobs, while helping bolster the Chinese workforce in the “interest of tackling climate change.”

The episode’s lineup delivers back-to-back-to-back hits on topics ranging from America and the West’s policies on climate and energy, and the resulting heavy price being paid by the developed and developing world; to, examining science as a philosophy that challenges consensus, versus science as an institution driven by ideology.

And with college basketball season having tipped off, Nick heads to Durham, NC, to close out the episode. Nick discusses Duke and Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game as an example of how much of the dysfunction discussed in this installment’s connections is rooted in academia.

“Do you think our rivals in China are focusing on the same things that our supposed best and brightest at Duke are focused on,” asks Nick; concluding that instead of treating American academia as the authority on all things policy and science-related, we should rather be demanding academia’s reform.

Notes from the Far Middle: The great Ted Williams was born on August 30, 1918, and was considered for dedication this past August 30^th for the release of episode 119. However, legendary Boston Celtics Coach and Executive “Red” Auerbach earned the episode’s honors. As Far Middle connections are a constant, Coach K turned down an opportunity to join the Celtics (and Auerbach) as coach in 1990. He’d go on to win five NCAA Championships, second only in all-time wins to UCLA Coach John Wooden’s ten-championship tally, whose greatness was recognized in episode 121.

The Far Middle episode 129 is dedicated to boxing great Billy Conn, better known as “The Pittsburgh Kid.” Nick delves into Conn’s career which spanned the 1930s and 1940s—a time when boxing rivaled baseball as America’s most popular sport.

Nick highlights Conn’s bouts and relationship with Joe Lewis, in particular their legendary match from June 18, 1941, when Conn attempted to become the first World Light Heavyweight Champion to win the World Heavyweight Championship. For more on Conn, Nick recommends the Sports Illustrated article, “The Boxer and the Blonde.”

The outcome of a boxing match is decided either by knockout or by the judges. “Scoring by judges is often subjective,” says Nick. “But you always have the eye test and objective data to compare to the official decision in both boxing and in life.” From there the episode’s connections begin—linked under the theme of the real-world scoreboard and commonsense eye test, versus the manufactured optics of the elite and expert classes.

Nick highlights several examples revealing how the divide between reality and manufactured optics sits in plain sight for all to see.

The state of America’s cities begins the conversation, a topic regularly addressed by Nick and at length in Precipice. “Our cities are sick, and the decisions urban leadership are making on behalf of urban America is making us sicker,” says Nick, highlighting San Francisco’s new central subway, Pawtucket’s under-construction professional soccer stadium, and Chicago’s structural deficit.

Ultimately, poor decisions from urban leaders and their ensuing costs will result in taxpayers footing the bill.

Next, Nick turns to global energy and climate policy. “The expert judges assured us that if we pour trillions of dollars into the energy transition, carbon use and carbon dioxide emissions would plummet, saving the globe.” However, despite all the unprecedented energy transition spending, carbon emissions tick up with rising energy consumption, but so too does GDP growth, longer life expectancies, and quality of life.

“Based on the scorecard, ask yourself what passes the eye and the smell test,” says Nick. “Are climate change and global warming the biggest threats to the U.S. economy, or do they pale in comparison to things like China, nuclear proliferation, technology running amok, banking failures, and so on. It’s the elite optics versus real-world scoring constant listeners.”

Like Conn and Lewis, the punches continue as Nick examines: the causes resulting in the cost of food and food inflation both domestically and across the globe; attitudes towards the state of America’s economy, and whether things are great (manufactured optics) or do we have a fiscal crisis (reality); experts’ geopolitical missteps on Russia and Ukraine; and, a CIA whistleblower alleging the agency rigged a report on the origins of COVID-19 to clear China’s name.

In closing, Nick wishes a happy birthday to the late Milton Bradley and foreshadows a top-ten list of his favorite board games (and includes a few likely to make the list).

The Far Middle episode 128 premieres on November 1, 2023, coinciding with the anniversary of Chuck Cooper’s NBA debut. Cooper, a Pittsburgh native and this installment’s sports dedication has several connections to both Nick and prior Far Middle conversations. And if you’re saying, who is Chuck Cooper, then most certainly give this episode a listen.

Moving from Chuck Cooper breaking down barriers, Nick calls out the following quote from Thomas Sowell: “Freedom is not simply the right of intellectuals to circulate their merchandise. It is, above all, the right of ordinary people to find elbow room for themselves and a refuge from the rampaging presumptions of their ‘betters.’”

Nick explains that Sowell is speaking of the power and benefits associated with capitalism, free markets, and the individual reigning supreme. “Despite the overwhelming data over centuries that prove the superiority of capitalism, the Left continues to make concerning inroads across societies and economies rolling back all that hard-earned progress in the process,” says Nick. “Today the popular trend is toward omnipotent government.”

The theme of omnipotent government then permeates the episode’s topics. Nick notes the term is the title of a great book by economist Ludwig von Mises, which you can read more about in Nick’s essay, “Heed the Historical Rhyming of Ludwig von Mises’ Omnipotent Government.” And for further reading, see Precipice, and specifically chapter two on “The Deep State.”

Nick goes on to examine a host of recent developments illustrating the expanding and intrusive presence of government today, touching on: banking sector regulations, the administrative state’s growth, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget Circulars, President Biden’s regulatory actions and their cumulative costs, the cost to operate and maintain vacant federal government buildings, and more.

In closing, Nick offers a birthday shout-out to someone who in many ways represented omnipotent government and then ended up paying a heavy price for it when arrogance got the best of her. This individual also ties back to episode 81  Who is that individual? Press play and find out!

The Far Middle episode 127 is all about heading in the wrong direction. In this installment’s sports dedication, Nick connects the episode’s release date of October 25 to Jim Marshall of the Minnesota Viking’s infamous wrong-way score back on October 25, 1964. “The play epitomized life and the imperfections of human beings even more than it epitomized football in competitive sport,” says Nick.

While Marshall’s gaffe 59 years ago today is one of the NFL’s most famous screw-up plays, Nick argues Marshall’s body of football accomplishments most certainly earns him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Incidentally, Marshall was a key piece of the Vikings Purple People Eaters defense, which ranks among Nick’s ten greatest NFL defenses of the Super Bowl era.

From Marshall, Nick connects to public figures lecturing on how individuals should live their lives and act, while at the same time those same figures’ behavior and lifestyles differ from what they preach. Nick’s case study is Jane Fonda.

“This is not a hit piece on Jane Fonda,” says Nick. “But the discussion is designed to expose the utter inconsistency between what she advocates for and what she does, because the stakes are high for society and each of us.”

Nick proceeds to expand upon his recently authored essay on Fonda, “Jane Says ‘End Fossil Fuels Now’…But Jane’s Addiction Is to Fossil Fuels.”

In his examination of Fonda, Nick discusses a serendipitous moment earlier this year between seeing she’d be speaking in Pittsburgh, while at the same time coming across a lifestyle interview she gave to the Wall Street Journal. Nick then provides an assessment of how her political action committee’s goals, her environmental views and rhetoric run counter to her daily routine and personal behavior. “When one considers the carbon footprint and fossil fuel inputs that come with a day in the life of Jane Fonda, I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news for the Code Red crowd,” says Nick.

As the conversation concludes, Nick dedicates the episode to all those who served in Vietnam, reflecting, “Vietnam vets are getting up there in years these days, and we need to honor them while some of them are still around to enjoy the respect that they so deserved and were so wrongfully denied for too many years.”

In closing, Nick wraps with a positive connection to Jane Fonda, highlighting her Oscar performance in Klute, “a dark thriller done right.”

Fun Far Middle connection: Jim Marshall and Jane Fonda were born nine days apart back in December 1937.