The Conservative Heart

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by Arthur C. Brooks


  Mount Sinai Hospital, 93

  MSNBC, 206

  Murray, Charles, 53–54, 137

  Music labeling, 169

  National Center on Family Homelessness, 138

  National Geographic, 1, 2, 7, 108

  National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, 169–70

  Nation of Islam, 164

  Negativity, 203

  Neuroscience

  bad habits and, 213–15

  first impressions and, 195, 208–11

  poverty and brain function, 138–39

  unhappiness and, 34–35

  New York Times, 77, 112, 127–28, 143, 149, 213

  New York University, 209

  Nhat Hanh, Thich, 49

  Nicomachean Ethics (Aristotle), 49

  Nixon, Richard, 187

  Norat, Richard “Rick,” 93–96, 105

  Obama, Barack, 203

  conservative grievances against, 180–81

  Great Recession, 12–13

  inequality story of, 74–75, 77–78

  Islamic State and Hillary Clinton, 200

  minimum wage and, 151, 152

  presidential election of 2008, 18, 73–74, 167, 180–81

  presidential election of 2012, 161

  Tea Party revolt, 159, 161

  welfare and, 72, 73–75

  Obamacare, 127, 173–74

  Oil embargo of 1973, 187

  Opening of speeches, 211–12

  Opportunity, crisis of, 11, 14–15

  Out-of-wedlock births, 136

  PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), 35

  “Paradox of things,” 48–49

  Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), 169

  Parks, Rosa, 164

  Patriotism, 123

  Paul, Saint, 40, 202–3

  Pay-for-performance, 147, 174

  People, fighting for, 190–94

  People as assets, not liabilities, 88–91

  Personal responsibility, 99

  Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, 69–73

  Personal savings, 99

  Persuadables (persuadable people), 202, 203–6

  Piketty, Thomas, 76

  Political ideology, and charitable giving, 6–7, 139–40, 182

  Political minorities, 190–91

  Political remnants, 162–63

  Posterior cingulate cortex, 196, 209, 211

  Poverty, 1–4, 53–80. See also War on Poverty

  causality and, 54

  complex nature of, 65–69

  crisis of opportunity and, 11, 14–15

  Dharavi, India’s example, 108–13, 126, 129–30

  free enterprise system for, 3–4, 63, 64–65, 112

  help and, 138–44

  material standard of living and, 60–61, 63

  Rosa Lee Cunningham’s story, 55–58

  statistics on, 53–54, 61–64, 62

  unhappiness and, 35

  values and, 135–38

  welfare today, 73–78

  Power of Habit, The (Duhigg), 213–14

  Practical hope, 103–4

  Pragmatism, 15, 71, 184

  Predictalator, 67

  Price controls, 187

  Pride, 37, 42

  Protest movement, Tea Party as, 161, 162–63

  Punishment, work as, versus blessing, 91–97

  Pursuit of happiness, 25–54

  abundance without attachment, 45–51

  in the Declaration of Independence, 25–26, 175–76

  happiness portfolio, 30–33, 52

  love people, use things, 41–42

  unhappiness, 34–38, 40

  “Pushing the bucket,” 84–86, 92, 93–96

  Racism, 35, 164, 166–67, 180

  Ready, Willing & Able (Doe Fund), 83–88, 90, 93, 94–96, 99

  Reagan, Ronald, 188

  cheerful nature of, 195–96

  drunk driving and MADD, 169–70

  the poor and, 74

  presidential election of 1980, 191–93

  social safety net and, 18, 141–42

  Reality television, 36–37

  Rebellions, 162–63, 168, 175

  Recidivism, 89–90

  Recycled plastic, 110–11

  Redistribution, 17–18

  “Redistributive fairness,” 134

  Regulations, 73, 82

  Jestina Clayton’s story, 131–33

  Relativism, 98, 138

  Religious faith, 51

  in Europe, 118, 120–21

  happiness and, 30–31

  Relocation vouchers, 155–56

  Republican National Convention (1980), 191–93

  Republican Party, 13–14, 72, 79, 181–82

  Tea Party and, 160–61, 163, 171

  Republican Revolution of 1994, 190

  Retirement, in Europe, 122, 124–25

  Richardson, Abigail, 176

  Road to Serfdom, The (Hayek), 140–41

  Rockwell, Donna, 36

  Romney, Mitt, 161

  Roosevelt, Franklin D., 32

  Rota Fortunae (Wheel of Fortune), 50–51

  Rubio, Marco, 158, 161

  Rumsfeld, Donald, 187

  Ryan, Paul, 158

  Saez, Emmanuel, 76

  Santelli, Rick, 159–60

  Schiller, Daniela, 208–11

  Schiller Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience, 208–9

  School choice, 146–47, 174

  School vouchers, 146

  “Scientism,” 68

  Seattle Seahawks, 67

  Secularism, 120–21

  Self-dignity. See Human dignity

  Self-integrity, 99

  Self-pride, 37, 42

  Self-worth, 85, 96–97, 117

  Seligman, Martin, 101–2

  Sexual variety, 37–38

  Sierra Leone, 131

  Sister Souljah (Lisa Williamson), 199–200

  Smiles (smiling), 211

  SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), 144

  Snap judgments, 207–8

  Sobriety, 83–84

  “Social justice,” 134–35

  Social justice agenda, 131–58, 215

  education reform, 145–50

  free enterprise system, 150–56

  help, 138–44

  hope, 144–45

  Jestina Clayton’s story, 131–33, 156

  values, 135–38

  Social media, 37

  Social mobility. See Mobility

  Social movements, 162–67, 175, 235n

  Social safety net, 18–19, 71–73, 79–80, 140–44, 172, 173

  Spain

  Catholicism, 118, 120

  charitable giving, 122

  immigration rate, 125

  patriotism, 123

  work in, 117–19, 124–25

  Stock market, 73, 75

  Strain, Michael, 155–56

  Student loans, 148

  Super Bowl XLIX, 67

  Supply-side economics, 62, 187–88

  Sweden, church attendance, 120

  Syracuse University, 6

  Taxes and tax cuts, 62, 187–88

  Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), 154–55, 189

  Teacher pay, 147, 174

  Tea Party, 159–63, 171–73, 177

  Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), 72–73

  10K-BA ($10,000 college degree), 148

  Thirty-second rule, 207–13

  Thomas Edison State College, 5–6, 148–50

  Thompson, Tommy, 70

  Thrift, 99

  Toomey, Pat, 161

  Trait-trespassing, 196–201

  True believers, 202–3

  Tuition costs, 147–50

  Twitter, 37

  Tyranny of Clichés, The (Goldberg), 184

  Unemployment, 104

  African American teenage rate, 152–53

  in Europe, 123–26, 129

  happiness and work, 32, 90–91

  labor participation rate, 76–77,
91, 124

  Marienthal, Austria’s experience, 113–16

  mismatch between employees and jobs, 155–56

  Spain’s ninis, 117–19

  Unhappiness, 34–38, 40

  University of California, Los Angeles, 181–82

  University of California, San Diego, 147, 151, 155

  University of Chicago, 27, 123, 147

  Upādāna, 41

  Values, 135–38. See also Majoritarian values; Social justice agenda

  work and lifting people up, 97–101, 136

  Vanity Fair (magazine), 46–47

  Virginia Declaration of Rights, 176

  Voting Rights Act of 1965, 59, 167

  Wage controls, 187

  Wall Street Journal, 187, 194–95

  War on Poverty, 53–80

  better solution for, 78–80

  as complex problem, 65–69

  culture of dependency and, 69–70

  failure of, 58–60

  material standard of living and, 60–61, 63

  Rosa Lee Cunningham’s story, 55–58

  statistics on poverty rate, 53–54, 61–64, 62

  welfare reform, 69–73

  Washington Post, 55, 57–58, 70, 138

  Washington Redskins, 195

  Wealth, 46–47

  happiness and, 31–32, 38–40

  Welfare

  poverty today, 73–78

  Rosa Lee Cunningham’s story, 56–57

  Welfare reform, 69–73

  Western, Bruce, 90

  Wheel of Fortune (Rota Fortunae), 50–51

  Who Really Cares (Brooks), 139

  Wilson, Woodrow, 68

  Wofford, Harris, 212

  Wolff, Edward, 75

  Work, 19–20, 104. See also Honest work

  blessings of, 20, 91–97, 154

  happiness and, 30–33, 71, 90–91

  labor participation rate, 76–77, 91, 124

  “living to work, working to live,” 123–26

  Marienthal, Austria’s experience, 113–16

  self-worth and, 85, 96–97, 117

  Xenophobia, 125–26

  YouTube, 37

  Zappa, Frank, 169

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ARTHUR C. BROOKS is president of the American Enterprise Institute, where he is also the Ravenel and Beth Curry Scholar in Free Enterprise. Until 2009, he was the Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy at Syracuse University. Before entering academia, he spent 12 years as a professional French hornist with the City Orchestra of Barcelona and other ensembles. Mr. Brooks is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and the author of ten books, most recently the 2012 bestseller The Road to Freedom. He is a native of Seattle and currently lives in Maryland with his wife, Ester, and their three children.

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  ALSO BY ARTHUR C. BROOKS

  The Road to Freedom:

  How to Win the Fight for Free Enterprise

  The Battle: How the Fight Between Free Enterprise and

  Big Government Will Shape America’s Future

  Who Really Cares:

  The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism

  Gross National Happiness:

  Why Happiness Matters for America and

  How We Can Get More of It

  Social Entrepreneurship:

  A Modern Approach to Social Value Creation

  CREDITS

  Cover design by Olivier Ballou

  Cover photograph © hidesy/istockphoto (texture)

  COPYRIGHT

  THE CONSERVATIVE HEART. Copyright © 2015 by the American Enterprise Institute. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  FIRST EDITION

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Brooks, Arthur C., 1964–

  The conservative heart : a new vision for the pursuit of happiness, earned success, and social justice / Arthur C. Brooks.

  pages cm

  Summary: “The product of years of research and analysis by Arthur Brooks that lead him to conclude what people need most are four “institutions of meaning”: faith, family, community, and meaningful work. It combines reporting, original research, and case studies in a manifesto that will help people lead happier, satisfying lives”—Provided by publisher.

  ISBN 978-0-06-231975-3 (hardback) — ISBN 978-0-06-231976-0 (trade paperback) — ISBN 978-0-06-231977-7 (e-book)

  1. Conservatism—United States. 2. Social values—United States. 3. Social change—United States. I. Title.

  JC573.2.U6B772015

  320.520973—dc232015012580

  EPub Edition July 2015 ISBN 9780062319777

  15 16 17 18 19 DIX/RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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