Thursday, March 17, 2011

David Brooks on Ike & Obama

David Brooks makes an interesting comparison of Obama to Kennedy and to Eisenhower. Brooks notes their two most important speeches: Kennedy's inaugural and Ike's farewell. Of the two, I think that Ike's speech may prove--or already has proved--the more enduring of the two. Check it out here.

Is Obama cautious? Vacillating? Wise? Fearful? It's very hard to say from these seats. However, I agree that normally we want to err on the side of caution.

Dan Pink on Teacher Incentives

Just a short note: money isn't everything. No, teachers and the rest of us can't do without it, and it sure can help in many cases, but sometimes it's just not the full motivator. See Pink's book Drive for a fuller account of how traditional economic incentives don't tell the whole story. This is just another example.