Sunday, September 18, 2016

Interview With Author Dick Sim


Freedom to Argue:
We the People Versus They the Government 


1. What inspired you to write your book?
Current reporting on world events tends to focus on purely the event without creating context.  By context I mean what lead up to such an event and how does this event connect to other events in the world.  It is like we talk about a single pixel alone and do not describe the other surrounding pixels that allow you to see the picture, the bigger picture.  The bigger picture is multi-dimensional.  Everything that happens today is influenced by history but it is also influenced by geography, culture and current day belief systems.  The book is an ambitious attempt to describe the major trends in the world today in order to create the context that might allow the reader to make sense of current events.  In a way I wrote the book to first clarify my own thinking and then to help others see the big picture.

2. What is it about?
The books is not ideological.  It is describes the world as it exists today seen in the context of the movements in the last sixty years and the challenges in moving forward over the next forty years. Some of the major topics are as follows:

·         The failure of big democratic central governments as they exist today.
·         The conflict between conservative Islamic ideology and Judaic Christian ideology.
·         Legal and illegal immigration issues and policies.
·         The conflicts between the very poor and rapidly growing population in the Middle East and Africa and the rest of the world which is much wealthier and if not already breeding below a replacement rate is moving rapidly in that direction.
·         The recognition that families create individuals with character and it is individuals of good character who change the world for the better. 
·         The West must understand, while we are increasingly rich, we are losing moral clarity. We accept unacceptable behavior.  We are at risk of losing our way.
·         Science has become very political and agenda driven.  We need better more objective science to help us make more informed choices.  Technology is the major driver in reducing global poverty and enhancing material benefits for all.  We must see technology as the solution not a problem.
·         The continuing global rapid wealth growth. The observation that taxing the rich more does not really increase tax revenues much.
·         The explosion in global billionaires and why such persons may play a constructive societal role going forward.

3. What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book?
I hope it will help people better understand current events and the risks for the next forty years.  I hope it will help them better understand the issues in the upcoming elections.  Also it is a call to action for all of us to raise better children and help our families be better.

4. What advice do you have for writers?
I do not kid myself that I can really advise others.  For non-fiction writers you better know your stuff and have some valuable insights to offer. 

5. Where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
The good news is that today books can be produced quickly and electronically distributed at very low cost on a global basis.  English is rapidly becoming the common language of the world.  The markets for all books is expanding.  So in many ways the global book publishing industry is very healthy. We live in a world where the media focuses on sensational anecdotal stories that happen within a twenty four hour news cycle. Complex issues must be summarized in 800 words or less or even 140 characters. Such media stories lack context and substance.  Non-fiction books are needed to help offset these media trends and create a more informed populace.  The challenge is to write appropriate books and then find a way to get them noticed in a very crowded marketplace.  My own book tries to create a balance in being very broad while at the same time providing enough depth where needed to inform.

6. What challenges did you have in writing your book?
Doing more research in certain areas required me to clarify and evolve my own thinking.  That is interesting but hard work.  Additionally because I tackle some some sensitive issues like Muslim immigration I had the challenge to find the right voice to communicate what I wanted to say without triggering an emotional reaction in a reader.  Lastly because I cover a wide range of topics trying to decide the flow of these topics in the book and how much depth to go into was a quandary.

7. If people can only buy one book this month, why should it be yours?
If you are going to vote in the current US Presidential Election you have to read this book.  It will help you understand better a number of current issues being debated such as: tax the rich more, secure the border, legal and illegal immigration, the difficulty many Muslims in the West have assimilating, global wealth and population trends and conflicts, what makes the US system of free market democratic capitalism a success, why the European Union is in a crisis and the reasons for the Brexit vote. Equally important this book explains the causes for the rising tide of dissatisfaction in Europe and the USA with the political elite.  This dissatisfaction has been growing for decades and will continue until efffective, efficient and responsive government is created.  The vast bureaucracies In Washington DC and Brussels are inefficient, very expensive and in many ways corrupt.  We need to re-think our current very large democratic central government model. 

For more information, please consult: www.freedomtoargue.com

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.



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