"My God, I don't know anyone who likes to accumulate their wealth more than the Europeans." — Edmund Phelps

As a grandson of farmers in downstate Illinois, I have long admired the dedication of farmers to their work and have written about the role of agriculture in American innovation.

In America, black urban teenagers have long been lacking in inclusion. In France, there is a comparable lack of inclusion among North Africans. In much of Europe, there has been little attempt to include the Roma.

When I was a teenager, I learned to play the trumpet. Music became my passion.

The celebration of homeownership seems to be part of a countermovement against popular owning of shares in corporations.