Programs

Calvin Coolidge's Fiscal Legacy

Vermont Public | By Jane Lindholm

Published March 27, 2013 at 12:00 PM EDT

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Thirtieth U.S. President Calvin Coolidge.

AP Photo / Thirtieth U.S. President Calvin Coolidge.

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A South African dignitary presented two lions cubs to Coolidge as gifts. Coolidge named them "Tax Reduction" and "Budget

Courtesy, Amity Shlaes / A South African dignitary presented two lions cubs to Coolidge as gifts. Coolidge named them "Tax Reduction" and "Budget

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President Calvin Coolidge (front row, third from left) with his cabinet. Seated to Coolidge's left is Treasury Secretary Andrew

AP Photo / President Calvin Coolidge (front row, third from left) with his cabinet. Seated to Coolidge's left is Treasury Secretary Andrew

http://www.vpr.net/audio/programs/84/2013/03/vpr-vermont-edition-20130327.mp3

President Calvin Coolidge is remembered almost in caricature today as a lsquo;true Yankee': taciturn, frugal, practical and possessing deep roots in a Vermont hill farm. Coolidge never struck his peers as lsquo;mostly likely to succeed' but he eventually served six years as a largely popular president during a time of massive social, economic and technological change.

Bloomberg columnist Amity Shlaes joins us to look at Calvin Coolidge's life and, in particular, the economic principles he espoused as president. Shlaes is author of Coolidge, a deeply researched new biography of the thirtieth president.

Also in the program, there is another Supreme Court that's hearing oral arguments this week: the Vermont Supreme Court. Vermont Law School professor Cheryl Hanna explains the cases that Vermont's high court is hearing in their session at VLS on Wednesday.

And, we read from your letters to the show.