The other night in the middle of a speech to a chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition, I pointed out that “nobody knows everything.” Then out of nowhere, unscripted, I fliply added, “well, except for Charles Krauthammer.” The audience laughed, and most of them nodded in agreement.
I think about this not just because I have too much free time, but because I find myself admiring those that do things better than everybody else. In basketball, I marveled how Michael Jordan simply played the exact same game by the exact same rules as every other player, but somehow produced far superior results. Wayne Gretzky did it in hockey.
Yet while sports are entertainment, intellect can help improve the world. There are many bright people, but for some reason a select few are just astonishingly brilliant. I am in awe of them because I went to good schools, have an advanced degree, and yet do not see myself approaching them by the intellectual equivalent of a country mile.
I keep hearing that nobody knows everything, and yet when I listen to Charles Krauthammer I think, “maybe this guy really does know everything.”
When I met Sir Charles of Krauthammer in 2008, I recommended that he be knighted by the Queen. Yet given his humility, perhaps he should share the official name of my newly created intelligence index. Most indexes contain at least two parties.
It was not easy finding a worthy partner, but the thinkers at the Wall Street Journal…they know everything. I used to say that “the Wall Street Journal is never wrong,” but then somebody would cherry pick a column, most likely written by a token liberal.
Yet learning is about access to information. Some sources are so accurate that once one sees the name at the front or the back of the article, the content can just be accepted as fact.
Therefore, for those that think that the Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, or Morgan Stanley indexes are what should be traded, I would add only one item to one’s intellectual portfolio.
It is in that respect that I present the Wall Street Journal/Charles Krauthammer Index, or WSJ/Krauthammer Index. For short it can be referred to as the Krauthammer Index.
As the self-appointed manager of this index, I will now roll out the initial holdings, with their percentage correlation.
Using Mr. Krauthammer as the standard scale of 100, others that have high correlations are added to this non-diversified portfolio. With intellect, diversification is not desired. Barack Obama has low correlation with this index, but Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer have perfect negative correlation. They know virtually nothing.
With that, below are some more holdings.
Dr. Thomas Sowell knows virtually everything. He has about a 99% correlation with the overall portfolio. He should be read in abundance.
Larry Kudlow also has a sky high correlation. Follow his lead.
Dr. Walter Williams is brilliant, but he needs to take a higher profile. Being right is important, but communicating it to the masses spreads the rightness.
Although he is too young to have the silver hairs that Cicero possessed, age should at some point allow Capitalist Pig Jonathan Hoenig to be on this list.
Alan Greenspan would have been higher in this portfolio, but he admitted he is wrong when he was not wrong. He did not stick to his convictions, allowing the pressure to get to him.
Goldman Sachs could have been on this list years ago, yet any company run by Jon Corzine is disqualified. The company deserves points for firing him, but they still haven’t learned.
On military matters, three people are worthy of being part of the Krauthammer Index.
In no particular order, when Colonel David Hunt, Colonel Ralph Peters, and General David Petraeus speak, just sit there and take notes. Sure, one can fact check in the beginning, but that will soon grow tedious. These people simple know what they are talking about.
From a politics standpoint he could rate higher, but as a private citizen advocating policy, Newt Gingrich has a solid grasp of history and domestic issues.
If there is a member of the media that merits being on this list, I have not met them. Bernie Goldberg can be considered.
In addition to the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post has high correlation with the Krauthammer Index.
Norman Podhoretz has well over 90% correlation with the Krauthammer Index.
I am not sure that a single politician merits inclusion, but Rudy Giuliani, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Vice President Dick Cheney are worth some consideration. If one measures them in a relative strength chart against Joe Biden, they rank higher.
From a legal standpoint, Chief Justice John Roberts has about a 99% correlation with the WSJKI. Justice Antonin Scalia also has a significantly high correlation. Sonia Sotomayor, whose entire career by her own admission has been mediocre, ranks higher than Boxer and the Pelosiraptor, which says little. She also ranks higher than Biden, which may mean even less than that.
There you have it America. Own as many shares as possible in these intellectual titans. Read their newspaper articles, digest them, and spread them to the four corners of the Earth as gospel.
Although I have a long way to go, I am convinced that I will be a brighter individual once I place my entire intellectual portfolio in the WSJKI.
Do not diversify. Just stick with the Krauthammer Index.
Think and grow rich.
eric
“Do not diversify. Just stick with the Krauthammer Index.”
Wow.
What terrible advice.
If you really want to be an intelligent and informed person – DIVERSIFY.
JMJ
Similarly, one must diversify one’s diet in order to enjoy perfect health. By analogy, JMJ perhaps recommends sources of nutrition with a high fecal content?
Anyway, where do you put the Economist?
[…] a comment » Read about the creation — and explanation — of the measure of knowledge and understanding […]