Independence, Renewed

A quarter-millennium ago next July, 56 men in my home state of Pennsylvania pledged to each other “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” in the hopes of creating a new nation. Ten years ago next March, I declared my own independence, establishing my own consulting firm, to have greater freedom, flexibility, and—most important of all—my own voice in policy debates.

This endeavor is a continuation of that goal—another declaration of independence.

I’m launching this Substack so that I can publish more content more frequently, without worrying about submission deadlines and editorial review. In most cases, I anticipate only publishing a couple of times a week. But when news breaks late on a Friday, or there’s lots of action in Congress (like this week), I will have a ready outlet to provide rapid-fire, yet in-depth, insights and analysis.

And—fair warning—I’m also launching this Substack to get paid. I’m not going to put up a paywall yet, not least because I haven’t figured out how to do so. But both of those will come soon enough.

Much of the most important policy work that I do I don’t get paid for. And there are other projects that I want to work on—good projects that would advance conservative policy—that I can’t find someone to fund. I’m hoping this Substack will help square both of those circles: provide regular readers with more information more quickly, and provide me with more of the financial stability to engage in other worthwhile policy endeavors, even if they don’t pay well (or at all).

I’d be lying if I said that I knew exactly where this endeavor will lead, or even how it will work. But in this effort, as in much of life, the journey is as important as the destination.

In the dedication to my book, I made it a point to thank Jen Sawyer (my producer) and all the unsung staff from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? I included them not just because I couldn’t thank them in person, but also because the earnings from that show gave me the financial freedom to start my own firm. “I won’t soon forget the way their faith in me quite literally changed my life—and yes, that’s my final answer.”

My hope and prayer is that this new effort—my new declaration of independence—can have a similar effect. Not because I lust for lucre (I don’t), but because I see more policy objectives yet to be attained, and victories yet to be achieved.

Let’s get to work.