Just Answering Questions: Bonus Edition!

Time for an extra Q & A! Drop your questions here.

UPDATE: It is 7 am on Sunday and I’ve received a LOT of questions, so I am disabling comments! I’ll post a new article with my answers sometime in the next couple days. I’ll also reopen the comments here later since a lot of you were having interesting conversations and I don’t want that to stop. I am hoping I will get to every single question — I will do my best! Thank you for your support and stay tuned!

UPDATE: The answers are up!

*             *             *

Hello subscribers! As promised, I’m doing a weekend Q & A. I usually don’t do them this often, but I know folks have a lot on their minds.

I’m also spending every day next week recording the audio version of my new book THE LAST AMERICAN ROAD TRIP (preorder it here!) so I’ll be busy with that. My writing schedule should return to normal when it’s done.

Thank you for understanding! I figured I’d add an extra Q & A to tide everyone over.

For those new to this feature, here’s how it works:

1)  To ask a question, join as a paying subscriber, and post your question in the comments section below.

2)  I will answer as many questions as I can in a separate article that will run a few days later. Sometimes I bundle up questions and focus on common themes.

3)  The article with the answers in it will be open to everyone. In other words, you need to be a paying subscriber to submit a question, but not to read the Q & A or leave comments.

4)  Some might say refusing to paywall goes against my financial interests. They would be correct! But it is the interest of civic inquiry to keep discussion open. I don’t like folks feeling left out. However, I also am very grateful to the paying subscribers who sustain my newsletter, so I offer this Q & A as a thank you!

I call this feature “Just Answering Questions” because there are a number of topics that, if I were to broach them out of the blue, would be like throwing a bomb into your inbox. If you’ve read my books, you know they cover disturbing ground. This way, you take the lead in choosing the topic, and hey man, I’m just answering questions!

If you are already a paid subscriber, you are all set — you can submit a question in the comments section below!

If you’re not a paying subscriber, this is an excellent reason to become one. In addition to getting a personal response, your support keeps this newsletter going. I have kept my newsletter free and it will stay free. Voluntary paying subscribers make it possible for me to continue writing and for readers who cannot afford to subscribe to read everything.

Note: I’ve done this Q & A twice before, and both times I had to shut down submissions after one day because there were so many. I suspect that may happen again, so let’s get rolling — ask away in the comments section below!

Time-tested advice from Missouri! [Photo taken at Mark Twain Cave, July 2023.]