In
it, Parker examines specific topics that include conservatism,
multiculturalism, progressivism, woke liberalism, free speech, the Florida
recount and many other thought-provoking subjects. He challenges the widespread
belief that a “conservative” (whether a resident of San Francisco or elsewhere)
lacks empathy or a personal commitment to help those who are less fortunate. Government
programs supported by many in today’s progressive movement to counter this
misunderstanding merely increase the nation’s deficit in dangerous ways, Parker
“Poverty
was about 15% in 1964, and you can go to the U.S. Bureau of Census, and it
shows that the needle never budged from 1964 to today,” Parker said of the War
on Poverty during a recent interview. “Approximately $23 trillion for the War
on Poverty … and no result.”
Parker
went back to school at age 50 to gain a deeper understanding of the timeless
principles of economics — and the missteps of nations that deviated from them —
to write A San Francisco Conservative. Just as his first book, Income and
Wealth, provided readers with a thought-provoking examination of the
foundations on which this nation’s freedom rests, his latest book also serves
as a message of reassurance and challenge to the conventional political
thinking of the day.
The
issues Parker addresses are those he has focused on for more than half a
century, throughout his 40-year career as a teacher in San Francisco public
schools. In A San Francisco Conservative, he reminds readers that “crises” have
affected the American economy numerous times over the nation’s history — but
they pass.
Parker
provides well-researched support for his belief that economic opportunities
always exist. He cautions that government leaders — especially those who
identify themselves as progressives — are jeopardizing the very democracy that
has produced prosperity.
Parker
began his career in education at the age of 24 and served students at San
Francisco’s inner-city public elementary schools for four decades as a music
teacher, followed by 10 years as a volunteer. While pursuing his career in
education, Parker became a successful real estate investor. It was success in
business that focused his writing, teaching and career as a professional
musician. Parker spent 20 years as a member of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra,
then 20 years as leader of the Dave Parker Sextet, which twice headlined the
San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Festival. His essays have been featured in The
Economist, The Financial Times and prestigious law journals.
Scheduled
to coincide with the publication of David Parker’s playfully titled newest
book, A San Francisco Conservative, a new podcast series sharing that title
showcases Parker’s views on the proper role of government and how individuals
can arrange for the principles of a free-market economy to work in their favor.
As the podcast’s co-host, longtime journalist Tom Martin, has noted, “David
Parker’s scholarly approach to the study of political economy provides
much-needed historical context to important topics dominating the news,
including the progressives’ call for dramatically increased government
spending.”