it was mostly men, did physical work. i mean, work was -- it was lifting stuff, you know? maybe it wasn't as brutal as it had been before-mechanized, but it was still labor intensive. ask those of us who grew up in rural areas, the women did a lot of this physical work too. but work was a physical thing, and work is now a mental thing. now, that's good in a lot of ways, but it also leaves out a lot of people who don't have the skill set. and it also takes a lot more training and a lot more time. and i think, you know, the various things, you know, you talk about -- you know, there's a lot of talk now about how much more divided this society or how much richer the rich are than the poor, how big the divide is. and a lot of this has to do with the sort of complexity, mental complexity of modern work.

and it's great because it includes women, and it doesn't, you know, it doesn't exclude anybody. but it doesn't leave much of a place for people who may have enormous amount of virtues but mental nimbleness isn't chief among them, you know? people who are physically worthy, capable of enormous hard work, were morally decent, and what do they do in the modern world? that's a question we've got to answer. and i don't have any, i don't have any funny, you know, wisecracks to make about that. it's -- >> you know, i always -- >> -- sort of puzzles me. >> you know, i always say -- no, i often think this, that -- and this comes up in a lot of my advice columns because so many questions really are about identity and the transition and the changes and the loss of identity, and i think the two big questions for any of us to

answer are who am i and what do i want. and i think this is sort of what, this is the brief of the baby boom. we're still at it. we're still trying to answer these questions. and as p.j.'s perm story show d personal story shows, the answer changes through time if you're smart and lucky. >> yeah. and lucky's part of it. you know, when work is less physicality, it's harder to identify with it, you know? i mean, maybe you were just a carrier, people say what do you do, you say i take this pile of bricks and take them up the ladder. and now most of us would be asked what do you do? i sit and i stare at a computer screen. [laughter] what do i do, you know? [laughter] i'm not at all certain myself. >> okay, we have one more question. i think this is our last one. >> sir. >> good. i've taken to quoting you a lot, so would you enunciate exactly in your words your famous quote

about health care? >> about health care? >> yes. >> oh, yes. i did once say that if you think health care's expensive now, just wait until you see how much it costs when it's free. [laughter] >> thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, p.j.! [applause] i also, i want to point out that p.j. will be out, i think, in that direction signing books. please come, have a chat. i will also be there. i'll stay late and solve all your problems, okay? >> right. [laughter] i'll sign your books, she'll solve your problems. >> okay? so join us. [applause] [inaudible conversations]

>> booktv is on facebook. like us to interact with booktv guests and viewers, watch videos and get up-to-date information on events. facebook.com/booktv. >> there are a hundred things i want to write about, so it is, it is hard work, but it's a joy, and the business part of it really doesn't drive me. around, i'm not, i'm not mahatma gandhi either. so, i am a capitalist. but that said, what really

drives me in trying to push sales is to try and get my books and my arguments into as many hands as i possibly can, because my books are intended to try and affect people's thinking, to give them ideas, maybe things they haven't thought about. and as i say, i can't imagine other authors aren't thinking the same way, but that's certainly where i'm coming from. i have one of the greatest editors in publishing. and his name is mitchell iverson. and he really is terrific. and he's got an eye for this. so he might say, you know, you may not want to use that sentence or you might want to reorganize this chapter or that chapter. but he's also gracious about how he does it, knowing full well that i'm a little stubborn, like i think most authors are, but i certainly am. he might say you may not want to include that, no, i am. okay. so i like to bounce things off him. but in the end, i make those

decisions, and has there ever been head butting? no. have i ever turned this a book where they've said, oh, good lord -- no, they've always said they're really thrilled to have the book because i actually hand them a complete book with all the end notes in the book, with all the sourcing in the book, with all the arguments in the book, with all the chapters in the book. i put it together, and i hand it to them. i mean, at the end of this desk, for instance, they've returned a few of them to me, and i don't know that other authors do that, other conservative authors do that. i just don't know. but in my case because i had no ghost authors or co-writers of anything of the sort, they're just glad that i turn them in, and i turn them in on time. look, there are things i want to write about, there's things i want to talk about, and life is short. they don't need to say, you know, you've missed your deadline. i'm excited to get my book in on my deadline, and can i'm ready to go on the next one. i say it's hard work, and it is,

because i do a radio show, and i'm not done until 9 p.m. eastern time, and that means i work until three in the morning when i'm working on a book. it does have an effect on your social life and so forth, but this is what i do. this is what i love. people even say to me what do you do for a hobby? this is what i do. it's a hobby, and it's work, and i love it. >> i realize that tax reform and entitlement reform will not be with easy. the politics will be hard for both sides. none of us will get 100% of what we want. but the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, visit hardship on millions of hard working americans. so let's set party interests aside ask work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future.

and let's do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors -- [applause] the greatest nation on earth -- [applause] the greatest nation on earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. [cheers and applause] we can't do it. [applause] let's agree, let's agree right here, right now to keep the people's government open and pay our bill withs on time and -- bills on time and always uphold the full faith and credit of the united states of america. [applause] >> watch president obama deliver this year's address. our preview program starts live tuesday night at 8 eastern with the president at 9. followed by the response from republican conference chair kathy mcmorris rogers and your reaction by phone, facebook and twitter. the state of the uni