modern world" mike and i gave it a shot of me came up with three things that we thought defined america. but in looking back we refined back and we doubt we didn't really quite hit it. so we identified what we think our are four pillars of american exceptionalism. first is a predominantly christian religion, mostly profit -- protestant but are nominally christian mostly protestant religious background. that doesn't mean that's where we are now and it doesn't mean that's where we were in the late 1800's but it's where we start. it was not a buddhist nation. it was not a hindu nation. it was primarily a christian nation when founded in its documents were all drafted without specifically in mind. ..

overtime thanks to napoleon and large part, civil rights certainly throughout the middle east, parts of asia even and today i can't think of another common law country that's out there aside from the united states and britain, if you still want to include england in that. it's a free market economy i think we all agreed the united states pretty much has had a capitalistic free-market economy. but the fourth factor is not exactly the same thing and that's why we want to include it as different. private property rights with titles and deeds. the reason we think those are so

important is there are lots of countries in africa that people have stuff. they have houses, the of cars, that they cannot prove, they can't register it in many cases. hernandez desoto from did a study on the poor nation and what he found is in egypt, just as one example, it took 14 years and 150 bureaucratic steps to build upon the desert land that means there's nothing fair. i went seven years ago and bought a new house. we went to the title agency. if they had about a thousand documents leaked out, sacrifice a chicken over there and then we were done. it took one hour to sell or property, bought a new property, take one step 150 steps, 14

years, one hour, one step. the point is if you cannot prove that you own it, you don't own it. it's absolutely true that piece of paper is not a final guaranteed against a the government taking your land or property or whatever but it is a guaranteed. it is one more step that someone has to overcome and the government taking what you have. and so what he concludes that we believe is a private property rights that is the central but they have to be guaranteed with the titles so those are the four pillars of american ex factionalism and i think by the late 20th century, you can say that only england and america have all of those left and england is fading fast. >> when you say in england, that would include canada, correct? >> is there a country out there?

[laughter] >> that would include canada, absolutely. also because of quebec, the civil law. they have that tension. >> do you end up with a positive for the country or argue hesitant? >> alt-a well quote with yoda. always in motion is the future. it remains to be seen. what's interesting is it is more of a testament than i am and i think i ended up owing him a little bit more towards the optimistic side towards the pessimistic side. writing a obamacare lead you to

think we have big problems on our hands. >> i had a conversation with a woman today who said [inaudible] on the other hand the american people will fight for the country. i love our last line. but occasionally i believe i hit it out of the park. let's hope the united states does not get its wish to referring when that we will be like every other nation out there but it's also the u.s. doesn't get its wish for the city on the shining hill and we were talking earlier about the lights going out in europe that the beginning of world war i.

believe us you will see the dark ages like you have never seen before. it's going to be bad. [laughter] anyone else, any other comments or questions or concerns part of it is they were supposed to learn something and we have gone through dark periods in history and other countries have gone through dark periods and sometimes you just need to ride it out a while. don't jump to conclusions, don't go into your bunker. i will tell you when it is time to get the canned food. it's not time yet.

so, watch. >> i will be signing some books. [applause]

there are 100 things i want to write about, so it is hard work and the business part of it

really does want to drive me. on the other hand i am not who mohammed gondhi will. i am a capitalist. what drives me is to try to get my books and my arguments into as many hands as i possibly can because my books are intended to try to affect people's thinking and give them ideas may be things that they haven't thought about. and as i say i cannot imagine others thinking the same way that that is certainly where i am coming from. i have one of the greatest editors and publishing and his name is mitchell and he really is terrific and he has an eye for this. so he might say you don't want to use that sentence or reorganize this chapter or that chapter but he's also gracious about how he does it. i'm stubborn like most authors

are. you might say you may not want to include that. what you may not want to include that commodore right. but i make those decisions and has there ever been head butting? now. have i ever turned in a book where they said good lord, no, they are thrilled to have the book because i handed them a complete book with all of the and notes in the book with all of us were sitting in the book, all the arguments in the book and chapters in the book and put it together and i hand it to then at the end. yy with with. when they are just glad i turned them and all the time. there are things i want to talk

about and life is short and they don't need to say you've missed your deadline what. i'm ready to go with the next one. no, it's hard work. i do a radio show and i am not done until 9:00 at night eastern and that means i work until three in the morning and i work every weekend so it does have an effect on your social life and so forth, but this is what i do. people even say to me what do you do for a hobby? this is what i do. it's a hobby and its work and i love it.

her book is knocking on heaven's door that half what to a better way of death. this is about an hour. >> a [inaudible] i mention that because the program and the author we are about to hear from is a track that my colleagues and i who are at the center for the humanities have put together the theme that we share an interest in and that is taking our polls, promises and pitfalls of modern medicine. several of the talks on the track, which is of course taking place in large part are going to be held in the real me and so i have brochures and other speakers on related topics to the situation that we are and at the moment with regards to modern medicine in every sense

of the word in the situation and everything in between. because we have had such a great partnership to put together this program, i want to make sure to thank the center for the humanities for the funding that has enabled us to bring in the authors and we bring in support for the medicine and health and society, so we thank them for them as well. our author is katie butler, author of knocking on heaven's door the path to a better death. her words have already reached many people. she had a long career as a journalist for the san francisco chronicle and work had also been published in such diverse outlets such as the new yorker, the best american science writing and i love this one, the best buddhist writing. there were 2010 essays what broke my father's heart what was published in "the new york times" magazine. there she described, and i remember the day that i read it

including terms, the story of her aging parents and in particular the story of how, when and why they put a pacemaker in her father against some of the family's wishes. the piece it turns out was the fourth most email story in "the new york times" that your. that's how much attention and got and how many people needed to hear that story. knocking on heaven's door tells us more about it and katie's story, too, but painting a bigger picture indeed. it is part investigative journalism and asks us a basic question: hal modern medicine and its quest to avoid death at all costs, and i mean that literally, has also created a great deal of suffering along the way. as one viewer wrote, quote, it has become a rallying cry for the 24 million u.s. caregivers tending to elderly parents.

adult children who are often overwhelmed and overlooked by the profit driven health care system that puts expensive high-tech treatment before in home health care. knocking on heaven's door has gotten a lot of attention and a lot of people want to hear the story. it's currently a best seller in denver and on another list and it's on "the new york times" top 25 list. as noted in the recent correspondence this isn't bad for one that had def in the title and as i am author and first time but author writing her age at 64. [applause] i am pleased to introduce to you today the author katie butler speaking about knocking on heaven's door. [applause] the >> and