The Antiplanner

The Antiplanner’s Library: The Ultimate Antiplanning Book

22nd August 2007

The Antiplanner’s Library: The Ultimate Antiplanning Book

posted in Book reviews |

From time to time, the Antiplanner has reviewed books that seemed worthy of inclusion in an antiplanner’s library, or at least worth knowing about. Now the time has come to announce the ultimate antiplanning book, one specifically aimed at repealing all government planning laws.

Click the image to see the full cover in all its glory (287 KB).

Yes, the Cato Institute is releasing The Best-Laid Plans, written by the Antiplanner himself. The book covers all the issues discussed in the Antiplanner blog, including forest planning, urban planning, and transportation planning. But the book’s theme is not that there is something wrong with these specific kinds of plans but that government planning itself — that is, comprehensive, long-range planning by government agencies who often don’t own the resources being planned — cannot work and should not be attempted.

Best of all, the back cover of the book presents a beautiful photo of the Antiplanner’s favorite dog, Chip. Just ignore that old guy teetering next to him, who probably got in the photo by accident.

Now, I have to confess that perhaps two thirds of last January’s posts on the Antiplanner were taken straight out of the book. Since then, the Antiplanner has relied less on the book and more on current events. Probably no more than 10 percent of the book has appeared in this blog, so if you like the Antiplanner (or even if you are a loyal opponent), you will definitely want to read the book.

The book is already being advertised by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Wal-Mart, and Portland’s very own Powell’s. If you live in Portland, mark September 20 on your calendar as the the Antiplanner will make a rare appearance in his former hometown to autograph books at Powell’s on Hawthorne at 7:30 pm.

Cato is offering the hardbound book for $22.95. Many of the above stores are, of course, discounting the book. In addition, members of the American Dream Coalition can order the book for just $15, including shipping.

No doubt the book will be almost as popular as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I will leave it to the reader to find out for him- or herself whether Voldemort the planner or Harry the antiplanner dies in the end.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under Book reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are currently 7 responses to “The Antiplanner’s Library: The Ultimate Antiplanning Book”

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  1. 1 On August 22nd, 2007, Trumbull said:

    Books are nice but, when is the movie coming out. ;)

    posted on August 22nd, 2007 at 9:14 am

  2. 2 On August 22nd, 2007, The Antiplanner said:

    The movie is already out. Cary Grant plays a man whose initials are ROT who rides on trains, meets beautiful women (I met Vickie, my partner for 28 years, on a train in 1977), and has to contend with government planners whose motives are questionable. It was called North by Northwest. Hitchcock changed a few of the details, but what do you expect from Hollywood?

    posted on August 22nd, 2007 at 10:17 am

  3. 3 On August 23rd, 2007, StevePlunk said:

    Congrats. I can only dream of ever writing a book much less having it published. It is a certainly something to be proud of even if it’s not your first. Or last.

    Let’s hope it does some good with policy makers.

    posted on August 23rd, 2007 at 8:41 am

  4. 4 On January 8th, 2008, » The Antiplanner said:

    [...] Wildfire (14) Antiplanner Books Subscribe [...]

    posted on January 8th, 2008 at 10:03 am

  5. 5 On June 29th, 2008, » The Antiplanner said:

    [...] Wildfire (15) Antiplanner Books Subscribe [...]

    posted on June 29th, 2008 at 1:34 pm

  6. 6 On September 25th, 2008, bobmcknight said:

    Did FENA

    use Rail to supply any of the Hurricane emergencies? It would seem rail would have been the ideal way to get emergency supplies to disaster areas. They could run on their own right of way and bring their own fuel.

    posted on September 25th, 2008 at 2:49 am

  7. 7 On March 22nd, 2009, the highwayman said:

    http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/hurricanevacuation/appendixi.htm

    FRA and Railroad Industry Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
    FRA staffed the CMC and FEMA regional emergency operations centers and worked with Amtrak, commuter trains, and freight railroads. During the critical early days after Hurricane Katrina, FRA held daily conference calls with railroad officials and FEMA and DHS to share information and coordinate relief and recovery efforts.[111] Railroads worked closely through the ESF-1 program and FEMA to assign priorities to the shipments most needed in the stricken areas. An Amtrak train evacuated 96 residents from New Orleans. Trains transported heavy equipment, supplies, and relief equipment such as FEMA supplies, trailers, and other equipment into the area.[112] Difficulty was encountered in staging evacuees to use the passenger rail services that were offered by Amtrak because of communication and coordination problems among local, State, and Federal officials.

    The railroad industry, including passenger rail, commuter trains, and freight railroads, were deployed to support emergency response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Trains were used to move some evacuees out of the region and to transport heavy equipment, supplies, and relief equipment into the area.

    Trainloads of ballast, ties, and emergency equipment were staged outside of the immediate storm area. Some railroads moved camp cars into place to support maintenance forces that would have to be fed and housed. With advance preparation, the railroads were able to reopen most of their lines within days of the storm, with the exception of those in the immediate New Orleans area.

    In the initial preparations for the landfall of Hurricane Katrina, Amtrak offered help but was turned down—so a train with 900 seats (7 locomotives and 20 cars) rolled away empty a day and a half before the storm. After the hurricane, Amtrak provided a special train that operated over freight tracks to evacuate 96 people from New Orleans to Lafayette, Louisiana. These trains also brought in essential supplies of food and water. “We have clear tracks and an empty train ready to help get residents safely out of the city,” said Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta.[113] The special 12-car Amtrak passenger train moved evacuees to Lafayette, where passengers were transferred to motor coaches to complete the journey to Dallas and other destinations.

    Railroads were also used to support evacuation for Hurricane Rita. Amtrak, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railway, and Trinity Railway Express coordinated equipment, rail lines, and crew to create a special passenger train to evacuate 450 people from the Houston area to Dallas. The railroad industry worked with State and local emergency responders, the National Guard, and volunteer groups on the evacuation. The Salvation Army, other volunteers, and the National Guard helped provide food, water, and other necessities to the evacuees. The baby food, diapers, and other paper products were especially welcome to the many families traveling with children. When the train arrived at Dallas Union Station, some evacuees were met by representatives of the Salvation Army and other agencies who directed them to shelters; others were met by family members. Those with special medical needs were taken to local health care facilities.[114]

    posted on March 22nd, 2009 at 11:46 pm

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