On Monday, November 13, the Andover Community Hub welcomed author Matt Hongoltz-Hetling to speak and sign copies of his books.
Hongoltz-Hetling is currently an investigative reporter for the Valley News. His exposé of corruption in subsidized housing in Maine made him a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and he was voted Journalist of the Year by the Maine Press Association. He lives just over the Connecticut River, in Vermont. He spoke to the audience in Andover about his 2020 book, “A Libertarian Walks into a Bear – the Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (and some Bears).” The action centers on the town of Grafton, a settlement of roughly a thousand people, a little more than ten miles north up Route 4 from the Andover line.
In the book (which I will not summarize – you will enjoy reading it!) Hongoltz-Hetling explains in detail how the Free Town movement took over Grafton’s local government, enlisted support from long-term residents at first, and then systematically de-funded or dismantled town institutions such as the fire department, the church and trash disposal. It’s no spoiler to say that this action in Grafton resulted in a rash of 22 uncontrolled structure fires over ten years and a plague of black bears fattened by the carelessness (and misplaced generosity) of humans. The bears lost their fear of people. (Bears can also travel long distances – more than ten miles – in search of food. Just sayin’.)
Matt Hongoltz-Hetling’s comfortable, easygoing and humorous manner comes through his writing as much as it does in person. As soon as the Q&A began, the audience felt comfortable being on a first name basis with Matt. Time after time, Matt brought a chuckle over a wry observation about human nature, but in the next moment he described a wrenchingly avoidable tragedy, driven by that same human nature. The characters in his story are people just like you and me, but more than that; I found several of my acquaintances named in the story. Perhaps you will too. Because the talk was sponsored by the Andover Democrats, Hongoltz-Hetling was sure to make some interesting political observations. He opined that the major difference between Libertarians and Democrats is that “Libertarians most fear government overreach infringing on our freedoms and enslaving us, while Democrats fear corporate overreach infringing on our freedoms, enslaving us.” I found this insight of Hongoltz-Hetling particularly interesting. Who actually runs our government today?
Keeping in mind that there are something like 4000 publicly traded corporations, most of whom are certainly not bad actors, there are a growing (perhaps equal) number of privately held corporations whose actions are not required to be open to public scrutiny, yet they admit heavy political expenditures. In my opinion, a citizen would be wise to consider how and why taxpayer money is transferred from government to private corporations’ hands, and what is purchased when big business money is spent in government (campaign contributions, lobbyists, drafting legislation, etc.). Perhaps libertarian and democratic Americans have been like the parable of the blind men describing the elephant: one hugs a leg and says, “it’s like a tree!” Another feels its side and says, “It’s like a wall!” while another grasps its trunk and says, “it’s like a snake!”. All true, but short of the big picture.
Matt Hongoltz-Hetling’s newest book is called “If It Sounds Like a Quack”. It investigates Americans’ current degree of trust in the medical establishment, the rise of questionable medical practices, and the forces (such as the high cost of mainstream medical treatment) that may be driving people into the arms of quacks and charlatans. Keep an eye on the Hub calendar to find out about upcoming interesting speakers!
The Hub welcomes organizations of any political stripe to host their events and presentations at their venue.