Larry Jacob

You Say You Want a Revolution Growing Up Means Burning It Down

Turns out “burn it down” isn’t a governing philosophy.

This week’s B Positive looks at what happens when revolutions become ego trips. And why it’s time for corporations to grow up, too.

Spoiler: the real radicals are the adults in the room.
bpositivenow.substack.com/p/you-say-yo...

Energy Affordability Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight

America’s next crisis is your electric bill. Energy demand is exploding. The grid’s a relic. And policy’s stuck somewhere between denial and delusion. Let's talk about what we can do about it - bpositivenow.substack.com/p/energy-aff...

The MAHA Follies From Donuts to Deadly Delusions

“Make America Healthy Again.”

While holding SNAP benefits hostage. More than 17 million kids could pay the price for ideology.

Let's hope Trump listens to the federal judge—this time.

New B Positive: bpositivenow.substack.com/p/the-maha-f...

Corporate Kings Hey, if you're citizens, then act like it.

Too many Corporate Kings are selling out — or sitting out — when the country needs leadership most.

Corporate Kings: Hey, if you’re citizens, then act like it
bpositivenow.substack.com/p/corporate-...

The Outlaw Myth and the Politics of Fear From Jesse James to the politics of manufactured fear, how we remember history defines what comes next.

Fear sells. It sold the legend of Jesse James — and it’s selling the politics of 2025. "Find your line and hold it."
bpositivenow.substack.com/p/the-outlaw...

Sameness is the Weakness Inside Trump's Hires and Their Power to Rot

I wrote about this shadow power as well. Along with the incompetents and the cronies. Let me know what you think - bpositivenow.substack.com/p/sameness-i...

U.S. consumers bearing more than half the cost of tariffs so far, Goldman Sachs says The findings suggest U.S. consumers will continue to struggle with high prices — something Trump had promised to address in the run-up to his re-election.

Ultra-left think tank claims Americans are bearing the brunt of Trump’s tariffs. Oh wait. It was Goldman Sachs. A new report says U.S. consumers will cover ~55% of the costs.

www.nbcnews.com/business/con...

Sameness is the Weakness Inside Trump's Hires and Their Power to Rot

Loyalty isn’t competence.

My latest B Positive looks at the Trump hiring “machine” — a system built on sameness, fear, and rot.

bpositivenow.substack.com/p/sameness-i...

Cheaters Do Win But Only If We Let It Be Normal

Cheaters never win? My kids laughed at me when I said that.

And looking around — from pee-wee football to crypto coins to politics — they might be right.

Cheaters do win… if we let them convince us it’s normal.
bpositivenow.substack.com/p/cheaters-d...

ReThink Turn it off. Talk to Each Other.

This week’s B Positive is about how algorithms warp what we see.

Which means you probably won’t see this.

Irony’s fun like that.

bpositivenow.substack.com/p/rethink

We Can't Ignore the Obvious TL;DR - It's the Guns

New B Positive. This one’s about guns and the politics of pretending we can’t do anything. We can. But it starts by refusing to look away.
🔗 bpositivenow.substack.com/p/we-cant-ig...
#BPositive #GunViolence #PoliticalReform #NewsletterDrop

Fighting Back with Hope Redux: The White Rose and the Strength We Need

After a really dark week in America, I'm taking a short pause in writing new posts.

Reposting one of my first—and very timely—pieces.

In dark times, history shows us that courage doesn’t always mean winning. Sometimes it means refusing to go quietly.

bpositivenow.substack.com/p/fighting-b...

Crime is a Feeling Thing Crime, Data, and Reality

Crime is down. But when people see broken glass and boarded-up doors, they don’t feel safe.
And politics is about feelings.
That’s why Trump leans on crime — and why both the Left and Right keep getting it wrong.
New B Positive: bpositivenow.substack.com/p/crime-is-a...

They Won’t Fail Us, If We Don’t Fail Them We risk losing a ton of talented young people

Convocation for my son’s freshman class: 60+ countries, 49 states, every background imaginable. It struck me how much talent we have and how much we risk losing. If we don’t fight for their freedom to be themselves, they’ll leave. Full B Positive here: bpositivenow.substack.com/p/they-wont-...

2:18 AM A Father's Gift on College Drop-off

Drop-off done. Tears, pride, and a 2:18 AM hotel panic later, I wrote my latest B Positive about sending my son to college.
Advice, metaphors (Pike’s Peak panic rides), and reflections on the world this generation is inheriting.
bpositivenow.substack.com/p/218-am

The Masculinity Riddle Trying My Damndest To Help My Son Be Better Than Me

College drop-off is Monday.

Masculinity’s a mess right now. From online “alphas” to political strongmen. I’ve tried to show my son a different version: empathy + strength + willingness to change.

New B Positive post: The Masculinity Riddle
bpositivenow.substack.com/p/the-mascul...

The Other Orientation A Sandwich Generation Snapshot and a Side of Bad Policy

One week, two orientations:
🎓 My son’s college.
👵 My parents’ retirement community.
This week’s B Positive explores what it means to age in America, what families face without a plan, and how Medicaid cuts make a bad situation worse.
Read: open.substack.com/pub/bpositiv...

The Last Game? Baseball, Boys, and What We've Lost

I may have coached my last baseball game.

We lost—but the real loss is what baseball is losing: kids, communities, and the joy of just playing.

This week on B Positive: The Last Game? Baseball, Boys, and What We’ve Lost

open.substack.com/pub/bpositiv...

Rebuilding Abundance How Foundations Can Help Build What We've Never Had

🏗️ Rebuilding Abundance 🏗️
Foundations don't have to be check‑writers—they can help fulfill America's promise. In my new Substack post, I trace six pillars from FDR’s Economic Bill of Rights to concrete actions philanthropies can take right now. bpositivenow.substack.com/p/rebuilding...

Race to the Top How Foundations Can Move from Performative to Results

My latest post for B Positive is personal, uncomfortable, and overdue.
➤ Growing up around racism
➤ Where foundation efforts fell short
➤ How foundations can focus on real results, not just language
👉 Race to the Top: bpositivenow.substack.com/p/race-to-th...

Opening the Black Box Why Foundations Must Change to Meet the Moment

“Opening the Black Box: Why Foundations Must Change to Meet the Moment.” Foundations can do more than just manage unrest. But they’ll need to get honest about bias, ego, and what’s actually working.
🎧 Read/listen: bpositivenow.substack.com/p/opening-th...

Don't Let Them Take Patriotism From Us Let America Be America Again

A brutal week in D.C. — safety nets shredded, energy policy scrapped, $3 trillion deficit. And yet…hell yes, I’m celebrating the Fourth of July. Not as we were or are, but as we will be. 🇺🇸 bpositivenow.substack.com/p/dont-let-t...

Taking The Long View Elections reset the board. Civil Society can keep the game going.

Elections “reset the board,” but real change lives in civic partnerships. In my latest post on B Positive, I use KC Mayor Sly James’s dedication ceremony to show why a robust civil society is our best shot at durable progress.
Read & react 👉 bpositivenow.substack.com/p/taking-the...

I wrote a follow-up to @beschlossdc1776.bsky.social Substack post on No Kings Day (which featured a pic of mine). Proud Boys threats, & what grown-up policy looks like. New piece up now 👉https://bpositivenow.substack.com/p/pushing-through-the-fear

The Lemon Squeezer A reunion and reflections on identity

bpositivenow.substack.com/p/the-lemon-...

Wraps with Father’s Day shout-out + links for anyone taking the streets (or supporting from home).
Read / listen here 👇

1) 30-yr Trinity College reunion → remembering first-gen imposter syndrome 2) a stolen lemon-squeezer trophy (seriously) that still unites 3) Elizabeth Anderson on “cross-cutting identities” = real freedom 4) why liberal-arts adaptation > single right answers in a VUCA economy

Decided to channel my anger this week into a story on identity.

The Lead Dad Years Two Years, Two Diagnoses, One New Playbook

Leave the playground spat for a minute. Here's a personal story. Left a big foundation job, became “Lead Dad,” watched my kid crash with adrenal failure. Wrote about the screw-ups, the privilege & why masculinity needs an update.Dive in → bpositivenow.substack.com/p/the-lead-d...

Win the Play, Win The Out, Win the Inning, Win the Game What I learned in baseball, parenting, the fight for economic security, and what it means for corporate responsibility in the workforce.

The final post in my short series on corporate responsibility is out:
🧢 From the baseball diamond to KC & San Antonio workforce programs—this one’s about second chances, overlooked talent, and how companies can stop watching from the bleachers. bpositivenow.substack.com/p/win-the-pl...