On January 11, 2022, Libratum.press (Libratum meaning balanced or fair in Latin) will release WE THE PRESIDENTS: How American Presidents Shaped the Last Century — a presidential history written by former tech CEO Ronald Gruner. Unlike most presidential histories Gruner tackles each President from Warren G. Harding beginning in 1921 through Donald J. Trump and the January 6, 2021 insurrection, one chapter at a time. The focus is not on their partisan politics but instead on economic triumphs, policy accomplishments and each President’s lasting impact on the American landscape over the Century.
WE THE PRESIDENTS was created out of Gruner’s interest in understanding how and when American politics transitioned from merely polarized to openly hostile. Growing up in Oklahoma then living most of his adult life in Massachustts, Gruner questioned how Americans had lost the common thread of Presidents over the last century working to build an America that represented and benefitted all. His goal was to write a history of the last century devoid of politics, political battles and behind the scenes intrigue. Instead, you will find a history of what impacted the people and their economic well-being. WE THE PRESIDENTS discusses economic growth, personal income, income equality and taxation during each presiderncy and the influence those policies had through the decades.
There are essentially three books embedded in the 600 page WE THE PRESIDENTS: a 200 page economics history from Adam Smith to Modern Monetary Theory, a 100 page American history from the French-Indian Wars to the January 6 Insurrection, and a compelling 300 page presidential history from Harding to Trump.
ABOUT RONALD GRUNER
Ronald Gruner founded, served as chief executive and sold three successful technology firms during his long career: Alliant Computer in 1982, Shareholder. com in 1993 and Sky Analytics in 2009. Each of Gruner’s firms were a pioneer and leader in its industry: Alliant in parallel processing, Shareholder.com in investor relations and Sky in legal analytics. Unlike many technology firms, each company delivered a healthy financial return to its investors. Alliant went public in 1986 while Shareholder.com and Sky Analytics were profitably acquired by major public corporations in 2006 and 2015, respectively. During his thirty-five years as a chief executive, Gruner faced the challenges of making difficult decisions; balancing the interests of shareholders, customers and employees; and focusing on the long-term even as short-term pressures seemed overwhelming. Gruner’s experience as an accomplished executive has resulted in a different breed of presidential history. Taken from his business experience, We the Presidents focuses on effects rather than causes, on results rather than politics; on economics rather than ideology; and WE THE PRESIDENTS on the connections linking presidential administrations rather than isolated presidencies. Gruner lives with his wife, Nancy, in Naples, Florida where he is a private pilot, amateur radio operator and consistently poor golfer.

