I had the opportunity to visit Legacy Preparatory Academy this last Friday to meet with future "social leaders." I had about 40 minutes to share some insights into what social leadership is and how each of us can make a difference, no matter what our political, financial, or talent level. Simply put, social leadership is about seeing a … [Read more...]
Archives for 2009
America’s Seven-Party System, Part V: Independents & Independence
November 28, 2009 by 1 Comment
This is part 5 of a 5-part article. Read Part I Here Read Part II Here Read Part III Here Read Part IV Here The 7th Faction: Independents and Independence Who are these people that vacillate between the parties? Are they wishy-washy, never-satisfied uber-idealist pessimists? Are they the weakest among us? Why don’t they just pick a party … [Read more...]
America’s Seven-Party System, Part IV: Democratic Leftists, Leaders, & Special Interests
November 27, 2009 by Leave a Comment
This is part 4 of 5-part article. Read Part I Here Read Part II Here Read Part III Here Read Part V Here Democrats: Leftists, Leaders and Special Interests Having covered the Republican Party, the discussion of the Democratic Party will be more simple. The three major factions are similar: those seeking power, those wanting to promote … [Read more...]
America’s Seven-Party System, Part III: Crazy Like a Fox
November 26, 2009 by 4 Comments
This is part 3 of a 5-part article. Read Part I Here Read Part II Here Read Part IV Here Read Part V Here Crazy Like a Fox It is interesting to compare and contrast this modern debate between the wisdom of the populists and that of experts and officials with the American founding view. The brilliance of the founders was their tendency … [Read more...]
America’s Seven-Party System, Part II: Nixonians & Reaganites
November 25, 2009 by Leave a Comment
This is part 2 of a 5-part article. Read Part I Here Read Part III Here Read Part IV Here Read Part V Here Republicans: The Party of Nixon vs. The Party of Reagan Both Nixon and Reagan were Republicans, but symbolically they are nearly polar opposites to all but the most staunch Republican loyalists. Reaganites value strong national … [Read more...]
America’s Seven-Party System, Part I: The New Politics
November 24, 2009 by Leave a Comment
This is part one of a five-part article. Read Part II Here Read Part III Here Read Part IV Here Read Part V Here Part I. The New Politics High school civics classes for the past century have taught that America had a two-party system. And up until the end of the Cold War, this was true. Each party had clear, distinct values and goals, … [Read more...]
Diplomacy: The New Battle Call
November 4, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The drastic shift from the Third Turning to the Fourth Turning has begun to transform paradigms and organizational forms in every aspect of society (see The Fourth Turning by Strauss and Howe). As we begin to see the unraveling of politics, economics, and societal norms, the message of warning and the sentiment of the inevitability of change … [Read more...]
Logos, Pathos & Ethos, & Our National Leadership Diet
October 13, 2009 by 3 Comments
The following dialogue is common for me: “Hey, Dave, I’m in training for the upcoming season and would like some diet advice.” “Sure, Chad. I recommend a balanced diet.” “But Dave, I want to lose weight, too.” “Oh, in that case, I recommend a balanced diet.” “Okay, but I also want to know what I should eat before a big … [Read more...]
Health Care Reform in the Era of the Expert Plan
October 7, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The debate on health care reform is presented as Democrat versus Republican. In fact, this is only marginally accurate. The truth is that this is all about Expert Economic Planning versus the principle of strong but limited government. In the latter view, government should effectively use its power to protect inalienable rights and do nothing … [Read more...]
Vampires As Aristocrats?
October 5, 2009 by 3 Comments
In the last few years, as the vampire genre has gone from cult popularity to fringe and then to mainstream and mega-bestseller, I have wondered what vampires signify to our culture. The bestseller vampire story Twilight and its sequels swept American teen reading circles, and these books were also read by a lot of adults. When the movie came … [Read more...]
