By Oliver DeMille -Free democracies protect the property of all. -Socialist nations protect the property of none. -Monarchies consider all property the estate of the king. -Aristocracies have one set of property and investment laws for the very rich and a different one for the rest.* -Free democracies assess tax money fairly from all … [Read more...]
The Limits of Specialization
April 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty … [Read more...]
Pull Up a Chair
April 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille The Big Bargain Elites make a bargain with the middle class. This bargain determines how power, influence and wealth will be distributed in society. In each new generation, elites and the middle class review the current bargain and make alterations—sometimes minor and in other generations more drastic. If things get bad for … [Read more...]
China and the US Decline
April 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille “According to the Pew Research Centre, some 87% of Chinese, 50% of Brazilians and 45% of Indians, think their country is going in the right direction, whereas 31% of Britons, 30% of Americans and 26% of the French do….For most of its history America has kept its promise to give its citizens a good chance of living better than … [Read more...]
Blame Independents
March 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille The Power of Foresight What do we want America to be in twenty years? What do we want it to look like when our children and grandchildren leave college and enter the workforce? What kind of future are we seeking and creating right now? Unfortunately, many independents aren’t sure how to answer this question. In a world … [Read more...]
A New Look At Employment
March 25, 2011 by 1 Comment
By Oliver DeMille For decades the waves of history have moved paid work in the direction of increased specialization. A natural result of this trend has been the rising role of experts, along with what can be called superspecialization. As technology has kept pace with and benefitted from this development, our technological abilities have … [Read more...]
The Globocracy
March 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille One of the most significant changes brought by the American revolution and founding was the replacement of an aristocratic class system with the ideal of a democratic society—supported by a federal-democratic-republic form of government and free enterprise economic system. Today we are witnessing a similar shift, but in a … [Read more...]
Culture Versus Institutions
March 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille Free citizens are innovative, independent and giving. When these characteristics wane in a society, freedom decreases. When these values are bolstered, freedom grows. Because they are so important in free nations, institutions attempt to produce and market them. But the nature of innovation, independence and giving … [Read more...]
The Presidential Election of 2012, Part 2: Putting Aside Partisanship
February 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille This is Part Two of a two-part series. Read Part One here. Away from Arrogance With a Republican House, we now get to see if President Obama is only ideological (as some people claim) or if he has the ability to be a pragmatist. It is possible that President Obama is a pragmatist, but that he simply believes his own … [Read more...]
The Presidential Election of 2012, Part 1: The Benefits of Divided Government
February 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille The Big Three Americans feel deeply and strongly about three things right now. All three have support on the right, the center and the left. These may well dominate the news and politics until the election of 2012, just as stimulus, health care and the midterm election overshadowed the discussions of 2009-2010. … [Read more...]
