We now live an Electionocracy. This means that the elections never end. Once a person is elected to office, especially at the national level, he or she doesn’t get to stop campaigning and focus on governing. Instead, everyone in office is required to keep campaigning even as they serve. One the one hand, this is a negative development in a … [Read more...]
Why America is in Decline
May 29, 2013 by 5 Comments
People often compare America’s decline with the fall of Rome or the Ottoman Empire. Another apt parallel to our time can be found in the British experience with the American Revolutionary War. The British Army and Navy was much bigger, more well-trained, and more highly funded than the Continental Army, and most observers -- on both sides … [Read more...]
Freeing the Prisoner in My Skull-Sized Kingdom
May 27, 2013 by 1 Comment
It had to have been a conspiracy. It was as if every force in the universe was aligned against us. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong. But not in the way I first thought. The ordeal started while enjoying a family tradition of taking the kids to our favorite restaurant each week. The restaurant was unusually busy that evening, … [Read more...]
“If it Saves Just One Life…”
May 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Like everyone, I was shocked and dismayed by the the Newtown, Connecticut shooting. I grieved for the families who lost children. What an incomprehensible act of violence. It will indeed be a black mark on American history. And as much as I feel their loss and grieve with those families, I still believe that citizens have a right and duty to … [Read more...]
A Looming Crisis — and a Call for Solutions
May 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Most Americans have no ideas it is coming. But it is just around the corner. It’s one of those technical changes that only wonks pay attention to, so few people realize how big this will be. In fact, it’s a serious crisis in the making. And unlike the Y2K scare in 1999, this crisis is a sure thing. The crisis is this: In January, many … [Read more...]
Word Magic and My Labelmaker
May 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
It looked like just another piece of junk at the yard sale. But I knew better. For me, as a young boy, it represented the ability to practice word magic. Soon I was labeling anything within reach with my well-used label maker. Toys, books, furniture, even pictures were soon clearly labeled for anyone who may have been … [Read more...]
How to Overcome a Lack of Natural Talent
May 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Some people begin the journey to success in a particular endeavor endowed with obvious natural talent. Others, however (and most, as it turns out), are not so gifted. This second group has to work harder to do what the first group was able to do naturally. Over time, however, the differences between starting points fade … [Read more...]
A Lone Voice Crying in the Wilderness of Economics
May 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from Orrin Woodward's book, Resolved: 13 Resolutions for Life. Ludwig Von Mises, an Austrian economist, stood for truth against the economic trends of his day. He defended free enterprise and classic liberalism when nearly all were stumbling over each other to receive perks and preferment offered by … [Read more...]
When NOT to Settle Down
May 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
After every major U.S. election, there is a gradual wind-down of passion for a few months. For over a year now, people of all political views have been at high pitch on politics. They geared up for the Republican primaries, then the question of who would be the Vice President, and then the general election dominated the fall season. The … [Read more...]
In Defense of the Manual Arts
May 3, 2013 by 2 Comments
You've read a lot of articles from me promoting a liberal arts education, which we teach at Monticello College. But there is a lesser known side of our curriculum -- the manual arts, which are not something the average American thinks about in the 21st century. But a hundred years ago, the vast majority of Americans were engaged in the manual … [Read more...]
