By Oliver DeMille A friend recently told me that he considers family relationships much more important than politics. He said marriage is a sacred, covenant relationship, and as such it is a higher priority than civil government. I had two responses to this thought: First, I totally agree. I think our families are a sacred trust and … [Read more...]
Robert’s Rules of Chess
July 6, 2012 by 3 Comments
By Oliver DeMille When Chief Justice Roberts sided with the liberals to uphold Obamacare, it sent a shock wave through conservatism. After all, Mitt Romney had lauded Roberts as the example of the kind of Justices he’d select if elected president, and Roberts was seen as a clear conservative by most Republicans. With one vote, he angered … [Read more...]
A Vital Leadership Trend that Isn’t Yet a Thing
June 29, 2012 by 1 Comment
by Oliver DeMille We need a whole new level of leadership. And we need it soon. Just consider some of our pressing national challenges: 75% of current Americans worry that another recession is coming. U.S. consumer confidence in June is at a six-month low. The average price of a gallon of gas in the United States was $3.88 at the … [Read more...]
Type A Voters and the Simple Fix
June 8, 2012 by 3 Comments
By Oliver DeMille Raghuram Rajan of the University of Chicago recently said in Foreign Affairs (May/June 2012): For decades before the financial crisis of 2008, advanced economies were losing their ability to grow by making useful things. "But they needed to somehow replace the jobs that had been lost to technology and foreign … [Read more...]
Next…?
May 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment
THE NEXT BIG TREND: Pooled Sovereignty by Oliver DeMille I recently spent two days in a Barnes and Noble reading the bestsellers on current trends and issues. I do this as often as I can—at least three times a year. Sometimes I emphasize business bestsellers, and other times I focus on political books. When I was too ill to do these visits … [Read more...]
Predicting Elections
April 20, 2012 by 1 Comment
By Oliver DeMille There are various methods and matrices for predicting elections, none of them infallible. But one does come pretty close. When an incumbent president is running for reelection, the growth rate of discretionary income citizens have during the first two quarters of the election year always accurately predicts the … [Read more...]
The Summer of 2012
April 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment
What to Expect as the Year Heats Up By Oliver DeMille The temperatures are rising for summer, not just literally but also in politics, economics and culture. There are several important trends that are sure to influence the months ahead, and indeed the summer of 2012 promises to be both historic and memorable. Each of us should consider … [Read more...]
Right vs. Cool
April 4, 2012 by 1 Comment
The Upcoming Elections By Oliver DeMille Weeks ago I wrote an article about two kinds of voters in modern America, the traditionalists (who vote mostly based on issues) and the literalists (who vote pragmatically). The response has been both widespread and interesting. The feedback made it clear that a lot of independent voters understood and … [Read more...]
Capitalism vs. Capitalism
March 21, 2012 by 3 Comments
An Essential Debate for the Future of Freedom By Oliver DeMille There are two major types of economies: market and command. Within these two branches there are a number of subtypes, including various command-style economies such as socialism, communism, fascism, collectivism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism. The market-economy … [Read more...]
The New Challenge of Governments
February 29, 2012 by 7 Comments
By Oliver DeMille Globalization is changing the demand on governments around the world. Since the advent of the nation-state in 1648, the purpose of national government has been to protect its citizens from attack by international forces and domestic criminals. Local government has focused on providing the various needs of citizens as deemed … [Read more...]
