By Oliver DeMille 1913 was a banner year for the United States. During this year the 16th and 17th Amendments were passed and the Federal Reserve was created. Students of American freedom have long debated about the damaging effects of these three occurrences. The year 1913 also marks the modern start of a long trend of increased spending … [Read more...]
Strategies to Increase the Size of Government
June 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille When the Bush Administration lost the support of Congress to Democrats in the 2006 midterm election, it simply turned its focus to pushing its agenda through administrative policy in the numerous governmental agencies. The Obama Administration has said that it will do the same thing if it loses the House and/or Senate in the … [Read more...]
How To Fix Public Education
June 20, 2011 by 1 Comment
By Oliver DeMille Time magazine recently published a cover article on reforming American education, and its leading argument was the need for more great teachers. The details, however, contained more of the same old edu-bureaucratic ideas which have been promoted for the past thirty years. Opening the teacher rolls to more people with … [Read more...]
Public Education’s God Complex
June 17, 2011 by 2 Comments
By Bryan Hyde The term “God complex” is sometimes used to describe those in influential positions who behave with such arrogance that they believe they are acting as God Himself would--if only He had all the facts. A fairly recent textbook example of such all-knowing behavior involved members of the Utah State Board of Education. How ironic … [Read more...]
Self Governance: Our Job As Citizens
June 10, 2011 by 3 Comments
By Oliver DeMille My oldest daughter asked me recently, "What is the key thing to know about freedom?" I answered, local governance. The most basic unit of society--above the family--are small councils that include all adults in the decision-making process. These councils maintain freedom by including in all local decisions the voices and … [Read more...]
The Rise of Social Leadership
June 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille It’s been decades since Peter Drucker predicted that non-profit organizations would be America’s biggest growth sector, and his foresight has proven accurate. However, he didn’t foretell one of the leadership trend of our time: Social Leadership. Political leadership has been a central part of life for centuries, business … [Read more...]
Marginalizing Others Via the Bogus Predicate
June 1, 2011 by 1 Comment
By Bryan Hyde If patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel as Samuel Johnson suggested in 1775, one can’t help but wonder what the first refuge might have been. In our day, the answer to that question would most likely consist of what Gilbert Ryle referred to as the bogus or unspecified predicate as a means of silencing dissent. The … [Read more...]
The Camel’s Nose Under the Tent Flap
May 30, 2011 by 1 Comment
By Chris Brady People don't like to be told what to do. Even children are not very receptive to instruction. So when governments set out to take over peoples' freedoms (which means, quite simply, government telling people what to do instead of people making their own choices) they have to get crafty. Some serious skill is required. … [Read more...]
Our New National Hymn: How Great We Art
May 18, 2011 by 1 Comment
By Bryan Hyde "Raise their heads on gilded poles! Roast the fatted calf! We need a rousing song--summon Toby Keith!" - from The Onion on the killing of Usay & Quday Hussein by U.S forces in 2003. The past couple of weeks have revealed a great deal about the character of the average American. It's not exactly good news either. When … [Read more...]
What Type of Government Does America Have Today?
May 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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...]
