Reading dictionaries is fun. I especially like the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), along with its two companions, the Compact Oxford English Dictionary, and the Compact Oxford Thesaurus. Seriously, this isn't nerdy at all. It's really entertaining. For example, my brother Will told me the other day that he had an interesting experience. He … [Read more...]
America’s Great Degeneration – Oliver DeMille
February 25, 2014 by 2 Comments
Speaking of how the government runs its finances today, historian Niall Ferguson wrote: "The present system is, to put it bluntly, fraudulent. There are no regular published and official balance sheets. Huge liabilities are simply hidden from view. Not even the current income and expenditure statements can be relied upon. No legitimate business … [Read more...]
Why Freedom is Losing: The Battle for Our Future – Oliver DeMille
February 12, 2014 by 7 Comments
De Jouvenel said it all in one profound paragraph: "From the twelfth to the eighteenth century governmental authority grew continuously. The process was understood by all who saw it happening; it stirred them to incessant protest and...reaction. In later times its growth has continued at an accelerated pace...And now we no longer understand the … [Read more...]
Are You Really an American? – Oliver DeMille
January 29, 2014 by 4 Comments
The more I watch the news, the more I wish we had more farmers in modern America. I grew up in a small town, and when I was a boy there were lots of farmers still left in the county. The town was small enough that I knew, at least by face and name, pretty much every man and woman -- and I noticed something different about farmers. They didn't … [Read more...]
What Society Has in Common with Wet Cement
January 13, 2014 by 1 Comment
Some of the most serious conflicts in our society today have their roots in the difference between forms and issues. The fact that many otherwise informed individuals have no idea what is meant by "forms" is a key reason for this. Forms are best described as the foundational structure or principles that characterize what something is. In … [Read more...]
The Legacy of 2013? -Oliver DeMille
January 8, 2014 by 1 Comment
The year 2013 is over, and it may go down in history as another drastically negative year like 1913. The hundred year itch? Maybe. The year started out with high political drama as Republicans and Democrats argued late into the nights on January 1 and 2 in search of a fiscal cliff agreement. In May and June we watched a domino series of … [Read more...]
The Future of Feminism by Oliver DeMille
January 6, 2014 by 2 Comments
It could be over. The whole, centuries-long debate between men and women, as well as between women and women, over the best role for women, may be coming to an end. Ironically, this hinges not so much on women or men, but on both. And on children too. Let me explain. Feminism has progressed through several phases in history. First, … [Read more...]
State Power Versus Social Power – Orrin Woodward
December 30, 2013 by 2 Comments
Human societies are in never-ending struggle between the forces seeking to optimize State Power and those seeking to optimize Social Power. The gain for one is the loss of the other. Accordingly, the reason society finds it so difficult to rest the Power Pendulum in concord is that these two forces wage an endless war within society. … [Read more...]
A Huge Shift is Coming to America – Oliver DeMille
December 18, 2013 by 17 Comments
We entered a new cycle of history during 2013. Like any cycle, this one started small. But it is growing quickly, and it is already swaying the future. To understand this, let's briefly go back to the beginning -- when this cycle was first described. In 1836, even before Alexis de Tocqueville finished his famous classic, Democracy in America, a … [Read more...]
Overcoming Obamacare by Oliver DeMille
December 13, 2013 by 3 Comments
Do we have an answer yet? Not quite. But we're making progress. A few months ago I suggested that many companies were going to lay off a lot of employees when Obamacare went into effect -- starting in October 2013 and increasing for the next eighteen months. Then I asked for input from readers: How can business owners overcome the … [Read more...]
