The Servile State: The Scourge of Economic Slavery

“. . . If we do not restore the Institution of Property, we cannot escape restoring the Institution of Slavery; there is no third course.”                  Hilaire Belloc – 1912   I have just about had it with intrusive governmental regulations (such as building permits, construction codes, city ordinances, impact fees, and the like) on private […]

Does Anybody Understand This Stuff?: Part 3, Greek and Roman Economics – A Thumbnail Sketch of 4,000 Years of Economics

Read Part One Here Read Part Two Here Read Part Four Here Greek and Roman Economics (700B.C.-400A.D.) Although modern economics are generally discussed from four polarizing positions; Radical, Keynesian, Neo-Liberal, and Austrian (all of which we will cover later), virtually all aspects of our modern discussion of economics were first articulated by the Greeks, including […]

Thanksgiving: A Proclamation

How many of us know the origin of Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving celebrations began as early as 1541 along the eastern seaboard of North America. Most of us relate to the celebration at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. The Pilgrims, having survived their first winter (during which about half of them died), invited their local Indian friends to […]

Why Hebrew?, Part Three: Hebrew Competes With Greek

Read Part One Here Read Part Two Here Competing Features Now, consider possible ways in which Hebrew will compete with the Greek heritage, and vie for the dominant eye. For some things there cannot be two masters; one, and only one, must be granted superiority. In The Republic, Plato identified three classes of citizens in his […]

Does Anybody Understand This Stuff?, Part One: Deflation

  Read Part Two Here This is one of several blogs in a series called Does Anybody Understand this stuff?, concerning economics and our future. There is no way to honor the blogging rule of 600 word posts when we are talking about the economy, so I will try to keep them short but no […]

Why the Liberal Arts, Why Monticello, and Why the Outdoors?

Contributing author Joelle Mancuso of Simi Valley, CA    9/2/10 Imagine a liberal arts education as you would a physical training program. The program you use, the tools that are engaged and the environment you utilize will determine if you become fit or remain idle. A college that is dedicated to greatness, a curriculum that engages […]

Why Hebrew?, Part Two: Hebrew Compliments Greek

Read Part One Here Must an education be limited to completing a checklist of courses in order to receive a certificate of conformance to present as evidence to a prospective employer of having met a minimum standard of proficiency in practical, productive job skills? Is an education limited to passing through a “liberal arts” program […]

Montesquieu: Luminary of the Enlightenment

 (Please excuse any errors.  I am writing on the fly from New York and time is limited). Cicero said, “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child.” To paraphrase, he who only knows his own generation is an unwitting slave to those who have a knowledge of the past and an eye on the […]