Significant Developments on the Monticello College Campus

Let me take a couple of lines to bring you current with Monticello College news. My daughter Amber and I spent the greater part of  5 months (Jan-May 2014) in California teaching a program called Personal Financial Autonomy (the Utah segment begins in September). We met with great success and taught over 400 students in 12 locations. We arrived […]

The Debate Over The 2nd Amendment

Whether you support it or not, the recent dispute over the Second Amendment has the makings of a serious controversy in coming days. With the current refusal of as many as 300,000 Connecticut gun owners who legally possess rifles that have just now become illegal in that state, we are witnessing a profound example of civil disobedience. The amendment in question states: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the […]

A Revolution of Entrepreneurship

In January, I attended a convention where one of the featured speakers was my friend, Stephen Palmer. Steve’s bio is at the end of this post, but what I want you to know is that Steve actually believes and lives what he says.  I hope Steve and Karina won’t mind too much if I get a little personal. I have […]

The Charles Schulz Philosophy






  Although this philosophy has often been attributed to the creator of Charlie Brown and Snoopy, there is no evidence that he actually penned it.  Regardless who the author is, it still makes my point. In our capacities as fathers and mothers, family protectors, and business decision makers, we all have to measure other people. […]

The Dawning Of A New Era

We have been saying for years that the day would come when the concepts and results of a liberal education would again be valued in politics, business, and society in general, that citizenship would enjoy a renewed position of importance in our nation, and that statesmen would rise up in our capitols to provide courageous […]

If It Saves Just One Life

I was shocked, dismayed, and like you I personally grieved for the families who lost children at the Newtown, Connecticut shooting just two month ago. What a severe act of violence. Who can make sense of 27 senseless deaths? It will indeed be a black mark on American history. And as much as I try […]

The Liberal Arts During Bondage: Part One

[This series of posts are a continuation of the blog posted on January 1, 2013 at Shanonbrooks.com entitled Job Training Versus Character Education] What does bondage look like? One attribute of human nature is that we tend to acclimate over time to whatever condition we are experiencing.  We get used to the hot or cold […]

Job Training Versus Character Education

Modern higher education has become proficient at convincing the American public that to earn a good living, one must hold a college/university degree. While some jobs/careers do require specialized training, the scheme of requiring a degree in most cases, is more a function of credentialism and jumping through hoops than actual job preparation. Just ask […]

A Renaissance in Social Leadership

I actually wrote and posted this article in 2009, but I felt that it was a good time to take another look.   In Lee Iacocca’s book Where Have All the Leaders Gone?, he strikes a poignant cord—with all of these problems we are facing, where is the outrage? And now that he mentions it, […]