The ability of huge companies to secure massive government contracts through lobbying and cronyism is not a development of the free market but a distortion of it. It is a kind of corporate welfare that ends up redistributing wealth not creating it. Scholar Samuel Gregg explains that crony deals redistribute “risk in a given society … Read more
Historically, the Industrial Revolution is said to have started in England from 1760 to 1840. However, many historians recognize that the real origins go back much further to medieval times. The medieval spirit of technological innovation was highly developed and set in motion processes that later gave rise to the changes that are associated with … Read more
Chivalry was born when men found an ideal which could be imitated. Thus the knight could draw inspiration from the ideal knight and seek to imitate him. It is not surprising that knights would look to the first knight as their model who was Saint Michael, the Archangel. Johan Huizinga explains that “The primordial feat … Read more
Before entering into the Obamacare debate, I should probably mention that I am among those who suffer from a major pre-existing medical condition. It is not pretty but I have to deal with it. This condition has no cure. I know it can strike me at any time and leaves behind enormous hospital bills. There … Read more
Many fail to realize that the family is not only an important social unit but also an economic unit of great importance. In traditional society, it was held that marriage creates a new economic entity that enriches all society. Peter Laslett writes: “For marriage, and particularly first marriage, we must repeat, was an act of … Read more
The below-zero temperatures were inhospitable outside the Columbian Meeting and Conference Center in West Bend, Wis. on January 5, the feast of the Epiphany. However, the event inside was warm and lively. Over 110 people attended the double-book signing program titled “Return to Family: Getting Your Family Fired Up About Honor, Role Models and … Read more
In reply to my story about artificial Christmas trees that can be delivered to your home in boxes, I received a reply from a dear friend in faraway Austria. His story reflects something of what we have lost in today’s commercialism of Christmas. He tells how he celebrated Christmas Eve with his wife and 15 … Read more
It is difficult to get a handle on what exactly is happening in our troubled economy. Everyone feels the malaise but few know how to explain it. Some say the economy is getting slightly better; others say it is getting much worse. There is debt, unemployment and stagnation which some say is caused by too … Read more
Written by Gary Isbel Following an early December book tour in Belgium and Holland, several Dutch publications have taken note of Return to Order. The editors of Nederlands Dagblad published an op-ed piece, “An Impending Economic Crisis,” by author John Horvat II in its December 10 edition. The Christian newspaper has about 25,000 subscribers. In … Read more
In the words of one reader, the book, Return to Order, targets those who “grieve for the nation.” I could not have put better since it was indeed written for those who have the vision to look beyond their own self-interest and are concerned about the state of the nation. The difficult question is: Where … Read more
