The Stephen Mansfield Podcast

Stephen recently gave a talk on Volodymyr Zelensky. Many people found it inspiring and uplifting. One attendee responded with an email claiming Zelensky is an evil man involved in the trafficking of children via underground tunnels bought and paid for by George Soros. What bothers Stephen is not the disagreement itself, but that this intelligent person could so vehemently contend a blatantly false position from a source specifically designed for disinformation. You cannot rely on just a few news sources. You need to gather your information from  a variety of news resources. Americans are divided in our response to war in Ukraine, one of the greatest refugee crises in history, because there are people who believe in disinformation, which is a direct result of consuming very limited media. Diversify your news. In this episode, Stephen explains how he sources his news.

This week, as the IRS becomes inundated with paperwork, Stephen shares an argument for a flat tax, which has seen tremendous success in other countries, such as Hungary, where revenues increased 24% in the first year that the nation replaced a progressive tax rate with a flat tax of 16%. A flat tax is the most fair, productive, simple, and democratic solution. Tune in to find out why.

Violent evil must be met with an equal force. The West must be resolved to counter Putin’s wrongdoings. His country’s population is half of the United States’ and his military is smaller. Is it time to step in? Should we be willing for World War III if that is the price of halting evil? Stephen believes we cannot allow other nations to be served up to Russia, as has happened in the past. Though history doesn’t repeat itself, it often rhymes.

There are three kinds of people always at work in society: rebels, radicals, and reformers. The rebels are unhappy, angry, and will take any opportunity for mischief and mayhem. The radicals are usually more intelligent and better organized. They may have a social vision that calls for the overthrow of the entire system in order to bring about justice in a certain area. Reformers want to bring needed change to a system with a direction consistent to what the system was originally intended to achieve. Recognize the differences. This episode originally aired on July 29, 2020.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine could perhaps be the most important event of our time, even eclipsing COVID in its impact. In this episode, Stephen analyzes the conflict through the lens of Just War Theory. Tune in to learn about “jus ad bellum,” “jus in bello,” and the various tests used to evaluate the ethics of war.

Allow yourself to think in terms of nuance. Avoid the traps of good/bad, black/white polarization. You’ll be wiser and better able to lead yourself out of the lesser angels of your nature. This is a sign of wisdom and maturity. It is what smart people do in our very tumultuous generation.

America has imbued its tax laws and culture with an emphasis on generosity. The theme has raged to the forefront in recent decades. Charities Aid Foundation's World Giving Index reports that Americans are radically generous. Seventy-two percent of Americans help strangers and forty-two percent volunteer to help others. During the pandemic (2020-2021), Americans were more generous than in years prior. In fact, nearly sixty percent of Americans gave money last year. In this episode, Stephen urges listeners to give generously, and to give wisely. Resources mentioned in this episode: BBB Wise Giving Alliance Charity Navigator Charity Watch Candid (GuideStar) IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Give to GreatMan GreatMan Global Donations Support GreatMan through Amazon Smile

It is essential that our nation’s leaders ensure we are not so dependent on foreign products and energy that we are incapable of being self-sustaining in the crises we face as a nation. We learned in the early days of COVID-19 that many critical supplies like N-95 masks came from China. You may have also learned that in 2021 the US received 21% of its gasoline from Russia. This reliance on other nations comes with significant risk. The United States has the resources to care for itself, and we ought to be self-sustaining in the essentials.

Vladimir Putin was raised by an atheist father and a deeply Christian mother. He still carries the cross he was given at baptism and considers himself a Christian, committed to the Russian Orthodox Church. He believes Ukraine and Russia to be of the same “spiritual space,” and now he intends to restore his spiritual vision of the Russian empire. Tune in as Stephen travels back through the centuries and unravels the origins of this narrative in an attempt to understand some of Putin’s less discussed motives behind the Russia/Ukraine conflict.

There is a white supremacy movement rising among young, white, privileged males in the US, and it’s doing a great deal of damage. Stephen encourages us all to take responsibility for this as far as we have reach and influence. Let’s stamp out this evil and destructive idea by having conversations, building friendships across racial lines, and traveling as we’re able. This episode originally aired on May 1, 2019.