The Stephen Mansfield Podcast

Donald Trump has been threatening out of anger to relocate illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities. Though he may be right on the issue of illegal immigration, he is wrong in his approach. In this episode, Stephen discusses why leaders need to be aware of the emotions affecting their decisions. Great leaders must “clear the weeds” of emotions blocking the view to a good decision, for when we make decisions out of anger, we make foolish decisions.

Sex trafficking has become such a huge problem that many of us are hard-pressed to get our minds around it. The U.S. government estimates 56 million people are trafficked globally each day. The industry brings in more than $150 billion; that’s more than the intake of the world’s five largest companies. In this episode, Stephen discusses the nature of this despicable global issue, as well as his own involvement in fighting modern day slavery.

Did you know that three companies control 95% of all credit cards? Or that three companies also control 80% of all mobile telecoms? Stephen is pro-business and fully supportive of free markets, but he is also fully opposed to monopolies. Dive into this episode to learn more about the dangers of monopolies, the advantages of free markets, and the role that the founding fathers intended the government to play in managing these threats.

Evangelicals today are in crisis – largely because so many, especially the leaders, are wed to Donald Trump, who earned 81% of the white evangelical vote, half of the Roman Catholic vote, and half of the votes of regular church attendees. So, what’s the problem? Stephen sees a backlash against evangelicals that will only grow without some changes in behavior. Find out what solutions he proposes in this episode. Note: This episode of the Stephen Mansfield Podcast was originally published on April 4, 2018.

The college admissions scandal, Smollett, #MeToo, Manafort, Cohen, Nassar… we live in an age of justice, and Stephen celebrates it. This reformist impulse happens from time to time in history, and we are witness to it now. In this episode, Stephen discusses how we may live through these fascinating (though sometimes disorienting) times so that we may become more effective leaders who are better equipped to bring about change.

Here is a truth of leadership: if you don’t fix it, somebody else is going to. And they’re probably going to fix it in a clumsy and heavy-fisted way. The AMA failed to address our healthcare issues, and so we got Obamacare. Several administrations failed to address trade issues, and so we got the Trump approach. Police your industry, or it will get policed for you.

Those of us in the West spend little time and money on food. Only one in 50 people work in food production, and less than 10% of personal income is spent on food. For comparison, 82% of Ethiopia’s population works in food production… and 60% of a person’s income in the Philippines is spent on food. The good news is, from 1990 to 2015, one billion people were lifted out of extreme poverty. In the last 36 months of that period (2012-2015), 200 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty. The pace is quickening. The catalyst? Food. In this episode, Stephen discusses how access to food can revolutionize an entire nation. Want to be a part of the change? Check out Convoy of Hope: https://www.convoyofhope.org/.

Many in our current class of Congress are proponents of socialism. They point at our warped version of capitalism and say, “Capitalism doesn’t work! We must throw it out and do something different!” Of course, the system we have today is not a free market economy with a fair playing field. (Warren Buffett’s secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does.) Those of us who believe in a traditional, free market American system need to be prepared to debate and defend the position.

Throughout American political history, the people of this nation have treasured the Cincinnatus image. Cincinnatus was a Roman gentleman farmer who left his plow to serve his state in a time of crisis, after which he returned to his farm. George Washington embodied this ideal, as do many individuals on both sides of the political aisle who run for office as “outsiders,” as “one of the people.” In this episode, Stephen questions the Cincinnatus myth in light of Donald Trump’s recent declaration of a state of emergency.

Most conservatives lack appeal because they lack the ability to make their case. The right cannot survive simply by vilifying the left. Those of us right-of-center must be ready to give an answer in defense of our beliefs. It’s not enough to cling to traditional values. We must possess informed and compelling language. Do you know your history? Are you able to show why socialism doesn’t work? In this episode, Stephen challenges listeners to examine the foundations of their beliefs and fill in the gaps in their education, as needed.