The following is a summary of the December/January issue of the St. Croix Review:

Barry MacDonald, in “The Rise of the Counter Elite,” writes about Marc Andreessen’s insider’s view of the corrupt Democratic Party — Marc Andreessen is a tech baron, a billionaire, a venture capital investor who will be assisting the incoming Trump Administration.

Michael S. Swisher, in “Where Does the Conservative Movement Go from Here?” traces the modern American conservative movement back to the Cold War era. Conservatism emerged in opposition to Soviet Communism, and was a “fusion” of anti-communism, libertarianism, and traditionalism. Swisher believes that with the end of the Cold War, conservatives have been rudderless.

Derek Suszko, in “Where Does the Conservative Movement Go from Here?” writes that the conservatism of the last 40 years failed because it neglected basic truths about politics and people. He believes that a “restoration movement” should recognize that the duty of a political party is to tangibly improve the lives of the people who vote for it.

Gordon L. Anderson, in “Where Does Conservatism Go from Here?” presents a comprehensive program for America based on the principles, and the spiritual wisdom, of the U.S. Constitution.

Jessica L. Johnson, in “Where Does Conservatism Go from Here?” in the keynote speech at the annual dinner of The St. Croix Review in October said: “At its heart, conservatism has always been about faith in the individual, and the belief that every American has the potential to succeed when given the tools and freedom to do so. . . .”

Josiah Lippincott, in “How Trump Seized Obama’s Mandate,” writes that Obama failed to deliver on the promises that he made to the American people, and that Trump, with his own brand of populism, has the opportunity to cement an enduring legacy.

Allan Brownfeld, in “Remembering Lee Edwards: A Life Dedicated to Advancing Freedom” memorializes a little-recognized but mightily accomplished Cold-War era conservative.

Paul Kengor, in “Lee Edwards, Dean of Conservatism, RIP,” memorializes a Cold-War hero.

Mark Hendrickson, in “The Challenges Facing the Department of Government Efficiency,” cheers on Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and their Dept. of Government Efficiency, now that the cost of the interest on the national debt is more than $1 trillion annually; in “Too Many People — Or Not Enough,” he presents two pessimistic views, neither of which take the saving grace of human ingenuity into account; in “Questions about COP29’s Promised Wealth-Transfer Plan” he writes about the recent UN climate-change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, that came up with a scheme for wealthy countries to pay poor countries $300 billion each year for green energy.

Francis P. DeStefano, in “Hollywood Private Eyes,” reviews the films the “Maltese Falcon,” the “The Big Sleep,” and others, that star Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Dick Powell; in “More Film Noir,” he reviews five films, including “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” and “Crime Wave.”

Jigs Gardner, in “Letters from a Conservative Farmer: Versed in Country Things — Summer and Fall,” describes the antics of a resident youthful Marxist revolutionary, Momo, the felling of trees, the oddity of country folk, the meander of Aster the cow, and the beauty of autumn.

Jigs Gardner, in “Writers for Conservatives: 14 — Henry David Thoreau,” elucidates on the quality of Thoreau’s ideas, but he reserves his highest praise for Thoreau’s masterly prose.