As Americans increasingly feel the pinch of higher prices for food and fuel, the Federal Reserve’s QE2 policy of creating more money has been called into question. Asked if the Fed bore some responsibility for these vexing price increases, Fed … Continue reading
Economics & Political Systems
What Would Jesus Cut?
That is the question asked by the left-leaning Christian organization, Sojourners, in its campaign of the same name. It is a most appropriate question given the battle over the budget and given this time of year, not long after the … Continue reading
Millionaires in America
Recently, CNN’s Money.com posted an article bearing the title, “U.S. Millionaires Population Expanded by 8 Percent in 2010.” According to the article, there are now approximately 8.4 million millionaires in the United States, and last year’s increase was due primarily … Continue reading
Bigger Than the Royal Wedding
Written by the administrative director of The Center for Vision & Values for WORLD Magazine. Read the article»
Playing the Ostrich on Price Inflation
By the time you read this, there’s a good chance that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will have held the Fed’s first press conference following a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee—the Fed committee that controls monetary policy. Leading … Continue reading
Downgrading America: S&P Declares the Obvious
If you had been living on another planet the last three years, you would be shocked to learn that the credit-rating agency, Standard and Poor’s (S&P), has placed the current AAA credit rating for the debt issued by the U.S. … Continue reading
Donald “Herbert Hoover” Trump
Written by the administrative director of The Center for Vision & Values for WORLD Magazine. Read the article»
How “Radical” is the Ryan Plan?
Question for those of you concerned about the size of federal debts and deficits: Would you endorse a plan which would add another five or six trillion dollars to the federal debt over the next decade while increasing Uncle Sam’s … Continue reading
V&V PAPER — Christian Charity and the Welfare State
Editor’s Note: “When government confines itself to protecting each individual’s God-given right to be safe in his or her own person and property, then people are free to go about their business as long as they don’t trespass on the rights … Continue reading
Money Can’t Buy You Economic Prosperity
Defenders of the Federal Reserve have been out in force recently declaring the triumph of Money Printing 2, James Grant’s suggested more truthful term for “quantitative easing.” Some pundits point to an 18-percent increase in the S&P 500 since last … Continue reading
Nightmares and the Secret Tax
Written by the administrative director of The Center for Vision & Values for WORLD Magazine. Read the article»
America’s March of Folly
The budget deficits from the first two years of the Obama administration are of sufficient magnitude to spring Dr. “Billions and Billions” Carl Sagan from his grave. Sagan could sue for copyright infringement for misuse of astronomical numbers. On second … Continue reading
A Nation of Takers
Written by the administrative director of The Center for Vision & Values for WORLD Magazine. Read the article»
Budget Tightening in Pennsylvania—and Around the Nation
Pennsylvania’s new governor, Tom Corbett, has submitted his first annual budget to the state legislature. It includes proposals for spending cuts and no new taxes. In some ways, the budget is a model of what must be done nationwide. Gov. … Continue reading
Madison v. Washington
Written by the administrative director of The Center for Vision & Values for WORLD Magazine. Read the article»
A Tale of Two Union Disputes: The NFL vs. Wisconsin Teachers
There are two high-profile labor disputes in the news these days. One involves Wisconsin’s public-school teachers; the other, the National Football League’s players. I mentioned this to a friend, who responded that the NFL dispute was more troublesome. The very … Continue reading
When Winston Warned America: Churchill’s "Iron Curtain" at 65
It was 65 years ago, March 5, 1946, when Winston Churchill delivered his “Iron Curtain” speech in Fulton, Missouri. It was a speech that rocked the world and changed history.By then, Churchill was no longer British prime minister. He and … Continue reading
Who Objects to Free Speech?
Free speech has always been one of our most cherished rights. It has come under attack repeatedly by those who find it to be an inconvenient and unwanted obstacle to the attainment of their political goals. Sometimes, those in positions … Continue reading
The Debt-Ceiling Dance and the Annual Budget Ritual
Once again it’s time to talk about raising the statutory limit on the U.S. government’s debt—the so-called “debt ceiling.” Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has estimated that Uncle Sam will reach the debt ceiling before Tax Day, possibly even before the … Continue reading
The “Purpose” and “Job” of Government: Wealth Redistribution?
A teachable moment on the purpose of government recently occurred on MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” who has picked up the torch for the departed Keith Olbermann. It was Monday, February 7, the day after President Obama sat … Continue reading