The state of Pennsylvania, as well as many other states, faces a pension crisis. The state has not set aside enough money each year to pay the pensions it is legally obligated to pay state workers and public school employees. … Continue reading
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Relationships Matter — But Which Ones?
Everyone knows that relationships matter. But few of us pause to ponder exactly which relationships matter. Recently, I came across a study by the well-regarded Search Institute, a Minnesota research group whose early work identified a range of protective factors for young … Continue reading
A Shell Game by Any Other Name: The Economics and Rationale behind Tuition Discounting
How Colleges Overcharge in the Name of “Scholarships” — A Q&A on Tuition Discounting with Dr. P. Jesse Rine
Editor’s note: In recent years, concerns regarding runaway college tuition and student loan debt have served to undermine public confidence in the value of American higher education. Ironically, the very issue that is now causing such alarm—high tuition—has long been … Continue reading
Trump on Russia: Historical Perspective from FDR to Reagan to Obama
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at Conservative Review. There is real danger in Donald Trump’s statements and attitude toward Vladimir Putin and Russia. “Putin likes me,” glowed Trump in a July 25, 2016 Tweet. On ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, … Continue reading
The Mess of the European Union Banking System — Are Italian Banks Doomed?
In January, European Union (EU) bureaucrats based in Brussels passed an EU banking reform referred to as the BRRD. The BRRD stands for Banking Recovery and Resolution Directive. The reform rules were aimed at shielding EU taxpayers from bailing out … Continue reading
Hillary Clinton, Saul Alinsky and … Lucifer? What was Ben Carson talking about?
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator. In his speech at the Republican convention last week, Ben Carson made a statement that raised some eyebrows. “Now, one of the things that I have … Continue reading
Seeing through Rose Colored Glasses
Mary Poppins was “practically perfect in every way,” except that Mary Poppins isn’t real. I fall very short of “practically perfect” in any way, every single day. I do things I regret; even more I fail to do things I … Continue reading
Those College Nightmares — Mine and Yours
Dream surveys consistently show that dreaming about being back in school is among the top three content areas of our adult dreams. College is often described as being the best years of our lives (though I don’t care to repeat … Continue reading
End of an era? Global economy’s tectonic plates moving again
October 1987: The U.S. stock market collapsed 23 percent in one day, the largest one-day drop on record. For the rest of that year economists debated how deep the depression would be in 1988. There was no depression in 1988. … Continue reading
The Supreme Court’s Texas-Abortion Ruling … Justice Black’s Warnings Become Reality
Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt was recently decided 5-3 by the U.S. Supreme Court. It struck down the Texas legislature’s regulations requiring abortion clinics to meet the same standards as any other Texas ambulatory surgical center and to have their physicians … Continue reading
The Gong Show Election of 2016
Many of those reading this article remember The Gong Show. It ran on NBC from June 1976 to July 1978 and briefly reprised in the 1980s. It featured amateur talent, much of it rendering absurd humor. Three judges awarded ridiculous … Continue reading
The Truth About Socialism: Venezuela Destroys Its Currency
Millennials are among the most avid supporters of the socialism promoted by Bernie Sanders. What is most remarkable is that there is ample evidence that socialist regimes bring untold economic harm to the very citizens who initially support them. My … Continue reading
Remembering a Grimly Prophetic July 4
Editor’s note: A shorter version of this article first appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. On July 4, 1826, America awaited a special moment. It was the young nation’s Jubilee. It was the 50th anniversary of its birth, of the signing of … Continue reading
V&V Q&A — The Century of Biology and its Ethical Challenges
Editor’s note: Both promising and ethically challenging, a new type of human genome project by the Center of Excellence for Engineering Biology recently made big news in the journal Science and the Washington Post. The Center for Vision & Values spoke with Grove City College biology professor Dr. … Continue reading
Conscience and Republican Convention Delegate Voting Rules
Over the weekend a reporter on Fox News said something that focused my attention: “There is a move to have the Republican Convention Rules Committee enact a measure that would prevent bound delegates from abstaining from votes on the first … Continue reading
Alexander Hamilton and American Independence
As we celebrate the 4th of July, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical “Hamilton” is lionizing the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton. “Hamilton” won 11 Tony Awards, including best musical, a Grammy Award for best musical theater album, the Pulitzer Prize … Continue reading
Trump vs. Reagan: Unprincipled vs. Principled
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at ConservativeReview.com. In my previous piece in this series, I quoted a Ronald Reagan speech to CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, from February 6, 1977, where Reagan defined conservatism. Among his crucial points … Continue reading
The Incredible Hopelessness of America’s Gun “Conversation”
For millennia, the ability to interpret hieroglyphics had been lost to the ages. So when Jean-Francois Champollion decoded the Rosetta Stone it was a monumental breakthrough. Since then, a “Rosetta Stone” has come to refer to anything that offers a … Continue reading
The Truth About Socialism: The Venezuelan Disaster
Many Millennials are finding socialism attractive—at least as presented by Bernie Sanders. This is perplexing because there is ample and dramatic evidence of how a full-fledged socialist state fails its own citizens so miserably. Witness Venezuela. Fifteen years under socialist … Continue reading