Archives
The Moral Ill Effects of Teaching Economics
Some studies have shown that studying economics leads to debased morals. One such study was conducted by Gerald Marwell and Ruth E. Ames.
Debating Bibi's Speech Is a Major Distraction
Debating the appropriateness of the speech Israel's prime minister will deliver to Congress diverts attention from, firstly, the endlessly more important issue of whether the deal that the Obama administration seems close to striking with Iran is one that serves the interests of the United States well, and, secondly, the question of the potential deal's effects on U.S. allies in the region and elsewhere, as well as on peace in the region and even the world.
Limiting What Political Donors Can Get, Not Give
Redefining bribery would go a long way toward preventing campaign contributions from corrupting our political system. This could be achieved by limiting what contributors can gain in exchange for their donations rather than by adding or restoring limitations on the amounts they can donate. In this way, the suggested reform would avoid falling afoul of Supreme Court rulings that treat donations as a form of speech and hence deem most limitations on donations to be unconstitutional.
The Darker Side of the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal
The American media is gushing about improvements to the US-India relationship in the wake of President Obama’s visit to India. Among the achievements stemming from the visit is what the media had called a “breakthrough” that paved the way for implementing the two nations’ civilian nuclear cooperation deal. However, examining the reasons why this deal was first struck, its components, and its side effects suggests that it is a cause more for concern than for celebration.
Obama's Timid Budget
We hear a great deal from luminaries who delight in the “liberated” Obama, who is said to have found his mojo, and begun to take on inequality. A closer look reveals that, even if all the policies and changes in the tax code the President called for in the just-released budget were implemented completely, they would barely dent inequality. Moreover, the gap between his overblown rhetoric and his weak proposals is likely to add to the cynicism of the American people.
Two Islams Are Better Than One
The Paris attacks reignited the debate over the relationship between Islam and violence. On the one hand, the Obama Administration stresses that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. On the other hand, conservative commentators blast the White House for trying to disassociate Islam from terrorism.
Assessing -- Threat Assessments
The United States' military is reported to greatly exaggerate the threat posed by China's and Russia's navies according to a prize-winning column in the Washington Post by Walter Pincus. Others have written about this bias, but Pincus documents it very effectively and above all succinctly.
Is the United States a ‘Dangerous’ Ally?
Some American strategists have of late expressed the concern that the United States’ growing military ties with various nations in East and Southeast Asia give these nations a finger on the American trigger. This issue has been particularly raised with regard to Japan because the U.S. has declared that it views the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands as if they were parts of Japan – which the United States is committed by treaty to defend.
Start With 'Thou Shalt Not Kill'
In response to the Paris massacres, as we reach out to the Muslim world, we should not focus on the value of freedom of expression but on that of life. There are both principled and prudential reasons for starting with "thou shalt not kill."
Corporations Undermine Cybersecurity
At first, it may seem obvious that the private sector should be keen to protect its computers from cyber-attacks. After all, hacking has caused considerable losses of trade secrets and other proprietary information. Actually, the private sector is opposing most new cybersecurity measures. Despite major implications of this opposition for homeland security, little has been done to make corporations defend their customers and the nation.
The Left's Unpopular Populism
The debate between Democrats who want to play up populist themes (let’s call them the Elizabeth Warren camp) and those who favor centrist ones (the Hillary Clinton crowd) ignores a major division among the various themes that carry the populist label. The difference is crucial because, as we will see shortly, the data show that some populist ideas are much less popular than others.
The NSA Panel’s Pointless Private-Sector Fig Leaf
Turning phone-metadata collection over to telephone companies or a third party introduces new security risks without meaningfully addressing civil-liberties concerns.
No Limits to Freedom of the Press?
Few things bring about so furious a storm of media protest from the Left and the Right as does jailing a reporter. No wonder Attorney General Eric Holder, who is about to leave office and is no doubt concerned about his legacy, did not want to end his years in office by jailing James Risen, a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter.
A Band of Little Big Brothers: The Privacy Merchants
The American public has long understood rights, first and foremost, as protecting the individual from the state. During discussions of privacy violations, the first that typically comes to mind is “Big Brother” — that is, the state. Most informed citizens probably know by now that corporations collect information about them, but they may be unaware of the extent of these privacy invasions. Read the rest of the article here.
How to Fix Campaign Finance
The existing campaign financing system is a major source of corruption in the U.S., but limiting private contributions is viewed by the U.S. Supreme Court as limiting free speech. And there is little hope that the court will change its mind or that a constitutional amendment can be passed to address the problem. So what if, instead of focusing on contributions, we penalize those who gain substantive, material favors for their contributions and those who grant such favors for receiving contributions?
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