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Religion Rules in Georgia
In response to a drought of historic proportions in his state, Georgia governor Sonny Perdue gathered with 250 of his constituents on Nov. 13th to pray for rain. Yes, that’s right: a United States governor, in the most technologically advanced country in the world, where separation of church and state is a founding tenet, has [...]
morality \ profit motive \ selfishness
In Defense of Corporate America
To say “Corporate America” today is almost to say a dirty word. Corporations are viewed as organizations that systematically abuse consumers, fleece taxpayers, exploit employees, deceive investors, disrupt communities and poison the environment. CEOs and board members are portrayed as faceless men huddled in dark boardrooms, smoking cigars while colluding about how to redirect money [...]
How Not to Lie with Statistics: The Good, the Bad, and the Average
The formula is painfully familiar— “According to a recent survey by X from the University of Y,” followed by a statement about married couples’ tendency to get bored with their sex lives (ABC News), or thin women’s tendency to think themselves fat (Psychology Today), or older people’s tendency to become increasingly religious (Harris Poll, 2006)—or [...]
The Business of Healthcare
The state of California has lost more than 90 emergency rooms since 1990—and with them, the ability to treat hundreds of thousands of patients. In New York City, eight hospitals have shut down since 2003 after facing a financial crisis. And in Atlanta, Grady Memorial Hospital is threatening to join their ranks. Grady is the [...]
Operation Iraqi Freedom: An Altruistic War
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention on August 22, President Bush spoke about the lessons of World War II, arguing that the U.S. occupation of Japan serves as a model for the current conflict in the Middle East. But the terrible state of the Iraq War makes it clear that he has not [...]
Faith and Reason: Friends or Foes?
“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.” Like many before and after him, Benjamin Franklin recognized that faith and reason are opposites. Men, he thought, can seek truth by using either reason or faith, but not both. Many people today, however, do not believe that there is a conflict [...]
Anti-Smoking Paternalism: A Cancer on American Liberty
Across the country, state and local governments are banning smoking on private property, including bars, restaurants, and office buildings. This is just the latest step in the government’s war on smoking—a coercive campaign that includes massive taxes on cigarettes, advertising bans, and endless multi-billion dollar lawsuits against tobacco companies. This war is infecting America with [...]
