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Bill of Rights \ Constitution \ constructive behavioral change \ drinking age \ MADD \ pragmatism \ principle \ Rights
Enforcing ‘Constructive Behavioral Change’
A group of college presidents has sparked debate by signing a petition urging the drinking age be lowered to 18, the legally recognized age of adulthood. They argue that “twenty-one is not working” because it has “not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students.” Several groups are opposing this campaign, among them Mothers [...]
Al Gore \ alternative energy \ carbon taxes \ climate change \ coal \ energy \ environmentalism \ fossil fuel \ global warming \ Gore \ green \ oil
Death and Carbon Taxes
In the early 1960s, President Kennedy challenged America to make what would be a giant leap for mankind by putting a man on the moon within the decade. Offering his own version of this challenge in a recent speech, former Vice President Al Gore called on America to transition all electricity production to “renewable” energy [...]
addict \ addiction \ gambling \ habits \ Stephen Block \ Tim Donaghy
The Ponies Made Me Do It
Former NBA official Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison last week for gambling on NBA games, some of which he himself officiated. The interesting thing about this case is not the question of whether or not the defendant was guilty. This was not a “whodunit?” case; Donaghy openly admitted his guilt at [...]
Ava Worthington \ faith \ John Templeton \ religion \ science
Science and Faith: Enemies
Billionaire investor Sir John Templeton passed away last month. A devout Presbyterian, Templeton devoted much of his fortune to the study of the relationship between religion and science. He believed that faith and the scientific method could work harmoniously to advance knowledge about the world. Such a position may seem plausible at first. After all, [...]
bailout \ capitalism \ Countrywide Financial \ Fannie Mae \ free market \ mixed economy \ socialism \ subprime
Mixed Economy, Decisively Bad Results
The Wall Street Journal recently ran an excellent editorial examining the bad business and corruption that arises “when you combine private profit with government power.” Created by an act of Congress in 1938, Fannie Mae is a government sponsored enterprise (GSE) that owns or guarantees nearly one half of the $12 trillion US mortgage market. [...]
borrower \ Center for Responsible Lending \ foreclosure \ homeowner \ lender \ mortgage \ sub-prime \ subprime
Passing the Buck
With no end in sight to the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, hundreds of thousands of homeowners can no longer afford their mortgage payments. Every month we hear new reports detailing how many more Americans lost their homes. In the midst of this crisis, The New York Times recently published an article critical of mortgage lenders and [...]
career \ corporate \ public sector \ reflection seminar \ service \ Wall Street
The Next Hot Career Choice: Self-Immolation
A recent article in the New York Times (“Big paycheck or service? Students put to the test“) describes a growing trend among elite universities to push students towards careers in public service. This encouragement takes various forms, from the offering of “reflection seminars” with the stated goal of directing students away from corporate jobs, to [...]
