David Michael Phelps

Posts by David Michael Phelps

August 17, 2005

Where does G.I. Joe shop?

In a FoxNews article, Jack Spencer of the Heritage Foundation reveals some interesting finds from their year-long study of the military industry: US Defense relies heavily on a global free market for its equipment. Continue Reading...
August 11, 2005

Mmmm….Bacon….

In John Stossel’s article yesterday, he recounts a story that illustrates the dangers of artificial wage controls. (Davis Bacon is a federal law that requires construction workers be paid an amount determined by a bureaucratic formula instead of wages determined by market forces.) Continue Reading...
July 28, 2005

Close call on CAFTA

Close at Home The House of Representatives voted early this morning (12:03 am) to approve the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) after weeks of intense lobbying on both sides. The final vote was a close 217-215. Continue Reading...
July 27, 2005

CAFTA/Culture of Life: enemies?

John Paul II gave us all a tremendous gift by endorsing the terms Culture of Life and Culture of Death. But as with all great gifts, we must guard these terms carefully so as not to wear them out with misuse, robbing them of their relevance. Continue Reading...
July 26, 2005

The school of fish

The recent blogpost by my colleague Jordan Ballor discusses an op-ed written by law professor Stanley Fish. I am more familiar with Stanley Fish from his days as a literary theorist, and perhaps a quick review of a younger Fish will contribute to the conversation. Continue Reading...
July 21, 2005

CAFTA vs. Bishops?

Have you noticed the most recent television ad against CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement? In it, detractors very wittily capitalize on the rhyme with NAFTA and present it as another ‘sucking sound’ of jobs leaving America. Continue Reading...
July 06, 2005

The late(st) great G8 debate

From an interview on Zenit.org with Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, the president of the Italian division of Santander Central Hispanic Bank and a professor of the Catholic University of Milan, discussing African debt relief: “What should have been done was to put these countries in a condition of being able to pay the debts, even if in 1,000 years, helping them to create the necessary wealth for their own survival, as well as for their own dignity as human beings, who do not want to feel incapable and failures, in need of non-repayable charity…the G-8 members should listen to the suggestions of Pope Benedict XVI, who shows himself to be the most concrete “statesman,” inviting them to take concrete measures to help Africa, appealing for the just distribution of the goods of the earth. Continue Reading...