U.S. Government

June 23, 2015

Uncle Sam As Financial Enabler

Economist Nicole Gelinas, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, explains the recent financial crisis in this brief video. Did banks fail us? No, she says. The problem is that the U.S. Continue Reading...

June 11, 2015

New Wave Of Unaccompanied Minors Into U.S.?

The summer of 2014 saw an overwhelming amount of children making their way, illegally, across the southern U.S. border. Thousands of children and adolescents overwhelmed the Border Patrol and social service agencies. Continue Reading...

April 30, 2015

Why is the Episcopal Church Working as a Debt Collector?

For decades The Episcopal Church (ECUSA) has faced declining membership (in 1966, the ECUSA had 3,647,297 members; by 2013, the membership was 1,866,758, a decline of 49 percent.) But even when people are leaving the pews someone still has to pay for those pews, as well as the other overhead costs that come with running a large organization. Continue Reading...

December 17, 2014

Bitcoin is (Nearly) All Dead

Earlier this year I declared that Bitcoin was (nearly) dead. But as The Princess Bride’s Miracle Max once explained, “There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. Continue Reading...

July 29, 2014

State Department Releases Report on International Religious Freedom

Yesterday the State Department released its International Religious Freedom Report for 2013. A wide range of U.S. government agencies and offices use the reports for such efforts as shaping policy and conducting diplomacy. Continue Reading...

April 25, 2012

Why Don’t More People Donate Money to the Government?

“‘What’s stopping Warren Buffett from paying more taxes?’ is a red herring,” says economist Bryan Caplan. ” The fundamental question is: ‘Why is government’s share of the voluntary donations market so damn small?'” Continue Reading...

March 20, 2012

How Using Party Balloons Today Could Affect Healthcare Costs Tomorrow

Because you had party balloons at your 7-year-old’s birthday party, you many not be able to get a MRI scan by the time your 70. At least that is the conclusion of some scientists who say the world supply of helium, which is essential in research and medicine, is being squandered because we are using the gas for party balloons: Continue Reading...

September 21, 2011

Solyndra and the False Hope of Green Jobs

In this week’s Acton Commentary, “Solyndra and the False Hope of Green Jobs” I look at the original problem with federally funded Green Jobs. The Solyndra debacle has been called a “microcosm of Obamanomics,” an example of what always happens when the Federal Government starts handing out $500 million checks. Continue Reading...