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February 26, 2010

Die Hard — The Welfare State

[news video expired/removed] No, that’s not the new Bruce Willis movie. That’s the spectacle we’re witnessing now of general strikes in Greece in response to proposed austerity measures designed to keep the country from the fiscal abyss — and maybe dragging down other European Union members with it. Continue Reading...
February 26, 2010

Popes Say No to Socialism

Popes in Rome have attempted to steer the Catholic flock away from the “seductive” forces of socialist ideologies threatening human liberty, which since the  late 1800s have relentlessly plucked away at  “the delicate fruit of  mature  civilizations” as  Lord Acton once said. Continue Reading...
February 24, 2010

Joseph E. Stiglitz: An Economist in Freefall

In this week’s Acton Commentary, I review a new book by economist Joseph E. Stiglitz, Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy. Text follows: A rare growth industry following the 2008 financial crisis has been financial crisis commentaries. Continue Reading...
February 24, 2010

Acton Media Alert: Sirico on the BBC

On Monday, Acton Founder and President Rev. Robert A. Sirico took to the airwaves of the BBC and squared off against Oliver Kamm of the London Times in a spirited debate over the merits of Michael Moore’s latest “documentary,” Capitalism: A Love Story. Continue Reading...
February 24, 2010

The Problem of Nuclear Power Proliferation

In today’s Acton Commentary, I examine the overtures President Obama has been making lately to usher in “a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country.” I call for in part a “level playing field” for nuclear energy, which includes neither direct subsidy from the government nor bureaucratic obfuscation. Continue Reading...
February 22, 2010

The Establishment Clause

The other day with Schools Of Government, I bemoaned the number of undergrads and graduate students in the United States who are stamped by the “academic” majors and programs within universities for the expressed purpose of preparing them for bureaucratic life and perhaps leadership in the municipalities, state and federal governments of these United States. Continue Reading...
February 19, 2010

WORLD Magazine interviews Anthony Bradley

In the Feb. 27 issue of WORLD Magazine, editor in chief Marvin Olasky interviews Anthony Bradley about his new book, Liberating Black Theology (2010, Crossway Books). Bradley is a research fellow at the Acton Institute, a professor at The King’s College in New York, and a contributor at WORLDmag.com. Continue Reading...
February 19, 2010

Schools Of Government

Jordan Ballor’s recent post “What Government Can’t Do” contained a quotation from Lord Acton worth revisiting: “There are many things the government can’t do – many good purposes it must renounce. Continue Reading...
February 19, 2010

Politics for Christians

Francis Beckwith is back with another book. He has written Politics for Christians: Statecraft as Soulcraft. I’ve not yet had a chance to read it, but this may be the book people have been asking me for as a follow-up to The End of Secularism. Continue Reading...