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January 12, 2009

National unemployment nearly HALF as bad as 1982

Unemployment hit 7.2% in December, the highest since January 1993– as the economy was recovering from the pseudo-recession of 1991-1992. In November 1982, the unemployment rate was 10.8%. Since the “natural rate of unemployment”– the part of unemployment you can’t get rid of (at least without severe long-term consequences)– is generally thought to be 4.0-4.5%. Continue Reading...
January 12, 2009

G.K. Chesterton: The Flying Inn

After finals, I cranked through some books! Among those, one of G.K. Chesterton’s fictional works, The Flying Inn. Chesterton was a prolific author. He’s well-known in some circles for his fictional work, particularly his “Father Brown” mystery series. Continue Reading...
January 09, 2009

Neuhaus and the Academy

Part of the reason Richard John Neuhaus will be remembered is for his impact on Christians in higher education. There is no question that his seminal book The Naked Public Square and then his journal First Things changed the way many of us think about religion and culture. Continue Reading...
January 09, 2009

Summing Up a Great Man’s Life

Richard John Neuhaus is dead. We’ve lost some big ones in the last year. Many of you will not realize how big this one was. I pray Jody Bottum and some of the others in the First Things (Neuhaus’ hugely influential journal) world can carry on his legacy. Continue Reading...
January 08, 2009

Farewell, Father Neuhaus

First Things has announced that Father Richard John Neuhaus died this morning. I am hardly qualified to write a eulogy, having never met the man. No doubt others, including one or two Acton colleagues who knew him better, will perform this service admirably. Continue Reading...
January 08, 2009

One Good Thing about Term Limits

I’m ambivalent about the value of term limits, but one thing that can certainly be counted in their favor is that they (at some point at least), force lawmakers to go out and try to make a living in the economic environment which they helped to shape. Continue Reading...