Tomorrow, for the 243rd anniversary celebration of Independence Day, President Trump will give a speech on the National Mall. As with all such addresses in the modern age, Trump’s remarks will be compared to the presidential gold standard for Fourth of July speeches—Calvin Coolidge’s speech on the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Continue Reading...
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July 03, 2019
Acton Line podcast: Antifa explained; America’s Founders in the crosshairs
On June 29, violent riots between alt-right groups and Antifa broke out in Portland, Oregon, leaving several people with severe injuries. Portland is becoming a hotbed for violent, left-wing groups. Who is Antifa and what are they protesting? Continue Reading...
July 03, 2019
‘Regulated leisure’, the basis of culture?
Every summer, as I prepare for much needed vacation, I am reminded of my favorite book, Josef Pieper’s Leisure: The Basis of Culture. It was written by the neo-Thomistic philosopher who condemned a world of “total work.” Continue Reading...
July 02, 2019
The dangers of fiscal policy
July 01, 2019
Book review: Samuel Gregg’s new book offers cautionary tale
What happens when the relationship between reason and faith is eroded? Samuel Gregg addresses this question in his latest book, “Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization.”
“Samuel Gregg wishes to see the human spirit soar, and his new book…offers a concise intellectual history of the West through the prism of the relationship between faith and reason,” writes Free Beacon Media Analyst, Jeffrey Cimmino, in his book review. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019
Dostoevsky: An author for all seasons
July 01, 2019
A modest, utopian proposal for the border crisis: commerce
The Democrats had their first presidential primary debate last week, and immigration was a central focus both nights. Poor conditions of refugees and others detained crossing the southern border have been in the news all year. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019
Corruption’s consequences
Walmart agreed last month to a $282 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice, resolving charges of bribing foreign officials. While company leadership committed themselves to “acting ethically everywhere we operate,” reports indicate that Walmart allowed third parties in China, Mexico, India, and Brazil to make payments to government officials. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019
Is social media the source of our social problems?
The British economist John Kay made a powerful argument in his 2011 book Obliquity: Why our goals are best achieved indirectly that the best way to achieve any complex of broadly defined goal is indirectly through a gradual process of risk taking and discovery. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019
The ghosts in Xi Jinping’s China Dream
Early on in Ma Jian’s new novel the main character has a vision: I saw elderly men and women smashing rocks against the ground under the steely gaze of teenage Red Guards. Continue Reading...
