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July 11, 2014

How an Excess of Social Capital Can Hurt the Poor

What are the barriers that prevent the poor from moving into the middle class? One surprising answer, says Megan McArdle, is an excess of social capital. In the video below, McArdle explains why understanding how social and financial capital function in low-income communities can help us be more effective in helping then poor. Continue Reading...
July 10, 2014

Buying Babies: The Rise of Surrogacy In The U.S.

I’m sure Willie Nelson was not thinking about surrogacy issues when he wrote “If You’ve Got The Money, Honey,” but it’s applicable. $100,000? Check. 9 months? Check. If you’ve got the money honey I’ve got the time We’ll go honky tonkin’ and we’ll have a time We’ll have more fun baby all way down the line If you’ve got the money honey I’ve got the time While surrogacy is a huge industry in India, it’s becoming a growing business here in the U.S. Continue Reading...
July 10, 2014

The Last Article on the Hobby Lobby Case You’ll Ever Need to Read

Are you sick to death of hearing about the recent Hobby Lobby contraceptive mandate kerfuffle? Me too. Yes, it’s one of the most important religious liberty cases in decades. But the constant debates about the case on blogs, newspapers, TV, radio, and social media, has left even those of us concerned about freedom beaten and exhausted. Continue Reading...
July 10, 2014

Ex-Im Bank and the Unseen Costs of Political Privilege

With its authorization charter expiring at the end of September, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has come under increased scrutiny from rabble-rousers and the hum-drum alike. An otherwise obscure fixture in the grand scheme of federal-government corporatism, Ex-Im finances and insures (i.e. Continue Reading...
July 10, 2014

Nuclear Iran: The Role of Islam and Capitalism

For years, the international community has pressured Iran to throw out its alleged nuclear weapons development program and has imposed crippling economic sanctions as a tool for compliance. Two week-long talks have just resumed with the Islamic Republic, yet little is expected to come out of them. Continue Reading...