Among the three branches of American government, there is supposed to be a system of checks and balances to curb any abuse of power. That is at least the theory. In practice, the judicial branch is now engaged in a campaign of checks without balances or precedent. Judges are becoming tyrants without restraint. It is … Read more
With the dramatic rise of bitcoin, many are talking about this crypto-currency as the new money of the future. Such a simplification is understandable, since the matter of money is complex. Not all that glitters is gold. Likewise, what appears to be money often is not. Free Book: Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy … Read more
Historical eras, like people, have their own defining traits. There is always a particular virtue or vice, hero or villain, war or revolution that indelibly marks a whole year, decade, or even century, making it easy to summarize these eras with a single phrase. The Ancien Régime , the period of French history before the … Read more
Materialism holds that the only reality is that which we can physically perceive. All other considerations are subjective and unimportant. Such a perspective is a distortion of reality. The spiritual realities also have a major and even greater role in the lives of men. Witness how the beautiful churches and cathedrals that were the centerpieces … Read more
At a recent holiday gathering, I was with some adults inside the house while the children were outside playing some team sport. It was bitterly cold but that did not seem to diminished the noisy activities outside in the snow. As I was conversing with someone else, we both noticed a little boy, all bundled … Read more
The Church has always favored economic prosperity. However, the Church also insists upon balance as can be seen by this excellent quote from Spanish writer Donoso Cortes. “Nor is it less absurd to suppose, as some do, that the holy religion which we profess and the Church which contains it and preaches it either detain … Read more
Margaret Sanger is one of those mysterious historical figures that are curiously immune from attacks of the left despite her statements that would be enough to damn anyone. Few figures were so politically incorrect by modern standards than she. Her statements against the black population are scandalous. She advocated eugenics that targeted the mental ill … Read more
The problem with the “dreamer” debate is that it has little to do with children or their dreams. Most of the “dreamer children” are now adults. On average, the 800,000 recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program who entered America illegally as minors—alone, or brought by parents or relatives—are about 24-years-old today. … Read more
As the Christmas season ends, there is a general agreement that the age of malls is coming to a close. Retail sales are no longer dominated by the vast complexes of physical shops anchored by big-box stores once found all over the country. Indeed, malls are no longer delivering the goods to shoppers looking for … Read more
If the pace of life seems overwhelming, it might well be because we have assumed so many of the jobs once held by others. This is the position of Craig Lambert in his book, Shadow Work: The Unpaid, Unseen Jobs that Fill Your Day (Berkeley, Calif., Counterpoint Press, 2015). The Harvard sociologist takes a look … Read more
