Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Public Policy

February 11, 2019

A rule of thumb for the Green New Deal

I have a couple rules of thumb that I hope help me cut through some of the noise around various policy proposals and political debates. One has to do with budgetary reform (a topic I covered at some length last week): If the plan doesn’t engage with entitlements, then it isn’t really a serious proposal. Continue Reading...
February 07, 2019

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal is the same old socialist hooey

Official Washington is all atwitter today over the release of the “Green New Deal” by New York freshman Democrat Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, also a Democrat. The proposal bundles many long-desired goals of the environmentalist movement into a neat legislative package, described by left-leaning Vox in this way: The resolution consists of a preamble, five goals, 14 projects, and 15 requirements. Continue Reading...
Alexandria Occasio-Cortez
January 29, 2019

Climate change: Regulations vs. results

Christians believe we should be good stewards of the earth, and for some the issue has taken on apocalyptic dimensions. Yet faith leaders, including the leaders of multiple worldwide Christian communions, have ignored the most effective method for reducing carbon emissions while praising counterproductive policies. Continue Reading...
January 23, 2019

Solving Africa’s state-society gap

The advent of 2019 has many wondering what kind of world will emerge in the next many years. Predictions of disruptive, technological change, and the transfer of geopolitical power abound. A recent report by the Hoover Institute specifically analyzes what kind of political, economic, and technological trends will form on the continent of Africa, given the shifting sands of our times. Continue Reading...
January 15, 2019

The irony of Patagonia’s tax cut ‘protest’

In response to the recent Republican-led tax reform—which reduced corporate taxes from 35% to 21%—many companies have responded by handing out surprise bonuses, increased 401(k) matches, and various wage bumps. For a company like Patagonia, however, the tax cuts have been labeled “irresponsible,” a symbol of the federal government’s reckless apathy. Continue Reading...
January 04, 2019

Is capitalism making us fat?

As workers emerge from the holidays an average of one pound heavier, weight loss tops every list of New Year’s resolutions. Yet in 2019, physicians are asking politicians to classify obesity as a disease to be treated by taxing sugary foods – and some commentators are blaming our penchant for overindulgence on the capitalist system.    Continue Reading...