A commentary from the Tax Foundation looks at government subsidies for the construction of a new stadium for MLB’s Washington Nationals. Analyst Eric A. Miller writes, “Funding a new stadium in the District may be good politics, but it is bad public policy. Major League Baseball will be laughing all the way to the bank while D.C. residents will find that they get much less than they were promised — and paid for.”

Read more on Good Politics, Bad Policy…

As the new school year begins, Anthony Bradley reflects on the role of the parent in creating educational success. “Overall, children in loving, stable two-parent homes have an academic and social advantage over those who do not,” he writes.

Read more on Back to School, Back to Parents…

I was wondering how long it would take for this to happen. The acceptability of Google’s politics and public persona could only insulate it from the requisite corporate suspicion for only so long.

Read more on Et tu, Brute?…

Food aid destined for Zimbabwe is still stuck in South Africa

Harare (ENI). At least 37 tonnes of food aid sent by the South African Council of Churches (SACC) to benefit victims of Zimbabwe’s internationally condemned “clean-up” operation are still in South Africa due to Zimbabwe government red tape that has held up the shipment for more than two weeks. The aid includes staples such as white maize, sugar beans and cooking oil. “All the paperwork has been submitted. We are waiting,” said Ron Steele, spokesperson for the SACC, which responded to the plight of more than 700 000 Zimbabweans.

Read more on Sins of Omission…

Once again, my alma mater, Michigan State University, has been snubbed by the Princeton Review. While the list of the “Top Party Schools” does feature four Big 10 campuses, MSU, which hosted at least 3 major alcohol-induced riots in the past decade, fail to crack the top twenty.

Read more on Snubbed!…

This feature from yesterday’s Marketplace looks at the “endless variations of designer hybrid dogs.” These new breeds crossing more traditional lines of dogs can command a large pricetag.

The “cute name” attraction, the possibilities of allergen free dogs, and the idea of getting the best of both breeds have put these designer dogs in high demand. My wife and I are currently considering getting a Cockapoo, a Cocker Spaniel and Poodle mix.

Read more on Puggles, Malt-a-Poos, and Labradoodles, Oh My!…

Not in Michigan, after a recent Court of Appeals decision that overturned a decision of the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, which had ruled that Brother Rice Catholic High School outside of Detroit must be allowed to organize. Dr. Samuel Gregg, Director of Acton’s Center for Academic Research, commented on this story on Family News In Focus. You can listen to the program by clicking here (520 KB mp3 file), or read the transcript here.

Read more on Unionization at Catholic High Schools?…

On behalf of all thoughtful Christians, I would like to apologize for the suggestion of Pat Robertson to ‘take out’ Hugo Chavez. Robertson’s comments below do not represent any popular opinion or reasoned argument that would be supported by those evangelicals embracing prudence.

Read more on Hey Pat, Shhhhhhhh!!!!…

Last Thursday, Acton research fellow Anthony Bradley appeared on the Kyal2K Show on KTalk in Salt Lake City to discuss his article Productivity and the Ice Man: Understanding Outsourcing. You can listen to the interview by clicking here (5.1 MB mp3 file).

Read more on Creative Destruction…

In an interview on NBC’s Today Show with Matt Lauer, a Newsweek representative discussed the cover story for this week’s issue, “In Search of the Spiritual.” The feature is based on a Newsweek/Beliefnet poll focusing on spirituality and religious practice in America. The Newsweek guy (sorry, I didn’t catch his name) discussed the results of various questions, making passing reference to the importance for most spiritual people of viewing the “central myth” as real.

Read more on Watch Out for that 12%…