A Few Notable Quotables

Jim Wallis: “I’m believing more and more that politics alone cannot overcome poverty and our other great social problems.” (See also: Pentecost 2007, featuring Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama.) Continue Reading...

In praise of money

“Root of all evil” or liberator of mankind? Samuel Gregg examines the role that money plays in a free economy, particularly the way it “allows people to engage in the greater specialization of economic production which produces growth.” Continue Reading...

Population and poverty

The news coming out of the World Bank in recent weeks has largely focused on the departure of Paul Wolfowitz and the nomination of Robert B. Zoellick to head the bank. Continue Reading...

Speaking of Milton Friedman…

Speaking of Milton Friedman, here’s a link to a paper that looks interesting: “Transcendental Commitments of Economists: Friedman, Knight, and Nef” (HT: Organizations and Markets). Acton president Robert A. Sirico’s reflection on Friedman’s legacy last year noted, “Friedman was a true Enlightenment disciple and feared that truth claims could lead to coercion.” Continue Reading...

Vatican going green

Or so reports Catholic News Service today. In and of itself, the item is not that big a deal: The Vatican will be installing solar panels atop the Pius VI Hall, where the pope holds his general audiences. Continue Reading...

Concourse of hypocrisy

You just can’t make this stuff up. Here’s my favorite photo, for reasons our friends at Zombietime completely missed but I’m sure Jordan (our resident anti-misanthropist) will appreciate: If it’s hard to see what the little blue sticker to the left says, here’s a better view: In other words, stop killing our children for oil, but make sure we can kill them for convenience. Continue Reading...

Is there a Bush doctrine on CO2?

Glenn Reynolds links: U.S. carbon dioxide emissions dropped slightly last year even as the economy grew, according to an initial estimate released yesterday by the Energy Information Administration. As Randy would say, “Yo Dog, check it out…” One data point does not a trend make, but it’s obviously possible to comfortably grow the economy and domestic output without increasing CO2. Continue Reading...

Called for service

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13 TNIV). Continue Reading...