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October 14, 2015

There is No Such Thing as ‘The Poor’

“With the news this week that Angus Deaton of Princeton University had won the economics Nobel,” says Victor V. Claar in this week’s Acton Commentary, “the question of how best to help the poor in developing nations takes on a greater level of urgency.” Continue Reading...
October 14, 2015

Does Bitcoin Have an Energy Problem?

Over the past couple of years I’ve fallen into a habit of infrequently pointing out the flaws, dangers, and threats to Bitcoin as a viable cryptocurrency. While I find the experiment in alternative currency intriguing, I’m just as intrigued by criticisms made against Bitcoin. Continue Reading...
October 13, 2015

6 Quotes: Angus Deaton on Poverty

Yesterday, Princeton economist Angus Deaton won the Nobel prize in economic sciences for his work on “analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare.” In honor of this recognition, here are six quotes by Deaton on poverty: On poverty measurements: “Poverty lines are as much political as scientific constructions.” Continue Reading...
October 13, 2015

Laudato Energy Abundance

While it has been pointed out repeatedly by your writer and others in this space that Pope Francis’ Laudato Si contains much to recommend it for the beauty, compassion and depth of spirituality contained within, there remains much that is problematic. Continue Reading...
October 12, 2015

Video: Arthur Brooks On The Conservative Heart

The Fall 2016 Acton Lecture Series continued on October 1st with an address by American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks, who spoke on the topic of his latest book, The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America. Continue Reading...
October 12, 2015

Why Donald Trump is Wrong About Property Rights

The duty to respect individual property rights has been a part of the law since the Decalogue included the commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Steal.” But for just as long, governments have included an exception for the state in the form of “eminent domain.” Continue Reading...