Business and Society

May 04, 2005

Wal-Mart’s Wages

Here’s a well-balanced story by Steve Greenhouse in today’s New York Times, “Can’t Wal-Mart, a Retail Behemoth, Pay More?” On this point, refer to an op-ed by Acton staff about the economics and ethics of the “living wage” (PDF). Continue Reading...

May 04, 2005

Civic Groups Remain Relevant

Noting the declining participation in community and civic groups, Jordan J. Ballor assesses a different root cause than has been put forth so far. “The greatest share of blame,” he writes, “Ought to be laid at the feet of the modernist view of individuality, which minimizes the importance of community and social structures.” Read the full text here. Continue Reading...

April 29, 2005

Blog Market

In traversing the World Wide Web, I’ve happened across BlogShares, “a fantasy stock market for weblogs. Players get to invest a fictional $500, and blogs are valued by incoming links.” As the Acton Institute PowerBlog heads toward its one month anniversary, check out it’s BlogShare value. Continue Reading...

April 28, 2005

Law Signed Protecting Filtering Industry

President Bush signed a bill into law yesterday that exempts companies such as ClearPlay from litigation for copyright infringement. ClearPlay, for example, offers a DVD player that will filter out “objectionable” content. Continue Reading...

April 28, 2005

Immigration Confusion

There’s been a lot of talk in recent days about the question of immigration, both legal and illegal. A number of issues are involved, including questions about national security, economic concerns, and cultural values. Continue Reading...

April 27, 2005

Power Ball

Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs in 1998.An article in The New York Times magazine over the weekend provides an up-close look at the stories of two men impacted by the burgeoning problem of steroid use in baseball. Continue Reading...

April 25, 2005

Warring against Wal-Mart

The big box giant Wal-Mart is under attack again, this time by a coalition of varied opponents. The group, named “Wal-Mart Watch,” took out an ad in The New York Times last Wednesday, accusing the retailer “of low pay and meager employee benefits that force their workers to rely on Medicaid, food stamps, and federal housing to survive,” according to an Associated Press report. Continue Reading...

April 22, 2005

A Moral Shell Game

Rev. Mark H. Creech, a Christian Post columnist, has an excellent piece on the game that state’s play depicting participation in state run lotteries as the moral and praiseworthy course of action. Continue Reading...

April 21, 2005

Christians in the Public Square

Melanchthon, commentating on Romans 13:5 and following: “let us learn that in those who believe in Christ, the works of political and economical life are good works and acts of worship of God, not merely secular works, because society must be preserved in order that God may become known in it. Continue Reading...

April 19, 2005

The Untouchable

Today marks the birthday of Eliot Ness, Prohibition Agent for the Department of Treasury-Chicago. Ness was made famous for bringing down Al Capone. The story was loosely portrayed in the movie The Untouchables, starring Kevin Costner as Ness. Continue Reading...