What Gives a Dollar Bill Its Value?

What gives a dollar bill its value? Mostly that determination is based on how much—or how little—currency is in circulation. But who makes that decision, and how does their choice affect the economy at large? Continue Reading...

Video: Donald Devine On America’s Way Back

The Fall 2015 Acton Lecture Series kicked off on September 17 with an address from Donald Devine, Senior Scholar at the Fund for American Studies, and formerly – and most famously – Ronald Reagan’s Director of the Office of Personnel Management, where he earned the nickname “Reagan’s Terrible Swift Sword of the Bureaucracy” from the Washington Post. Continue Reading...

Video: Jonathan Witt On Tolkien’s Vision Of Freedom

As we prepare to kick off the fall portion of the 2015 Acton Lecture Series tomorrow (featuring Don Devine speaking about how America can find its way back to a harmony between freedom and tradition), we take a look back at the final lecture of the spring series, which was delivered on May 21 by Jonathan Witt, who aside from being a former English professor, a Research and Media Fellow at the Acton Institute, and Managing Editor of The Stream, is also the co-author of The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom That Tolkien Got, and the West Forgot. Continue Reading...

Video: Creation And The Heart Of Man

Pope Francis has started an important global discussion on the environment with the release of his encyclical Laudeto Si’, which the Acton Institute has been engaging in with vigor since it’s release, and has been ably covered as well here on the PowerBlog by the likes of Bruce Edward Walker and Joe Carter. Continue Reading...

Video: Timothy P. Carney On The Threat To Liberty From Big Business

We’ve had our busiest Acton Lecture Series in institute history over the course of the first six months of 2015 – we’ve had more public events at the Acton Building in that period of time than we had all of last year, I believe; I’d venture to say that 2015 is already the busiest year in that regard in the 25-year history of the Acton Institute. Continue Reading...

What are Sanctuary Cities?

Yesterday Zack Pruitt explained why when “sanctuary cities” disregard the rule of law on immigration, humanitarian issues become clouded and morality is challenged. But what exactly are sanctuary cities? This short video by The Daily Signal explains what they are and why they’ve become so controversial. Continue Reading...

Coolidge: The Best President You Don’t Know

This weekend marks the 143rd birthday of the best president you (probably) don’t know: Calvin Coolidge. Most presidents are judged by what they do in office. For instance, they are expected to “do something” about the economy even if their actions are counterproductive and detrimental. Continue Reading...