Acton Institute Powerblog

Promoting free societies characterized by liberty & religious principles

Review: The Edge of Democracy

The documentary The Edge of Democracy is a personal memoir about the recent political scenario in Brazil. Released on June 19 on Netflix, it is directed by Petra Costa — a Brazilian filmmaker and actress who has close connections with leftist politicians. Continue Reading...

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal is the same old socialist hooey

Official Washington is all atwitter today over the release of the “Green New Deal” by New York freshman Democrat Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, also a Democrat. The proposal bundles many long-desired goals of the environmentalist movement into a neat legislative package, described by left-leaning Vox in this way: The resolution consists of a preamble, five goals, 14 projects, and 15 requirements. Continue Reading...
Alexandria Occasio-Cortez

Brains and brawn: Does manual labor belong in the modern economy?

As economic prosperity continues to spread, and as the American economy completes its transition into the age of information, manual labor is increasingly cast down in the popular imagination. When our youth navigate and graduate from high school, they receive a range of pressures to attend four-year colleges and pursue various “white-collar” careers, whether in finance or law or tech or the academy. Continue Reading...

15 Biblical foundations of environmental stewardship

Today is World Environment Day, the United Nations’ “most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment.” Though we may disagree on policy solutions, we here at the Acton Institute share the UN’s concern for the environment. Continue Reading...

‘Riches do not bring freedom’

The contrast between the treatments by David Bentley Hart and Dylan Pahman of the question of the intrinsic evil of “great personal wealth” this week pretty well established, I think, that in itself wealth is among the things neither forbidden nor absolutely required. Continue Reading...