Bohanon: Must Politics Be Nasty? (Part II)
by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. American political discourse has degenerated over the last few decades to little more than vicious juvenile banter. A small but helpful step in restoring civility is to work to understand why those we disagree with believe what they believe. An economic blogger and scholar, Arnold Kling, suggests American politics can be Read the full article…
Half Past the Month: Preschool, a Cynical View
For the use of the membership only (683 words). Cynic n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are not as they ought to be. — The Devil’s Dictionary of Ambrose Bierce THE GOVERNOR didn’t need to throw data at us this week in his State of the State address. We all agree Read the full article…
Schansberg: How We Measure ‘Poverty’
(For the use of the membership only) by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the “war on poverty.” That is true, at least in terms of its enacting legislation, with spending expanded a bit under Lyndon Johnson and especially under Richard Nixon. One of the first observations to Read the full article…
Indiana at 200 (16): Frontier Violence at Pigeon Roost
by Andrea Neal On Sept. 3, 1812, a Native American war party killed more than 20 settlers living in a wooded outpost near present-day Scottsburg. Motivated by bounties offered by the British, the perpetrators scalped women and children, torched their log cabins and left the village in ashes. The Massacre at Pigeon Roost is the Read the full article…
Bridgegate: The Failed Management of Transportation
by Thomas Heller New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s “Bridgegate” at the Fort Lee entrance lanes to the George Washington Bridge serves notice of the dysfunction in the administration of our surface-transportation system. The political gamesmanship revealed by emails between Christie appointees is astounding and shameful. Before categorizing it as just another made-for-television political scandal, however, Read the full article…
Bohanon: Must Politics Be Nasty? (Part I)
by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. As we are exiting the season of “peace on earth — good will toward men” and entering yet another legislative and political season, it seems appropriate to examine why contemporary political discourse has become so divisive and shrill. Of course, when has political discussion been unifying and open-minded? Fair enough, but Read the full article…
