There is an interesting Flash game that attempts to see how well one could balance the budget. Surveying suggests that most Americans desire a balanced budget without making any real cuts and cutting taxes. Going into the game, I had already a small list of things I was willing to cut and taxes didn’t scare me. Of the 3 merit badges I sought to get, I failed to get all 3. The simulation did state that I was a downsizer,... Read more
On a post on abortion and the Supreme Court over at the Fidelis blog, Cranky Con left the following comment: I would remind those that harp on the GOP’s supposed failure to appoint Justices who would protect innocent human life by overturning Roe about one thing. Ronald Reagan originally selected Robert Bork to be on the Court in 1987. The new Democratic majority in the Senate rejected Bork, and Regan was forced to go with the more moderate Anthony Kennedy.... Read more
A very interesting report by NPR. I recommend reading a few of the many lawsuits same-sex couples are starting against religious groups and organizations. So far, the religious groups are losing, because they are violating the right of equal treatment for the homosexual couples. It will not be long until these cases go all the way to the Supreme Court. Adoption services: Catholic Charities in Massachusetts refused to place children with same-sex couples as required by Massachusetts law. After a... Read more
Recently, a new translation of the Bible has been published, and it is one that people might want to consider obtaining for themselves: The Orthodox Study Bible. Yes, one might own a previous edition, but it was only the New Testament and the Psalms and it contained only a few study notes to help the reader. Now, the Bible is complete, and it provides an important contribution to the English speaking world by offering a new, modern translation of the Septuagint... Read more
Barack Obama celebrated Father’s Day by calling on black fathers, who he said are “missing from too many lives and too many homes,” to become active in raising their children. “They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it,” the Democratic presidential candidate said Sunday at a largely black church in his hometown. “Any fool can have a child. That doesn’t make you a father,” he said.... Read more
What does an economist get his dad for Father’s Day? If you’re Bryan Caplan, the answer would seem to be: you get him a philosophical argument against regret: 1. Basic biology: A man produces hundreds of millions of sperm every day. Each of these sperm contains (half of) the genetic blueprint for a different person. The slightest physical movement changes the position of sperm. 2. Therefore, any change in my life prior to my children’s conception would have led my... Read more
The USCCB statement “On Embryonic Stem Cell Research,” approved 191 to 1, is now available. John McCain and Barack Obama, take note: (more…) Read more
The world we live in is a fallen world. Until the eschaton, it will never find perfection. This fact should not mean that we can be lazy and give up working for the betterment of the world. No, we should always strive for perfection, even if we know it is unattainable. In a sense, however, it is attainable and indeed, Christians in their experience of Christ at communion do encounter it and find it for one great moment at the... Read more
Two days ago, the Irish electorate delivered a decisive “no” to the Lisbon treaty by a 53-47 percent margin. Ireland is the only country required to vote on it owing to a peculiarity of the Irish constitution. There are a number of reasons behind the defeat. The major one is that people simply did not understand the treaty. That is because it is largely procedural, concerned with a more efficient functioning of the European Union comprised of 27 member countries, with further... Read more
In honor of the imminent beatification of John Henry Newman, and in light of the so-called “Acton University,” whose namesake became a dissident in the Catholic Church because of his ideas on liberty, I am posting here the first graduate theology paper I ever wrote. It was not until I researched Vatican I that I realized how cataclysmic and capricious ecumenical councils could be. Compared to Vatican II, Vatican I was far more chaotic and divisive, and I marvel at... Read more
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