The Declaration of Independence states that our inalienable rights include “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Life and liberty are easy to understand, but that last phrase is less intuitive. How can people have a right to strive for happiness?
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Uniting to Fight Poverty: A TED Talk
How do we solve problems like poverty with so much political polarization?
Welcome to the Pursuit
To pursue our happiness, to achieve our liberty, and indeed to find fulfillment in our lives, we must start with a moral consensus, a fundamental truth around which we all revolve. Think of an atom. The outer field of electrons is full of chaotic activity. Electrons are rapidly orbiting and moving in a constant buzz. What contains that chaos and gives it structure? The fact that the whole chaotic cloud orbits one central nucleus.
The Role of Parents in K-12 Education
Two classmates grow up together from kindergarten. They sit next to each other in homeroom, have all the same classes with all the same teachers, and take the same state-required tests. One does well and one not so much. What accounts for the difference?
The answer depends on who is responsible for a child’s education.
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Using the Burger King Mentality to Destroy a Four-Year Investment
Forty-three years since its release, people still recall the “have it your way” Burger King jingle as one of the most effective pieces of advertising ever made, driving home exactly what Burger King was selling — convenience, made-to-order fast food, delivered to you just the way you like it, no questions, no lip, no delay.
It’s the Burger King mentality, and it’s great for ordering a drive-thru dinner. But the sentiment has crept into a lot of college campuses lately, and unless you’re in the student union food court, the Burger King mentality has no place at these institutions of higher learning.
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Why Wouldn’t the White House Promote Apprentices?
It seems obvious that the role of the apprentice is something President Trump appreciates so it’s a wonder why the question needs to be asked: why wouldn’t apprenticeships be a top priority in Washington? Well, they were this week.
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The Success Sequence: Why Education, a Job, Marriage, Then Kids Is the Working Order
Ah, millennials. In some ways, they’re very traditional, suggesting that women should stay at home to raise their kids. In other ways, they are very Bohemian, doing as they please when the mood hits. But it turns out, the old-fashioned success sequence — a (high school or higher) degree, job, marriage, then children, in that order — is still the winning combination for securing financial well-being.
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Is Vaping Safe? Yes. Then Why Try to Force It Out of Existence?
Smoking is bad for you, but is vaping safe? What is vaping, you ask? Vaping is a substitute for cigarettes. Individuals suck the vapor out of e-cigarette whose primary ingredient is a liquid made from vegetable glycerin or propylene glycol (PG), a synthetic compound used in massage oils, injectable Diazepam, hand sanitizers, and a bunch of other products.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has “generally recognized as safe” pharmaceutical grade PG, which is what is used in vaping.
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Deaths of Despair: Opioid Abuse Devastates America. There Is a Solution
Low-income poorly educated whites between the ages of 45-54 are dying too soon. Unlike every other age, ethnic and racial, education, and income group, this group’s longevity is decreasing. Why? Opioid abuse.
That’s right, prescription painkillers, heroin, Fentanyl, and other opiate derivatives killed more than 33,000 Americans in 2015. That’s about four times the number of opioid-related drug overdose deaths than in 1999.
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Farm Subsidies: Not Your Father’s Cropshares
Imagine this scenario: A massive disaster hits and America’s food sources are wiped out. Miles of crops no longer exist. The cost of food skyrockets. America’s farmers are devastated. The land is destroyed, the farm equipment turned to trash, homes and livelihoods are ruined.
The government mobilizes into action. How? By paying the farmers for their losses.
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At Risk of Losing Your Lease? A Legal Battle Isn’t the Answer
If you don’t pay your rent, can you still stay in your rental property? Or is that landlord going kick you to the curb? It’s a fear that low-income families face in difficult times. Rent courts are tough. The legal battle is often reliant on a sympathetic...
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Can We Reverse the Trend of Working-Age Adults Who Don’t Work?
Ten million working-age adults were receiving food stamp benefits in 2015, were not receiving disability benefits, and were not employed. This number of nonworking able-bodied adults is something that experts from both political parties agree. And this nonwork is...
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Facebook and Democracy: Social Media’s Coarsening Impact on the Public Square
Could Twitter diminish your tolerance for opposing ideas (as well as your productivity)? Is Facebook bad for democracy? Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, and other social media platforms are set up to show people content that they are already likely to agree with,...
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