So the NCAA has brought the hammer down on the Penn State football program, and more generally, the university. Good for them. The scandal reminds us that there (and should be) various institutions in our lives, each with a different role to play. Prosecutors within government brought criminal penalties against Jerry Sandusky, who now awaits sentencing for his crimes. There may also be criminal penalties […]
Culture
Happy Doofus Day!
Happy Father’s Day, or as it might be more appropriately called in today’s entertainment world, Happy Doofus Day! Look at any number of TV shows, movies, or other elements of pop culture, and you’ll often, though not always, see fathers–when they’re even around the kids–portrayed as buffoons and doofuses. At the same time, we’re suffering, as a nation, from an epidemic of fatherlessness, leading to […]
When Government Expands, Volunteerism Shrinks
Three European scholars have confirmed the obvious: Government social programs crowd out private ones. Franz Hackl, Martin Halla, and Gerald J. Pruckner, all of Austria’s University of Linz, have this to say: * “An increase of in public social expenditure by 1 percentage point of GDP decreases the individual’s probability of volunteering by 1.7 up to 2.9 percentage points.” Total volunteering declines by 5.1 to 8.7 […]
Anti-collectivism is great; Ayn Rand, not so much
While “Atlas Shrugged” is supposedly the most influential novel in America, its author indulged in one error that characterized the mis-rulers of the Soviet Union. A totalitarian government (including the Soviet Union during some of its existence) does not recognize a distinction between the civil society and the political one. That’s why a totalitarian society has thought police, churches that are forced to go underground, […]
Republican and/or conservative singers
I’m always amused at the attempt that some people make to classify celebrities as political conservatives, as if one’s political beliefs ought to be determined by people who are famous either for creating an alternative reality (actors), crafting a tune, or who are famous simply for being famous (the Kardashian sisters, whoever they are). Still, I took the bait and looked through the musicians on […]
Is “conservative art” an oxymoron?
John J. Miller, the National Review editor who brought us a list of top conservative rock songs, is at it again, with a list of 10 top conservative novels. You can find the list here, and many more suggestions, from readers of his personal website, here. I’m surprised there aren’t any Russian novels on his list.
Social engineering at school
The experts are moving in on a longstanding childhood tradition: the best friend. From the New York Times: “increasingly, some educators and other professionals who work with children are asking a question that might surprise their parents: Should a child really have a best friend?” Why? For one thing, it sometimes makes the job of school principals more difficult. Great. Rearranging childhood for the convenience of […]
The Overton Window
The “Overton Window” has a lot of notice these days. John Miller provides some information about it here. I was privileged to have met Joe Overton on at least one occasion. The “Window” is a fine piece of analysis that would fit into any political science or sociology class dealing with changes in the public discourse concerning politics.
I’m a Michigander
Since “Michigander or Michiganian” (or was it “Michigander v. Michiganian”?) is one of those phrases that bring people to this site, I thought it worthwhile to post a letter I wrote to my college alumni magazine. It was published in the most recent issue. Here it is: I’m a Michigander In your article about the new provost (“New provost weathers early storms,” Fall 2008) Mr. […]
Isn’t Mass Murder Chic?
As music critic and political columnist Jay Nordlinger often points out, Che Guevara is uncomfortably fashionable. Nothing like honoring a “revolutionary” thug by plastering his visage over t-shirts, watches, and other stuff. Fairly disgusting, considering Guevara’s murderous life, no? I thought of Chic Che when I was perusing the trail map for a ski resort. I normally expect to see names of wildlife (ptarmigan), laborers in the […]
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