The main argument in favor of foreign aid is that rich countries can and should help poor countries become more prosperous. And plenty of politicians are following that approach. According to the latest data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, donor governments gave away more than $220 billion last year. But advocates of...
Sean McNamara’s biopic about former President Ronald Reagan, now in movie theaters across the country, provides a timely occasion to reflect on some essential principles lost in today’s world, marked by the confrontation between left-wing wokeism and right-wing nationalism, two forms of collectivist interventionism. It would benefit the Republican Party to rediscover these principles, and...
In his popular 1971 book Rules for Radicals, Saul D. Alinsky identified ridicule as the most potent of all political weapons. “There is no defense. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule,” said Alinsky, a Chicago-based community organizer and activist. Ridicule is the recipe for Matt Walsh’s new documentary Am I a Racist?, a film...
Less than seven weeks before the elections, the Federal Reserve decided to cut the interest rates aggressively – by 50 basis points. But inflation is still above its target. And the Fed has yet to receive distress signals from the labor, housing, or stock markets. So, what does that mean for you? The candidates? The...
In a world of change, the fundamental principles of The Northwood Idea are timeless. Under any circumstances, personal freedom and individual responsibility are essential for a free society. So it is illustrative to examine some of the most compelling expressions of The Northwood Idea that great thinkers have contributed through the years. We call them...
Have you ever wondered why society expects us to behave in certain ways? For instance, why is it seen as proper for a young person to hold the door for the elderly, help those in need, or honor their parents? Why is it deemed unacceptable to lie, steal, cut in line, or commit marital infidelity?...
The first federal minimum wage bill was signed into law during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second term as U.S. President. The Great Depression gave Washington a pretext to enact sweeping economic restrictions. So, by 1938, Congress had made it illegal for employees to charge less than 25 cents per hour for their labor services. Today’s inflation-adjusted...
In celebration of Constitution Day this week, Northwood University has posted a fresh lesson in the Philosophy of Free Enterprise, a free online course for anyone interested learning about the importance of freedom and free-market economics. “It is fitting that this latest lesson — which explores America’s debt crisis — comes as we celebrated Constitution...
During Vivek Ramaswamy’s recent event at the Cato Institute, protestors derailed his presentation by getting on stage and chanting “climate con-man,” among other similar allegations. But it’s not just rabbles of unknown activists accusing Ramaswamy of climate falsehoods. Last year, Ramaswamy said, “The reality is, more people are dying of bad climate change policies than...
Protectionism is currently in vogue, gaining support from both the left and the right. This isn’t the first time. As protectionism’s popularity ebbs and flows, it remains a constant presence. Each resurgence is driven by variations of the same argument, particularly the infant industry argument. The argument is straightforward: protectionism, through tariffs or subsidies, helps...
Auburn University’s football team lost every game in 1950. As Bill Cromartie put it in his book Braggin’ Rights, a game-by-game account of the Alabama-Auburn football rivalry, “Alabama fans laughed, poked fun at and cracked jokes about Auburn.” The Auburn Tigers got their revenge in 1955 when they beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 26-0 to...
Flying cars are used as a synecdoche for all of the 20th-century sci-fi dreams that never came true. But they shouldn’t be grouped with moon cities or Dyson spheres. Private, point-to-point aircraft as cheap as a Chevy Tahoe could have been available decades ago. We should have them by now and could have them soon...
September’s crisp air once carried the promise of new beginnings for students. Fresh notebooks, sharpened pencils, and the excitement of reuniting with friends painted an idyllic back-to-school season. But for an increasing number of students and families, this annual rite of passage now brings a complex mix of emotions: anticipation tinged with anxiety, hope shadowed...
It’s hard to imagine a starker difference in political visions than between Trump-Vance and Harris-Walz. This could get ugly, so now is a good time to remind ourselves of what it is that holds us together as a nation and a people. America is a nation of immigrants who had very different ideas about all...