In case you don’t keep up with the thrilling world of economics, the name to know right now is Thomas Piketty. He is the French economist that recently published a study of income inequality that covers Europe and the U.S. over the past 300 years: Capital in the

The Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) was a great victory for our social democracy. The United States finally established universal healthcare – a right to health. Our national collective has decided that, no matter our income or pre-existing condition, every one of us shall have health insurance coverage. It is a matter

Last week, Secretary of State John Kerry made remarks that once again underscored the U.S. government’s hypocrisy on whistleblowers and transparency.  In a televised response to Edward Snowden’s first interview with a major television station, Kerry said: “Let him come back and make his case.  The fact

Have you ever received a questionnaire from the United States Census Bureau?  If so, you may have noticed the surprising warning: “This report is MANDATORY” (the capitalization is theirs).  This is true.  Under United States Code Title 13, Sections 221 and 224, individuals and businesses “are legally obligated to answer

It may be the best means, but it is not the desired end. The American nation has developed an unhealthy fixation on democracy.  It has come to hold center stage in our public discourse.  We champion it at home.  We endeavor to create it abroad.  Over the years we have

Behold the outrageous new clause of the Michigan constitution that sparked a legal battle that tumbled all the way to our Supreme Court: The University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and any other public college or university, community college, or school district shall not discriminate against, or

Most Americans are disappointed, or even disgusted, with American politics. We frequently describe major elections as "a choice between the lesser of two evils." Many of us are abandoning politics altogether, or at least the major parties. Today 42% of Americans identify as “Independent,” outnumbering Republicans at 25%

A new Congressional report reveals the CIA used much more extreme torture techniques in the past decade than we knew.  It also gained far less intelligence from torture than it claimed.  Further, it lied to Congress to conceal these facts.  None of that is as surprising as what happened after

Economist Paul Krugman became something of a celebrity when he won a Nobel prize for economics in 2008.  His opinions are now cited as economic canon in certain circles, including the White House.  Krugman is also a regular contributor at the New York Times.  His articles are frequently of interest

President Obama revealed his top policy goals for 2014 during his State of the Union address in January.  Among these is a 39% increase the federal minimum wage.  As the first step toward this increase, he announced our federal government would begin voluntarily paying its minimum-wage contract workers 39% extra