Americans spent more on taxes than food and clothes in 2016, is the main point conservative media outlets are taking away from the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released report on Consumer Expenditures for 2016. Because we are entering a season of debate on tax reform, this is an obvious angle to take on such data. But focusing only on the taxes can obscure the good news: the average American household spends a relatively small percentage of its e on...

A reporter posted a picture on Twitter yesterday that showed a Best Buy in Houston charging $42 for a case of Dasani water. The picture also showed a case of Smartwater for $29, with a sign noting there was a “limited supply.” Not surprisingly, the outrage on social media prodded Best Buy to quickly respond by claiming it was a mistake. “As pany we are focused on helping, not hurting affected people,” pany said in a statement. “We’re sorry, and...

It’s time we “salute” the large group of American workers whose mute to their jobs in the city takes as long as 60 minutes or more. For those living in New York City, San Francisco, or Washington D.C., mute to and from work is often burdensome. The many city dwellers who help to drive America’s economic output deserve thanks. James Bruce, associate professor of philosophy at John Brown University and Acton University faculty memberrecently wrote a piece in the Wall...

“President Trump’s outspoken defense of Western civilization in his July 2017 Warsaw speech was a pointed reminder that one troubling characteristic of our time is the ongoing assault on the very idea of the West,” says Samuel Gregg in this week’s Acton Commentary. “This is most vividly manifested in the relentless use of physical violence by jihadists determined to terrorize us first into acquiescence and, eventually, submission.” Nor, however, is there a shortage of efforts to dismantle Western culture from...

This week’s edition of Radio Free Acton features a chat with economist Victor Claar about the outrage surrounding price gouging and Hurricane Harvey. Is it immoral to ratchet up prices in the face of disasters? On Upstream, host Bruce Edward Walker talks about the politics and culture of progressive rock with guest Sam Karnick. And on Acton Mailbag, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute, fields questions from summer interns. Check out these additional resources on...

Because of high inflation and unemployment, Venezuela has themost miserable economy in the world. The inflation rate over the past 12 months was 460 percentand the unemployment rate is so high the government stopped reporting it last year. How did a country that once had a functioning democracy, a rapidly developing economy, and a growing middle class sink so low? In a word: socialism. As Debbie D’Souza, a native Venezuelan and political activist, explains, “Socialism is a drug. And like...

Series Note: Jobs are one of the most important aspects of a morally functioning economy. They help us serve the needs of our neighbors and lead to human flourishing both for the individual and munities. Conversely, not having a job can adversely affect spiritual and psychological well-being of individuals and families. Because unemployment is a spiritual problem, Christians in America need to understand and be aware of the monthly data on employment. Each month highlight the latest numbers we need...

Public Domain. As summer in Michigan begins to wind down, Religion & Liberty Summer 2017 takes a look at several important issues. We explore religious liberty in Eastern Europe, “pink” issues, Martin Luther, cooking and recidivism, the “Jon Stewart of Egypt” and more. For the cover feature, I decided to revisit a subject we previously covered. We tracked down several graduates of Edwin’s Leadership and Restaurant Institute (which was profiled in the Fall 2015 issue of R&L) and talked to...