A lively discussion is going on over at the evangelical outpost on the idea of the “sin tax,” spurred on by Rev. Sirico’s paper on that subject. A key point to remember: once the state gets to decide which activities are immoral (but not illegal) and has a vested financial interest in them, you’ll find more and more activities ing “sins.” Exhibit A: eating fast food. For more on this subject, see “The Sin Tax Craze: Who’s Next?” by Rev....

John Stossel, the icon of indignation, has a piece today decrying the spending habits and attitudes of our Republican-led Congress. I will let you read his article for the details, but for what it’s worth, here are some reasons why I think the disgust Stossel projects is an entirely proper and fitting response to pork barrel spending. When a servant of the people makes his servitude a catch-all reason for indiscriminate exertions of spending power, we call this pork. And...

Acton Senior Fellow Marvin Olasky in a column today on looks at the “important new coalition” called Kill Malarial Mosquitoes Now that is working to bring the banned pesticide DDT back into battle against malaria. The disease, he writes, kills an estimated 1 million people annually — 90 percent of them Africans. The United States has been contributing about $200 million per year to Africa’s war on malaria. Four months ago, President Bush promised an additional $1.2 billion over five...

piled a short list of quotations taken from the remarks made by Rev. Robert Sirico and former president of El Salvador, Francisco Flores. Both speeches are available online Francisco Flores – Speech highlights: “Responsibility and freedom are two sides of the same coin.”“A free man is a responsible man.”“Opportunity is choice, and choice is freedom.” Robert Sirico – Speech Highlights: “If you’re not a socialist when you’re young, you have no heart. But if you remain a socialist when you’re...

In a move seemingly destined to cause a massive political fight on Capitol Hill, President Bush has nominated Judge Samuel Alito, Jr. to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the United States Supreme Court. In his years on the federal bench, Alito has earned a reputation as a reliable conservative voice, even earning the nickname “Scalito” for his philosophical resemblances to current Justice Antonin Scalia. Your thoughts on the nomination are e in ments section. (If you have an...

Reuters reports Rome</city />’s latest laws: Fish can’t be put in fish bowls and dogs must follow a mandatory exercise schedule. “It’s good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention,” said Monica Cirinna, the councilor behind the by-law. “The civilization of a city can also be measured by this,” she told Rome</city /> daily Il Messaggero. (see article) The civilization of a city can be measured...

And so the search for a replacement for Sandra Day O’Connor will continue: Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to be a U.S. Supreme Court justice Thursday in the face of strong criticism from President Bush’s most conservative supporters, who say she doesn’t have the qualifications or experience necessary to serve on the nation’s highest court. ...

Gregory of Nazianzus, in his first theological oration, “An Introductory Sermon against the Eunomians,” makes a plea for appropriateness in the airing of theological disagreements. He writes, “If we cannot resolve our disputes outright, let us at least make this mutual concession, to utter spiritual truths with the restraint due to them, to discuss holy things in a holy manner, and not to broadcast to profane hearing what is not to be divulged” (ੵ). His concern is that public disagreements...

Real estate mogul and reality show guru Donald Trump made a guest appearance on the NBC soap opera “Days of Our Lives” last week and, in a real stretch, he played himself. The brief cameo was in the context of Mr. Trump’s visit to the Horton Foundation, a charity based in the fictional town of Salem. The dialogue between Trump and Mickey Horton gives us some insight into Donald Trump’s view of economic success and the resulting responsibility: Donald Trump...

So often we are bombarded with news of businesses accusing others of unfair trade practices, petition smashing, monopolization, etc. Every once in a while, its good to hear about the good business that goes on, the appreciation that pany has for another, and a customer oriented view of production. In that spirit, I offer up panies: Adobe (the creators of the PDF and Photoshop) and Apple. Apple’s recent foray into the image-editing world with the release of Aperture has many...