Last night, at Acton’s 15 Year Dinner in Grand Rapids, former president of El Salvador Francisco Flores gave a reason for his country’s great economic success: it stopped blaming others. Compare this with another statement yesterday by another politician, Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm. In a bid to the federal government to help the ailing Michigan manufacturing industry, she said (among other things) that “a crisis is upon us and the Federal Government needs to step up and do its share”...

Apparently, the religion of iPod is the fastest growing religion in the world. And now, you can even buy the “divine iBelieve” cap for your iPod shuffle, to let others know of mitments to your religion and music. But now bring me a man who plays music. And when the man played music the groove came upon them. ~ 2 Jobs 3:15 es up with this stuff, I don’t know. I can just see it now, though – walking into...

An illuminating passage from an interview with Peter Schweizer on National Review Online. Schweizer is the author of Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy: …the consequences of liberal hypocrisy are different than for the conservative variety. When conservatives abandon their principles and e hypocrites, they end up hurting themselves and their families. Conservative principles are like guard rails on a winding road. They are irritating but fundamentally good for you. Liberal hypocrisy is the...

Interesting news from across the pond today. Our British friends seem to be making education a bit more ‘user friendly’. Education Secretary Ruth Kelly is proposing a system where “parents dissatisfied with local schools will be encouraged to set up their own…’The underlying principle is simple – freedom for schools and power for parents,’ said the education secretary.” The Acton Institute has long promoted the idea that the primary responsibility for a child’s education lies with the parents. The recent...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

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...