A Christmas Carol in Cold, Cold Europe
Charles Dicken’s novel, A Christmas Carol, was set in England in the early 1840s. We hope England and Europe escapes the cold of the winter of 1840-41. Modern industrial societies should be safe from...
Category: Foreign Aid
Winter Holidays: Persistent Parties and Democracy, Genetic Engineering, Traditional Wives
For the online Winter Holidays Open, three motions have been announced: • In emerging democracies, this house would break up persistently dominant political parties. (rounds 1 and 2)• Assuming the technology exists, this house...
Economic Fairy Tales and False Economic Stability
Ronald Reagan’s 1975-1979 radio broadcasts attracted millions of listeners each week. One of those broadcasts, Economic Fairy Tales, drew from three historical episodes to show why Americans should not be afraid to quickly end...
Reducing U.S. Military Commitments
The Stoa debate league has chosen its 2020-21 policy debate topic: Resolved: The USFG should considerably decrease its military commitments. US military commitments around the world (Montgomery Herald, July 9, 2018) reviews the scope...
NCFCA Topics: E.U. Migration, Development, Humanitarian Aid
The NCFCA debate league announced three topic choices for the coming school year:1) The European Union should substantially reform its immigration policy.2) The United States Federal Government should substantially increase its development assistance to...
How Many Will Die When Netflix Shoots One Hundred Years of Solitude?
Novelists can be inspired by the past but can also create a past of their own to influence others, painting vast injustices with magical words and stories. In the news recently: “‘One Hundred Years of...
No Better Foreign Aid than Labor Mobility to Help U.S. or E.U. Economy
Prices are falling for travel by bus, ship, train, car, and airplane. For tourists, this is good news. It now costs much less to tour the country and the world. As travel costs fall,...
Military, Anti-Terrorism, Foreign Aid, Immigration, and Climate Industrial Complexes
Debaters are unusual and among the few engaged in public policy debates not guided or influenced by special interests. America’s founders used the term factions, and argued that when government meddles in the economy it...
Scarcity, Choice, and Foreign Aid Opportunity Costs
Danish statistician Bjorn Lomborg’s TED2005 talk Global priorities bigger than climate change has nearly 1.5 million views. Commenters can critics disagree with Lomborg and argue climate change should be the biggest priority. Unlike many critics of...
Infinity Resource War: Thanos, 12 Monkeys, and Tomorrow’s Eco-Terrorists
With Marvel’s Infinity War showing on Netflix, millions who rarely venture to movie theaters can immerse themselves again in the Marvel universe. For Marvel readers, Thanos seems similar to Galactus facing the Fantastic Four in The...