AMERICAN.COM -- A Magazine of Ideas, Online

First Stimulus, We Hardly Knew Ye

Phil Levy — 2009-07-09T21:27:20Z

The first stimulus was controversial among economists; it seemed to discard a great deal of what had been learned about macroeconomics in recent decades. The calls for a second stimulus seem to discard logic altogether.

Behind the Green Dam

James V. DeLong — 2009-07-08T19:54:26Z

The controversies over Internet filtering are only just beginning.

Free Markets, Envy, and Olasky’s Law

The American — 2009-07-07T19:12:16Z

In a recent interview, the architect of compassionate conservatism, Marvin Olasky, discusses how evangelicals should think about free markets, what constitutes true justice, and when bad charity drives out good.

Australia Understands the China Threat. Does the U.S.?

Michael Mazza — 2009-07-07T20:50:19Z

The U.S.-Australia military relationship remains strong, but Australia would be justified in questioning whether the United States is taking the China threat as seriously as they are.

Obama, Sotomayor, and the Political Limits of Personal Experience

Andy Smarick — 2009-07-06T21:20:01Z

Will Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s life experience, including attending a private Catholic school, lead to an uncomfortable conclusion—that government-supported school choice is just?

All Cost, No Gain

Ted Gayer — 2009-07-05T19:03:44Z

By supplementing their cap-and-trade program with expensive mandates, Congress levies heavy costs with no environmental gain.

As American as…Cricket

Roger Bate — 2009-07-02T19:26:28Z

Cricket and baseball are twin brothers, separated at birth.

Does Bernanke Really Deserve a Second Term?

Desmond Lachman — 2009-07-01T19:38:36Z

The Federal Reserve chairman’s tenure has been checkered at best. There must be other candidates who could be expected to do a better job.

RSSted Development

Ben Casnocha — 2009-07-01T15:41:53Z

Tyler Cowen has written one of the most stimulating defenses of Internet information culture.

The GOP's Real Problems for 2012

Michael Barone — 2009-06-30T18:36:25Z

The Ensign and Sanford scandals are beside the point. The Republican Party is going to have a hard time coming up with a strong presidential nominee in 2012.

Despite the Doubters, It’s Still Top Dollar

Desmond Lachman — 2009-06-26T19:34:35Z

There’s much chatter that the Chinese renminbi will eventually replace the U.S. dollar as the world’s preeminent international reserve currency, but this supposed inevitability is highly questionable.

The Cap-and-Trade Giveaway

Alan Viard — 2009-06-26T14:42:19Z

A cap-and-trade system with freely allocated permits is equivalent to a carbon tax in which the tax revenue is given to stockholders.

The Court Kicks the Can—What’s Next?

Edward Blum — 2009-06-24T20:56:25Z

Although the Supreme Court dodged the constitutionality question of Section 5, most Court observers believe that the opinion unambiguously foretells that this Court is prepared to declare the provision unconstitutional.

The Transformers at the Supreme Court?

Michael M. Rosen — 2009-06-23T20:57:28Z

The Supreme Court’s examination of Bilski this summer will not be quite as big a blockbuster as “Transformers,” but in the world of patents and technology, it will be pretty close.

Offsets Chipping Away at the Cap

Ted Gayer — 2009-06-22T21:30:41Z

The House of Representatives recently received a painful lesson in the pitfalls of carbon offsets. Despite this, it has decided to ignore this important lesson in its cap-and-trade bill.