My friend John Teevan of Grace College sends out a monthly newsletter, “Economic Prospect.” He passes along this in the current edition: I found this note from a newly retired accountant (age 66) who has not gone on social security yet. His e as a part-time accountant in his town was $60,000. “My e is $60,000 and my IRS taxes are 10,000, my FICA deduction is $8,000, my state e tax is $2500, and my property tax is $6000. So...

While most Catholics are likely to already be familiar with the process, my fellow Protestants will likely find this video on how the pope is selected to be helpful and informative. ...

The latest Radio Free Acton Podcast is part 2 of “Reflecting on the Legacy of Pope Benedict.” Director of Research Samuel Gregg and Research Fellow Michael Matheson Miller discuss the ing papal conclave. They explain the process that will be used to choose Benedict XVI’s successor and what should be on the cardinals minds as they go about this process. Click the play button below to enjoy the podcast: ...

According to Daly, Soviet government sought to dictate every aspect of life in the name of mon good, including the indexing of Soviet publications by libraries. He writes, “[I]f Soviet publications failed to end up in libraries, then, as Lenin railed, ‘we have to know precisely whom to imprison.'”In the Winter-Fall 2012 issue of Modern Age (54, nos. 1-4), Jonathan Daly contributes a helpful exploration of what happens when desire for mon good goes bad. His article, “Bolshevik Power and...

“While president, Calvin Coolidge warned Americans that if it was thefederalgovernment that came to their mind when they thought of ‘the government,’ it would prove costly,” writes Ray Nothstine in this week’s Acton Commentary. But as Nothstine points out,everywhere we turn the federal government is increasingly visible and intrusive.The full text of his essay follows. Subscribe to the free, weekly Acton News & Commentary and other publicationshere. Is America the Federal Government? byRay Nothstine Writing about his observations of America...

Being made in the image of God, says Art Lindsley, is a powerful concept for finding our vocations and living a purposeful life. While the image of God remains after the Fall, it is certainly marred and defaced. As we are redeemed, what will we look like when the process pleted? As God restores us, our unique design in the image of God will shine even more brightly, and our gifts will reach their full potential. We will also look...

King Louis XIV censored Moliere’s 1664 play Tartuffe after determining audience members might too easily confuse the titular priest’s hypocritical nature with every priest in real life. According to the king, some priests’ “true devotion leads on the path to heaven,” while others’ “vain ostentation of some good works does not prevent mitting some bad ones.” The king’s judgment in many ways also describes individuals who pursue their religious vocations while simultaneously championing secular causes such as proxy shareholder resolutions....

If you’re a gradeschooler you’re probably sitting in a classroom right now thinking there’s no way teachers could possibly make school more tedious and boring. Well, I have some bad news for you. According to the New York Times, you may soon be studying the periodic table while playing dodgeball: Ms. Patelsky, the physical education teacher at Everglades Elementary School here, instructed the students to count by fours as they touched their elbows to their knees during a warm-up. They...

Calvin Coolidge is ripe for national recognition and his wisdom is being sought out perhaps now more than ever. If you’re a voracious reader mentary and columns you’ve noticed mon sense adages are being unearthed at a rapid pace. Most of the credit and recognition for the Coolidge revival goes to Amity Shlaes. Her newly released and splendid biography Coolidge can’t be mended enough. (Full review on the PowerBlog ing) Coolidge was the last president to oversee federal budget surpluses...

I recently wrote about the need to reach beyond an earthbound economics, re-orienting our thinking around a more transcendent framework that requires active spiritual engagement and discernment. Even as Christians, far too often we set our focus too strongly on temporal features like material needs, happiness, and quality of life—all of e into play accordingly—without first concerning ourselves with what God is actually calling us to do as individuals. Transcendent ends will e from transcendent beginnings, and those beginnings will...