On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, one day after the House of Representatives passed the $1.9 trillion stimulus by a vote of 220-211. Its supporters, especially those on the Religious Left, assert that the bill’s changes to the child tax credit represent the best way to reduce child poverty. What changes does the American Rescue Plan make to child tax credit? How much money could families expect to get, and when? Is the glowing analysis of...

The Senate passed the “American Rescue Plan” on Saturday without the Hyde Amendment, a legislative rider that protects taxpayers from having to fund abortion-on-demand. However, a prominent Roman Catholic nun has celebrated the $1.9 trillion stimulus package, calling on “every single member of Congress” to vote for it and saying the abortion-funding measure makes strides toward “ending child poverty.” The current version of the American Rescue Plan contains $414 billion in taxpayer dollars not subject to Hyde Amendment protections, possibly...

What are the keys to properly analyzing business opportunities, discovering new markets, and troubleshooting barriers to growth? Business degrees, books, and seminars may equip leaders with a technical knowledge of these problems – but in a new podcast, Acton Institute President and Co-founder Rev. Robert A. Sirico identifies two core mental and spiritual traits that incline entrepreneurs toward success. Rev. Sirico joined best-selling author and top-rated Forbes leadership speaker Brad Formsma in episode 64 of “The Wow Factor,” a podcast...

Recent policy debates over direct cash grants to parents from the federal government expose our society’s dysfunctional attitudes toward work and parenting. Over at the Detroit News, I have some thoughts and (mostly) concerns. Or as I put it, “The creation of a new, permanent entitlement program for parents seems particularly unwise while our federal debt skyrockets and reform for already existing entitlement programs is so desperately needed.” Oren Cass worries that universalizing a child benefit “goes too far” by...

Democratic socialism is on the rise America, as evidenced by the popularity of politicians like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as the mainstreaming of various collectivist policies. Many have shrugged at the movement, explaining it away as a far cry from the blood-soaked tyrannies of yore. But while the practical differences are certainly significant, many of the basic moral impulses remain the same, bent toward a particular ideal of social control and deconstructionism across individual and institutional life....

As American culture has grown increasingly hostile to Christianity, many have responded with calls to “take our country back” for God, promoting a mix of tailored strategies to dominate specific sectors of society – from politics, to business, to the media and beyond. The efforts vary in their energy and effectiveness, but as cultural elites give way to various forms bative conformity, Christians appear to be ever more drawn to their own spiritualized versions of the same. In assessing such...

In its first show for the Disney+ streaming ic giant Marvel explores in the hit series Wandavision a depth of storytelling that reaches beyond the stereotypical good-versus-evil battle of so many superhero tales. It explores the inseparability of human creativity and the condition of our hearts. The final episode was released on March 5. This post contains spoilers. Wandavision features the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and the Vision (Paul Bettany), two secondary (though not anymore, I hope) heroes...

Ideas are inherently social. Teaching and learning, talking and listening, and all forms of salutary social change are cooperative. As the prophets teach, “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” (Amos 3:3) The Acton Institute’s mission “to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles” naturally extends beyond itself. As such, the Acton Institute seeks to equip and empower others who share its mission. One of the ways it does...

West Virginia’s schools have historically ranked among the lowest in the nation, even as spending per student continues to rate well above the national average. Unfortunately, instead of pushing for reform, teachers unions and state legislators have fought vigorously to protect the status quo. In 2018, teachers went on strike for nine days, demanding higher pay and better benefits. In 2019, they stayed home again, protesting the state’s decision to legalize charter schools and offer various alternatives. This past January,...

As the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight and we see some hope on the horizon, politicians in our nation’s capital are considering significant proposals to address the crises of the working poor and child poverty. The plans, most prominently those championed by President Joe Biden and Sen.Mitt Romney, focus on both the particular challenges of the pandemic as well as the ongoing and structural difficulties of work and parenting in our modern economy. Although they differ in...