DeMint Writes Letter to Putin on Exceptionalism
By Amy Payne | This past week in The New York Times—on September 11, no less—Russian President Vladimir Putin took issue with the idea of American exceptionalism. He wrote: “It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries…”
Is the Job Outlook and Employment Improving?
By Neil Irwin | If you only looked at the headlines on Friday’s August jobs numbers, you’d think “Not bad!” You would also be completely wrong. Yes, the unemployment rate fell a notch to 7.3 percent, from 7.4 percent in July. Yes, the nation added 169,000 jobs, broadly consistent with the pattern of of recent months.
As Students Return to Campus, Rights Remain Threatened
By Nico Perrino | As college students head back to campus this fall, they face a multitude of threats to their fundamental freedoms. Unconstitutional “free speech zones” and demonstration policies restrict when and where students can speak. New federal rules compromise due process and free speech…
California Bill Illustrates Threats to Religious Freedom
By Thomas Messner | Legislation “cruising” through the California legislature would strip certain state-level tax exemptions from nonprofit youth groups that differentiate on “gender identity,” “sexual orientation,” and other bases. The bill names familiar youth organizations such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and…
Republicans are “Dying White People Who Raped America”
By College Fix Staff | A recording released Tuesday of a Michigan State University professor captures the educator bashing Republicans in a variety of ways on the first day of school, Campus Reform reports. On the recording, taken unbeknownst to the educator, creative writing Prof. William S. Penn says…
Florida State’s Scholarship Winner
By Prof Jack Lewis | Free Think U Foundation is proud to announce another of its recent scholarship winners, Brittney Deoliveira, who is enrolled at Florida State University. Brittney was awarded a grant toward her college tuition costs in part because of her course editing work for Free Think University.
Why the Competition of Ideas Matters
By Arthur C. Brooks | It is a uniquely American belief that competition is the fuel for human flourishing. European commentators in early America were amazed at the popular love for what Alexis de Tocqueville called, “self-interest rightly understood.” This competitive ideal, Tocqueville noted…
The Truth About Political Correctness
By Stratford Caldecott | Political correctness identifies a syndrome we all recognize, but is hard to define. It can be best described as a set of attitudes rather than an ideology, since viewed philosophically it is completely incoherent. It can perhaps be traced back to the French Revolution, in the aftermath of which various slogans became fashionable—mostly involving “Liberty” and “Equality”, sometimes joined with “Fraternity” or “Reason” to make up a memorable threesome. In each case the “value” in question is distorted by extraction from traditional philosophical frameworks in which such ideas had been discussed for many centuries—or perhaps more tellingly, from a concern…
Is “Free College” Really Free?
By Elise Grafe | ‘Free’ college in Oregon comes with 20-year price tag. College payment plan asks nothing of students up-front, collects dues later. As the cost of education balloons and student loan interest rates rise, lawmakers and students are considering creative school financing options.