When I taught history to American students in a U.S high school, I would often get laments like: “I am never going to need this material, why do I have to learn it?” and, “Is this going to be on the test?”
Why did the founders of the Constitution create the Electoral College? Why did they create a body of elites (electors) who actually decide who the president of the United States will be? Why have we not passed a Constitutional Amendment to rid ourselves of such an archaic institution?
“As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others” (2016 Libertarian Party platform).
Have you ever lived in another culture? I did when I decided to spend my senior year of college in England. I spent my summer of that year working with 49 other students from the U.S. and Western Europe on an archaeological dig on the southern and western end of the Temple Mount (Harim al-Sharif) in Jerusalem.
Why is it that professional soccer in socialistic Europe is capitalistic, while in the U.S. all major league sports are monopolistic and socialistic?
We have all heard Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” What does it mean? Not much, according to a “Straits Times” (Singapore) article by Jeremy Au Yong, entitled, “What Does ‘Make America Great Again’ Mean?” The slogan is vague enough to appeal to people differently, depending on the person and their age. It relates to nostalgia for a better time.
You have probably seen signs in places of business that say, “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.” Those signs do not necessarily reflect current law in the state of Washington.
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” This famous quote by Benjamin Franklin resonates more than 240 years after it was uttered. The irony of Old Ben’s observation is that many people in our era act and speak with such certitude, especially in regard to religion and politics.
Americans are generally ignorant of how our geography has shaped our thinking and our nation. In our history, we have only had one major invasion – the War of 1812. We have weak neighbors to our north and south and vast oceans that buffer us from foreigners to our east and west.
A little more than a week ago we saw British citizens vote to leave the European Union, citing distrust of ruling elites in Brussels and a desire to retake lost national power.
To commemorate the World War I Battle of Verdun, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande met recently at the battle site to remember and honor the deaths of 300,000 German and French soldiers in that 10-month battle.
Do you know the difference between equality and equity?
“There is something in the American soul that wants to believe that it is facing disaster, that it has failed, that some corruption deep in its being will steal its success. I suspect that this has something to do with the familial recollections of immigrants.”
