Entries by Admin

How we Reduce the Deficit is a Moral Issue

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“You don’t know what you have here in America, you know?” said the cabby who drove me home from the airport. When his father died in Ethiopia, he had to drop out of his American university where he was studying computer engineering to start driving cabs to support his family back in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has no social safety net.

Moral Principles and Moral Courage

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As I have followed the national budget debate over the past twelve months or so, I have been struck by the ways that the arguments are framed morally. Today, it has become commonplace to declare that the budget is a “moral” document, that as a statement of the nation’s economic priorities, it makes decisions that are moral by their very nature, both in themselves and in their consequences.

Apocalypse Soon? Finding Solutions to our Deficit Problem

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“With the financial future of the nation at risk, you would think federal policymakers would take strong action to prevent the apocalypse,” wrote Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution. Leonard Burman of the Urban Institute warned of the “potentially disastrous economic consequences” of what he called a “catastrophic budget failure,” even as Jeffrey Miron of the Cato Institute cautioned that “something must change, and soon. Otherwise, nothing will stop the U.S. fiscal train wreck.” When policy experts from think tanks across the ideological spectrum seem near consensus in forecasting such gloom and doom, we should all take notice.

“Jump” into Deficit Reduction.

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1984: the year of my birth, the Macintosh computer, Reagan’s 49-state reelection, and the classic rock anthem “Jump.” Twenty-eight years later, I’m a married man, Republican presidential candidates vie for Reagan’s mantle, and Van Halen has given way to Lady Gaga. And while the latest iPhone is 371% smaller than the original Mac and costs 1254% less, our nation’s deficit has ballooned 659%. Sen. Armstrong’s $200 billion frustration has metastasized to a $1.3 trillion threat.

Topic #1: The Federal Budget Deficit

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Please Consider the following Potential Leading Questions #1: Can the current federal budget deficit be reduced adequately by only enacting cuts in federal expenditures? If so, what areas should be cut?  #2: Can the current federal budget deficit be reduced adequately solely by enacting tax reform? If so, what aspects of current tax law should […]

eCircle: The Elusive Search for Unity in the Christian Church

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I had originally envisioned all Conversation Circles being carried out locally, hosted by interested readers who want to model respectful conversation in their geographical settings. I still hope that happens frequently. But then a friend noted that in light of my purpose of facilitating forums for respectful conversation, there is no better place to model such conversation than on my own web site – an obvious great idea that had eluded me.

So, that feature has now been added to my web site. Instructions for initiating or joining an electronic Conversation Circle can be accessed at eCircles.

I hope that many readers will avail themselves of this new opportunity to initiate eCircles, and I encourage many other readers to join an eCircle of their choice.

I have just initiated an eCircle on The Elusive Search for Unity in the Christian Church. My keen interest in this topic flows from my belief that a prayer that Jesus offered to God has been unanswered; his prayer that all Christians “may be brought to complete unity” (John 17: 20-22). In that light, I am seeking conversation partners who are representative of a wide variety of Christian traditions, including persons who fit one or more of the following descriptions:

Clearing House: More Resources for Fostering Respectful Conversation

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No sooner was my web site launched than three friends sent me links to publications that are supportive of my “respectful conversation” mission. Their responses inspired me to add a Clearing House page to my web site.

On this new page, I will be posting annotated citations and links for written and electronic publications that readers alert me to that are particularly supportive of the purposes of my Respectful Conversation Mission, as a rich complement to the resources I already provide in my Bibliography page and the results of my own work. 

 

More on Conversation Circles

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I am delighted that shortly after I launched my web site, two friends, one in Minneapolis and one in a suburb of Chicago, responded with possible interest in establishing local Conversation Circles (two down, many more to go).

This initial expression of interest prompts me to say more about what I have in mind, especially since one of the major purposes of my web site is to foster the establishment of numerous Conversation Circles. 

At first, I envisioned asking interested persons to formally “register” their Circles on my web site, and then “require” them to report on the logistics and results of their Circles. But I soon came to my senses. Busy people don’t need one more thing to do. Establishing such formal expectations might prove to be disincentives for participation.