21 | June | 2012

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The Video That Led to UVa President’s Departure

Mark J. Perry | June 21, 2012, 7:43 pm

The video above features a talk (“Higher Education 2.0″) by former Stanford professor Sebastian Thrun, co-founder of the new, low-cost (mostly free) online university Udacity, and originally appeared on CD in January. It was this video that was partly responsible … read more >

Carpe Diem

Democratic Congressman Jarel Polis Schools DEA Agent Over Marijuana During Congressional Hearing

Mark J. Perry | June 21, 2012, 6:21 pm

DEA official can’t answer the questions: Are crack cocaine, heroin, and meth worse than marijuana? From Andrew Kirwell in Mediaite.com: “Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) made drug reformers proud on Wednesday when he went after Drug Enforcement Administration official Michele … read more >

Carpe Diem

U.K. Study: The Most Harmful Drug of All? Alcohol

Mark J. Perry | June 21, 2012, 6:00 pm

From the Examiner on November 1, 2010 (originally posted on CD in 2010) : “Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, according to a new study. British experts evaluated substances including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy … read more >

Politics and Public Opinion, Elections

Going down: Obama’s approval ratings heading south

Henrik Temp | June 21, 2012, 5:21 pm

From off-message surrogates (including the Big Dog!) to revealing slips of the tongue, Team Obama is looking weak. And the approval numbers are starting to reflect that. read more >

Economics, U.S. Economy

Americans’ pre-crisis wealth was an illusion

Alex J. Pollock | June 21, 2012, 4:20 pm

Americans’ wealth didn’t disappear: it was never really there in the first place. People thought they had it, but they didn’t. read more >

Carpe Diem

Leading Economic Index Increases in May

Mark J. Perry | June 21, 2012, 4:05 pm

The Conference Board reported today that its Leading Economic Index (LEI) increased 0.3% in May to a four-year high of 95.8, following a 0.1% decline in April, and a 0.2% increase in March (see chart above). Despite all of the … read more >

Pethokoukis

E.J. Dionne is wrong. America is at risk of becoming Greece

James Pethokoukis | June 21, 2012, 3:38 pm

Don’t worry, says liberal pundit E.J. Dionne, America is nothing — nothing! — like Greece. But the U.S. is at risk of becoming like Greece in that Greece has clientelistic political systems where political parties reward supporters with individual benefits, such as jobs, when they get in office. read more >

Arthur Brooks American Enterprise Institute

Economics, U.S. Economy

Banter #61: All things debt

Stuart James | June 21, 2012, 3:30 pm

In the final installment of the Banter podcast’s Road to Freedom series, AEI President Arthur Brooks and Michael Strain sit down to discuss sources and solutions for the U.S. debt problem. read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

Now Simon Johnson asks, ‘Wer soll das bezahlen?’ (‘Who is going to pay for that?’)

James Pethokoukis | June 21, 2012, 2:55 pm

It’s not to difficult to understand, really. The problem for the eurozone isn’t austerity — though tax hikes are the last thing the region needs — but, as economist Simon Johnson rightly notes, “the fact that these European countries locked … read more >

Supreme Court of the United States of America

Economics, Entitlements, Health Care

Better health care for America

A road map from the court’s ruling to real reform

The Editors | June 21, 2012, 1:42 pm

Regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, majorities of Americans want Congress to make changes to the health care law. AEI is charting the way. read more >