provision

We have come to an impasse in the negotiations to raise the debt ceiling because of several conceptual errors in our public discourse. These errors were most glaring in the remarks recently delivered by Speaker of the House John Boehner in his response to President Obama. The largest conceptual error is the idea that the government of a constitutional representative democracy is different from the people. Boehner said, "You know I've always believed the bigger the government, the smaller the people."

What does this mean? The government is composed of the people, and if people are paying attention and voting according to their own interests, the government ought to work toward the happiness of the people. The problem is that too many Americans have bought into this conceptual error that the government is some kind of leviathan, a monster that exists to take away their liberties. This is nonsense. A correction of another conceptual error in Boehner's presentation makes my point.

Eugene Cho 6-03-2011
After my recent intense post about the rapture that has come and gone, I thought I'd write about a very light topic:
the Web Editors 3-15-2011
God, we lift up the people of Japan in these turbulent times. May recovery be swift and complete after this earthquake and tsunami. We ask for a restoration of both those affected and their homes.
Troy Jackson 3-07-2011
Forty-six years ago, civil rights activists in Selma, Alabama began what they hoped would be a 50-mile march to the state capital of Mo
Sheldon Good 1-24-2011
Environmentalism is "deadly." It is "one of the greatest deceptions of our day," "striving to put America and the world under its destructive control" and "seducing your children." It is a dangerou
LaVonne Neff 1-07-2011
"The Obama administration, reversing course, will revise a Medicare regulation to delete references to end-of-life planning as part of the annual physical examinations covered under the new health
Jennifer Kottler 12-08-2010
We've been asked by more than one of our readers and supporters about how we can support the DREAM Act and hold that in tension wit
Andrew Simpson 9-21-2010
In the last few weeks, the DREAM Act has become a source of hope for many and a source of debate and speculation for others.
Randall Amster 8-16-2010
The clock nudged toward midnight on a cool Arizona summer evening.
Elizabeth Palmberg 8-05-2010
Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.
A few summers ago, my son brought a little white plastic birdbath to my dad's house and set it up in the back yard. Dad kept the birdbath clean and filled with water.
Carol Keehan 3-15-2010

As I watched our president present his plan to pass the health reform legislation, it was clear this is a historic opportunity to make great improvements in the lives of so many Americans. Is it perfect? No. Does it cover everyone? No. But is it a major first step? Yes.

Good will is a primary element of moral conduct. This is an important idea in the thought of philosopher Immanuel Kant. A good will is good in itself because it does not depend upon whether or not the person will benefit from a particular action or not.

The people of Massachusetts already have near universal health care. Too many of the rest of us do not.
Gareth Higgins 8-12-2009
I have friends in the UK who are doctors, men and women who work in intense, busy careers. Like many salaried positions, things get exponentially better the longer you're in the system.
Gareth Higgins 8-10-2009
Regular readers will know that in the past year, I embarked on a genuinely life-altering journey. I emigrated to the United States, got married, and now make my home in North Carolina.
Jim Wallis 7-31-2009
In recent days, it seems that the Religious Right is trying everything they can to derail the health-care reform our country so desperately needs.