Dr. Valerie Elverton Dixon is an independent scholar who publishes lectures and essays at JustPeaceTheory.com. She received her Ph.D. in religion and society from Temple University and taught Christian ethics at United Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Theological School.
Posts By This Author
Oh Lord, Won't You Make Me Rich So I Can Pay More Taxes!
Terry Jones: We Have Lost Our Brother
A Duty to Love in a Time of War
This Lenten Season is For Me
Our Budget Must Hold Fast to the American Dream
Democratization: Another Mountain to Climb in Egypt
The True Meaning of Investing in our Future
Before the 2011 State of the Union address, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that President Obama would speak about "investments" and that it was Latin for spending. I looked it up. The Latin root for "investment" is in + vesti meaning to clothe or surround. The definition of "invest" according to Dictionary.com is: "to put money to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income or appreciation in value." The difference between an investment and spending is the difference between buying a new pair of shoes and buying stock in the company that makes the shoes. I may enjoy the shoes, but stock in the company will pay dividends long after the shoes are old and gone. The shoes are of little value or benefit to my children, but stock in the company, especially if the company grows and prospers, will benefit them. In his State of the Union address, President Obama spoke about winning the future. In order to do this, the United States ought to attend to innovation and education. We, as a nation, ought to rebuild the country's infrastructure, bring down national debt, reorganize government for more efficiency, and continue our support for the democratic aspirations of people across the globe. All of these will require investments.
Our Persistent Reach for the American Dream
Praying and Fasting in the New Year
In Memory of Richard Holbrooke
The Story of One Unemployed Man
Thanksgiving Alone is Not Lonely
Glenn Beck's Offensive Attacks on George Soros
Obama's Remarks to the Indian Parliament and Just Peace
Not Happy with the Results? Hallelujah, Anyhow
Voting in Honor and Solidarity
When my children were young, I took them with me to vote. Before we went into the polling place, I said to them, "We vote because somebody died so we could have the right to vote." Now I think the reason we vote is because somebody lived so we could have the right to vote.
