Think This: Were the 1980s A Period of Greed?

Conservatives think it is odd that economic growth when a conservative is president is called "greed," while economic growth when a liberal is president is called "prosperity."

Nonetheless, here are facts about the 1980s:

From 1982 through 1989, the years President Reagan's economic policies were in effect, corporate contributions to charities grew an average of 10 percent per year, outstripping inflation by over 6 percent.

Throughout the 1980s, the average income of all economic segments of the American population rose: the poorest fifth by 10.4 percent, the second poorest fifth by 9.5 percent, the middle fifth by 11.7 percent, the second-wealthiest fifth by 12.2 percent and the top fifth by 13.6 percent. Poverty fell by 1.1 percent. - What Conservatives Think

Except right now we do have a conservative President and we are heading into recession.

Think This?

The UK’s leading think tank on internet policy has said that online ad system Phorm is illegal and has called for further investigation into its practices.

Which is why it's all about Google AdSense. Get free Ben Tan ringtones.

Think This: Chile Under Pinochet

Upon taking office, Allende began to implement campaign promises, turning the country toward socialism. Opposition to his program, however, was strong from the beginning, and by 1972 the result was seen in severe economic problems and a sharply polarized citizenry. The situation grew more critical in 1973, when skyrocketing prices, food shortages, strikes and political violence brought Chile to the brink of chaos. The crisis was further aggravated by the United States, which worked to undermine the Allende regime and rid South America of its only socialist government. The apex came on September 11, 1973, when General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, recently appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army, was part of, along with the Navy, Air Force, National Police and much of the citizenry, a coup d'état against the socialist government, resulting in Allende committing suicide that day.

After the events of September 11 (How ironic, September 11) Pinochet quickly set about establishing a military government, ruled through a junta. A state of siege was ordered and the new Pinochet led government immediately suspended the constitution, dissolved Congress, imposed strict censorship, and banned all political parties. In addition, it embarked upon a terror campaign against socialist supporters in the country. Thousands were arrested; many were executed, tortured, or exiled, while others were imprisoned without charge or simply disappeared. - Moon Dog Sports

We don't get to hear about this side of the story in history class. All that was mentioned in my class, A.P History, was the coup of Allende. There was no mention of the corruption that existed during Pinochet's regime. Maybe it is due to the limited amount of class time we have, but seriously I don't know how this could be left out.

Think This?

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - Think tank European Policy Centre (EPC) has offered recommendations on ways to improve the European Commission's climate change and energy package in a report issued by its task force.

If you're American going into the bathroom and you're American coming out of the bathroom, what are you while you're IN the bathroom?

Think This?

Excessive use of computers in the classroom can actually hinder learning, is the
conclusion of a report put out Tuesday by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy,
a conservative think tank based in Winnipeg.

The key term here is "excessive." Take everything in moderation.

Mary Jean Gallagher, director of education for the Greater Essex County District
School Board, said the report's assumptions are out-dated and make sweeping
generalizations.
"I guess what I can say about computers is they are this
generation's TV sets of 40 years ago," Gallagher said. "It's an aid. Computers
now bring the real world into the classroom in a way that you can't bring
students into the world. It's not about teaching a kid to use a computer, it's
about using the computer to enrich learning."

Think This?

Drivers could be awarded 'positive' points to offset endorsements under a new action plan designed to improve road safety and traffic flows.

A Conservative think-tank has put together the package of ideas which could mean that drivers could cancel out penalty points for speeding or other minor offences.

See, this is from Channel4 in Britain, where they spell words like "offences" correctly.

Think This?

Bulgaria's economy would grow by a real six per cent in 2008, fueled by continued growth in the industry and services sector, as well as the recovery of its agriculture, economic policy thinktank Center for Economic Development (CED) forecast on February 12 2008.

Watch out for Bulgaria! They're gonna be a superpower. Or not.

Think This: January 7, 2007

Mike Huckabee's stunning victory in Thursday's Iowa caucuses does more than change the GOP nomination race. With a platform explicitly grounded in his Christian faith and a populist economic message, Mr. Huckabee offers the Republican Party a new political narrative, light years removed from the limited government principles governing the GOP in the Reagan and post-Reagan era.

This pro-faith, pro-government message may sound strange to American ears--but it is a staple of conservative political parties on the European continent. Mr. Huckabee, in other words, essentially gives Republicans a choice: Does the GOP want to become a Christian Democratic party? To answer that question, Republicans should look carefully at Christian Democracy to see if it is a model worth emulating.

Is a faith-based, pro-government party necessary for political success?

Christian Democracy is a reaction to the classical liberalism and socialism that came of age in late 19th century Europe. Both of these movements threatened the faithful with their secularism and economic theories. Classical liberal emphasis on unfettered markets evoked fears of untrammeled greed and exploitation of workers; socialism made many fear for the future of private property.

...These parties uphold marriage and the traditional family as the bedrocks of society. They also advocate economic policies typified by the CDU's ideal of a "social market economy," which emphasizes the need for both government-provided welfare and capitalism. Contemporary Christian Democratic parties are also some of the staunchest supporters of rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. They reach this conclusion from the principle of "Christian stewardship," which the Norwegian Christian Democrats say "implies that the resources of the Earth should be taken care of for the best of present and future generations." - American Enterprise Institute

Christian Democracy is a best of all worlds kind of party as it combines elements of socialism, capitalism, and environmentalism.

On a side note, it looks like Think This will be returning after a three month hiatus.

Think This: November 15th, 2007

Don't just "Think This"..."Do This"

The Social Awareness and Responsibility Club is sponsoring an event during this Thanksgiving season to call attention to those who do not have enough to eat. The Fasting for World Hunger for Ox Fam America will be on Friday November 16th. Participating students will give up their lunch for a day and donate the equivalent of their lunch fee for the cause of those who may go hungry daily. Anyone signing up can go to the Library during heir lunch where water will be supplied. Signups will begin next week in the cafeteria and donations to Ox Fam can be made in cash or a check.

OxFam is a pretty legitimate organization; I like their platform.

Think This: October 24, 2007

2nd Amendment

The framers of the Bill of Rights envisioned the Second Amendment during a time when the United States was a fledgling nation. In all probability, they could not have imagined the levels of violence that confront Americans in today’s society. We live amid what has been termed a "culture of violence." While there is some evidence that violent crime may have lessened recently, Americans still murder each other with guns 19 times more often than do the people of the 25 other wealthiest nations. In addition, among the 36 wealthiest, the United States has the highest proportion of suicides from guns. While it is claimed that guns may be necessary to protect oneself and one’s loved ones, they may just as likely be used to provide criminals or mentally ill people with easy access to the means to cause irrevocable harm. - Source: Americamagazine.org

Total elimination of guns would certainly upset two groups of people: NRA members and hunters. Strict limitations on gun type and bullet size must be set forth.

Think This: October 17, 2007

United States Stockpiles

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), a chemical weapon destruction agency in the United States called for the destruction of 45% of its stockpile by 2004. This deadline was not met and the CWC mandated a few more conditions: U.S is to be completely free of its stockpile by 2007. The United States isn't in any rush to say good bye to all their chemical weapons just yet; an extension can be granted until 2012. Costs were running in the 12 billion dollar range in 2004 and are increasing as each year passes. A graph supplied by the Stimson Center suggest that by 2016 (yes, 10+ years after the original proposal) the cost of total destruction of chemical weapons will be 25 billion dollars.

By 2016, the U.S won't have too much more on its plate (assuming that military expenses are cut drastically) and will be able to be completely free of evil CWs.

Think This: October 10, 2007

A Health Care System That Works

The Health Care system that we currently have in America sucks. Don't believe me? Thousands are uninsured, costs are too high, and care is substandard at best sometimes. Individuals at the New America Foundation recognize these failures and have set out a plan that would....work!

[The policy] would shift the responsibility for providing health insurance from the employer to the individual, freeing American companies to concentrate on growth and competitiveness without having to worry about rising health care costs. It would make health insurance mandatory for all U.S. citizens, but it would also offer generous subsidies and large risk pools to help defray the cost of premiums. It would be guided by a refocused approach to health care delivery that emphasizes prevention, early diagnosis, and evidence-based treatments rather than expensive and often known-to-be ineffective diagnostic and treatment techniques. And it would encourage the widespread adoption of information technology to reduce administrative costs and help all clinicians and patients share best-practice information in real time.

Click this to check out the entire proposal

Think This: October 3, 2007

The Cost of Illegal Immigration
- 12-20 Million Illegal Immigrants
- Low skilled workers lose an average of $1,800 each year because of illegals
- Hardest hit minority groups are blacks and Latinos
- Illegals impose taxpayers an average of $89,000 over their lifetime
- Most illegal taxpayer money doesn't go towards governmental services
- Further corrupt social security: get back $100,000 more than they put in
Source: The Heritage Foundation

Are illegal immigrants causing more harm than good to American citizens? The statistics prove that yes they are, economically at least.

Think This: 9/26/07

Korea's economic growth is likely to accelerate to an annual pace of 5.1 percent next year, but rising interest rates and consumer price inflation could hamper domestic consumer spending, a local think tank said Thursday (Sept. 27).

According to the Hyundai Research Institute, "Based on the premise that the U.S. subprime issue would not trigger a global economic crisis, the Dubai crude price would average $80 and the won would change hands at 915 won versus the dollar next year..."

Think This: September 19, 2007

American Public Happy With NCLB

The following item has caused much debate: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Of course, the President who signed that was the corrupt George Bush, right Liberals? "Whatever Bush does is always a miserable failure."

Many polls, which have been tracked by the Hoover Institute, have shown that the American Public generally are in favor of the renewal of the act. You can check out the statistics in the included image.

George Bush has, at last, finally initiated a successful program in the eyes of America.

I don't know why I am being overly sympathetic to Liberals, but I am.

Think This: September 12, 2007

Each Wednesday, there will be a new feature post special only to the Étudiant. The story will have some kind of political, economical, environmental, or social theme. I will try my very best to publish information that has not been covered by the mainstream media. Most of the information will be coming from a think tank, hence the title.

Record Temperatures Faulty

Indeed, just a couple of weeks ago, NASA quietly rewrote U.S. temperature history since 1880. As it turns out, 1934 is now the warmest year on record in the U.S., dropping 1998 to second. In addition, 1921, not 2006, is the third warmest year.

According to the newly reconstructed record, three of the top five warmest years since 1880 occurred before 1940, and six of the 10 warmest years on record occurred before 85 percent of the human-caused greenhouse gas emissions were put into the atmosphere. (SOURCE: http://eteam.ncpa.org/commentaries/climate-figures-need-scrutiny

- What a low blow to environmentalists and global warming advocates!