Monsanto, the multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation, is evil. But not for the reasons you might suspect. Sure, Monsanto puts small farmers all over the world out of business but this doesn’t necessarily make it evil.
Archive for the ‘Rethink’ Category
Occupy Wall Street is a protest of last resort
November 1st, 2011 by Brett Frazer
Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is one of the most widespread protest movements in recent memory. What began as a few dozen people leaning cardboard signs against makeshift tents in Zuccotti Park has exploded into a worldwide phenomenon. Tens of thousands of protestors in cities all over the world are occupying various financial districts and public [...]
Part 4 of 4: Increasing taxes on the rich
October 25th, 2011 by Brett Frazer
Part 3/4: Gross inequity hurts GDP Part 2/4: Making the case for the wealthy Over the last month, I’ve tried to convince readers that increasing taxes on the wealthy will both satisfy the demands of justice and help our economy recover from the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression. In my final column on [...]
Tax the rich, Part 3: Gross inequity hurts GDP
October 19th, 2011 by Brett Frazer
My two previous articles addressed the normative issues associated with increasing taxes on the wealthy. I answered the question of whether such taxes are just, considering the ethical consequences as more important than the positivistic economic consequences.
Making the case for wealthy, Part 2 of 4
October 11th, 2011 by Brett Frazer
Alex Rodriguez is a genuine baseball prodigy. In his junior year of High School, Rodriguez was selected as both the USA Baseball Junior Player of the Year and as Gatorade’s National Baseball Student Athlete of the Year. He was the first high school player in history to try out for team USA. Rodriguez was signed [...]
Distributive justice in this American economy: winning the birth lottery is not good reason to be wealthy, the ‘elite’ should pay more taxes (part 1 of 4)
October 2nd, 2011 by Brett Frazer
Everyone seems to be obsessed with taxes. Warren Buffet and Barack Obama believe we ought to raise taxes on the wealthy. Michelle Bachmann seems to believe that Americans shouldn’t pay any income taxes at all. Ben Stein has read too much Ayn Rand, and believes taxes are a form of theft. Well Ben, The United [...]
Perry’s comments toward scientists unfair, dishonest
September 13th, 2011 by Brett Frazer
I generally don’t take politics personally. Sure, I’ve been called an “America-hating” liberal, a “socialist,” a “Constitution-hater,” and a host of other nonsensical and platitudinous insults. Usually, I recognize these attacks for what they are – a logical fallacy known as “argumentum ad hominem.”
Stigma of depression keeps men from seeking help
August 23rd, 2011 by Brett Frazer
One in four college students will suffer from some form of diagnosable mental illness this year. More than half of these college students will suffer from some form of depression. Unfortunately, a great number of college students will not seek professional help to assist in treating their depression. Nobody is quite sure how many cases [...]
Subsidized loans for gradate school help economy
August 9th, 2011 by Brett Frazer
Students at UAA are all too familiar with the rising cost of college education. Protests on campus last year demonstrated that many students were not pleased with the Board of Regent’s proposed tuition hikes. I suspect that proposed tuition hikes in the future will be met with a similar response.
Parnell supports ideology that could harm Alaska
July 26th, 2011 by Brett Frazer
On July 19, The House passed the “Cut, Cap, and Balance Act” (CCBA). The bill proposes to make “substantial cuts in spending… [create] enforceable spending limits,” and amend the Constitution so that the government must have a “Balanced Budget.” Granted, there’s no way that CCBA would pass through the Senate, and the President has stated [...]
Republicans, not Obama carry debt ceiling burden
July 12th, 2011 by Brett Frazer
In 1948, President Harry S Truman nicknamed the 80th United States Congress the “Do-Nothing Congress.” After controlling both houses of Congress for almost the entirety of the early 20th century, Democrats lost both the House and the Senate midway through Truman’s first term.
Culture wars, partisan hackery hurt America
June 28th, 2011 by Brett Frazer
In 1992, George H. W. Bush proclaimed, “there is a religious war going on in our country for the soul of America.” Indeed, beginning in the early 90’s, “public morality” – the ethical code that would define America – became the leitmotif of American political discourse. Abortion, LGBT rights, publically funded art, and religious schools became hot issues. Battle lines were drawn, allegiances were pledged, and the culture war had begun.
Defense budget must be cut to save economy
June 14th, 2011 by Brett Frazer
Cutting the national debt of the United States pervades almost every facet of today’s political discourse. Former U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Rodger C. Altman has called the post-2020 fiscal outlook “downright apocalyptic.” The aging population of our nation, coupled with exponential federal interest expense, is sending our country into a dangerous cavern of economic uncertainty.
