Political Science: Comparative Politics 
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Calling the President's Bluff
Republicans should not force President Obama to propose a budget that reflects their ideas, because it is clear that each side has a drastically different view of the role for government in society; rather, they should force him to present an honest budget effort, and then judge him on its result, says William Poole Cato senior fellow and former CEO of the St. Louis Fed. By doing so, if Obama doesn't submit a budget, the responsibility for default would rest on him. Poole advises that, "Republicans should emphasize that the debt ceiling issue is not about the substance of how to address the deficit, but that the president present a plan voters can judge."
Obamanomics Leaving World Nervous
Economic recovery in the U.S. continues to be elusive, ever since the global economic collapse two years ago that was brought on by bad policies among various external factors. As Cato senior fellow Dan Mitchell notes, to get back on track to growth, stability, and prosperity, the U.S. needs to adopt sound policies that are proven to accomplish that goal, or – at least – not pursue policies that have proven to fail. However, that seems to be difficult for the current administration. With several examples, Mitchell makes his case that, “Ironically, the rest of the world has learned that easy money and deficit spending are a bad recipe, yet the White House somehow thinks that going back to Jimmy Carter's policies is the right approach for America.”
Old Stealing from Young under Obama's 'Reforms'
Cato's Gene Healy likens American youth to the rioting masses of French youth who are decrying marginal austerity attempts, protecting their parents’ and grandparents' generations over their own interests. With both countries facing burgeoning public debt, youth are energetic about advocating big government provisioning programs (e.g. pensions and universal healthcare), which they will be forced to support but will never receive. Healy asks, humorously, “Are America's youth as dumb as the French?” He notes that while American youth seem less prone to riot in the streets than their French counterparts, they are widely unimpassioned about politics -- leading one to wonder which is better, active though misplaced engagement or apathetic acquiescence? Either way, substantive change cannot occur until “younger voters wise up and start defending their interests.”
When History Isn't History
Economics professor Steven Horwitz emphasizes that an accurate understanding of history is paramount in a classical liberal’s approach to change people’s minds. Public knowledge of history shapes people’s views toward policy change; but since history is often misconstrued, many support bad policies for rational (though misplaced) reasons, says Horwitz. He then uses common narratives of the New Deal and how the West got rich to explain that “at the bottom of most disagreements with classical liberalism lies a bad reading of history.” How do you stack up to the narratives Horwitz dissects?
Libertarianism vs. Conservatism
America's Future Foundation and Students For Liberty co-hosted a debate at the Cato Institute between interns from libertarian and conservative organizations, addressing the question, "is libertarianism or conservatism a more desirable political philosophy?"
Time for Question Time?
By Gene Healy: "Left to their own devices, presidents can isolate themselves in a cocoon of sycophants, even putting protesters in 'Free-Speech Zones,' where their signs can't offend the liege. The regal atmosphere of the office shields POTUS from necessary feedback. As accidental president Gerald Ford put it in his autobiography, 'Few people, with the possible exception of his wife, will ever tell a president that he is a fool.'"
Done right, Question Time could force presidents off script, puncture their air of majesty and force them to listen.
Neoconservative Radicalism Has Reshaped Our Political Spectrum
By Glenn Greenwald: "Brooks admits what has been crystal clear for some time -- namely, that so-called "conservatives" (meaning the contemporary political "Right") no longer believe (if they ever did) that government power should be restrained in order to maximize freedom."
lib•er•tar•ian
n. 1. a person who believes in the doctrine of the freedom of the will 2. a person who believes in full individual freedom of thought, expression and action 3. a freewheeling rebel who hates wiretaps, loves Ron Paul and is redirecting politics By Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch
Private Education is Good for the Poor
by James Tooley and Pauline Dixon: "Our findings from a two-year in-depth study in India, Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya suggest that these conclusions are unwarranted. Private schools, we argue, can play—indeed, already are playing—an important, if unsung, role in reaching the poor and satisfying their educational needs."
Infidel: My Journey from Somalia to the West
By Ayaan Hirsi Ali: "I am sad that women who have inherited this social order, this civilization called the West, with its values of human rights, curiosity, trust, and integrity, might stand by and watch its decline."
Community-Run Fisheries: Avoiding the "Tragedy of the Commons"
By Donald R. Leal: "Community-Run Fisheries: Avoiding the "Tragedy of the Commons" presents case after case of communities that have effectively protected their fishing territories and preserved fish for the future."