An Index of Articles on Politics


157: Corruption in America, by Loren Cobb

"Not a week goes by, it seems, without yet another revelation of corruption or cronyism and incompetence within the leadership and executive strata of these once-great United States. Each case is cause for dismay and anger, of course, but recent revelations coming out of the Department of Justice are of a different order entirely. It appears that the very ability of the American system of justice to detect, prosecute, and punish political corruption has been compromised..." [27 May 07]

152: A World Without Authority, by Jack Powelson

"... There's nothing wrong with 'living in the present,' except that I believe we should also take account of the future and guess where our present policies, once put into effect, might lead us. Most Friends try to resolve problems (e.g., war in Iraq, health care, etc.) by passing laws; those who disobey would be punished. Instead, I would like to create individuals who rely not on the government but on themselves to handle similar, but not identical, problems five hundred years from now....." [4 Jan 07]

150: One Nation, Indivisible, by Jack Powelson

"Do we have an ideology? "Ideology" is a belief — right or wrong — in how the world functions, plus our statement of how it ought to function. ... I believe President Bush has violated the trust of the people. The surprising point is that there is such a trust..." [20 Nov 06]

138: Flight of the Condor: The Indigenous Movement in Bolivia, by Loren Cobb

"Today, after four centuries of nearly continuous oppression, the ancient spirit of the condors is stirring again. It can be said to have begun in 1952, but it is my belief that it takes from two to four generations for an enslaved people to throw off the psychological state of passivity that slavery induces..." [1-Dec-05]

137: Fortress America, by Loren Cobb

"As the embassy vehicle speeds through the crowded streets of Lima, I look to the east, towards the dusty foothills of the Andes. The view seems strangely distorted, the buildings and street signs undulating slowly as I move my eyes. What on earth? I reach out and touch the glass of the window, and the realization dawns that each window is fitted with a thick layer of bulletproof glass..." [21-Nov-05]

129: A Visit to the War on Drugs, by Loren Cobb

"It takes 28 hours just to get from Denver to Cochabamba by air, including an exhausting overnight flight from Miami to Santa Cruz. After crashing for the night in a hotel, I take a taxicab back to the airport, where a little twin-engine Beechcraft belonging to the US Embassy awaits. For the rest of the day I will be a guest of the embassy, visiting counter-drug operations sponsored primarily by US taxpayers..." [15-Aug-05]

111: Me for President! by Jack Powelson

"To the American people: Thank you all for writing in my name as candidate for president. That is, thanks to the zero of you who did. I will now answer questions..." [15-Nov-04]

101: Bush v. Kerry on Economics, by Jack Powelson

"Just this week my students asked me why all Professors of Economics under whom they had studied agree with me on major issues, while most non-economists do not..." [30-Apr-04]

93: Health Care, by Jack Powelson

"In a rich society, everyone should have adequate health care. In a free society each individual should decide what kind of health care to have, how much, and how much to pay for it..." [1-Jan-04]

94: Education, by Jack Powelson

"By now, readers have surely become aware that I believe our society is heading in a grievously wrong direction. We are abdicating to 'authorities' responsibilities that should be undertaken by individuals..." [15-Jan-04]

88: Drugs from Canada? by Jack Powelson

"The real story is generally not told, possibly because Americans are considered not able to understand it. It is the old question of fixed versus direct costs..." [17-Nov-03]

83: The Bell Curve, Part 2: Criticism, by Asa Janney

"Most scientists believe the black-white gap exists but disagree with Murray on its causes. Their theories use environmental factors to explain the gap..." [18-Sep-03]

82: The Bell Curve, Part 1, by Asa Janney

"Charles Murray, who attends Goose Creek Meeting (Virginia), is one such scholar. His book, The Bell Curve, observes that whites on average get higher scores on IQ tests..." [8-Sep-03]

79b: The Bush Tax Cut, Part 2, by John Spears

"It is in an individual's self-interest to have other people pay more taxes than they do. As Senator Huey Long said, 'Don't tax him, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree' ..." [4-Aug-03]

77: The Bush Tax Cut, Part 1, by Jack Powelson

"In the Vietnam war, we were told we could have both guns and butter, and the result was one of the biggest inflations ever. Mark my prophesy: Taken all together, Bush's programs will lead to a whopping inflation that our children will suffer..." [15-Jul-03]

76: How Political Should a Friends' Meeting be? by Jack Powelson

"Why is it so difficult to distinguish a spiritual concern from a political one..." [30-Jun-03]

71: Affirmative Action, by Jack Powelson

"In a referendum earlier this year, 41 percent of the students in the University of Michigan voted for the university's position in favor of affirmative action, while 41 percent voted against it..." [19-Apr-03]

65: Violence for a 'Good Cause'? by Jack Powelson

"Four members of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) have just been sentenced for the murder of Myrna Opsal in a bank the SLA was robbing to finance its war against racism..." [21-Feb-03]

61: Misinformation, by Jack Powelson

"How can so much misinformation be believed by so many people? Get ready to have your beliefs shaken..." [28 Dec-02]

57: Political or Economic Democracy? by Jack Powelson

"Does economic or political democracy come first, historically? Does one lead to the other? Or, do they arrive simultaneously? Actually, these are 'chicken-and-egg' questions..." [25-Oct-02]

37: NAFTA and Ideological Literature, by Jack Powelson

"Last month Bill Moyers appeared on television to condemn multinational corporations (MNCs) and NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement)..." [4-Mar-02]

36: What is a Classic Liberal? Part 2, by Jack Powelson

"In the classic liberal society, power is distributed among "low-level" people and groups. It is not concentrated in king, shogun, emperor, or democratic government..." [12-Feb-02]

35: What is a Classic Liberal? Part 1, by Jack Powelson

"In a classic liberal society, those harmed by Enron would take Enron to court. Such a society would require a new national outlook, in which individuals and groups take care of themselves instead of entrusting their 'protection' to government. It would beef up labor unions..." [31-Jan-02]

25: American Imperialists, by J. D. von Pischke

"Little by little, through peaceful official intervention and through military adventures the West, with the US at the top of the pile, has made extraterritoriality a reasonable proposition in the popular mind here at home..." [11-Oct-01]

8: Protesting Globalization, by Jack Powelson

"We stood in a friendship circle, about fifty of us, arms intertwined, and singing. It was a high school institute of international affairs..." [1-May-01]

3: The Drug War, by Jack Powelson

"If you want to see money thrown at a problem to no good effect, you need look no further than America's 'War on Drugs'..." [26-Mar-01]

2: School Shootings, by Jack Powelson

"I was given a scholarship at the most chic school in town, called Pebble Hill. It was populated by the "rich crowd," to which my family didn't belong. One day..." [29-Mar-01]

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