Presidential candidates comment on Vatican reform

Posted by:

Financial regulation is not just for Wall Street. New rules are now in place at the Vatican for canonization, the process by which the Roman Catholic Church determines who should be declared a saint.  U.S presidential candidates have chimed in. More about their views in a minute.

U.S. News & World Report reported last week that Pope Francis imposed financial accountability regulations “on the Vatican’s multimillion-dollar saint-making machine.” The changes came after two books revealed abuses that were uncovered by ...

Continue Reading →
4

Criticism of the Supreme Court is nothing new

Posted by:

What’s the difference between athletes and politicians? When athletes lose a game, they generally don’t blame anyone besides themselves. When politicians lose, i.e., the Supreme Court doesn’t see things their way, they blame the court.

In an article published last month in The National Review, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Andrew C. McCarthy wrote that the Supreme Court is a political branch, not a judicial one. He sees a left leaning voting bloc, comprised of ...

Continue Reading →
4

Pope’s encyclical a problem for conservatives

Posted by:

Pope Francis came out swinging a few weeks back with his encyclical on the environment, “On Care for Our Common Home.” It’s a beautifully written document though, with 246 numbered paragraphs, hardly a quick read. The encyclical challenges us all to be better stewards of the Earth, but it also serves another benefit: it’s bound to make conservative politicians squirm because of the conflict it presents for them, which provides entertainment for the rest of us.

We’ve already seen some ...

Continue Reading →
6

Sen. Ted Cruz panders on religious freedom

Posted by:

The 2016 presidential campaign is in its infancy, and already I’m fatigued by the crazy talk I hear. Case in point: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who spoke the week before last at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition summit in Iowa about the First Amendment and religious freedom. Here’s what Cruz had to say: “Today’s Democratic Party has decided there is no room for Christians in today’s Democratic Party. … There is a liberal fascism that is going after Christian believers.” ...

Continue Reading →
2

What makes Cuba so special?

Posted by:

It’s stunning that the decision to resume diplomatic relations with Cuba has been such a controversial event. President Barack Obama is criticized for opening the door with Cuba because it is governed by a dictator and has a history of human rights abuses, but since when has the U.S. limited its relations to open, democratic governments?  The examples of the U.S. maintaining diplomatic and trade relations with closed, abusive government are many.

The U.S.S.R. was a repressive government from its inception ...

Continue Reading →
4