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The American Dream

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Submitted to Thinking Outside the Boxe from a Pennsylvania Correspondent

It can be said that the American dream came alive before the country itself was founded. This particular nation was built by people determined to flourish outside the means their society of origin provided. “Whenever one’s needs require more than what can be granted, or even merely something of a different sort, they will be under continual friction and only function painfully….” (Durkheim 1897). It is inherit for all civilizations to aspire to prosper. When society is no longer able to uphold their end of the agreement, individuals will abandon the regulations of their society. Continue reading →

Is a Modern National Rail Service in the U.S. Feasible?

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From Thinking Outside the Boxe’s London Correspondent: The U.S. transport system has not been updated since the 1950s, when President Eisenhower created the federal highway system. Many things have changed in the 60 years since these renovations were made: the population of the U.S. has almost doubled, making gridlock a daily reality for millions of commuting Americans, and as this population ages, many individuals who are unable or unwilling to drive are becoming trapped in areas with little or no public transportation. Continue reading →

Are the Lives of All Humans Equally Valuable?

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From Thinking Outside the Boxe’s Sydney Correspondent

Before I begin, it is important to point out that this article will not be an analysis of the arguments put forward by the controversial ethicist Peter Singer. As such I am in no way arguing that the life of one individual is worth more or less than that of another. Instead, my intention is to look at the evidence that suggests that on a broader basis society does quite often, for a variety of reasons, appear to consider that one person, or group of people is more important and valuable than another. Continue reading →

Symposium 2011: What is your outlook for the 2012 presidential election? Any frontrunners in the Republican party?

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Sydney:  Mitt Romney looks like the standout Republican at the moment, judging by his wins in the most recent primaries. I think he is likely to win the Republican nomination over Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. He will need to pick a well credentialed running mate because Obama will be difficult to beat, especially if jobs growth continues. Continue reading →

Symposium 2011: What is your outlook for the economy and interest rates? What do you perceive to be the biggest threat to the U.S. economy—inflation, interest rates, oil prices, etc.?

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Sydney:  The Fed recently said that interest rates will be frozen for two years so there is no real threat there. The two big threats are oil prices and the economic situation in Europe. If Iran blocks the Straits of Hormuz, our oil supply will be massively reduced and the oil price will obviously skyrocket. Continue reading →

Symposium 2011: Many South and Central American countries have either exhibited hostility towards the U.S. or opened alliances with our enemies in the Middle East, most notably, Iran. How does the U.S. deal with this?

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RMC:  Don’t do business with them and make it clear that if they aid or abet the terrorists, we will hold them responsible.  That’s a pretty hard line approach, but money talks.  If they can’t get stuff from us in terms of trade, they may think twice about throwing in with the enemy.  Each and every one of these countries wants or needs something from the United States, whether they will admit it or not.  We need to identify what that is and use that as the carrot on the stick.  Continue reading →

Symposium 2011: should we repeal the federal income tax? If we were to do so, how would we fund the federal government?

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Sydney:  No. This is a stupid idea. The nation is massively in debt as it is and I can’t see how there is any we that we could make enough changes, or introduce enough new taxes to rescue a Government that is massively in debt as it is. If anything rich people should be paying more in income tax. Continue reading →

Symposium 2011: Should the U.S. have a continued presence of military around the world?

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Sydney:  I think the U.S definitely needs to have a continued military presence around the world in order to protect its interests and support its allies. The more important question is, where should that presence be? By establishing a greater presence in Australia’s north the U.S is responding to the growing military power of China. On the other hand our attempts to establish democraticic governments and peace in Afghanistan and Iraq are proving to be dismal failures. Perhaps the military needs to be smarter in where it sends its troops. Continue reading →