What is the Meaning of “Life”?

The Declaration of Independence names three rights given to all human beings that no authorities can deny. One of those rights is the right to have ownership of one’s life. While life and death are frequently “administered” by mechanisms such as medical procedures, war, and criminal justice, the Founders believed that our birth, our creation as part of nature can never be predestined by the requirements of bureaucracy or the actions of legislators or jurists.

That said, government sources takes many actions that impact the full exercise of individuals’ quality of life, including through the use of policies to affect poverty levels, health care, physical security, and individual dignity.

Here are some current events and philosophical outlooks about the path that governments must tread in order to provide individuals the greatest opportunity and probability of exercising their most natural right — existence.

Learn More About “Life”

Can We Reverse the Trend of Working-Age Adults Who Don’t Work?

Ten million working-age adults were receiving food stamp benefits in 2015, were not receiving disability benefits, and were not employed. This number of nonworking able-bodied adults is something that experts from both political parties agree. And this nonwork is...

Student Loan Defaults Are Huge, Do We Know Who’s Not Repaying Their Debt?

The nation’s student loan industry is nearly as large as the federal government’s largest mortgage program through the Federal Housing Administration. Nearly $100 billion in loans are offered to students every year. Outstanding debt from student loan stands at $1.3 trillion. That’s a big number and it isn’t going down because the number of student loan defaults is massive. What to do about it? Well, deciding a plan of action has hit a bit of a speed bump.

What US News & World Report’s High School Rankings Missed

The U.S. News & World Report does a decent job with the tools it has to measure the performance of more than 20,000 U.S. public high schools. The problem, however, is that it only uses one tool, over and over again, which doesn’t accurately measure how far schools go in educating students.

How Innovation Can Defeat Homelessness

“I see no advantage in these new clocks. They run no faster than the ones made 100 years ago.” ― Henry Ford Henry Ford is credited with making cars better than those who came before him, but he also found a way to make them cheaper. So perhaps you can appreciate...

New Bill Encourages Private Sector to Help Struggling Communities

Turns out even lawmakers on Capitol Hill think it’s not the government but the private sector that must make the needed investments to turn around struggling areas of the country. So a group of lawmakers has come up with a tax proposal to do just that.

Secular and Sacred: How Faith Inspired Business in the Great Outdoors

Faith gets dismissed a lot in this day and age, but for those who believe in God, whatever their religion, a true love of the Almighty is an inspiring mechanism from which to launch a business.

Indeed, a faith-inspired business is what Greg McEvilly set out to do after he started his path toward the ministry and then realized he had a knack for entrepreneurialism.

How Feeling Needed Will Improve the Next Four Years

America has gotten pretty good at helping struggling people, but pretty terrible at needing them. Our nation is rendering millions of people effectively superfluous. This violates human dignity. And now we are seeing the results.

Where Do Immigrants Live in the US?

Since the 2008 recession, the states with net-inflows of immigrants have changed dramatically from preceding years. According to the U.S. Census, the number of immigrants moving into the U.S. as a percentage of pre-existing immigrant populations is occurring in the Eastern United States, specifically Washington, D.C., Florida, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and Virginia.

Treating Opioid Addiction: A Holistic Approach to Recovery

Dr. Sally Satel is a psychiatrist who has spent more than 25 years treating patients with opioid addiction. She has seen highs and lows that would make a roller-coaster jealous. But she also sees light on the horizon when it comes to treatment.

Irregular Work Schedules While Raising Kids: Can Congress Pass a Law to Help?

Does Congress need to schedule your time off? A proposed law aims to address the downsides of irregular work schedules, and is receiving support from a surprising group of voters.

Aspirin And The Cost of Knowing How Things Work

For centuries, the plants used in manufacturing aspirin were known for their ability to reduce pain from inflammation and fever, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that researchers discovered how the plants properties worked. Fast forward to now. Now, no medicine goes on the market until its exact and precise science is determined and approved. This ends up being a costly endeavor in a system ripe for improvement.

Do You Know Anyone Who Drives A Pickup Truck and Other Offensive Questions

In the past days, Twitter has been on fire over a tweet by a Florida-based web developer and blogger who asked, “The top 3 best selling vehicles in America are pick-ups. Question to reporters: do you personally know someone that owns one?”

Education Department Employee Mantras to Save The Children

But with each new administration, the federal bureaucracy revs up to go full tilt. With the naming of Betsy DeVos as nominee to be education secretary, the department has a good chance of refocusing on new priorities, including competition in education. But just in case, bureaucrats get too comfy, scholar Rick Hess has a few reminders for them to repeat daily.

The American Dream Still Lives Despite Growth Rate of Millennial Incomes

Researchers from Stanford, Harvard, and the University of California recently proclaimed that the American Dream is “fading” because millennial incomes are not as high as their parents’ incomes were when they were their children’s age. The American Dream may have taken a beating recently, blogger and Jeopardy champ James Pethokoukis concedes, but mobility is not the deciding indicator of whether the dream is alive.