The Pursuit of Happiness

The Declaration of Independence states that our inalienable rights include “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Life and liberty are easy to understand, but that last phrase is less intuitive. How can people have a right to strive for happiness?
Learn More

Uniting to Fight Poverty: A TED Talk

How do we solve problems like poverty with so much political polarization?

WATCH THE TALK

Welcome to the Pursuit

To pursue our happiness, to achieve our liberty, and indeed to find fulfillment in our lives, we must start with a moral consensus, a fundamental truth around which we all revolve. Think of an atom. The outer field of electrons is full of chaotic activity. Electrons are rapidly orbiting and moving in a constant buzz. What contains that chaos and gives it structure? The fact that the whole chaotic cloud orbits one central nucleus.

 

Tom Price, an HHS Secretary Focused on Helping People Work?

Tom Price, an HHS Secretary Focused on Helping People Work?

Donald Trump named Rep. Tom Price, the congressman from Georgia who is currently chairman of the House Budget Committee, to lead the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department, which is fitting since Price is a doctor, a rarity in the position, but important because Price is also a strong proponent of eliminating waste and reducing the misuse of taxpayer money. The cherry on top of the selection is what Price’s nomination, and a few others, means for anti-poverty programs, or more specifically, government’s role in helping people who actually are in poverty.

read more
Does the Federal Government Have to Be in Washington?

Does the Federal Government Have to Be in Washington?

Want to decentralize the federal government, start by decentralizing where the federal government resides. That’s the suggestion from economist Paul Kupiec, who suggests that there’s no real reason why all federal agencies need to be in the nation’s capital.

read more
Fake News May Distract, But It Doesn’t Rig Elections

Fake News May Distract, But It Doesn’t Rig Elections

“Fake news is not a technical glitch.” This sentence is the headline of a recent article about the hysteria that has enveloped the nation over the “unexpected” presidential outcome. It also is a simple explanation that clears up much of the confusion being disseminated since the Nov. 8 vote.

read more
How Trump Can Improve Antipoverty Programs

How Trump Can Improve Antipoverty Programs

With the presidential election in the rear view mirror, Washington and the rest of the country are now turning attention to what President Trump will mean for public policy. What would Trump do for antipoverty programs? Given Trump’s early focus on relieving...

read more
Doing What You Love Has Big Social Payoff

Doing What You Love Has Big Social Payoff

It would appear that what TPOH has been saying is finally catching on: doing what you love with people you care about has a greater emotional – and social – payoff than just accumulating stuff. Attachment to people, not products, is more fulfilling.

read more
Infrastructure Investment to Make America Even Better

Infrastructure Investment to Make America Even Better

Infrastructure investment through private-public partnerships (PPPs) is one area that could Make American Great Again. Many Americans agree that it could help both the economy and Americans’ day-to-day lifestyles. Now, it’s just a question of whether America has the will to get them done.

read more
Edmund Burke: The Link Between Economic Liberty and Human Flourishing

Edmund Burke: The Link Between Economic Liberty and Human Flourishing

Eighteenth century political economist Edmund Burke was fully aware that many people were not exposed to opportunity to improve their lives, and he wasn’t a huge believer that a high tide would lift all boats. But he was hugely skeptical of the ability of some so-called equalizing central force to intervene and correct course. In other words, he opposed government intervention in economic exchange.

read more

What's New on The Pursuit of Happiness?

Words Matter: The Power of Speech in Changing Minds

Words are powerful, and, when used well, they can incite people to both good and evil. They give those in positions of power, well, power – and lots of it. And, thanks to the Bill of Rights, specifically the very first item on it, people can say almost anything with presumably no consequences. … Read More

The Problems With Seattle’s Minimum Wage Debate

Recently, a University of Washington study released on the impact of raising Seattle's minimum wage from $11 to $13 in 2016 showed some disturbing effects. It revealed that the number of minimum wage jobs declined and while lower-income workers were making higher wages they were employed fewer … Read More

The Real Cause of America’s Declining Labor Participation Rate? Boys and Their Joysticks

A wily and widespread addiction has caused a massive epidemic among young men — one so bad that they are no longer working. This addiction has a name: video games. That's right, video games have sapped America's male youth of its ability to be productive, to function eight hours a day at a job. … Read More

Is There Any Room for Diversity of Thought on New England College Campuses?

The quintessential image of an austere college campus usually involves students walking across the quad with colorful leaves falling in the background. Their backpacks are heavy with books, or maybe the students are carrying a particularly thick text as they try waving their hands, engaged in … Read More

More Stories

Join the Social Movement

It is our moral duty to reclaim every American's right to pursue his or her own happiness. Are you in?

I want to take action