It’s still Christmas, so I feel privileged to return to a favorite theme here at ITA: the deadweight loss of gift-giving. George Will started off the fun this year by devoting a column to it (hat tip: Jacob) on Thanksgiving. Maybe I’m telling tales out of school, but my recent course in...

Thomas à Becket was a proverbial giant of his time. Through a series of promotions throughout his life Becket rose to prominence in both church and civic capacities. Most notably, he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162 and, prior to that, he also served as Chancellor, a government role requiring...

Michael Spencer, also known as the Internet Monk, has been a regular blog read of mine for years and we’ve cited him numerous times here at ITA. He gained attention in the wider media earlier this year for his influential article in the Christian Science Monitor about “The Coming Evangelical...

I saw James Cameron’s Avatar over the weekend.* In spite of several things to dislike about the movie, I can’t give it anything but an overwhelming endorsement. The movie is certainly worth the price of admission, and, as Michael Arrington wrote in the Washington Post, “Movies will...

Two news stories have dominated local Washington, D.C. news market the past couple days. First of course is Blizzard ‘09, which dumped two feet of snow on a city that doesn’t know how to handle it. Frankly, I don’t expect to see the office again until after Christmas. Remember “the...

Let us be clear about one thing – Obama offers plenty of rhetorical tricks which are designed to deceive.

“Public Option Please” is a health care reform advocacy group which sponsored a pro-public option art contest. The winning entry captures the essence of the debate perfectly, even better than any writing I’ve read on the subject. If those favoring a public option do indeed find this...

In honor of Bill of Rights Day, the Cato Insitute has broken down the current state of each of the first 10 amendments. The list is about as cheery as one might imagine - but fear not, the 3rd Amendment is stronger than ever!  In 2nd Amendment news, Damon Root at Reason has an interesting article...

Josh had a good and thought-provoking post about the modern Santa-deception. It got me thinking about my own experience with Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. Perhaps it was my innocent sheltered and naive nature, but I found the Santa myth quite appealing as a youngster. So appealing, in fact, that I clung...