Editorials
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June 23-30, 2014
During a commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on May 28, President Obama continued to make his public case for a new role for American power abroad. At first blush, there is much for critics of recent U.S. military action to appreciate in the president’s remarks. His speech included a strong rejection of U.S. isolationism in a technologically and economically integrated world, but promoted new restraint in the use of America’s...
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June 9-16, 2014
‘Greedy” and “expensive,” “money” and “profit”—these were the dominant answers when researchers hired by the public policy website The Morning Call asked average Americans what words come to mind when they thought about health insurance companies. While insurers are likely to treat this outcome as a public relations problem, more evidence that U.S. consumers simply have it right was included in a recent investigation of rising health care costs.
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May 26-June 2, 2014
On April 22 the United States Supreme Court, by a vote of 6 to 2, declined to overrule an amendment to Michigan’s state constitution that says its public universities, in the admission of students, “shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.” The amendment had been passed by a majority of voters in 2006 in order to shut down an admissions...
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May 19, 2014
Few subjects stir up and polarize national discussion quite like capitalism in general and inequality in particular. Recent evidence is the English-language publication of Capital in the Twenty-First Century, which has ignited a firestorm of opinion and debate.
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May 12, 2014
Climate change is an issue of unusual complexity that requires attention, discipline and international cooperation. Unfortunately, these are exactly the virtues that are in short supply among the world’s leaders at this moment in history. In a country suffering from political paralysis, where our leaders cannot see beyond the next election cycle, climate change demands bold, far-reaching initiatives.
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April 28-May 5, 2014
When asked about immigration on April 6, former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida made a distinction between those who overstay visas and those who enter the country illegally “because they had no other means to work” and were concerned about providing food for their children. “Yes, they broke the law,” he explained, “but it’s not a felony. It’s an act of love.” With immigration reform legislation at a standstill in Congress and the number of deported immigrants...
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April 21, 2014
The editors of America strive to ensure that our editorials, articles, blog posts and videos are not overly focused on the locale in which we live and work. Our magazine is called “America,” but our readership is worldwide, both in print and online. But as we look toward Easter and enjoy the first blooms of spring, we would be remiss not to note that many parts of the United States have just suffered through an unusually brutal winter.
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April 14, 2014
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have so far resulted in more than 5,000 American deaths and 50,000 wounded, as well as hundreds of thousands of Afghan and Iraqi casualties. In addition to the loss of life, a new report from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard estimates the economic cost for the American people at $6 trillion, or $75,000 per household. But there is still another cost, incalculable but still manifest in men and women returning from...
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April 7, 2014
President Obama planned to finish his second term “leaning in” to the 21st century. The trouble is, too many contemporary geopolitical players seem determined to reach back into the 19th, if not further. While European and U.S. leaders, in machinations over Ukraine, were contemplating short-term strategies intended to get European capitalism over its latest hiccup, President Vladimir V. Putin was eyeballing the Ukraine crisis through an altogether...
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March 31, 2014
Lauren was raped during her sophomore year of college. The attack came from someone she knew. Though they both had been drinking, she had said no, yet the advances continued. Lauren struggled to share her story with others. She felt unsafe and guilty, angry and ashamed. With the help of friends and a mental health professional, she was able to share her struggles, which were described by Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president, on the White...