Politics Archives

What Is the FairTax Act? How It Works & Main Critiques

What is the FairTax Act? How does it work? Will the FairTax Act be passed? A House Republican has introduced the FairTax Act of 2023, a bill that would replace the income tax and other taxes with a national sales tax. If the bill became law, Americans would no longer file tax returns—instead, they’d pay a 30% tax on their purchases. Read on to learn about what the FairTax Act is, the main critiques of the Act, and the likelihood of it being passed.

General McMaster: Afghanistan Was a Tragic Missed Opportunity

When it comes to Afghanistan, where did U.S. policy go wrong? How did it become such a failure? According to General McMaster, Afghanistan was an opportunity for the U.S. to make peace in the region. Instead, the U.S. allowed it to return to a place of conflict that once again poses a serious threat to the world. Continue reading to learn McMaster’s take on Afghanistan and the lessons to be learned.

The Kochtopus: The Multiple Arms of the Koch Brothers

What on earth is the Kochtopus? How has it shaped politics and economics in America? The Kochtopus is an informal term used to describe the network of nonprofits that Charles Koch and David Koch funded to spread their free market ideals. In her book Dark Money, Jane Mayer discusses this network, arguing that it does more harm than good. Keep reading for Mayer’s history of the Kochtopus.

John Rawls: The Distributive Justice Principle Explained

What does John Rawls mean by distributive justice? What’s the most just way to distribute social goods in a society? Distributive justice is the second principle of justice in John Rawls’s theory of justice as fairness. The principle of distributive justice states that everyone in society should have basic equal rights, liberties, and duties. Keep reading to learn about John Rawls’s distributive justice principle.

U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Gen. McMaster Weighs In

What caused the Islamist movement and sectarian conflict in the Middle East? How has U.S. policy failed in the region? In his book Battlegrounds, General H. R. McMaster explains the Middle East’s tangled history and the motivations of Iran, in particular, to disrupt its Arab neighbors. He provides his analysis of the U.S.’s bungled approach to diplomacy and military action in the region. Keep reading for McMaster’s take on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

The Koch Brothers & Trump: Did They Help Elect Him?

How did the Koch brothers impact the 2016 presidential election? Did they explicitly back Trump? In Dark Money, award-winning journalist Jane Mayer explores the influence that the Koch brothers have had on American politics for decades. She includes a discussion of the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Keep reading for a quick overview of the direct and indirect connections between the Koch Brothers and Trump.

John Rawls’s Definition of Justice From A Theory of Justice

What is John Rawls’s definition of justice? How does Rawls’s conceptualization of justice differ from other theorists’? According to John Rawls, justice is a generally held idea of the most moral way of organizing society. Thus, Rawls doesn’t focus on justice on an individual level, which separates him from many other theorists of justice, who view social justice as an extension of individual justice. Keep reading to learn about Rawls’s concept of justice.

Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World (Overview)

How can the U.S. bolster its influence in the world? Why isn’t it stronger than it is? The United States has an attitude problem. It views the world through a self-centered lens, based on the assumption that U.S. actions and policy decisions are the main driving force behind global events. That’s the view of General H. R. McMaster, who writes about this in his book. Continue reading for an overview of Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World.

Dark Money by Jane Mayer: Book Overview

How have the Koch brothers influenced American politics? What policies and candidates have they supported, and why? In Dark Money, award-winning journalist Jane Mayer argues that the wealthy elite in America has used their fortunes to propagate far-right ideology in American politics between the 1970s and 2016. She discusses conservative business tycoons Charles and David Koch in particular. Continue reading for an overview of Dark Money by Jane Mayer.

Why John Rawls Said Utilitarianism Is Unjust

What is John Rawls’s critique of utilitarianism? Why does Rawls consider utilitarianism immoral? Utilitarianism was a dominant theory of justice during Rawls’s time. In A Theory of Justice, Rawls criticizes utilitarianism on the grounds of allowing the majority to oppress a minority. Here are John Rawls’s utilitarianism views.