First Principles

I know I cannot expect too much at the beginning of the semester, so it shouldn’t have taken me by surprise when a young woman in my class asked “Isn’t the Bill of Rights intended to protect our civil liberties until we infringe the rights of the majority?” Of course, she had it exactly backwards: the right of the majority to instruct government to act on its behalf is constrained by the Bill of Rights, which limits the right of those majorities to infringe individual freedom.
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A Double-Edged Sword

Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”That pronouncement from Margaret Mead, widely quoted, is true. But its truth makes it a double-edged sword.
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Time for a Reality Check

Your ex-husband told you he was a great money manager, but when he left, you discovered that the house had been refinanced and all your credit cards were maxed out. Your line of credit at the bank is near its limit, and interest takes almost a third of your paycheck. You’ve been deferring maintenance on the house, and the small problems have become costly repairs. You are paying for multiple home security systems, although your neighbor only pays for one; you and your sisters support your retired mother, but you pay 70%, a sister who is richer pays 30%, and another sister who could help pays nothing.
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