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Arts & Humanities > Philosophical Concepts Is the concept of freedom overrated?: 3 of 27
Freedom is the ability to choose between various options in one's life and accept the responsibility of that choice. For a society to harbor and foster freedom is truly a great thing. However, it is quite easy to overrate freedom and see it as an absolute good that overrides all other considerations. The main difficulty with ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory What's so bad about socialism: 2 of 18
Socialism is the state in which a central government exercises heavy regulation of a country's economic, social, and educational infrastructure. Such a government derives its power from levying high taxes and using it to fund large public welfare systems such as roads, healthcare, and poverty relief. Socialism has been adopte... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics, News & Issues (Other) Why politicians lie: 7 of 58
Politicians lie because the truth is complicated. Part of the great difficulty of being in political office is that the job is split between creating a public image and the intimate wheeling and dealing necessary to get things done. What most people see a lie, a politician sees as trying to sum up a complex problem into a ten... More..
Arts & Humanities > 19th Century US History Why the South lost the Civil War: 1 of 8
Because of the great suffering and death involved with any war, it is easy to find excuses for defeat by blaming factors beyond one's control. This has often been the case with the Civil War due to the fact that so many died and the nation changed radically from thereon out. Southerners have deep attachments to their roots an... More..
Sports & Recreation > Football (Other) Why pro football is more popular than college football: 1 of 7
While college football is exciting and enjoyable, pro football is more popular because of the concentration of talent, parity, and the scheduling. Because the NFL has only 32 teams at present, there is a higher concentration of talent at the pro level than at the collegiate. With the hundreds of college teams at every level a... More..
Sports & Recreation > Football (Other) Should the NFL change the overtime rule?: 2 of 13
The sudden-death overtime rule currently used by the NFL is one of the best ways to resolve overtime because of its simplicity, quickness, and integrity. The normal complaint over the rule is the ability for a team to win the coin toss, drive down the field, and kick a field goal without the other team getting an offensive p... More..
Arts & Humanities > 19th Century US History Should Robert E. Lee have been tried for treason?: 2 of 9
Having resigned his commission in the United States Army and leading the Army of Northern Virginia to be the most successful army in the Confederacy, it would seem at first that treason would be a reasonable charge to level against General Robert E. Lee. But had there been such an attempt, it would have undermined everything ... More..
Arts & Humanities > 19th Century US History The Battle of Gettysburg: Why did Robert E. Lee order Pickett's Charge?: 6 of 16
On July 3, 1863 General Robert E. Lee had fought fiercely for the past two days trying to dislodge the Union Army from the town of Gettysburg. Though he had done severe damage to the Union Army, he hadn't yet driven it from the field. He needed a decisive victory to cause the Army of the Potomac to retreat towards Washington ... More..
Arts & Humanities > 19th Century US History The worst Confederate general of the Civil War: 3 of 8
Both sides of the Civil War had its share of poor generals. With the desperate need to create large armies out of almost nothing, there was great opportunity for sub-par men to rise in the ranks. Amongst the Confederate generals there stood one fool head and shoulders above the rest: Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk. Not only... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory Electoral College: What is it and why do we have it?: 2 of 5
The Electoral College is the name of the body of electors chosen by the State governments to vote for the President of the United States. Each State legislature is authorized to appoint a number of electors equal to the number of Congressmen (both to the House and Senate) allotted to that State. Since the early 19th century, ... More..