From “death panels” and WMD claims to 9/11 conspiracies and falsehoods about President Obama’s religion, misinformation and unverified assertions play an outsized role in American public life and discourse.
Each American political season seems to bring with it a new round of scandals. Though critics of the media often complain about frivolousness and overkill, the content of the scandals often demands serious and significant coverage. However, judgments by news editors and reporters do influence the volume and treatment.
Firms such as check-cashing companies and payday lenders allow customers who don’t have bank accounts to cash checks, wire money or pay utility bills. While convenient, such services come at a cost. Payday loans typically cost 18% for a two-week term, the equivalent of 468% annually.
From Wild West sheriffs trading drinks for votes to PACs pouring on the soft money, cash has long been central to politics. This relationship only deepened in January 2011 with the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which enabled corporations to spend unlimited amounts in support of candidates — and anonymously, should they choose to do so.
The stock market is often compared to a casino — the game involves skill, of course, but chance plays a significant role. Inside knowledge can shift the odds, however, particularly when it’s held by just a few players.
A persistent vegetative state (PVS) occurs when patients, often the victims of brain trauma, remain in a profound state of unconsciousness. While PVS remains extremely rare, continuing improvements in medical technology have allowed doctors to keep patients alive who may never recover consciousness.
Is the likelihood that an individual will behave in an ethical manner dependent on how much he or she earns? Logic might suggest that poorer individuals’ economic situations could push them to break certain rules, but research indicates that the variable of economic status may not operate along such predictable lines.
