Why you shouldn’t fear your finances (you’re probably richer than you think)

Do you procrastinate about taking care of financial matters in your life?  Recently a fascinating article about financial procrastination appeared online. The author publicly admitted that “after years of procrastinating,” he finally logged on to his retirement account. It took him years to get around to dealing with it because the entire task made him anxious. Continue reading

Should People Be Arrested for Painting Crosswalks?

About 15 years ago Robert Putnam wrote an interesting book called “Bowling Alone.”  The book used data on participation in bowling teams, parent-teacher organizations (PTA), church attendance and other social activities to argue that the US was experiencing a breakdown in the bonds that held communities together.  Today, a man was cited by the police for repainting his town’s crosswalks after the town repeatedly delayed fixing them.  Should people be arrested for engaging in community improving activities?

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Is it time to ban all individuals from shooting off fireworks?

Another Fourth of July is here, the time for backyard barbecues, picnics, cookouts, parades, swimming and fireworks.  One of those Independence Day pastimes, however, stands apart: fireworks. They’re a somewhat controversial topic in the US and are covered by a patchwork of different laws.
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