I wrote to the Triangle two years ago in favor of a transition from a quarter system to trimesters. I’d like to think the current review of alternatives to quarters by our administration is a result of my benign influence, but I’m not quite silly enough to think that. Nevertheless I would like to address [...]
About Roger McCain
Author Archive | Roger McCain
Corporations, Persons, and Penn State University
Bill Moyers once said, “I’ll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one.” Is a corporation a person? That’s not an easy question to answer because the word “person” has more than one meaning. The word “person” can be used in a theological sense, though I doubt anyone means to claim that a corporation is [...]
Paying off the national debt
Now that the elections are over, it is time to think about the federal debt. Most Americans seem to agree that our large federal debt is regrettable and ought to be reduced and eventually repaid. Because of the obstacles that are discussed in Keynesian economics, this will be difficult, if not impossible. At the least, [...]
Occupy Wall Street’s next steps
Roger McCain The Occupy Wall Street movement that emerged in the summer and fall of last year was a creative new development in American politics. Their novel tactic of nonviolent mass trespassing will probably continue to influence events for years to come. It is becoming clear, however, that the Occupy movement will have to [...]
Voting: A time to be optimistic
Roger McCain Often we have to make decisions without knowing for certain what the results will be. Deciding for whom to vote, or whom to marry or what occupation to follow are all examples. Game theory has a lot to say about that, and so does decision science. Businessmen face such decisions every day, [...]
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