http://www.american.com A daily dose of ideas, observations and arguments on business and life. hourly 1 2007-03-29T16:41:19Z 38.906778-77.041481AMERICAN.COM is a daily dose of ideas, observations and arguments on business and life. It's published by The American Magazine. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/m38ySzm8dWE/when-reducing-barriers-leads-to-more-failed-businesses While you get more business formation if you reduce the barriers to starting companies, you don’t necessarily get more successful entrepreneurship.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/m38ySzm8dWE" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Scott Shane 2012-05-09T00:42:51Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/may/when-reducing-barriers-leads-to-more-failed-businesses http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/InL50Ph2ejo/why-the-future-will-be-more-religious-and-more-conservative-than-you-think Population change is reversing secularism and shifting the center of gravity of entire societies in a conservative religious direction.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/InL50Ph2ejo" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Eric Kaufmann 2012-05-08T16:24:58Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/may/why-the-future-will-be-more-religious-and-more-conservative-than-you-think http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/jOzpNDv5s1Q/the-occupy-movement-and-the-communism-of-everyday-life As Occupy protesters turn violent, it’s worth reflecting on why the movement failed in the first place.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/jOzpNDv5s1Q" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Lee Harris 2012-05-05T20:02:37Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/may/the-occupy-movement-and-the-communism-of-everyday-life http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/fMXC-SIRpx8/markets-risk-and-fashion-the-hindenburgs-smoking-lounge The idea of a smoking lounge immediately under 7 million cubic feet of flammable gas should seem ludicrous. But it wasn’t.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/fMXC-SIRpx8" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Edward Tenner 2012-05-04T04:31:29Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/may/markets-risk-and-fashion-the-hindenburgs-smoking-lounge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/KbA6q-MwF14/placing-the-american-gas-boom-in-perspective Natural gas will continue its conquest of global and national energy supplies.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/KbA6q-MwF14" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Vaclav Smil 2012-05-03T04:47:17Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/may/placing-the-american-gas-boom-in-perspective http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/rHgVqAq2Cm0/why-arent-banks-lending-to-small-business-ask-bernanke Banks profit by making loans, not refusing them. So why are banks making fewer loans to small business these days?<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/rHgVqAq2Cm0" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Scott Shane 2012-05-01T20:03:48Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/may/why-arent-banks-lending-to-small-business-ask-bernanke http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/RI3HpPOf3S0/europes-future-on-the-ballot Depending on what happens this weekend, Europe should start bracing itself for a renewed intensification of its sovereign debt crisis.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/RI3HpPOf3S0" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Desmond Lachman 2012-04-30T20:15:23Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/april/europes-future-on-the-ballot http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/GO0p0j0rBh8/science-and-the-republican-brain The so-called Republican brain, with its deep resistance to yielding before mere scientific evidence, has played an indispensable role in the making of modern science, long before the emergence of the Grand Old Party.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/GO0p0j0rBh8" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Lee Harris 2012-04-27T20:10:29Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/april/science-and-the-republican-brain http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/TmaJTHEA7No/the-debt-ceiling-distortion Maybe it’s time to redefine the ‘debt ceiling’—to give it some teeth.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/TmaJTHEA7No" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Steve Conover 2012-04-26T20:33:15Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/april/the-debt-ceiling-distortion http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/SDlimrW8ofY/the-tribal-mind-moral-reasoning-and-public-discourse If we want to get along better and resolve differences more easily, it will take conscious effort to overcome tribal behavioral instincts.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/SDlimrW8ofY" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Arnold Kling 2012-04-25T21:09:29Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/april/the-tribal-mind-moral-reasoning-and-public-discourse http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/pi9ellE9EK4/would-you-settle-your-claims-on-social-security-for-80-cents-on-the-dollar-i-would Creditors of an insolvent debtor can agree to settle their claims for less than 100 cents on the dollar. So why not the American people when it comes to Social Security?<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/pi9ellE9EK4" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Alex J. Pollock 2012-04-25T21:17:20Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/april/would-you-settle-your-claims-on-social-security-for-80-cents-on-the-dollar-i-would http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/5cYuj-cxycE/america-is-out-of-control Jim Manzi’s new book is a powerful indictment of political central planning.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/5cYuj-cxycE" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Nick Schulz 2012-04-25T13:09:14Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/april/america-is-out-of-control http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/t-c4d8ILgGM/more-than-good-enough-for-government-work To reform public pensions, policymakers must tackle their structural problems.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/t-c4d8ILgGM" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Ivan Osorio 2012-04-25T15:22:34Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/april/more-than-good-enough-for-government-work http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/BC5otAS61Es/right-in-the-middle-the-midwests-growth-lessons-for-america Middle America is a clear picture of how much the basics matter: Cost of living, job quality, schools, and opportunities to develop the right skills for the best jobs.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/BC5otAS61Es" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Joel Kotkin, Mark Schill, and Ryan Streeter 2012-04-23T21:09:57Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/april/right-in-the-middle-the-midwests-growth-lessons-for-america http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/American/~3/Sgop6ewFRkk/the-next-and-more-serious-phase-of-the-european-crisis Two upcoming political events could usher in a new, worse phase of the European debt crisis.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/American/~4/Sgop6ewFRkk" height="1" width="1"/> No publisher Desmond Lachman 2012-04-23T13:29:10Z BernArticle http://www.american.com/archive/2012/april/the-next-and-more-serious-phase-of-the-european-crisis