The moral majority is in headlong retreat

Dartmouth College administrators cancelled classes tomorrow in response to a protest last week in which students claimed the school failed to appropriately deal with instances of sexual assault, racism, and homophobia on campus. Classes will be replaced by a day of discussions and debate, interim President Carol Folt said in a campus-wide email (read the full text below).

Washington never quit promoting favoured sectors, but manufacturing was simply not among them, writes Edward Luce

Worries persist that the US jobs crisis cannot be resolved while Barack Obama faces political polarisation and a stalling economy, writes Edward Luce

Green energy and energy independence were often seen as the same thing. It is now easier to see how distinct they are, writes Edward Luce

By selecting Wall Street, rather than Capitol Hill, as their frontline, protesters have maximised their symbolic appeal, writes Edward Luce

One commonly hears the argument that the FDIC creates moral hazard in the banking system, because depositors aren't worried about the soundness of their banks.  I find this argument broadly dubious, since I have no idea how the vast majority of depositors could possibly be expected to have informed opinions on the soundness of their banks.  Moreover, during the Great Depression, local wealthy people--who did have quite a lot of knowledge about the banks, and the local economies into which they lent--got hammered along with the rest of America.

Will the president succeed in rekindling passion for public service and the idea of a more interventionist state? In his favour, he can expect more windfalls from a Republican party that has abdicated any pretence at co-governance, writes Edward Luce

By far the largest chunk of the protesters against Obama's health plan know little about the proposed reforms and have no intention of rectifying their ignorance, writes Edward Luce