Elder Abuse, Government Style
There are many good reasons for recommending geriatric chairs for individuals in Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs), particularly those with Alzheimer’s [...]
What Does “Blessed” Mean?
The answer to this question may seem obvious, but it isn’t. “Blessed” has a number of meanings, depending in part [...]
The Yertles of Capitalism
Capitalism is superior to other economic systems mainly because it provides equality of opportunity. In contrast, socialism strives for an [...]
Ignorance in America
Street interviews have been a staple on TV since Steve Allen’s original Tonight Show. One reason for their success is [...]
The Democrats’ Advantage
Why do today’s Democrats do so much better than Republicans at the polls? Their supporters say because their programs are [...]
The Butterfly Effect and America’s Decline
As a child, you no doubt enjoyed tossing pebbles in a body of water and watching the ripples extend far [...]
On Denigrating America
Conservative media regularly criticize President Obama for denying American exceptionalism, for claiming the country needs to be “transformed,” and for [...]
Humor and Learning
Why do many teachers have the attitude that learning is such serious business that any hint of humor undermines it? [...]
Educators Still Don’t Get It
In a 2013 interview with the NY Times, Laszlo Bock, senior operations VP at Google, reported that the company now [...]
O’Reilly vs. Limbaugh on Obama
Although media titans Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh are both critical of President Obama’s policies, they deal very differently with [...]
An Occasion of Grace
I was driving to Mass on a recent Sunday morning. There was one car ahead of me on the residential [...]
Have They No Shame?
Suppose your spouse said on Monday, “We have to cut back on our sugar consumption because eating too much is [...]
The Pharisee’s Confession
I know it couldn’t have happened, but imagine that the Pharisee in the famous Gospel parable had gone to confession. [...]
The Blame Game
It’s easier to point at others than at ourselves. If you doubt me, try this—extend your arm and point straight [...]
Moral Dilemmas in Washington
A moral dilemma is a situation in which a choice must be made between conflicting courses of action, each of [...]
Learning from Our Mistakes
Albert Einstein famously defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” By this [...]
The Most Serious Thinking Error
What mental error poses the greatest obstacle to intelligent thought and behavior today? It’s hard to pick just one, but [...]
Will America Become Muslim?
The expansion of Islam is already well underway. But if you are thinking, “Let’s strengthen the NSA, CIA, FBI, and [...]
A Special Kind of Giving
The Christmas season encourages us to shift our attention from receiving to giving, and that is a blessing because it [...]
The Christmas Billboard Controversy
Times Square billboards are rather prominent, so it was inevitable that the message recently posted there by an atheist group [...]
Pope Francis on Poverty
When Sarah Palin said the Pope’s views on poverty were “kind of liberal” and Rush Limbaugh called them “pure Marxism,” [...]
Thinking Deficiency Syndrome
Never heard of Thinking Deficiency Syndrome (TDS)? That’s not surprising. I just invented the term and the acronym because a [...]
The Role of Attitude in Learning
The role of attitude is often ignored in discussions of educational achievement. One reason is that the usual definition of [...]
Let Them Respond . . . Please!
My heart goes out to the guests on news analysis shows. After spending years acquiring expertise in their fields, they [...]
What’s Really Wrong with Education
It was recently revealed that the “Common Core” curriculum crams partisan political ideas into children’s minds. For example, a grade [...]
Author Vincent Ryan Ruggiero
Since retiring from teaching, I have continued my work in promoting sound thinking in education and in the general culture. More specifically, I have kept refining my textbooks, four of which have been continuously in print for an average of 33 years. I have also continued to write books for the general public, the latest of which is Corrupted Culture: Rediscovering America’s Enduring Principles, Values, and Common Sense, and I write a weekly column for an online journal.