The Importance Of Making Distinctions
Something odd has been going on in public discourse. More and more commentators are ignoring important and in some cases [...]
The Queen Of Chutzpah?
Chutzpah is a Yiddish word for which there is no English equivalent. The dictionary definition is “shameless audacity or impudence.” But [...]
Parish Hopping
Parish hopping is defined as moving from parish to parish in the hope of finding the “right” one. It is [...]
Why Gun Control Is Not The Solution
You won’t learn it from mainstream media coverage, but the idea that tighter gun control will cure the nation’s epidemic [...]
Ending Legislative Gobbledygook
I recently commented on the absurdity of having members of Congress vote on bills they have not had time to read. This [...]
Government To The Rescue
Senator Rand Paul was recently on a TV news show lamenting the circumstances surrounding the bill that supposedly saved America [...]
Death By Ignorance
Before the 2012 election two interviewers approached potential voters with questions slyly filled with false information. The answers revealed a [...]
Self-Congratulation And Christmas
Once upon a time, not all that long ago, people sent friends and family Christmas cards with personal messages. Not [...]
Two Claims Of Infallibility
This essay continues the discussion begun in “Theological Confusion” and published in this journal December 13, 2012 In 1870 Vatican One proclaimed [...]
Theological Confusion
In a recent address to the International Theological Commission, Pope Benedict responded to critics of the Church. Much of what [...]
What Babies Teach Us
A fascinating segment of 60 Minutes, titled “The Baby Lab,” aired on November 18, 2012. It described the ongoing research of [...]
Saving The Charitable Deduction And More
For some time now politicians of both parties have been talking about ways to get America’s fiscal house in order. [...]
Faucet Confusion Syndrome
Sally just got an email from her sister. She was lucky to be sitting down when she saw it. Otherwise, [...]
In Praise Of Monotasking
You've probably seen some of the popular videos of accidents happening to people who combine texting or talking on the [...]
The Unanticipated Cost Of Being Connected
Communication technology promised to be a blessing and in many ways it has been. Without question, cut and paste beats [...]
The Key To Cutting Government Spending
If a rowboat springs a leak and is fast filling with water, the first step is to stop the leak. [...]
Protecting Ourselves From Commercials
One of my favorite quotes from Gilbert Keith Chesterton (truth to tell, I have about 987 of them) is this [...]
Is Obama A Socialist? Does It Matter?
The question of whether Barack Obama is a socialist has never really been answered. Obama supporters and a fawning media [...]
The Excuse Awards
As everyone knows, the results of the first presidential debate are in and over 60% of those polled consider Mitt [...]
Bill Clinton’s Missed Opportunity
In August 2011 Bill and Hillary Clinton were with several guests at their home in Chappaqua NY. Bill was trying [...]
Christians And The Mother Of Jesus
Over the centuries Catholics’ regard for Mary has sometimes verged on worship. Although mainly true of the uneducated, excessive veneration [...]
Some Thoughts On “Explaining Stuff”
President Obama was so delighted with Bill Clinton’s speech at the September Democratic convention that he remarked to the press, [...]
The Missing Ingredient in Management
“Workers must leave their minds at the factory gate.” That requirement originated in the Industrial Revolution and became firmly established [...]
A Sensible Approach To Voting
It’s not hard to imagine the following conversation. Bill: I’m voting the same way I did in 2008, for Obama [...]
Common Sense About Abortion
It’s election season again and abortion defenders are casting the usual aspersions, which may be summarized as, conservatives are anti-choice extremists [...]
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.