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Playing the Numbers

Every now and then, my sense of loss over the passing of someone I know is offset by the knowledge that they lived a stellar life. One such friend was Steve Pejovich, who passed away on Feb. 12, at the age of 89. A memorial Mass will be held for him Saturday, two days before what would have been his 90th birthday, in Dallas.

The news of Michael Novak’s death Feb. 17 saddened close friends and colleagues in the community of think tank scholars who drew so much from his writings and lectures. Novak’s perspectives expanded our conceptual grasp of economic liberty beyond dry formulas to include a more complete picture of the creative, human, and virtuous nature of entrepreneurship.

It's not yet five years old, but it's already experienced at throwing away cash. A recent congressional report found that 32 DHS contracts "experienced significant overcharges, wasteful spending or mismanagement." Federal credit cards were used to buy beer-brewing equipment and iPods. Tax money was squandered on luxury hotels and "training" sessions at golf and tennis resorts.

Franklin D. Roosevelt coined the term "United Nations" in 1942, when an alliance of democracies (with the help of the Soviet Union) was fighting the totalitarian Axis powers. FDR dreamed of a post-war world in which free people would help promote peace and make everyone safer. So how has the actual United Nations measured up to that ideal?