This Sarah Palin phenomenon is very curious. I think somebody watching us from Mars — they would think the country has gone insane.

The US does not observe the free-trade principles. Those are for the weak. So agribusiness is highly subsidized and pours product into Mexico and drives out Mexican farmers. Maybe they have to go into the cities, and they don't have jobs to support them, so they flee across the border.

The world is a very puzzling place. If you're not willing to be puzzled, you just become a replica of someone else's mind.

Intellectuals are in a position to expose the lies of governments, to analyze actions according to their causes and motives and often hidden intentions.

While I think in principle people should not have irrational beliefs, I should say that as a matter of fact, it is people who hold what I regard as completely irrational beliefs who are among the most effective moral actors in the world, in many respects. They're among the worst, but also among the best, even though the moral beliefs are ostensibly the same.

Our only real hope for democracy is that we get the money out of politics entirely and establish a system of publicly funded elections.

The childcare tax credit makes some sense.