Twitter has finally announced how it plans to make money: sponsored advertising!!! Twitter’s revenue model will be focused on “promoted tweets,” which will allow a company to pay a fee to have its tweet (a.k.a advertisement) appear at the top of searches. This sounds eerily similar to Google’s Adwords…and that is because it is. According to Laurie Burkitt of Forbes.com, companies such as Best Buy and Starbucks are already chomping at the bit to reach the millions of users on Twitter.

The campaign and election of Barack Obama has led to an increased emphasis on Social Entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurs are able to recognize and fix problems through the use innovative thinking and ingenuity. When looking at the history of the United States, one finds countless examples of individuals who have served as social entrepreneurs (J.P. Morgan, Charles Schwab, Warren Buffett just to name a few). Social entrepreneurship is not confined to America’s borders though. Quite the contrary; social entrepreneurship seems to be flourishing in developing countries, most notably in the areas surrounding India, Bangledesh, and southern Asia. For the most part, these countries have limited forms of government. Muhammad Yunus, a banker from Bangladesh, is perhaps the most notable modern-day social entrepreneur. Yunus founded the Grameen Bank , which aims to develop communities by making small, collateral free loans to individuals who are unable secure other sources of credit. For his work, Yunus received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. The success of the Grameen bank has inspired similar efforts in a hundred countries throughout the developing world and even in industrialized nations, such as the United States.

While President Obama echoed the need for social entrepreneurship while he was on the campaign trail, it seems that his insistence  in increasing the size and power of the state is completely contrary to the core beliefs championed by social entrepreneurs. Federal regulation, punitive taxation, and the suppression of civil liberties not only undermine the concept of “solving social problems,” but are also highly contrary to the limited form of government that was established in the U.S.  It appears as if the United States government is no longer able to grasp the concept of social justice without bludgeoning the public with increased oversight and massive federal spending.

The problem with the system in the United States is that it creates a moral hazard of free riders, who consume without contributing, and forced riders, who contribute against their will and often do not get to consume. A limited form of government, that abides by a policy of laissez faire economics and respects the rights and liberties of its citizens, allows for social entrepreneurs to solve communal problems in a manner that respects everyone’s rights. Americans need to realize that our government is not the solution to our problems but often the cause. I suggest that the United States government step aside and put an end to all unjust social welfare programs. This will make way for social entrepreneurs, such as Muhammad Yunus, who are more than able to bring about much needed social change. 

The deadline to file Federal Income Tax Returns is fast approaching. April 15th is historically one of the darker days throughout the year. However, these tax credits and breaks could help brighten your day:

1. Federal Tax Housing Credit – $8,000 credit for first time buyers

2. Federal Tax Housing Credit – $6,500 for purchasing a home.

3.  EnergyStar Tax Creditst -save 30% on the cost of select EnergyStar home appliance

4. Property Taxes – Be sure to write off local Property Taxes on your Itemized Deduction

5. Capital Losses -  Losses can offset Capital Gains (up to $3,000 filing jointly or $1,500 filed separately). Also, unused losses can be carried forward to future years until they are written off.

Hopefully, these credits and breaks will allow entrepreneurs to keep some of their hard earned income.

Creative Commons, a non-profit organization out of San Francisco, California, has established itself as a leader in the movement against intellectual property rights. The organization prides itself with the slogan “some rights reserved.” While the idea of limited intellectual property rights may seem as a novel idea by some, the very concept that Creative Commons champions could lead to the deterioration of copyright law as we know it. The phrase “some rights reserved” implies that the owner of the property has the right to reserve certain rights while waiving others. This is no different than the current copyright system. Under the current law, owners can choose to waive various rights while reserving “other rights. Creative Commons is nothing more than an activist organization that seeks to change Copyright law. While their intentions may indeed be good, the proposed results of their initiatives could lead to further property rights violations in the future. Property rights have been under fire ever since the growth of the digital era and if Creative Commons has its way, we might as well kiss intellectual property goodbye.

The following is a list of some of the most popular stories from Digg in the last 365 days. The stories are listed by popularity. Follow the Links!

1. The King of Pop Dies 25,248 Diggs (TMZ)

2. The Story of Prisoner F95488 19,245 Diggs (ESPN)

3. We Didn’t Start the Flame War 15,046 Diggs (CollegeHumor) – no link due to content

4. The Pirate Bay Trial: The Official Verdict – Guilty 13,010 (Torrentfreak)

5. AT&T blocks 4 chan 12,382 Diggs (http://stormen.wordpress.com/)