Do you know what type of person the various presidential candidates would appoint to the Supreme Court?

The next president is likely to be able to pick several Supreme Court justices, and those decisions will influence the direction of the American republic for decades in the future.

Despite the fact that we have had numerous "debates" between the candidates, we still know little about their governing philosophies. It would be helpful if the moderators for this Thursday's debate (1/14) delved more deeply into the way they would conduct themselves as president than just asking questions about current events or what they think about the other candidates.

Here are some real questions the moderators could ask instead of gotchas.

Anybody can become angry – that is easy; but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy. – Aristotle

It’s easy to get caught up in emotions, to follow the flow and intensity of our impulses. It’s natural… animal… primal. And without intervening with our consciousness, it can be dangerous. This is how we operated throughout much of human history… which is why most of human history was so terribly, horribly violent.

It’s also what characterizes violent criminals.

But it’s not how most of us today usually operate, because we have a choice. Over time, particularly through the Enlightenment, we’ve culturally refined our ability to choose – and that ability is central to what makes us human.

When we feel like reacting with anger, fear or hurt feelings – anything that feels like it’s an automatic, purely emotional response – we can react without thinking, blindly following the tides of our emotions.

Or we can choose to do something different.

It was last night over a glass of Russian River’s Pliny the Elder Double IPA that I decided to open this week’s HFR about beer and freedom.

I came of age in days of yore, when “American beer” – Schlitz-Pabst-Miller-Bud – was a watery tasteless oxymoron compared to real beer like in Germany or Belgium. Today is completely different.

From Denmark’s Faroe Islands north of Scotland to Gibraltar, I have had guys in pubs tell me they had to admit the best beer in the world now is American. Look at RateBeer’s Top 100 Beers in the World. 79 are American. The American craft beer industry has left the rest of the planet in the dust.

That’s because there is a connection between beer and freedom…

There’s something that Ted Cruz did this week that I dare not make explicit. I can only allude to it, and if you get it, you’ll quickly grasp that he’s not just smart, he’s scary OMG smart…

Let’s go global and see what’s been afoot in the world this week. Germany is getting exactly what it deserves for idiotically letting in Moslem welfare beggars by the million. And North Korea did not set off an H-bomb. We explain why….

And it’s obvious who’s the Hero of the Week.

It’s always a challenge to check on information having to do with Iran, and the latest round of rumors and this information has confirmed the rule.

There were stories that the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, had been rushed to the hospital, while the other major figure in the regime, General Qassem Suleimani, had recovered from his battlefield injuries and had met with his co-conspirator Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Wrong, wrong, and wrong again. Khamenei’s health is awful, but no worse than usual. General Suleimani, on the other hand, remains hospitalized. He’s had at least one big transfusion, and his prognosis is not great.

Meanwhile, the Iranians have appointed a new commander for the Syrian theater, where their casualties continue to be high.

Those who have not studied economics often rely on the press, who are often equally ignorant of economics and, hence, are unable to differentiate between sense and nonsense. While The Wall Street Journal (and particularly the editorial page) normally gets it right, The New York Times and many other newspapers too often let political bias get in the way of the facts.

It is particularly disappointing when a former great newsmagazine, The Economist, allows very sloppy reporting and analysis on serious economic topics. This week, The Economist published an article, “Indecent Disclosure” (1/02) describing tax reform proposals of the Republican candidates as “exorbitant,” putting forth “hugely expensive” plans before “accounting for economic effects.”

The whole point of tax reform is to reduce the economic drag of the current US tax code -- which The Economist correctly describes as “a mess.”

But the article implies that higher tax rates will always bring in more revenue (which they appear to view as desirable) and lower tax rates will bring in less revenue. For very low rates that is true, but for high rates, it is false.

Look behind every championship team and you'll find an extraordinary coach. That's why men like John Wooden, Vince Lombardi, Bear Bryant, Don Shula and Phil Jackson are household names.

The same phenomenon exists in business. What would Apple have been without Steve Jobs or Berkshire Hathaway without Warren Buffett? In our own lives, we face personal challenges too. We often get off track or struggle in our personal relationships. Wouldn't it be great if someone could consult with you and guide you, to lend encouragement and practical advice to help you live the life you've always dreamed of living? Well, in fact, it is possible. There are now hundreds of licensed psychotherapists and family counselors in the United States who work as certified life coaches. I know. I'm one of them. As a life coach, my goal here in these Virtue of Happiness columns – for 12 years now in To The Point! – is to show you:

• How to maximize your wellness.
• How to live your life on purpose.
• How to design and create the life you desire.
• How to be a catalyst for others' growth and development.
• How to be a better spouse (or partner) and effective parent.

Let me begin by explaining a little bit about what I do...