Penna Dexter We’re officially in Lent, the period of 40 days, which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. It’s a time of preparation for Easter, and, in many Christian traditions, a season of remorse. I think Lent can serve a good purpose even for people who are not in liturgical churches and don’t observe or think about it much….
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Penna Dexter As the Trump Administration considers cutting funding of public broadcasting — NPR and PBS – one state governor is ready to zero it out. Jim Justice is Governor of West Virginia. His 2018 budget cuts funding for WVPB, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, from where it is now, $4.6 million, down to zero. The Daily Signal reports that West…
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Penna Dexter A new study commissioned by the dating service Match.com shines a light on today’s hook-up culture, and it isn’t flattering. Match.com recently announced the results of its survey in which a shocking 34 percent of young adults report having sex before even going on a date with someone. Millennials — people between the ages of 18 and 34…
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Penna Dexter On cool winter days I often zip on my black Ivanka Trump ankle boots. I got them at Nordstrom about five years ago. They’re still in good shape, still stylish, and look great with pants and skirts of any length. They have a couple of years left in them and it’s a good thing because I wouldn’t know…
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Penna Dexter As the country implements President Trump’s executive order that limits travel to the U.S. from seven countries plagued by jihadi violence, and places a temporary hold on any refugee travel here, some people are willing to absorb the inconvenience in favor of safety and national security. Others are asking: Where’s the compassion, especially for refugees from war zones….
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Penna Dexter Ever since Ronald Reagan was in the White House, every newly-inaugurated president takes a look and decides what to do regarding something called the Mexico City Policy. President Reagan initiated the policy in 1984 at a United Nations conference in Mexico City. It prevents federal funds from going to foreign NGO’s(Non-Governmental Organizations) that perform abortions overseas. The last…
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Penna Dexter Congress’s first order of business this year is to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Some legislators advocate repealing and replacing ObamaCare simultaneously. Others favor immediate repeal and replacing later. The real question should be: Should we replace the Affordable Care Act? And the answer is, No. We don’t need Congress to write another gigantic law. Before the ACA,…
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Penna Dexter As the president-elect chooses his cabinet we’re reminded of the size and complexity of our federal government. One wonders, can this really be changed? Larry Arnn, President of Hillsdale College, is one observer who is hopeful. In the December issue of Hillsdale’s publication Imprimis, he writes “our government has swollen beyond recognition.” The founders enshrined a separation of…
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Penna Dexter It’s widely expected that, not long after Inauguration Day, confirmation proceedings will begin to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. What is less-discussed, but highly consequential, is that once Donald Trump is sworn in as the new president, he will have 103 judicial vacancies to fill. It’s a pretty big number. To put it in perspective,…
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Penna Dexter Author and radio host Eric Metaxes told an important story in his column that appeared in the Wall Street Journal Christmas weekend. He wrote of a Christmas Eve, 48 years ago, when three astronauts spent Christmas Eve inside the Apollo 8 capsule orbiting the moon. The astronauts did something that should not be surprising, but seems extraordinary to…
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Penna Dexter Believing saint, are you ready for Christmas? Maybe I’m being a “Martha,” but I’ve gotta be honest: Christmas is hard work. If you’re the planner of Christmas in your home, you know what I mean. Every year, in early December, my stress level spikes and I secretly wonder if I couldn’t just go into Mary mode this year…
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