Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson How close are some elections? Let’s look at last year’s 2023 off-year elections. Twenty-six elections ended in ties, and another seven were decided by one vote. According to the Public Interest Legal Foundation, there have been 625 elections that ended in tie votes, and 162 elections that were decided by one vote in just the last 22 years. In the past, I have told the story of Penny Pullen in Illinois who lost a primary vote. But there…

Kerby Anderson A recent column in the Washington Post observes that “Western government until recently generally did not regard social media and the vision of free speech they promoted as being fundamentally at odds with democracy.” The author concludes that now these governments do, which is why Elon Musk and Pavel Durov are facing “the revenge of the regulators.” He also warns these men “will have to think more carefully” about “whose soil they’re on when they step off the…

Kerby Anderson Peter St. Onge asks, “How did American voters get so dumb?” If you have ever watched the answers given by people on the street to historical or political questions, you know that many American voters are not well educated about our history or form of government. Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” and Jessie Watters’ “Watters’ World” provide many laughs but also cause us to shake our heads. When he was a professor, Peter St. Onge ran every inaugural address through…

Kerby Anderson During this campaign season, will voters settle for generalities, or will they demand specifics? We will find out in seven weeks. Politicians are known for speaking with vague platitudes, but usually they are forced to give more specific answers when asked by voters or the media. Because this commentary is heard nationally, I will focus on the presidential candidates, though I could also use the state and local elections to illustrate my point as well. Kamala Harris talks…

Kerby Anderson Should parents be held criminally liable if their child shoots others in a school or public place? That is a question being considered in Georgia. The 14-year-old shooter (who killed four people) has been indicted, but so has his 54-year-old father. Earlier this year, a jury in Michigan convicted parents after their son killed four students and wounded six others. They were prosecuted for being negligent. They knew of their son’s mental health issues and failed to secure…

Penna Dexter South Dakota is one of the most pro-life states in America. Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, South Dakota had enacted 111 statutes restricting abortion, the most of any state. Under a trigger law that took effect after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022, abortion is illegal in South Dakota, except to save the life of the mother. The state’s pro-lifers work hard to elect legislators who will protect the sanctity of human life. Now they are battling a…

Kerby Anderson We have idols today, but rarely are they in the form of carved statues and found in religious shrines. A study by Lifeway Research asked Protestant pastors in this county what they felt were modern-day idols. Two-thirds (67%) of the pastors believe comfort is a desire that Christians have made into an idol. A majority also reported that control or security (56%), money (55%), and approval (51%) are idols that have significant influence on their congregations. They were…

Kerby Anderson Many Americans are concerned about the impact that social media and Big Tech are having on society. Therefore, it is not surprising that a number of documentaries have been focusing on problems from this technology. One of the most important documentaries to come along is “The Social Dilemma.” It features an interesting blend of talking-head interviews with various Big Tech figures, with a fictional dramatization of what happens when children in one family become addicted to social media….

Kerby Anderson One striking difference between Europe and America has been the temptation of many European countries to fall into totalitarianism. Dennis Prager reminds us that after World War I, many of these countries embraced communism, fascism, or Nazism. There is a very good reason why. The primary beliefs that gave rise to meaning in life were patriotism and the Judeo-Christian religion. The senseless slaughter during the Great War (as it was called) challenged both of those foundations. National identity…

Kerby Anderson Professor Paul Kengor has a book on The Devil and Karl Marx that reminds us how much Marx hated God and Christianity. In his book and on my radio program, he cited Marx and many of the biographies that showed how scary he was. His own family and friends were frightened by his demonic fits of rage and his bizarre focus on violence. Marx wrote, “When our turn comes, we shall make no excuses for the terror. There…

Kerby Anderson In previous commentaries, I have quoted Michael Shellenberger and his book, Apocalypse Never, which deals with environmental issues. But his latest book documents the problem of homelessness in one city. The title is: San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities. He documents various reasons why the homeless problem has become worse. Limited housing has been one reason. Expensive housing and warmer climates explain why the homeless can be found in California, Florida, and Hawaii. Not only is the climate…