Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson As we go forward on removing restrictions from the lockdown, how should we make rational and intelligent decisions? Andrew McCarthy brings us back to our legal system that places the burden of proof on the government. He recognizes that trying to make reasonable decisions about the pandemic during an election year is difficult. Everything, including science, has been politicized. Of course, it was politicized even before the election season arrived. But now it is worse. That is why…

Kerby Anderson Today is the National Day of Prayer. It is a vital part of our American heritage. The first call to prayer happened before the American Revolution. In 1775, the Continental Congress called on the colonists to pray for wisdom as they considered how they would respond to the King of England. Perhaps one of the most powerful calls to prayer came from President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. In 1863, he issued a proclamation for a day…

Kerby Anderson Should the rest of the country have to play by New York rules? Bret Stephens doesn’t think so. He lives in New York City and writes for the New York Times. But he understands why most of America doesn’t want to live under a national lockdown just because of how the virus pandemic has slammed New York. He begins by reminding us of the famous cover for The New Yorker with the title “View of the World from…

Kerby Anderson If you take a political science class, your professor will probably talk about how often government policies have unintended consequences. We have before us right now a perfect example of that. But let me hasten to add that unintended consequences don’t always mean unexpected consequences. A number of US senators saw this coming, but Congress did not listen. Jamie Black-Lewis owns two spas in Washington state. Although her businesses were closed, she was ecstatic that she qualified for…

Kerby Anderson As more politicians and policy makers debate how to open up cities and states, questions about medical risks versus economic concerns dominate those discussions. But there is another risk that deserves to be considered: mental health risks. The consequences of an economic shutdown spill over into the mental health arena. First, let’s dismiss one statistic that has been floating around since the 2015 movie, The Big Short. Brad Pitt plays the character Ben Rickett who warns two investment…

Penna Dexter There’s a wide disparity across America regarding how we’re experiencing the coronavirus pandemic. More and more of us know people who have or have had COVID-19, but polling shows the majority still doesn’t. A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 59 percent of Americans don’t know a soul who has contracted the virus. Yet every one of us is affected by it. Some Americans’ lives have been upended — others terribly inconvenienced — due to the…

Kerby Anderson Last Friday was the beginning of Ramadan, and I took the opportunity to explain why we sometimes see radical Muslim violence during this time. The examples I gave were from other countries, but there has been disturbing evidence that some radical Muslims in this country would also want to engage in terrorist acts. Let’s begin with the obvious statement that the vast majority of Muslims in the US are peaceful and make great neighbors. But is there a…

Kerby Anderson The latest polls show that a majority of voters (58%) favor reforming our election laws so everyone in America can vote by mail. An additional percentage (9%) back a one-time exception this year because of the pandemic. Having the entire nation vote by mail is not a good idea, but it will take some convincing arguments to sway the current push for nationwide voting by mail. In fact, there are already five states (Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and…

Kerby Anderson Many hospitals in America seem headed for bankruptcy. How could this be, given the need for clinics and hospitals to fight the virus pandemic? The reason is simple. The CDC recommended that health-care providers postpone “elective” procedures in order to have the needed capacity to treat COVID-19 patients. If you needed a knee replacement, you had to wait. Everything from hernia repairs to colonoscopies were delayed. Some doctors even paused chemotherapy for less aggressive cancers in order to avoid exposing their patients with…

Kerby Anderson If you have been concerned about how the media has been reporting the virus pandemic, you are certainly not alone. HBO host Bill Maher is not only upset with the way the establishment media is reporting, he has even warned those in the media that their current methods of reporting will help President Donald Trump be reelected. He began by acknowledging that “we’re starting to see some hope in all this.” But he fears that this “non-stop doom…

Kerby Anderson Should Congress approve more stimulus money? Former Senator Phil Gramm says no. When he was in Congress, he served as the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and previously was a professor of economics. He co-authored an op-ed arguing that more stimulus would crush the recovery. He acknowledges that we always face a challenge when a major crisis occurs during an election year. There is lots of political posturing and opportunism. But he also believes we need a…