Recent Viewpoints

Penna Dexter It’s striking that the Trump administration and the US Senate have cooperated to confirm a record 41 judges to the US Circuit Courts of Appeals, beating the Nixon Administration, which logged 25 confirmations by its third year. This is important because the 13 appeals courts have the final say in all but the approximately 70 cases the Supreme Court decides each year. First Liberty Institute, a law firm dedicated to defending religious liberty, applauds the opportunity to flip…

Kerby Anderson Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been criticized for writing the truth about the connection of abortion to eugenics. His 20-page concurring opinion in a case dealing with an Indiana law allowed him to educate us about our history. The law required that fetal remains be disposed of in a respectful manner, but also prohibited abortion solely because of the race, sex, or disability of the baby. Justice Thomas wrote, “The use of abortion to achieve eugenic goals…

Kerby Anderson A phrase I often use is: “He who defines the words, often wins the debate.” I have seen this play out in debates, discussions, and interviews. I have also seen how the way you define terms can influence the reader’s perception. That is why the latest information about the style guides being used in the media is a reminder to exercise discernment. Take the issue of climate change, or what used to be called global warming. That change…

Kerby Anderson Some of the discussion in Europe over deepfakes videos has now reached America. If you have ever seen someone use Photoshop or Lightroom to put another person’s face on a body, you have a pretty good idea of what is now being done with video. Until recently someone needed access to cutting-edge video technology to make it look like someone was saying something or doing something they never did. Jim Geraghty reminds us in a recent commentary that…

Kerby Anderson How many cherries should be in a frozen cherry pie? In case you are wondering, the Food and Drug Administration has regulations governing the number, the weight, and the kind of cherries that can be placed into a frozen pie. The reason I know this is due to a decision by the FDA to deregulate the cherry pie market. Raymond March (Independent Institute) goes into some detail about the numerous regulations concerning frozen cherry pies. Not only do…

Kerby Anderson More than a dozen states have joined the national effort to circumvent the Electoral College. It looked like Nevada was going to be the next state to join the nationwide effort. But the governor of the state used some common sense and decided to veto the bill. He argued that the current effort would “diminish the role of smaller states like Nevada in national electoral contests and force Nevada’s electors to side with whoever wins the nationwide popular…

Penna Dexter In a slow moment at Starbucks, one of my favorite young baristas chatted about how she and her boyfriend divide the cooking duties. She also mentioned they recently moved here from halfway across the country. Her revelations made me think about how much has changed due to the sexual revolution. Activities and events that used to take place within marriage now often happen outside of it. In addition to sex and intimacy, unmarried couples share residences, cooking, bill-paying,…

Kerby Anderson If I were to ask you which professions have high suicide rates, you would probably mention military veterans suffering from PTSD. In their latest report, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have found that the suicide rate for young male military veterans is higher than previously thought. But they found that it is lower in some states than the suicide rate for farmers. The high suicide rate for farmers is only just now beginning to get media attention….

Kerby Anderson Sadly, it has become trendy in some circles to say that the world would be a better place without religion in general and Christianity in particular. I really do wonder if professors, commentators, and people on social media really believe this or are just saying it without any serious reflection. As I like to sometimes say to my atheist acquaintances, I see lots of Catholic hospitals, Presbyterian hospitals, and Baptist hospitals. I have never seen a humanist hospital….

Kerby Anderson Many members of the millennial generation think they are special. At least that is the conclusion of a recent study of college students. One newspaper report on the study put it this way: “If you asked a college freshman today who the Greatest Generation is, they might respond by pointing in a mirror.” The study of college students documented young people’s unprecedented level of self-infatuation. Psychologist Jean Twenge found that over the last four decades of research on…

Kerby Anderson Over the years I have written about how people in high tax states have been migrating to low tax states. Unfortunately, many politicians in those states want to argue that tax rates don’t affect investment or even migration. The latest data from the IRS demonstrates once again we have tax migration. Between 2012 and 2015, a net of $8.5 billion in adjusted gross income left New Jersey and $6.2 billion left Connecticut. Illinois, for example, lost $13.6 billion….