Recent Viewpoints

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….

Kerby Anderson Are single-parent families just as good for children as two-parent families? Some of the headlines recently in newspapers and newsmagazines seem to say so. But all you have to do is look back at academic studies to see that, in nearly every case, two parents are better than one. One older family study deserves renewed attention. Dr. Patrick Fagan, using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, found two important factors. Children who grow up in an…

Penna Dexter The US Department of Health and Human Services took steps, in recent days, to correct a troubling injustice initiated by the previous administration. Three years ago, HHS issued a rule, under the Affordable Care Act, that redefined ‘sex discrimination’ to include ‘gender identity.’ In addition, the rule included ‘pregnancy termination’ — i.e. abortion — in this non-discrimination clause. The rule was immediately challenged and has been on hold since 2016. In practice, it would have forced doctors to perform…