Recent Viewpoints

Penna Dexter Socialism is disturbingly cool these days. Obviously, we haven’t learned enough from history. There are generations of voters who weren’t even born yet when the Berlin Wall and Soviet communism fell. They also weren’t around in the 60’s when many European countries implemented socialist policies that are now a drag on their economies. Author Joshua Muravchik is an expert in foreign policy, especially socialism. He says: “It’s hard to think of another idea that’s been tried and failed…

Kerby Anderson Shootings in schools and synagogues always bring the inevitable question, why?  The most recent shootings illustrate that there is no single answer. Although there are some common patterns, there are many different variables. One comprehensive review of “Three Decades of School Shootings” by Tawnell Hobbs did find some common patterns. A significant number of shooters were bullied, were suicidal, told someone, had access to guns, and planned their actions in advance. Ten shared all five traits, and nine…

Kerby Anderson Should convicted felons be allowed to vote? Senator Bernie Sanders believes they should not have that privilege taken away from them. Critics rhetorically ask whether anyone really believes that Oklahoma bomber Terry Nichols and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should vote in the next election. They realize the proposal for what it is: an attempt to get more votes for Democrats. But if we set aside the blatant attempt to get more votes, the question of whether felons…

Kerby Anderson Since a number of presidential candidates are warning about “voter suppression,” it seems like a good time to accurately define the term. Let’s start with a simple issue. Cutting back early voting days is NOT voter suppression. Early voting in North Carolina reduced the days for early voting from 17 to 10. Florida reduced their early voting days from 14 to 8. Citizens who are properly registered can still vote, but the number of days you can early…

Kerby Anderson Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke rolled out his version of a Green New Deal in a video from Yosemite Valley. It doesn’t call for such draconian action as the legislation sponsored by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her plan calls for “net zero greenhouse gas emissions” in ten years. He has a target somewhere around the year 2050. Perhaps we should call it the “Light Green New Deal.” In his video, Beto calls it “the most ambitious climate plan in the…

Kerby Anderson One of the lines that Senator Bernie Sanders uses often in his campaign is his concern that “the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.” Since he and other candidates will continue to proclaim this slogan, it’s worth taking a moment to critique it. While it is true that the rich are getting richer, it is NOT true that the poor are getting poorer. Let’s put both economic figures on the table for America. In a recent…

Penna Dexter The Wall Street Journal recently ran Abigail Shrier’s synopsis of her interview with Paul McHugh who, at 87, is still a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. McHugh is referenced frequently by those arguing for medical common sense in the transgender wars. According to Ms. Shrier, he’s “a tenacious skeptic of the crazes that periodically overtake his specialty.” Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s Johns Hopkins Hospital was famous for its pioneer work doing sex…

Kerby Anderson One of the criticisms of the claims of human-caused climate change is that the theory predicts everything. Now, you might think that makes it a good theory. Actually, when you have a theory that predicts everything and cannot be falsified, that makes it a bad theory. In fact, it is easy to find examples of contradictory claims all being attributed to climate change. But let me give you one example. Sharks fascinate us, probably going back decades to…

Kerby Anderson A slide from a university biology lecture went viral because it illustrated the “parallels between fetuses and cancers.” Many of the Twitter comments were disgusted that the professor’s slide referred to the fetus as a “legitimate parasite” that “invades” a mother and “manipulates” her immunity. A picture of the slide was posted by Stanford Medical student Dylan Griswold who did so in order to address what he feels is the increasing tendency to describe pregnancy as a disease….

Kerby Anderson For decades, Congress has been willing to give its legislative powers to the executive branch in general and the president in particular. Senator Mike Lee writes about why this has happened and what Congress should do to stop this dangerous trend. He reminds us that President Obama more than 20 times said he didn’t have the authority to rewrite immigration laws, and then did so in 2012 during the height of his reelection campaign. He speculates that a…

Kerby Anderson The Supreme Court justices might be forgiven for having a feeling of déjà vu. For the third time, the justices had to deal with a case in which the president was given power by Congress and then challenged because he used that power. First, it was the travel ban. Then it was the president’s national emergency declaration in order to build the wall. Finally, it was the oral arguments about whether a citizenship question could be put in…