Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Yesterday I talked about a few pieces of legislation that might actually stem gun violence. There is another issue that also deserves attention. How many criminals and potential mass shooters are getting their guns through online gun sales? One report from a number of years ago suggested that this was a potential problem. That is why two members of Congress (Representative Elijah Cummings and Senator Elizabeth Warren) asked the GAO to investigate. In November, they completed their two-and-a-half…

Kerby Anderson We have once again been hearing that we need to do something to stem gun violence. Even though most gun purchases are significantly regulated, are there any gun law reforms being proposed that make some sense? Benjamin Dierker, writing in The Federalist, proposes some reforms of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System that would make a difference. The system is composed of three databases, but not all relevant data is listed. For example, the Air Force failed…

Penna Dexter   President Trump has been reversing destructive policies and replacing radical appointees put in place by his predecessor. He missed one opportunity in nominating Chai Feldblum to serve a third term – a five-year term — on the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. The Conservative Review calls her the previous administration’s “most radical sexual identity movement leader.” The EEOC was created under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to combat workplace discrimination. The agency is often called upon to…

Kerby Anderson If you have ever listened to a Dennis Prager radio program, you know he often talks about the differences between liberals and conservatives. And you would also know that he dedicates one hour to what he calls “the happiness hour” where he explores why people are happy or unhappy. So it is not surprising that he recently wrote a commentary on the subject: “Liberals and Conservatives Are Unhappy for Different Reasons.” He says that unhappy conservatives generally believe…

Kerby Anderson A wise consumer of news and information should question some of the statistics thrown out by journalists. This is especially true since an advocacy group may have provided these statistics in order to influence public opinion. Here’s one example. Tulane University says that 41 percent of the undergraduate women have been sexually assaulted since arriving on campus. That’s an alarming statistic that seems to be contrary to common sense. If there were that many assaults, we would be…

Kerby Anderson Steven Pinker (Harvard University) says that the left and the right at least agree on one major point: “The world is getting worse.” His new book goes into some detail to show that simply is not true. In a recent op-ed, he reminds us that, “Such gloominess is decidedly un-American.” Unfortunately, we fool ourselves by comparing rose-tinted images of the past with the scary headlines of today. Here are just a few statistics worth considering. The homicide rate…

Kerby Anderson For the last few decades, politicians and high tech companies have been talking about the digital divide. They wanted to make sure that poor and underprivileged students had access to the same digital devices as wealthier ones. I have always felt there was a bigger issue that fewer people were talking about. Fortunately, Naomi Schaefer Riley addresses this in her New York Times op-ed on “America’s Real Digital Divide.” She warns that, “If you think middle-class children are…

Kerby Anderson Often I say on radio that the youngest generation is the most pro-life generation in history. A recent Quinnipiac poll bears this out. It found that 18-to-34-year-olds were more likely than any other age demographic to support a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of gestation. As I mentioned in a recent commentary, that is what a bill in Congress would accomplish if it could pass the US Senate. In a recent Washington Post blog, Eugene Scott also…

Penna Dexter The #MeToo movement is forcing companies to deal with questions of workplace dating etiquette. The recent proliferation of abuse-of-power and sexual harassment allegations has many firms scrambling to establish stricter guidelines while avoiding excessive policing of relationships. For the last decade the share of workers who say they have dated a co-worker has hovered around 40 percent. It dropped last year to 36 percent. Everybody’s a little edgy. Managers and employees alike are wondering: Are consensual office relationships…

Kerby Anderson There are just a few things that hold America together. One is our common interests and ideals. The other is our social fabric. But you have probably noticed that the social fabric has been fraying. Ben Shapiro wrote about this after attending the recent Super Bowl. People were wildly cheering for their team but weren’t attacking other people who were cheering for the opposite team. It was a perfect example of a “great American cultural celebration.” Unfortunately, such…

Kerby Anderson The debate and discussion about transgender issues will continue because of a transgender ideology that has developed that is actually harmful to kids. That is one of the conclusions of the book by Ryan Anderson with the creative title: When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment. The transgender ideology promotes the opportunity for children to change their gender with surgery and drugs. And parents “are told that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones may be the only…