Recent Viewpoints

Penna Dexter Former President Obama recently told an audience at a pre-election rally in Arizona that democracy “may not survive” the midterms. This was a sort of closing argument to Democrat voters. It affirmed warnings, issued by other politicians, that “democracy is on the ballot.” In her column, the Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel counts four cycles of “histrionic claims of external threats, internal menace and political demise.” Donald Trump has been the Left’s foil. But this time, he was…

Kerby Anderson This is a commentary that probably wouldn’t have been necessary in the past. But these are unusual times. To put it simply, climate activists have decided that the best way to make their case is to deface the great masterpieces of Western art. Splattering tomato soup or gluing their hands to great paintings does not seem to me to be a very effective way to advance your climate agenda. Irresponsible and even childish are some words to describe…

Kerby Anderson Scott Powell argues: “One explanation for why America is in such rapid decline with the woke normalization of censorship, cancel culture, division, unequal justice, and depravity is found in the theory of elite capture.” That may be a new term for you, so let me explain. Elite capture was first developed and mastered by the Chinese communists in their own country. They are using elite capture to intimidate major companies in this country. Fifty years ago, President Nixon…

Kerby Anderson Now that the 2022 election is over, it is time to begin to apply the lessons from the last two elections to the 2024 election. We have some work to do before the American people will feel confident about our elections. I was surprised at a recent Rasmussen poll that found a majority (55%) of Americans answered “likely” to the question: How likely is it that cheating affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential election? In fact, a…

Kerby Anderson Today is election day. At stake are 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the US Senate. Alongside those elections for national office are thousands of elections for state and local offices. That includes 36 governorships. By tonight, we should know which party will control the US House and the US Senate, though there is always the possibility that the election might go to overtime because our elections these days have been so close….

Kerby Anderson Tomorrow is the election. You may have already voted, like tens of millions of Americans. But if you haven’t voted, I encourage you to vote because your vote might make the difference. And even if you have already voted, you may know people who aren’t planning to vote because they believe their vote won’t make any difference. In the past, many groups circulated articles and e-mails talking about the importance of one vote. In the last few elections,…

Penna Dexter In a recent on-camera interview at the White House, President Biden told a group of young people he had “just signed a law” that would forgive large chunks of student debt. “It’s passed,” the president said. “I got it passed by a vote or two and it’s in effect.” This may have appealed to many of the young people assembled. But it’s not true. Congress did not pass any such law. The president issued an executive order transferring…

Kerby Anderson Scores on the ACT college admissions test taken by recent high school graduates hit their lowest point in more than thirty years. The press reported that this was due to the disruption from the pandemic and lockdowns. While that is true, it is only part of the reason for the decline in test scores. Let’s first look at the dismal results from the test. The average ACT composite score for the class of 2022 was just 19.8 out…

Kerby Anderson Homelessness not only affects big cities but can be found in small towns as well. Scott Morefield tells a story about Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia that illustrates the impact that public policy can have on a social problem like homelessness. First, let’s explain the geography. Bristol is really two cities with two governments that are right next to each other. They are divided by a state line that runs down the main street. This division provides a…

Kerby Anderson Television host Mike Rowe has been an advocate for blue-collar workers who have kept this country running. He explains that opportunities have never been better for anyone willing to work and willing to learn a skill in demand. Unfortunately, we have seven million men (ages 25-54) who not only are not working but are not looking for work. Economist Nicholas Eberstadt refers to that in a recent Washington Post op-ed as the “flight from work.” The US currently…

Kerby Anderson Jerry Hendrix says that the US is in a “coffin corner.” In case you are not familiar with military lingo, this is not good. You might remember in the recent movie, Top Gun: Maverick, that when the pilots hit their target and climb out of the steep valley, the admiral (played by Jon Hamm) announces they are now in “coffin corner.” All the g-forces, airspeed, and weight of the planes work against each other. That is when they…