Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Last month I talked about the economic woes of ESPN, when the network laid off 100 people. There are economic reasons, but the more important are the political reasons. ESPN executives and on-air talent came to the wrong conclusion about bringing political discussions into the network. It didn’t improve ESPN’s ratings. It made them worse. Clay Travis explained that, “Middle America wants to pop a beer and listen to sports talk, they don’t want to be lectured about…

Kerby Anderson Andrew McCarthy begins his commentary with these words: “During the Obama years, the National Security Agency intentionally and routinely intercepted and reviewed communications of American citizens in violation of the Constitution and of court-ordered guidelines implemented pursuant to federal law.” This claim is backed up with a FISA-court opinion and investigative research that have been done over the last few months. There are two problems. The first is the incidental collection of data from Americans that occurs when…

Kerby Anderson The special election in Montana illustrated the problems with early voting. Greg Gianforte may have won his election to Congress simply because so many people voted before he body slammed Guardian staff writer Ben Jacobs. Although we have the audiotape of what took place, there is still some question about what may have precipitated the angry outburst and violent act. That can be a conversation for another day. I want to focus on the problems with early voting….

Kerby Anderson A recent Gallup poll found that three fourths (77%) of Americans believe we are a divided nation. But we may not be as divided on as many issues as we think. Dirk Philipsen believes that Americans actually agree on a lot. He says one reason we seem to disagree is due to “tribalism.” He lives in the North Carolina Research Triangle, home of the UNC-Duke basketball rivalry. His favorite teams are ‘Duke and anyone playing the University of…

Penna Dexter Small talk can seem scary or trivial, but it’s also good for you. There’s a growing body of research showing that small talk yields tangible benefits and contributes to our well-being. Psychologists characterize our daily family and good-friend connections as “strong ties” while the connection with someone like the barista at our regular coffee shop would be described as a “weak tie.” In a series of studies, published in 2014 in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, researchers…

Kerby Anderson Ten days ago, President Trump delivered an important speech at the Arab Islamic American Summit. Speaking before 50 Muslim leaders, he talked about terrorism and the Middle East. In fact, he mentioned the words “terror” or “terrorism” thirty times. That is a contrast from previous U.S. administrations. There were the obvious announcements about a Saudi–funded defense package and the opening of a new Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. But the president had much more to say than…

Kerby Anderson Some members of the current Resistance Movement are becoming more violent. We see the violence on university campuses and in rallies in major cities. But it is worth remembering that much of this started even before the election of Donald Trump. For example, the Occupy Wall Street movement began to protest what progressives believed must change in the financial industry. John Nolte writing in Breitbart.com kept a running tally of the rap sheet on these protesters. At last…

Kerby Anderson Was an ABC sitcom cancelled due to Hollywood politics? Some viewers think so and started an online petition calling for a boycott of ABC. Two weeks ago, ABC News announced they were cutting Tim Allen’s show, The Last Man Standing. He responded with a short Twitter announcement: “Stunned and blindsided by the network I called home for the last six years.” Some viewers point to the show’s cancellation as a “clear victim of an attack on conservatives.” On…

Kerby Anderson Today is Memorial Day. For many Americans, it is merely a day off. For others it marks the start of summer. But hopefully for many of you, it is a day to honor those who fought for our freedom and especially for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Sure we can enjoy our picnics and go for a walk or go for a swim. But we should take some time to put up a flag, make a banner,…

Penna Dexter The current political environment requires tremendous determination on the part of our leaders to keep their heads down and get things done. This necessity became crystal clear to me recently as I sat in a crowded hotel ballroom in Washington DC and listened to Vice President Mike Pence speak. He’s always positive. I’m pretty sure he puts on the full armor of God most days. There are obstacles. Some — let’s face it — are brought on by…

Kerby Anderson Raising the minimum wage effectively eliminates entry-level jobs. That is conclusion of most academic studies. And the greatest negative impact is on teenage unemployment. That is why Larry Elder wrote to Jane Fonda before she went to Detroit to campaign for a higher minimum wage. He quoted from economist David Neumark who examined all of the major academic minimum-wage studies from the previous two decades. Of these more than 100 studies, 85 percent found that minimum-wage laws destroy…