Recent Viewpoints

The release of videos, by the Center for Medical Progress, exposing Planned Parenthood’s participation in the trafficking of baby body parts warrants criminal investigation. The Heritage Foundation summed it up by pointing out three ways in which Planned Parenthood may be violating the law. First, we must ask:  “Is Planned Parenthood receiving too much money in exchange for the body parts of unborn children?” Planned Parenthood spokespersons say that any payment the organization receives for fetal tissue is reimbursement for…

A few decades ago, marriages were the foundation of what many commentators referred to as “the traditional family.” Now marriages and families are taking some very unfamiliar shapes and orientations due to different views of marriage and family. Americans are not exactly sure about what to think about these dramatic changes in marriage and family. On the one hand, they believe that marriage and family are very important. One survey found that their readers rated their relationship to their spouse…

If you want to know the future of an economy or a technology, one helpful measure is Wriston’s Law (named after Walter Wriston, a significant name in banking and finance). His book, The Twilight of Sovereignty, explained that capital (both financial capital and intellectual capital) “will go where it is wanted, stay where it is well-treated.” The success of America in the recent past illustrates the reality of Wriston’s Law. America was a safe place for smart people and investment…

When I was growing up, there was lots of talk about the new morality. And while it is true that the 1960s and 1970s ushered in a new morality, there is growing evidence that the most significant shift in moral attitudes is taking place right now. A study by the Barna Group confirms what I have been seeing among young people. Put simply, the younger you are the more likely you are to have engaged in immoral behavior. The survey…

Christians have been called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). Unfortunately, three powerful social forces in society undermine the effectiveness of the gospel in this country and around the world. Writers such as Peter Berger and Os Guinness have documented and described these forces. They are secularization, pluralization, and privatization. The first is secularization. It is the process by which sectors of society and culture are removed from the influence of…

No matter what’s on the busy parenting calendar, reading aloud to our children is a satisfying indulgence moms and dads should never feel guilty about. It’s good for kids — and parents. Children’s author and Newbury Medalist Kate Camillo says, “I do think that people, in the rush and clamor and get-things-done-ness of daily life, need to be reminded about what reading aloud can do.” Wall Street Journal children’s book critic, Megan Cox Gurdon agrees. “To curl up with children…

Arthur Brooks reminds us in a New York Times column that “We Need Optimists.” It is actually better for you to be an optimist rather than a pessimist. Psychologists have found that optimists enjoy better physical health and have a great ability to cope with setbacks. In this coming election year, however, we need to ask whether we want an optimist or a pessimist in the White House. In the past we have had presidents who were true optimists in…

by Kerby Anderson A few weeks ago I talked about the new HUD housing rules that will have a negative impact on your neighborhood. Robert Knight has read through these rules and reports that they should concern all Americans. Writing in the Washington Times he says that the HUD rules are “loaded with repetitive rhetoric, bureaucratic gobbledygook, threats for noncompliance and enough acronyms to fill a stadium-sized bowl of alphabet soup.” But you don’t need to read all these rules…

This last month we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Back in 1990, President George Bush signed the legislation and predicted that it would make the lives of disabled people much better. It has done that. Disabled Americans have much better access to public buildings. All you have to do to understand the profound impact the law has had in America is to travel to other countries around the world. You see restaurants, museums, and churches…

A few months ago, I did a Viewpoint on the decision by Dan Price, the founder of Gravity Payments, to pay everyone in his company at least $70,000. You might remember that he did it because he read how some extra money for some people makes a big difference. Therefore, he decided to cut his $1 million salary to $70,000 and make that amount the minimum wage for the company. At the time, I predicted that it would make it…

Before the summer slips away, I want to talk about summer jobs. If you are older, you can probably remember the work experience you received by working various summer jobs. If you are a bit younger, you may not have had that same experience of working a number of different summer jobs but probably had at least one summer job. If you are a teenager, you may never have had a summer job. That’s a problem. Working a summer job…