Recent Viewpoints

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…

Kerby Anderson Earlier this month, PayPal sent out an update to its acceptable use policy (AUP). It included the shocking addition that it might fine people up to $2,500 if they spread misinformation. Reaction was immediate. Many users dropped their accounts, and PayPal stock dropped significantly. PayPal retreated and said that the notice went out in error. Supposedly, it was never intended to be inserted into their policy and the company apologized for the confusion. Why talk about this now?…

Penna Dexter The US Justice Department has been asked to investigate, with an eye toward prosecuting, Americans who are reporting on and opposing life-altering gender reassignment surgeries. Reports are coming in from investigations done by independent journalists which bring to light medical interventions that, in the name of providing so-called “gender-affirming care,” result in the mutilation and sterilization of healthy children. These practices are not confined to fringe medical clinics. Some of the reports over the past several months confirm…

Kerby Anderson Sometimes the verse in Jeremiah 29:11 has been misapplied since it originally was directed at the Jews in the Old Testament. It says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” A number of years ago, Chuck Bentley with Crown Financial Ministries illustrated that if we look at the previous verses, we find a blueprint of “Four…

Kerby Anderson America is a house divided. That is the central message of the book by David French, Divided We Fall. His book was selected by World magazine as its book of the year, and I had him on my radio program recently to talk about the polarization in America. He believes it is time for us to understand that “the continued unity of the United States of America cannot be guaranteed.” He persuasively argues there is not a single…

Kerby Anderson Most of us are aware of how pervasive social media censorship has become over the last few years. But a recent commentary by Daniel Gelernter illustrates how bizarre some of the censorship has become. He talks about a Facebook post about World War II that was appended with the “false information” tag. His comment was about the impact of gun control policies in Germany and how that could have led to the Holocaust. He had these relevant comments…

Kerby Anderson Most Americans say we face serious problems and yet there is growing evidence that we aren’t really serious about serious problems. Ned Ryan wrote a commentary about “An Unserious Movement for an Unserious People.” Although many of his criticisms are focused on the Republican party, most of his comments apply to both parties and most political leaders today. He says we need to acknowledge that we “in many ways have become an unserious people. No serious civilization and…

Kerby Anderson James Meigs, writing in City Journal, talks about what he calls “the chump effect.” He is not the first to use the phrase. Andrew Ferguson coined the phrase years ago to deal with a different issue. But James Meigs uses it to illustrate how many of us feel like “chumps” when we follow the rules and see others succeed when they break the rules. You know the feeling that he describes. You are inching forward in the freeway…