Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Just over a week ago, a poll published in the Wall Street Journal revealed that most voters see the American dream slipping away. Only a third (36%) of voters said the American Dream holds true compared to a majority (53%) of American voters who said that in 2012. Derek Hunter argues in a recent column that “the American Dream is not dead; what is dead is most people’s idea of what that phrase means.” The poll defined the…

Kerby Anderson Two weeks ago, I documented the rise in antisemitism on the left. Today, I will focus our attention on antisemitism on the right. Before I do so, let’s acknowledge that dividing anti-Jewish hatred into left and right is neither fair nor accurate. In my previous commentary, I quoted a liberal who condemns the views of his fellow Democrats who are antisemitic. Conservative leaders also condemn the views of antisemitic groups. Sarah Arnold reports: “Antisemitism is on the rise…

Penna Dexter Bioethicist and political thinker Leon Kass has often been called upon to weigh in on consequential moral debates. He lives both in the US and in Jerusalem where he serves as dean of faculty at Shalem University. His recent Wall Street Journal commentary, “Why the Jewish Way of Living Matters,” speaks to certain “Torah-based beliefs,” moral principles shared by the Jewish right and left. Some of these concern the centrality of family life. Dr. Kass states: “In this…

Kerby Anderson As I mentioned yesterday, Americans are concerned about the direction of the country. They also believe the economy has become much worse in the last few years. The explanation from the White House is that the President’s message about Bidenomics isn’t getting through to the American people. One economist has another suggestion. He argued that Americans have “demonstrably false views about the current economy.” Also, he mentioned the slight difference between how Republicans and Democrats view the economy….

Kerby Anderson As the year of 2023 is winding down and we are heading into the election season of 2024, one thing is certain: most Americans are concerned about our nation’s future. An ABC News/Ipsos survey found that more than 75 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. Some commentators looking at that poll even wonder why the remaining 25 percent aren’t also concerned about America’s direction. Consumers are paying more for gas, food, and…

Kerby Anderson What is the annual cost of immigration to American taxpayers? The US House Committee on Homeland Security has calculated the cost, and we are in for significant “sticker shock.” Their new report reveals that taxpayers are losing nearly a half trillion dollars to the border crisis. The staggering amount taxpayers lose to funding illegal aliens comes from nearly every sector of society. We pay more for healthcare, education, and housing to individuals and families here in this country…

Kerby Anderson Earlier this month, Jim Geraghty wondered if the killing of Paul Kessler would start a national conversation. You probably don’t even understand his question, which is an illustration of the fact that the media usually determines what event should spark a national conversation. Paul Kessler is the 69-year-old Jewish man who died of a head injury at an event in Thousand Oaks, California. The Los Angeles Times reported the incident that occurred when pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protestors were…

Kerby Anderson Bari Weiss is Jewish and the author of the book, How to Fight Anti-Semitism. She noticed something 20 years ago when she was a college student and started writing about an ideology that seemed to contradict everything she had been taught since she was a child. She admits she may not have perceived the nature of this ideology if it had not been for the fact that she was a Jew. She noticed that she was being written…

Penna Dexter The United States Supreme Court recently set out a “Code of Conduct” to “gather in one place the ethics rules and principles that guide the conduct of the members of the court.” All nine justices signed it. They have done this in response to pressure from groups on the Left who want Congress to put into place “ethics” requirements for Supreme Court Justices. Enacting such legislation would intensify political accusations against justices and bring endless recusal fights in…

Kerby Anderson The cancel culture has been around for many years. John Stossel gives a new perspective to it in his interview with 23-year-old Rikki Schlott. She is the co-author of the new book, The Cancelling of the American Mind. If the title sounds familiar, it should. Her co-author was the co-author of the earlier book, The Coddling of the American Mind. As a college student, she felt she had to hide her conservative views. She says she was even…

Kerby Anderson Each year, we take time from our busy lives to celebrate a day of Thanksgiving. Though many holidays have become secular celebrations, this holiday still retains much of its historic religious overtones. A day of Thanksgiving was set aside by the Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony. Life was hard in the New World.  Half of the Pilgrims died in the first terrible winter. After the first harvest was completed, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving and…