Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Two professors (one in the field of medicine and the other in the field of economics) explain why we will never eradicate the COVID virus. Although this should be obvious, they felt the need to write an essay to explain this and show the fallacy of many government policies. Let’s first look at some of the countries that had the most extensive lockdowns. China had the most severe, even locking people into their homes and imposing a 40-day…

Kerby Anderson No doubt you have heard the phrase, “crime doesn’t pay.” Unfortunately, as I explain in my booklet, A Biblical View on Criminal Justice, crime has historically paid only too well. Expected punishment can be calculated by multiplying four probabilities: the probability of being arrested, of being prosecuted, of being convicted, and going to prison. Those probabilities have dropped significantly in cities where the slogan “defund the police” has changed the equation. You can find videos of criminals shoplifting…

Kerby Anderson There’s a scene in The Blues Brother movie where Elwood asks the waitress at Bob’s Country Bunker, “What kind of music do you got here?” She answers, “Oh, we got both kinds, country and western.” Professor Tim Groseclose says in his book, Left Turn, that if the waitress were to describe a newsroom, she might say, “Oh, we got both kinds of political views: liberal and progressive.” You may have noticed that the Washington press corps covers the…

Kerby Anderson The administration wants to get 328 million Americans vaccinated as soon as possible, but there are some obvious roadblocks. Victor Davis Hanson reminds us of the challenge when we are talking about an untried vaccine in a multi-ethnic nation. Some minorities are understandably distrustful because of prior government vaccination programs. Nearly 40 million foreign residents in this country come from countries where corrupt governments have lost the trust of the population. You could also add rural and inner-city…

Penna Dexter When Congress passed a moratorium on evictions back in March 2020, it all seemed a little backwards and unfair to landlords. Lawmakers’ provision for renters’ lockdown job losses seemed compassionate but has proved to be misguided. The eviction moratorium provided protection for renters of government-subsidized housing who got behind on their rent. Their landlords would have to wait for payment until COVID-19 relief dollars passed through what turned out to be complex and unreliable state and local channels….

Kerby Anderson Both liberals and conservatives believe in free speech. The radical left used to pretend to value free speech, but no longer. One example is a bill proposed by two Democratic senators that would allow the federal government to punish Big Tech companies for not censoring more views. If you already think Big Tech censors too much, imagine what would happen if this bill became law. The argument rests on the idea that too much “misinformation” is being spread…

Kerby Anderson When the Supreme Court reconvenes, the justices will consider another case involving the Second Amendment. As you might expect, legal briefs are being filed and various groups advocating for gun rights and gun control are promoting their views. Therefore, it shouldn’t be too surprising that someone is trying to argue that the Second Amendment is racist. What is surprising is the fact that this proponent is associated with the ACLU. I may have many disagreements with the policy…

Kerby Anderson Cities and states are considering what they should do in light of increasing COVID cases. Before they set policies, they may want to read about the “Tale of Two Recoveries.” That was the title of a Wall Street Journal editorial. America has a two-track recovery. Unemployment was lowest in Nebraska, Utah, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Idaho, Vermont, Alabama, Montana, and Oklahoma. All are governed by Republicans, except Vermont, which has a Republican governor and Democratic legislature. By contrast,…

Kerby Anderson In a recent op-ed in the Washington Post, Byron Auguste asks an important question. Why do so many employers “require” a college degree? He is a perfect person to ask this question because he is black and extremely well-educated. Companies all over this country are scrambling to find talent and address the perceived “skills gap” and the obvious “labor shortages.” Those companies are prevented from discriminating against applicants based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, or disability. But they…

Kerby Anderson Perhaps the most destructive policy during the pandemic was shutting down the schools. There is now significant research documenting what we already assumed. The experiment of requiring students to stay home and try to learn by computer has been a disaster. A new report by McKinsey & Co. quantifies the harm that was done. The research team examined the 2021 spring test results for 1.6 million elementary school students. They discovered that the school shutdowns harmed the educational…

Penna Dexter Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn writes: “If the land of woke has a capital, it’s San Francisco.” But he writes, the city has now become “ground zero for a revolt by unwoke moms and dads.” An effort to recall three San Francisco school board members is well on its way to getting enough signatures to force the issue onto a ballot. Sixty-nine percent of parents surveyed support the effort. Even in near-socialist San Francisco, regular Americans are…