A trillion dollars used to be a lot of money. In the past, most people never even thought in these terms since it seemed so far from reality. A trillion was like a gazillion. Few knew how many zeros were involved. However, times have changed. Our economy has expanded, and the value of goods and … Read more
In times of disaster in America, public authority has always called upon God to come to the nation’s aid. The call is to a vague God. Our religious consensus recognizes only “Nature’s God” without going into specifics. Unlike secular Europe, America has always favored religion as a means to ensure God’s material and spiritual blessings … Read more
With most of the nation under stay-at-home orders, the media are taking an upbeat attitude to the tragic lockdown. Most treat it as a temporary measure that we must endure before getting back to normal. Thus, the Internet is full of lists of things we can do while at home. They present lockdown as an … Read more
How to Educate an American is a collection of essays edited by Michael J. Petrilli and Chester E. Finn, Jr. that embraces a serious task. The subtitle set out its goal – The Conservative Vision for Tomorrow’s Schools. Unfortunately, this book cannot deliver something that does not exist. There is no unified conservative vision for … Read more
In times of great suffering like ours, it does us good to think about heavenly things. Such considerations are constant reminders that our greatest concerns should be our union with God in this world and the next. Indeed, in times past, people commonly raised their hearts to Heaven, which made all their woes seem small. … Read more
Anyone who thinks that the coronavirus crisis represented a truce in the raging culture war is very mistaken. The war is only going to accelerate. Likewise, anyone who thinks there is a need to construct complex conspiracy theories to explain what is happening is also mistaken. Free Book: Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy … Read more
Recently, I went to a local funeral home for a viewing. The deceased was a former student. He was driving while intoxicated, and the resulting high-speed collision was horrible. His passenger died as well. I will refer to the young man as John, even though that is not his real name. John was in his … Read more
The Chinese virus crisis has led California Governor Gavin Newsom to issue a stay-at-home order. No one in the state is allowed to leave home for nonessential reasons. The rest of the nation may soon be subject to similar restrictions. Due to this forced seclusion, many feel trapped. Contradictory news stories concerning the virus’ severity … Read more
“If you were to examine any speech made by a university president fifty years ago, you would find that the word ‘excellence’ occurs with great frequency…. If you made the same examination now, you’d find that ‘diversity’ has taken its place.” This quote summarizes the main idea behind the book, The Breakdown of Higher Education: … Read more
Almost anyone in academia or business administration has seen a “TED Talk.” These are five to twenty-five-minute lectures first given at TED events. The presentations are then available on YouTube. The Power of TED The power of these talks comes from their easy availability. They have a Creative Commons license. They can be used for … Read more
