Michael Emerson and Laura Essenberg (both at Rice University) recently publicized a white paper on American attitudes toward marriage. The paper is based on a two-wave panel study that examined respondents in both 2006 and in 2012. These sorts of panel data are a gold-standard approach to examining change over time. Most surveys are simple […]

In my last post on ideologues, I chastised those representing the Obama administration for willful ignorance on the evidence of job loss associated with Obamacare (principally lost hours as workers hours are cut to below the 30 hr/week threshold).  While I linked to several anecdotal reports, I did not provide “systematic evidence” of job loss.  […]

It is all too easy in a blog-filled world for terms to used in ways that are meant to be used simply as an ad hominem attack–we too easily attack the person rather than the policy.  And as Christians, we must always endeavor to speak the truth in love.  Nevertheless, we cannot avoid the use […]

The Washington Post has revealed, via Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency has violated existing privacy restrictions thousands of times during the past five years. Barton Gellman’s work uncovers not only the number, but the types, of incursions. Unsurprisingly, a significant number have been accidental. Given the raw number of searches going on, it is […]

When I began my college education in 1974, my perception was that things were pretty simple.  You (the student) went to class, listened to your professor and took notes, did the assigned reading, studied for quizzes and exams and, Lord willing and you behaving properly, you graduated not only with a degree but with some […]

You have probably seen and heard about the poor rodeo clown, now banned from the Missouri state fair. Our clown’s offense? Wearing a President Obama mask and asking the crowd if it wanted to see President Obama get run over by a bull. According to reports, the crowd cheered the question. I don’t have anything […]

Well, that didn’t take long, did it? This evening, Gov. Pat McCrory (R-NC) signed one of the most extensive voter identification laws in the United States. North Carolinians must now show a government–issued photo i.d. to vote. The act also shortens the early voting period from 17 days to 10, and it eliminates voter registration on election […]

So says a new book reviewed by Martin Wolf in the Financial Times, The Entrepreneurial State.  The basic thesis is that Yes, innovation depends on bold entrepreneurship. But the entity that takes the boldest risks and achieves the biggest breakthroughs is not the private sector; it is the much-maligned state. Martin Wolf approves of this […]

I have written about the Keystone Pipeline on this blog before and I do not intend to go back through the reasons why I think it is something the President should support here.  I was struck this week, however, by his recent comments that the pipeline would not produce meaningful jobs.  He believes it would […]

Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) should resign. The Virginia governor, a self-proclaimed Christian and a graduate of Notre Dame and Regent University, is outspoken about his faith. Upon his inauguration, he called his post a ‘ministry‘, and McDonnell has encouraged the Republicans to be more ‘humble’ and Christ-like in their approach to public life. While seemingly willing to […]