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Amid celebrations of our nation's 250th birthday, Gallup serves up a sobering portrait of general dissatisfaction with our nation's core institutions.

"Confidence in U.S. institutions Remains Near All-Time Low," reports Gallup.

Of 14 core institutions -- banks, big business, labor, the presidency, Congress, schools, health care, etc. -- only...Read more

Societies, like individuals, can become sick.

And, as with individuals, the symptoms point to the pathology.

The shocking acceleration of antisemitism in our country is a sign that something is very wrong.

Antisemitism is a classic symptom of a society that has problems and is looking for someone to blame. Why is life so hard?

It is no ...Read more

Included in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a dollar-for-dollar tax credit, up to $1,700, for contributions to "Scholarship Granting Organizations" that parents can access and use toward paying for private school tuition and fees and other educational expenses.

The provision is constructed such that states must choose to opt in to the ...Read more

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has chalked up more notable victories.

His candidates won three crucial Democratic primaries -- candidates who are supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America, as is Mamdani -- defeating three Democratic Party establishment candidates, two of whom are sitting members of Congress.

Discussing with ABC'...Read more

Trustees of the Social Security program just issued their annual report.

Each year, the picture of the program's solvency is dismal. But this year it's even worse.

Rather than falling short in 2033, as reported last year, this year the shortfall is projected to be in late 2032.

That's six years from now.

Without action taken, benefits, per...Read more

Former Vice President Mike Pence is now promoting his new book, "What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the American Conscience."

Distinct from most stuff appearing now for the nation's 250th birthday, Pence's book is targeted not at the nation as whole, but at the Republican Party in particular.

Pence's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal ...Read more

Polls are not like a weather forecast.

We can't do anything about the weather. If the prediction is rain, the only thing to do is get ready for it.

Polls measure public sentiment. But that sentiment can be influenced.

Current polling seems to justify handwringing on the part of Republicans regarding the outlook for November.

RealClear ...Read more

Coincident with the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence is the 250th anniversary of the publication of "The TheNations."

The full title of Scotsman Adam Smith's book, published in 1776, is "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations."

One might say that in that ...Read more

Per USA Today columnist Chris Brennan, the Rededicate 250 event, held on the National Mall to rededicate our country as One Nation Under God, violated both our national spirit and our Constitution.

Per Brennan, the Christian character of the event, and the Protestant content, flies in the face of the national value of religious diversity.

...Read more

Major kudos to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

During his testimony before Senate Armed Forces Committee, Hegseth was asked by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal if he will support the Major Richard Star Act. Hegseth affirmed his support.

The act was first introduced in 2023 but has not moved forward because of Republican opposition.

Now, ...Read more

The abortion issue won't go away, as so many politicians wish it would.

It persists because the discussion and debate are about our very existence. What is life?

The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade, which has defined the abortion landscape in the United States since 1973...Read more

"Affordability" is the word grabbing the headlines in public discourse these days.

However, if affordability is a problem, it's important to be clear about what exactly the problem is and what can be done.

Gallup has new polling data noting that the "high cost of living continues to top Americans' list of the most important financial ...Read more