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This virus is no nuisance scare

WASHINGTON — Except for wrapping duct tape around my head, I’m trying not to get hysterical over the coronavirus. I know, it’s not funny. If you’re elderly, it’s potentially serious. Maybe. Sometimes but not always. We don’t actually know. Yet, to follow news reporting on the elaborately named coronavirus disease 2019 is to conclude that WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE. To avoid dying, we’re told, we should wash our hands, steer clear of sick people and stay away from cruises. No problem whatsoever. If you’re over 60, which until now was the new 40, we should consider ...

Today’s great black dilemma

I was proud recently when Marc Little, chairman of my organization, the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, stood behind President Donald Trump at a White House event for Black History Month and prayed for him. Then a parade of black liberals did their thing in the media to try to deflate and devalue this important event. Their actions help us understand why so little progress has been made after more than half a century of civil rights activism. CNNs Keith Boykin called the black Christians grouped around the president “Uncle Toms.” Chris Redd of “Saturday Night Live” ...

Higher education’s mandatory political participation

WASHINGTON — The Free Speech Movement, an early tremor of the earthquake that shook campuses in the 1960s, began on Sproul Plaza at the University of California at Berkeley, in 1964. Today eight of the 10 universities in the UC system are administering faculty hiring practices that involve coerced speech, enforced political conformity and mandatory political participation. Any academic seeking a position is required to write a “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) statement affirming support — sometimes even “enthusiastic” support — for, and demonstrating activism in ...

Government outlaws freelance work

Freelance jobs are “feudalism,” says California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. She persuaded California’s legislature to pass a new law reclassifying freelance workers as employees. That means many people who hire them must now give them benefits like overtime, unemployment insurance, etc. Politicians said it would help freelancers a lot. Of course, much of the media agreed. Vox called it “a victory for workers everywhere”! Sigh. Young reporters just don’t understand that stifling economic freedom always creates nasty side effects. Actually, more understand now, ...

What the virus should teach us

As the markets have plummeted over global fears surrounding the fallout from the new coronavirus, political pundits have taken up the call: Find some meaning in the coronavirus outbreak and response. And where there is a demand for speculative opinion, there’s never a shortage of supply. Thus we’ve seen the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, be blamed on President Donald Trump. We’ve seen government-managed response, which has varied widely in terms of success by country, touted as a final rebuttal of libertarian precepts. We’ve seen the coronavirus’ economic impact ...

Good, bad news about coronavirus

There’s good news and bad news about coronavirus. First, there’s reason for optimism. The virus struck only four months ago, yet we already know its genetic features. It took scientists years to get that far with HIV/AIDS. Antiviral drugs are in development, and a vaccine could be available within 18 months. The pace of scientific progress is breathtaking. So is human ingenuity. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will soon offer home coronavirus testing kits, starting in the hard-hit Seattle area. Anyone who’s worried can fill out an online questionnaire, receive a nasal swab ...