Star Parker

One picture worth a thousand words is a graph on the U.S. Department of Defense website showing U.S. annual Defense spending as a percentage of GDP, going back to 1953. Two things jump out. First, the lowest over the 70-year period was in 1999, at the end of the Clinton administration, when it stood at 2.7%. This is a little more than half the previous low, which stood at 4.5% 20 years earlier…

It seems many still harbor, or want to perpetuate, the illusion that our Social Security system is not in trouble. Let me quote here from a press release from the Social Security Administration released March 31, 2023: “The Social Security Board of Trustees today released its annual report on the financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds. The combined asset reserves of the Old-Age…

Speaking in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 6, President Biden said that the 2024 election is about whether “democracy” is “still America’s sacred cause.” But is democracy “sacred”? Is the process by which we make choices “sacred,” or is what we choose “sacred”? This is the time of year we think about sanctity of life. Although Roe v. Wade is no longer law of the land, the abortion issue is…

This year, 2024, marks the 60th anniversary of the signing into law of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act. Soon we observe the national day set aside to note and honor the leader of the movement that led to that act becoming law: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We must ask how, after 60 years, with vast changes in the world, with developments in technology unimaginable 60 years ago, that we remain…

With migrants now flooding our Southwestern border at a reported 10,000 seeking entry daily, it is essential that we take steps to crystalize a national immigration policy. Republicans insist that the $74 billion in funds that the Biden administration is asking in aid for Ukraine and Israel be part of a larger package that deals with border security and comprehensive immigration policy.…

I have written in the past about the similarities of the stress and tensions in our country today to the stress and tensions that were taking place in the years before the Civil War. A free country will always have debate and differences of opinion. But that debate becomes dangerous and destructive when the differences strike at the core premises that define the very existence of the nation.…

Recently published projections for the U.S. population from the U.S. Census Bureau present a picture that should concern every American. It’s a snapshot of a dying society. It’s surprising and shocking that it’s not getting more attention. The Census Bureau projects that the U.S. population will stop growing toward the end of the century. After peaking at 370 million in 2080, it will drop to…

This week, my organization, Center for Urban Renewal and Education, held an event in Michigan’s 12th congressional district, the district of Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Forty Christian pastors -- white, Black, Hispanic -- attended to speak out in support of Israel. We brought these Christian spokespersons into the backyard of one of the most aggressive voices in the U.S. Congress speaking out against…

Over the last week, one conservative Republican rose up, and one conservative Republican stepped down. Former Vice President Mike Pence, a consistent and unwavering Christian and constitutional conservative, announced the termination of his presidential campaign, saying, “It’s become clear to me; this is not my time.”

According to a survey done by the Harvard Crimson in 2022, 80% of the faculty at Harvard University self-identified as “liberal.” Thirty-seven percent self-identified as “very liberal.” Only 1% self-identified as conservative. This snapshot of the politics of the faculty at the nation’s oldest and leading university is not exceptional. Surveys of most university faculties show them…

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley got to the heart of the government shutdown fireworks in her appearance on Fox News Sunday. “Let's be clear what the Freedom Caucus is really trying to do; they are trying to cut spending.” That's of course correct. One would be hard-pressed to find any Republican, Freedom Caucus member or not, who does not understand the gravity of the state of…

This past week, the nation noted the 60th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. The speech is without question a historic landmark, both in terms of recalling the unique stress of the time and in terms of King’s eloquence in capturing the situation. But beyond being interesting, why do we bother at all with history?