Stephen Kershnar The Elites’ Worldview Dunkirk-Fredonia Observer August 10, 2020               The elites in this country are surprisingly unified in accepting and promoting terrible ideas. The mystery is why this is so. The elites are the people who control the commanding heights of academia, business, and government. First, academia skews hard left. Faculty at 40 leading universities have a Democrat to Republican ratio of 12-to-1. Writing in the Washington Times, James Varney points out that in 2018, and the faculty and staff of Ivy ..read more

Stephen Kershnar Academia Should Learn from the NFL Dunkirk-Fredonia Observer July 27, 2020  The professional sports leagues are flourishing because they ruthlessly emphasize productivity. Academia should do the same.   The major sports leagues make a lot of money because they are quite good at identifying and showcasing athletic excellence. Consider, the National Football League (NFL). In 2019, it made roughly $16.5 billion dollars. In 2019, according to CNBC’s Jabari Young, the NFL’s average TV viewership was 16.5 million per game and NFL games finished with 47 of the top 50 teleca ..read more

Stephen Kershnar Immigration and the Essence of a Nation Dunkirk-Fredonia Observer December 27, 2021               Large numbers of immigrants have recently come to the United States. This will change the country.               Using Census Bureau numbers, the Center for Immigration Studies reports that in the USthere are now 46 million immigrants (legal and illegal). This is the largest number ever recorded. Immigrants are now 14.2%of the population. Roughly, this percentage ..read more

Stephen Kershnar The Left Ratchets Up Its Control of Academia Dunkirk-Fredonia Observer December 14, 2021               The left has a chokehold on universities. This will shape the America for years to come. Americans are roughly evenly split between liberals and conservatives. Here I use party affiliation as evidence of political orientation. The Pew Research Foundation found that the ratio of Democrats to Republicans is 1.1 to 1, that is, roughly equal (2020 data). Specifically, 33% of registered voters identify as Democrats and 29 ..read more

Stephen Kershnar A Tale of Two Professors Dunkirk-Fredonia Observer January 23, 2022               In two cases, administrators and academics are trying to silence high profile professors.   Recently, the University of Pennsylvania Law School’s dean, Ted Ruger, announced that he will try to sanction law professor Amy Wax. In a 2017 Philadelphia Inquirer article, Wax and University of San Diego law professor Larry Alexander said that the country is paying a price for breakdown of the country's bourgeois culture. They argued t ..read more

Stephen Kershnar The Constitution Does Not Protect Fetuses Dunkirk-Fredonia Observer November 29, 2021               This Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization concerning Mississippi’s abortion law. Mississippi banned abortions performed after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. The law does not permit abortion in the case of rape or incest but permits it when there is a medical emergency or severe fetal abnormality. The 15-week period is odd. A fetus begins to have a heartbeat after 6 weeks ..read more

Stephen Kershnar Kathy Hochul’s Mandate Dunkirk-Fredonia Observer January 10, 2021               Kathy Hochul recently required CUNY and SUNY faculty members be vaccinated.             The state should not protect faculty against themselves. That is, the state should avoid paternalistic employment conditions. The state would not be justified in requiring that faculty – or other employees – avoid divorce, obesity, or gender-transition even if such requirements were good for the fac ..read more

Stephen Kershnar Standing at the Crossroads Dunkirk-Fredonia Observer November 12, 2021               The State University of New York at Fredonia appears to be standing at the crossroads.             First, the school’s enrollment is dropping. The school currently has roughly 3,800 students. By way of contrast, it had roughly 5,800 students in 2010. According to the Democrat & Chronicle, from 2011 to 2021, Fredonia’s enrollment fell 33%. In general, during this period, SUNY e ..read more

Stephen Kershnar Immigration and the Essence of a Nation Dunkirk-Fredonia Observer December 27, 2021               Large numbers of immigrants have recently come to the United States. This will change the country.               Using Census Bureau numbers, the Center for Immigration Studies reports that in the USthere are now 46 million immigrants (legal and illegal). This is the largest number ever recorded. Immigrants are now 14.2%of the population. Roughly, this percentage ..read more

Stephen Kershnar The Left Ratchets Up Its Control of Academia Dunkirk-Fredonia Observer December 14, 2021               The left has a chokehold on universities. This will shape the America for years to come. Americans are roughly evenly split between liberals and conservatives. Here I use party affiliation as evidence of political orientation. The Pew Research Foundation found that the ratio of Democrats to Republicans is 1.1 to 1, that is, roughly equal (2020 data). Specifically, 33% of registered voters identify as Democrats and 29 ..read more