Columns ‹ Opinion

Michael Medved
Michael Medved is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host and bestselling author. His daily three hour show reaches 200 stations across the country and an audience of 4.7 million placing him, for ten years in a row, on the Talkers Magazine list of the top ten political talks shows in the United States. Michael’s columns on politics and media appear regularly in the Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast and USA Today, where he is a member of the Board of Contributors.
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The Real Reason the South Left the Union
Tragic recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia raise new questions about an old debate. Why did Southern states leave the Union in the first place, resulting in a war that killed more than 700,000 Americans?
Mississippi, the 2nd of 11 states that ultimately seceded from the federal government, gave a clear explanation in its 1861 declaration of secession:...
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The Real Reason the South Left the Union
Tragic recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia raise new questions about an old debate. Why did Southern states leave the Union in the first place, resulting in a war that killed more than 700,000 Americans?
Mississippi, the 2nd of 11 states that ultimately seceded from the federal government, gave a clear explanation in its 1861 declaration of secession:...
Read More

Confronting the Truth Behind the Monument Debates
The raging debate over statues honoring Southern leaders in the Civil War turns on the true nature of the Confederate cause.
Ten days after adoption of the Confederate Constitution, the future Vice President of the Confederacy, Alexander H. Stephens, proclaimed:
Our new government is founded upon exactly this idea: its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests...
Read More

Confronting the Truth Behind the Monument Debates
The raging debate over statues honoring Southern leaders in the Civil War turns on the true nature of the Confederate cause.
Ten days after adoption of the Confederate Constitution, the future Vice President of the Confederacy, Alexander H. Stephens, proclaimed:
Our new government is founded upon exactly this idea: its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests...
Read More

Confronting the Truth Behind the Monument Debates
The raging debate over statues honoring Southern leaders in the Civil War turns on the true nature of the Confederate cause.
Ten days after adoption of the Confederate Constitution, the future Vice President of the Confederacy, Alexander H. Stephens, proclaimed:
Our new government is founded upon exactly this idea: its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests...
Read More

Confronting the Truth Behind the Monument Debates
The raging debate over statues honoring Southern leaders in the Civil War turns on the true nature of the Confederate cause.
Ten days after adoption of the Confederate Constitution, the future Vice President of the Confederacy, Alexander H. Stephens, proclaimed:
Our new government is founded upon exactly this idea: its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests...
Read More

A Monumental Decision: Not Federal, and Not About Feelings
Angry debates over Confederate monuments often involve a series of misunderstandings about the underlying issues.
First, no one seriously argues that statues should be removed because they’re hurting someone’s feelings. The real case against the memorials is that no one should be honored for service to a dishonorable cause.
Number two, it’s...
Read More

A Monumental Decision: Not Federal, and Not About Feelings
Angry debates over Confederate monuments often involve a series of misunderstandings about the underlying issues.
First, no one seriously argues that statues should be removed because they’re hurting someone’s feelings. The real case against the memorials is that no one should be honored for service to a dishonorable cause.
Number two, it’s...
Read More

A Monumental Decision: Not Federal, and Not About Feelings
Angry debates over Confederate monuments often involve a series of misunderstandings about the underlying issues.
First, no one seriously argues that statues should be removed because they’re hurting someone’s feelings. The real case against the memorials is that no one should be honored for service to a dishonorable cause.
Number two, it’s...
Read More

A Monumental Decision: Not Federal, and Not About Feelings
Angry debates over Confederate monuments often involve a series of misunderstandings about the underlying issues.
First, no one seriously argues that statues should be removed because they’re hurting someone’s feelings. The real case against the memorials is that no one should be honored for service to a dishonorable cause.
Number two, it’s...
Read More

The Over-hyped “Dangerous Divisions”
Following the horrible events in Charlottesville, Virginia, the public seems deeply alarmed at the dangerous divisions in the country. But what are the substantive issues that actually divide the country?
When it comes to hate festivals staged by neo-Nazis and the KKK, there’s virtually no disagreement: nearly every American, left or right, and certainly...
Read More

The Overhyped “Dangerous Divisions”
Following the horrible events in Charlottesville, Virginia, the public seems deeply alarmed at the dangerous divisions in the country. But what are the substantive issues that actually divide the country?
When it comes to hate festivals staged by neo-Nazis and the KKK, there’s virtually no disagreement: nearly every American, left or right, and certainly...
Read More

Drawing the Line on the Confederate Monuments
Current arguments over Confederate monuments often involve the question of drawing a line. The majority of the first nine American presidents owned slaves, so should we destroy memorials to all of them?
The obvious answer is no—unless such monuments specifically honored these men for their support of an evil institution, and none of them do. The Jefferson...
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Drawing the Line on the Confederate Monuments
Current arguments over Confederate monuments often involve the question of drawing a line. The majority of the first nine American presidents owned slaves, so should we destroy memorials to all of them?
The obvious answer is no—unless such monuments specifically honored these men for their support of an evil institution, and none of them do. The Jefferson...
Read More

Cultivating Positive Attitudes in Difficult Times
By Diane Medved, Ph.D.
Got distress? It seems to be everywhere right now—the political scene is wild, the world is precarious, and too many relationships are teetering. But a counter-intuitive response might help.
In researching my new book Don’t Divorce: Powerful Arguments for Saving and Revitalizing your Marriage, I found a critical factor that can...
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Steps in the Right Direction on Healthcare
Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, one of the most widely respected members of either House of Congress, has begun negotiating a last-ditch healthcare reform that deserves bipartisan support. His approach urges Republicans to extend insurance subsidies under Obamacare to prevent an imminent explosion in health insurance costs. In return, Democrats...
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