The president and some members of Congress have started an important conversation about criminal justice reform. But while we are having that conversation, it is crucial that we get some of the facts straight.

At a recent conference, Senator Elizabeth Warren lamented that this country criminalizes low-level drug offenses. She said, “More people [are] locked up for low-level offenses on marijuana than for all violent crimes in this county. That makes no sense at all.”

She is certainly correct. It doesn’t make any sense. That’s because it isn’t true. Rafael Mangual in a recent op-ed looks at the numbers. The total incarcerated population in the US is just over 2.1 million. In the federal prisons, there is a high percentage serving time for drug offenses, but they are not pot smokers. Most are federal drug traffickers. In the state prisons, only about 15 percent are serving time for a drug offense. Again, the vast majority are in for trafficking. And it is worth mentioning that even the small percentage in for drug possession may have settled on that charge after a plea bargain.

In addition to the argument that we are putting people in prison for minor drug offenses, is the argument that we are also putting too many black men behind bars. Let’s begin by stating the obvious. There is a racial disparity. African-Americans make up about 13 percent of the population, meaning that black men make up about 6.5 percent of the American population. Nevertheless, they make up approximately one-third of state prison populations.

The latest figures from the Bureau of Justice show that blacks constitute 35 percent of violent offenders, 45 percent of weapons offenders, 27 percent of property offenders, and 31 percent of drug offenders. Those figures explain why more black men are behind bars, and illustrate why we need to get some of these facts straight.

If you do an online search of the term “cultural Marxism,” you will see a Wikipedia entry that dismisses it as a “conspiracy theory” that is supposedly trying to take over Western culture. Actually, it is the dominant form of Marxism in America and in much of the West today.

Dr. Paul Kengor was on the Point of View radio talk show with me to talk about his recent article about cultural Marxism. He explained that cultural Marxism began about a century ago in Germany because the proponents felt that orthodox Marxism was too limiting and too narrow. They wanted revolutionary changes in marriage, sexuality, and family.

They looked to the universities as a place where their ideas could be launched. They would organize the students, the artists, and the media to transform Western society. Instead of focusing on an economic war, they wanted to bring a cultural war.

One of the key figures in cultural Marxism was Antonio Gramsci, who taught that they should seize the “cultural means of production.” That would be the media and the universities. He believed that the social transformation would be able to “march through the institutions.”

One place where cultural Marxism is evident today is in what is called “critical theory.” Paul Kengor reminded us that Barack Obama’s alma mater, Occidental College, has a Department of Critical Theory and Social Justice. It promises to instruct students in the principles of “Marxism, psychoanalysis, the Frankfurt School, deconstruction, critical race studies, queer theory, feminist theory, postcolonial theory.”

If you have been near a college campus lately, this should all sound very familiar. This is not a “conspiracy theory” but an accurate picture of the march of cultural Marxism through the institutions.

Mention celebrity suicides and you immediately think of Robin Williams, Anthony Bourdain, and Kate Spade. Talk about teen suicides and you think of the lost potential of young people. After all, it is the third leading cause of death among 10-24-year-olds.

Every day at least 123 Americans die of suicide. It is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. Depression is one reason, a psychological disorder that affects nearly a fourth of American adults in a given year. And only half of all Americans experiencing an episode of major depression receive treatment.

It is also true that more than half of those who do commit suicide had no history of “mental health” problems. Troubled relationships, substance abuse, health issues, and financial woes are some of the other challenges that contribute to suicide.

Sociologists document that people are more isolated than ever before. On the other hand, we may be more connected virtually through social media, but that is not the same as face-to-face interaction and friendships. Families, churches, and social groups can provide an answer to the suicide epidemic.

Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” We should take comfort in that verse, but also be the hands and feet of Jesus to reach out to those who are crushed and broken-hearted.

Parents also have an important role to play. Asking your child about suicide does not cause suicidal behavior, but can provide a caring and empathetic conversation that might save his or her life. They should look for warning signs. One study found that four out of five teen suicide attempts were preceded by clear warning signs.

We are living in the midst of a suicide epidemic. That is why each of us should be watching for any cry for help and attention.

Earlier this month, I talked about how many liberal progressives complained that Alan Dershowitz had changed. Actually, they are the ones who have changed. In a recent op-ed, Dershowitz explains about how the ACLU has abandoned its original mission. He should know, since he served on the national board in the early days of his career.

He writes, “The director of the American Civil Liberties Union has now acknowledged what should have been obvious to everybody over the past several years: The ACLU is no longer a neutral defender of everyone’s civil liberties.” I am not sure how neutral the ACLU always was in the past, but I will concede the point to him.

He says that they used a key test back in those days that he calls “the shoe on the other foot” test. In other words, “Would you vote the same way if the shoe were on the other foot?” He concludes that now “the ACLU wears only one shoe, and it is on the left foot. Its color is blue.” The organization now seems only interested in taking cases and supporting policies that promote progressive ideas and the Democrat Party.

Some of us can remember when the ACLU would occasionally take a very controversial high-profile case. They might defend the rights of neo-Nazis or Klan members to march.

An article in the New Yorker says, “The ACLU is getting involved in elections—and reinventing itself for the Trump era.” Not only is it getting involved in election campaigns, but it plans to spend $25 million on races and ballot initiatives. This is quite a change for a group that used to be called nonpartisan.

Frankly, the ACLU has been a left-leaning organization since its founding, but it at least tried to occasionally play both sides of the civil liberties question. That is no longer the case, as it is now injecting itself and its ideology into American politics.

This summer we will certainly hear that the warmer temperatures demonstrate that we are headed for a climate doomsday. That is why Vijay Jayaraj wrote an article with the provocative title, “Why Climate Doomsday Won’t Happen This Summer.” I suppose his predictions could be as accurate as any of the others we have heard. He has four points.

First, the world just experienced one of its coldest recorded winters in history. Cities like New York registered record snowfall (highest in 130 years). Many cities in the US and Canada broke 80-year old record-lows. Even the UK experienced snowy conditions well into spring.

He is quick to acknowledge that a cold winter doesn’t guarantee a mild summer. But he believes we might at least remind ourselves that global temperatures have not been increasing in the way we have been warned in the media.

Second, the global average temperature is rising, but it isn’t even close to the rate claimed by climate alarmists. At the very least it would suggest that the computer climate models are missing key data and information. If the models don’t model reality, something must be off. At least that is the conclusion we reached when I was in graduate school doing computer models and simulations.

Third, carbon dioxide emissions are not the primary driver of global temperatures. The last two decades constituted the highest increase in carbon dioxide. Yet, the rate of global temperatures was lower than in previous decades.

Finally, the Arctic and Antarctic ice masses are stable. Alarmists talk about Arctic melting because the Antarctic ice mass is increasing. In fact, even the Arctic mass is stable. And it is worth mentioning that the polar bear populations are stable.

These are just a few facts to remember the next time you hear someone in the media predicting an imminent climate doomsday.

What is the American Creed? That is a question David Gelernter asks in his book, America-Lite. He has been on my radio program to talk about his book and his op-ed that appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

He is a fascinating individual. He received two degrees in classical Hebrew literature, but then became a professor of computer science at Yale University. Some have called him a “rock star” in the world of computing. You might also remember that he was one of the people who was critically injured when he opened a mail bomb sent by “the Unabomber.”

He believes that we need to return to the principles that made this country great. Unfortunately, he says “many of us don’t know what they are, or think they can’t work.” He blames the public schools and the academy for this failure to pass on the basic ideals that have served America so well for centuries.

He laments that “Almost no one believes that our public schools are doing a passable job of teaching American and Western civilization.” Textbooks and class lectures in our education system today often start with the assumption that America and Western ideals are bad for civilization. He concludes that “Many American children have never heard a good word for the United States, the West, Judaism, or Christianity their whole lives.”

He also laments that our “American culture is in the hands of intellectuals” which he says are usually people “born with high IQ and low common sense.” He gives lots of examples of this. You can probably think of many other examples of people that are very bright but lacking in basic common sense.

America’s creed is quite simple: “Freedom, equality, democracy, and America as the promised land.” The early founders believed in America as a city on a hill, as did many presidents right up to President Reagan.

It is time to use our American creed to evaluate those who are teaching our kids and those who are leading our nation.

The marriage rate in America has been in decline for many years. Consider that in the year 2000, married 25-to-34-year-olds outnumbered their never-married peers (55% to 34%). By 2015, however, those percentages were almost reversed (40% to 53%). Young people are not getting married for a variety of reasons.

Many economists argue that men are avoiding marriage because they have lower wages and want to increase their income before asking a woman to marry them. But the latest research shows that even where wages have increased dramatically, we see no appreciable change in marriage rates.

Another theory is that men are fearful of commitment. Obviously, there is some truth to that. But again we can find surveys that show that men plan to get married but are content to postpone marriage. The median age of marriage for American men is now approaching 30.

Sociology professor Mark Regnerus (University of Texas) has published research that explains why men are postponing marriage. It can be summarized in two words: cheap sex. “As compared to the past, many women today expect little in return for sex, in terms of time, attention, commitment, or fidelity. Men, in turn, do not feel compelled to supply these goods as they once did.”

He also adds one other explanation: pornography. “Online porn has made sexual experience more widely and easily available too. A laptop never says no, and for many men, virtual women are now genuine competition for real partners.”

When many of us were growing up, we sometimes heard our mothers or grandmothers warn young girls about giving themselves away. They asked, “Why buy a cow when you can get milk for free?” This recent study confirms what they were telling their daughters years ago.

The US birth rate has been dropping for decades and has now reached an historic low according to the data published by the Centers for Disease Control. Response to this new data has been varied.

An article in Vox provides a number of charts to explain the phenomenon and then concludes that the historically low birthrate could be a sign of progress. Other commentators (especially Christian commentators) warn that we are headed for a “demographic winter.”

The fertility rate is one important measure of a nation’s well-being. If fewer children are born, then you will have an older population with fewer young, healthy workers to maintain productivity.

Why is our fertility rate declining? Economist Lyman Stone believes much of the decline is driven by the fact that society isn’t organized to support women having babies. Others believe the bad economy is to blame.

Sociologist Bradford Wilcox reminds us that US marriage rates have been declining along with birth rates. He also says that there is even a declining interest in sex among young people. Why is that? He points to the prevalence of pornography along with a smartphone culture that focuses much more on virtual relationships rather than actual relationships.

One more factor should also be mentioned: mental health. Happy and hopeful people are more likely to have children than depressed and discouraged people. We are seeing higher rates of anxiety, depression, and despair. This is certainly true for young people in America today. One Psychology Today article a number of years ago made a startling observation: “the average high school kid today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the early 1950s.”

Once again, this is a reminder that our society needs the hope of the gospel if we are to reverse some of these discouraging statistics.