Katherine Kersten
Encyclopedia
Katherine Kersten is a conservative columnist who writes for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
universities, began her career as a financial analyst for a Chicago bank. Subsequently, she worked as a budget planner for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After moving to the Twin Cities
, she studied at and graduated from University of Minnesota Law School
and began practicing law in Minnesota. After the second of her four children was born in 1985, she quit this job to become an opinion writer and commentator. She was a founding member of the think tank Center of the American Experiment
and has written for publications such as Christianity Today
and the Wall Street Journal.
Kersten now works for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
and other institutes of higher learning for having what she perceives to be a liberal
bias. She is a supporter of ROTC programs at the U of M. She has also been a strong critic of Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy
, which she argues is a religious Muslim
school which should not be funded with taxpayer dollars.
Kersten opposes gay marriage, which she has likened to a "perilous, slippery slope". She argues that "the primary purpose of marriage is to ensure the best environment for rearing the children born of male-female sexual acts" and that legalization of gay marriage may eventually lead to the legalization of polygamy
as well. She also opposes affirmative action
for racial minorities and compared President Clinton
's handling of the issue to "the Phil Donohue school of policy making. It may make us feel good about ourselves, but it's unlikely to make much of a dent in the problems we face."
She has identified herself as a conservative feminist, arguing that women have suffered injustice and still do, that the solution rests on Western culture, and that the sexes must be equal although she also argues that perfection is humanly unattainable.
Kersten has criticized Representative Keith Ellison
's calls for a United States Department of Peace, arguing that the idea is unrealistic in a violent world.
She has a very positive view of Wal-Mart
and its impact on society, defending it against critics who argue that it hurts small business.
Background
Kersten, a graduate of Notre Dame and YaleYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
universities, began her career as a financial analyst for a Chicago bank. Subsequently, she worked as a budget planner for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After moving to the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
, she studied at and graduated from University of Minnesota Law School
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...
and began practicing law in Minnesota. After the second of her four children was born in 1985, she quit this job to become an opinion writer and commentator. She was a founding member of the think tank Center of the American Experiment
Center of the American Experiment
The Center of the American Experiment is a conservative free market think tank in Minnesota, USA.-Overview:The Center of the American Experiment was founded in 1990. Its founder and President is Michael Pearlstein, a former Reagan appointee. Annette Meeks used to serve as its CEO. It has received...
and has written for publications such as Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
and the Wall Street Journal.
Kersten now works for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Views
Kersten has criticized the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and other institutes of higher learning for having what she perceives to be a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
bias. She is a supporter of ROTC programs at the U of M. She has also been a strong critic of Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy
Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy
Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy is an elementary school in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota named after Tarek ibn Ziyad, the Berber general of medieval Morroco who entered Gibraltar in 711 CE on behalf of the Umayyad Caliphate and defeated the Visigoths. The school is sponsored by Islamic Relief USA...
, which she argues is a religious Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
school which should not be funded with taxpayer dollars.
Kersten opposes gay marriage, which she has likened to a "perilous, slippery slope". She argues that "the primary purpose of marriage is to ensure the best environment for rearing the children born of male-female sexual acts" and that legalization of gay marriage may eventually lead to the legalization of polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
as well. She also opposes affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
for racial minorities and compared President Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's handling of the issue to "the Phil Donohue school of policy making. It may make us feel good about ourselves, but it's unlikely to make much of a dent in the problems we face."
She has identified herself as a conservative feminist, arguing that women have suffered injustice and still do, that the solution rests on Western culture, and that the sexes must be equal although she also argues that perfection is humanly unattainable.
Kersten has criticized Representative Keith Ellison
Keith Ellison (politician)
Keith Maurice Ellison is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The district centers on Minneapolis. He was re-elected in 2010. Ellison is a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.He is the first Muslim to be elected to the...
's calls for a United States Department of Peace, arguing that the idea is unrealistic in a violent world.
She has a very positive view of Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
and its impact on society, defending it against critics who argue that it hurts small business.