By Christy Barritt

Jesus Second Most Popular Person in America

Abraham Lincoln tops the list of most popular people in America, but Jesus is right behind him. That’s the findings from a recent Public Policy Polling survey.

According to the survey, 90 percent of Americans view Jesus favorably.

The national survey was taken to see if anyone in history could beat the record-high level of popularity Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had—89 percent.

Other high-ranking persons include George Washington, who was favored by 86 percent; Mother Teresa, who came in at 83 percent; and Martin Luther King Jr., who was favored by 74 percent.

Survey Shows Slice of American Opinion

The Public Religion Research Institute recently released a poll that showed a strong majority (60 percent) of Americans said that society would be better off if the distribution of wealth was more equal. 

The 2011 American Values Survey was taken to explore the issues at the intersection of religion, values, and politics.

According to the survey, most Americans (70 percent) strongly support increasing the tax rate on Americans earning more than one million dollars per year. Most Americans (67 percent) also support raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 per hour.

Another interesting finding from the survey was that two-thirds of voters said it is very important or somewhat important for a presidential candidate to have strong religious beliefs.

Bill Seeks to Micromanage Homeschoolers

A new bill has been introduced by a New Jersey state senator that will require homeschooling parents in the state to file documents showing their child has been to the doctor at least once in the last year.

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) said in a press release that submitting medical records to the state is a unique and unheard of step and “would cause a catastrophic destruction of homeschool freedom in New Jersey.”

The bill, according to many, would increase regulation and give public school districts power to draft homeschooled children back into public education.

The HSLDA believes this bill is in response to a tragic child-abuse case where an 8-year-old homeschooled girl was found dead in her parents’ home. The cause of death was listed as malnutrition and complications from a broken leg.

If the bill passes, homeschooling parents will also have to file documents detailing their curriculum, textbooks, and a letter of intent to homeschool.

America’s Most Overweight Cities Named

Men’s Health magazine recently released its list of the unheathiest cities in America.

To reach their conclusions, the magazine calculated the percentage of people in the city who are overweight, the percentage with type 2 diabetes, the percentage of those who haven’t left the couch in a month (as reported by the CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System), money spent on junk food (from the Bureau of Labor Statistics), and the number of people who ate fast food nine or more times a month (from Mediamark Research).

According to the study, Texas grabbed the majority of top spots. The most overweight city is Corpus Christi, Texas, followed by Charleston, West Virginia; El Paso, Texas; Dallas, Texas; and Memphis, Tennessee.

Texas legislators are trying to fight the state’s weight problem with a bill requiring chain restaurants to list nutrition information on their menus.

Christy Barritt is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and speaker living in Chesapeake, Virginia. She and her husband Scott have two sons.  www.christybarritt.com