Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
-
opinion
California’s ‘Pro-Worker’ Law Is Killing Jobs Left and Right
If you want less of something, raise its price. That’s the logic behind policies such as cigarette and soda taxes and plastic bag fees. Somehow, policymakers in California thought that by raising the cost of doing business with independent workers, they could make all those workers better off. But now, instead of higher benefits and… -
opinion
Remembering Gertrude Himmelfarb, a Voice of Moral Clarity in a Time of Moral Confusion
America has lost a voice that strongly and consistently provided the road map to steer us away from the political and cultural abyss we currently face. That voice belonged to historian Gertrude Himmelfarb, who died Dec. 30 at age 97. Gertrude spoke passionately about how our most important institutions—families, communities, churches, and private enterprise—must be… -
opinion
How the 2010s Became the Decade of Debt
At the end of 2009, the total federal debt was $12.3 trillion—a staggering amount of money. Now, it stands at an astonishing $23.1 trillion. That’s roughly $180,500 of debt for every U.S. household. It is important for Americans to understand how we got here, and what lawmakers can do to bring back fiscal sanity. Poor… -
news
It’s Iranian Regime, Not US, That Threatens Persian Culture, Pompeo Says
The United States will not target “cultural sites” in Iran for military strikes, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, days after President Donald Trump alluded to doing so and strongly defended the possible move. Iranian cultural sites are not among U.S. targets, Pompeo told reporters Tuesday during a press conference. “Every target that’s being reviewed,… -
opinion
Newsweek Hits a New Low
If decent people working in mainstream American media want to know why many Americans do not trust them and are willing to use the term “fake news” to describe the mainstream media, I offer one of the most glaring examples of a lie in my lifetime. Last week, Newsweek headlined the following: “Conservative Radio Host… -
opinion
Add Iran’s Leadership to the Ash Heap of History
Addressing the British Parliament in 1982, President Ronald Reagan outlined a plan for placing the Soviet Union and Marxism-Leninism on the “ash heap of history.” It is an objective President Donald Trump might pursue against the mullahs in Iran, who are subsidizing terrorism in the Middle East and threatening to export it elsewhere. The latest… -
opinion
Reputations and Respect Are Earned by Action, Not Talk
At the August 2017 gathering of the Aspen Security Forum, one of the prominent security conferences held annually in the United States, a panel discussed the implications of the Trump administration’s emerging Middle East policies. Since the panel was composed mostly of former Obama administration officials, as you would imagine the group was quite critical… -
news
Court Order Stops Texas Hospital From Removing Baby’s Life Support Against Family’s Wishes
A court order Friday prevented a Texas hospital from removing baby Tinslee Lewis from life support until the court makes a final ruling in the case. The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, Texas, granted the baby emergency relief and ordered Cook Children’s Medical Center not to remove Tinslee from life support until the court makes… -
news
New Planned Parenthood Report Shows Increase in Abortions
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America aborted 345,672 babies during the 2018 fiscal year, the organization’s annual report shows. Planned Parenthood’s 2018-2019 annual report shows that the organization performed 12,915 more abortions during the 2018 fiscal year than the organization did between 2017-2018. The nation’s largest abortion provider performed 345,672 abortions between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2018,… -
opinion
I Lost My Child Due to a Driver High on Marijuana. Now, This Bill Would Reward Big Pot.
Seven years ago, I got a call every parent fears: I lost my daughter to a driver who was high on “legal” marijuana. With this new pot vaping crisis, I’m worried more parents will lose their children if we don’t stop the growth of the marijuana industry. Across the nation, a growing number of vaping-related… -
news
5 Things to Know About Top Iranian General Killed by US Airstrike
President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike in Iraq on Thursday that killed Gen. Qassim Suleimani, one of the most senior members of the Iranian government. Suleimani, with the rank of major general, headed the Quds Force, the terrorist arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “Soleimani made the death of innocent people his sick passion,… -
opinion
How US Strike Against Iranian General Changes Rules of Game in Iraq, Region
The U.S. airstrike Thursday night that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Suleimani was a bold and decisive effort to remove a key Iranian military and terrorist leader at a time when Iran appeared to be poised to escalate the crisis in Iraq by plotting an “imminent attack,” according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Suleimani was… -
news
Kurdish Opposition Prepares for War After Iran’s Top General Dies in US Drone Strike
KYIV, Ukraine—After a U.S. airstrike in Iraq killed Iran’s top military commander, members of a coalition of Iraq-based, Kurdish Iranian militias say they are ready to go to war against Tehran. “We accept the U.S. military as a liberation army. In the event of war, we will return to our country and fight with our… -
opinion
J.K. Rowling Is Taking Heat From the LGBT Left. The Reason Should Concern Us All.
Just weeks ago, few could have predicted the fiery backlash that J.K. Rowling, author of the bestselling “Harry Potter” series, would receive from her own fans. Yet just before Christmas, that’s exactly what she received. Why? Because she dared defend a woman who was fired simply for expressing a defense of biological reality. Rowling’s level-headed… -
opinion
Iran’s Top General Is Dead. What You Need to Know.
U.S. forces killed one of Iran’s most powerful men, Qassim Suleimani, early Friday morning in Baghdad. He was leader of the elite Quds Force, the division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that conducts spying and terrorist operations outside Iran, and the order came directly from President Donald Trump. Jim Carafano of The Heritage Foundation… -
opinion
Early Feminists Were Right About Unborn Human Life
Although they were considered radical at the time, American suffragists were unrelenting in their efforts to transform our country’s politics and empower women with the right to vote. The year 2020 marks the centennial of their victory in that battle, and while it is an occasion to celebrate, it is also a reminder that we must continue the… -
opinion
For Israelis, the Term ‘Safe Spaces’ Isn’t Academic
In American academia, a “safe space” is an environment in which a person or an identity group can seek “shelter” from being exposed to perceived criticism, harassment, or emotional harm. But in Israel, a country the size of New Jersey, the term “safe space” has an entirely different meaning. Israelis live in constant fear of… -
news
Political Tensions Rise as US Strike Kills Iran’s Suleimani
Iran is threatening retaliation and Iraq is considering forcing U.S. officials out of the country after an American drone strike killed Qassem Suleimani, the notorious Iranian general blamed for the deaths of hundreds of Americans. Suleimani, leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and considered a terrorist by American officials for years, also headed Iranian-affiliated… -
opinion
The 2010s: A Decade of Marital and Sexual Erosion
Originally published by USA Today. A decade ago, President Barack Obama affirmed that marriage unites a man and woman. So did 45 states and the federal government. The only states to redefine marriage had done so through activist court rulings or, in 2009, legislative action. At the ballot box, citizens had uniformly voted against redefinition. A majority agreed with Obama. Then, in 2012, Obama “evolved,” and… -
opinion
Killing Ourselves With Hate
The recent shooting inside a kosher supermarket in Jersey City, New Jersey, is the latest example that we Americans are literally killing ourselves with hatred for our neighbors. It is just the latest in an ever-lengthening litany of putrid examples showing the terrible consequences of hating the “other” rather than loving in our hearts all…