Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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opinion
Why Federal Highway Policy Is a Speed Bump Slowing Down Better Roads
Taxpayers from all 50 states pay into the Highway Trust Fund when they fill their tanks with gas or diesel fuel. That sends billions of dollars a year to Washington, which then cuts checks to state governments in the form of infrastructure grants overseen by federal bureaucrats. It’s hard to tell just what shuffling so… -
opinion
This Conservative Group Fought IRS for Years. Now a Court’s Given It a Victory.
Last month, Judge Reggie Walton ruled in favor of True the Vote, a conservative voting rights group that first sued the IRS in 2013. We spoke to Catherine Engelbrecht, the group’s founder, for our June 24 Daily Signal podcast. Below is a lightly edited transcript of that conversation. Virginia Allen: Catherine, you founded True the… -
opinion
This Man Is Facing Foreclosure, $30K Fine Because He Didn’t Mow His Lawn
The city of Dunedin, Florida, wants Jim Ficken’s home. Ficken’s mom died, so he went to South Carolina to take care of her estate. He asked a friend to look after his house. But then the friend died, and no one cut Ficken’s grass. When it grew to 10 inches, Dunedin officials started fining him… -
news
Labor Secretary Acosta Resigns Amid Epstein Controversy
Unable to put to rest questions of his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned Friday after serving more than two years in the position. “A Cabinet position is a temporary trust. I must set aside a part of me that wants to continue my service with thousands of talented professionals… -
opinion
How Technicalities Ended the Census Case
Speaking from the Rose Garden on Thursday, President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr accepted that they couldn’t put the citizenship question on the 2020 census. Barr said that the administration would have won the lawsuits, but that “logistical impediments” made it impossible to win the cases in time for the census. For two… -
opinion
A Conservative Vision for Health Care
Top Democrats have moved way beyond Obamacare and are now pushing Medicare for All—a single-payer, government-run program. Surveys show that Americans like the sound of Medicare for All until they learn what it would do. I recently spoke with Grace-Marie Turner, a leading health care expert from the Galen Institute. She unpacked what’s wrong with… -
news
4 Reasons the Left Is So Invested in the Census Debate
President Donald Trump is signing an executive order directing every agency to assist in getting a reliable count of citizens and noncitizens in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration, and others agencies that have population data will be required to share with the Commerce Department to get an accurate… -
news
Acosta Defends Role in Epstein Deal
Fending off calls for his resignation or firing, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta on Wednesday defended his role as a federal prosecutor in Florida more than a decade ago in what is widely viewed as a plea deal with billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that resulted in a lenient sentence. He said a federal trial would… -
opinion
Amazon Just Banned My Dad’s Therapy Books, Caving to LGBT Activists
On Amazon, you can buy almost any book written throughout human history—from the Bible to Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” or even a book glorifying pedophilia. As of last week, however, you cannot get any of Dr. Joseph Nicolosi Sr.’s books about leaving homosexuality—because Amazon just banned them all. From 1981 until his death in 2017,… -
opinion
Epstein, Bean, and Buck: The Democratic Donors’ Sex-Creep Club
Well, well, well. “Follow the facts,” Democratic strategist Christine Pelosi now advises fellow liberals in the wake of billionaire and high-flying political financier Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex trafficking indictment this week. Some of “our faves” could be implicated in the long-festering scandal, the Pelosi daughter warned, so it’s time to “let the chips fall where… -
opinion
What Ross Perot Gave to America
Conditions in Iran were rapidly deteriorating in 1978. The shah had stepped down, the prime minister had no ability to stop the growing political and social upheaval, and the mullahs, led by the Ayatollah Khomenei, were aggressively moving to seize power. Ross Perot’s company, Electronic Data Systems, was on the verge of fully completing a… -
opinion
Congress’ Current Approach to Surprise Medical Billing Could Have Unintended Consequences
Congress is rushing legislation on “surprise medical bills” that is conceptually flawed, legally dubious, and which could have profound and far-reaching consequences for the private practice of medicine. At issue are medical bills that consumers receive from providers who aren’t part of their health plan’s network. For example, patients who schedule a procedure to be… -
opinion
Misrepresenting Themselves at the Border
It’s not just the number of individuals crossing our southwest border illegally that’s surging; it’s the number of families. But many of those “families” turn out not to be families at all, but frauds trying to exploit loopholes in federal immigration laws that allow families to avoid detention and deportation back to their native countries…. -
opinion
Top Psychologists Group Member Advocates ‘Nonjudgmental Posture’ to Nonmonogamy
Just when you think you’ve heard it all, the American Psychological Association decides this: Monogamy is the new bigotry. That’s right. According to the supposed “mental health experts,” open marriages are the tolerant approach to intimacy. And they’ve launched a task force to prove it to the world. According to the APA’s official description of this… -
opinion
Megan Rapinoe Has No Good Reason to Skip Potential White House Visit
The U.S. women are the world soccer champions. They are the hard-fought victors of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, having defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the final last weekend. Unfortunately, their outstanding performance has been overshadowed by an ongoing feud between Megan Rapinoe, the team’s co-captain, and President Donald Trump, leader of the free world…. -
opinion
New Book Offers Vision for ‘American Restoration’ Beginning at Home
In an age of moral outrage and endless Twitter war, a more refreshing and hopeful vision of America’s future is a rare and welcome blessing. A new book, “American Restoration: How Faith, Family, and Personal Sacrifice Can Heal Our Nation,” by Timothy Goeglein and Craig Osten is just such a blessing, and it comes at… -
opinion
This ‘Endangered Species’ Case Finally Ended in Defeat for the Government
Last week saw a major victory for property rights and an end to another Endangered Species Act horror story. The saga began in 2012 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that 1,544 acres of land in Louisiana was “critical habitat” for an endangered species known as the dusky gopher frog. As a result… -
opinion
USDA Is Funneling ‘Trade Aid’ to the Agriculture Sector. It’s Old-Fashioned Corporate Welfare.
There is renewed hope for trade talks with China—a welcome development for the American economy. But the damage caused by the fight continues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is using the situation as an excuse to funnel more taxpayer money to the agricultural industry. It is spending $16 billion on trade aid for farmers affected… -
opinion
As Iran Inches Closer to Nuclear Weapon, What US Can Do
Iran is forging ahead with its nuclear program, and that’s creating more uncertainty in the Middle East. So what’s the best way to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons? Today Luke Coffey of The Heritage Foundation has some ideas. Read the transcript, posted below, or listen on the podcast: We also cover these stories: Democrat…