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
The Federal Government Shouldn’t Build a 5G Network
National security officials reportedly are considering federal funding and construction of a faster, higher capacity nationwide wireless network to counter a similar effort by the Chinese government. But expanding government interference in telecommunications would not advance national security or technological innovation. According to Axios.com, a memo and PowerPoint presentation crafted by an unnamed senior official… -
opinion
University of Texas at Austin Nixes Beijing-Funded Propaganda Institute
The University of Texas at Austin has become the latest North American institution of higher learning to reject the idea of a Chinese Confucius Institute on its campus. Confucius Institutes are major elements in the Chinese global propaganda offensive, being offered with millions of dollars in funding to universities and colleges around the world by the… -
opinion
We Hear You: The Schumer Shutdown, ‘Dreamers,’ 2 Marches, and California’s Tax Grab
Editor's note: The Daily Signal's readers weren't favorably impressed by the Democrat-driven government "shutdown" that barely outlasted a weekend. Nothingburger or not, it leads our roundup today. Be sure to write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Regarding Genevieve Wood’s commentary on the government shutdown, politicians would rather have an issue than a solution… -
opinion
Must-See Moments: ‘Tolerant’ Hollywood Continues to Attack Sarah Huckabee Sanders
The Daily Signal’s Facebook Live show “Top 10” features the top news stories of the week—many of which went largely misreported by the mainstream media and some of which were hardly reported at all. This week, Hollywood took aim at White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. In response to a tweet from MSNBC host… -
opinion
What’s at Stake for US Farmers and Ranchers in NAFTA Renegotiations
The current NAFTA renegotiations between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have major implications for American farmers, ranchers, and consumers, as shown by a new Heritage Foundation report. Agricultural trade in general is extremely important to the U.S. In 2016, agricultural exports totaled nearly $135 billion—more than three times the total in 1989. For many American… -
opinion
Michael Wolff Is the Misogynist the Left Loves
Conservative women who work for the Trump administration just can’t catch a break. “Fire and Fury” author Michael Wolff displayed the worst kind of misogyny toward U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley last week, suggesting on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” that Haley engaged in an extramarital affair with President Donald Trump. “I was absolutely sure… -
opinion
MAGA Hats Aren’t the Problem at Polls. Government Banning Speech Is.
States do not have a legitimate interest in stamping out speech on clothing because it might “trigger” a sensitive snowflake at the polls. In Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky, the Supreme Court will decide whether the First Amendment allows states to severely limit free speech on clothing at the polls because it might be construed… -
opinion
Debbie Wasserman Schultz Thinks Your Bonus Is No Big Deal
In the latest good economic news following the passage of tax cuts, Home Depot announced that it would be distributing up to $1,000 bonuses to hourly paid workers. The list of companies now sharing the benefits of tax reform with employees is growing long. In 2011, Democrats celebrated a temporary payroll tax cut that netted… -
opinion
University of Virginia Betrays the Legacy of Its Founder, Thomas Jefferson
The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, which is located in Charlottesville and is dedicated to “the defense of free expression in all its forms,” gives out annual awards called the “Jefferson Muzzles” to individuals and organizations responsible for “especially egregious or ridiculous affronts to free expression.” The center’s first such award… -
opinion
Robots May Be Coming for Some Jobs, but That’s Not Bad News
Sunday evening comes around and you wish the weekend had just one more day. You are just not feeling it. Monday morning, whether you’ll be sitting at a desk or outside on the construction site, looks to be a drag. You wonder if you’re lazy—or is it something else? According to John Tamny, it’s something else…. -
news
Here’s the White House’s Response to European Regulatory Crackdown on ‘Fake News’
Just a week after President Donald Trump’s much-hyped “Fake News Awards,” one of America’s closest allies took up the issue in a more official manner. The British government announced on Tuesday the creation of a unit to combat fake news in the country. This follows a similar announcement by the European Commission. When asked about… -
opinion
This Junk-Science Approach to Sexual Assault Cases Would Trample on Rights of the Accused
A group of bipartisan congressmen have introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would award monetary grants to law enforcement and related agencies that use so-called “trauma-informed investigation” for handling cases of sexual violence and stalking. The money distributed under H.R. 4720 would directly fund training programs that instruct relevant personnel on a… -
opinion
College Tuition Costs Are Out of Control. Here’s How We Can Right the Ship.
You can’t put a price on education, the saying goes, but if you did, it would be very high. And the cost falls on everyone. Indeed, our economy is hampered by a two-pronged higher education problem: Collectively, Americans have racked up some $1.4 trillion in outstanding student loan debt. At the same time, that debt… -
news
Cecile Richards Leaves Behind Brutal Legacy as She Steps Down From Planned Parenthood
Cecile Richards will leave behind a brutal legacy if she departs from her position as the president of Planned Parenthood. Richards—who reportedly told the organization’s board Wednesday that she plans to step down—pioneered a company that has aborted 7,132,130 babies since Margaret Sanger’s founding of the abortion organization. Planned Parenthood doctors aborted more than 328,348 unborn babies in 2016, and… -
opinion
Podcast: Liberals Are Boycotting the State of the Union
The sulking over the 2016 election sure isn’t over. Democrats are now abandoning President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union. Plus: we talk about the bonuses liberal companies are giving because of tax reform, the news that Cecile Richards is stepping down from Planned Parenthood, and the powerful personal stories of the women who… -
opinion
Homeschooling Is Not a Crime
It’s elementary. Education control freaks will use any excuse to crack down on competition. With 2 million K-12 students now educated at home (including our 9th-grade son), the temptation to exploit the most marginal cases of alleged child abuse by homeschoolers has proven irresistible to statist politicians and government apologists. Take the case of David… -
opinion
High-Tax States Should Lower Their Taxes Instead of Trying to Evade Federal Taxes
High-tax states such as New York, California, and New Jersey are spending significant time and resources trying to concoct ways for their high-income residents to evade federal taxes. This strategy is in direct response to the newly enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which caps state and local tax deductions from federal income taxes at… -
opinion
Hawaii’s False Missile Alarm Exposed Critical Weaknesses. Here’s What Must Be Done.
The false alarm of a missile attack on Hawaii and the completely inadequate civil defense response deserve much more than snickers and head shakes. These problems must be fixed. The fiasco Jan. 13 was indeed caused by a simple human error: A state operations center worker hit the wrong button. That’s easy to fix. A… -
opinion
A Report on Terrorism That Falls Short on Useful Details
A new government report on terrorism uses data selectively to produce skewed conclusions on the percentage of acts of terrorism committed in the U.S. by those born in another country. In a quick read, the Jan. 16 report from the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department appears to demonstrate that foreign-born individuals committed… -
news
Betsy DeVos: ‘Common Core Is Dead’
In her first major policy address of 2018, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos criticized the education policies of the Obama and Bush administrations, and laid out plans for the future of education reform. DeVos has made school choice and reducing the role of the federal government in education two of her priorities as the Trump administration’s…