Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
-
news
Another Planned Parenthood Clinic Shuts Its Doors
An Iowa Planned Parenthood clinic will close its doors Friday after government defunding forced it to discontinue operations. “After nearly two decades in the Quad Cities, on Friday, December 29, 2017, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland will officially close their Bettendorf location, a move directly resulting from defunding by extreme Iowa lawmakers,” Planned Parenthood said… -
opinion
Government Too Often Gets in the Way of Home Cooking Sales, New Study Finds
When cooking your favorite holiday dishes, remember this friendly advice from the Food and Drug Administration: “The most important ingredient in preparing food for the holidays isn’t love (sorry, granola people), salt (sorry, New York Times), or cannellini beans (sorry, Oprah). It’s food safety. But if you’re among the growing number of people who sell homemade food, government safety… -
opinion
8 Freedom Fighters You Should Know About From 2017
There are talkers and doers, sowers of dissatisfaction seeds and agents of lasting change. Much of my column work over the year is dedicated to exposing the worst in politics, pop culture, media, and the policy arena. But to ring out 2017, I’m raising a toast to some of my favorite bulldogs—vigilant citizens, independent journalists… -
opinion
Cutting Through the Media’s Falsehoods About ‘Dreamers’
When members of Congress battled over the budget, some threatened to block funding unless Congress provided amnesty to illegal alien Dreamers who benefited from President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which President Donald Trump announced he is ending. Conscientious members of Congress should not give in to this threat. Amnesty will encourage… -
opinion
Invasive New Airport Screenings May Put Privacy at Risk
It’s a Christmas motif almost as ubiquitous as Christmas trees or sleigh bells—families and individuals hastily making their way through airports, balancing presents, bags, and children, excited to make their way home to spend Christmas with their loved ones. They’re concerned with their flight status, the weather in their destination, their luggage making it to… -
news
1 of Every 5 Government Employees Has a 6-Figure Salary
The U.S. government pays employees a total of about $1 million per minute, according to a watchdog group’s report on the sprawling federal bureaucracy. Looking at 78 large agencies, the nonprofit organization OpenTheBooks.com found that the average salary of a federal employee exceeds $100,000 and that roughly 1 in 5 of those on the government… -
opinion
I Voted for Tax Reform. Here’s Why It Will Help America.
The tax cut bill just passed by Congress and signed into law by the president is not perfect. But I voted for it because it will help working families and small businesses, give almost all Americans an immediate pay raise, and create millions of new jobs. But you don’t have to take my word for… -
opinion
The Low Academic Quality of Too Many Teachers
My recent columns have focused on the extremely poor educational outcomes for black students. There’s enough blame for all involved to have their fair share. That includes students who are hostile and alien to the educational process and have derelict, uninterested home environments. After all, if there is not someone in the home to ensure… -
opinion
Trump’s Tax Reform Will Benefit Middle Class More Than Wealthy
Most of the gifts exchanged at this time of year are opened on Christmas Day. But this time around, a big one arrived a few days early: the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. You’d never know that if you listen to the grinches in the so-called mainstream media, of course. They poured the usual amount… -
news
Nearly 450,000 People Fled These 3 Deep Blue States in 2017
Three Democratic-leaning states hemorrhaged hundreds of thousands of people in 2016 and 2017 as crime, high taxes, and, in some cases, crummy weather had residents seeking greener pastures elsewhere. The exodus of residents was most pronounced in New York, which saw about 190,000 people leave the state between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017, according… -
news
Georgia’s Nuclear Woes Should Catch Congress’s Attention
The drama continues with two of the four nuclear power reactors being built in the U.S. today. On Thursday, the Georgia Public Service Commission voted on measures to continue financing and building the Vogtle 3 and 4 reactors. The project has faced years of schedule delays and billions in cost overruns. The news comes even… -
opinion
Free People Can Take Pride in Churchill’s ‘Darkest Hour’
Can great individuals affect the affairs of man? If they can, then Winston Churchill is certainly one of the greatest among them. In many ways, the new movie “Darkest Hour” is the perfect prelude to this summer’s much acclaimed “Dunkirk,” and not just in a literal sense, since “Darkest Hour” takes place just before that… -
opinion
In Updated Charts, What 8 Seniors’ Tax Bills Will Be With Tax Reform
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act when signed into law will mean tax cuts for most Americans. Nevertheless, change—even good change—can bring about uncertainty. Retirees may be the most concerned about what the new tax legislation will mean for them, as most rely on relatively fixed incomes. But in fact, the Tax Cuts and Jobs… -
news
Companies Announce Bonuses, Raises Following Tax Reform Legislation Passage
Multiple businesses are announcing bonuses and benefits for their employees due to Congress’ passage of Republicans’ tax reform bill. AT&T announced it will give a special $1,000 bonus to over 200,000 AT&T U.S. employees and invest $1 billion in the economy, and Boeing announced a $300 million investment. “On behalf of all of our stakeholders, we applaud and… -
news
What I Learned From a Wartime Christmas Eve
KYIV, Ukraine—The first time I ever saw a war, it was on Christmas Eve in 2009. At the time, I was a green Air Force special operations pilot on my first deployment to Afghanistan. I had already been in country for a few weeks, flying mostly day missions. Easy stuff, like surveillance and reconnaissance sorties,… -
opinion
A State Agency’s Crusade Against Seawalls Erodes the Rule of Law
“Pacific” means peaceful. But the ocean that bears that name doesn’t always live up to it. Ask any oceanfront resident who has weathered the damaging storms and waves that winter can bring. Combined with relentless tides, they can threaten homes by eating away the land underneath. How can oceanfront homeowners safeguard their property, even their… -
opinion
Seattle Public Transit Religious Ads Guideline Could Prove Model for DC Metro, Which Won’t Run Religious Ads
Last week, a federal judge denied a motion from the Archdiocese of Washington for an injunction directing the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to accept and run the archdiocese’s advent advertisements on Metrobuses. The advertisements, which featured shepherds following a star, urged people to “find the perfect gift” by directing them to a website with…