Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
-
opinion
Why the Left Is Wrong About Welfare Reform
Welfare reform is becoming an issue again and the left isn’t happy about it. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, recently proposed a bill, backed by the conservative House Freedom Caucus, that would increase work requirements for those on welfare, as well as create billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. This would be the most significant… -
opinion
Argentina Issues 100-Year Junk Bonds, but Has Yet to Fix the Nation’s Real Problems
One hundred years ago, Argentina was one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Today, its gross domestic product per capita is about the same as Russia’s. There is, however, one unenviable category in which Argentina has excelled: It ranks among the top 10 countries that have most frequently defaulted on their sovereign debt. Unsettling… -
news
Flags of Steel: How a Combat Veteran Works to Unite Americans
An Air Force veteran in Utah uses his talent and passion to make, display, and sell images of the one thing he believes can help unite Americans: the nation’s flag. Creating the flag out of steel is his way of bringing people together, Josh Vandenbrink says in an interview with The Daily Signal, and of being… -
opinion
Sugar Subsidies Are a Lose-Lose for American Workers and Consumers
President Donald Trump recently suggested: “Sugar deal negotiated with Mexico is a very good one for both Mexico and the U.S. Had no deal for many years which hurt U.S. badly.” New Sugar deal negotiated with Mexico is a very good one for both Mexico and the U.S. Had no deal for many years which… -
opinion
Cosmopolitan, Elle, and the Attack Against Conservative Women
Cosmopolitan magazine recently published an article with a headline that read “7 Women Who Could Be Our First Female President.” Among those seven, of course, is not a single conservative or Republican-leaning lady. Instead, Cosmo lists a handful of progressive women who it believes are “eminently qualified” for the job. But in reality, there’s no shortage… -
news
Trumps Spend $5 Million Less Than Obamas on White House Salaries
An analysis of White House salary data reveals that President Donald Trump’s administration is spending $5 million less of taxpayer money on his staff than his predecessor. Trump employs 377 people at the White House, with a total of $35.8 million, while former President Barack Obama paid $40.9 million for 476 employees in 2015, according to data analyzed by Open the… -
opinion
How One Man Helped Propel the American Revolution
That the brilliant wordsmith Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence is indisputable, but a lesser-known fact is that the man who played the indispensable role in its adoption by the Continental Congress in July 1776 was John Adams of Massachusetts, our second president. Jefferson later confirmed Adams’ role as the… -
opinion
Why Americans Feel Less Free Today Than 10 Years Ago
Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with the amount of freedom in their lives. When Gallup asked them in 2006, 91 percent of Americans said they were satisfied with the amount of freedom they have. That compares to just 75 percent who say they are today. This drop parallels an alarming decrease by the United States’ ranking… -
news
Republicans Move to Make Silencers More Easily Available
Two Republican senators have introduced legislation that would make suppressors for firearms—or silencers, as they’re more commonly known—more easily available to the American public. The bill would eliminate federal taxes on, and regulations of, suppressors. “By properly classifying suppressors as a firearm accessory, our bill would allow sportsmen to have better access to hearing protection… -
news
House Passes Kate’s Law, No Sanctuary for Criminals Act
The House of Representatives passed two bills Thursday focused on illegal immigration. One bill, Kate’s Law “enhances the current maximum sentences for illegal reentry into the United States, serving as a strong deterrent for deported felons seeking to come back to the United States,” according to its sponsor, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. It passed 257-167. The other… -
opinion
Fannie Mae Should Rethink Its Plans to Expand Role in Housing Finance Sector
According to recent reports, Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored enterprise backed by federal taxpayers, plans to expand its role in the housing finance system by further relaxing general underwriting standards for allowable loans held in its financial portfolio. Under the expected policy change, Fannie Mae would broadly cover mortgages with high borrower debt-to-income ratios by increasing… -
news
Couple Banned From Farmers Market Over Same-Sex Marriage Views Speaks Out
After Steve and Bridget Tennes posted on Facebook they wouldn’t host same-sex weddings on their family farm because of their religious beliefs about marriage, city officials in East Lansing banned the couple, owners of Country Mill, from selling produce at the local farmers market 22 miles away. The Daily Signal traveled to Michigan last week to interview… -
opinion
Keep Elmo Out of My Politics
I won’t lie: I am a big Elmo fan. Elmo keeps my 15-month-old daughter captivated and content when she is melting down in a car ride two hours from home. Elmo lets me brush her hair or trim her nails. Elmo lets me have a second cup of coffee in peace. We rarely put the… -
news
Doctor: Insurance Wouldn’t Pay for Patients’ Treatments, but Offered Assisted Suicide
Dr. Brian Callister, a physician in Reno, Nevada, says two recent patients both needed life-saving treatments. “Not palliative care, not hospice, these would have been curative procedures,” Callister recalls. One patient was from California and the other was from Oregon, both states that passed physician-assisted suicide laws. Instead of offering to pay for their treatments, Callister… -
news
Proposed Law Would Require Food Stamp Recipients to Show Proof of Job Search
A Louisiana congressman introduced legislation that would strengthen work requirements for recipients of food stamps. “By putting certain perimeters or requirements on the program where you have to actually do job searches and you have to go do interviews and you have to participate in certain job training activities, it is migrating people from dependence… -
opinion
California Issues ‘Travel Ban’ on Some Red States
Single-party dominance has made California a little crazy. After a “Calexit” secession effort failed when its leader decided to move back to Russia, the deep-blue state has now turned to other methods to resist the change in political fortunes. On Friday, the California Assembly narrowly failed to pass a plan to bring single-payer health care… -
news
DC Residents Now Can Drive Under ‘X’ as Gender Identity
Residents of the nation’s capital now may choose the designation “X” on their driver’s license rather than “male” or “female” if it better fits what they consider their gender identity. The District of Columbia became the first jurisdiction in America to allow this third option Tuesday as the change went into effect at the city’s… -
opinion
The Myth That Cuts to Planned Parenthood Hiked Maternal Mortality Rate
USA Today published an article last week about outgoing National Organization for Women (NOW) President Terry O’Neill. O’Neill reflected on her eight-year term as NOW president. However, most of the article granted O’Neill a very public forum to criticize President Donald Trump, and specifically his pro-life policies. O’Neill spent a considerable amount of time claiming… -
opinion
Were Confederate Generals Traitors?
My “Rewriting American History” column of a fortnight ago, about the dismantling of Confederate monuments, generated considerable mail. Some argued there should not be statues honoring traitors such as Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis, who fought against the Union. Victors of wars get to write the history, and the history they write… -
opinion
Open Borders and Missing Adjectives in the Liberal Media
The open-borders lobby long has sought to muddy the issue of immigration by deliberately—and dishonestly—omitting the word “illegal” whenever possible and conflating all immigrants, legal and otherwise. “Human beings can’t be illegal,” they insist. The liberal media all too often have been complicit in the effort to sidestep the distinction, but it’s a distinction with…