Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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news
How One Police Department Is Trying to Prevent Violence Between Officers and Citizens
Last week, tensions between police and citizens again rose to the surface after fatal officer-involved shootings in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Charlotte, North Carolina. The shootings, like others before them in the past few years, raised questions over how officers decide to use force during interactions with people they encounter, and seek to arrest. In the… -
opinion
The So-Called ‘Wage Gap’ Is Going Down. And the Numbers Don’t Tell the Full Story.
Time to change those outdated signs, ladies. It’s no longer the case that “women only make 77 cents on the dollar compared to men.” According to this year’s annual Census Bureau report, the incomplete “wage gap” figure shows women’s earnings relative to men’s rose for the third straight year in a row, from 77 percent… -
opinion
For 8 Years, This Couple Has Been Fighting the Government to Get Back Their Seized Property
For eight years, Michiganders Gerald and Royetta Ostipow have been fighting the seizure and forfeiture of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of their property. Last month they prevailed when a judge ordered the return of virtually everything that had been taken from them. But the Ostipows’ victory was short-lived, for they soon discovered that… -
opinion
It’s Now or Never to Save the Internet
We have, unfortunately, come to expect our elected representatives to shirk hard decisions. So it came as little surprise when the Senate released the text of a continuing resolution late last week to fund the U.S. government that did not include key objectives sought by conservatives, such as stopping taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood. Although… -
opinion
How to Use Presidential Debate to Talk About Conservatism
With an estimated 100 million people tuning in to watch Monday night’s presidential debate, the topic of conversation for the week will be the showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, therefore giving you ample opportunity to talk conservative policy. But you’ll have to be diligent in this endeavor as the memorable moments in presidential… -
opinion
Why It’s Bad News That Paris Global Warming Agreement Now Includes 60 Countries
Thirty-one countries joined the Paris global warming agreement this week, officially committing to the pact along with the United States and China. The agreement is a top-down, concentrated effort to drive the price of conventional energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas higher. It will prevent millions of citizens from enjoying basic energy needs,… -
opinion
Congress Has Little to Show for Its Work This Year
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are in a hurry to get out of town so they can hit the campaign trail and convince voters to send them back to Washington. But, considering they’ve pushed off most of the big decisions until after the election, their list of accomplishments this year is a very short one. Maybe… -
news
Why Pharmaceutical Companies Like Mylan Charge So Much for Drugs
In the wake of news that pharmaceutical company Mylan quadrupled the price of its popular EpiPen anti-allergy device over a few years, lawmakers want to know why. But rising drug prices for consumers isn’t a problem specific to Mylan and its epinephrine auto-injector. Rather, research shows that generic drugs as well as brand name drugs… -
opinion
A GOP Congress Should Not Give Planned Parenthood Another Dime of Taxpayer Money
Planned Parenthood has once again proven it does two things exceedingly well—ending innocent human lives in the womb for a fee, and getting American taxpayers to subsidize its operations. How else to explain Congress making America’s No. 1 abortion provider eligible for new funding when it already gets over a half-billion dollars (yes, billion) in taxpayer… -
news
Why This Graphic Designer Isn’t Talking About Her Christian Beliefs on Marriage
Lorie Smith, a graphic designer from Colorado, wants to create custom websites and designs for couples who are getting married. However, Smith, an evangelical Christian, wants to create them only for marriages between one man and one woman. Being compelled to create websites celebrating same-sex marriages, she says in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, would force… -
opinion
With DC District Court Oral Argument, a Chance to Push Back Against EPA’s Power Grab
On Sept. 27, the en banc panel of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia will preside over oral argument in State of West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. This will likely be one of the most momentous cases ever to be decided by any federal court. At issue: Twenty-eight states and numerous… -
news
Attacks From Left Drive Enterprise Out of Legislative Reform Group
The car-rental giant Enterprise has capitulated to liberal pressure groups and withdrawn from a network of lawmakers, researchers, and business leaders that advocates limited government and free markets. The decision by Enterprise Holdings Inc. to leave the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, follows a monthlong campaign conducted online and in social media by labor,… -
opinion
This Judge’s Decision Was Wrong: It’s Not Racist to Not Have Straight-Ticket Voting
Is a right to straight-ticket (also known as straight-party) voting guaranteed under the Constitution or the Voting Rights Act? Any ninth-grader who has taken a civics course can tell you there’s no such right in the Constitution (even if they couldn’t tell you what straight-ticket voting is), but a federal district court in Michigan has… -
opinion
Segregated Housing Is Not What Black College Students Need
Last year’s college news was about demands for safe spaces, trigger warnings, and bans on insensitivity. This year’s college news is about black student demands for segregated campus housing and other racially segregated campus spaces and programs. I totally disagree with these calls by black students. It’s a gross dereliction of duty for college administrators… -
opinion
Charlotte Riots Hurt Police-Community Relations, Put Police in More Danger
Protesters took the streets to demand “justice” almost immediately following the police shooting death of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday afternoon. Like too many other similar incidents, the protests ultimately turned into riots, and widespread looting and violence ensued. Justice for what, exactly, is unknown at this point. The question… -
opinion
Our New Report Offers a Free-Market Alternative to the Farm Bill
During the last farm bill debate in 2013 and 2014, The Heritage Foundation was frequently asked what a free-market alternative to the farm bill would look like. We were listening, and we have just released a major new report that answers that question. “Farms and Free Enterprise: A Blueprint for Agricultural Policy” provides not just… -
news
What Happened When New Zealand Got Rid of Government Subsidies for Farmers
In 2006, Chris Hausman, a fourth-generation Midwestern farmer long accustomed to depending on government support for survival, traveled across the world to witness a revolution in agriculture. It had been more than 20 years since a left-leaning government in New Zealand chose to eliminate government subsidies for farmers, and Hausman was surprised at what had… -
opinion
What’s Next for Arrested Ahmad Khan Rahami
Working with the FBI and other federal counterparts, police in New Jersey have located and taken into custody Ahmad Khan Rahami, the primary suspect in the New York and New Jersey bombings and police shootings. The feds filed a four-count criminal complaint against him that was unsealed Wednesday. The authorities are still piecing together a… -
news
Republicans Vote to Take Legal Action Against StemExpress, Despite Democrat Walkout
The effort to hold the fetal tissue procurement company StemExpress in contempt of Congress moved forward Wednesday, despite Democrats walking out of the vote. After the six Democrats on the special House panel physically exited the room in protest, the Republicans investigating the fetal tissue market voted unanimously to take legal action against StemExpress for… -
opinion
Taxpayers Don’t Realize They’re Paying Billions to Service the National Debt
This past spring, Netflix—the beloved online video streaming service—announced it would raise its monthly subscription fees. The first price hike in June cost between $1 and $2 per month. One consumer was angry enough to file a class action lawsuit. This discontent is typical when consumers feel the impact of higher payments directly. But when costs go up…