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
This Company Lets You Filter Explicit Content From Movies
Do you want to watch a movie at home without hearing profanities? There's a filter for that. VidAngel is a video filtering service started by four brothers who grew up in Idaho, which offers a tool to filter out bad language and graphic scenes from Hollywood productions, making video content family-friendly. “We created this company… -
news
What’s Behind the French Burkini Ban
France’s ban of the so-called “burkini,” a swimsuit that covers the women’s whole body except for her face, has made headlines around the world for its infringement on the ability of Muslim women to practice their faith in the public space. It’s an issue that has liberals and conservatives here in the United States generally… -
news
She Never Committed a Crime. But Albuquerque Seized Her Car, and Won’t Give It Back.
Arlene Harjo had let her son borrow her car time and time again, and never had any issues. But in April, Arlene’s son, Tino Harjo, was arrested for drunk driving, and police seized the car he was driving. The 2014 Nissan Versa belonged to Arlene, 56, and now she is forced to maneuver through the… -
opinion
How a New California Climate Law Will Strangle Manufacturing
California just hung up a big “Manufacturing Workers Need Not Apply” sign. It took the form of extended, stricter, and even less realistic carbon dioxide regulations. A new California bill extends legislation previously set to expire in 2020 and imposes dramatically deeper emissions cuts for 2030. Under the new measure, California must cut its carbon… -
opinion
In Historic Move, Virginia Legislators File Contempt Motion Against McAuliffe Over Felon Voting
Virginia state legislators have filed a motion with the Virginia Supreme Court asking for an order requiring Gov. Terry McAuliffe to “show cause” why he should not be held in contempt for violating the court’s July 22 order that vacated McAuliffe’s executive orders restoring the voting rights of 206,000 felons. The court ruled that the… -
opinion
Use These 3 Strategies to Talk to a Liberal About Income Inequality
The phrase “income inequality” has a lot going for it. It’s catchy and memorable, and “inequality” breeds an immediate emotional response—contempt for the existence of an unfair policy and outrage that people might support it. Those who cry out in favor of ending it have successfully packaged their indignation as a pep rally for the… -
opinion
3 Reasons Congress Can Defeat Corporate Welfare This Fall
Last December, lobbyists successfully resurrected one of their favorite corporate cash cows: the U.S. Export-Import Bank, a government agency dedicated to subsidizing wealthy and well-connected businesses at the taxpayers’ expense. But those special interests didn’t get everything they wanted. For all of this year, the Ex-Im Bank hasn’t had a full board of directors—meaning it hasn’t… -
opinion
Kaepernick Ignores Much History in America, Cuba
Colin Kaepernick meant to do no such thing, to be sure, but by benching himself during the national anthem because America “oppresses black people,” and then wearing a shirt celebrating actual totalitarianism and racism in Cuba, he has provided us with textbook compare and contrast case studies. To be clear, to appreciate this silver lining… -
opinion
California Legislature Adopts Bill That Would Make It Tougher for Government to Take Your Stuff
The California Senate unanimously approved a landmark civil asset forfeiture reform package last week. If signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, the bill would clamp down on one of the most pernicious practices in civil forfeiture: the bypassing of state law via the controversial federal equitable sharing program. It would also expand the range… -
opinion
Unlike the NFL’s Colin Kaepernick, Frederick Douglass Loved ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’
National Football League player Colin Kaepernick created a stir on Friday when he refused to stand for the national anthem at the start of a preseason game. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback cited the prevalence of racism and oppression in America as the primary reasons he sat during the playing of the song. The Bay… -
opinion
I’m an African-American Woman. Here’s My Advice to Conservatives Wooing My Community.
The moment Donald Trump urged black voters to consider supporting him—asking, “What do you have to lose?”—the consultants and pundits sprang into coordinated action, bombarding the airwaves with their “r” and “b” words. “Donald Trump is a racist,” posted Daily Kos. “Donald Trump is a bigot,” piped in The New York Times’ Charles Blow. There’s… -
opinion
Goodlatte’s Internet Sales Tax Plan Is Better, but Still Falls Short
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., has reignited the debate over state taxes on out-of-state (mostly internet-based) sales in releasing draft legislation to allow such sales to be taxed under simplified rules. The bill—the Online Sales Simplification Act of 2016—is a marked improvement over the fatally flawed Marketplace Fairness Act, which the Senate passed in 2013…. -
opinion
The Dumbing Down of College Curriculums
Let’s concede at the outset that many students find their college years enlightening and enriching. But something is rotten in the state of academia, and it is increasingly hard not to notice. There once was a time when employers could be reasonably certain that college graduates had a basic sense of the world and, as… -
news
Should Police Be Able to Take Property Without Charging Owners With a Crime? One Sheriff Race Shows Split on Issue
In a sheriff’s race in one Oklahoma county, the question of whether police can and should be able to seize people’s property without charging them with a crime emerged as a wedge issue, highlighting the split among law enforcement on a controversial tool known as civil asset forfeiture. In June, voters hit the polls and… -
news
House Freedom Caucus Flirts With Republican Study Committee Exodus
While away from Washington on August recess, House Freedom Caucus members are rethinking their relationship with the Republican Study Committee. Some are considering whether to call it quits and cancel their membership. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., confirmed the possibility of the breakup, telling The Daily Signal that as many as 20 members could allow their… -
opinion
True Feminism and the Constitution Have Always Been Compatible
Feminists have convinced many Americans that the U.S. Constitution was and remains an impediment to the rights of women. They argue that freedom and equality for women have come to fruition only as a result of modern feminism. In reality, as I argue in “The Modern Feminist Rejection of Constitutional Government,” the Constitution has always… -
opinion
Companies Are Raising Wages Without a Government Mandate
According to recent reports, companies are giving wide swaths of their workforces raises without the government dictating it. Some of the companies that have done this in recent weeks include McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Gap Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Starbucks. Starbucks announced its workers would get at least a 5 percent raise this year. JPMorgan Chase… -
opinion
A College Strikes Back Against Safe Spaces
If you want to be unquestionably affirmed and unchallenged in all your beliefs and views, don’t go to the University of Chicago. In a letter published by Intellectual Takeout, John Ellison, dean of students at the Chicago college, warns incoming students that there is no tolerance for the kind of student demands that have trended… -
opinion
3 Reasons This Bill to Protect Planned Parenthood Is Bad
After David Daleiden secretly filmed Planned Parenthood employees discussing the dismemberment and sale of parts of aborted human babies, you may recall, a Texas grand jury indicted him, but not Planned Parenthood, for trafficking human organs. Daleiden is the head of the pro-life Center for Medical Progress, which last year released the series of hidden-camera…