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
Number of Islamist Terror Plots Rises to 84
On Nov. 4, 2015, Faisal Mohammad was shot and killed for stabbing four individuals on the University of California-Merced campus. An FBI investigation later discovered pro-ISIS propaganda in Mohammad’s possession. This has been added as the 77th Islamist-inspired terror attacks or plots on U.S. domestic soil since Sept. 11, 2001, which brings the total number… -
news
16 ‘Pro-LGBT’ Businesses That Operate in Countries With Poor Human Rights Records
Big corporations have come out to criticize state religious liberty measures in Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina as discriminating against those who aren’t heterosexual, some going as far as to propose boycotting states that enact such laws. However, several of the most vocal companies that say they stand with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans also operate in countries… -
opinion
Bank of Japan May Further Increase Asset Purchases This Month
For almost a year and a half the Bank of Japan has been purchasing assets at around 7 trillion Yen (roughly $64 billion) a month, mostly in the form of Japanese government bonds, in an attempt to boost inflation and the economy. The Bank of Japan now respectively owns assets equivalent to over 77 percent… -
news
Republican Leaders Throw Weight Behind Prison Reform
The Republican National Committee today adopted a resolution in support of reforming the nation’s criminal justice laws, in a significant sign of bipartisan consensus to undo mass incarceration in America. In the one-page resolution, obtained by The Daily Signal, the RNC commends conservative-led states that have adopted policies to reduce their prison populations—such as Texas,… -
opinion
Victim of AGs’ Climate Change Inquisition Fights Back
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) has launched a fierce counter-attack against Claude Walker, the attorney general for the Virgin Islands, who recently served a subpoena on CEI demanding documents related to CEI’s research on global “climate change.” On April 20, CEI’s attorney, Andrew Grossman, filed a long and extensive objection to the subpoena and made… -
opinion
Yes, Terrorists Are Setting Their Sights on Our Southern Border
According to press reports, a man arrested as part of an Islamic State (ISIS) group in Minnesota claimed he wanted to setup a pipeline to funnel terrorists into the U.S. through Mexico. The story rekindles concerns over the security of our southern border. It should come as no surprise that there are reports of terrorists… -
opinion
How America Can Win the War Against the Global Jihadi Movement
America has been at war since Sept. 11, 2001, but many Americans question whether we are winning. In his new book, “Defeating Jihad,” national security expert Sebastian Gorka makes the case that this is indeed a winnable war but that the first step to winning is identifying your enemy. In his interview with The Daily… -
opinion
How Christianity Helped Create Our American Democracy
Alexis de Tocqueville, in his masterful work, “Democracy in America,” taught that religion is necessary for a healthy political order. As I argue at greater length in a new First Principles essay, American democracy, according to Tocqueville, owes both its origins and its preservation to Christianity. He thought religion “should be considered the first” of… -
opinion
Nebraska Abolishes Civil Forfeiture
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, has signed a major state forfeiture bill into law. Like New Mexico before it, the Cornhusker State now requires a criminal conviction before property can be forfeited. Civil forfeiture is the law enforcement tool, which allows property suspected of being involved in, or derived from, criminal activity to be… -
news
IRS Can Track Your Cell Phone, but Leaves Billions in Taxes Uncollected
While the Internal Revenue Service continues to leave uncollected tax money on the table, the agency beefed up its surveillance capabilities in a move that alarms both conservative and liberal privacy advocates. Now some complain the IRS is acting too much like Big Brother and not enough like a traditional taxman. Since 2006, the IRS… -
opinion
ESPN Has a Right to Fire Curt Schilling. What Rights Do People of Faith Have?
ESPN has fired Curt Schilling. The company said that his speech went against company values because ESPN is “an inclusive company.” What’s at stake here? Curt Schilling has a right to say biological men don’t belong in women’s bathrooms in whatever controversial way he wants. And ESPN has a right to give Caitlyn Jenner the… -
news
This Rail System Costs Taxpayers $22 Per Passenger
A Minnesota commuter rail line is costing taxpayers approximately $22 per passenger, per trip. “When you’re subsidizing about 80 percent of every trip on the line, it’s a really big fiscal disaster,” Annette Meeks, Freedom Foundation of Minnesota CEO, told The Daily Signal. The Minnesota Northstar rail opened for service in the fall of 2009, providing… -
news
House Democrats Object to Evidence of Profiteering in Baby Body Parts
Republicans on a special House panel investigating the transfer of fetal tissue from aborted babies pointed to a series of documents in a hearing today to allege that an abortion provider and middleman procurement company may have broken federal law. Three former prosecutors backed those allegations, saying documents that Republican members released as evidence demonstrate “probable… -
news
The ‘Chilling’ Reason This Doctor Says Georgia Fired Him
A public health official, who says he was fired by Georgia’s health agency for the content of his sermons, filed a lawsuit today against the state claiming religious discrimination. Dr. Eric Walsh accepted a position as the Georgia Department of Public Health’s director for the northwest part of the state in May 2014. A week later, state officials requested copies… -
opinion
The Media Have It Wrong: Andrew Jackson’s Legacy Was Fighting Crony Capitalism
After a relentless campaign by conservatives, progressives, and Broadway musicals to keep Founding Father Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill, it appears the Treasury Department will keep Hamilton. According to Politico, the agency will instead replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman. It’s a shame that progressives (and even conservatives) have been quick to ditch Jackson. While it’s… -
news
Wanted: Street Activists to ‘Change the World … and Get Paid’
Calling community activists: If you’re a committed, left-leaning activist who’d like to take part in “grassroots campaigns to protect the health, economy, environment, and livelihood of Ohio communities,” then Ohio Citizen Action has got a job for you. And it’s one that pays reasonably well, with benefits on top. This could be an especially nice… -
opinion
The Green War Against the Working Class
There was a time in America—and it wasn’t even so long ago—that liberals actually cared about working class people. They may have been misguided in many of their policy solutions (i.e., raising the minimum wage) but at least their heart was in the right place. Then a strange thing happened about a decade ago. The… -
news
In the Market for Fetal Body Parts, a Baby’s Brain Sells for $3,340
Republicans on the special House panel investigating the transfer of fetal tissue from aborted babies will present evidence in a hearing today that breaks down the price per body part. With release of this evidence, Republicans say, they have enough documentation to show that several abortion clinics and middleman procurement businesses may have violated federal… -
opinion
Behind-the-Scenes Moments Show George W. Bush’s Leadership Outside Spotlight
Throughout my book “And the Good News Is…: Lessons and Advice From the Bright Side,” I shared behind-the-scenes moments with President George W. Bush to show what kind of a leader he was when the cameras weren’t there. The policies and politics of any administration are fully documented and will be pored over for years… -
news
Rick Perry: We Are ‘Not in a War’ With Muslims
Rick Perry is frustrated with political rhetoric that he sees as discriminatory toward Muslims, and says he “owes it to America” to share a different message. “The message I want to get out is we are in a war with radical Islam—we are not in a war with all people of the Muslim faith by…