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
Two Members of House Freedom Caucus Explain Why Majority of Group Supports Paul Ryan for Speaker
On Sunday, two members of the House Freedom Caucus explained the group’s majority support for Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to become the next House speaker. The Daily Signal previously reported that the Freedom Caucus lacked the number of votes required to formally endorse Ryan for speaker, but a supermajority of its members have granted him their… -
news
Why Aren’t More GOP-Led States Defunding Planned Parenthood?
Few states have defunded Planned Parenthood in the wake of a series of damaging undercover videos, even though Republicans—who tend to be pro-life—control the governorship and legislature in more than 20 states. Since the release over the summer of the videos, in which Planned Parenthood executives are seen and heard discussing the sale of body parts from babies… -
news
Export-Import Bank Once Again Takes Center Stage in Congress
Congress is gearing up for another battle over the Export-Import Bank nearly four months after the agency’s charter expired. The House of Representatives is preparing to vote Monday on a bill that would revive the bank. As opponents of Ex-Im prepare a counteroffensive to keep it shuttered, the bank’s supporters had their say in a hearing on Capitol Hill… -
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Report: Gov. Tom Wolf Received ‘Talking Points’ From Planned Parenthood Lobbyist on Undercover Videos
Gov. Tom Wolf, D-Pa., received “talking points” from a Planned Parenthood lobbyist on the Center for Medical Progress’ undercover videos, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. Wolf administration staff emails provided to the Tribune-Review show that Sari Stevens, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates and PAC, the legislative arm of the three Planned Parenthood affiliates in Pennsylvania, offered… -
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Some Colorado Local Governments Are Making It Difficult for Journalists, Taxpayers to See How Tax Dollars Are Spent
Some Colorado governments are modifying their data, making it difficult—or prohibitively expensive—for taxpayers and journalists to determine who is paid the highest salary or how public money is spent. Pinnacol Assurance, a quasi-government agency with a history of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on lavish trips and alcohol-fueled events while paying employees huge salaries, recently… -
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Was Chattanooga’s Taxpayer-Funded High-Speed Internet Worth the Cost? Looking at a New Study
Critics call “useless” and “highly speculative” recent findings that Chattanooga Electric Power Board officials claim prove that the municipal broadband network in that city is more than worth its cost to U.S. taxpayers. EPB took $111 million in federal stimulus funds six years ago to set up a smart grid system to offer ultra-high-speed Internet to compete against… -
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Homeowners in This Ohio Town Had Their Front Yards Seized By the Government
Fort Meigs Road in Perrysburg, Ohio, is too narrow and needs widening, as almost all would agree. But homeowners along the road don’t agree with how it should be widened, nor do they agree with the “quick take” eminent domain process the city used to claim people’s front yards. What these residents find even harder to stomach is the… -
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Tibet: The Forgotten Refugee Crisis
NEW DELHI, India— The Majnu Ka Tilla Tibetan refugee colony in New Delhi is a chaotic neighborhood of narrow alleys and shanty concrete structures packed into a thin strip of land between National Highway 9 and the Yamuna River. The refugee colony was founded in the 1960s to consolidate Tibetan refugee communities around India’s capital… -
opinion
Climate Change True Believers Want to Silence Other Viewpoints
Debate. It’s the hallmark of an open society. We may hold different points of view on a certain topic, but we can express those views freely, without fear of repercussions. Unless, that is, you dare to question the idea of man-made global warming. That, apparently, puts you beyond the pale. You can insist that the… -
opinion
The Origins of American Think Tanks
“The Think Tank is Dead.” So predicted Michael Tanji a half-decade ago. Tanji argued that “virtual think tanks,” groups of experts tethered only by common interests and cyber-communications, offered advantages (as well as some disadvantages) over traditional think tanks moored in brick-and-mortar b)uildings. The next iteration of think tanks—dubbed, inevitably, Think Tank 2.0—would be a mash-up of both… -
opinion
Why Violence Has Increased in Israel
JERUSALEM—Over the years, Israelis have had to defend themselves from foreign armies, suicide bombers, and missiles. Over recent weeks, they’ve been confronting a new threat: young Palestinians wielding butcher knives. Unlike the cutthroats of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, these fanatics aren’t able to bind their victims and behead them. But videos on social media teach would-be… -
news
Texas Takes on Planned Parenthood, Investigates Clinics
Inspectors from the Texas Office of the Inspector General served subpoenas for clinic records at several Planned Parenthood centers in the state on Thursday, the organization said. Abby Johnson, a former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas said in a statement that “[i]t is long past time that inspectors, not just in Texas but… -
opinion
How the Mets’ Daniel Murphy Has Made Sure to Put Family First
On Wednesday, Daniel Murphy continued his march through the postseason and made headlines by setting a record for hitting a home run in six consecutive postseason games, winning the National League Championship Series (NLCS) Most Valuable Player award, and helping the New York Mets complete its sweep of the Chicago Cubs to send the team to… -
opinion
Why an Ailing Senior Citizen Had to Prevent the Government From Seizing Her Home
One night in 2001, 77-year-old Margaret Davis became the victim of a home invasion. A suspected drug dealer, pursued on foot by Philadelphia police, broke into her home, hid the drugs he was carrying, and absconded out the back. Police did not catch the dealer, but they did find the drugs he had left behind…. -
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Ohio Might Be the Next State to Defund Planned Parenthood
Ohio could become the next state to defund Planned Parenthood. The Ohio Senate approved legislation on Wednesday that would prevent state and certain federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood. The legislation was approved in a 23-10 vote and was sent to the Republican-led state House for consideration. In a statement, Ohio Senate President Keith Faber,… -
opinion
Jobs Worth Keeping
In a recent article, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich argues that jobs that pay under $15 an hour “aren’t worth keeping.” Unlike Mr. Reich, we work those jobs, and we think they are worth keeping. One of us (Max) worked for three summers on a golf course in Montana during high school. The job… -
opinion
Another Dud Highway Bill from the House
Today the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee will mark-up their “long-term” highway bill, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform (STRR) Act, with only a week left before the deadline. Spanning six years, STRR is the House’s response to the big-spending DRIVE Act that passed in the Senate at the end of July, just before Congress… -
news
Here Is Where Paul Ryan Stands on 13 Key Policy Issues
Rep. Paul Ryan came to Congress as a 28-year-old policy wonk who had already established his chops in Washington, D.C. Working as a speechwriter for the late Rep. Jack Kemp and serving as a legislative director on Capitol Hill gave Ryan a perspective on the policy battles that play out in the nation’s capital. Over the… -
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House Freedom Caucus Members Explain Why Most in Group Are Now Backing Paul Ryan
Conservatives of the House Freedom Caucus have cleared the way for Rep. Paul Ryan to become speaker—if he wants it. A supermajority of the roughly 40-member Freedom Caucus pledged in an internal vote that they will support Ryan if he were to run for speaker of the House. But by Freedom Caucus rules, this level… -
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San Francisco Passes Resolution Upholding Sanctuary Policies Despite Kate Steinle Murder
San Francisco officials declared Tuesday that the city’s sanctuary policies would remain intact, shutting down critics who blamed the protections for enabling the high profile murder of Kathryn Steinle by an illegal immigrant in July. The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution that encourages the sheriff not to alert U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement…