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
John Kasich on Common Core: ‘I Want Kids to Jump Higher’
BARRINGTON, N.H.—Ohio Gov. John Kasich defended his record on education at a town hall Monday night in New Hampshire. “Now, on this whole business of Common Core, it’s like it’s radioactive, you mention that and everybody all the sudden doesn’t listen anymore,” said Kasich, who is expected to run for president in 2016. Kasich said… -
opinion
This Unfunded Mandate for Doctors Won’t Improve Your Health Care
In less than 90 days, essentially all health care providers will be faced with the unfunded mandate of transitioning to what is called ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems). This is the latest and exponentially more complex version of the International Classification of Disease coding system. There is abundant evidence to… -
opinion
What’s Wrong With the Latest Greece Bailout Deal
Eurozone leaders pulled all-nighters in Brussels over the weekend to craft yet another last-minute reprieve for Greece—its third bailout deal in the last five years—that was announced this morning, but that country’s long-term economic problems remain. Before receiving an €86 billion euro loan package from the European institutions, the Greek parliament must approve further budget… -
news
18 Facts About Scott Walker
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker rolled out his official campaign today, becoming the 15th Republican running for the presidential nominee. Here are 18 facts about the latest presidential candidate: Scott Walker’s father was a Baptist preacher at First Baptist Church in Iowa, while his mother ran Sunday school. His first endeavor in politics was at the… -
news
Can Court Clerks Decline to Do Gay Marriages? How It’s Playing Out in the States
A few cases of public employees who cite their faith in declining to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples have grabbed media attention, but similar concerns exist in scores of courthouses across America, a lawyer for a prominent Christian legal organization says. “In most instances the government can accommodate the religious beliefs of the objecting person,”… -
news
Watch Soldier Jump Into Family Photo, Surprise Overjoyed Mother
A South Carolina family was surprised and overjoyed when their soldier son, who they believed to be overseas, unexpectedly jumped into a family photo. The Johns were posing on Liberty Bridge at Falls Park in Greenville, S.C., when Jared Johns, a member of the U.S. Army who had been stationed in Germany, came up behind… -
opinion
225 Years Ago Washington, DC, Was Founded: Here’s Why It Will Never Become the 51st State
It’s that time of the year again: U.S. House Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is ramping up her efforts to make Washington, D.C., the 51st state in the Union. Her bill, which would create the state of New Columbia from the existing District of Columbia, is the latest in a long line of legislative proposals with the… -
opinion
Reflection on Conditional Forgiveness, Justice and the Silent Vigil for July’s Cuban Martyrs
Then you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 Over the past twenty years I have taken part in acts of remembrance for the 37 victims of the July 13, 1994, “13 de marzo” tugboat massacre and over the past 19 years for the four victims of the February 24, 1996,… -
news
Obama Grants Clemency to 46 Nonviolent Prisoners in Push for Criminal Justice Reform
President Obama today commuted the sentences of 46 prisoners forced behind bars for nonviolent drug crimes, marking the latest move in a bipartisan push to relax harsh sentencing laws. Obama said the inmates granted clemency were serving punishments that “didn’t fit the crime” in a video announcement posted to the White House Facebook page Monday… -
opinion
Judge Cancels ‘Redskins’ Trademark Registration for Being Offensive. Does That Violate First Amendment?
Last week, a federal district court in Alexandria, Va., upheld the U.S. Patent and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s cancellation of six trademark registrations held by the Washington Redskins for being disparaging to Native Americans. Judge Gerald Bruce Lee considered if the name “Redskins” is offensive and whether the trademark registration cancellation violates the team’s… -
news
Why ISIS May Be More Dangerous Than al-Qaeda Ever Was
It’s been only two years since the Islamic State began to claim territory in the Middle East, and the organization, also known as ISIS, already has become more successful and much more dangerous than al-Qaeda ever was in its 20 years of operations. It controls more territory, has acquired more money and has recruited more… -
opinion
The Fight Against Ebola Isn’t Over
In 2014, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa captured headlines around the world. As the epidemic has waned since then so too has the world’s attention. Yet recent developments highlight that the fight is not yet over, and remind us that the international community needs to maintain its vigilance or risk the disease becoming endemic… -
opinion
Don’t Be Fooled by Promises of Entitlement Savings
Medicare is in serious need of fundamental reform. The old way in which Medicare reimbursed physician services was broken and needed to be scrapped. It was understandable that Congress wanted to find a permanent solution to the Medicare “Doc Fix” rather than relying on another short-term patch. The “Doc Fix” that was enacted in March… -
opinion
Why It’s the Government’s Fault Your Dishwasher Cycle Is 2 or 3 Hours Long
The guiding fiscal principle of President Obama’s 2009 Stimulus Package was simple: “Spend it as fast as you can.” Programs operating under that principle are almost predestined to flunk a cost-benefit test—and the federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) has proved to be no exception. University of Chicago researchers have documented that WAP is yet another… -
news
Justice Served: One Virginia Chaplain’s Mission to Rehabilitate Jail Inmates
RICHMOND — It’s just after noon on a sunny, sweltering Tuesday in June. Roughly 15 inmates at the Richmond City Justice Center stand or sit on small, plastic chairs in a bright, sterile room on the fifth floor of the jail, waiting. For most of the men in this over-50 group, waiting is a near-constant part… -
opinion
What If America Had Lost the Revolutionary War?
What if America’s most patriotic holiday was not July 4, but December 25? It could have been the day the British crown got its best Christmas gift ever. All it would have taken was a simple slip by a colonial rebel. His rifle, crashing to the frozen ground, discharges… the shot echoing clearly through the… -
opinion
When #LoveWins, It Shouldn’t Crush People’s Consciences
When love wins, it doesn’t take prisoners. It has been more than a week since the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in all 50 states, and already those with religious objections to same-sex marriage are facing punishment. Aaron and Melissa Klein, an Oregon Christian couple who refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian… -
opinion
What Is Unique About the American Character
The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson famously wrote, was “intended to be an expression of the American mind.” Although not intended as such, it was also an expression of the American character. Woven throughout the text are insights into the minds and virtues of those Lincoln called the “once hardy, brave, and patriotic, but now lamented and departed… -
opinion
We Need to Recreate Our American Melting Pot
During our last era of high immigration, remembered now as the “Ellis Island” age, our leaders would use the Fourth of July to stump for something once quaintly known as Americanization. Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Louis Brandeis—they all did it, with stirring speeches about bringing new immigrants fully into the American dream. Presidential candidates, take note. One of… -
opinion
Why Are We Giving World’s Leading Terrorism Sponsor Path to Nuclear Weapons?
Imagine if, on Sept. 12, 2001, I had written a column predicting that within less than 15 years, the president of the United States would be offering the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism a path to nuclear weapons and tens of billions of dollars. You’d have thought me a lunatic. But that’s what President Obama…