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
How Florida Is Trying to Push Back Against Federal Government Overreach
Federalism at the state level is more often preached than practiced. For all the invocations of the 10th Amendment, state officials tend to act as vassals of the federal government tasked with assisting in the implementation of federal policies. Federal encroachments on state powers are either eagerly embraced—46 states have adopted Common Core—or accepted with passive… -
opinion
Why George W. Bush Let a Soldier’s Mom Yell at Him
News of America’s military men and women [who] were wounded and killed in Iraq and Afghanistan almost overwhelmed me on some days. I may have sounded strong when I was talking to the press, but sometimes I had to push my feelings way down in order to get any words out of my mouth to… -
opinion
The Terrorist Threat Is Alive and Well
On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The attack killed 168 people, including 19 children and a large number of federal employees. McVeigh sought revenge against the federal government, which he held responsible for the lives lost during the Waco… -
opinion
Children Raised By Same-Sex Couples May Do Worse When the Couples Marry
For decades social science has found that there is an optimal family structure for a child’s intellectual, emotional and physical flourishing: being raised in a home by her biological, married parents. All other arrangements—cohabiting biological parents, marriage with one step-parent, two adoptive parents or single parents—do not generally provide the same level of benefit. But… -
opinion
Fewer Americans Are Working Two Jobs
Is a job a necessity or an opportunity? Earlier this month, Dylan Matthews provocatively challenged the bipartisan tradition of praising work. In Matthews’ view, work ought to be optional for Americans. We disagree, both because work is ennobling and because the alternative is to force others to work for you. But we are also interested… -
opinion
Why Are Many Former Workers Not Even Applying for Job Openings?
There was good news this month: private-sector job openings rose slightly in February, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Openings rose to 3.8 percent of all private-sector jobs and the job openings—the highest rate since January 2001. Other data for the month showed the unemployment rate for workers age 25-54 (often… -
news
Home Is Where the Heartache Is: Hurricane Sandy Victims Still Not Recovered
EAST ROCKAWAY, N.Y.—For Frances Healy, a 90-year-old widow known as "Muzzy," home is just a tease. Muzzy lives so close to her gutted, molded home—an unhealed victim of a hurricane that hit nearly two-and-half years ago—that she can see it. But she can't live in it. From her vantage point through a window in the… -
opinion
How Oklahoma City Rebounded From America’s Worst Act of Home-Grown Terrorism
It’s been 20 years since we experienced the worst act of American home-grown terrorism at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. This solemn day stands as a reminder of the 168 souls that were lost. On a day where anger lashed out, Oklahomans responded with compassion. Every year since April 19, 1995,… -
opinion
What the Left’s Moments of Condescension Reveal
Sometimes the left unwittingly throws gems our way. These come in rare moments of exasperation, rather than the usual poise the left displays. The transformation of America, after all, requires quiet, subtle movements, coordinated with high-minded propaganda. That’s why moments of condescending contempt, accompanied by the left’s sharpest weapon — mockery—are so revealing. For example,… -
news
Photo Essay: The Oklahoma City Bombing, 20 Years Later
On April 19, 1995, 168 people were killed and 680 injured in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City—leaving the country in mourning and in shock. The blast damaged or destroyed 324 buildings, ruined 86 cars and shattered 258 windows in nearby buildings. It was the work of two… -
news
Former CEO Carly Fiorina Says America Needs a Leader, Not a Manager
NASHUA, N.H.—Former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina said America is in need of leaders rather than managers during a speech at the First in the Nation Summit in New Hampshire today. “I have lived all over the world, I have traveled and worked all over the world, and I know that it is only in… -
opinion
The Anti-Big Labor Trend the Media Is Missing
Last month Wisconsin made national headlines by becoming the 25th right-to-work state. But there’s another equally significant development in workers’ rights that has largely escaped media attention: the rapid flowering of local right-to-work laws in Kentucky. As of December 1, 2014, no local governments anywhere in the U.S. prohibited forced union dues. Now a dozen… -
news
How Innovative is Your State? This Scorecard Tells You.
Is your state a leader in innovation? The Consumer Electronics Association, a technology trade association, released its first Innovation Scorecard this week, ranking each state on its “innovation performance.” Consumer Electronics Association evaluated all 50 states and Washington, D.C. on criteria such as “right-to-work laws, policies that support new business models, tax friendliness, Internet speed,… -
opinion
We Tax Small Businesses More Than Big Businesses And Other Reasons We Need Tax Reform
Getting Americans to agree on anything isn’t easy. So let’s hand it to our tax code. When asked in a recent survey to rate it, only 5 percent of the public said it’s “working just fine.” When 95 out of every 100 Americans say you’ve got a problem, well—you’ve got a problem. Even Congress averaged… -
news
Marco Rubio Describes His Vision of ‘A New American Century’
NASHUA, N.H.—Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., outlined his vision for “a new American century” during his first visit to New Hampshire since announcing his presidential campaign. “I believe with all my heart that America’s greatest days are right around the corner,” said Rubio at today’s First in the Nation Leadership Summit. Rubio said America should remain… -
news
Why Rick Perry Is Optimistic About America’s Future
NASHUA, N.H.—Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, in a speech today that hinted he might run for president again, said he is “optimistic” about the future of the United States. “This is an incredibly resilient country,” said Perry. “We lived through a civil war, two world wars, we lived through the Great Depression, we lived through… -
opinion
Forcing States to Recognize Gay Marriage Could Increase Number of Abortions
On the surface, abortion and same-sex marriage may seem unrelated. However, as explained in an amicus brief of 100 scholars of marriage, filed in the pending Supreme Court marriage cases and summarized here, the two are closely linked in a short and simple causal chain that the Supreme Court would be wise not to set… -
opinion
Clinton Asked 2 Years Ago About Personal Emails
Not even the week of Hillary Clinton’s announcement of her presidential candidacy could pass without further revelations emerging on her use of email when she was secretary of state. We found out this week Congress demanded an accounting of her email habits more than two years ago, but Clinton simply ignored the query. But the… -
opinion
How Slashing Taxes Could Increase How Many Superstar Inventors Move to US
One of the ways that low taxes promote economic growth is by attracting people with valuable ideas. In a new working paper, economists from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University measured how many “superstar inventors” are attracted by low taxes. They found that if top tax rates were cut 10 percentage points, the number… -
news
‘None’ Qualified Like Him, Mike Huckabee Promises Announcement on Presidential Plans
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, meeting with reporters in Washington D.C. this morning, revealed he will give an “indication” of his presidential plans for 2016 in an appearance on Fox News tonight. Talking like a potential presidential contender, but trying not to act like one (Huckabee refused to sit at the head of a table…