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
Why, Mr. President? This Sheriff Reaches Different Conclusions About Ferguson
In a gripping interview on Fox News’ “The Kelly File,” a Wisconsin sheriff last night blamed the looting and arson in Ferguson, Mo., on something other than the police force. Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke cited anger and frustration growing out of a weak job market, failing schools and a welfare state that gets “individuals in… -
opinion
Why Is the Federal Government Doling Out Billions to the Wind Industry?
A generous taxpayer-funded handout for the wind industry expired at the end of 2013—but it’s not going to the grave quietly. Congress could give the handout new life. Currently, Congress is tossing around the idea of a one-year or multi-year extension of the wind production tax credit. That’s a mistake. Policymakers should not breathe any… -
opinion
The Dangerous Allure of Advanced Technology
“Offset strategies” is a topic currently being discussed in defense circles, the premise being that the U.S. has adopted various approaches to offset an advantage held by an opponent. According to this argument, the U.S. has pursued two previous offset strategies since World War II. The first emerged in the 1950s centered on nuclear weapons… -
news
Democrats Take ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot’ From Ferguson to House Floor
Four Democrats took to the House floor to display the “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture that has come to be symbolic of the Ferguson protests. Expressing solidarity Monday night with Michael Brown, the young man shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., were Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Yvette Clarke, Al Green and Sheila… -
news
Army Veteran Explains Why He Called Out ‘Phony Soldier’ in Shopping Mall
In a crowded Pennsylvania shopping mall on Black Friday, an Army veteran spots a suspicious-looking man in uniform. “Where’d you get your three CIBs at?” asks Ryan Berk, a sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan in 2010-11, referring to Combat Infantryman Badges and recording the encounter at Oxford Valley Mall on his phone…. -
opinion
The Last Man Standing: Don’t Expect Ashton Carter to Rock the Boat
Ashton Carter looks like a shoe-in for the next Secretary of Defense. All the other possible candidates have pulled themselves from contention, and it is unlikely others will appear. The departure of Chuck Hagel left the Obama administration scrambling to find a suitable replacement that would take the job, Carter, the former under secretary of… -
opinion
In 2 Charts: Why the ‘War on Poverty’ Should Be Renamed the ‘War on Marriage’
"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage." Sort of. I grew up singing the "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" jingle with my elementary school friends during recess. Now many of those same friends have the baby in the baby carriage and a boyfriend. They aren't alone. >>>REPORT: How Welfare Undermines Marriage According… -
opinion
Did UPS Discriminate Against Pregnant Employee?
Today the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Young v. United Parcel Service, a case involving what private businesses must do to accommodate pregnant employees without violating anti-discrimination laws. Hard cases make bad law, or so the adage goes. And in this case, the Supreme Court is faced with a sympathetic plaintiff who was… -
news
Virginia Farmer Hopes to Get Conservation Group Off Her Back
Virginia farmer Martha Boneta’s desire to have an environmental conservation group replaced as overseer of her property has moved a step closer to reality. Officials of the Piedmont Environmental Council have agreed to a meeting Friday to talk about ending a bitter standoff with Boneta by handing off enforcement duties for a conservation easement on… -
news
Lieutenant Governor: Let’s Scrap and Replace Common Core in Mississippi
Common Core in Mississippi might be on the chopping block if Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves has his way. Reeves said this week he supports scrapping Common Core and replacing it with another curriculum. The Republican said he wants to form a task force of parents, teachers and business leaders to investigate a new curriculum to replace Common… -
news
Farmers Blast Governor’s Hunger Initiative
RICHMOND, Va. — Market-minded Virginia farmers aren’t buying into Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s government initiative aimed at feeding more hungry children. “If the governor really wants to help, he should call off his bureaucratic army that tyrannizes affordable, local food commerce,” said Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farm in Swoope. Bernadette Barber, head of Virginia Food… -
opinion
Congress Moves to Block EPA’s Land Grab
Republican lawmakers are pushing hard to corral President Obama’s rogue Environmental Protection Agency with stringent bills and a blunt warning against finalizing its most dangerous land grab ever, the pending redefinition of “Waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, which would seize power over almost any property that gets wet regardless of what it is… -
opinion
Boko Haram: Nigeria’s Ongoing Insurgency
On November 28, the terrorist group Boko Haram attacked a mosque in Kano, a city in northern Nigeria, killing more than 100 people according to reports. The attack during Friday prayers is yet another reminder of Boko Haram’s violent insurgency. While Boko Haram has been active in Nigeria for years, the group catapulted to international… -
news
Why ISIS May Surpass al-Qaeda in the Middle East
ISIS may surpass al-Qaeda in terms of power in the Middle East, according to a Heritage Foundation Middle East expert. “Ideologically, they [ISIS] are on the march and perhaps ambitiously seeking to eclipse al-Qaeda as [the] core group,” said James Phillips during an interview with Fox News national security analyst KT McFarland. Watch the latest… -
opinion
Congress’ Sneaky Tactic to Grab More Land for the Government
Congress has returned from the mid-term elections and members are hammering out the details of the National Defense Authorization Act. NDAA, which has passed for more than 50 years consecutively, provides policy guidance for the U.S. defense budget. The importance of the NDAA to the defense budgeting process and its traditional status as a "must-pass"… -
news
A Taxpayer’s Guide to the Lame-Duck Session
With two weeks left in the 113th Congress, lawmakers are scrambling to address a few key issues in their lame-duck session, most divisive being a bill to fund the government in the wake of President Obama’s unilateral action to allow millions of illegal immigrants to stay and work here. In a speech yesterday on the… -
news
Little Conservative Group Gives Up in Nonprofit Status Battle with IRS
MADISON, Wis. – Marve Munyon and his two fellow members on the Rock River Patriots board of directors finally were forced to throw up their hands. The Internal Revenue Service has a way of doing that to people. After being hounded for years, the group with the tea party-sounding name gave up its pursuit of… -
news
Terrence Williams Is Cleaning Up Ferguson and Spreading a Message You’ll Want to Hear
FERGUSON, Mo.—Terrence Williams, 23, is a St. Louis native working hard to change the narrative that has inundated this city over the past several weeks. While riots and looting have turned Ferguson into a catalyst for the race debate in the 21st century, Williams takes to the streets with a garbage bag in hand—helping to clean… -
opinion
Congress Should Not Lamely Duck a Fight over the IMF Reform Package
Rumors are swirling that the Obama Administration could try to push the International Monetary Fund (IMF) “reform package” through the lame duck Congress. As they have in the past, conservatives should again stand firm in opposition. They should insist that the IMF reform package itself be reformed to retain American sovereignty at the IMF, and… -
opinion
Germany Considers Outlawing Employers Emailing Employees After Work Hours
Germans refer to “Close of Business” as Feierabend, which literally translated means something like party night. Now some in Germany want to impose a work communications blackout during this sacred time. Germany already mandates a host of labor policies, including a minimum of 24 paid vacation days plus holidays and 14 weeks of paid maternity…