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
How Marijuana Legalization United Democrat, Republican Running for Governor
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper spoke honestly about Colorado’s decision to legalize marijuana, comments that could shake up the tight gubernatorial contest. “What the hell—I’ll say it was reckless,” he said on Monday during a debate against Republican challenger Bob Beauprez. Hickenlooper was referring to Amendment 64, which made Colorado the first state to legalize recreational… -
news
Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson’s Powerful Words: Faith Has ‘Carried’ Family ‘This Whole Way’
On “Dancing with the Stars” Monday night, 17-year-old Sadie Robertson talked about how important her family and her faith in God were to her. “My family would not be where we are without our faith. That’s what’s carried us this whole way,” the Duck Dynasty star and daughter of Willie Robertson said. “We put our… -
opinion
Wisdom Should Prevail Over Panic: Solution to Ebola in US Isn’t Banning Travel
A first case of Ebola has hit the United States, resulting in concerns and questions about containing the virus and keeping it out of the country. Those who promised Ebola never would reach our shores were being unrealistic. The disease is now so widespread that a handful of cases spreading internationally is inevitable. What all… -
news
‘Save the Storks’ Gives Women a Last-Minute Option to Choose Life, One Bus at a Time
Christian entrepreneurs Joe and Ann Baker are influencing the pro-life movement without ever exiting their vehicles. Save the Storks has quite literally mobilized the pro-life movement by parking buses outside abortion clinics. Shortly after their engagement in 2011, the Bakers founded Save the Storks, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging abortion-minded women to choose life…. -
news
Government Should Target ‘Bad Guys,’ Not Entire Industries, Trade Group Says
A group representing businesses that speed monetary transactions between consumers has taken a legal stand against Operation Choke Point, the secretive Obama administration effort to financially starve industries that are politically out of favor. The Third Party Payment Processors Association filed a legal brief Friday in support of a lawsuit that challenges the Justice Department… -
news
Why One State Just Banned Plastic Bags … and What That Means for You
California is the first state in the nation to enact a statewide ban on plastic shopping bags, taking a concept that had been limited to cities and broadening it in new ways. “This bill is a step in the right direction—it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself,”… -
opinion
States That Voted Against Gay Marriage Now Have It Forced Upon Them
This isn’t OK. The Supreme Court’s decision today to not hear any of the cases on same-sex marriage means, as my colleague Ryan T. Anderson writes, that “lower court rulings that struck down state marriage laws now will go into effect, forcing the redefinition of marriage in [Indiana, Wisconsin, Virginia, Oklahoma and Utah] and potentially… -
news
How This Dairy Queen Boss Helped Her Employee Become a Doctor
Nabiha Islam may be a doctor now, but it was only a few short years ago that she was a college student working at Dairy Queen. Islam, a recent medical school graduate, decided to send a thank-you note to her former boss, Yvonne Lavasidis, for her support during her education: Dear Yvonne, Well, I’m a… -
opinion
Newly Pregnant Blake Lively’s Refreshing Perspective on Family
Actress Blake Lively creatively announced her pregnancy today on her lifestyle website, Preserve. The announcement came in the form of a photo essay focused on family with a few photos hinting at what was to come at the end – an ethereal photo of Lively cradling a tiny bump. The Preserve editorial team wrote a… -
opinion
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Capability Still Essential
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the rise of terrorist groups ISIS and Khorasan in Iraq and Syria, the world clearly remains a dangerous place. The multitude of threats to the U.S. and its allies highlight the importance of U.S. nuclear capability, even in the post–Cold War era. U.S. nuclear weapons capability remains important for… -
news
‘We Have a Place in This World’: Hong Kong-Born Merchant Stays Connected to Freedom Fight
The system that governs Hong Kong–an autonomous city that belongs to China–is called “one country, two systems.” But before China had a chance to fail to deliver the “two systems” part of that slogan, some Hong Kong residents left for brighter places, fearful of being overshadowed by Beijing’s cloud. A week after Hong Kong erupted… -
news
Government Unions Collect Dues From More Than 250,000 Workers
Public-sector unions took forced dues from more than 250,000 public employees in 2013, siphoning away taxpayer money to support the unions’ shared goal of bigger government. Some, but not all, of the labor unions that take mandatory “agency fees” from public employees must report the number of agency fee payers to the U.S. Department of… -
opinion
Why Our Constitution Has Endured
When July 4 rolls around, there’s no mistaking it. There are fireworks, parades and other patriotic tributes to our Declaration of Independence. If you’re like most Americans, Sept. 17 comes and goes without any fanfare. It’s a shame, really. Constitution Day may lack the flair and pageantry of our national birthday, but without this landmark… -
opinion
Why Can’t Employers Find People for These Jobs?
Good economic news has been rare enough the past few years that it’s easy to be skeptical when it appears. But data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics say job vacancies, economy-wide, rose 18 percent during the first half of 2014. And Gallup polling data show the same thing: a 20 percent increase in respondents who report… -
news
To Reach Millennials, These Get-Out-the-Vote Ads Go Where They Go
These aren’t your grandpa’s campaign ads. Two divergent groups — Rock the Vote and the College Republicans — have set their sights on next month’s midterm elections with new ads designed to push the 18- to 29-year-old demographic to the ballot box. Rock the Vote, a nonprofit aimed at boosting voter turnout among young Americans,… -
news
Why Taxi Companies Hate Ridesharing, Explained in One Chart
For cab companies and limo services, ridesharing startups such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar are about as welcome as a blown tire on a crowded freeway. This chart focusing on the San Francisco Bay Area may go a long way toward explaining why. Dubbed the "Uber Effect,” the chart, presented recently at a municipal transportation agency… -
opinion
Capital Punishment Works: It Deters Crime
On Sept. 10, Earl Ringo Jr. was executed in Missouri. Before you decide whether or not this is right, consider what Ringo did. In July 1998, Ringo and an accomplice planned to rob a restaurant where Ringo had previously worked. Early one morning, they followed delivery truck driver Dennis Poyser and manager-in-training Joanna Baysinger into… -
opinion
Enviromentalists Should Love, Love, Love Fracking
President Barack Obama raised a lot of eyebrows when he declared in his United Nations climate change speech: “Over the past eight years, the United States has reduced our total carbon pollution by more than any other nation on Earth.” That’s absolutely true. And it’s remarkable because we as a nation didn’t ratify the Kyoto… -
opinion
Amid Terrorist Threats, How Safe Are We?
It’s only natural, with reports of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State filling the news, for Americans to question just how safe they are – and if the threat is greater now than it used to be. We’ve never really been safe. At least that’s what a database maintained by The Heritage Foundation finds…. -
opinion
U.N. General Assembly Opens Amid Ongoing Development Agenda Battles
Last week’s 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York included an address by President Obama, a celebrity-studded “People’s Climate March,” and a much-discussed speech by actress Emma Watson on gender equality. A less-heralded special session commemorated the 20th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) that produced a…