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
Family Could Lose Home Over Son’s Drug Possession
In March, Chris Sourovelis’ son was caught selling $40 of heroin to an undercover police officer. Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department responded by raiding the Sourovelis’ north Philadelphia home, with guns drawn — one of them pointed at the head of the family dog — and found small amounts of the drug in the… -
opinion
11 Reasons Why ISIS Might Be More Dangerous Than al-Qaeda
ISIS is not just the terror group de jour. They are a hugely successful movement with an apocalyptic, nihilistic philosophy. When they say "convert, join us, or die", they not only mean it, but they follow through with horrific effect. But let's look deeper. What else makes them such a real security threat, to Iraq,… -
opinion
America’s Allies in Thailand Require Insistent Patience
General Prayuth Chan-Ocha, leader of the May 2014 coup in Thailand, has capped off his rise to power by essentially appointing himself prime minister. His real accomplishment, however, will come in maintaining his pledge to return Thailand to democracy by October 2015. Since leading the coup, General Prayuth declared martial law, instituted a temporary curfew,… -
opinion
Q&A: Should the U.S. Bomb ISIS Targets in Syria?
1. Should the U.S. bomb ISIS targets in Syria? It depends. Never take the decision to put U.S. troops in harm’s way lightly. First, there ought to be clear U.S .vital interest at stake. America has an interest in seeing ISIS driven out of Iraq. Attacking targets in Syria only make sense if they would be… -
opinion
New Report Shows U.S. Deficit for Just This Year Is Huge
While many reports will focus on the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) 2014 deficit and economic forecast released today, a less-told story is what’s driving the growth in government spending over the next decade. Beyond current reporting on the federal government’s balance sheet, CBO reports also serve the important purpose of informing Congressional decision-making. Today’s report… -
opinion
Okinawa: Long Overdue Progress on U.S. Marine Base
After years of delays, Japan finally made welcome (if minimal) progress on constructing a planned U.S. Marine Corps airfield on Okinawa. Workers installed buoys and floats to keep protesters at bay in waters adjacent to Camp Schwab, the site of a planned replacement facility for the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station. A 1996 U.S.–Japan agreement… -
news
This Doctor Posts All His Prices. And His Business Is Booming.
About a year before the birth of Obamacare, Dr. Keith Smith, director of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, posted all the prices for his center’s surgeries online. Today he’s expanding, looking to build two more operating rooms. His fastest-growing group of patients? Obamacare enrollees. Though they have Obamacare health insurance plans, many patients are saddled… -
news
In Under 60 Seconds, George Will Takes Down Claim That It’s Too Hard to Find ‘Lost’ IRS Emails
Justice Department lawyers say that it would be “too onerous” to retrieve lost emails from Lois Lerner when she was head of the Internal Revenue Service’s tax-exempt division. Last night on Fox News’ “Special Report,” commentator George Will responded, beginning with: “I can just hardly wait until the IRS lawyers go into that courtroom and tell the judge that it would be… -
news
‘Taxes Really Do Matter’: Whopper of a Lesson From Burger King’s Move
Following Burger King’s example, more companies will aim to move their headquarters to other countries if the United States doesn’t lower — or eliminate — the corporate tax rate, a prominent economist says. “Taxes really do matter,” Stephen Moore, chief economist at The Heritage Foundation, said at the Bloggers Briefing held at the think tank, adding: “Why… -
opinion
These Two Charts Totally Explain Burger King’s Move to Canada
Burger King's taxes are going to decrease significantly in Canada. (Since this chart was made, the U.K. rate has become 21 percent and Canada's rate has risen to 26.3 percent.) -
opinion
If You’re Offended, Get Over It. Redskins Should Get to Decide Their Own Name.
I hate the Washington Redskins. Always have, always will. I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan and that’s the deal – they hate us, we hate them. Period. But, as someone who loves the First Amendment, free speech and football (and for whatever it’s worth, as a kid always cheered for the Indians to beat the U.S. Calvary in… -
opinion
This Movie Star’s Planned Parenthood T-Shirt Proves She Doesn’t Understand Hobby Lobby Decision
Planned Parenthood Action Fund released today a t-shirt designed by actress Scarlett Johansson that targets the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision. The front of the pink t-shirt reads “Hey Politicians! The 1950s called…” and the back reads, “They want their sexism back!” “When I heard that some politicians were cheering the Supreme Court’s decision to… -
news
In Wisconsin, Democrats Launched Investigation of Conservatives
MADISON, Wis. – Conservative targets of a Democrat-launched John Doe investigation have described the secret probe as a witch hunt. That might not be a big enough descriptor, based on records released Friday by a federal appeals court as part of a massive document dump. Attorneys for conservative activist Eric O’Keefe and the Wisconsin Club… -
news
Bank Admits Choking Off 3 Legal Enterprises at Government Behest
SunTrust Bank is cutting ties with three types of legal businesses in the latest evidence of the Obama administration’s secretive crusade against “objectionable” enterprises. SunTrust, which counts more than 400,000 small business clients, cited “compliance requirements” as its reason for closing accounts with "payday lenders, pawn shops and dedicated check-cashers." “It is consistent with long-standing… -
news
Unreleased Robin Williams Film Got $302K in Funding From Tenn. Taxpayers
NASHVILLE — One of Robin Williams’ final movies, “Boulevard,” filmed in Nashville more than a year ago with a $302,000 investment from Tennessee taxpayers, still has earned no interest from film distributors. Tennessee Watchdog asked Sara Serlen, spokeswoman for the New York-based ID public relations firm, listed as one of the film’s press contacts, if… -
opinion
First Look: Mike Gonzalez’s ‘A Race for the Future’
An exclusive excerpt from my new book, “A Race for the Future: How Conservatives Can Break the Liberal Monopoly on Hispanic Americans,” which comes out Sept. 2: Race for the Future Excerpt by Crown Publishing Group -
opinion
Why It Makes Sense for Burger King to Become a Canadian Company
How many iconic American companies have to leave or threaten to leave these shores for foreign lands before Washington acts to fix our anti-growth tax system and keep firms, profits, and jobs here in the U.S.? Burger King became the latest Fortune 100 company to announce it is looking to leave. The company is considering… -
news
Group Claims IRS Lawyer Said Lerner’s Emails Were Backed Up
“There’s no such thing as Lois Lerner’s missing emails. It’s all been a big lie. They’ve been lying to the courts, to the American people, and to Congress. It’s really outrageous.” -
opinion
Fewer Teen Girls Are Having Kids. But There Are Still Many (Older) Single Parents.
Is it possible for the culture to move in a positive direction? In one area, there is good news for U.S. culture: the teen birth rate has dropped 57 percent since 1991, reported the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Wednesday. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that single parenthood is going anywhere. Today, the greatest proportion… -
news
Area Residents Take to the Streets of Ferguson. But Not for the Reason You Think.
St. Louis County residents who wanted their voices to be heard decided to show up in Ferguson, Mo. Their goal: To give some much-needed business to shops damaged by vandals and looters. More than 40 members of the St. Louis Tea Party Coalition headed to the embattled town Thursday evening to shop at the small businesses and…