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
Tunisia: A “Start-Up Democracy”
The Arab Spring started in Tunisia, and while many argue representative democracy is simply not possible in a region plagued by strongman politics, manipulated economic systems, and religious extremists, Tunisia continues to defy the critics. But the country is heading into what will arguably be the most trying period for the nascent democracy in transition—the… -
opinion
Police Arrest Student for Shooting a Fictional Dinosaur
Dinosaurs may be extinct, but absurdity in public schools isn’t. Alex Stone is a 16 year-old student in Summerville High School in South Carolina. On the first day of class, his teacher asked the students to write a few sentences about themselves and then follow up with a statement in the form of a Facebook… -
opinion
EPA Fails to Meet Federal Standards in Analyzing Impact of Regulations
Limited in their usefulness—that is the message one walks away with from the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) evaluation of the reports from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on recent environmental regulations. The EPA is required to produce the reports to help the public, policymakers, and the regulated community understand the economic impact of a regulation…. -
opinion
378 Reasons You’ll Never Think of Starbucks Drive-Through the Same Again
For 11 hours Wednesday, customers ordering at the drive-through window at a Starbucks in St. Petersburg, Fla. paid for the cars' order behind them, Tampa Bay Times reported. The "paying forward" began with a random woman at 7 a.m. who paid for her own drink, then asked to pay for a caramel macchiato for the person after… -
opinion
Let the Market Decide Wind Industry’s Fate
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz recently praised the growth occurring in the wind industry in his remarks on the release of two Department of Energy (DOE) reports on wind energy. But in the same breath, Moniz stated the future of the U.S. wind industry depends on Congress. This defies logic anywhere else except in government. How… -
opinion
Sugar Consumption: A Taxable Sin?
Rasmussen Reports recently conducted a survey on the public’s opinion of “sin taxes”—i.e., taxes on such things as alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. One question on taxing sugar was thrown into the mix: A proposal now before Congress would add a one-cent-per-teaspoon tax on sugar to discourage sugar use and help fund programs to fight obesity… -
news
How Would Rick Perry Stop ISIS in Iraq?
“They need to be eliminated, and they need to be eliminated now,” Texas Gov. Rick Perry said of the growing threat of the Islamic State, a “terrorist army” formerly known as ISIS rampaging through Iraq. After speaking at The Heritage Foundation on border and homeland security, Perry was asked whether he’d support putting U.S. troops on… -
opinion
Do Doctors Lean Right or Left?
Are physicians’ political views shifting to the left? The authors of a recent study published in “JAMA Internal Medicine,” conclude that between 1991 and 2012, the political alignment of U.S. physicians shifted from predominantly Republican toward the Democrats. However, a closer look reveals that the picture isn’t quite so cut and dried. First, the authors… -
news
Poll: Majority Think Letting 9-Year-Old Play Without Supervision Should Be Illegal
A South Carolina woman, Debra Harell, was arrested last month for letting her daughter play unsupervised in the park. According to a new poll released by Reason magazine, the majority of Americans agree that it should be illegal to leave children unattended at the park. >>> Mom Put in Jail For Letting 9-Year-Old Play in… -
news
Paycheck for Terrorism: $5,300 for Suicide Attack
For the first time, startling details are being made public about the millions of dollars funneled from Middle East charities to Islamic terrorists and their families. Families of Islamic suicide bombers received a $5,300 payment. The money was used to reward terrorists and their families after attacks on Israelis and U.S. nationals visiting Israel between… -
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opinion
Teacher Support of Common Core Drops Dramatically
Schoolteachers’ support of Common Core national education standards has dropped significantly since 2013. The annual PDK/Gallup poll, released on Wednesday, found that 60 percent of Americans oppose Common Core because they fear the national standards will limit teachers’ flexibility to teach effectively. EducationNext’s 2014 opinion poll, which was released earlier this week, found teacher opposition… -
opinion
Warning Signs: ICANN Headed in the Fundamentally Wrong Direction
A recent bylaw proposal from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)—which controls the Internet’s naming function and is currently being transitioned from control by the U.S. government to private control—is fundamentally misconceived and threatens to compromise ICANN’s independence. Currently, governments provide advice to the ICANN board through a Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC)…. -
news
Florida Police Department to Begin Using Body-Mounted Cameras
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sarasota police officers will begin wearing body-mounted cameras later this year in an effort to increase police transparency. That’s a topic of heightened national interest in the wake of the Ferguson, Mo., police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager. But rather than resist the accountability measure, the Sarasota Police Department… -
news
No Slowing Down: After Indictment, Rick Perry to Speak at Heritage
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, under indictment on two felony counts, is in the nation's capital today to deliver a speech at The Heritage Foundation about the border crisis plaguing his state. Perry, who has been active and outspoken about immigration, will deliver his remarks at noon (available via live webcast). He'll also no doubt face… -
news
Some Neighbors Are Headed to Ferguson Today. The Reason Will Warm Your Heart.
Amid civil unrest in Ferguson, Mo., some St. Louis County residents hope to help the town move toward recovery with a “buycott” in support of looted and damaged businesses. Led by Bill Hennessy, a resident of Wildwood, Mo., citizens of neighboring towns plan to spend an hour today shopping at affected small businesses in the… -
opinion
From Watts to Ferguson: The Pros and Cons of Police Militarization
“One problem, with all of this military equipment, is not so much that the local authorities have this equipment. It’s perhaps that they have too much of it and they use it too often.” -
opinion
James Foley’s Life in Pictures: ‘A Man of Incredible Bravery and Courage’
Meet James Foley —a 40 year-old American photojournalist from New Hampshire. He's a former teacher and mentor who was committed to helping individuals improve their lives. He's a son, a colleague, a big brother of five and a friend. His family calls him Jim. “Everybody, everywhere, takes a liking to Jim as soon as they meet… -
opinion
Bipartisan Group Calls for Further Fed Restrictions
Fifteen Members of Congress have come together to urge the Federal Reserve to further restrict its emergency lending authority, something the 2010 Dodd–Frank Act failed to adequately do. The group of lawmakers—Republicans and Democrats from both chambers of Congress—rightfully pointed out: If the [Fed] board’s emergency lending authority is left unchecked, it can once again… -
opinion
EPA’s Climate Plan Is Flawed, Not Heritage Analysis
Bill Burton, a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress Action Fund, not only attacked Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., in print recently for bashing the administration’s climate change regulations, but called a Heritage Foundation report Kelly used for support “flawed” as well. But a quick look at the facts reveals it is Burton’s arguments—and…