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
To Keep Health Care Coverage, Tennessee Couple Separates
After 33 years of marriage, Linda and Larry Drain of Maryville, Tenn., separated—but only so Linda could have health care coverage that was threatened by federal bureaucracy, according to The Tennessean. The Drains are among 162,000 Tennesseans who are caught up in the health coverage gap. They made too much in combined income to qualify… -
opinion
Japan’s Robot Revolution
Japan is one of the few countries in the world likely to experience something that popular movies have predicted for years: a robot revolution. That isn’t to say that the human race is at risk of extinction from Skynet taking command of a robot army (The Terminator, 1984), or needs Will Smith to shut down… -
news
Watch Your Step: Hawaii Taxpayers Will Pay $81,000 for ‘Fall-Prevention Coordinator’
HONOLULU—Take careful steps. When possible, stay in your seat and, by all means, grab hold of that railing. Simple advice, apparently from much simpler times. These days, however, Hawaii seems compelled to pay someone to offer such ubiquitous and common-sense advice. Taxpayers will spend $81,000 in 2015 on a new government position—”fall-prevention coordinator,” who will… -
opinion
Teens Need Summer Jobs. Too Bad There Aren’t Many.
School’s out, and I’m terrified my two teenage boys won’t get a job this summer and will sit around watching TV, playing computer games or just eating me out of house and home. Idle hands really are the devil’s workshop, and at this stage, I’d pay an employer to get the kids out of the… -
opinion
How Teacher Tenure Hurts Students
“Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program,” quipped Milton Friedman. The same could be said of teachers with tenure. Last year, just two – that’s right, two – teachers in California were dismissed because of performance issues, according to Parent Revolution’s Ben Austin. While it’s likely only a small minority of teachers is grossly… -
opinion
The U.S. Needs to Stop the ISIS Pipeline
Foreign fighters—outsiders recruited or who volunteer to fight in another country for somebody else’s cause—are nothing new. What’s new is that they have become a staple of the Al Qaeda cohort. It’s called the “pipeline” problem. Ferrying warriors to the war and also returning them home to spread the war elsewhere has become part of… -
opinion
On Independence Day, Americans Are Feeling Less Free
In recent years Americans have been feeling less satisfied with their amount of freedom. In fact, Gallup recently released a poll that reveals this trend. The poll shows that 79 percent of Americans are satisfied with their freedom to choose what to do with their lives—down from 91 percent in 2006. At the same time,… -
opinion
Internet’s Independence Up for Grabs This July 4
Today, Americans observe Independence Day, in which we celebrate not just our separation from King George and Great Britain, but the affirmation of what Jefferson called our “unalienable rights.” Foremost among these is freedom of expression. In the 238 years since, this right—enshrined as the First Amendment—has become a cornerstone of our constitutional system. Not… -
news
Richard M. Scaife, Newspaper Publisher and Heritage Foundation Trustee, Dies at 82
Richard M. Scaife, philanthropist to conservative causes and publisher of Tribune-Review Publishing, Co., died Friday at the age of 82. Scaife, an early supporter of The Heritage Foundation and member of its Board of Trustees since 1985, was serving as vice chairman of the board when he died. In a statement to The Daily Signal, Heritage Foundation… -
opinion
Virtuous Citizens Power the American Dream
Nowadays in polite society, we rarely hear anyone talk about strength of character, virtues or greatness. To discuss these matters would require making “value judgments,” and we are told we cannot judge. Openness is the only virtue we recognize. Our Founders thought differently. They recognized the republic they established could be sustained only if the… -
opinion
We Need More Beyonces and Jay-Zs
Americans are no stranger to these words from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” Unfortunately, our efforts to attain equal opportunity pay too little attention to one of the biggest factors threatening opportunity: the breakdown of the family. Far too many American children–more than 40 percent–enter… -
news
‘We Have Not Forgotten’: Presidents on the Fourth of July
In a letter to his wife Abigail the day before the American colonies publicly justified their independence from Great Britain, John Adams predicted the occasion would be celebrated as “the great anniversary festival” for years to come. Of the birth of a new nation in July 1776, the future second president of the United States wrote, “the… -
opinion
The War on America’s Independence
They called it the Declaration of Independence, but what Jefferson, Adams and the other Founders actually did 238 years ago today was separate the United States from a foreign nation, severing itself from the sovereignty of King George III. U.S. sovereignty was hard-fought. The Declaration was just the beginning. It took seven years of war… -
opinion
Never Forget the Gift of Freedom
The persistent march of terrorists and tyrants around the globe gives us reason to reflect on the precious gift of freedom we have been given and must continue to safeguard. In signing the Declaration of Independence, 238 years ago, our Founding Fathers defied an intolerable King and proclaimed a God-given right to life, liberty, and… -
opinion
EPA Harasses Americans
Just in time for the Fourth of July, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has added a new regulatory weapon to its arsenal. In a Federal Register notice on July 2 titled “Administrative Wage Garnishment,” the EPA stated that by the authority of the Debt Collection Improvement Act (DCIA ) of 1996 it… -
opinion
Poll: Is the United States Still the Land of the Free?
As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day, a Gallup poll finds a growing number of people questioning whether our country remains the land of the free. According to Gallup, the percentage of Americans who are dissatisfied with the freedom to do what they choose with their lives has more than doubled since 2006, from 9… -
opinion
New York State Will Allow Towns to Ban Fracking
The New York State Court of Appeals recently issued a landmark ruling affirming the “home rule authority” of towns. In the 5-2 decision, the court upheld 2011 ordinances that prohibited Marcellus Shale gas drilling in the towns of Middlefield and Dryden. Under the new ruling, towns and local communities may use zoning laws to ban… -
opinion
Busting the Myths about Ex-Im ‘Disarmament’
Officials of the Export-Import Bank are peddling all sorts of reasons to continue subsidies for foreign firms that purchase U.S. products. Most of the claims are misleading, if not patently false, and thus easily dismissed. But there is one that is causing a bit of unnecessary worry for some lawmakers, i.e., the notion that U.S…. -
opinion
Florida Veteran Fights Foreclosure Over American Flag
Each year, the Fourth of July means millions of flags, hung from houses and adorning the tops of flag poles, will be fluttering in the breeze. But this Fourth of July, one veteran who once wore the flag on his uniform sleeve will face foreclosure for trying to display an American flag in front of… -
opinion
3 World-Famous Landmarks That Cost Less Per Square Foot Than This Government Building
The newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is renovating the Washington, D.C., headquarters it rents—at a cost per square foot that is more expensive than Trump World Tower in New York City. The CFPB project is estimated to cost taxpayers more than $215 million, prompting members of the House Financial Services Committee to question agency officials about its rising price tag….