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 One Walmart in North Dakota Is Paying $17.40 an Hour
A Walmart store in Williston, N.D., is offering to pay entry-level workers as much as $17.40 per hour—nearly 2½ times the federal minimum wage—in an effort to compete in one of America’s most dynamic labor markets. The push for a “living wage” has gained momentum in cities such as Seattle recently. But the historic oil… -
news
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Loses to Primary Challenger
Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, lost his primary election race Tuesday to a local economics professor in Virginia’s 7th District. Dave Brat defeated Cantor by 56 percent of the vote to 44 percent, with nearly all precincts of the Richmond-area district reporting. In a concession speech shortly… -
news
Surge of Illegal Minors Over Border Dulls Appetite for ‘Reform’
Conservative lawmakers today blamed President Obama’s policies for provoking a wave of unaccompanied immigrant children to cross the southern border into the United States. The humanitarian crisis, they said, would deter the House from pursuing “comprehensive” immigration reform similar to what the Senate passed last year. Speaking at this month’s Conversations with Conservatives event on Capitol… -
opinion
A Defeat for Terrible Teachers in California
It won’t be as simple from now on for ineffective California teachers to coast off to a lifetime career on easy street. In a Los Angeles Superior Court ruling today, Judge Rolf M. Treu “found five California laws governing teacher tenure, layoffs and dismissals unconstitutional,” reports Politico. “Treu found,” reporter Stephanie Simon wrote, “that the… -
news
Professional Ballplayer Explains Why Skipping Games to Attend Son’s Birth Was a No-Brainer
Daniel Murphy, second basemen for the New York Mets, decided that skipping the first two games of the regular season to witness the birth of his son was more important than being on the field. He defended that decision yesterday when he spoke at the White House Working Families Summit: When Noah asks me one day,… -
opinion
Isn’t Poland Our Friend? Get Poland into VWP
There are currently 38 countries in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Poland, a long-standing friend to the U.S. and destination point for President Obama last week, is not one of them. The VWP allows visitors from designated countries to stay in the U.S. for up to 90 days, whether it’s for tourism or business. A… -
news
Conservatives Predict Boehner Won’t Be Back as Speaker Next Year
Two outspoken conservative lawmakers predicted John Boehner’s days as House speaker are numbered—despite an assurance from the Ohio Republican that he has every intention to return. In response to a question at today’s Conversations with Conservatives event on Capitol Hill, Reps. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, and Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., said Boehner won’t be back next year…. -
opinion
TPP: The Right Choice for Taiwan
The U.S. is the driver in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks and should take the lead in making Taiwan a part of it. Taiwan’s role as an important economic player in the Asia–Pacific would in part thus be preserved as far as its adherence to free-market ideas allows. “If you look at Taiwan’s bilateral economic… -
opinion
Don’t Believe The Hype About Trade Deficits. Here’s The Real Story.
One of the most persistent and misguided myths in economics is that trade deficits weaken the U.S. economy. For example, after the government released data showing the trade deficit increased in April, Reuters reported: “Trade subtracted almost a percentage point from first-quarter gross domestic product.” That is backwards. Trade adds to the size of the… -
opinion
Student Lunches Soon Could Be Influenced By Climate Change Concerns
The Dietary Guidelines may soon be based on global warming as much as human nutrition. Currently, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) is working on recommendations for the 2015 Guidelines. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will use the Committee’s recommendations to modify the Guidelines, which… -
news
3 Major U.S. Airlines Fight to Cancel Cheaper International Travel
A measure aimed at grounding an upstart airline offering affordable fares for transcontinental travel appears headed for a vote in the House of Representatives. The transportation appropriations bill is seen as a vehicle for an amendment targeting Norwegian Air International’s new service at U.S. airports, airline officials were told by consultants. Norwegian Air International, headquartered… -
opinion
Did This Student Receive a Bad Grade on a College Paper Because She Cited Heritage Foundation?
Hayley Waring, a student at Southern Methodist University, has an opinion piece in The College Conservative about former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s commencement address last month at Harvard. Mayor Bloomberg criticized left-wing censorship of conservative ideas on campus. Waring said Bloomberg is correct and discussed her own experience at SMU: “Last semester, I took… -
news
Miss USA Contestant Says She Is a ‘Product of Rape’
Miss Pennsylvania Valerie Gatto, a contestant on last night’s Miss USA pageant, described herself as a “product of rape” in an interview with TODAY.com. Gatto revealed she was conceived after her mother was raped at knifepoint by a stranger. Gatto is using her experience and status to educate women about sexual assault and to provide… -
opinion
Congress Going Postal to Bail Out Highway Trust Fund
House leadership’s recent proposal to use savings gained from reforming the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to bail out the dwindling Highway Trust Fund (HTF) has received substantial criticism—and rightly so. USPS does need the flexibility to change its business model and would benefit from the resulting savings, but Congress should not use these savings to… -
opinion
House Committee Targets Dodd-Frank Agencies
The House Financial Services Committee is set to mark up more than a dozen bills Tuesday, all aimed at reforming financial market regulations. Most of the bills target the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), two of the most invasive creations of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill. Congress can… -
news
Study: Banning Sugary Drinks in Food Stamps Could Slash Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes
Prohibiting federal food stamp dollars from being used to buy sodas and sugary beverages could slash obesity and Type 2 diabetes in recipients, claimed a new study in Health Affairs. Modeling from a sample of 19,000 Americans receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, researchers found a ban on soda and sugary beverages would… -
opinion
The Government’s Bailout of College Grads Continues
President Barack Obama signed an executive order today expanding “Pay-As-You-Earn,” the already generous repayment option available to students with federal loans that factors in their current income when calculating their monthly student loan payments. Before 2014, students had access to a plan that capped monthly loan payments at 15 percent of a student’s discretionary income—defined… -
opinion
William Kristol Remembers Joseph Shattan
I’m sorry to report that Joe Shattan—talented writer, dedicated anti-Communist, and above all a truly fine and decent man—has died after a courageous struggle with cancer at the age of 63. Joe came to Washington to serve as a foot-soldier in the Reagan Revolution. His unusual skill as a wordsmith and thinker meant that he… -
opinion
The al-Qaeda Linked Terrorists You’ve Never Heard of
These terrorists might not be kidnapping girls and garnering international outrage, like their Nigerian cousins, Boko Haram, but they are violently disrupting regional stability in sub-Saharan Africa. Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group that operates out of Somalia, continues to threaten the United States’ diplomatic mission in Kenya, the U.S.’ largest embassy in Africa, and to make… -
opinion
Battle Against Common Core Heats Up
School might be winding down for the summer, but states are putting on a crash course in how to reclaim education decision-making authority. Last week marked a turning point in the fight to reverse the push for national standards and tests through Common Core. Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) signed legislation that requires a committee to…