Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
If the idea behind U.S. policy in the early 20th century was either to help Indians or to help white settlers, the easiest way of accomplishing this would’ve been to grant a simple title to the land to either group and let each do what they wanted. But, “had the land been given directly to…
A thirty-year commercial nuclear trade agreement with Norway is up for review by the Senate. Norway generates 96 percent of its electricity from hydropower and has no plans to build nuclear power plants. Why, then, is such an agreement important? Commonly called a “123 Agreement” for its location in the Atomic Energy Act, this agreement…
At Planned Parenthood’s behest, the California Assembly has passed AB 1671 on to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. AB 1671 amends a state anti-eavesdropping law to add criminal penalties for disclosing the confidential communications of a health care provider. The bill is designed to silence “undercover journalists” who might have reason to suspect foul play within…
Recently, the national Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association has been aggressively lobbying Congress to ignore the Obama administration’s illegal diversion of tax dollars into the pockets of—you guessed it—health insurers. At issue is funding for the “transitional reinsurance” program in section 1341 of the Affordable Care Act. In that section, Congress instructed the Department…
Today marks the 115th anniversary of the swearing-in of Theodore Roosevelt, who would turn out to be our first progressive president. Roosevelt was thrust suddenly into that high office after the assassination of President William McKinley on Sept. 14, 1901. On that somber September day, it was not yet clear what shape TR’s political trajectory…
This week, the infamous “Bridgegate” scandal goes to trial, with former officials in New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s administration facing serious charges from the U.S. Department of Justice. Not since London Bridge came falling down in 1281 has an overpass caused such a stir. The backstory: In 2013, Christie was running for re-election. Like every…
What do you give to a cash-flush abortion business and political ally that has everything? More taxpayer dollars, of course. In his remaining few months in the Oval Office, President Barack Obama has found a new way to direct more taxpayer money to his friends at Planned Parenthood. The Department of Health and Human Services…
The Heritage Foundation has released an in-depth and unique report that analyzes the question of whether agricultural producers and ranchers need government intervention in order to manage risk. Many agricultural special interests are already attacking the report, showing a surprising level of vitriol. This is a shame given that the report is designed in large…
As the clock is ticking, President Barack Obama is striving to cement his legacy in the realm of nuclear weapons policy. In the past, the president has suggested his nuclear policy goal would be a “no first use” policy—a plan many experts as well as U.S. allies continue to meet with skepticism and resistance. While…
My small country of Georgia lies at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It also lies at the intersection of many of America’s most vital interests in this increasingly important region. Georgia is connected by geography to the Black Sea and to the West’s NATO allies that border it. Georgia shares another important border with…
Sen. Chuck Schumer has reminded us just how important the upcoming presidential election will be in shaping the federal judiciary, calling getting a progressive Supreme Court his “number one goal.” “A progressive majority on the Supreme Court is an imperative, and if I become majority leader, I will make it happen,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said to…
On Tuesday, the Census Bureau released its annual poverty report declaring that 43.1 million Americans lived in poverty in 2015. We should be concerned about any American living in real material hardship, but much of what the Census reports about poverty is misleading. Here are 15 facts about poverty in America that may surprise you. …
With 56 days to go until the election, you can bet voter identification requirements will increasingly be a major topic of conversation. Just this past weekend, a federal appeals court overturned proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration in three states. As voters prepare to head to the booths in just a few short weeks, the debate…
Behind virtually every U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project is one or several lawmakers who try to use the agency to deliver unnecessary and wasteful projects back home. S. 2848, the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (WRDA), currently being considered by the Senate, is a prime example. The bill contains a nearly $0.5 billion…
Some are puzzled by the dishonesty, lack of character, and sheer stupidity of many people in the media. But seeing as most of them are college graduates, they don’t bear the full blame. They are taught by dishonest and irresponsible academics. Let’s look at it. “A Clash of Police Policies,” a column written by Thomas…
The lame-duck session is the most dangerous period in the nation’s capital that you’ve never heard of. There are nearly two months in between Election Day in November and the swearing-in of the newly elected Congress in January. This period is known as the lame-duck session, because many of the voting members won’t be returning…
In recent years, a common refrain accompanying nearly every demand for newly invented “rights” has been: “It doesn’t affect you, so you can’t be against it.” This claim—whether false or true, subjective or objective—has been played as the ultimate trump card. If you could not point to a direct, immediate, and significant intrusion on your…
Small businesses are America’s backbone. They employ more than half of America’s workforce, and for every large business (more than 500 employees), there are 1,500 small ones. Most small business owners—those who risked their own money to start their business—would be shocked to hear that the government’s Small Business Administration has written off $17.5 billion…
Fifteen years ago, in the wake of the terrorist assaults on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, I wrote about the tidal wave of patriotism that swept across America. There was an overnight surge in military enlistments by teens and young adults often dismissed as spoiled and self-absorbed….
On Sept. 8, North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test, the second since January 2016. The regime confirmed the nuclear test, claiming to now have “a variety of smaller, lighter, and diversified nuclear warheads of higher strike power … standardized [to be] mounted on strategic ballistic rockets. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.3 magnitude…