Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
The federal government has a spending problem that threatens to swallow up the resources of the American taxpayer and crush the American economy. Congress can begin to solve this dilemma if it expands self-imposed restrictions to the part of the budget that is driving the country toward crisis. With Congress reneging on its promise to…
At a time when threats against America are growing, the U.S. military is facing a combat readiness crisis that jeopardizes its ability to protect the country. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, discussed this problem recently at The Heritage Foundation. Thornberry explained that this readiness shortfall has occurred as a result of “budget cuts…
In June 2016, the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released highly critical audits of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants administered by the U.S. Fire Administration within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Both audits assess grants funding…
Like the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, postal reform in Congress seems to be fading fast with each new iteration. The latest version—put together by a bipartisan group of House lawmakers led by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah—is the faintest yet. The bill, set to be marked up by the House Oversight Committee today, falls…
Federal legislation that requires the labeling of genetically engineered food is making its way through Congress. This new law runs counter to science, free speech, and could harm agricultural production as well as American consumers. Last week, the Senate passed a federal mandatory GMO labeling bill. Now the House is expected to consider and pass…
The 48 member states of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an international coalition that aims to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling nuclear-related exports, gathered at the annual plenary session in Seoul on June 23 and 24, where the topic of India’s candidacy for NSG membership was deliberated. Although the NSG failed to develop consensus approving…
When we interviewed Carly, 31, in the summer of 2010, she had been in an on-again, off-again cohabiting relationship with the father of her child for about 12 years. Never married, she called marriage a “piece of paper.” One year later, however, she had broken up with her longtime boyfriend and was engaged to a…
A new regulation issued by the Obama administration could impose yet another cost on higher education, with no real benefits. The proposed rule, published last month in the Federal Register, is very long and includes a number of troubling provisions. Overall, the rule is intended to expand upon “borrower defense”—a provision that insulates students from…
The lyrics were exquisitely tailored and told a story with swift staccato phrasing: Just think while you’ve been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world, You could’ve been getting down to this sick beat. Was Judge Gail J. Standish standing in the back of the stadium? Were…
A Fourth of July reflection from abroad by Nolan Peterson, The Daily Signal’s foreign correspondent, prompted readers to share their own thoughts about America’s place in the hearts of those yearning for freedom, whether in Iraq or Ukraine. Here’s a sampling, edited only for style, with the permission of the writers. Great Spark of Hope…
Many political pundits are upset over Brexit because they believe that Europe—the entire world, actually—needs more “harmonization” of financial regulators. They see Brexit as a threat to EU bureaucrats’ efforts to “police” global derivatives. But why should Britain—or any other country for that matter—follow the same international blueprint that harmonized bank capital requirements? The Basel…
Because I'm passionate about our country, I dedicated years of my life to government service. Later, that same passion led me to focus on raising my three young children to become the finest citizens they can be, becoming a stay-at-home mom. Nevertheless, I have jumped back into the world of politics and policy far earlier…
Proponents of higher government spending have used the Great Recession to argue that balanced government budgets hurt economic growth. In a new paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, economists Antonio Fatás and Larry Summers argue that deficit cuts during the recovery from the Great Recession, particularly in Europe, seriously hurt growth prospects…
How much more would cities grow if government regulations on construction were lighter and more predictable? New research from the Canada-based Fraser Institute says that heavy regulation—especially delays in approving new projects—can bring growth to a standstill, leading to longer commutes and scattered communities. Urban areas form the backbone of the Canadian economy and are…
The new jobs report shows employers cranked up hiring in June, creating 287,000 net new jobs. But the last jobs report, for May, showed the economy slowing to a crawl, with employers adding only 11,000 net new jobs in the month. What explains these large gyrations? Probably statistical noise. Americans shouldn’t read too much into…
Like most observers, I watched as events unfolded last night in Dallas with a sense of disbelief and horror. When some semblance of calm was restored and the carnage could be assessed, we learned that five Dallas-area police officers had lost their lives in a senseless act of violence. Sadly, although nearly beyond comprehension, it…
In the aftermath of Orlando, many in Congress are rightly looking for ways to deal with the problem of homegrown Islamist terrorists in the U.S. After all, of the 86 Islamist terrorist attacks and plots aimed at the U.S. homeland since 9/11, 75 involved individuals who radicalized while in the U.S. The Senate held a…
While the United States remains vulnerable to the threat of radical Islamist terrorism, House leadership idles its time by considering a vote on a bill that cooperates with the left’s narrative and erodes the rule of law and our God-given, constitutional rights. Last week, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., properly called out the Democrats for…
Shanghai’s benchmark stock exchange, in combination with China’s other major bourse in Shenzhen, have the highest stock-market capitalization in all of Asia. Until recently, few people would have considered Shanghai as a venture capital (VC) wonderland, given the domination of China’s state-owned enterprises in Shanghai. According to Zero2IPO Group, China’s venture capital funds raised an…
India has emerged as the most favored destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2015, outpacing China (for the first time) and even the U.S. India’s Recent Successes Recent economic events confirm India’s success. FDI inflows into India during January–June stood at $31 billion, ahead of China’s $28 billion and the U.S.’s $27 billion. While…