Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron warned that it could lead to war. A Brookings Institution scholar wondered ominously if it was the “greatest catastrophe” of the 21st century. CNN’s Peter Bergen compared it to appeasing Hitler. And what exactly caused all these predictions of doom and bouts of anxiety? Not a violent military coup….
Government debt has grown by $13.6 trillion over the past two presidential administrations—from 54 percent of the economy when President George W. Bush took office to 102 percent today in President Barack Obama’s final months. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that debt will grow by another $9.8 trillion over the next decade, but only if…
With the clock ticking fast toward the July 15 expiration date for the Federal Aviation Administration’s authorization, House and Senate negotiators have finally reached a deal for a short-term extension. Though both the House and the Senate produced separate, divergent bills, the extension is needed because House and Senate leaders could not agree upon a…
Missed flights, long waits, and frustration boiling over: the summer travel season is upon us and the American people are fed up with one of the worst travel periods in recent memory. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and the head of the Transportation Security Administration, Peter Neffenger, are pleading for help from Congress—and…
Last month, America’s economy added just 38,000 jobs, the weakest growth in five years. We should expect more than the lackluster 2 percent growth we’ve grown accustomed to under President Barack Obama. Luckily, there is already a successful working model in my home state of Indiana to accomplish this. The recession hit Indiana harder than most states….
The U.S. Department of Commerce recently issued a ruling that increased tariffs on some Chinese steel products. They included electric motors, appliances, and cars made from cold-rolled steel. Tariffs were raised by 500 percent on some other Chinese steel products. President Barack Obama and the major 2016 presidential aspirants, particularly Donald Trump, believe this measure…
On July 6, the Obama administration imposed sanctions on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other senior North Korean individuals and organizations for human rights violations. This is the first time that the U.S. has designated North Korean entities for human rights abuses. The administration should be commended for finally acting upon the February…
Last week, the Department of Defense ended its recognition of service members’ biology and supplanted it with a radical ideology pushed by the Obama administration. As other commentators pointed out recently (here and here), there is no military justification for this move. According to a study the Department of Defense commissioned, personnel who consider themselves transgender currently…
Last week, in a development which is a loss for freedom, pluralism, and tolerance in America, the Supreme Court declined to take up the case of Stormans v. Wiesman. This should not be a difficult case. It involves pharmacy owners (members of the Stormans family) who do not want to dispense certain drugs that can…
A recent report by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget raises concerns that proposals by this year’s presidential candidates would further increase the national debt. America’s major entitlement programs—Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, and Social Security—are driving the nation’s greatest fiscal challenge, and yet Americans have heard very little about how the candidates will address these…
In February, hackers pulled off one of the largest bank heists in history. Hackers gained access to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT, the system used by central banks to authorize monetary transfers. From there they sent money transfer requests to the tune of $951 million from the Central Bank of Bangladesh to…
Despite the geographic differences, Brazil and the United States have much in common: both are continental, diverse countries organized in federations with relatively autonomous states. This is why the failure of centralized education system in Brazil is a cautionary tale for American policymakers. Twelve years ago, when his daughters’ eighth grade teacher compared St. Francis of…
The United States Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on Wednesday on two bills related to immigration enforcement. The sanctuary cities and “Kate’s Law” bills were combined last year, but failed to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to proceed to the bill. Senate Democrats blocked the combined bill in October 2015. The two bills…
Washington is broken. And American politics in 2016 seems to be a competition to assign blame for the federal government’s dysfunction, rising costs, and habitual failure to perform even its most basic responsibilities. The usual suspects offer up their favorite villains: Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and progressive, insiders and outsiders all accuse each other. But…
Since Congress lifted the long-standing ban on crude oil exports, U.S. companies are taking advantage and Americans are reaping the benefits. This example shows how free market reforms can transform the energy sector and provide a massive boon to consumers. In June, CNN reported that the U.S. reached a sevenfold increase in oil exports to…
Last week, the Supreme Court concluded its 2015-16 term, and it’s safe to say there were several disappointments for conservatives. The sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February led to deadlocks and compromises in some of the biggest cases of the term, much to the chagrin of conservatives. Consider five of the biggest cases: 1. Fisher…
“I am confident that I never sent or received any information that was classified at the time it was sent and received.” That is what former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters last July. At least we now know that was not true. In announcing that the FBI would be recommending to the higher-ups…
On May 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized a rule known as the Deeming Regulation, extending its authority under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, or Tobacco Act, to all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), also known as vapor products. Some scientific journals refer to these products as electronic nicotine…
In 2014, Republicans won a majority in Senate. However, if you’ve been watching the Senate lately, you’d be forgiven for wondering who is actually in charge. Democrats demand—and receive—amendment votes, while Republican amendments are stifled. Democrats demand—and receive—amendment votes, while Republican amendments are stifled. Appropriations bills, ostensibly written by Republicans, come to the floor lacking…
As Bangladesh comes to grip with the horrific terrorist attack July 1 at a café in an upscale neighborhood in Dhaka, the Sheikh Hasina government must focus on shutting down local Islamist militant groups and cooperating closely with U.S. authorities to determine whether the terrorists had operational links to global groups. The attack, which involved a 12-hour…