Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
On the third year of the Affordable Care Act exchanges, it is becoming more apparent that the promises of cost-saving and premium reduction may be reserved only for people who are able to capture the most subsidies. Plans increased rates by 25.1 percent in Kentucky, 14 percent in Ohio, and nearly 11 percent in Michigan. Exchange…
Some politicians and environmental activists have been quick to call for blanket bans on hydraulic fracturing under claims that the process is poisoning America’s drinking water. Scientific evidence, from both government agencies and independent analyses, proves otherwise. For instance, The Environmental Protection Agency’s last study, released in June of 2015 and the most comprehensive government…
Budgets identify priorities. Whether they are for an individual, a family, a business, or a government, a budget is a choice to spend money on certain things and not on others. Once a budget is done, its usefulness is that it ensures we have enough money for the things we really need and that we…
Last week, as the national media obsessed over President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nomination, two conservative lawmakers did exactly what they were supposed to do: Listen to their constituents. Despite intense pressure from House leadership, Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., and Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., stood alone in voting against advancing the flawed fiscal year 2017…
Nearly everyone in America understands what it means—and what is required—to live within a budget. Regardless of zip code or economic status, most people can spend only as much as they earn. One person’s paycheck may be twice the size as his neighbor’s, but neither may continually spend beyond their means. The one glaring exception…
Following President Barack Obama’s nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the D.C. Circuit to fill the vacancy left by sudden passing of Justice Antonin Scalia, there has been an intense clamor from the left for the Senate to “do your job!” By this, they mean that the Senate has a constitutional obligation to give Garland a…
On March 16, President Barack Obama issued a new executive order imposing additional sanctions on North Korea for its repeated violations of U.S. law and U.N. resolutions. The order is a strong step forward for combating prohibited North Korean behavior since it provides additional authorities to U.S. agencies. The new executive order was required in…
In November, children all over Washington State faced uncertain futures when the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that public funding for charter schools was unconstitutional. While charter schools in Washington managed to secure the funding necessary to keep their doors open through the school year, many wondered if families would be forced to abandon the…
On Wednesday night, the Georgia legislature introduced new language to its religious freedom bill and passed the bill in mere hours. Haste makes waste. This new language significantly waters down a religious freedom bill that had real force even though it was, as we pointed out three weeks ago, already lacking in certain respects. The…
The tax preparation company H&R Block is lobbying Congress to heavily regulate the tax preparation industry. This seems surreal. How often do businesses lobby Congress for more regulation? It is no accident that small business owners report government regulations and red tape as one of their greatest problems. Quite often, actually. Large companies can afford…
Genevieve Wood wrote earlier this week on the "GOP Sellout": To watch the recent happenings on Capitol Hill, you would think this was just another typical presidential election year—a few bumps here and there, but no sign of a major shake-up, no indication voters were in revolt, nothing to suggest business as usual in Washington was…
According to a recent Verizon report, pirates are now utilizing sophisticated cyber tactics to assist in their naval marauding ventures. The typical day in the life of a naval pirate consists of targeting a vessel spotted at sea, taking its crew hostage, and holding them for ransom until the ship’s valuable cargo has been rifled…
The war in Ukraine is “a real war,” says a journalist who has spent months on the front lines and embedded with the Ukrainian army. And yet, notes The Daily Signal’s foreign correspondent, Nolan Peterson, most other American news outlets don’t cover the intensity of the 2-year-old conflict. “The media tends to downplay the seriousness of…
KT McFarland decided to re-enter the national security arena after 9/11. She had stepped down as the highest-ranking woman at the Pentagon in the Reagan administration to raise a family. So why did McFarland, national security contributor for Fox News Channel, come back? In an on-camera interview with The Daily Signal, she tells me America’s…
Secretary of State John Kerry declared that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) committed genocide against Yazidis, Christians, and Shiite Muslims. Genocide, as defined by the U.S., constitutes “[w]hoever, whether in time of peace or in time of war and with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in substantial part, a national,…
Secretary of State John Kerry announced that he believes that the Islamic State (ISIS) is committing genocide in the Middle East “against groups in areas under its control including Yazidis, Christians and Shiite Muslims.” Earlier this week, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H. Con. Res. 75, which declared these actions genocide, and last month,…
This week the House Budget Committee presented its budget proposal for fiscal year 2017 to the American people. The proposal spends too much, cuts too little, and is riddled with gimmicks that thwart the goal of honestly balancing the budget. This is not what a conservative budget looks like. This budget’s primary relevance is how much…
Last summer, the District of Columbia increased its minimum wage to $10.50 an hour, which is currently the highest for any U.S. state or territory. This July, the District’s minimum wage will rise again to $11.50 an hour. Then, on Nov. 8, 2016 D.C. voters may consider an initiative to increase the minimum wage to…
Standing in the Rose Garden this morning, President Barack Obama concluded his speech in typical condescending fashion: “I have fulfilled my constitutional duty. Now it’s time for the Senate to do theirs.” The former constitutional law professor should know better. As The Heritage Foundation’s authoritative “Guide to the Constitution” explains, “the president has complete discretion…
According to a new Associated Press/NORC poll, 72 percent of Americans rate “reducing poverty” as “extremely” or “very important.” This includes 62 percent of Republicans, 63 percent of Independents, and 85 percent of Democrats. Further, 62 percent of Americans rate “reforming welfare” as “extremely” or “very important.” Americans are right: It is time for a…