Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
In a move that will make the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) a more competitive and capable force for any future conflict contingency, Chinese leader Xi Jinping today announced the reorganization of the major Chinese military commands. From seven “military regions (junqu),” the PLA will now move to five “major war zones (da zhanqu),” or five…
Recently the Maryland legislature undertook a historic vote to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of a modest civil asset forfeiture reform package (S.B. 528). On Jan. 21, having attained the necessary three-fifths majority in both the Maryland House and Senate, the reform became law, despite Hogan’s objections. Thanks to the veto override, Maryland citizens are better…
Newly elected Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin announced his plans to keep the Obamacare Medicaid expansion (and the extra federal money funding it) and to pursue waivers that will introduce reforms to Medicaid. The governor should rethink this decision. Not only will these efforts likely result in only modest reforms, but more importantly, they will put the…
Millions of people around the world are emerging from poverty thanks to rising economic freedom. But by sharp contrast, America’s economic freedom has been on a declining path over the past decade. America’s declining score in the index is closely related to rapidly rising government spending, subsidies, and bailouts. According to the 2016 Index of…
To “throw money at the problem” is usually understood as a bad thing everywhere but in progressive circles. And for all intents and purposes, the Washington Beltway is one of them. Recognizing the underlying pathology of a problem, or debating whether it is best addressed at a federal, state, or local level—even asking whether…
After Republicans won a majority in the Senate and maintained their majority in the House in November 2014, I proposed that the two chambers take five modest steps to repair what had become a dysfunctional legislative branch. This was part of my effort as the recently elected chairman of the Senate Steering Committee to put…
Less than 1 percent of Pennsylvania public school teachers have formally approved of the unions representing them, and teachers unions from Erie to Philadelphia have not been elected by their members for more than four decades. That should change, according to a blistering policy brief published by the Commonwealth Foundation, a free-market think tank that’s…
MADISON, Wis.—Mandrel Stuart and his young attorney found out firsthand the power of law enforcement to take what it wants through civil asset forfeiture. In August 2012, Stuart was pulled over on suspicion of a minor traffic violation. Although he was never charged with a crime, the cops seized $17,550 Stuart had with him. The owner…
It could be “one strike and you’re out” for Airbnb users in Chicago. In a series of new rules, Chicago officials recently outlined a plan to regulate the short-term rental market. Though city officials say the rules are meant to make it easier for people to rent out their homes using services like Airbnb, the…
Whenever I write on any of the treaties beloved of the left—whether it’s the treaty on land mines, on cluster munitions, or on conventional arms—I’m sure that, somewhere, I’m outraging a progressive. This time, Michael Moore, a campaigner at Landmines in Africa—and presumably no more than an ideological relative of the film propagandist of that…
How big of an Army does the United States need? What is the right balance between the active-duty Army and the Army National Guard and Army Reserve? These are the questions that the National Commission on the Future of the Army were tasked with addressing in their new report. While the report dives deeply into…
In the wake of incidents smacking of mob rule at the University of Missouri and Yale, some college administrators are waking up. Students attend college to be educated, not to play “social justice warrior.” So when students disrupt the educational mission of colleges, they should be appropriately disciplined. Whether it was at the University of…
New reporting requirements introduced by the Obama administration today would require companies to report to the federal government what they pay their employees by race, gender, and ethnicity. While this may sound relatively harmless on the surface, the new reporting requirements and threats employed by government bureaucrats about how this data will be used against…
No child should be placed on a wait list to his future. Yet today, more than a million kids in cities across America languish on wait lists for the charter school of their choice. Many more can’t attend the private school of their choice, because their families simply cannot afford it. Millions of children have their…
Heritage Foundation experts Hans von Spakovsky and Andrew Kloster wrote on the indictment of David Daleiden: In an astonishing bit of legerdemain, a local grand jury in Harris County, Texas, has refused to indict Planned Parenthood for violating a Texas statute that prohibits the attempted sale of human organs, despite the video evidence to the contrary…
It’s National School Choice Week, and I am so excited to see the incredible number of events around the country highlighting education. It brings back so many memories of how we got here. My fight for school choice began in the 1990s, when I was working for my child William to get a quality education in…
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), new regulations are necessary to protect helpless consumers from predatory lenders. The chief villain in the CFPB’s tale is the payday lender, but the new rules will impact much more than payday advances. Every year, a variety of companies provide billions in credit through all sorts of…
A judge has rejected the complaints of a New York-based atheist organization and ruled that two Christian organizations in Florida can continue helping newly released prisoners. Prisoners of Christ and Lamb of God Ministries are two faith-based organizations that assist former prisoners adjusting to life outside prison. The ministries provide food, housing, employment support, and…
Thirty years ago, NASA’s shuttle Challenger exploded on its journey to space, killing the seven-member crew on board. President Ronald Reagan was preparing to deliver his State of the Union address that evening but instead spoke to the nation from the Oval Office at 5 p.m. ET about the tragedy. The complete transcript is below….
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter’s recent op-ed regarding the campaign against ISIS confirmed what many already knew: When confronting ISIS, the Obama administration does the bare minimum required to make it look as if it is doing something, while in reality it is doing very little. President Barack Obama entered office with a hell-bent desire to “end…