Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Last week, the Obama administration released the text of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership—a trade pact between the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim countries. Advocates of such deals traditionally focus on the benefits of opening new markets to U.S. exports. But good trade agreements also reduce self-destructive U.S. trade barriers. Politicians often mischaracterize imports as…
One of the most surprising results from recent state elections was Ohio voters voting overwhelmingly against Big Pot. By a nearly 2-to-1 margin, they defeated a ballot measure that would have permitted the legalization of marijuana in the Buckeye State. Misleadingly named ResponsibleOhio, the measure would have allowed the commercial production, retail sale, and personal…
It’s bad enough having a state hold an election that is racially discriminatory. Now we have a judge willing to allow it to move forward. That would be federal district court Judge J. Michael Seabright (a George W. Bush appointee, surprisingly enough). He’s refused to issue an injunction to stop an election in Hawaii to…
The recent Boehner-Obama budget deal is bad public policy. Formally known as the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, it’s devoid of serious entitlement reform and allows the already crushing national debt to crash through a $18.1-trillion ceiling. Indeed, the debt literally jumped $339 billion the very same day President Obama signed the deal into law. But sometimes, even…
“Dismal.” “A train wreck.” That’s how people have characterized the results of this year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress. The NAEP assesses fourth and eighth-graders’ performance in reading and math every other year. Test results had been trending upward since the early 1990s, but the results released last month indicated a drop in both math…
It was a lot like one of those holiday family get-togethers. You know, one of those annual gatherings that are well-intentioned expressions of love and affection but are simultaneously pregnant with tensions built up over the years among the attending relatives. When that trying day of togetherness at Grandma’s house ends without the expected fusillade…
Earlier this week Andrew Kloster wrote on the recent events at the University of Missouri: The University of Missouri at Columbia (Mizzou), the state's flagship public university, has a problem on its hands: Some students and professors are seeking to shut down reporting at the campus, in the wake of unrest that has been growing for weeks,…
The recent mass shooting in Oregon has brought the seemingly endless debate on gun control back into the national spotlight. Are we, as some insist, in the midst of a gun violence crisis? Gun control advocates would certainly have you think so. Rolling Stone magazine has an entire section on its website dedicated to gun violence…
Silicon Valley has become synonymous with innovation and progress and is home to the some of the world’s largest technological giants of the modern age. Silicon Valley and the Department of Defense have a rich history going back to after World War II, when “The Father of Silicon Valley,” Frederick Terman, the dean of the…
Call the cops! It looks as though someone is committing voter fraud in Indiana again! Ironically, in this case, however, the alleged fraudster who has been arrested by the Indiana State Police was a cop. Unfortunately, even officers who graduate from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy are capable of violating the public trust by allegedly trying…
A few weeks ago, the House Freedom Caucus was being roundly pummeled by the media, liberal and pseudo-conservative alike. This small band of conservative House members had the audacity to challenge the status quo in Congress, and in the eyes of Washington’s comfortable elites, that’s a serious offense. For years, Washington’s chattering class has guarded…
Per 18 U.S. Code §604, it is a federal crime to be “in any manner concerned in soliciting or receiving” any contributions “for any political purpose from any person” entitled to government relief. That could mean any presidential candidate who takes money from any person receiving Social Security, student debt relief, welfare, or any other…
Ben Richards is, by any definition of the word, a hero. Ben is selfless, dedicated, and talented, but war did not treat him well. A combat veteran in Iraq, he was profiled in The New York Times on the trials of dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. He was also featured in…
As we celebrate Veterans Day honoring those who served our country in time of conflict, let us not overlook those who fought in the longest war of the 20th century—the Cold War. Many of these brave men and women combated Communism far from home and in secret. From the jungles of Africa to the mountains…
As Americans, Veterans Day allows us to reflect upon the gratitude we feel for the men and women who have taken it upon themselves, through their service, to protect the freedoms we enjoy here at home. To those special individuals we call veterans, patriotism and service to country embody more than mere rhetoric; they encompass a…
On Monday night, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit struck a blow to President Barack Obama’s attempt to confer lawful presence and work authorizations on more than four million illegal immigrants. In a 2-1 decision, the panel ruled that a preliminary injunction that blocks Obama’s “Deferred Action for…
The University of Missouri at Columbia (Mizzou), the state’s flagship public university, has a problem on its hands: Some students and professors are seeking to shut down reporting at the campus, in the wake of unrest that has been growing for weeks, and which led to yesterday’s resignation of university President Tim Wolfe. As the…
Helmut Schmidt—chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982 and staunch U.S. ally—is dead. As chancellor, Schmidt saw his country through the fight against the terrorist Red Army Faction (of Baader-Meinhof fame), with its bombings and high-profile kidnappings and murders of German politicians and business leaders. American service members were also among the targeted and…
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is, like all bureaucracies, humorless and unyielding—and it is no less so when it comes to balkanizing or fragmenting Americans. Employers must divide the workforce into racial and pseudo-ethnic groups, growls the EEOC, whether the workforce wants to be divided or not. Here’s a sample of their FAQs on the…
Last week, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter gave a major speech at the 2015 Reagan National Defense Forum outlining the Obama administration’s new strategies to respond to Russia and China. While it is certainly clear that the United States is in need of new strategies to respond to these two countries—who seem to be outmaneuvering…