Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Benghazi has been much in the news because of the long-awaited testimony by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. As important as it is to understand what led to the loss of four American lives on September 11, 2012, when the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was attacked, understanding the context is critical as well. The…
Since 1775, the U.S. Army has protected America’s interests at home and abroad. American soldiers became symbols of freedom to all who encountered them. With current budget constraints, though, the Army is downsizing into what Secretary of Defense Ash Carter calls a “postwar Army.” Nadia Schadlow and other defense experts debunk the idea of a “postwar…
An ordinance in St. Peters, Mo., requires that a “minimum” of 50 percent of all yard areas “shall be comprised of turf grass.” But some people are allergic to turf grass, including St. Peters resident Janice Duffner. Duffner and her husband, Carl, replaced their grass with landscaping many people would cherish: a manicured hillside with flowers and…
Families caught illegally crossing the border into the United States recently are telling government agencies they did so in part because they thought they would be allowed to stay. According to data from Customs and Border Protection, which recently interviewed illegal border crossers, families “consistently” believed they were eligible for some sort of legal “permisos,”…
The Bangladeshi authorities are set to execute two senior opposition politicians for alleged war crimes committed 45 years ago—by an International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) that has been deemed “flawed” by international human rights organizations. The convictions and death sentences of senior Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) politician Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, and senior Bangladesh National Party politician Salauddin…
On Oct. 29, the European Parliament approved a resolution (passed by 285 votes to 281) calling “on European Union Member States to drop any criminal charges against Edward Snowden, grant him protection and consequently prevent extradition or rendition by third parties, in recognition of his status as whistleblower and international human rights defender.” The European…
History proves that the U.S. Congress consistently excels in at least one thing: spending other people’s money. Lawmakers regularly budget to spend more than they collect, and it rarely occurs to them that they should spend less. The latest example is the U.S. Senate’s plan to “save” the highway trust fund. Congress has mishandled the fund—which, technically,…
I never thought I’d say this, considering recent events, but we may have to—gulp—thank Russia for something: a potential positive (and long overdue) shift in our Iraq/Syria/Islamic State/al-Qaeda policy, which has been both flailing and failing. While the White House would deny it, it’s very likely that the Kremlin’s intervention into the Syrian civil war…
Even those of us who have worked in Washington for many years and become accustomed to the inner workings of government can still be amazed by what lurks behind the curtain sometimes. Case in point: the Environmental Protection Agency. Most Americans have at least heard of the EPA, even if they have only a dim notion…
In response to what he called a “fragile” security situation in Afghanistan, President Obama recently announced plans to leave about 5,500 U.S. troops there when he leaves office. Yet more Americans paid attention to who was voted off “The Voice.” Many of us treat the battles in the birthplace of 9/11 like most other foreign…
Cooperative health insurers (or co-ops) created under a federal grant and loan program in the Affordable Care Act seem to be falling like dominoes. It started in February, when CoOportunity Health, which operated in Iowa and Nebraska, was ordered into liquidation. In July, Louisiana’s insurance department announced it was shuttering that state’s co-op. The following…
On Tuesday, citizens of Houston, Texas, will go to the polls to vote on a controversial “sexual orientation and gender identity” (dubbed SOGI) measure. Rather than protecting equality before the law, the SOGI ordinance, euphemistically named the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), creates special legal protections based on “sexual orientation and gender identity.” HERO, like…
A flood of Middle East refugees into Europe has held the world’s attention and sympathy since August. The European Union recently committed to taking in 120,000 asylum seekers and has increased its budget for migrant issues twice in four months. Late last month, 19 countries pledged $1.8 billion to U.N. agencies assisting refugees. Most of that money will…
It’s been almost 20 years since a new nuclear power plant was licensed to generate electricity in the U.S. Last week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued an operating license to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Watts Bar 2 reactor. The last time this happened, today’s college students were in baby clothes, Atlanta was hosting…
When you think of “suffragettes,” what comes to mind? The musical geek in me immediately starts humming along with Mrs. Banks from the classic movie “Mary Poppins” as she marches and sings: Cast off the shackles of yesterday! Shoulder to shoulder into the fray! Our daughters’ daughters will adore us, and they’ll sing in grateful…
The 2016 tax brackets just announced by the Internal Revenue Service don’t include dramatic changes, largely because of low inflation last year. The brackets will rise about 0.5 percent, the IRS said, meaning a $50 increase for single filers in the lowest tax bracket up to a $2,100 increase for married filers in the highest…
Putting politics ahead of policy is nothing new in Washington but author and commentator Jonah Goldberg says President Obama has taken it to a new level. In an interview with The Daily Signal, Goldberg said from gun control to immigration to budget battles, Obama may talk about compromise but at the end of the day,…
Those who drafted the Constitution and subsequent amendments labored over every word that would be included in our charter of liberty. But today some clauses have limited application and others have been swept under the rug entirely. Have you ever heard of the Contract Clause, the Coinage Clause, or the Origination Clause? The Pacific Legal…
One of the very few things the federal government must do, per the U.S. Constitution, is protect our country and our national security interests. In fact, this is something that only the federal government can do. One of its primary tools to do so is the U.S. military and it spends a lot of money…
Sugar prices this Halloween are more than a little scary. Here’s the history that haunts the candy industry—and your grocery bill. The nation’s sugar policy is an extension of laws dating back to the Great Depression. Under the current system, domestic sugar manufacturers are protected from foreign competition by a tariff and quota system that…